Thor certainly has a lot on his plate in his next standalone movie, what with his trouble-making half brother Loki still alive (and about to wreak more havoc!). But the biggest challenge Thor might face come 2017 will be a one-on-one battle with Thanos, the Mad Titan who is on the quest for unlimited power.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has said that "Thor: Ragnarok" will be an important Phase 3 movie that will have an impact on future Marvel films, specifically "The Avengers: Infinity War" parts 1 and 2, which will be released sometime in 2018 and 2019.
According to Cinema Blend, Thanos was last seen in the "Avengers: Age of Ultron" mid-credits scene retrieving one of the Infinity Gauntlets in order for him to personally collect the Infinity Stones. His journey would most likely take him to Thor's home in Asgard, since it is where the Tesseract is being kept hidden.
Even without the Infinity Stone, Thanos is already pretty powerful, so a battle between him and the demigod would definitely be something to watch out for. Thanos has super strength and telekinesis, and he even battled it out with the Hulk in the comics. The green superhero, who is a superpower to contend with, took quite the beating from Thanos.
Thor, on the other hand, is pretty powerful too. He can cojure up lightning and Mjolnir, but it is still undetermined whether or not he will emerge victorious in a possible battle with Thanos.
However, Cinema Blend thinks it's highly unlikely that Thor will be given Thanos to contend with in his next standalone movie, since it would be an "overkill." The villainous spotlight will most likely be on Tom Hiddleston's Loki and Ragnarok, but Thanos could make a minor appearance, probably trying to steal the Tesseract.
What's more possible, they said, is another post-credits scenes where he is seen triumphant in his attempt to steal the Tesseract. The cube might be left unguarded after the events that will unfurl in "Thor: Ragnarok," and it's possible that Loki might have a hand with it being stolen too.
One thing's for certain though, and that is Thor and Thanos will definitely battle it out, if not in "Thor: Ragnarok," then in another Marvel project - either one of the "Avengers: Infinity War" movies. Hopefully by then, Thor would have already claimed extra strength so that there would be a better chance of him finally defeating Thanos.
