Throughout Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, the Asgardian people experience multiple tragedies. This includes Hela’s (Cate Blanchett) takeover of the Asgardian throne, Surtur’s (Clancy Brown) destruction of Asgard, Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) attack on the refugees’ spaceship, and Thanos’ Decimation. While the last of the Asgardians who survived the Infinity War relocated to the small fishing town of Tønsberg in Endgame, not many Asgardians survived MCU’s Phase 3. Exactly how many Asgardians are left alive going into Thor: Love and Thunder?
Introduced in Thor, the Asgardians are an alien race from the realm of Asgard that seized power over the Nine Realms under King Odin’s (Anthony Hopkins) leadership. Protecting Earth from the Frost Giants, the Asgardians came in contact with humans thousands of years ago in Scandinavia and were regarded as gods by the Vikings due to the Asgardians’ advanced technology. In Thor, the magnitude of the Asgardian population is divulged during the scene depicting Thor’s coronation, as thousands of people watch from a full amphitheater. At their prime, the population of Asgard appears to be that of a small city with an estimated 50,000 citizens, but after Endgame, their numbers have dwindled to just under a thousand. In MCU’s Phase 4, New Asgard becomes a tourist destination. Here are the events that led to the decline of the mighty warrior race of Asgardians and how many are still alive.
In Thor: Ragnarok, the majority of the Asgardian population is killed by Hela and Surtur. Living up to her name as the Goddess of Death, Hela wipes out Asgard’s army single-handedly in combat, including Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) friends Fandral (Zachary Levi), Hogun (Tadanobu Asano), and Volstagg (Ray Stevenson). As Hela overtakes Asgard with her undead army of Berserkers, Heimdall (Idris Elba) manages to sneak what appears to be thousands of Asgardian citizens into a secret hideout in the mountains, which is estimated to be 3,000-5,000 people based on the size of the crowd. Since the hall where Heimdall hid the Asgardians is empty when Hela discovers it, it’s presumed that Heimdall escorted all of those Asgardians across the Bifrost Bridge and onto the Grand Master’s (Jeff Goldblum) stolen ship The Statesman. Only a small percentage of the Asgardians escape before Surtur destroys Asgard. Here’s the math on how many Asgardians are left in the MCU.
Endgame Nearly Wiped Out The Asgardians
It is estimated that right before Thor: Love and Thunder, there are about 1,500 to 2,500 Asgardians left alive and living in New Asgard, and while Hela began their decimation, it is Thanos who nearly wipes them all out. In the beginning of Infinity War, Thanos and the Black Order, in their usual manner upon visiting a new population, kill half of the Asgardians onboard The Statesman, including Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Heimdall. Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), along with the estimated 1,500 to 2,500 surviving Asgardians, flee via escape pods and head towards Earth. How many Asgardians are left after Thanos’ snap? According to the co-director Joe Russo, half of the remaining Asgardians are once again decimated by the end of Infinity War when Thanos uses the Infinity Gauntlet to wipe out half of all life, leaving the Asgardians at around 750 to 1,250 people.
Over the course of Endgame, about one-fourth of the original Asgardian population settle in New Asgard until Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) resurrects those who were dusted by Thanos’ snap using the Nano-Gauntlet. However, only those who disappeared during the snap are brought back, meaning that the half killed on The Statesman are gone for good, which is why Loki and Heimdall never return. Since those who were killed by Thanos during the decimation already escaped to Earth, that’s where they reappeared, which means that the population of New Asgard increased by half. How many Asgardians are left after Hulk’s snap? The final Asgardian population is around 1,500 and 2,500.
That said, it’s still possible that more Asgardians are unaccounted for somewhere in the MCU’s Nine Realms. Since Asgard’s army appeared to be rather small during Ragnarok, some soldiers could have been stationed in other realms at the time of Hela’s conquest and Thanos’ snap. Indeed, the Asgardians used to hold authority over all the Nine Realms, which means their military and diplomatic forces are scattered across space. This partly explains how many Asgardians are left defenseless in the city during both Thanos and Hela’s attacks. Including Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander), there could also be some Asgardians similar to Valkyrie who explored other planets, and Thor: Love and Thunder could introduce these intrepid Asgardian survivors.
New Asgard Is Flourishing Under Valkyrie – But Are They Getting Too Comfortable?
In Thor: Love & Thunder, New Asgard is a vibrant and bustling tourist trap – but it seems that the Asgardians are losing their fire to defend themselves, which is why Gorr’s impending onslaught could cause serious problems for Asgard’s population count. Gorr the God Butcher wants to kill every god, and the Asgardians will undoubtedly be compelled to defend their remaining gods (Thor and Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor) from whatever threat is to come. But as New Asgard turns into a tourist destination for adventure seekers and those looking to worship the Asgardian gods, the Asgardians might have become soft and complacent, represented by Thor’s newfound pacifism and Valkyrie’s apparent boredom in leadership.
But like Thor’s love for Jane driving his decision to become an Avenger on Earth, the Asgardians’ love for Thor could turn them into Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. After all, though Asgardians appear to be human, they are actually an advanced race of extradimensional beings. While only the Aesir such as Odin, Thor, Loki, Valkyrie, Heimdall, and Lady Sif prominently feature in Marvel movies, every unique Asgardian weapon in the MCU is a testament to the potential of New Asgard’s civilian population – plus, Asgard’s technologies are intact. Apart from Thor’s weapons, this includes the Goat Boat being pulled for tourists by Toothgrinder and Toothgnasher, who are formidable warriors themselves. Armed with the ancient knowledge of the civilization that used to hold dominion over the Nine Realms, the remaining 1,500-2,500 Asgardians might just surprise Gorr.
Gorr Is About To Seriously Decrease The Number Of Asgardians
Thor: Love and Thunder will likely see the deaths of even more Asgardians, as it’s possible that Gorr considers even regular Asgardians to be gods. Apart from becoming a tourist trap, the existence of New Asgard has revitalized the Norse religion on Earth. Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Korean Church of Asgard, which has a chapter in New York, reveals how the people of Earth have turned to worshipping the Aesir, represented by the heroic actions of the Avenger known as Thor Odinson. For many, this veneration also extends to the people of Asgard themselves, who share the Aesir’s blood, culture, and advanced technologies. This could compel Gorr to also consider the Asgardians as gods and directly target the remaining population.
Gorr the God Butcher has a tragic story that explains his unyielding drive to kill all the gods he can find. In Marvel Comics, Gorr’s family has traditionally paid homage to the gods in order to keep safe, but despite their devotion, Gorr loses not just his parents but his son as well. This leads Gorr to completely lose his faith in all gods. The Thor: Love and Thunder cast drops a nuclear bomb into the MCU through Gorr, who in the comics has the power not only to slay gods but also to evaporate entire planets. New Asgard may put up a fight, but they’ll likely be no match for All-Black the Necrosword, his all-powerful symbiote weapon, and it’s just as likely that Gorr will kill nearly every Asgardian who survived Avengers: Endgame.
