Definitely not Marvel's Thor: Norwegian actor David Stakston plays Magne, a high school student who finds himself imbued with the powers of the god of thunder in Ragnarok.

A lonely, awkward high school student finds himself channeling the mythic powers of Thor in Ragnarok, a surprisingly engaging Norwegian-language reworking of Norse mythology brought into the 21st century. Granted, Ragnarok isn't going to give the MCU incarnation of Thor a run for his money any time soon. But despite occasional lapses into clumsy moralizing and clichéd teen-angst drama, the underlying story ultimately works.

(Mild spoilers below.)

The series is set in the fictional town of Edda, Norway—named after two Nordic literary masterpieces, the 13th-century Poetic Edda and Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda—and we are told that this is the place where the gods and giants once battled to the death in the original Ragnarok. A handful survived, and a family of immortal giants currently heads up Jutul Industries (Jutul is a variant of jötnar, a mythological class of giants), on which the town depends for its economic survival. Unfortunately, the corporation has also been disregarding the environment for decades, dumping toxic chemicals into the water supply, while global warming is causing the glaciers to recede at an alarming rate.

But the gods are not yet dead either, it seems. When Magne (David Stakston) moves back to his hometown with his younger brother Laurits (Jonas Strand Gravli) and single mom Turid (Henriette Steenstrup), a touch from a local old woman named Wenche (Eli Anne Linnestad) sets off noticeable physical changes. He no longer needs his glasses, for instance, and suddenly has enhanced strength and speed. Plus, he can sense changes in the weather and seems to have an affinity for thunder and lightning. The name "Thor" isn't uttered until several episodes in, but the parallels are obvious, especially since in Norse mythology, Thor has a son named Magni.

If Magne is channeling Thor, his brother Laurits is clearly meant to mirror the trickster Loki. There are hints that Turid once had a fling with Jutul family "patriarch" Vidar Jutul (Gísli Örn Garðarsson), and that the gender-fluid Laurits might just be half-Jutul, which would explain why he is so drawn to that family (and is in keeping with the Loki of Norse myth, who teamed up with an army of giants for Ragnarok). In addition to Vidar, there is "daughter" Saxa (played to disdainful perfection by Theresa Frostad Eggesbø) and "son" Fjor (Herman Tømmeraas), who pretty much rule the local high school. Their "mother," Ran (Synnøve Macody Lund) is the high school principal, whose affection for her youthful charges occasionally veers into the inappropriate.

  • The fictional town of Edda, Norway. YouTube/Netflix
  • The main cast of Ragnarok (l-r): Fjor (Herman Tømmeraas), Isolde (Ylva Bjørkaas Thedin), Saxa (Theresa Frostad Eggesbø), Gry (Emma Bones), Laurits (Jonas Strand Gravli), and Magne (David Stakston). Netflix
  • Magne and Laurits on their first day at another new school. Netflix
  • Magne finds a friend in fellow misfit Isolde. YouTube/Netflix
  • Magne has a crush on Gry. YouTube/Netflix
  • He has a rival in Fjor, a member of the wealthy Jutul family. Netflix
  • Fjor and Gry make a connection. YouTube/Netflix
  • Saxa, Fjor's sister, holds court. Netflix
  • Ran Jutul (Synnøve Macody Lund), their mother, is the school principal. YouTube/Netflix
  • Jutul patriarch Vidar (Gísli Örn Garðarsson) takes his shirt off a lot. YouTube/Netflix
  • Isolde stumbles upon a tunnel, exposed because the glacier is receding so rapidly due to climate change. YouTube/Netflix
  • Magne watches Isolde paraglide down the mountain. YouTube/Netflix
  • Magne is changing, with new abilities. YouTube/Netflix
  • Magne and Gry at the school dance. Netflix
  • Magne and his brother, Laurits, on the school's annual camping trip. Netflix
  • Magne senses something amiss. YouTube/Netflix
  • The Jutul family prepares for war. YouTube/Netflix
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