Thor: Ragnarok’s alternative looks for Valkyrie and Surtur are (whisper it) maybe better than the finished product

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Thor: Ragnarok is a bit of a looker. There’s the towering metropolis of Sakaar, plus Thor’s new 'do, and Gladiator Hulk. All cool concepts, right? They’ve got nothing, though, on the alternate, early designs for Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie and demon Surtur. You could even make a case that the pair’s fresh, unused looks improve over what we saw in theaters. Let’s take a look…

Coming from both Twitter and Instagram, the movie’s senior illustrator Jackson Sze and visual development supervisor Andy Park saw fit to share a few scrapped pieces of art. And make us all jealous of their talents in the process.

First up, here’s Surtur. His fiery incarnation bookended the movie but I’m all in for this more mobile, kinda Dark Souls-y interpretation. Check out that double-sided blade too. Pointy.

Valkyrie’s look is more of a fleshed-out version of her flashback scene involving Hela. In it, we get more of a Norse mythology-inspired look from her Asgardian days. Again, packing a killer weapon that we didn’t really see in action in the final cut. Park even suggests a standalone Valkyrie movie. Yes, please.

It’s a shame we didn’t get to see these two designs. It makes me wonder what else got left on the cutting room floor (or should that be canvas?). FAO Marvel: you could probably fill a whole book with early concept art and I would totally buy it. Just sayin’

You probably have so many questions as to why these looks weren’t included in the movie. For now, you’ll have to make do with 5 questions we had after watching Thor: Ragnarok.

Image: Marvel

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.