by: S. Scott Stanikmas – Senior Staff Writer

And the Thor news keeps (Ragna)rok and rolling along!

Just the other day we heard that rumor that the Hulk might join the God of Thunder in his next solo offering and now we’ve got word on yet another superhero possibly joining the mix. Birth.Movies.Death has the news that Valkyrie may be the next major female hero introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The word is that Hulk and Thor will set off on a cosmic adventure in Thor: Ragnarok and encounter Valkyries. Now this could go one of two ways – either the duo will encounter the Valkyrior (a team of badass warrior demi-godesses) or they might encounter Brunnhilde a.k.a. the superhero Valkyrie.

If it’s the latter then we’re in for a treat. The comic version of Valkyrie is Marvel mainstay, long affiliated with both the Defenders and the Avengers. She was handpicked by Odin to lead the Valkyrior so you know she’s the best of the best. In a nutshell she’d be a gender swapped version of Thor.

The website also had new word on why Marvel Studios approached director Taika Waititi to sit behind the camera on Thor: Ragnarok. Seeing as how the director is known primarily for comedies it was a little bit of a head scratcher that Marvel sought him out. This method worked in spades for Marvel previously with Joe and Anthony Russo, so I’m sure they know what they’re doing.

Word is that screenwriters Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle have turned in a script that is much darker than the usual films that come out under the Marvel Studios Banner. The hope is that Waititi can breathe a little levity into the project as the first Thor (and The Avengers) proved that the Odin’s son has quite the sense of humor and timing.

But I have to wonder what Marvel expected when they figured they would do Ragnarok a.k.a. the Twilight of the Gods and outright annihilation of Asgard. Did they think it would be a happy little film? I’m all for a few moments of brevity in a serious film, but I hope a move like this doesn’t come back to bite Marvel in the ass.