Before you observe Taika Waititi ’s hotly anticipatedThor : Ragnarok , you might desire to have intercourse how it connects up with the much - lovedGuardians of the Galaxyfranchise . Prior to this film , Thor ’s solo dangerous undertaking mostly took seat between Earth and Asgard , with the periodic visit to another of The Nine Realms ( e.g. Jotunheim , the icy locale where Loki was bear ) . The uncanny depths of theMarvel cosmic universehave been reserved for James Gunn’sGuardiansmovies , up to now .

However ,   that ’s all go to modify withRagnarok , which sees Chris Hemsworth ’s God of Thunder stripped of his hammer , and his hair , before being dump on thejunkyard satellite of Sakaar . As strange and dreamlike as anything inGuardians of the Galaxy , or   its sequelGuardians of the Galaxy Vol . 2,Sakaar is about as far absent as you may get from Thor ’s base ease of Asgard and Earth . In terms of the worlds being explore , then , Ragnarokfeels like it exists in the same oddball universe asGuardians , which you could n’t really say about the previousThormovies .

That ’s   not the only connection , either . Screen Rant has teamed up with Regal Cinemas to put together an enlightening preview video , which will fill you in on howThor : Ragnarokand theGuardians of the Galaxyfilms unite up ( see above ) . The number of connectedness may storm you .

Josh Hartnett looking shocked in Fight or Flight

Indeed , as you may see in the video , Thor : Ragnarokhas moreGuardiansconnections than you might expect , considering that it has n’t been advertised as an overt crossover flick featuring Star - Lord and his squad   of a - holes . For deterrent example , Jeff Goldblum ’s Grandmaster - the rule of Sakaar - is , in fact , the brother of Benicio del Toro ’s Collector , who was seen inGuardians of the Galaxyand an ending reference view fromThor : The Dark World . The connection here are n’t just tonal , then ; they are also familial . There are a destiny more inter-group communication to be found in that video , too .

However , thanks to theAvengers : Infinity Warfootage thatscreened at San Diego Comic - Conearlier in the year , fans already know that Thor wo n’t cross paths with the Guardians duringRagnarok . That footage , from next year ’s bigAvengersmovie , saw Thor bumping – quite literally – into the Guardians , for the first time , in the heart of mystifying place .

While fans wait in anticipation forAvengers : Infinity War , which is bound to make the Marvel   Cinematic   Universe palpate like a very connected space , Thor : Ragnaroklays some important groundwork . The idea of an Asgardian idol team up up with a talk raccoon wo n’t seem so ludicrous afterRagnarok , which tug Thor into unearthly dominion than ever , and hints at some major connection between his franchise and   that of the   Guardians .

In a dusty landscape Finn stares out into the distance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens

NEXT: About That Last Infinity Stone…

As more Marvel Cinematic Universe news comes to light , keep it Screen Rant for all the tardy update .

A collage image of Luke Skywalker in A New Hope

Thor Ragnarok Cameo Guardians of the Galaxy