It’s all leading up to this: The Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy defeated small fry that included the Chitauri, Ronan, Ultron, and Ego. Now Thanos, the ultimate MCU baddie, is coming out of the shadows, and he’s ready to take over the universe.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (to be released on July 7, 2017), Thor: Ragnarok (November 3, 2017), and Black Panther (February 6, 2018) will set things up for Avengers: Infinity War. After that, all bets are off, especially since Infinity War is supposed to be the beginning of the end for the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it.

Thanks to License! Global Magazine, we have new synopses for Ragnarok, Black Panther, and Infinity War. They may not reveal much about the movies, but they shed some light on the main characters. Check it out, via CBM!

Thor: Ragnarok

Thor’s world is about to explode in Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok. His devious brother, Loki, has taken over Asgard, the powerful Hela has emerged to steal the throne for herself, and Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe. To escape captivity and save his home from imminent destruction, Thor must first win a deadly alien contest by defeating his former ally and fellow Avenger…The Incredible Hulk!

Black Panther

After the events of Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challa returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country’s new leader. However, T’Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne from factions within his own country. When two foes conspire to destroy Wakanda, the hero known as Black Panther must team up with C.I.A. agent Everett K. Ross and members of the Dora Milaje, Wakandan Special Forces, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war.

Avengers: Infinity War

As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment – the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.

The Thor: Ragnarok teaser trailer, which James Gunn hailed as the best Marvel trailer ever, has finally dropped! Within its first 24 hours, it made history as the most viewed promotional clip from both Marvel and Disney, with more views than either Star Wars: The Force Awakens or Beauty and the Beast.

It’s just a brief teaser, but there are numerous details for eagle-eyed fans to spot. And while some can be deceptive, we can bet that not all of them are meant to put us on the wrong track. So which of these details can we call certain and which can we call wishful thinking?

Well, this list is all about that. So if you want to be spoiled, check it out! If not, just watch the trailer again. We know you want to!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkFy05BHog4&t=0s

Hela is back

Hela, the movie’s main antagonist, is obviously the Thor: Ragnarok teaser trailer’s biggest reveal. She’s the Goddess of Death, and we already know from previous interviews that she’s finally free after being imprisoned for eons. Of course, she’s back with a vengeance, which might explain the very swift destruction of Asgard (the whole Ragnarok in the title).

She’s very powerful. In the teaser we see her stopping Mjolnir in flight and shattering it. Is this physical strength? Is it tremendous magical power? We can't wait to find out. The teaser also reveals that she can take on Asgard all by herself (apparently, based on how the teaser was cut).

We don't know the exact details of her imprisonment (who was responsible and when it happened). But we can assume that Odin's sheer power kept her imprisoned. In other words, Loki, who stole Odin’s throne, is responsible for her escape.

vs. Hela

Again, we can blame Loki for Hela’s escape. However, given her plans (unknown, but they certainly involve the destroying Asgard), the trickster isn’t an ally. After all, Loki wants to rule Asgard, not have it destroyed. As the teaser reveals, the brothers will face the Goddess of death from the very beginning.

Loki and Thor are together when Mjolnir is destroyed, and both of them are quickly engulfed in Mjolnir's explosion.

This makes it even more interesting, because we can also assume that Loki will have to fight alongside Hulk at some point during the movie. Remember how their previous encounter ended?

Since Loki is a schemer, we’re not surprised to see him at Grandmaster's side (but still at a distance) when Thor prepares to battle Hulk. Maybe his plan is for Grandmaster to capture the God of Thunder in order to free the Jade Giant and thus gain a powerful ally.

Especially when this could also bring Valkyrie over to their side.

Speaking of which"¦

Ancient battles

A couple of scenes in the teaser are obviously set in the past (again, we don't know when, exactly). We see Hela in all her former glory, complete with her tight suit and impressive head-gear (which isn't just for show).

Is she imprisoned during the fight? Maybe, but it’s certainly the fight in which the Valkyries are defeated. The fact that they haven't appeared in the MCU until now leads us to believe that their time has passed, and it happened when someone from Asgard (we don’t know who) pitted them against Hela.

This brings us to another Thor: Ragnarok character, who captures the God of Thunder and brings him to the Grandmaster. We can assume that Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie returned to the gladiatorial planet to face the Goddess of Death once again.

Tessa Thompson has said that Valkyrie might be essential in the fight against Hela because of the sword she possesses.

Skurge

In the comics, Skurge is the offspring of a Storm Giant and an Asgardian, making him akin to Loki (in a way). His nickname is Executioner, and his weapon of choice is a huge battle-axe.

Do we see him in the Thor: Ragnarok teaser?

The teaser is packed with everything, so of course we do! However, there’s no point of reference, so we can’t tell how big he really is (his stature is imposing in the comics). We don't see him with his axe, but with two assault rifles, which baffles us even more.

In the comics, he fights  against Thor more often than with him. However, he joins the God of Thunder to stop Ragnarok, and this leads to his death/sacrifice. More importantly, when he sacrifices himself, he uses guns instead of an axe. Could this be a hint?

It may be. If it is, Karl Urban's role in the MCU could be very short-lived. But we’re sure that it will have an impact!

Heimdall

Leaving aside the rumor that Heimdall has the last Infinity Stone (you know, he can see all souls), Idris Elba's character also makes a brief appearance in the trailer. And he isn't wearing his shining golden suit, which further explains how Hela was able to come to Asgard unannounced. So where is he, and why did he leave his post?

We can assume that Loki has something to do with his departure. After all, Heimdall should have been one of the first Asgardians for Loki to fear after Odin’s fall. We can further assume that Loki sent Heimdall to some unknown location, as he did with Odin.

In the teaser, Heimdall battles what appears to be a Hela minion with his trusted sword (you know, the sword that grants easy access to all realms). Is Hela after him because of this sword, which can also be used to destroy the realms? Or is she after him because he possesses the Soul Stone?

Heimdall seems surprised as the fight progresses. Maybe he realizes that he’s already lost the battle. Who knows?

Grandmaster

Grandmaster is definitely one of the Elders of the Universe - just look at his chin. However, we’re not sure how big his Thor: Ragnarok role is, other than that he rules Sakaar and promotes the planet’s gladiator fights. Based on the number of trailer views, we can assume that the fans have already embraced the character.

It’s intriguing that he’s connected to both Valkyrie (who brings him contenders) and Loki (who certainly has a plan of his own). We wonder whether he’s much bigger than we realize. And does he have a connection to Hela, as well? After all, he rules the planet that’s known as the universal garbage dump. In a way, he could be the ruler of the one place where every universal road leads.

And we do see wormholes in the skies of Sakaar, both when Thor is captured and when he (most likely) escapes. So Grandmaster has his hands full (he may even know who the Guardians of the Galaxy are"¦)

Surtur

The last time we saw Thor, he was working to discover more about the Infinity Stones at the end of Age of Ultron. Now, he finds himself without his goldilocks, but he’s ready to fight Hulk in the arena.

The teaser trailer begins with Thor in chains. More importantly, the scene takes place before his arrival on Sakaar (he still has his long hair). So what is he doing there? We can assume that he is visiting other realms as he searches for answers. In this case, he’s in Muspelheim, a world of eternal fire. If we look closely, we can see some giant fiery faces.

This could be Surtur’s introduction, but if it happens at the beginning of the movie, will he be defeated before Hela even makes an appearance? If so, it could be a bit disappointing, especially since Surtur used his Twilight Sword to start the Ragnarok in the comics.

Of course, this is just speculation. We can further speculate that Hela wields said sword when she goes up against the Asgardians, and that the Soul Stone grants her the power to obliterate Asgard, and so on.

New York

Hela’s arrival depends on Odin’s removal from the throne. Thor's father may not have imprisoned the Goddess of Death in the first place, but his tremendous power has certainly kept her wherever she was cast.

We don't really know how Loki manages to seize the throne. However, we do know that Odin is now in New York (set photos show him as a homeless old man who seems pretty satisfied with his life). Could he factor in Hela's defeat in some way? Will Hela even be defeated? These are questions that still remain unanswered.

Hela must know where Odin is, since she shatters Mjolnir while facing Thor and Loki, who are most certainly searching for their father in New York.

Since we’re talking New York, how does Doctor Strange factor into all of this?

Hulk

We last saw Hulk in Age of Ultron. However, unlike Thor, we knew nothing about his whereabouts. While Nick Fury said something about Hulk crashing in the ocean, it was rumored that he was heading into space.

As it turned out, he was no longer on Earth (which also explains his absence from the Civil War). However, we don't know how he ends up on Sakaar. Sure, we can speculate that Loki’s behind it all, or that even Hela has something to do with it.

Even more, we can assume that Doctor Strange, the newest protector of Earth, saw Hulk as too big a threat and decided to exile him (sound familiar?). Hulk is now on Sakaar, and it looks as though he’s found his place in the arena. Maybe we're reading too much into it, but we believe that he may not have wanted to be found.

Thor may be glad to see him, but the Green Goliath is actually pissed.

It appears that he’s been on Sakaar for quite a while, since the Grandmaster now sees Thor as a contender. And that means that Hulk has had his fair share of fights in the arena, and has proved that he is indeed the strongest there is. Who has he fought up to this point? Maybe we'll get to see (although we really doubt it).

Thor vs. Hulk

As he was in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Hulk is the star of an epic superhero showdown. He previously fought the Hulkbuster, and now he’s going toe-to-toe with Thor. And while we'd be glad to see which fighter is stronger, we fear that this match will be end as undecided.

The clash between the two superheroes was the teaser’s money shot, along with Thor's joyous exclamation and Grandmaster's utter disbelief.

We expect this match to take place in the middle of the film.

All of this being said, Taika Waititi has quite a few stories to tell. Will he succeed? We sure hope so.

We are certain that the anticipation for Thor: Ragnarok is now even greater than that for Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2.

Which is great!