SPOILERS: THOR: RAGNAROK - 26 Amazing Easter Eggs, Cameos, And References You Need To See
Thor: Ragnarok is a movie crammed full of Easter Eggs, cameos, and references to the comic books and wider Marvel Cinematic Universe, and you can find an in-depth break down of all of them right here...
Thor: Ragnarok is now in theaters and if you're anything like us, we're betting you had your eyes peeled the entire time for all of the movie's best Easter Eggs, references, and cameo appearances.
Director Taika Waititi has crammed the movie full of them, with appearances from a host of unexpected comic book characters and faces, not to mention numerous nods to the source material. There are also hidden references to his past work and the wider MCU as a whole and don't forget the ones setting up the future of this shared universe, specifically for next year's Avengers: Infinity War.
What you'll find here then is a breakdown of the biggest and best Easter Eggs in Thor: Ragnarok, many of which we're willing to bet you missed. After all, lots of them are really well hidden and there's so much going on in the Marvel Studios threequel that they're surprisingly easy to miss in the movie.
To view the list of Easter Eggs in its entirety, simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below!
26. Loki's Play
When Thor returns to Asgard, Odin (secretly Loki in disguise) is watching a play retelling the God of Mischief's seemingly heroic sacrifice in Thor: The Dark World. The hilarious twist here is that it's Jason Bourne star Matt Damon playing Loki!
Odin meanwhile is portrayed by Sam Neil - who starred in Taika Waititi's Hunt for the Wilderpeople - and Thor is Chris' older brother Luke who is best known for starring in Westworld. He looks the part but is initially quite hard to recognise here.
25. Frog Thor
One of Thor: Ragnarok's funniest moments comes when Thor recounts a tale from his and Loki's youth where the God of Mischief transformed himself into a snake, got picked up by the young Thor, and then returned to his regular form and stabbed his seven-year-old brother in the stomach. However, earlier in the movie, Loki apologises for once turning Thor into a frog, something you'll no doubt realise actually happened in the comic books when Thor became Throg!
24. Stan Lee's Cameo
James Gunn was responsible for shooting several of Stan Lee's cameos and this might just be the comic book creator's most entertaining effort to date. When Thor is strapped into a chair and told he has to have his hair cut, he's not happy and even less so when Stan's gauntlet turns into a horrifying looking device covered in all sorts of blades! On the plus side, at least it ends up looking good!
23. Scrapper 142
While we learn that Valkyrie is "a Valkyrie," her actual name is never revealed and she's initially referred to as Scrapper 142 by The Grandmaster. You might think that's just a random title she uses to keep her Asgardian heritage a secret but it's actually a nod to Incredible Hulk #142, the issue where the fan-favourite warrior made her Marvel Universe debut!
22. The Immigrant Song
Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" is used heavily in Thor: Ragnarok and it's clear to see why. After all, just take a look at some of the lines from the song and you can see why Taika Waititi used it!
We come from the land of the ice and snow
From the midnight sun, where the hot springs flow
The hammer of the gods
We'll drive our ships to new lands
To fight the horde, and sing and cry
Valhalla, I am coming
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has revealed that Taika Waititi used the song in his pitch for the film and that actually ended up going a long way in why the filmmaker landed the job.
21. Shady Acres
In an earlier version of Thor: Ragnarok, Odin was going to be a raving lunatic wandering around New York trying to warn people about the end of the world. However, reshoots changed that and we learn that Loki actually dropped Odin off at a retirement home called Shady Acres.
That's being demolished when the brothers arrive there but director Taika Waititi is clearly a fan of South Park as the name "Shady Acres" is also used in that show and is the care home lived in by Stan Marsh's grandfather. Given Waititi's unique brand of humour, this makes perfect sense!
20. The Incredible Hulk
In one of the movie's funniest moments, Bruce Banner leaps from the spaceship Valkyrie is piloting directly down on to the Rainbow bridge in the hope that will transform him into The Hulk. Instead, he hits the bridge and lies there motionless before transforming to battle the Fenris Wolf.
This is clearly a nod to 2008's The Incredible Hulk when Banner does the exact same thing. It just so happens that that movie never showed up what happened when the hero hit the ground!
19. What We Do In The Shadows
When Thor and Korg are getting ready to enter the arena, they're checking over some of the weapons and the loveable Kronan offers the God of Thunder a three-pronged wooden stick. However, he quickly notes that it would only be good for killing three vampires huddled together and that has to be a nod to What We Do In The Shadows, a movie Taika Waititi co-directed and starred in.
18. Avengers: Age Of Ultron
A moment a lot of fans have made fun of in Avengers: Age of Ultron was the method used by Black Widow to get The Hulk to revert to Bruce Banner. Well, that makes a return here as Thor endlessly waffles on about the sun going down until it gets to the points that Bruce has to tell him to give it a rest. Is Taika Waititi making fun of that or was this just a fun callback?
Thor also tries it before this during his arena fight with the Jade Giant but that ends up going horribly wrong for him when he realises that giving The Hulk his hand was a big, big mistake.
17. The Revengers
When Valkyrie asks Thor and Bruce Banner what the name of their team is, both are put on the spot until the God of Thunder comes up with...The Revengers. There have been a few version of that team in the comics, including one led by Wonder Man, another from an alternate future and a third who are perhaps best known as they hailed from the Cancerverse and were an evil version of The Avengers.
16. Skurge's Sacrifice
Skurge's story arc is one of the most interesting things about Thor: Ragnarok and his death is torn pretty much straight out of the pages of the comic books. During Walt Simonson's run, Skurge held the bridge of the underworld while Thor and his companions escaped. This parallels him fighting on the Rainbow Bridge as the Asgardians flee before he's cut down by Hela.
15. The Valkyrie
It's already been confirmed that Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie is THE Valkyrie from the comic books but the actress obviously looks quite a bit different to how the character has classically been portrayed in the source material. Well, the Valkyrie who saves this version from being killed by Hela bears a striking resemblance to her comic book counterpart so perhaps that's what became of her!
14. Hulk Vs. Loki
After trying to calm The Hulk down by reasoning with his fellow Avenger, things go horribly wrong when the Jade Giant grabs the God of Thunder and smashes him into the ground in the exact same way he did to Loki in The Avengers. The God of Mischief is overjoyed by that and takes great delight in rubbing in the fact that Thor now knows how it feels to be thrown around like that.
13. Jane Foster
None of the human characters from the previous Thor movies make a return here but we do at least learn what happened to Jane Foster. Well, sort of. When a couple of bystanders ask the God of Thunder for a selfie, one mentions that they're sorry to hear Jane broke up with him. He claims it was a mutual breaking up but it seems the scientist simply had enough of the hero!
12. Avengers: Infinity War
The mid-credits scene features a conversation between Thor and Loki as the new King of Asgard decides that he's going to take his people to Earth. However, before they get anywhere near Midgard, their ship is met by a massive vessel which belongs to the villainous Thanos.
That sets the stage for Avengers: Infinity War and likely goes some way in explaining how the hero winds up floating through space and ultimately gets discovered by the Guardians of the Galaxy.
11. The Revolution Has Begun
Thor: Ragnarok's second after-credits scene revolves around The Grandmaster. Thor and Korg's revolution has been a success and the villain has holed up in one of Sakaar's many scrapheaps. Met by his people, though, he attempts to take credit for the revolution (after all, they needed someone to revolt against) and asks to call it a tie. Unfortunately, we don't see what comes next!
10. Donald Blake
Donald Blake was first mentioned in Thor but it's been clear from the start that we'd never see the God of Thunder transform into his human alter-ego. Well, Thor: Ragnarok makes another reference to the character when Mjolnir is disguised as an umbrella during Thor's visit to Earth and the hero taps it to the ground just as Don would his cane.
9. The Tesseract
While Hela is making her way through Odin's vault, she pauses for a moment and says that the Tesseract is "interesting." She's clearly aware of its power but it's Loki - as he's on the way to put Surtur's skull in the Eternal Flame - who stops and looks at the Infinity Stone in a far more intriguing manner. Bear in mind that he promised to deliver that to Thanos way back in The Avengers...
8. The Executioner
There may be no sign of The Enchantress in Thor: Ragnarok but the movie still finds a way to pay homage to Skurge's comic book roots. For starters, he wields his two guns (nicknamed "Des" and "Troy" because when you put the together they, well, you get it) and Hela later gives him his axe and names him her executioner, a clever way of referencing the fact he's known as Skurge The Executioner!
7. "FAKE!"
Way back in 2011's Thor, we caught a glimpse of the Infinity Gauntlet in Odin's vault. As a result, many fans suspected that Thanos would have to invade Asgard to get his hands on it but Avengers: Age of Ultron made it clear he has his own. Never one to let a plot hole lie, though, Marvel actually makes a point of getting Hela to declare it a "fake" in Thor: Ragnarok, putting that theory to rest once.
She also notes that most of Odin's treasures aren't legit, so that more than likely means the Orb of Agamotto, Warlock's Eye, and Tablet of Life aren't the real deal either but they were probably destroyed when Surtur attacked Asgard regardless.
6. Point Break
The first meeting between Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor in The Avengers ends with the heroes giving each other a clobbering out in the forest but once the score is settled and they put their differences aside, Tony says to the God of Thunder, "No hard feelings, Point Break, you've got a mean swing."
In Thor: Ragnarok when the hero is attempting to get off Sakaar in The Hulk's Quinjet, he's forced to try a number of different names to get the ship to grant him access to the controls and when everything from "God of Thunder" to "Strongest Avenger" fail, he's forced to say "Point Break" (followed by, "Damn you, Stark"), an awesome callback to that 2012 release.
5. Willie Wonka And The Chocolate Factory
When Thor is on the Contest of Champions "ride" leading to him meeting The Grandmaster, a familiar tune plays in the background which you'll probably recognise as "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The tunnel ride is also similar to the one from that film!
4. Doctor Strange's Cameo
Doctor Strange's mid-credits scene featured a surprise appearance from the God of Thunder but the Sorcerer Supreme makes an enjoyable appearance here as he sends Loki plummeting through space for half an hour and brings Thor into his Sanctum Sanctorum.
While there, he agrees to help Thor find Odin providing he, Loki, and the King of Asgard all return home immediately. In the meantime, Strange seems to take great delight in toying with the hero as he teleports him around the Sanctorum against his will before sending them both on their way.
3. The Grandmaster's Champions
The Hulk is The Grandmaster's latest champion, so a statue is being slowly built in his honour as the movie progresses. However, some other familiar faces also adorn the villain's home, including Beta Ray Bill, Ares, Man-Thing, and long-time Hulk baddie Bi-Beast, meaning all of them exist somewhere in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (unless the Jade Giant killed them all).
2. Planet Hulk
Thor: Ragnarok very loosely adapts the events of Planet Hulk but there are some key differences. For starters, the Green Goliath actually seems to love fighting in the arena and enjoys the perks of being The Grandmaster's champion (it's Thor who ultimately sets in motion the plan to overthrow him). The villain doesn't appear to have any real sort of army either despite the fact that Sakaaran soldiers appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy.
However, by far the biggest nod to the comics is obviously the inclusion of Korg and Meik. Both differ to their comic book counterparts (the latter never speaks, for example) but steal the show on a number of occasions in the threequel.
1. The "Contest Of Champions"
We learn fairly early on that The Grandmaster refers to the battles in the arena as "The Contest of Champions" and that's obviously a name lifted straight out of the comic books. In those, the villain (and Death, who Hela is pretty much a substitute for here despite the fact she doesn't know the God of Thunder was banished to Sakaar) abducted Earth's Mightiest Heroes and forced them to fight.
Contest Of Champions II followed that but it revolved around the Brood Queen as she looked to invade Earth. However, a recent take on the classic concept saw The Grandmaster and The Collector - who are brothers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and source material - handpick their own teams to fight and the duo then placed wagers on the outcome.
Which of these Easter Eggs in Thor: Ragnarok was your favourite? Did you spot any we missed? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.
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