Thor: Ragnarok is unlike any Marvel movie, but it still has its share of easter eggs. If you have not seen the movie yet, don’t ready any further. Check out this post for a review instead. Then see the movie and come back here.
Thor: Ragnarok Easter Eggs From the Comics
Frog of Thunder
In the play on Asgard there’s a mention of Thor turning into a frog. That happened for a time in the comics, and has not been forgotten.
The Magic of Loki
Towards the beginning of the movie, Dr. Strange grabs Loki as soon as both he and Thor return to Earth. Why would Strange be so concerned with Loki? It’s because the god of mischief is heavy into magic. Throughout the comics he’s delved into a lot of sorcery, and caused a lot of problems that way. He’s turned more good than evil recently and has actually taken up the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme from Dr. Strange. So, Strange certainly could have concern for that in the films as well.
Brunhilde
In Valkyrie’s flashback sequence there’s a glimpse of the Valkyrie from the comics, also known as Brunhilde.
Grandmaster’s Tower
The tower is full of homages to champions from Contest of Champions. On it are a couple of note: Beta Ray Bill and Ares. Beta Ray Bill is an alien that had a sort of Thor mantle for a time in the comics. Ares is a villain that fights the super hero Hercules in the comics. Not the same Ares from Wonder Woman, though.
Planet Hulk
Sakaar is a planet that Hulk ruled over in a storyline called Planet Hulk. He won the contest of champions in the comics and took over the planet before using an army from there to invade Earth. For more on this, head here.
Ragnarok and Earth
In the comics, Ragnarok causes the gods of Asgard to head to Earth. They are scattered and it causes problems for Thor and Earth itself. Odin being on Earth and in rather plain human form is a reference to the actual comic storyline, though it happens at the beginning instead of the end as a consequence.
It’s All Connected – Marvel Studios Easter Eggs
Though other Marvel films reference each other, Thor: Ragnarok was very full of references and easter eggs to other Marvel films.
Strange Encounter
A part of the Thor and Dr. Strange encounter was lifted from the Dr. Strange movie credits scene.
Quinjet
The Hulk landing on the planet via Quinjet is a reference to Avengers: Age of Ultron where he takes off before the group takes down Ultron. It’s also why he asks what has happened to Sokovia.
Sun’s Getting Low
The reason why Thor keeps saying the “sun’s getting low” and how a video of Black Widow helps calm Hulk down is because it’s something Natasha and Bruce came up with to return Hulk to Banner form in Age of Ultron. There was a sequence of things to say and hand movements corresponding to it. Thor tries to mimic it all with disastrous results, which means Black Widow is the only one who can perform this.
Point Break
The password that Thor has to give to the Quinjet is a reference to when Tony Stark first meets him in Avengers.
Infinity Gauntlet
The Gauntlet has been seen in other Thor films, but it’s now known as a fake. That means that Thanos has had it the whole time, as seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1. Also, though we don’t see it we can guess that Loki takes the Tesseract from the vault before grabbing Surtur’s crown.
Monsters After Dark
Not only is the Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout attraction tower seen among the Grandmaster’s buildings, there’s another reference to the ride in the film. The dragon creature that Thor faces at the beginning of the film is the monster that you face at Monsters After Dark at Disney California Adventure. It’s the Halloween overlay for the Guardians attraction. Also it means that there’s a weird canonical motif to the ride too.
That’s about it for references and easter eggs. If there’s any missed, feel free to share them in the comments below!
