Tag Archives: Grandmaster

Thor Ragnarok movie poster

 

 

After the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor, held captive on the planet Sakaar without his hammer, must win a gladiatorial duel against an old friend — the Hulk — in order to return to Asgard in time to stop the villainous Hela and the impending Ragnarök, the doom of the Asgardian civilization.

Thor: Ragnarok is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is intended to be the sequel to 2011’s Thor and 2013’s Thor: The Dark World and the seventeenth film installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film is directed by Taika Waititi with a screenplay by Eric Pearson, and stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins. In Thor: Ragnarok, Thor must defeat the Hulk in a gladiatorial duel in time to save Asgard from Hela and the coming Ragnarök.

A third Thor film was confirmed in January 2014, with the title and involvement of Hemsworth and Hiddleston announced that October. Waititi joined the film as director the next October, after Alan Taylor chose not to return from the second film, and Ruffalo joined the cast, crossing over the character Hulk from other MCU films. With the Hulk’s inclusion, elements from the 2006 comic storyline “Planet Hulk” were adapted for Ragnarok. The rest of the cast was confirmed the next May, with Pearson revealed to be involved with the film at the start of filming in July 2016. Principal photography took place from July to October, 2016, in Queensland and Sydney, Australia, with the film having exclusive use of Village Roadshow Studios in Oxenford.

Thor: Ragnarok is scheduled to be released on November 3, 2017, in IMAX.

 

Chris Hemsworth as Thor:

The crown prince of Asgard, based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name. Hemsworth stated that following the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ragnarok finds Thor exploring and policing the universe while enjoying being a “drifter”.  Hemsworth expressed interest in having Thor interact with Bruce Banner, as the two have not had a lot of interaction previously and “it would bring something different out of the characters,” adding he hoped the film was a “[Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid] sort of story” for the duo.  Director Taika Waititi said that he wanted to use more of Hemsworth’s comedic talents showcased in films like Vacation and Ghostbusters, saying, “He’s so good and underutilized in that department. He’s legitimately one of the funniest things in this film.”

Tom Hiddleston as Loki:

Thor’s adoptive brother and nemesis based on the deity of the same name. On playing the character for a fourth time, Hiddleston said he was interested in how Loki’s attitude has changed, adding “I’m four years older… and there will just be new things [I] find in it. The most exciting thing about [Loki] is that he is always a trickster. It is trying to find new ways for him to be mischievous”. Regarding the inclusion of the Hulk in the film, Hiddleston said that Loki has “a few chips on his shoulder” due to the previous interaction between the two characters in The Avengers.

Cate Blanchett as Hela:

The ruler of Hel and Niflheim, based on the deity Hel,  who has been inadvertently released from her prison. About the character, Blanchett said, “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.” Blanchett also stated that Hela’s headdress can be used as a weapon and that she can manifest weapons from different parts of her body. She also took care to discuss with Marvel and Waititi to help define when Hela would be masked and when she would not be. Blanchett worked with stuntwoman Zoë Bell and studied capoeira in preparation for the role.

Idris Elba as Heimdall: The all-seeing, all-hearing Asgardian sentry of the Bifröst Bridge, based on the deity of the same name.

Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster:

A cosmic being fascinated with gaming and chance, who enjoys manipulating lesser life-forms  and is the ruler of the planet Sakaar.  Goldblum described the character as “a hedonist, a pleasure-seeker, an enjoyer of life and tastes and smells.” He also said that Waititi encouraged improvisation in order for Goldblum to “make [the character his] own”.

Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie:

A tough, hard-drinking Asgardian warrior, based on the mythological being Brynhildr, who has formed a business relationship with Grandmaster while hiding out on Sakaar.   About Valkyrie’s inclusion in the film, producer Kevin Feige said, “[Thor’s] relationship with Jane [Foster] may have evolved in unexpected ways in between The Dark World and Ragnarok and we wanted to pit him against a character who was much more his equal and in many ways his superior.” Feige also stated that Valkyrie has spurned her Asgardian heritage elaborating, “Thor thinks maybe that will create a bond between them and, on the contrary, she wants to forget it all entirely.”  Waititi stated that Thompson’s casting was not just about creating diversity explaining, “I’m not obsessed with the idea that you have to cast someone just to tick a box… You should cast people because they’re talented. [With Valkyrie] I wanted to make sure we weren’t making a female character that was boring and pretty. What I wanted was someone who was going to play the opposite and be even more of the ‘guy’ character than the guys.” Regarding Valkyrie’s wardrobe, Thompson said, “she’s such a bad ass that she doesn’t need a lot of metal to protect her. I’m essentially in leather.” Thompson stated that she was inspired by pictures of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day while training for the role. Thompson will also appear in future Marvel films.

Karl Urban as Skurge:

An Asgardian warrior. Urban shaved his head and worked out for the role, though he noted that “you won’t actually see my body in this movie under the costume that I have, but it’s important for me to get into the zone and feel [the part].”

Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk:

A genius scientist who, because of exposure to gamma radiation, transforms into a monster when enraged or agitated and becomes a successful and popular gladiator on Sakaar.  Ruffalo, who said he is always excited to keep returning to the role as he sees “a lot of space for it to grow”, hoped the film would explore the relationship between Banner and the Hulk, potentially with the two in a scene together.  Regarding the relationship between Banner and Thor, Ruffalo said, “There’s a little bit of Midnight Run, with [Charles] Grodin and [Robert] De Niro. I feel like that’s kind of where we’re heading with this relationship between Thor and Banner.” Describing the character, Ruffalo stated, “He’s much more of a character than the green rage machine you’ve seen in the Avengers movies. He’s got a swagger. He’s like a god.” Waititi said there was “a big conversation” regarding how verbal and conscious the Hulk would be compared to previous MCU films. Waititi added that the decision was a “larger group decision, rather than anything to do with just me or the writer” since it was taking into account future appearances for the character.

Anthony Hopkins as Odin: The king of Asgard, father of Thor, and adoptive father of Loki, based on the deity of the same name.

Additionally, Benedict Cumberbatch reprises his role as Stephen Strange from the film Doctor Strange and Sam Neill is cast in an undisclosed role.  Waititi makes a cameo appearance in the film.

 

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Thanos takes the Power Stone from The Champion of the Universe. (Thanos Quest)

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The Thanos Quest is a two-issue comic book limited series published in September and October 1990 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Starlin, and drawn by Ron Lim.

The story line is a continuation of the events – involving resurrected Starlin-character Thanos, featured in the title Silver Surfer. The story line leads directly into three consecutive limited series, The Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, and Infinity Crusade.

Recently resurrected by Death in order to wipe out half of the population of the universe, the Titan Thanos discovers the true nature of the six Infinity Gems after gazing into Death’s Infinity Well. Convincing Death that possession of the gems will aid him tremendously in his quest, he gains her permission to seek them out from the cosmic entities that currently possess them.

The Champion is one of the alien Elders of the Universe. He is an immortal who claims to have been born billions of years ago in the Ancrindo Nebula within the direction of the Magellanic Clouds. Although he wishes to prove himself the greatest warrior in the universe, he usually does so fairly. He keeps himself busy by fighting powerful warriors throughout the universe. The Champion of the Universe’s Promoter Supreme named Proja preceded the Champion’s journey to Earth and recruited eight of Earth’s strongest male heroes (Champion having decided eons earlier that females were inferior and not worth fighting). Champion then forced their participation by threatening to destroy the planet should they not fight him for those unworthy of the glorious gift that is the true spirit of competition would be “purified”.

The Champion challenged the superheroes Thing, Namor, Hulk, Colossus, Sasquatch, Thor, Doc Samson, and Wonder Man to a boxing match in Madison Square Garden while a forcefield is around it and brought them to his extra-dimensional training facility to prepare for the match. The Champion ended up disqualifying Namor for refusing to stoop to training. Then he disqualified Doc Samson for not being sufficiently skilled to qualify as an opponent. When it came to the day of the boxing match, Thor was disqualified for throwing his hammer Mjolnir (he was allowed to use it since he was powerless without it), Hulk was disqualified because the Champion refused to “soil his hands on a mindless animal,” Wonder Man was disqualified for tearing up the ring after being battered badly in the first round, Sasquatch was knocked out in the first round, and Colossus was defeated by technical knockout in the first round when he was unable to continue fighting.

Alone of all of Earth’s superheroes not previously disqualified, Thing managed to put up a semblance of fight against the Champion and lasted longer than any previous opponent the Champion had fought. Of all the opponents the Champion ever faced, only Thing lasted more than two rounds. Although the Champion fought Thing and ultimately defeated him with ease, Thing would not surrender, as he was convinced that the entire planet was in danger. Thing believed that everyone depended on him, and fought on despite broken bones and getting knocked out of the ring. Thing astonished the Champion with his resilience and courage leading the Champion to say Thing was the opponent he had sought through the ages, the one who would require all of his might and skill. His jaw broken and severely beaten after collapsing at the end of the third round, Thing crawled across the ring to demand the fight continue when the Champion claimed victory. When forced to choose between killing his defeated opponent or yielding, the Champion yielded. When Thing said he was “just too stupid and ugly to give up,” the Champion replied he could never defeat Thing. He might break his bones and his body, but he could not break his spirit. The Champion then stated that any planet which could produce a champion such as the Thing was a truly worthy world.

The Champion later attempted to kill the Silver Surfer to prevent him from interfering with a Skrull plot to use Nova to force Galactus to destroy the Kree Empire. The Champion was overpowered by the Silver Surfer, suffering his first known defeat in combat (however it is notable the Surfer used the Power Cosmic to blast the Champion rather than engage him physically).  The Champion was one of the eleven Elders who sought to restart the universe by killing Galactus. He attempted to kill Mantis but she was rescued by the Silver Surfer.  The Champion then battled Galactus and the Silver Surfer but was converted to energy and consumed by Galactus.  The Champion and the other four Elders devoured by Galactus caused Galactus “cosmic indigestion” from within until they were forced out of him by Master Order and Lord Chaos.  When asked to aid the Silver Surfer and Nova in helping Galactus to defeat the In-Betweener the Champion was one of the four Elders who agreed and he physically restrained the Grandmaster to prevent him from opposing them.   Once the In-Betweener had been defeated by Galactus the five Elders used their Infinity Gems to instantaneously travel very far away from Galactus and his vengeance. As a result, the Champion ended up with the Power Gem (one of the Infinity Gems) in his possession. Thanos eventually tracked the Champion down to the planet Tamarata, and tricked the Champion into causing a seismic disruption that destroyed Tamarata, forcing him to forfeit his Infinity Gem for transport to another planet. However, instead of helping the Champion after receiving the Gem, Thanos caused the Champion to fall to another world.

 

More Entries from Thanos Quest in order:

  1. Thanos Steals the Soul Gem from the In-Betweener.
  2. Thanos Takes the Power Gem from The Champion of the Universe.
  3. Thanos Takes the Time Gem from The Gardener.
  4. Thanos Takes the Space Gem from The Runner.
  5. Thanos Takes the Reality Gem from The Collector.
  6. Thanos Steals the final Infinity Stone, The Mind Gem, from The Grandmaster.

 

Thanos takes the Time Stone from The Gardner. (Thanos Quest)

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The Thanos Quest is a two-issue comic book limited series published in September and October 1990 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Starlin, and drawn by Ron Lim.

The story line is a continuation of the events – involving resurrected Starlin-character Thanos, featured in the title Silver Surfer. The story line leads directly into three consecutive limited series, The Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, and Infinity Crusade.

Recently resurrected by Death in order to wipe out half of the population of the universe, the Titan Thanos discovers the true nature of the six Infinity Gems after gazing into Death’s Infinity Well. Convincing Death that possession of the gems will aid him tremendously in his quest, he gains her permission to seek them out from the cosmic entities that currently possess them.

The Gardener was once Ord Zyonz, a being who came into existence in the Seyfert Galaxy M-77. Like all the other Elders, he belongs to one of the first races to develop since the Big Bang and thus is nearly immortal and extremely powerful. He is absolutely obsessed with peace and quiet, and with his garden.

At one time he created an amazing lush garden in the Blue Area of the Moon using his Infinity Gem, the Time Gem. This was eventually brought to a halt when Adam Warlock,Spider-Man and the Stranger were caught up in a battle on the moon and he used his gem along with the Soul Gem of Warlock and successfully slowed down the Stranger enough to make him leave. After using his gem in battle it was corrupted and he believed he could no longer use it to make things grow; he left it behind in search of a new place for his garden (where it stayed until Thanos found it).

The Gardener was later revealed to possess Adam Warlock’s Soul Gem. He journeyed to K’ai to create a paradise valley. There, he battled the Hulk, and briefly lost the gem, but he soon had it in his possession again.

The cosmic entity Grandmaster had, by proxy, lost a contest for the entity Death. Angered, she forbade him and his fellow Elders, including the Gardener, from entering her realm. Thus the Gardener became immortal.

The Gardener was seen among a group of abstract and near-omnipotent beings (including Uatu the Watcher, Eternity, the In-Betweener, the Living Tribunal, Lord Chaos, Master Order, and a Celestial) confronting the Beyonder.

The Gardener was one of the eleven Elders who allied together to restart the universe by killing Galactus.  He used Earth plants to capture Mantis. He battled Galactus and theSilver Surfer, but was converted to energy and consumed by Galactus. Along with the other four Elders who were devoured by Galactus, he caused Galactus “cosmic indigestion” from within until they were forced out of him by Master Order and Lord Chaos. The Gardener was one of the four Elders who aided the Silver Surfer and Nova in helping Galactus to defeat the In-Betweener.  Once that was done the five Elders used their Infinity Gems to instantaneously travel very far away from Galactus and his vengeance. Afterwards, the Gardener retained possession of the Time Gem and used it once more. Thanos confronted him, using the Gems he had already recollected to seemingly kill the Gardener and take the Time Gem, as part of his ultimate goal to create the Infinity Gauntlet.

Later, during the Infinity War incident, the Contemplator spotted the Gardener in the Dimension Of Manifestations among a group of abstract and near-omnipotent beings who were conversing with the Beyonder. However, that was only a “reflection” (recording) of a manifestation-event that had taken place years earlier (and which is listed above).

 

More Entries from Thanos Quest in order:

  1. Thanos Steals the Soul Gem from the In-Betweener.
  2. Thanos Takes the Power Gem from The Champion of the Universe.
  3. Thanos Takes the Time Gem from The Gardener.
  4. Thanos Takes the Space Gem from The Runner.
  5. Thanos Takes the Reality Gem from The Collector.
  6. Thanos Steals the final Infinity Stone, The Mind Gem, from The Grandmaster.

Thanos takes the Space Stone from The Runner. (Thanos Quest)

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The Thanos Quest is a two-issue comic book limited series published in September and October 1990 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Starlin, and drawn by Ron Lim.

The story line is a continuation of the events – involving resurrected Starlin-character Thanos, featured in the title Silver Surfer. The story line leads directly into three consecutive limited series, The Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, and Infinity Crusade.

Recently resurrected by Death in order to wipe out half of the population of the universe, the Titan Thanos discovers the true nature of the six Infinity Gems after gazing into Death’s Infinity Well. Convincing Death that possession of the gems will aid him tremendously in his quest, he gains her permission to seek them out from the cosmic entities that currently possess them.

The Runner is a traveler and explorer who has lived for billions of years. He seeks complete freedom and to see all there is to see. As such, he has spent his long life traveling across and experiencing the universe. He is regarded as one of the more pacifistic Elders. He once encountered Moondragon when she first left Titan, years ago.

The Runner was one of the eleven Elders who conspired against Galactus and battled the Silver Surfer in an attempt to gain power in a new, re-created universe. He battled Galactus and the Silver Surfer, and was converted to energy for consumption by Galactus. However, along with the other four Elders that had been consumed by Galactus, the Runner caused Galactus “cosmic indigestion” from within until they were forced out of him by Master Order and Lord Chaos. The Runner was one of the four Elders who aided the Silver Surfer and Nova in helping Galactus to defeat the In-Betweener.  Once that was done the five Elders used the five Infinity Gems they had retained to instantaneously travel very far away from Galactus and his vengeance.  Afterwards, the Runner kept the Space Gem, one of the Infinity Gems.

 

From: Thanos Quest

More Entries from Thanos Quest in order:

  1. Thanos Steals the Soul Gem from the In-Betweener.
  2. Thanos Takes the Power Gem from The Champion of the Universe.
  3. Thanos Takes the Time Gem from The Gardener.
  4. Thanos Takes the Space Gem from The Runner.
  5. Thanos Takes the Reality Gem from The Collector.
  6. Thanos Steals the final Infinity Stone, The Mind Gem, from The Grandmaster.

Thanos takes the Reality Stone from The Collector. (Thanos Quest)

Leave a reply

The Thanos Quest is a two-issue comic book limited series published in September and October 1990 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Starlin, and drawn by Ron Lim.

The story line is a continuation of the events – involving resurrected Starlin-character Thanos, featured in the title Silver Surfer. The story line leads directly into three consecutive limited series, The Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, and Infinity Crusade.

Recently resurrected by Death in order to wipe out half of the population of the universe, the Titan Thanos discovers the true nature of the six Infinity Gems after gazing into Death’s Infinity Well. Convincing Death that possession of the gems will aid him tremendously in his quest, he gains her permission to seek them out from the cosmic entities that currently possess them.

From: Thanos Quest

More Entries from Thanos Quest in order:

  1. Thanos Steals the Soul Gem from the In-Betweener.
  2. Thanos Takes the Power Gem from The Champion of the Universe.
  3. Thanos Takes the Time Gem from The Gardener.
  4. Thanos Takes the Space Gem from The Runner.
  5. Thanos Takes the Reality Gem from The Collector.
  6. Thanos Steals the final Infinity Stone, The Mind Gem, from The Grandmaster.

Thanos steals the final Infinity Stone, The Mind Stone, from The Grandmaster. (Thanos Quest)

Leave a reply

The Thanos Quest is a two-issue comic book limited series published in September and October 1990 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Starlin, and drawn by Ron Lim.

The story line is a continuation of the events – involving resurrected Starlin-character Thanos, featured in the title Silver Surfer. The story line leads directly into three consecutive limited series, The Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, and Infinity Crusade.

Recently resurrected by Death in order to wipe out half of the population of the universe, the Titan Thanos discovers the true nature of the six Infinity Gems after gazing into Death’s Infinity Well. Convincing Death that possession of the gems will aid him tremendously in his quest, he gains her permission to seek them out from the cosmic entities that currently possess them.



Thanos’s final target is the Grandmaster, a consummate games-man. With the final gem, the Mind Gem, imprisoned in a random teleportation device that will only deactivate with his death, he informs Thanos that he cannot have the gem until he bests him in a game of his choosing. The two then compete in a virtual reality combat game, which Thanos seems to win until it is shown that the Grandmaster had sabotaged Thanos’s weaponry. However, Thanos then reveals that the body with which the Grandmaster had been competing was merely a robotic clone of Thanos; its destruction being inconsequential, the real Thanos proceeds to destroy the gaming equipment, killing the Grandmaster and freeing the Mind Gem.

Thanos returns to Death’s sanctum with the six Infinity Gems in his possession, boasting of his achievement and his new-found status as Death’s equal. Death congratulates his accomplishment, though still speaks to him through her various minions. When Thanos demands that Death address him personally as her mate, she points out to him, again through her minions, with his newly achieved status of omnipotence, Thanos is not her equal, but her superior, and that it would therefore not be fitting for her to address him directly. Thanos destroys the minion in a fit of anger and stalks from Death’s throne room, trying to comprehend his miscalculation, and finally wondering, while shedding a tear, how becoming a god could prove such a hollow victory.

 

From: Thanos Quest

 

  1. Thanos Steals the Soul Gem from the In-Betweener.
  2. Thanos Takes the Power Gem from The Champion of the Universe.
  3. Thanos Takes the Time Gem from The Gardener.
  4. Thanos Takes the Space Gem from The Runner.
  5. Thanos Takes the Reality Gem from The Grandmaster.

Thanos steals the Soul Stone from The In-Betweener (Thanos Quest)

Leave a reply

The Thanos Quest is a two-issue comic book limited series published in September and October 1990 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Starlin, and drawn by Ron Lim.

The story line is a continuation of the events – involving resurrected Starlin-character Thanos, featured in the title Silver Surfer. The story line leads directly into three consecutive limited series, The Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, and Infinity Crusade.

Recently resurrected by Death in order to wipe out half of the population of the universe, the Titan Thanos discovers the true nature of the six Infinity Gems after gazing into Death’s Infinity Well. Convincing Death that possession of the gems will aid him tremendously in his quest, he gains her permission to seek them out from the cosmic entities that currently possess them.


 

 

 

 

In Part One of the Thanos Quest, Thanos first travels to the Nexus of Reality where the “concept being” known as the In-Betweener is being imprisoned by Lord Chaos and Master Order; after freeing him from the sphere in which he is being incarcerated, Thanos forcibly takes the Soul Gem from the In-Betweener, whose powers are useless at the heart of the realm of Chaos and Order.

By the In-Betweener’s own admission, he represents duality itself, specifically in respect to concepts such as good and evil; reason and emotion; truth and illusion; and life and death.  The In-Betweener is also an agent of the conceptual beings Lord Chaos and Master Order, although his loyalty is usually to himself rather than to them.  In addition to being an incarnation of balance and duality, the In-Betweener is possibly a metaphysical counterpart of Galactus.

The hero Adam Warlock is the first Terran meta-human to encounter the In-Betweener, and the entity reveals that it is destined to force Warlock to transform into his villainous future self the Magus. Warlock, however, was able to escape this fate with help from the Titan Thanos.

The In-Betweener then claims to be the power behind the plan to alter the fabric of reality orchestrated by the group of sorcerers known as the Creators, but secretly seeks to impose his own concept of balance upon the universe. After an encounter with the sorcerer Doctor Strange, the In-Betweener is imprisoned as punishment for rebelling against his masters.

The In-Betweener later attempts to supplant Galactus’ role in the universe and allies with the Elders of the Universe in their plan against Galactus. However, the In-Betweener betrays the Elders during a confrontation with the entity Death and compels Death to wipe three of the Elders from existence.  Soon after this the In-Betweener also battles Galactus and his robotic servant the Punisher, but the stalemated battle is interrupted by his masters, who subsequently imprison him.

He is later freed by Thanos, who secretly desires the Soul Gem the In-Betweener wears, as it is one of the six Infinity Gems. Thanos then steals the gem and abandons the In-Betweener to face the wrath of Lord Chaos and Master Order, who discover he has escaped his prison.

From: Thanos Quest

More Entries from Thanos Quest in order:

  1. Thanos Steals the Soul Gem from the In-Betweener.
  2. Thanos Takes the Power Gem from The Champion of the Universe.
  3. Thanos Takes the Time Gem from The Gardener.
  4. Thanos Takes the Space Gem from The Runner.
  5. Thanos Takes the Reality Gem from The Collector.
  6. Thanos Steals the final Infinity Stone, The Mind Gem, from The Grandmaster.