Thor’s earned a lot more respect from Marvel fans thanks to his role in Avengers: Infinity War. Especially after the stronger grasp of his powers that he received in Ragnarok, the latest MCU movie depicted him as perhaps the biggest gun the team has, as he was able to change the tide of the war against Thanos’ forces once he made a spectacular entrance in Wakanda during Infinity War‘s thrilling third act.
What you might not have realized, though, is that this scene was clearly inspired by a similar moment from the comics. In the final issue of Jonathan Hickman’s Infinity, published in 2013, the Avengers are likewise engaged in a battle with Thanos and his Outriders and are not coming out on top. That is, until the God of Thunder arrives and delivers a significant blow to the Mad Titan.
The twist that Thor has not won at all and that Thanos isn’t dead is even the same in both versions. That said, the movie sees the God of Thunder seriously injuring the villain, even if he does have enough energy to snap his fingers. In the comic, meanwhile, the blow hardly phases the Titan and Thanos is ultimately taken down by dissent in his own ranks.
Infinity is perhaps the second biggest influence on the film, after Jim Starlin’s The Infinity Gauntlet, which is still regarded as Thanos’ finest hour in the comics. For instance, Ebony Maw’s torturing of Doctor Strange is another element from Hickman’s series that’s replicated on screen, while the invasion of Wakanda and the inclusion of the Black Order are also taken from Infinity.
Infinity Gauntlet also provides many reference points, too, though a lot of them have been tweaked to fit the context of the MCU. For instance, it isn’t Silver Surfer who crashes into Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum bearing news of Thanos, but Hulk instead. Ebony Maw’s groveling line to Thanos, – “my humble personage bows before your presence” – meanwhile, was said by Mephisto on the page.
Tell us, what other comic book easter eggs did you spot in Avengers: Infinity War? Let us know in the comments section down below.
