In the fifth episode of Ragnarok, Magne faced his biggest fears, guided by the visions that Wotan made him see. Realizing his worth, Magne ultimately gave up the hammer. Even Saxa’s plans were exposed to him. Eventually, there was a tense confrontation between giants and gods, but Magne decided to drop the weapons to call for peace. The finale episode of Ragnarok season 3 reveals a major twist: We find out that the entire storyline of Ragnarok, spanning three seasons, was merely a product of Magne’s imagination. As Magne finally embraces his reality, he comes to the realization that he isn’t the reincarnation of Thor but rather an overly passionate fan of comic books.
Spoilers Ahead
What Was Magne Suffering From?
In the first season of Ragnarok, we caught a glimpse of Magne’s struggles with a mental condition called schizophrenia, as mentioned to Magne’s mother, Turid, by a psychiatrist. Magne was extremely shy and found it tough to make friends in school. His younger brother, Laurits, would playfully tease him, although he wasn’t entirely an evil person. To escape from all this, Magne found comfort in Norse mythology and comic books that featured Thor’s bravery. He became so engrossed in these images that they seemed real to him. He started believing he had a special role in maintaining a balance between good and evil in the present world, much like in fantasy stories. He imagined the wealthy and power-hungry Jutuls as giants, while he saw himself as the god of thunder and war. He considered those who treated him well to be godly beings in his fantasy world.
Edda, the town, was a place where Magne experienced significant losses in his life. It was here that his father passed away, leaving him feeling isolated and in need of emotional comfort. His classmate, Isolde, became his only true friend, but her tragic death during a paragliding accident left a deep scar in his mind. Filled with pain, Magne coped by imagining that the Jutuls were responsible for Isolde’s demise. This was the beginning of his turbulent journey through imagination.
Ragnarok Episode 6 started with Magne distancing himself from his negative feelings and gradually reconnecting with reality. In Episode 5, the battle between Magne and the Jutuls concluded, preventing Ragnarok. However, Magne’s conflicting thoughts couldn’t accept that the conflict had been resolved without more consequences, unlike the storybooks. In his mind, he didn’t actually wish to harm anyone, and his hatred for the Jutuls wasn’t as strong as it seemed, but his internal conflicts and his imaginative mind didn’t stop there. It persistently urged Magne to shape the situation surrounding him into a narrative.
What Happened To The Other Characters?
At the start of Ragnarok Episode 6, we saw Fjor Jutul in a relationship with Nora, while Ran Jutul hints that she might have feelings for her therapist. Saxa took on the role of the company’s chairman and shared her innovative ideas about eco-friendly methods that Jutul Industries employs to rebuild their reputation. Meanwhile, the Seier family remained content, much as they always had. Laurits was getting ready to move in with Jens, and Turid and Erik planned to declutter their home by getting rid of unnecessary stuff. Signy seemed to have moved on from her heartbreak and begun focusing on her essay.
Meanwhile, when Turid picked up the clutter, among these items was a box containing Magne’s comic books and a toy hammer. Magne felt an urge to read these comics and find out how the Ragnarok in the stories concluded. His mother continually insisted that he get rid of those books, understanding the negative effects of his obsession. But Magne continued flipping through the pages and pondering over the illustrations.
Was Ragnarok Real?
After successfully graduating, Magne ran into Signy in school and learned she had done well, too, with her essay finally published. However, the following day, during the graduation ceremony at the school, Magne had a moment of clarity about his actual reality. Earlier, as he looked at those comic book pictures, he saw a young archer responsible for killing Balder. Similarly, in his reality, he found that injured teen outside, practicing archery. A mistletoe arrow from his bow injured Jens, which mirrored Balder’s death in the stories. Magne also imagined a chaotic Ragnarok where gods and giants killed each other, but suddenly realized these violent scenes were all in his mind. In reality, it was a normal day, and the graduation ceremony was joyful. Nobody was hurt or being violent. This experience was like an awakening for Magne, who had been blinded by his delusions all alone. He finally understood he was seriously ill, and his mind had absorbed the mythological tales so deeply that he tried to imagine their existence.
Once the graduation ceremony ended, Magne found himself standing alone in the hall. He was lost in thoughts about how he could have been killed by the serpent if Ragnarok were real. Signy approached him, snapping him back to reality. She had been thinking about their relationship. She had understood that, while she wasn’t pleased with Magne’s sudden arrogance, she forgave him. It was her belief that Magne needed proper guidance and affection to come out of his darkness. She wanted to give their relationship another chance, which deeply moved Magne. With the truth now out and his delusions understood, he embraced his reality and reached out his hand to Signy.
What Happened To Magne?
At the conclusion of Season 3, Episode 6, Magne returned home and threw his box filled with comic books in the trash. Turid and Erik saw this from the window, relieved that Magne had decided to break out of the darkness in his mind. Magne joined a gathering with his friends, including Fjor and Saxa. He no longer harbored ill feelings towards them because he had come to terms with reality, which wasn’t as bad as he had feared. Amidst his group of friends, he noticed Isolde sitting beside him. Just as we began to think that Isolde might be alive in reality, the series clarified that she had indeed passed away. It was her death that played a crucial role in feeding Magne’s delusions. Isolde’s presence dissolved into thin air, and Magne didn’t dwell on it. He had left the shadows of his past imaginations behind and was ready to embrace reality, accepting both the positive and negative aspects it would offer him.
Final Words:
Season 3 of Ragnarok has an abundance of plot holes that are hard to ignore. The series presents a dilemma: if everything, including the Jutuls’ point of view, was a product of Magne’s imagination, will the show clarify whether Magne genuinely killed Vidar or if Vidar never died? Alternatively, did Magne kill him and just get away with the murder? This ending not only let down viewers but also left us feeling like we devoted four years to a series that failed to provide a satisfying resolution. The third season particularly lacked the effort needed to establish a compelling mythological thriller. The introduction of “newly initiated gods” and the Jutuls’ feeble attempts at murder lacked the plot’s credibility and seemed illogical from the start of season 3. The unnecessary twist in the conclusion makes us feel that the creators struggled to find a fitting ending. Overall, Ragnarok isn’t an utter waste of time, but it could be seen as a casual time-filler without expecting it to be a robust narrative due to its excessively flawed writing.
