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Trivia / Thor: Ragnarok

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  • Ability over Appearance:
    • Taika Waititi said that while he was already looking for ways to diversify the cast of the film, Tessa Thompson got the Valkyrie part because she simply gave the strongest audition.
    • In the comics, Hela is 6'6"note , but in this movie, she's played by the 5'8"note  Cate Blanchett. Since Hela is a literal goddess, it would be hard to find a person (much less an actress, regardless of their performance) that tall. And unlike the comics' Hela, who like the myth was Loki's daughter and thus her height was due to being part-frost giant, this Hela was Odin's daughter.
  • Acting for Two:
  • Actor-Inspired Element:
    • Matt Damon's cameo. They were having trouble finding a Loki for the play, so Chris Hemsworth recommended "his friend, Matt."
    • The "Get help" joke was Chris Hemsworth's idea.
  • All-Star Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba, Karl Urban, Clancy Brown and Tessa Thompson. Hemsworth, Hiddleston, Ruffalo and Elba are all MCU mainstays and therefore big draws, Urban is a big name in the world of genre cinema (fantasy and action), Thompson is one of the hottest up and coming actresses around, and Blanchett, Goldblum and Hopkins are bonafide Hollywood legends. And that was before Benedict Cumberbatch joined the cast. And Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth and Sam Neill cameoed as Asgardian theatre actors playing Loki, Thor and Odin respectively; they even snuck Scarlett Johansson in for a cameo through archival footage.
  • Approval of God: Greg Pak, writer of the original Planet Hulk storyline, adored the film.
  • Author's Saving Throw:
    • This movie makes a much greater effort to ensure Thor himself actually has an engrossing story arc this time, as many people felt his previous film appearances had him overshadowed by more interesting characters like the other Avengers or Loki, and fully utilizes Chris Hemsworth's comedy talents after he had generally been forced to act less funny than everyone around him. In fact, Hemsworth revealed that he and Waititi had been unhappy with the direction Thor had been taken in recent movies, and intentionally envisioned his storyline in Ragnarok as a course correction.
    • After many complaints about the previous two films ignoring the more fantastical and cosmic aspects of the Thor franchise in lieu of focusing more on developing characters on Earth, Kevin Feige confirmed that this film would take place primarily off Earth to solve the issue. Indeed, Thor and Loki only spend a short time on Earth, where they meet and say goodbye to Odin (with some help from Doctor Strange), and then leave when Hela attacks shortly afterward.
  • Awesome, Dear Boy:
  • Better Export for You: Every MCU movie beginning with this one failed to receive an American 3D Blu-ray release, but this and some others do have such releases overseas.
  • Billing Displacement:
    • Despite the Hulk's major supporting role and the fact that he has been a prominent figure in the MCU for nearly a decade, Mark Ruffalo gets the And Starring treatment just before Anthony Hopkins. Though this could emphasize how the Hulk is not a regular cast member in the Thor films.
    • Tessa Thompson is billed after Jeff Goldblum despite her character Valkyrie having much more screentime and a far more important role in the story than the Grandmaster. This comes about as the top-billed cast is listed alphabetically sandwiched between Thor stalwarts Hemsworth and Hiddleston and the lucrative And Starring co-stars.
  • California Doubling:
    • The movie is partly set in the United States but the entirety of principal photography took place at Village Roadshow Studios in Australia, except for the scenes shot in the streets of Brisbane, which coincidentally is standing in for New York.
    • Reshoots were filmed at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, GA. The only outside scene you can see from reshoots is the scene where Odin, Thor, and Loki sit down and look out into the ocean. It takes place in Norway but was shot in a field near the studio in Georgia.
  • Celebrity Voice Actor: The Japanese dub has Yuki Amami, former top star of Takarazuka Revue, and TV/movie actress as Hela.
  • Colbert Bump: Thanks to the official trailer, synthwave band Magic Sword got a huge increase in fanbase and interest after their piece "In the Face of Evil" was used.
  • Content Leak:
    • Mark Ruffalo leaked the first 20 minutes of audio by forgetting to end an Instagram livestream before attending the premiere, and his phone continued streaming from his pocket.
    • A high-definition copy leaked online more than a month before its official home video release date, ostensibly due to a mixup between Apple (iTunes) and Vudu's "Movies Anywhere" streaming service, which made the film immediately available to anyone who had pre-ordered it from the former.
  • Creator Backlash: In an interview with Variety, Taika Waititi admitted he regrets not including Natalie Portman in the film.
  • Deleted Scene: See here.
  • Development Gag: The actors in the play version of Thor: The Dark World were all runners-up for the roles except Thor's (though like said actor, the actual Thor runner-up was also a brother of Chris Hemsworth).
  • Directed by Cast Member: Taika Waititi both directs the film and plays Korg. He also did the motion capture for Surtur (who is voiced by Clancy Brown), as well as the Hulk in some scenes that needed to be shot after Ruffalo had wrapped filming.
  • Dueling Works: Due to this film's release the same month as the DC Extended Universe's major Super Team crossover film Justice League. Both feature superheroes teaming up to save a world from a destructive deity who wears a horned helmet and is hell-bent on dominating said world. The difference is that Justice League features well-known superheroes, whereas Thor: Ragnarok features a rag-tag team of heroes who wouldn't normally team up on their own. Both films were also promoted as being Lighter and Softer than their predecessors (Captain America: Civil War in the case of Ragnarok and, well, every preceding DC Cinematic Universe film not titled Wonder Woman in the case of Justice League). In an outcome few would have predicted years earlier, Ragnarok won, earning both significantly higher critical and audience praise as well as stronger box office figures ($853 million vs. $657 million) against a much lower budget ($180 million vs. League's $300 million).
  • Dyeing for Your Art:
    • Chris Hemsworth had to significantly bulk back up after playing a slim character in Ghostbusters (2016). Also, he couldn't grow his hair out in time for the production of Ragnarok, so he wore hair extensions for early scenes before the Expository Hairstyle Change.
    • Karl Urban bulked up and shaved his head to get into character as Skurge even though his body is hidden underneath a suit of armor.
  • Fake Brit:
    • Australian actress Cate Blanchett follows a long tradition of playing characters with an English accent.
    • Tessa Thompson (American) also adopts an English accent to play Valkyrie.
  • Follow the Leader: The mix of a cosmic setting with a comedic tone is closer to Marvel's own Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) than the first two Thor movies, which were mostly set on Earth and more serious in tone.
  • God Never Said That: Many have cited Kevin Feige's comments about the film being on par with Captain America: The Winter Soldier as meaning that it would be Darker and Edgier, which was conflicting with director Taika Watiti's comments. However, Feige only said it would be a reinvention of the franchise, using Cap's second outing as an example of such a re-tool succeeding before.
  • Harpo Does Something Funny: Jeff Goldblum was encouraged by Taika Waititi to improvise and be creative with his portrayal of the Grandmaster in order to make it his own.
  • Inspiration for the Work: Taika Waititi cited Big Trouble in Little China as a big influence on the film. Inspiration for the road-trip aspect of the film included 48 Hrs., Withnail and I, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. He also asked the heads of each department to watch Flash Gordon (1980) before beginning their work.
  • Make-A-Wish Contribution: The line where Thor says Hulk is a "friend from work" was a recommendation from a "Make a Wish" kid that visited the production. Everyone thought it was brilliant.
  • Milestone Celebration: A minor one, but this film was released in 2017 — the 55th anniversary of the first appearances of both The Mighty Thornote  and The Incredible Hulknote . In addition, 2017 was the centennial of Jack Kirby, one of the co-creators of both characters (with the film being heavily influenced by Kirby's art). Incidentally, due to the practice of cinemas showing the movie the night before its official American release date, it came out on November 3, 2017, the 90th birthday of Steve Ditko, the co-creator of Doctor Strange. In addition, its release (along with the other 2017-dated MCU films) coincided with the 10th anniversary of the start of production on Iron Man, the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film which was released in 2008 but filmed during 2007; coincidentally, the film includes references to Tony Stark and features the Hulk — the lead character of the second MCU film, also produced during 2007.
  • Missing Trailer Scene:
    • The scene showing Loki juggling with knives in slow motion doesn't appear in the movie.
    • The scene where Hela summons a Storm of Blades during the Bifrost battle doesn't appear either.
  • The Other Darrin: The Hulk's vocal effects and few bits of dialogue had been provided by Lou Ferrigno in previous MCU films, but starting with this film Mark Ruffalo takes over voicing the Hulk, in addition to playing Bruce Banner.
  • Money, Dear Boy: A few years after the film's release, Taika Waititi noted that he primarily signed on for directing Ragnarok because he wanted to earn enough money to feed his kids, not being particularly interested in Thor beforehand.
  • Playing Against Type: Before this movie, Taika Waititi was primarily known for lower-budget independent comedy movies made in his native New Zealand such as Hunt for the Wilderpeople. This is the first time he has done a big-budget major Hollywood studio superhero filmnote . He also provides motion-capture performance for Surtur. A comedian playing a Nightmare Fuel fire demon? That's unheard of!
    • Clancy Brown has been typecasted as bad guys (much to his resignation) for most of his career. Here, however, he plays Surtur, who is initially presented as the Big Bad and is prophecized to bring doom to Asgard, but this is presented as a good thing, what with Asgard's legacy of being Galactic Conquerors who plundered their riches and Hela being an Invincible Fisher Queen, he ends up being the movie's biggest hero.
  • Production Posse: Waititi has a couple of his regular New Zealander actors in smaller roles including Rachel House, Cohen Holloway, and Sam Neill.
  • Queer Character, Queer Actor: Tessa Thompson, who is attracted to both men and women, while eschewing the bisexual label, has stated that her character in Thor: Ragnarok —Valkyrie — shares the same preferences, but a scene establishing as much in the film was left off the final cut. Director Taika Waititi has confirmed as much himself and Thor: Love and Thunder later confirms it.
  • Real-Life Relative:
    • Chris Hemsworth's brother Luke plays a stage actor playing Thor at Asgard, which doubles as a Development Gag since their brother Liam was originally considered for the role before his older brother was cast.
    • Two of the women who nurse Thor back to health after the fight against Hulk are played by Taika Waititi's and Chris Hemsworth's respective wives, Chelsea Winstanley and Elsa Pataky.
    • One of the girls asking Thor for a selfie in New York City is portrayed by Chris Hemsworth's second cousin, Taylor Hemsworth.
    • There's a scene where Heimdall saves an Asgardian family of four (father, mother, son, and daughter) from some Berserkers in an Asgard forest. The son and daughter of the family are portrayed by real-life brother and sister.
  • Refitted for Sequel:
    • Thor: The Dark World was originally going to feature an appearance from Valkyrie, but the idea ended up being scrapped. Valkyrie would later be used as a major character in this movie. Hela was also planned to be the villain in The Dark World at one point, but was likewise reused for Ragnarok.
    • A deleted scene from The Dark World had Thor and Jane break up amiably. While this doesn't happen onscreen here, it's more or less confirmed their relationship ended this way.
    • The inclusion of "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin was actually originally scripted to happen in Thor, according to that film's co-writer Zack Stentz. It was scripted to appear in scenes whenever Thor rode into battle, but ultimately it was cut.
  • Scully Box: With the exception of when Thor and Valkyrie return to the Commodore, most scenes try to hide how Tessa Thompson is One Head Shorter than Chris Hemsworth.
  • Sequel Gap: Of a sort. Four years is a perfectly normal gap, but in terms of the MCU lineup, Ragnarok is separated from the previous Thor film by eight movies, when most MCU direct follow-ups are separated from their predecessor by no more than three or four films. In the busier Phase Three, gaps of up to seven films are becoming more commonplace, but the gap between The Dark World and Ragnarok is still the largest gap in the lineup to date.
  • So My Kids Can Watch: Cate Blanchett has commented that the reason she accepted a role in this movie (and in the MCU) is for the street cred it will give her with her sons. Her eldest son is even the one who suggested she take the role, as he argued it'd be a career boost after she’d taken a year off after adopting her daughter.
  • Star-Making Role: While he had already several critically acclaimed films under his belt, Taika Waititi was arguably thrust into the mainstream spotlight with this film (along with his next film), to the point that he was tapped by Disney to help work on the Star Wars franchise.
  • Starring a Star as a Star: Sam Neill, Matt Damon, and Luke Hemsworth play theater actors who are respectively playing Odin, Loki, and Thor.
  • Stunt Double: Zoë Bell doubled for Cate Blanchett.
  • Those Two Actors:
  • Throw It In!:
    • About 80% of the film's dialogue was improvised, according to director Taika Waititi.note 
    • An interesting case with Loki's Missing Trailer Scene. It happened because Hiddleston finished his fight choreography a bit early and, according to him, "Not wanting to stand around like a lemon." flipped the knives and was able to successfully catch them.
    • Matt Damon’s cameo. Taika was able to line up the other “actor” cameos without much trouble, but was having trouble getting a Loki. Chris Hemsworth recommended “[his] friend, Matt” and Taika told him to set it up. He was surprised to find out it was Matt Damon.
  • Toyless Toyline Character:
    • Skurge is completely absent from Hasbro's product line for the movie, despite Thor, Hela, the Hulk, Valkyrie and Loki all being prominently featured. He doesn't appear in any of the Lego kits either. However, he does appear in Funko's Mystery Mini line.
    • Doctor Strange is also absent from any merchandise, likely to avoid his own movie being Spoiled by the Merchandise.
  • Trolling Creator:
    • In some interviews, Taika Waititi said that he ignored the other Thor movies, sometimes even claiming that he didn't even watch them. Given the many Call Backs and Continuity Nods to both Thor and Avengers movies this was obviously not to be taken seriously.
    • Taika Waititi begins the director's commentary by stating that he doesn't like director's commentaries, and then proceeds to spend the entire time proving it by alternating between riffing on the scenes and making up fake 'facts' about production such as having actually been on fire while performing motion capture for Surtur.
  • Uncredited Role:
  • Wag the Director: The film was shot in Australia at Chris Hemsworth's request because he'd moved his family to his home country and didn't want to spend months away from them.
  • What Could Have Been:
    • Charlize Theron was considered for Hela before Cate Blanchett was cast. Theron would later go on to play Clea in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
    • Lupita Nyong'o auditioned for the role of Valkyrie before the casting of Tessa Thompson. Nyong'o would eventually go on to portray Nakia in Black Panther.
    • Ruben Fleischer, Rob Letterman and Rawson Marshall Thurber were considered to direct the film before Taika Waititi was hired. Fleischer would later go on to direct Venom.
    • Lady Sif was planned to return, but Jaimie Alexander's commitments to Blindspot prevented her from appearing.
    • Taika Waititi wanted to get John C. Reilly to reprise his role as Rhomann Dey from Guardians Of The Galaxy, but couldn't find a logical way to fit him into the story. This is hinted at in the final film when Valkyrie mentions Xandar.
    • At one point, Anthony Hopkins mentioned that he felt like doing two Thor movies were enough and that he'd be sitting this film out, but he changed his mind and came back even with it being Odin's last MCU appearance.
    • Likewise, both Hopkins and director Alan Taylor previously said that the ending of Thor: The Dark World was meant to indicate that Loki had successfully performed a Kill and Replace on Odin. The makers of Ragnarok chose to ignore this implication and reveal that Odin was alive in Norway, no doubt to make Loki more sympathetic than if he'd killed him or, — in the original version of the script — abandoned him without his memories on the streets of New York to scratch out a living as a homeless person, he dies of old age anyway though, and appears one last time as a Spirit Advisor during the climax.
    • Waititi has said if Freddie Mercury were still alive, he would have asked Queen to do Ragnarok's score, since Flash Gordon was a huge influence on the movie.
    • Balder the Brave and Beta Ray Bill were both considered to appear in the movie, but it was decided they wouldn't be big enough draws. At least Beta Ray Bill's face is shown outside the arena.
    • The Curb-Stomp Battle where Hela destroys Mjölnir was originally going to take place in New York (as seen in the trailers), but the setting was changed to a field in Norway because the director felt Hela finding Thor and Loki in the city was far too convenient (though the shots of the actors are the same, it's just the scenery that's different).
    • The film was initially envisioned as Darker and Edgier, but began going in a more retro, comedic direction after Taika Waititi was hired. This is even reflected in the movie's original logo from the Phase 3 announcement, which had a more serious design than the one that was ultimately used after Waititi took over◊.
    • Taika Waititi originally stated that he wanted the film to be 100 minutes long, as he felt long movies tend to be a drag. He lengthened the run time so he could keep some of the best jokes.
    • Taika Waititi revealed that the Dark God Perrikus was planned to appear at one point.
    • Tessa Thompson pushed for a scene that confirmed Valkyrie's bisexuality by showing a woman leaving her bedroom. It ended up being cut.
    • Valkyrie was planned to be Thor and Loki's long-lost sister at one point in the writing process, which would have made her a Composite Character with Angela. This reveal was ultimately given to Hela instead.
    • Taika Waititi wanted to include a scene about Thor remembering having met Valkyrie when they were children, leading to a flashback set in an 80s-inspired Asgard with an overweight Thor and Emo Loki. Also, the snake story was considered to be told via a flashback at one point, but both scenes were cut because the flashbacks would have felt forced. Thor becomes fat in Avengers: Endgame instead, but despite the seeming comedic value of him being an alcoholic recluse in that film, he is this way for more dramatic reasons - his failure to stop Thanos.
    • The Destroyer armor was supposed to make a return appearance, only for it to be obliterated by Hela during a fight scene. The idea was scrapped, presumably because the Destroyer was last seen in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.
    • There were plans for an alternate post-credits sequence which would have revealed that the Grandmaster and Topaz had stowed away in the Asgardian refugee ship, but instead he stayed on Sakaar for The Stinger, congratulating the people for overthrowing him.
    • Thor originally looked much different.
    • Valkyrie was originally to wear a mask and have mace gauntlets instead of a sword.
    • Korg was planned to only appear for about one or two minutes in the film total, but Chris Hemsworth found Taika Waititi's improvisations as the character to be so funny that he was elevated to a greater role.
    • Preproduction concept art of Hela wielding the Necrosword in the final battle shows it was initially going to be more like its comic-book counterpart — forming blade-tipped tendril-like constructs. The Necrosword would later show up in What If...?, as a weapon that the Collector obtained from her in an alternate reality. Gorr the God Butcher, one of the weapon's main wielder in the comics, appears as the Big Bad of Love and Thunder, though his version of the weapon is unrelated to Hela's.
    • Concept art of Hela's Berserkers shows them looking much more similar to the Black Berserkers from the comics.
  • Word of Gay: Tessa Thompson stated on Twitter that Valkyrie is bisexual. While the scene that would have confirmed it wound up cut, she later indicated that the woman Taking the Bullet for Valkyrie in her flashback was her lover.
  • Word of God: The post-credits scene with Thor and Loki takes place months after the events of the movie, rather than immediately afterward. Considering that it directly precedes Avengers: Infinity War, which is set in 2018, while Thor: Ragnarok is set in 2017, that only makes sense.
  • Word of Saint Paul: Tom Hiddleston discloses in this interview that the Grandmaster becomes Loki's sugar daddy after the latter arrives on Sakaar.
    Hiddleston: In my head, Jeff Goldblum takes Loki out to Rodeo Drive and says, 'Pick the finest fabric you can find...'
  • Working Title: Creature Report, in reference to The Octonauts.
  • Write What You Know: Taika Waititi based Korg's characterization on physically enormous yet soft-spoken Māori bouncers he met in New Zealand.
  • You Sound Familiar: Clancy Brown provides the voice of Surtur, making this his second role in the MCU after portraying Col. Schoonover in the second season of Daredevil.

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