We’re entering the home stretch of the long wait until we get to experience Taika Waititi’s vision for Thor: Ragnarok and see a bunch of wacky aliens fight in space to please Jeff Goldblum. But just because we already know an awful lot about the movie doesn’t mean that there isn’t more to learn.
Today, Marvel’s Japanese social media accounts posted their localized trailers for Ragnarok, and while most of the footage included is exactly the same as what we’ve seen before, there are two key differences that make the the Japanese versions better. The first? Doctor Strange.
Though Ragnarok is very much about Asgardians punching each other’s lights out to a fantastic soundtrack, the very first person we see and hear in the Japanese trailer is Benedict Cumberbatch as Strange, explaining to Thor in the Sanctum Sanctorum that he’s “sensed a great change in [Thor’s] future,” which makes sense considering we all know that Hela’s going to kick Thor’s ass at least once. As surprising as Strange’s inclusion is in the trailer, it makes a degree of sense considering that Doctor Strange’s first post-credits stinger also featured the two heroes discussing Asgardian affairs.
The second (and infinitely better) difference has absolutely nothing to do with the movie’s plot or casting, and everything to do with the fact that Marvel decided to forgo the somewhat cryptic “Ragnarok” subtitle in favor of one that everyone can understand.
In Japan, Thor: Ragnarok is known as Thor: Battle Royale, which is literally the most accurate and well-suited title this movie could have.
Both Thor: Ragnarok and the objectively better-named Thor: Battle Royale hit theaters November 6th.