In 2017's "Thor: Ragnarok," director Taika Waititi intentionally breaks Thor down and builds him back up as a different man. To do this, Waititi has characters assault the physical markers of Thor's personality and status. Hela (Cate Blanchett), Thor's secret older sister, comes out of the gate running when she shatters Mjölnir, Thor's magical hammer. Shortly thereafter, Stan Lee uses one of his final cameos to shred Thor's golden mane.
Almost every interaction Marvel's calendar model has in "Ragnarok" ends at his own expense, including the finale, in which he faces off against his emo sister one last time. The fight is barely a handful of minutes in before Hela lands a cutting blow ... directly across Thor's face. The slash cuts out his eye, leaving a bloody hole. To hammer the symbolism home, she comments on the injury, saying it makes him more like their father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), who bore a similar wound. For clarity — in Hela's mind, this is a grievous insult, as Odin previously imprisoned her without the possibility of parole (she earned that sentence, but still).
Ultimately, Thor defeats her by dropping a cranky Surtur (read: giant, angry fire demon who is literally destined to do bad things) in her lap. He destroys the whole of Asgard in the process, but he gets the job done. After all that, Thor ends "Ragnarok" with a cool Asgardian eyepatch, a physical trophy, and a fashionable testament to his emotional growth and personal sacrifice. When the credits roll, he is on track to becoming the king his father always hoped he would be...
