Grandmaster

: "My name is Grandmaster. I preside over a little harlequinade called the Contest of Champions. People come from far and wide to unwillingly participate in it, and you, my friend, might just be part of the new cast!"
: ―Grandmaster[src]
En Dwi Gast is the ruler of Sakaar and a being with a fascination with gaming and manipulating lesser life-forms. Becoming stranded on the planet, he took the mantel of the flamboyant Grandmaster, establishing a dictatorship over its citizens and keeping them distracted with a series of battles among some of his strongest slaves called the Contest of Champions. When Grandmaster took Thor as his new contender, he was soon horrified to learn that Thor already knew his current champion, Hulk. As Grandmaster feared, Thor soon escaped Sakaar with Hulk, resulting in a new uprising which resulted in him losing his position over the people of Sakaar.
== Biography ==
=== Early Life ===
==== Fascination with Champions ====
En Dwi Gast was born shortly after the beginning of the universe alongside his brother, Taneleer Tivan. While his brother became obsessed with collecting objects of all kinds, En Dwi Gast became obsessed with manipulating life-forms into fighting each other nearly to death.
=== Contest of Champions ===
==== Ruling over Sakaar ====
: "He is the original, the first lost and found. The creator of Sakaar and father of the Contest of Champions."
: ―Hologram Informant[src]
One day, Grandmaster became the ruler of the planet Sakaar. On the planet, he became a tyrant towards his people, they only put up with him because of the Contest of Champions, a gladiatorial event held in an arena where slaves would be subject to battle. Grandmaster would at some point take under his wing one of the Valkyries after the massacre of the Valkyrie by Hela. Scrapper 142 became not only the servant of Grandmaster but also his bodyguard alongside Topaz.
Amongst those Grandmaster imprisoned for his Contest of Champions included Beta Ray Bill, Ares, Bi-Beast, Dark-Crawler, Man-Thing, Korg, Miek, Biff, Hajo, Roscoe, Tasba, and Doug. In 2015, Hulk arrived on Sakaar. Hulk later was recognized as one of the new champions in the contest, he would then become truly beloved although remaining a prisoner.
==== Enslaving Thor ====
: "What have you brought me today? Tell me.""A contender."
: ―Grandmaster and Valkyrie[src]
Following Odin's passing in Norway, resulting in the liberation of his firstborn Hela from Hel and the destruction of Mjølnir in her hands, Loki asked Volstagg to transport them back to Asgard. However, Hela kicked Loki and Thor out of the Bifrost Bridge, causing them to crash land on Sakaar. Because time flows differently in Sakaar, Loki arrived two weeks before Thor, even though, to Thor, it had been less than a day.
Loki managed to win Grandmaster's favor over time, becoming his new ally. When Scrapper 142 discovered Thor, he was taken through a tunnel before being jolted from seeing Grandmaster and Topaz. Grandmaster asked Scrapper 142 if he was any kind of a fighter, prompting Thor to demand his release as he stated that he is not for sale. However, Grandmaster proceeded on taking Thor for ten million units and was pecked on the cheek.
Looking for any abilities, Grandmaster inquired information on Thor and who he was. Thor would then rip off his handcuffs again and proclaim himself as the God of Thunder. Grandmaster then ridiculed Thor commenting on the absence of thunder and appearance of sparkles. Grandmaster would then took Thor to meet his cousin Carlo, who attempted to make his escape from Sakaar only to be captured. Momentarily making Carlo desperately begged for his life, Grandmaster pardoned him, only to reveal that he was being pardoned from life. He was then killed using the Melt Stick.
While having properly introduced himself and explained the Contest of Champions, Grandmaster was throwing a party, serving as a DJ. Thor would then notice Loki and promptly whisper concern to him. Loki would explain that he has already been here for two weeks. Grandmaster asked why Loki was whispering to Thor then explain to them that time worked differently around Sakaar, citing his millions of years of age. Loki then insisted that he had never met Thor before being interrupted with the fact they were brothers. Loki then added that he himself, was adopted
Grandmaster then inquiring Thor on his fighting ability, was threatened by a freedom-wanting Thor. Grandmaster mocked him then explained that the only way he could have his freedom was if he was able to defeat the Contest of Champions' ultimate champion. Thor was confident in his ability and was swiftly taken to the cell where the gladiators were located.
==== Hulk vs. Thor ====
: "It's main event time. Making his first appearance, though he looks quite promising, got a couple of tricks up his sleeve. I'll say no more, see what you think. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... Lord of Thunder. Watch out for his fingers. They make sparks."
: ―Grandmaster[src]
With the audience cheering, Grandmaster introduced Thor as the Lord of Thunder while his champion prepared to arrive. As he built up his entrance, Grandmaster had finally introduced his fellow champion as none other than Hulk, whom Thor had not seen since the Battle of Sokovia in 2015.
Loki watched from above as, to his shock and horror, the Hulk appeared. He then started to walk out due to the fear of their previous encounter. The Grandmaster forbid this act and commanded Loki stay and watch. Grandmaster became aware of Thor's close ties with the Hulk and attentively continued watching the fight as Thor and Hulk furiously battled each other.
When Thor had managed to land a heavy blow against Hulk, he attempted to use Black Widow's lullaby to calm him down, only for Hulk to smash Thor into the ground, much to Loki's delight. Grandmaster kept on watching as Thor and Hulk continued fighting, until Thor unexpectedly gained a sudden surge of his power, allowing his entire body to be engulfed with lightning as he struck Hulk and damaged his Sakaaran Battle Armor.
Unwilling to watch his beloved Champion be defeated, Grandmaster activated Thor's Obedience Disk, causing Thor to fall to the floor, allowing Hulk to finally win the duel. After the arena fight, Thor continued to be held captive by the Grandmaster, sharing room with Hulk. He would then hear news of Thor's escape. He then feared Thor had captured his beloved champion.
==== Hunting Thor ====
: "You know what? I woke up this morning thinking about a public execution. But for now, I'll settle for this sweet little 'who's gonna get him first?' So, you're on the clock!"
: ―Grandmaster to Loki and Valkyrie[src]
Grandmaster then ordered a celebration of his champion to hopefully draw him out. Furious, Grandmaster ordered Scrapper 142 and Loki to find the two. The two come to blows when Loki started inquiring about the deaths of her fellow Valkyries. 142 would then assist Thor, holding Loki hostage as a sign of her allegiance.
Unbeknownst to Grandmaster, a certain group then liberated the other gladiators who, led by Korg and Miek, staged a revolt. Discovering the news of a revolution, Grandmaster questioned Topaz of how something of this scale could happen. He was then notified that the Obedience Disks had been deactivated. Grandmaster then ordered his troops to escape quickly.
==== Revolution in Sakaar ====
: "I'm proud of you all, this revolution has been a huge success. Yay us! Pat, pat on the back. Pat on the back. Come on. No? Me, too. 'Cause I've been a big part of it. Can't have a revolution without somebody to overthrow! So, ah, you're welcome."
: ―Grandmaster[src]
Using a holographic projection, Grandmaster announced that Thor had escaped and ordered the people and his bodyguards to not let him leave the planet. Meanwhile, Thor used the Commodore to head to the Devil's Anus. Topaz and the Grandmaster's bodyguards swiftly chased them as they managed to avoid Grandmaster's guards and escape from Sakaar. Loki was soon found by the gladiators.
After the great uprising, Grandmaster was ultimately defeated by the people, and he confronted his subjects, who were still fighting the revolution started by the gladiators. Trying to set the record straight, Grandmaster claimed that the revolution was a tie, noting that he was an integral part of their uprising since without him, they would have nothing to rebel against.
== Personality ==
: "He's a lunatic, but he can be amenable."
: ―Loki to Thor[src]
Grandmaster is very eccentric, described as a hedonist, a pleasure-seeker, an enjoyer of life, as seen when Valkyrie tells that one of his ships is a pleasure vehicle for orgies. Additionally, Grandmaster also enjoys dancing, being a very skilled dancer.
Grandmaster is also a charming individual, knowing how to act calm and almost laid-back during dangerous and intense situations, such as when he was surrounded by several scavengers without any protection and tried to trick them into standing down by calling their endeavor a "draw". He makes sure to give respect and reward to those who please him and work for him, as seen by the extravagant living quarters given to his champion, Hulk.
His millennials of exile on Sakaar have made him completely ignore and forget outer space and everything that has not entered the planet completely cut off from any culture other than his own, he had never heard of Asgard and the Asgardians, who are known to be one of the most advanced life forms in the universe, ignoring and confusing the conjugation of terms that they had not heard.
Despite his friendly demeanor, he is also a ruthless tyrant, capturing and usually executing anyone who breaks his rules or tries escaping him, as seen when he executed his cousin, Carlo for committing high treason and attempting to escape. This is somewhat contrasted by his even-temper and sense of rationale, demonstrated when he declared merely interrupting him was not enough reason to justify ordering an execution. He did not like oppressive words, like "slave", as it actually made him feel bad for how he treated his prisoners.
Another aspect of his personality is that the Grandmaster is someone who cheats in games, so that only that champion wins and no one else had to venture to hate his champion; as demonstrated when, during the Duel in the Grand Arena, the Grandmaster activated the Obedience Disk on Thor to make sure that Hulk did not lose, once he discovered that Thor's powers could have defeated his beloved champion.
== Powers and Abilities ==
=== Powers ===
: "Time works real different around these parts. On any other world, I would be millions of years old. But here on Sakaar..."
: ―Grandmaster[src]
* Immortality: Grandmaster has an extraordinarily long lifespan, stating himself to be millions of years old.
* Telepathy: Grandmaster has the ability to read people's minds.
=== Abilities ===
* Master Tactician: Grandmaster was able to build Sakaar up from the ground in popularity with his Contest of Champions. His game gained many followers and popularity on the planet.
== Equipment ==
=== Weapons ===
: "This is my Melting Stick. Yeah, if people displease me, I can melt them."
: ―Grandmaster[src]
* Melt Stick: The Melt Stick is Grandmaster's weapon of choice, using it to melt those who displease him like Carlo. Despite taking great pleasure in using the Melt Stick, Grandmaster insisted that it only be used for capital offenses, refusing to execute Loki for merely interrupting him during their exchange despite Topaz offering him the weapon.
* Obedience Disk: Grandmaster had used the Obedience disks to force all of his own gladiators to participate during the Contest of Champions, using the Disk to disable Thor to ensure Hulk would be victorious.
=== Vehicles ===
: "Grandmaster uses it for his good times, orgies and stuff.""Did she just say the Grandmaster uses it for orgies?""Yeah. Don’t touch anything."
: ―Valkyrie, Bruce Banner, and Thor[src]
* Commodore: Grandmaster mainly used this ship for parties and orgies.
* Statesman: Grandmaster formerly owned the Statesman, a massive spaceship, that was later used by Loki and the Sakaaran Rebellion to escape Sakaar.
== Facilities ==
* Grandmaster Palace: The Grandmaster used to reside in his palace before his former subjects ousted him in rebellion.
* Grand Arena: The Grandmaster created a massive, elaborate arena to host the Contest of Champions as a mean to entertain himself and his subjects.
== Relationships ==
=== Family ===
* Taneleer Tivan/Collector - Brother
* Carlo † - Cousin and Victim
=== Allies ===
* Sakaaran Guards - Subordinates
** Topaz † - Bodyguard
* Beta Ray Bill - Former Champion
* Ares - Former Champion
* Bi-Beast - Former Champion
* Dark-Crawler - Former Champion
* Lead Scrapper †
* Beerbot 5000	
=== Enemies ===
* Ted Sallis/Man-Thing - Former Champion
* Revengers
** Thor - Former Prisoner
** Bruce Banner/Hulk - Former Champion
** Loki - Former Ally
** Brunhilde/Valkyrie - Former Ally
* Sakaaran Rebellion - Former Prisoners
** Korg
** Miek
** Biff
** Tasba
** Roscoe †
** Hajo †
* Doug † - Former Prisoner
* Sakaaran Scrappers - Former Allies
== Trivia ==
* In the comics, the Grandmaster, along with the Collector, is one of the Elders of the Universe. In a competition with the Cosmic Entity Death, he captured various heroes from Earth and forced them to fight against each other. He was also the custodian of the Mind Stone before Thanos took it for the Infinity Gauntlet. His real name is also revealed to be En Dwi Gast.
** The Grandmaster's role in Thor: Ragnarok is analogue to the Red King, the ruler of the Sakaaran Imperials and master of the Grand arena, in the Planet Hulk storyline.
== Behind the Scenes ==
* Jeff Goldblum described the character as "a hedonist, a pleasure-seeker, an enjoyer of life and tastes and smells." He also said that director Taika Waititi encouraged improvisation in order for Goldblum to "make the character his own".
* Jeff Goldblum revealed on an interview that the Grandmaster was born shortly after the Big Bang and is 14 million years old; however, the Big Bang occurred 13.8 billion years ago.
* Unlike his appearance in the comics, the Grandmaster does not have blue skin. This is because the filmmakers did not want to detract from Jeff Goldblum's personality by concealing his appearance, especially since Goldblum had already played a blue-colored character in Earth Girls Are Easy.
* Jeff Goldblum stated that the Grandmaster survived the events of Avengers: Infinity War, saying: "You can't kill me, I'm like a vampire."
* Jeff Goldblum shot scenes reprising the role of the Grandmaster in Thor: Love and Thunder, but they were eventually cut from the final film.
== References ==
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Grandmaster.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki has a collection of quotes related to Grandmaster.
# ↑ Known only by codename
# ↑ Jump up to:2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Thor: Ragnarok
# ↑ Jump up to:3.0 3.1 Going Green with Jeff Goldblum
# ↑ Kevin Feige Reveals Thor: Ragnarok's Biggest Easter Egg
# ↑ Thor: Ragnarok Post-credits Scene
# ↑ JEFF GOLDBLUM Describes MARVEL'S GRANDMASTER As 'A Hedonist, A Pleasure-Seeker'
# ↑ Thor 3 Ragnarok - B-Roll, Bloopers and Behind the Scenes (2017)
# ↑ WHY JEFF GOLDBLUM DOESN'T RESEMBLE MARVEL COMICS' GRANDMASTER IN THOR: RAGNAROK
# ↑ Grandmaster is still alive after Avengers: Infinity War according to Jeff Goldblum
# ↑ Christian Bale Reveals Thor: Love and Thunder Cut Scenes Featuring Peter Dinklage and Jeff Goldblum
== External Links ==
* Grandmaster on Marvel Database
* Red King on Marvel Database
* Grandmaster on Wikipedia
* Grandmaster on Marvel Website