Fan service has always been an important part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Loki boasted no shortage of that in Episode 5. Creator and lead writer Michael Waldron revealed that there were no limitations placed on him by the studio as to what he could or couldn’t reference, and he clearly went for broke.
One of the most eye-catching cameos came when Frog of Thunder Throg was spotted trapped in a jar, desperately trying to escape. Director Kate Herron revealed that she even went to the lengths of having Chris Hemsworth record brand new dialogue for the cult hero’s very brief appearance, but we almost saw even more from the amphibious Avenger.
Many of the trailers and TV spots building up to Loki featured a scene where Tom Hiddleston’s trickster assumed the throne of Asgard, for real this time instead of having to pose as his father Odin. In a new interview, composer Natalie Holt admitted that Loki’s coronation ended up on the cutting room floor, and would have even featured the Frog of Thunder in a much larger capacity.
“That was a moment in Episode 1. When Mobius is showing Loki his life, there were more moments in there. I think they just kind of cut it down to kind of give it a bit more focus. But there were a few extra moments in there, and that Frog of Thunder moment was one of them. I had actually written, I had done something with choir for it like it was this big, grand moment where Loki takes over the crown in Asgard, and then you see Thor as a frog.
I don’t think it got cut until quite late down the line. It’s a fun scene, but it felt like it was kind of too off-piste. They were like well we’ve had the D.B. Cooper scene, we need to really get into the nuts and bolts of, like, Loki needs to be kind of broken down in Episode 1, and it was like too many of those light-hearted moments. It just felt like it played better without it. But it was a really fun moment.”
More than any other Disney Plus show, Loki could have all too easily leaned into the Easter Eggs a little too much given the multiversal premise and unlimited scope for nodding and winking to longtime fans, but the balance was struck excellently in the end.
We got our deep cuts from Marvel lore as the mythology was deepened, expanded and furthered, although that’s not to say Season 2 won’t go for broke now that the world-building is out of the way and the multiverse has been cracked open, leading to all sorts of weird and wonderful storytelling opportunities.
