Avengers: Endgame could begin with Thor and Rocket on another side mission - to find the surviving Asgardian refugees. The first trailers for Avengers: Endgame have made it clear that Thanos’ victory has left the Avengers reeling. Steve Rogers is shaken to his core, presumably suffering from PTSD, and seeking help in a recovery group. Black Widow is steely and determined, honing her skills. Hawkeye has gone rogue as Ronin, and Tony Stark and Nebula are still in the depths of space, desperately trying to survive on a drifting spaceship with life support about to give out.
No doubt Thor is particularly shaken by Thanos’ triumph. He already seemed to be suffering himself in Avengers: Infinity War, having lost so much over the last few months; his homeworld, his people, his friends, his brother, his father, and even the mighty Mjolnir. Making matters worse, Thor was the only one who had a chance to stop Thanos, but he chose not to go for the head, a split-second decision that cost the universe everything. Thor unwittingly gave Thanos the chance to snap his fingers, and erase half the life in the universe. The God of Thunder, protector of the Nine Realms, failed in his duty. That certainly explains why the first Avengers: Endgame trailer included a brief shot of Thor seated in a corner, grieving.
It looks as though Avengers: Endgame will begin with the Avengers scattered, with each one struggling to process what has happened. And it appears that Thor and Rocket may be elsewhere, performing yet another quest of their own. So what’s going on with Thor and Rocket at the beginning of Avengers: Endgame?
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Thor & Rocket Aren’t With The Avengers… But May Be Elsewhere
Most of the Avengers: Endgame Super Bowl TV Spot was concerned with New York, with Steve Rogers attending a support group and Black Widow in the Avengers Compound. But Thor and Rocket were seen in a mysterious, mountainous location; both shots appear to correspond to the area around St. Abbs, a remote Scottish village which was briefly taken over by Marvel Studios in May 2017. And if the two scenes were shot in the same location, it’s entirely possible that Thor and Rocket are together. Notice that no other Avengers are seen in this location, which suggests they’ve gone off on their own - either to grieve, or on another side mission.
It’s important to remember that Thor now wields Stormbreaker, a weapon so powerful that it can actually summon the Bifrost. Stormbreaker can open Einstein-Rosen Bridges that transports Thor and his allies across the entire galaxy; that means if Thor and Rocket have separated from the rest of the Avengers, they don’t even have to be on Earth. They could have gone elsewhere.
Is Thor In An Asgardian Structure?
But where could Thor and Rocket be? Neither shot is particularly helpful in giving a sense of place. In the case of Thor, the God of Thunder appears to be walking out of some sort of alien-like structure. It’s difficult to say for certain, but the design is either Asgardian or evocative of it, thus suggesting it was built by an advanced race of some kind. Notice that, barring editing on Marvel’s part, Thor is alone as he walks out of this mysterious structure.
Meanwhile, Rocket is entering a ramshackle wooden cabin. The background is unclear, but it looks as though someone has set up some kind of wire run in which to keep animals. There’s a clear disparity between the levels of technology in the two images; one seems to be high-tech, the other is an attempt by someone to do the best they can with what’s at hand. One may be Asgardian, the other could be put together by just about anybody.
Page 2 of 2: Thor Is On A Mission To Find The Last Asgardians
Theory: Thor Has Given Up The Fight & Is Looking For Asgardian Survivors
There’s one obvious solution to the mystery; Thor and Rocket are scouring the galaxy looking for the surviving Asgardian refugees. It’s easy to forget that Thor isn’t the last Asgardian; their numbers were depleted in Thor: Ragnarok, and half the refugees were killed by Thanos in the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War, but Thanos did allow the rest to flee in pods. The Russos have confirmed that Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie survived Thanos’ wrath, although they were unwilling to confirm the fate of Thor’s friends, Korg and Miek. But here’s the catch - Thanos’ snap means those Asgardian survivors would have suffered even more, as half again crumbled to dust before the horrified eyes of their friends and family. So there are some Asgardians still out there, but there aren’t many, and they’re frankly on the verge of extinction - in spite of their long lifespans.
Thor is King of the surviving Asgardians, and his responsibility is to find his people. Rocket doesn’t belong on Earth, and he and Thor seem to have become friends, so it would make sense for him to stick around the Thunder God and help him look for the last of the Asgardians. What’s more, it seems highly likely that Thor will track down these Asgardian survivors, given Tessa Thompson was seen on set during filming of the two Avengers blockbusters, and even returned for reshoots with Chris Hemsworth in September.
This theory makes sense of the two images in the TV Spot. It’s possible that Thor and Rocket have arrived on an alien world, and found an escape pod; in fact, the very structure Thor is standing in could well be one of the pods. Thor checks it out, finds it completely empty, and then turns to look at the barren landscape, wondering if anyone is still alive. After all, for all he knows the pod landed safely but everyone aboard it was turned to ash in the Decimation. Then, as the two explore, Rocket could find a ramshackle shed with signs of recent activity. The last of the Asgardians are desperately attempting to eke out a life in this remote location, and Thor and Rocket have found them at last.
The Team Will Come Back Together… Once Ant-Man Provides Hope
When Avengers: Endgame opens, it seems the Avengers will have effectively disbanded. That’s not an unreasonable decision, given the world is in utter chaos, and several of the Avengers will be holding themselves responsible. Thanos’ victory has broken the Avengers’ spirit; Steve Rogers will most likely be blaming himself for making the wrong tactical decisions, Thor will be remembering how he failed to kill Thanos, and Hawkeye will probably be grieving the deaths of his family. The future seems bleak, bereft of hope, and the world doesn’t need a band of broken superheroes any more. Furthermore, Black Widow, Steve Rogers, and Bruce Banner appear to have all settled in the Avengers Compound in New York, while Thor and Rocket have gone on their journey, and Hawkeye is in Japan now operating under the Ronin identity.
The arrival of Scott Lang will change everything, though, which is why his return was given a place of prominence in the first Avengers: Endgame trailer. Lang was trapped in the Quantum Realm when Thanos snapped his fingers and everybody who could have gotten him out was erased from existence; he was numbered among the missing, believed to be dead. But the post-credits scene of Ant-Man & the Wasp established that the Quantum Realm contains mysterious time vortexes, which could potentially be used to travel in time. And when Lang escapes the Quantum Realm, bringing news of these time vortexes, he may just provide hope - because he’s inadvertently proven that time travel is possible, and that history could potentially be rewritten.
Avengers: Endgame opens with the Avengers broken, but they will come back together - once Ant-Man gives the team a reason to hope. The driving force for this appears to be Black Widow; the trailers have shown her running a debriefing, attempting to encourage Steve Rogers that their desperate plan will work, and heading to Japan to seek out Ronin. Presumably Thor and Rocket will return to Earth, perhaps to tell the Avengers they’ve succeeded in their mission or perhaps to bring the Asgardians to a place that has a few more amenities, and Black Widow will draw them both into her last-ditch attempt to save the universe.
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