Chris Hemsworth Gets a Major Makeover in Thor: Ragnarok

Cate Blanchett and Tessa Thompson grace Entertainment Weekly's March 17/24 cover

By Zach Johnson Mar 08, 2017 5:50 PMTags
Watch: Mark Ruffalo Teases "New Stuff" for "Thor: Ragnarok"

Say goodbye to Chris Hemsworth's luscious locks.

The Norse god gets a makeover in his third standalone, Thor: Ragnarok, and Entertainment Weekly is giving fans a first look at his new haircut in its March 17/24 issue, on sale Friday. "It was nice not to have to sit in the makeup chair for that hour each morning," says Chris, who's played the role since 2011. "It felt like a rebirth for me as the actor but also as the character."

The magazine also offers Marvel fans their first look at the blockbuster's big baddie: Hela, Goddess of Death (Cate Blanchett). Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) also stands strong on the cover.

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Things sure are different since the crown prince of Asgard last appeared on the big screen (not counting his post-credits appearance in Doctor Strange). "I have a belief that if you're lucky enough to get to Part 3 of a franchise"," Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige says, "it is your obligation not to fall to threequel-itis."

Director Taika Waititi agrees. "I think sometimes people mistake a tonal shift as 'We're just going to make some ridiculous broad comedy where no one gives a s--t what happens and everyone gets stoned and sits around talking about saving the universe,'" he tells the magazine. "We want people to care what happens and care that the hero succeeds. I think tonally it's like a slight shift. I don't feel nervous—I feel good about it."

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Chris can't wait for fans to see the movie. "Taika has such a quirky, left-of-field sense of humor, which forced all the characters and the tone of the whole story to head in a new direction," he says. "Each day we [asked], 'Are we pushing it too far? Are we allowed to have this much fun?'"

Entertainment Weekly also reveals the film's plot details for the first time.

The action begins with Hela's accidental prison break. "She's been locked away for millennia getting more and more cross, and then, with a mistake, she gets unleashed and she ain't getting back in that box," Cate says. After she attacks Thor, Hela sends him to a desolate planet, Sakaar.

Thor is forced to become a gladiator on the planet, where he reunites with his long-lost Avengers frenemy Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). "[Sakaar is] basically where every wormhole across the universe dumps out its trash, so you get people from all walks of life with all sorts of incredible abilities and powers. No one cares what prince or king Thor may have been in another world," Chris explains. "Also, his strength is pretty easily matched with those he finds himself amongst."

As luck would have it, Hulk is the planet's most popular fighter. Gulp.

Thor: Ragnarok, in theaters Nov. 3, also stars Idris Elba as Heimdall, Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Anthony Hopkins as Odin and Karl Urban as Skurge.