‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Will Leave at Least One Human Character on Earth

According to Marvel’s Kevin Feige, Thor: Ragnarok won’t be spending much time on Earth, unlike the two previous outings with the mighty thunder god. Instead, the new sequel from What We Do in the Shadows director Taika Waititi will focus more on some of those oft-mentioned and previously unexplored other realms, which should provide plenty of possibilities for Thor’s little space-road trip with the Hulk. But with Earth mostly left behind, it’s been unclear which human characters will appear, and while we’re thinking mostly of Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, we now know at least one human who won’t be making the trek to Ragnarok.

In an interview with Den of Geek, Stellan Skarsgard revealed that he won’t be reprising his role as the wacky, exposition-loving Dr. Erik Selvig in Thor: Ragnarok, but we may still see him in Avengers: Infinity War:

I have a five-film deal with them, and they still have one option. Thor 3 is not on my slate, but maybe the next Avengers.

Captain America: Civil War directors Joe and Anthony Russo are tackling the two-part Infinity War, and the pair recently revealed that the big finale will boast exactly 67 characters. Two films should give them enough room to feature all those characters from the MCU, though we assume that many of them are supporting and minor players.

One of those players could be Skarsgard’s lovable Selvig, who appeared in both previous Thor films and both of the Avengers films. Given that Ragnarok will largely be set in space, it makes sense that fewer humans will be involved, and while we may still see Portman’s Jane, Skarsgard’s absence should prepare you for the likelihood that Kat Dennings will also be sitting this one out.

But don’t worry about the comic relief, as Waititi and Feige have made it clear that this Thor outing will have more humor than its predecessors, and with the director of What We Do in the Shadows behind the camera, we believe it.

Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters on November 3, 2017.