‘Thor: Ragnarok’ has finally released in theaters and audiences are raving about the last installment to the trilogy. Fans have been amazed by the changes undergone with the return of some of their favorite characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and critic reviews are remaining very positive. The new comedic spin on the Asgardian Avenger has been received very well and the movie is on track to being one of the best Marvel movies to date. With all the excitement surrounding the project, it’s possible to have overlooked some of the subtle references and easter eggs peppered throughout the film. These are seven things you might have missed in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’:
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Stage Actors
Most fans surely would’ve caught Matt Damon’s cameo as the stage actor portraying Loki on Asgard. While this appearance was pretty obvious, the other actors were a bit more subtle. The actor playing Thor in the production was actually Luke Hemsworth, brother of Chris Hemsworth, aka Thor, while Odin’s stage persona was none other than Sam Neill, better known as Alan Grant from ‘Jurassic Park’, among numerous other well-known roles.
Location Change-Up
The scene where Hela shatters Mjolnir apparently underwent some changes in post-production. If you recall from the first trailer, this scene took place in some secluded alleyway. However, in the final cut of the movie, it was changed to the rocky shores of Norway where the Asgardian brothers find Odin.
Umbrella
As Thor and Loki are seeking Odin on Earth, they dress for the part and blend in with traditional human garb. One of the changes Thor makes is by disguising Mjolnir as an umbrella. This is referencing the early days of the Thor comics where a man named Donald Blake (name dropped originally in the first ‘Thor’ movie) wielded the power of the God of Thunder. He would disguise the hammer as a cane, which he would then tap on the ground to transform into the hero, much in the same way it was done in ‘Ragnarok’.
Beta Ray Bill
As Thor is being carted to The Grandmaster’s sanctuary, you’ll notice the entrance had several busts adorning its edifice. One of the stranger looking ones was of a horse-headed being who many may recognize as Beta Ray Bill, one of the few others who have wielded Thor’s hammer. This is also not the first reference to the character as a skeleton of one of his species was seen in the opening sequence to ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’.
Bilgesnipe
After Valkyrie drunkenly lands her ship on the junkyard where she claims Thor for The Grandmaster, she loses her balance and falls onto the corpse of some massive beast. While this could’ve just been any random creature that washed in from one of the doorways, you might have noticed it was big, repulsive, and had huge antlers. While it was never given a name, it appears to match the description Thor gave to Coulson of a Bilgesnipe in the first ‘Avengers’ movie.
Contest of Champions
The Grandmaster referred to the arena battles he organizes as the “Contest of Champions”. In the comics, the Contest was a much larger event in which The Grandmaster and Death (not Hela) rounded up the heroes of Earth against their will and forced them to do battle. It’s possible the name in the movie was just a passing reference, or perhaps the heroes of Earth are about to endure a much bigger battle pending the events of the upcoming ‘Infinity War’ considering GM just lost his two most prized fighters.
Korg
One of the more lovable characters making an appearance in ‘Ragnarok’ was that of Korg the Kronan. The character, voiced and motion-captured by none other than the director himself, Taika Waititi, is a regular in the comics and had a crucial role during the ‘Planet Hulk’ storyline, which the Hulk plotline in the movie was loosely based on.
