Thor: Ragnarok burst into the theaters last weekend with all of the power of a lightning bolt. Marvel’s God of Thunder is now truly a box office god as well, with an opening that rivals even some of the top MCU films. Now that we’ve finally seen director Taika Waititi‘s uniquely comedic superhero movie, today’s Nerdist News is breaking down some of the best Easter Eggs that you may have missed in Thor: Ragnarok.
Warning: there are spoilers ahead from Thor: Ragnarok! It won’t be the end of the world if you keep reading, but it may be the end of the Gods. Trust us when we say that you’ll enjoy this a lot more if you’ve already seen the film first.
Join host, and heir to the Oldstrong power, Jessica Chobot, as she walks us through Thor: Ragnarok‘s primary influences: the legendary Thor run by Walt Simonson and the Planet Hulk arc that redefined Bruce Banner’s alter ego over a decade ago. Ragnarok doesn’t take itself quite as seriously as Simonson’s epic tale, but many elements from that story made it into the final film, including Skurge’s last stand with a pair of machine guns, the battle with Surtur, and even the joke about Thor’s time as a frog. That really happened in the comics!
As for Planet Hulk, many of the supporting characters from that story were dropped entirely, including the Hulk’s lover, Caiera, and his enemy, the Red King. However, the Hulk’s fight with Thor echos some of the moments that took place during Silver Surfer’s gladiatorial match with the Hulk. Korg and Miek also made the cut, but we suspect that this version of Miek won’t be taking the darker path of his comic book counterpart.
Now, let’s talk about the callouts! The Grandmaster’s “Contest of Champions” was a reference to one of Marvel’s first event miniseries, and the previous champions of his arena apparently included Beta Ray Bill, Bi-Beast, Ares, and maybe even the Man-Thing, as depicted in giant carvings within the film. Ragnarok was also pretty heavy with references from the MCU, including Thor’s overuse of the “sun is getting low” mantra used to calm Hulk from Avengers: Age of Ultron, and the absolutely catty way that Hela tossed aside Odin’s Infinity Gauntlet as a “fake.” That might be one of the most hilarious retcons that we’ve ever seen.
Waititi couldn’t resist referring to his movies outside of the MCU as well, including the bizarre return of Hal Jordan’s Shake Weight from Green Lantern, as well as a weapon clearly inspired by What We Do in Shadows. Outside of the Waititiverse, we loved the way that he even worked in an Ace Ventura reference with the name of Odin’s retirement home: Shady Acres.
What was your favorite Easter Egg in Thor: Ragnarok? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Images: Marvel Studios
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