Of all the editions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: Ragnarok is easily the most enjoyable to watch. It’s incredibly funny and tells a story that is both exciting and heartfelt.
In keeping with his cheeky sense of humor, director Taika Waititi absolutely packed the film with clever ‘Easter Eggs’ and allusions.
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Here are a few things that you might have missed.
Korg tips his cap to ‘What We Do in the Shadows’.
Taika Waititi voices ‘Korg’. He’s also the creator of the vampire satire What We Do in the Shadows . While speaking to Thor, Korg says:
“Thor wanna use a big wooden fork ? Yeah, not really useful. Unless you’re fighting off three vampires that were huddled together.”
What a clever meta nod!
The Infinity Gauntlet is ‘Hela’ fake.
The scene where Hela raids Odin’s trophy room, she knocks over an Infinity Gauntlet, which she emphatically refers to as ” fake .”
If you pay close attention, you’ll notice that Odin’s Infinity Gauntlet is right-handed. While Thanos’ was worn on the left.
A nod to comics and to Frog Thor!
Remember that hilarious scene where Matt Damon plays ‘fake Loki’? There’s a moment in the dialogue where ‘Loki’ apologizes for turning ‘Thor’ into a frog.
Well, it turns out that actually happens in the comics .
Remembering the first Avengers film.
During a particularly hilarious scene, Thor is trying to get Tony Stark’s ship to voice-activate. The only problem is that it isn’t recognizing his title.
Thor tries everything from ‘God of Thunder’ to ‘Strongest Avenger’ before finally muttering ‘ Point Break ‘. This is what Tony calls him when they first meet in The Avengers .
Also, if you haven’t seen Point Break with Keanu and Patrick Swayze – go and watch it right now.
A name with a double reference.
Now, this could just be a coincidence, but Shady Acres is more likely a reference to either Ace Venture: Pet Detective or South Park – or possibly both!
A throwback to Dr. Strange.
For the first time since entering the Marvel Universe, Dr. Strange is seen wearing his trademark yellow gloves .
Once again, this is yet another nod to the classic comic book version of the character.
Valkyrie’s ship is the same color as the Maori flag.
The indigenous people of New Zealand are called the Maori.
Director Taika Waititi, a fellow Kiwi himself, wanted to give a little nod to his country’s history by painting the ship in the same colors.
Robert Downey Jr. loves Duran Duran.
Take a look at The Hulk’s (Mark Ruffalo’s) outfit and you’ll notice he’s wearing a Duran Duran t-shirt.
This was supposedly done because RDJ is a huge Duran Duran fan in real life.
It runs in the family.
Notice how Hela, Loki, and Thor hold their blades as they prepare for battle. It’s exactly the same.
This is a nod to them all being siblings and children of Odin .
Valkyrie & The Incredible Hulk #142.
Valkyrie is referred to as ‘Scrapper 142’ by the Grand Master.
This is a very clever nod the The Incredible Hulk #142 published by Marvel Comics which depicts the return of Valkyrie .
The first person to use ‘Storm Breaker’.
‘Storm Breaker’ is the name of Thor’s ax but he wasn’t the first person to wield this weapon.
It once belonged to a being named ‘ Beta Ray Bill ‘. His likeness is carved into the tower where the Grandmaster is.
Look over there!
In Odin’s last moments with Thor and Loki, he tells them to “remember this place. Home.”
In Avengers: Endgame , it’s the exact spot upon where the brothers build ‘ New Asgard ‘.
Not a hair out of place.
When Dr. Strange casts his spell in order to find Odin, he does so by first plucking a single hair from Thor’s head.
The image forms what’s called a ‘ Trinity Knot ‘ and it’s the same symbol that is branded on the side of Thor’s hammer Mjolnir.
Also, is it a coincidence that Odin has three children? No. It is not.
Purple & green for the God of Thunder?
If you take a moment to notice Thor’s collar, you’ll see that he is very clearly wearing both green and purple shirts.
This is an obvious nod to the classic Incredible Hulk colors from the early comic days.
And so is Aries & Bi Beast!
You can see the bust of the God of War directly above Bi Beast ; another classic Hulk villain from Marvel.
