Thor: Ragnarok is probably one of the most loved films in the whole of the MCU. Part of why it’s such a joy to watch is its tongue-in-cheek approach to the Marvel franchise. In particular, it featured a few fun, subversive callbacks to past entries in the series.
For instance, you probably remember the nod to The Avengers when Hulk slams Thor around during their gladiator match. Loki is ecstatic to see his brother get the same treatment as he did at the hands of the Green Goliath, even crying out: “Yes! That’s how that feels!”
What we didn’t realize until now, though, is that the reference goes even deeper than that. It turns out that the animation used for Hulk throwing Thor around like a ragdoll is not just evoking Loki’s beating in The Avengers, it’s literally the same.
As you can see in the clip via the link below, Hulk’s actions are identical in both clips, even down to that small pause mid-fight where he gets bored of his Asgardian opponent Thor/Loki (delete as applicable) and decides to chuck them away. It’s a clever moment that doubles up as an easily-missed callback as well as a way to save on animation costs.
Not that Marvel needed to scrimp and save on this movie. The studio invested $180 million into Ragnarok, which paid off handsomely when the film ended up earning back many times its budget. Its final box office gross was an impressive $850 million.
Anyways, circling back to this latest find, while not hugely significant, it’s still one more awesome easter egg to add to a film that was full of them. Others we previously noticed include nods to comics heroes like Beta Ray Bill and Man-Thing and even cameos from Hollywood stars like Sam Neill and Matt Damon.
As for Thor and Hulk’s next appearance following Thor: Ragnarok, that’ll come in Avengers: Infinity War, arriving May 4th. That won’t be the last we see of the two heroes, though, as they’ll then return in the currently untitled Avengers 4, which is due out one year later, on May 3rd, 2019.
