All of the Easter Eggs in the Thor Movies

Our recap of the Easter eggs in the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues with the god of thunder himself, Thor! Played by Chris Hemsworth, the character has lead three solo movies in the MCU and each of them are chock-full of Easter eggs! Check out the Easter eggs from the Thor movies in the gallery below.

The first Thor movie, the fourth film in the MCU, arrived in May of 2011 and marked Hemsworth’s debut as the title hero. Joining him in the film were Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Stellan Skarsgård as Erik Selvig, Ray Stevenson as Volstagg, Idris Elba as Heimdall, Jaimie Alexander as Sif, Kat Dennings as Darcy, with Rene Russo as Frigga, and Anthony Hopkins as Odin. The film also marked the debut of Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, appearing in the scene where Thor attempts to steal back his hammer. Kenneth Branagh directed the movie.

Thor‘s sequel, Thor: The Dark World, was released in November of 2013, the first time that Marvel Studios released a movie in the later half of the year. Hemsworth returned and faced off against Christopher Eccleston as Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves. The sequel was directed by Alan Taylor of Game of Thrones.

Finally, Thor: Ragnarok debuted four years later in November of 2017 and served as the most radical departure of any Marvel Studios movie. Directed by New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi, the film sees Hemsworth teaming up with Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner, aka The Incredible Hulk, to take on both Jeff Goldblum’s The Grandmaster and Cate Blanchett’s Hela.

Marvel Movie Easter Eggs: Thor Series

THOR (2011)
About That Village

The Norweigan village that is seen in the opening of Thor is the same place seen in the opening for Captain America: The First Avenger.
Odin's Eye

All-Father Odin is most famously known for having just one eye, and we get to see how he lost it in the opening battle with the Frost Giants.
The Eternal Flame

Odin's treasure vault is a treasure trove of Easter eggs, including The Eternal Flame, a mystical object that would go on to become a key item in Thor: Ragnarok.
Thor's Helmet

This scene is pivotal in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, because it's one of the only times that Thor wears his trademark helmet.
The Tuning Fork

An object used by Asgardians in the source material to summon the Lurking Unknown into their dimension.
The Tablet of Life & Time

The tablet contains the formula for the Lifeline Formula, which can heal and rejuvenate anyone, and even make them immortal.
The Warlock's Eye

A mind-controlling item from the pages of Thor comics.
Odin's Ravens

Another trademark of Odin are his two ravens, Hugin and Munin, seen here atop his throne.
The Infinity Gauntlet

Our first look at an Infinity Gauntlet in the MCU is also seen in Odin's vault. Though we later find out it's a fake, that should have been a dead giveaway with it being a Right-handed gauntlet.
J. Michael Straczynski

Stan Lee isn't the only comic book writer to appear in the film as scribe J. Michael Straczynski can also be seen in the film. Straczynski previously wrote Thor from 2007 to 2009 for Marvel and has a Story By credit on the film.
Puente Antiguo

The city that much of Thor takes place in is Puente Antiguo, New Mexico, which translates to "old bridge." a reference to the Bifrost.
Journey Into Mystery!

A billboard in town advertises a location that it calls "The Land of Enchantment..." which they claim will prompt visitors to "Journey Into Mystery."

Journey Into Mystery, of course, is the comic book series where Thor made his debut.
Stan Lee

Lee appears in the film as a man driving a truck that tries to pull Mjolnir out of the ground.
Donald Blake

Back in the early days when Thor was a traditional superhero and not the actual god of thunder, his secret identity was Dr. Donald Blake, referenced here.
The Vikings

Blink and you'll miss the high school mascot in Puente Antiguo - The Vikings!
The Tesseract

The cosmic cube/Tesseract can be seen in the children's book about Norse Mythology, sitting right in Odin's hand.
Hawkeye

Jeremy Renner makes his debut as the archer-Avenger in the film, and his presence is first teased with this shot.
Yggdrasil

Thor draws Jane a photo of the nine realms, and The World Tree, Yggdrasil, which is also reference in Captain America: The First Avenger.
Walt Simonson

Walter Simonson, the comic book creator who has arguably had the biggest influence on Thor comics ever, also makes a cameo appearance.
An Avengers Teaser

The post-credit scene in Thor directly sets up the events of Marvel's The Avengers with Loki controlling Dr. Selvig.
THOR: THE DARK WORLD (2013)
Kronan

A member of the rock-humanoid species, The Kronan, appears in the film and is quickly dispatched by Thor. The Kronan made their debut alongside Thor in Journey Into Mystery #83.
Erik Selvig's chalkboard

Dr. Selvig's chalkboard in the film contains a number of interesting Easter eggs, including:

"616 Universe" - Each different Universe in Marvel Comics has a number to distinguish it from others. The primary Marvel Universe was known as 616.

The Fault - A rip in the fabric of the universe as seen in War of Kings #6.

The Crossroads - A gateway dimension from Incredible Hulk #300 with doorways to other worlds.

Nexus of All Realities - A place in the universe where parallel worlds intersect.

Simonson's Theory of Relativity - A nod to Thor writer/artist Walter Simonson, seemingly the Einstein of the MCU.
Stan Lee

Lee appears in the mental institution with Selvig, in search of his shoe.
Hand off

Each film in Phase 2 of the MCU features someone getting their hand cut off as a reference to The Empire Strikes Back. Thor has his hand lopped off in the movie, but it's a ruse.
The Mangog?

This beast that we see is given a different name, but he sure does look like Thor villain The Mangog, doesn't he?
Muspelheim

This is the realm of Surtur, who we will meet in Thor: Ragnarok.
The Cocoon

Theorized by many to be Adam Warlock's cocoon, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has clarified since that this is an early version of the cocoons used by The Sovereign from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
The Collector

The debut of The Collector comes in one of the post-credit scenes for The Dark World, a character that will play an important role in the MCU at large.
Infinity Stones

This marks the first time that the phrase "Infinity Stones" is used in a Marvel movie, and the rest is history.
THOR: RAGNAROK (2017)
The Age of Ultron

Thor's quick reference here is to the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Infinity Stones

The last time we saw Thor before this was the ending of Avengers: Age of Ultron where he took off to find The Infinity Stones. As he says, he didn't find any (though he's interacted with three of them at this point).
Surtur

This is the evil Surtur, who will bring about Ragnarok. He's voiced by Clancy Brown who also does the voice of Gorilla Grodd on The Flash TV series.
Skurge

Skurge has a pair of assault rifles that he's fond of, a reference to the time when the character picked up the guns and quite enjoyed using them in battle.
Loki's stage

The stage where Loki watches the play of his life also has his trademark horns atop it.
Another Hemsworth

Playing Thor in the play seen in the film is Chris Hemsworth's brother, Luke Hemsworth, himself an actor most well known for HBO's Westworld.
Matt Damon

Yup.
The Avengers

He even makes a reference to the events of The Avengers in his dying monologue....
Throg

...while also referencing the time he turned Thor into a frog (something that actually happened in the source material).
Sam Neil

Actor Sam Neil appears as Odin in Loki's play, reuniting him with Waititi after appearing in Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
Doctor Strange

It was teased after his solo film, but Benedict Cumberbatch appears again as Doctor Strange in the film, now very comfortable in his role as Sorcerer Supreme.
Tower of Champions

The Grandmaster's Tower of Champions features the faces of a mix of Thor and Hulk characters, including Beta Ray Bill, The Night-Crawler, Ares, Bi-Beast, and Man-Thing.
Sakaar

The same planet from the events of the Planet Hulk comic series makes its MCU debut.
'The Original'

This line is in reference to The Grandmaster as one of the ageless Elders of the Universe (Along with The Collector).
Contest of Champions

The Contest of Champions comes from the Marvel comic of the same name, where The Grandmaster and Death played a game using Marvel heroes as their pawns.
The Grandmaster

As a reference to The Grandmaster's blue skin in the comics, the character has a blue streak down his chin.
'Scrapper 142'

One of the first appearances of the character Valkyrie was in The Incredible Hulk #142, referenced here in Valkyrie's label.
Korg & Miek

The two characters were major players in the Planet Hulk storyline and make their MCU debut. Korg is also played by director Taika Waititi.
'Fake'

Hela reveals to us that Odin's Infinity Gauntlet from the first film is fake, so that clears up one potential plot hole for Avengers: Infinity War.
What We Do in the Shadows

Korg's line here is a direct reference to Waititi's horror comedy, What We Do in the Shadows, a mockumentary about a group of vampires.
The hammer....

It's a grown up joke, ask your dad.
Stan Lee

Lee appears a the hair-cutter of Sakaar, his most elaborate costume yet.
The return of the helmet

Thor wears his helmet for the second time ever!
The Defending...

In The Grandmaster's introduction for Hulk he calls him "The Defending..." which is accurate in that he is both his current champion but also that The Hulk was a founding member of The Defenders in the comics.
'Incredible'

It should go without saying that this particular adjective is frequently used to describe The Hulk.
Gladiator Hulk

Hulk's attire in the film is nearly identical to his costume in the Planet Hulk storyline.
Kirby Background

The wallpaper in The Grandmaster's viewing box is lifted directly from Jack Kirby's art for Fantastic Four #64
'Sun's getting real low'

Thor attempts to calm The Hulk using hte same lullaby that Natasha used in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Puny God

Hulk's swinging of Thor in this scene is nearly identical to how he smashed Loki in The Avengers...
That's how it feels!

...Who is all to pleased to see it happen to someone else.
Hulk Butt

This is the first instance of uncensored nudity in a Marvel Studios movie.
Black Widow

Speaking of Black Widow in Avengers: Age of Ultron, her attempt to contact Banner on the Quinjet is repeated after some jostling at the controls.
Thanos is coming

One of the post-credit scenes for Ragnarok sets us up directly for Avengers: Infinity War, teasing the arrival of Thanos.