FILM · 2011 · USA
Thor
- Directed by
- Kenneth Branagh
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Studio
- Marvel Studios, Marvel Entertainment
191 archived facts 8 topics 2 sources Last reviewed Nov 2026
Against his father Odin's will, The Mighty Thor - a powerful but arrogant warrior god - recklessly reignites an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.
191 Interesting Facts About Thor
Interesting Facts (48)
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Sir Anthony Hopkins claims he relates to his role of Odin: "I'm a little like Odin myself. He's a stern man. He's a man with purpose. I play the god who banishes his son from Asgard, because he screwed up. He's a hot-headed, temperamental young man, probably a chip off of the old block, but I decide he's not really ready to rule the future kingdom, so I banish him. I'm harsh, and my wife complains, and I say 'That is why I'm King.'"
Thor (2011): Odin, portraitImage: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 - #006
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The artifacts seen in the Asgard weapons vault are of various mystical objects seen in the Marvel comics. They are, in chronological appearance: * The Tuning Fork, a device that can summon monsters. * The Tablet of Life and Time, a slab that can extend one's lifetime. * The Warlock's Eye, an artifact that can control people's minds. * The Eternal Flame, a mystical fire that cannot be extinguished (played a major role in Thor: Ragnarok (2017)). * The Casket of Ancient Winters, an enchanted container filled with frosty winds (plays a major role in this movie). * The Infinity Gauntlet, a glove encrusted with six reality-bending jewels.
- #010
Colm Feore's make-up as Laufey the Frost Giant took five hours to apply.
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There is a billboard in the town advertising for New Mexico tourism with the slogan "Land of Enchantment - Journey into Mystery." "Land of Enchantment" is the nickname of New Mexico, "Journey into Mystery" is the title of the Marvel comic book where Thor made his debut (Journey Into Mystery #83).
- #013
According to screenwriter Don Payne, Dr. Jane Foster was more of a stereotypical scientist (dry and skeptical), but Natalie Portman wished to revise the character to make her more poetic: "She thought Jane could be someone who thinks outside of the box, someone whose theories are considered outlandish, and are frowned upon by the scientific community. But it's the kind of thinking that leads to great discoveries. When Thor arrives, she's willing to take a leap of faith, and she has to pay the consequences for it."
Thor (2011): Jane Foster and Young Thor, conversation sceneImage: Wikimedia Commons · rwoan, CC BY-SA 2.0 - #014
In the DVD audio commentary, director Sir Kenneth Branagh reveals that the shot near the end with Jane Foster and her associates working in their lab was actually meant to be the opening shot of this movie, and that the closing title sequence of the Nine Realms was originally planned to be the prologue.
- #015
The Science & Entertainment Exchange collaborated with the filmmakers and three physicists (Sean Carroll, Kevin Hand and Jim Hartle, as well as physics student Kevin Hickerson) on the film's design and production to provide a realistic scientific background for this film. This collaboration resulted in Jane Foster's profession changing from nurse to physicist and the use of the term "Einstein-Rosen bridge" (named after Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen) to describe the Bifröst.
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According to the film's science advisor Sean Carroll, the Bifröst is called a wormhole and should have been called that, but producer Kevin Feige thought it was "too 1990s" a term to use (given that the Stargate series popularized the phrase and also featured Norse gods). Therefore, a more specific scientific term was used: "Einstein-Rosen Bridge."
- #020
Stan Lee approached Sam Raimi about working together after seeing his film Darkman (1990). Raimi wanted to make a Thor film, so he and Lee pitched the project to 20th Century Fox in 1991. The studio turned it down, saying, "Absolutely no. Comic books don't make good movies," despite the fact that Batman (1989) had been a critical and commercial success just two years prior. Raimi would later direct the Spider-Man trilogy and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
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The white supremacist organization Council of Conservative Citizens boycotted the film over the casting of Sir Idris Elba as Nordic god Heimdall. Elba said, "It's so ridiculous. We have a man who has a flying hammer and wears horns on his head. And yet me being an actor of African descent playing a Norse god is unbelievable? I mean, Cleopatra was played by Elizabeth Taylor, and Gandhi was played by Ben Kingsley."
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Screenwriter Zack Stentz said Sir Kenneth Branagh was the first to realize Chris Hemsworth was the right choice to play Thor. He explained, "If you remember, when they announced Hemsworth, it was like, 'Who? Captain Kirk's dad? This skinny Australian surfer?' The thing with Branagh is, he just has a freaking unparalleled eye for casting. He's so good at it. That's what we would tell people: 'If Ken says he's the guy, then he's the guy.' Indeed, he saw things in Hemsworth that I think not a lot of people had until that point. With these superhero movies, I think casting is seventy-five percent of it right there. You put the right actor in the role - as opposed to the almost-right actor - and it's magic."
Thor (2011): Young Thor, conversation sceneImage: Wikimedia Commons · Ronald Woan, CC BY-SA 2.0 - #031
- #032
According to screenwriter Zack Stentz, Marvel stressed the importance of presenting Loki as an effective villain, since he was already set to be the main antagonist in The Avengers (2012). He recalled, "The singular mandate above all other mandates was that they wanted Loki to be the villain for 'The Avengers.' They literally said, 'If you fail at everything else, please just give us a villain as good as Magneto in X-Men.'"
- #033
Ashley E. Miller and Zack Stentz were hired to write the film because of their resume of science fiction TV series like Andromeda (2000) and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008). Miller explained, "Marvel was looking for television writers because they were fast. Hopefully, they were a team because that was even faster. And hopefully, they knew science fiction and comic books, and hopefully hopefully hopefully, they knew Thor. I think we check off all the boxes."
- #034
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In 2026, Sir Kenneth Branagh expressed interest in returning to the Thor franchise, "Part of me would love to finish my relationship with that character. I'd always wanted to do more and indeed had a couple of ideas, more in the territory of James Mangold's brilliant Logan (2017). I would love to see Chris Hemsworth and the others have their own individual final story that takes Thor into a glorious twilight. And there's also this unique relationship with a large cinema audience that those characters now have that, for people who have grown up with them and their arc, I think it would be something very beautiful to take those characters into their own particular sunset. It could be a beautiful thing. I would love to see it, for sure."
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Todd Schroeder, Professor of Clinical Physical Therapy at USC, estimated that 50-75% of Marvel actors used performance-enhancing drugs to achieve their superhero physiques, though emphasized that he was speaking from his own expertise and observation, not firsthand treatment of the actors. However, Schroeder believed Chris Hemsworth was among the few whose physiques were natural, explaining, "He's always been in really good shape. His family, his genetics - they all, if they work out a little bit, they get in really good shape, and so he's taken it to the next level. A lot of people say, 'Oh, he does steroids, for sure.' And my opinion? I would say, 'No, he does not.'"
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Sir Kenneth Branagh explained that the film's use of Dutch angles was inspired by the comic books, "It was just more about visual impact. It was just what would hit you in a world, in a story about gods. I felt as though there was a reason for everything, and it was also the way you could put yourself behind it." He added, "I know there was a conversation at some point in some part of the Marvel universe where they had a conversation about, 'What would it cost to horizontalize this movie?' And I am glad to say that the cash price for that process was so prohibitive."
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Contains a major spoiler — show
The Infinity Gauntlet appears in Odin's Vault. As later on in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thanos had started to construct the Infinity Gauntlet, Thor: Ragnarok (2017) fixed this inconsistency by having Hela claim that the Gauntlet and some of the items in the vault were fakes.
Production Story (52)
- #049
Jamie Dornan auditioned to play one of Thor's "smaller buddies," presumably Fandral. He later worked with Sir Kenneth Branagh on Belfast (2021) and A Haunting in Venice (2023). He said, "I talked to Ken about it but I don't think he even saw my tape, it was that bad."
Thor (2011): Young Thor and four people on a panelImage: Wikimedia Commons · Ronald Woan, CC BY-SA 2.0 - #050
According to producer Kevin Feige, the Bifrost bridge is this movie's most interesting set: "In the comics, it's literally a rainbow that extends out from Asgard and pops down on Earth. We're not necessarily doing that. We're not having the big hard solid lines of colors. We're saying it's some sort of energy, almost a solid quartz bridge that, as the light catches it, and flows through it, you get some of that rainbow-esque quality to it."
- #051
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The white supremacist organization Council of Conservative Citizens boycotted the film over the casting of Sir Idris Elba as Nordic god Heimdall. Elba said, "It's so ridiculous. We have a man who has a flying hammer and wears horns on his head. And yet me being an actor of African descent playing a Norse god is unbelievable? I mean, Cleopatra was played by Elizabeth Taylor, and Gandhi was played by Ben Kingsley."
- #053
Natalie Portman took the role of Jane Foster because she couldn't resist the opportunity of a comic book movie directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh: "I was just like, Kenneth Branagh doing 'Thor' is super-weird, I've gotta do it."
Thor (2011): Jane Foster and Young Thor, portraitImage: Wikimedia Commons · Benjamin Ellis, CC BY-SA 2.0 - #054
According to this movie's science advisor, Sean Carroll, the Bifröst is, and was meant to be, called a wormhole, but producer Kevin Feige felt it was "too 1990s" a term to use (given that the Stargate series had popularized the phrase, and had also featured Norse gods). So a more specifically scientific phrase was used: "Einstein-Rosen Bridge."
- #055
Channing Tatum recalled his audition for Thor, "I didn't really want to be Thor, but I wanted to audition in front of Kenneth Branagh. After I did one take, [Branagh] was like, 'You're not allowed to move. Put your hands on this chair.' And I froze. He nailed my crutch. I spent the next five years really trying to learn stillness."
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Marvel Studios began developing the film in 2006, after Paramount acquired Thor's film rights from Sony. Mark Protosevich, himself a Thor fan, signed on to write, and he described his vision as "a superhero origin story... not one about a human gaining super powers, but of a god realizing his true potential. It's the story of an Old Testament god who becomes a New Testament god." In the original draft of the script, Odin banished Thor to the Middle Ages, where he became enslaved by Norsemen. Matthew Vaughn was hired to direct, and he changed the story to a modern setting to save on costs. Vaughn eventually left the project, but his changes were retained.
- #061
The final choice for the role of Thor came down to brothers Chris Hemsworth and Liam Hemsworth. Chris found it funny: "We both came all the way over here from Australia and ended up battling against each other." He, however, bore no ill-will towards Liam, claiming he was rooting for him to get the role. This marked the second time two siblings vied for the same superhero role, after Alec Baldwin and William Baldwin were both considered to play Batman in Batman Forever (1995), but lost the part to Val Kilmer.
Thor (2011): Chris Hemsworth and Young Thor in suits portraitImage: Wikimedia Commons · Benjamin Ellis, CC BY-SA 2.0 - #062
In 2026, Sir Kenneth Branagh expressed interest in returning to the Thor franchise, "Part of me would love to finish my relationship with that character. I'd always wanted to do more and indeed had a couple of ideas, more in the territory of James Mangold's brilliant Logan (2017). I would love to see Chris Hemsworth and the others have their own individual final story that takes Thor into a glorious twilight. And there's also this unique relationship with a large cinema audience that those characters now have that, for people who have grown up with them and their arc, I think it would be something very beautiful to take those characters into their own particular sunset. It could be a beautiful thing. I would love to see it, for sure."
- #063
Zachary Levi was approached for the role of Fandral, but had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts. Dominic Cooper was rumored, but Stuart Townsend was then cast in the role. But a few days before filming began, he left the role because of creative differences with the filmmakers. Finally, Josh Dallas took the role. Levi played Fandral in Thor: The Dark World (2013) when Dallas was no longer available. Cooper played young Howard Stark in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).
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Stan Lee approached Sam Raimi about working together after seeing his film Darkman (1990). Raimi wanted to make a Thor film, so he and Lee pitched the project to 20th Century Fox in 1991. The studio turned it down, saying, "Absolutely no. Comic books don't make good movies," despite the fact that Batman (1989) had been a critical and commercial success just two years prior. Raimi would later direct the Spider-Man trilogy and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
- #069
Director Sir Kenneth Branagh and Tom Hiddleston were performing in a West End stage production of "Ivanov" when it was announced that Branagh would direct this movie. At the 2010 Empire Movie Con, Hiddleston recalled one night when, as a joke, he burst into Branagh's dressing room wielding an empty plastic container from a water cooler like Mjölnir, shouting "Come on, Ken, what do you think!?" Branagh's response was reportedly a very jokey "You never know, darling, stranger things have happened." Two months later, Hiddleston was auditioning for Thor, before landing the role as Loki.
- #070
Matthew Vaughn signed on to direct in 2007, and described his vision for the film as "the birth of a hero, interweaving Gladiator (2000) with Norse mythology." His deal with the studio expired in 2008, and Sir Kenneth Branagh was hired later that year. Vaughn went on to direct Kick-Ass (2010), X-Men: First Class (2011), and the Kingsman films, all based on Marvel Comics properties.
- #071
According to director Sir Kenneth Branagh, this movie's biggest challenge was connecting the worlds of Asgard and twenty-first century Earth: "It's about finding the framing style, the color palette, finding the texture and the amount of camera movement that helps celebrate and express the differences and distinctions in those worlds. If it succeeds, it will mark this film as different. The combination of the primitive and the sophisticated, the ancient and the modern, I think that potentially is the exciting fusion, the exciting tension in the film."
- #072
The Science & Entertainment Exchange collaborated with the filmmakers on the movie design, and production, with three physicists (Sean Carroll, Kevin Hand, and Jim Hartle, as well as physics student Kevin Hickerson) to provide a realistic scientific background for this movie. This collaboration resulted in changing Jane Foster's profession from nurse to physicist, and used the terminology "Einstein-Rosen bridge" (named after Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen) to describe the Bifröst.
- #073
Ashley E. Miller and Zack Stentz were hired to write the film because of their resume of science fiction TV series like Andromeda (2000) and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008). Miller explained, "Marvel was looking for television writers because they were fast. Hopefully, they were a team because that was even faster. And hopefully, they knew science fiction and comic books, and hopefully hopefully hopefully, they knew Thor. I think we check off all the boxes."
- #074
Sir Kenneth Branagh was immediately impressed with Natalie Portman's audition for Jane Foster. Screenwriter Zack Stentz recalled, "He was very taken with her. Not in a romantic way, but with her intelligence. Jane is a physicist, and we needed someone who could convey that intelligence. That's what struck him about her: he said, forgive me, 'Because the last thing we need is nuclear physicist Denise Richards.'" Richards played a nuclear physicist in The World Is Not Enough (1999) to widespread mockery.
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According to screenwriter Don Payne, Dr. Jane Foster was more of a stereotypical scientist (dry and skeptical), but Natalie Portman wished to revise the character to make her more poetic: "She thought Jane could be someone who thinks outside of the box, someone whose theories are considered outlandish, and are frowned upon by the scientific community. But it's the kind of thinking that leads to great discoveries. When Thor arrives, she's willing to take a leap of faith, and she has to pay the consequences for it."
- #078
According to producer Kevin Feige, the filmmakers placed the Foo Fighters song "Walk" in this movie because they thought its lyrics were strangely appropriate for this movie: "If you asked two months ago if we would have a Foo Fighters song in this movie, I would have said 'I don't think so.' But we heard the song, and it just has these eerily appropriate lyrics and themes. Ken (director Sir Kenneth Branagh), in particular, just loved it with these lyrics about learning to walk again, and the way that fit the themes of the movie about redemption and learning to be a hero."
- #079
Sir Kenneth Branagh conceptualized this movie as a Norse and comic book twist on William Shakespeare's Henry V (1989), which was about a young King who underwent trials and tribulations: fighting a war, courting a girl from another land, trying to live up to the example set by his father (a beloved King), and basic character development.
- #080
Guillermo del Toro was in talks to direct. He said, "I'm a fan of [Jack] Kirby and the power he has, and I'm a fan of the original mythology, so I thought we could go back to the original mythology a lot. I love Loki, I think he's a great figure." This would've been his fourth comic book film, after Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004), and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008).
- #081
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According to screenwriter Zack Stentz, Marvel stressed the importance of presenting Loki as an effective villain, since he was already set to be the main antagonist in The Avengers (2012). He recalled, "The singular mandate above all other mandates was that they wanted Loki to be the villain for 'The Avengers.' They literally said, 'If you fail at everything else, please just give us a villain as good as Magneto in Loki.'"
- #083
Marvel was unimpressed with Chris Hemsworth's original audition for Thor, and initially passed on him as a candidate. Hemsworth then worked on The Cabin in the Woods (2011), and Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon, the director and writer, respectively, encouraged him to try again. He filmed another audition tape, with his mother reading Odin's lines, and the filmmakers were convinced he was right for the part. Sir Kenneth Branagh recalled, "When he came in for a screen test and told a story of Thor's exploits, he did it with such relish, such fun, a sense of danger. He was able to occupy the character of Thor in a way that seemed just right to us." After Hemsworth was cast, Goddard and Whedon gave him a collection of the comic book "The Ultimates" to read in preparation.
- #084
Screenwriter Zack Stentz said Sir Kenneth Branagh was the first to realize Chris Hemsworth was the right choice to play Thor. He explained, "If you remember, when they announced Hemsworth, it was like, 'Who? Captain Kirk's dad? This skinny Australian surfer?' The thing with Branagh is, he just has a freaking unparalleled eye for casting. He's so good at it. That's what we would tell people: 'If Ken says he's the guy, then he's the guy.' Indeed, he saw things in Hemsworth that I think not a lot of people had until that point. With these superhero movies, I think casting is seventy-five percent of it right there. You put the right actor in the role - as opposed to the almost-right actor - and it's magic."
Thor (2011): Young Thor and panel speakers at the tableImage: Wikimedia Commons · Ronald Woan, CC BY-SA 2.0 - #085
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According to producer Kevin Feige, the Bifrost bridge is this movie's most interesting set: "In the comics, it's literally a rainbow that extends out from Asgard and pops down on Earth. We're not necessarily doing that. We're not having the big hard solid lines of colors. We're saying it's some sort of energy, almost a solid quartz bridge that, as the light catches it, and flows through it, you get some of that rainbow-esque quality to it."
- #089
According to Chris Hemsworth, the action coordinators experimented with different combat styles, but ultimately the fighting technique Thor utilizes is an original one, based on boxing: stance low to the ground, with big powerful hip movements.
Thor (2011): Chris Hemsworth speaking at a panel with a microphoneImage: Wikimedia Commons · Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 - #090
Marvel Studios began developing the film in 2006, after Paramount acquired Thor's film rights from Sony. Mark Protosevich, himself a Thor fan, signed on to write, and he described his vision as "a superhero origin story... not one about a human gaining super powers, but of a god realizing his true potential. It's the story of an Old Testament god who becomes a New Testament god." In the original draft of the script, Odin banished Thor to the Middle Ages, where he became enslaved by Norsemen. Matthew Vaughn was hired to direct, and he changed the story to a modern setting to save on costs. Vaughn eventually left the project, but his changes were retained.
- #091
Volstagg (Ray Stevenson) was loosely based on John Falstaff from William Shakespeare's "Henry IV Parts 1 and 2." For the role, Stevenson wore a specially designed fat suit that gave Volstagg a round, but tough, appearance: "What we've done is kind of sex Volstagg up. He has every bit of that Falstaffian verve and vigor, and a bit of a beer gut, to suggest an enormous appetite, but he's not the Weeble-shaped figure in the comics. He's Falstaff with muscles." Falstaff frequently exaggerates or lies about his bravery, strength, and accomplishments on the battlefield, to the amusement of his friends. In the banquet scene near the end, Volstagg can be seen doing the same thing.
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Marvel was unimpressed with Chris Hemsworth's original audition for Thor, and initially passed on him as a candidate. Hemsworth then worked on The Cabin in the Woods (2011), and Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon, the director and writer, respectively, encouraged him to try again. He filmed another audition tape, with his mother reading Odin's lines, and the filmmakers were convinced he was right for the part. Sir Kenneth Branagh recalled, "When he came in for a screen test and told a story of Thor's exploits, he did it with such relish, such fun, a sense of danger. He was able to occupy the character of Thor in a way that seemed just right to us." After Hemsworth was cast, Goddard and Whedon gave him a collection of the comic book "The Ultimates" to read in preparation.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
The artifact that Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) shows to Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) in the post-credits scene (which played a major part in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and The Avengers (2012)), is the Tesseract, identified to be the Infinity Stone of Space (a component of the Infinity Gauntlet). It is also based on the Cosmic Cube, a cube-shaped artifact of power.
Behind the Scenes (24)
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Chris Hemsworth bulked up to such an extent before his screentest that the original costume (which was designed for a specific size) began cutting the circulation off in his arms and legs when he tried it on for the first time.
Thor (2011): Chris Hemsworth speaking into a microphoneImage: Wikimedia Commons · Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 - #106
In the DVD audio commentary, director Sir Kenneth Branagh reveals that the shot near the end with Jane Foster and her associates working in their lab was actually meant to be the opening shot of this movie, and that the closing title sequence of the Nine Realms was originally planned to be the prologue.
- #107
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Sir Kenneth Branagh explained that the film's use of Dutch angles was inspired by the comic books, "It was just more about visual impact. It was just what would hit you in a world, in a story about gods. I felt as though there was a reason for everything, and it was also the way you could put yourself behind it." He added, "I know there was a conversation at some point in some part of the Marvel universe where they had a conversation about, 'What would it cost to horizontalize this movie?' And I am glad to say that the cash price for that process was so prohibitive."
- #109
To prepare for his role as Loki, Tom Hiddleston trained in the Brazilian martial art of capoeira.
Thor (2011): Someone in Loki costume speaks into a microphoneImage: Wikimedia Commons · Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0 - #110
Todd Schroeder, Professor of Clinical Physical Therapy at USC, estimated that 50-75% of Marvel actors used performance-enhancing drugs to achieve their superhero physiques, though emphasized that he was speaking from his own expertise and observation, not firsthand treatment of the actors. However, Schroeder believed Chris Hemsworth was among the few whose physiques were natural, explaining, "He's always been in really good shape. His family, his genetics - they all, if they work out a little bit, they get in really good shape, and so he's taken it to the next level. A lot of people say, 'Oh, he does steroids, for sure.' And my opinion? I would say, 'No, he does not.'"
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A model of the Infinity Gauntlet, an all-powerful weapon capable of controlling aspects of reality (soul, time, space, reality, power, and mind) in the "Marvel Comics" universe, was constructed for this movie. The model is made from bronze and copper (with jewels made from resin) and weighs sixty pounds. It was built to be operational, so that animatronics could be built on it.
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(at around 28 mins) Director Sir Kenneth Branagh asked Sir Anthony Hopkins to improvise his reaction to Thor's yelling at him in the banishment scene. Hopkins agreed, and when the scene was filmed, many of the cast and crew present were sobbing. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston later said they had to struggle to keep their composure during filming that scene. Hiddleston later complimented Hopkins, to which he said, "Ken's fantastic, isn't he?"
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According to director Sir Kenneth Branagh, this movie's biggest challenge was connecting the worlds of Asgard and twenty-first century Earth: "It's about finding the framing style, the color palette, finding the texture and the amount of camera movement that helps celebrate and express the differences and distinctions in those worlds. If it succeeds, it will mark this film as different. The combination of the primitive and the sophisticated, the ancient and the modern, I think that potentially is the exciting fusion, the exciting tension in the film."
- #123
A model of the Infinity Gauntlet, an all-powerful weapon capable of controlling aspects of reality (soul, time, space, reality, power, and mind) in the "Marvel Comics" universe, was constructed for this movie. The model is made from bronze and copper (with jewels made from resin) and weighs sixty pounds. It was built to be operational, so that animatronics could be built on it.
- #124
Characters & Cast (21)
- #125
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Volstagg (Ray Stevenson) was loosely based on John Falstaff from William Shakespeare's "Henry IV Parts 1 and 2." For the role, Stevenson wore a specially designed fat suit that gave Volstagg a round, but tough, appearance: "What we've done is kind of sex Volstagg up. He has every bit of that Falstaffian verve and vigor, and a bit of a beer gut, to suggest an enormous appetite, but he's not the Weeble-shaped figure in the comics. He's Falstaff with muscles." Falstaff frequently exaggerates or lies about his bravery, strength, and accomplishments on the battlefield, to the amusement of his friends. In the banquet scene near the end, Volstagg can be seen doing the same thing.
- #127
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Chris Pratt auditioned "to be one of the sidekick guys," presumably Fandral. He recalled, "I didn't get a callback. Usually, they give you a little bit of feedback, and I remember the casting director goes, 'Wow. You really made a big choice there.' Which is code for like: 'Hey, dial back the acting there, guy.' It got to the point where I was never gonna audition for Marvel again. I was like, 'This is stupid; I'm never gonna be in a Marvel movie.'" He ended up being cast as Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).
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Tom Hiddleston described his role of Loki as "a comic book, but nastier version, of King Lear's Edmund." In the William Shakespeare play, Edmund was the illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester, who was jealous of his legitimate brother Edgar, and tricked his father into banishing him into exile.
- #133
Sir Anthony Hopkins claims he relates to his role of Odin: "I'm a little like Odin myself. He's a stern man. He's a man with purpose. I play the god who banishes his son from Asgard, because he screwed up. He's a hot-headed, temperamental young man, probably a chip off of the old block, but I decide he's not really ready to rule the future kingdom, so I banish him. I'm harsh, and my wife complains, and I say 'That is why I'm King.'"
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Tom Hiddleston researched Marvel Comics' Loki, and found him to be a multi-dimensional character, and based his performance as Loki on three different actors: Peter O'Toole (enigmatic reckless persona), Jack Nicholson (edgy and nearly insane persona), and Clint Eastwood (persona with simmering anger). Hiddleston also cited Alan Rickman in Die Hard (1988) and James Mason in North by Northwest (1959) as influences: "Those are all characters that are about control and revenge. I might just love those performances as a child... I just was so drawn to those performances as they seemed to be having such a wonderful time playing these antagonists, I suppose. And that was part of the charm. They were so charismatic, even though they weren't at the center of those films."
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Natalie Portman took the role of Jane Foster because she couldn't resist the opportunity of a comic book movie directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh: "I was just like, Kenneth Branagh doing 'Thor' is super-weird, I've gotta do it."
Thor (2011): Jane Foster smiling with a large hammerImage: Wikimedia Commons · Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 - #139
Director Sir Kenneth Branagh and Tom Hiddleston were performing in the West End stage production of "Ivanov" when Branagh was announced as the director of this film. At the 2010 Empire Movie Con, Hiddleston recalled that one night, as a joke, he grabbed an empty plastic container like a water cooler to stand in for Mjölnir, burst into Branagh's dressing room and shouted, "Come on, Ken, what do you think!?" Branagh's reaction was reportedly a rather playful "You never know, darling, stranger things have happened." Two months later, Hiddleston was auditioning for Thor before taking on the role of Loki.
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Sir Kenneth Branagh was immediately impressed with Natalie Portman's audition for Jane Foster. Screenwriter Zack Stentz recalled, "He was very taken with her. Not in a romantic way, but with her intelligence. Jane is a physicist, and we needed someone who could convey that intelligence. That's what struck him about her: he said, forgive me, 'Because the last thing we need is nuclear physicist Denise Richards.'" Richards played a nuclear physicist in The World Is Not Enough (1999) to widespread mockery.
- #142
Channing Tatum recalled his audition for Thor, "I didn't really want to be Thor, but I wanted to audition in front of Kenneth Branagh. After I did one take, [Branagh] was like, 'You're not allowed to move. Put your hands on this chair.' And I froze. He nailed my crutch. I spent the next five years really trying to learn stillness."
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Contains a major spoiler — show
At roughly 1 hour 28 minutes, when Thor reclaims Mjölnir, he is briefly seen standing upright surrounded by lightning. This is a homage to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983), in which Prince Adam's transformation into He-Man shows him in a similar position surrounded by lightning. He-Man rides a giant cat, as does Thor's mother Frigga. Chris Hemsworth was a popular choice to play He-Man in Masters of the Universe (2026), but he did not want the role because it was too similar to Thor. His co-star Sir Idris Elba (Heimdall) would later appear in the film as He-Man's ally Man-At-Arms.
Easter Eggs & References (32)
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The artifacts seen in the Asgard weapons vault are of various mystical objects seen in the Marvel comics. They are, in chronological appearance: * The Tuning Fork, a device that can summon monsters. * The Tablet of Life and Time, a slab that can extend one's lifetime. * The Warlock's Eye, an artifact that can control people's minds. * The Eternal Flame, a mystical fire that cannot be extinguished (played a major role in Thor: Ragnarok (2017)). * The Casket of Ancient Winters, an enchanted container filled with frosty winds (plays a major role in this movie). * The Infinity Gauntlet, a glove encrusted with six reality-bending jewels.
- #148
In this movie, the Casket of Ancient Winters was held by the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. In the comics, it was held by the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim, in particular, their leader Malekith the Accursed. In this movie, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) holds the Casket, and asks Odin (Sir Anthony Hopkins) if he is accursed, an homage to Malekith.
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(at around 50 mins) When Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) is in the library looking at the book of Norse Mythology, there is an illustration of Odin walking across the Bifröst bridge with his Gungnir spear in one hand and the Tesseract in the other. In Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), the Red Skull mentions that the Tesseract was the jewel of Odin's treasure room.
- #153
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(at around 47 mins) Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) mentions a comrade who got mixed up with S.H.I.E.L.D., whom he described as "a pioneer in gamma radiation." This alludes to Bruce Banner, whose experiments in gamma radiation mutated him into The Incredible Hulk (2008). A deleted scene also has him mention Hank Pym, from Ant-Man (2015).
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- #159
There is a billboard in the town advertising for New Mexico tourism with the slogan "Land of Enchantment - Journey into Mystery." "Land of Enchantment" is the nickname of New Mexico, "Journey into Mystery" is the title of the Marvel comic book where Thor made his debut (Journey Into Mystery #83).
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In this movie, the Casket of Ancient Winters was held by the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. In the comics, it was held by the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim, in particular, their leader Malekith the Accursed. In this movie, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) holds the Casket, and asks Odin (Sir Anthony Hopkins) if he is accursed, an homage to Malekith.
- #167
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- #170
Contains a major spoiler — show
(at around 1h 28 mins) When Thor gets Mjölnir back, for a brief second he is seen upright and surrounded by lightning. This is an homage to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983), where Prince Adam's transformation into He-Man, featured him in a similar position surrounded by lightning. He-Man, like Thor's mother Frigga, rides a giant cat. Chris Hemsworth was a popular choice to play He-Man in Masters of the Universe (2026), though he didn't want the role as it felt too similar to Thor. His co-star Sir Idris Elba (Heimdall) would later appear in the film as He-Man's ally Man-At-Arms.
- #171
Contains a major spoiler — show
(at around 1h 18 mins) When the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents track the Asgardians in search of Thor (Chris Hemsworth), they spot Sif (Jaimie Alexander), Fandral (Josh Dallas), and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano), but not Volstagg (Ray Stevenson). A deleted scene has Volstagg knock out the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, having tracked them by their food, and then steal it.
- #172
- #173
Contains a major spoiler — show
A Roman god (Nabil Nona) is seen in the banquet at the end of this movie. In the Marvel comics, the Norse and Greco-Roman gods (Asgardians and Olympians respectively) know of each other. The gods Thor and Hercules are best friends, and fellow Avengers; Hercules would make his debut in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).
- #174
Contains a major spoiler — show
When Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) burst from the Bifrost during their battle, you can actually see Loki create an illusion of himself. Look closely and you can see that Loki splits in two, with his real self flying off the left side of the screen, and the illusion he used to trick Thor falling and clinging to the side of the rainbow bridge.
- #175
Contains a major spoiler — show
Early in the story, Thor is told Mjolnir landed 50 miles west of town. When the Destroyer attacks and Thor's hammer returns to him, the flight takes 20 seconds. This appears to show events in real-time, no trimming events for dramatic effect, meaning Mjolnir's average speed was roughly mach 12 - about 9,000 mph.
- #176
Contains a major spoiler — show
Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) researches Thor's (Chris Hemsworth's) mythical history, finding that "Thursday" is derived from "Thor's Day." In Norwegian, Swedish and Danish, all of the weekdays are from Norse mythology: Tuesday is tirsdag (Tyr's day), Wednesday is onsdag (Odin's day) and Friday is fredag (Frey's day). Sunday and Monday are in honor of Sol (the sun) and Måne (the moon). Saturday is lørdag, coming from laugardag, washing day.
- #177
Deeper Meaning (10)
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This movie makes extensive use of actual Norse mythology (on which the "Thor" comic was based): * The war between the Asgardians and the Jotunns was based on the Aesir-Vanir War (the Jotunns were, in fact, a non-hostile, non-antagonistic race). * Odin's (Sir Anthony Hopkins's) ravens Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory), who gather information in Midgard (Earth) and relay it to Odin, are sitting on his throne during Thor's coronation ceremony. * The symbol seen at the weapons vault, and on Mjölnir, is the triquetra, a religious symbol. Its ancestor is the valknut, a German symbol associated with Odin. * The Bifrost, originally thought of as the rainbow by the Norse, is seen as a beam of rainbow light. * Heimdall's golden observatory is based on the Himinbjorg, Heimdall's home. * When Odin appears in Jotunheim, he is riding his eight-legged horse Sleipnir. * A Jotun calls Thor (Chris Hemsworth) a "little Princess;" once, Thor's hammer was stolen and he dressed up as the love goddess Freya to retrieve it. * Fandral (Josh Dallas) and Thor each describe Loki (Tom Hiddleston) as mischievous and a talented liar, an homage to Loki's titles as the god of mischief and lies. * Thor asks for a cat to ride. Thor's mother Frigga (Rene Russo) has her chariot pulled by two large blue cats. * Thor shows Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) a drawing of crossroads with nine orbs in it, his perception and representation of Yggdrasil, a great tree around which the nine worlds are tethered, making up the universe.
- #180
(at around 9 mins) It's mentioned that Thor's Hammer Mjölnir was forged inside "a dying star." This actually makes a modicum of scientific sense. When a very large star dies in a supernova, sometimes its remains collapsed to form a "neutron star." These objects cram the mass of the sun into the size of a city, forming a new kind of matter nicknamed "neutronium." A single teaspoon of this material would weigh billions of tons. If Mjölnir was made of this material, it would certainly explain its incredible weight.
- #181
(at around 47 mins) Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) mentions a comrade who got mixed up with S.H.I.E.L.D., whom he described as "a pioneer in gamma radiation." This alludes to Bruce Banner, whose experiments in gamma radiation mutated him into The Incredible Hulk (2008). A deleted scene also has him mention Hank Pym, from Ant-Man (2015).
- #182
- #183
(At about 50 minutes) As Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) looks at a Norse Mythology book in the library, there is an illustration showing Odin walking across the Bifröst bridge with the spear Gungnir in one hand and the Tesseract in the other. In Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), the Red Skull mentions that the Tesseract is the jewel of Odin's treasure room.
- #184
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The film draws extensively on actual Norse mythology (the source material for the "Thor" comic books): * The war between the Asgardians and the Jotunns was based on the Æsir-Vanir War (the Jotunns were in fact not an enemy race). * Odin's (Sir Anthony Hopkins) ravens Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory), who gather information in Midgard (Earth) and relay it to Odin, sit on his throne during Thor's coronation. * The symbol seen in the weapons vault and on Mjölnir is the triquetra, a religious symbol. Its ancestor is the valknut, a Germanic symbol associated with Odin. * The Bifrost, originally thought of by the Norse as a rainbow, is seen as a beam of rainbow light. * Heimdall's golden observatory is based on Himinbjorg, Heimdall's home. * When Odin appears in Jotunheim, he rides his eight-legged horse Sleipnir. * A Jotun once called Thor (Chris Hemsworth) "little Princess;" Thor's hammer had been stolen and he dressed as the love goddess Freya to get it back. * Fandral (Josh Dallas) and Thor describe Loki (Tom Hiddleston) as a mischievous and skilled liar, a nod to Loki's title as the god of mischief and lies. * Thor asks for a cat to ride. Thor's mother Frigga's (Rene Russo) chariot is pulled by two large blue cats. * Thor shows Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) a drawing of a junction containing nine spheres; her perception and representation of it shows Yggdrasil, the great tree around which the nine worlds are bound and which makes up the universe.
- #186
According to producer Kevin Feige, the filmmakers placed the Foo Fighters song "Walk" in this movie because they thought its lyrics were strangely appropriate for this movie: "If you asked two months ago if we would have a Foo Fighters song in this movie, I would have said 'I don't think so.' But we heard the song, and it just has these eerily appropriate lyrics and themes. Ken (director Sir Kenneth Branagh), in particular, just loved it with these lyrics about learning to walk again, and the way that fit the themes of the movie about redemption and learning to be a hero."
- #187
Contains a major spoiler — show
This movie and comic's version of Norse mythology has certain differences from actual Norse myth: * Odin lost an eye in a battle with the Jotuns. In Norse legend, he gave up an eye to obtain cosmic wisdom. * In Norse legend, Loki is Odin's adopted brother, not Thor's. * Laufey was originally Loki's mother, and not his father (this change was found amusing in Iceland, since Laufey is still a popular female name there).
Career & Awards (1)
Life & Family (3)
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Tom Hiddleston described his role of Loki as "a comic book, but nastier version, of King Lear's Edmund." In the William Shakespeare play, Edmund was the illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester, who was jealous of his legitimate brother Edgar, and tricked his father into banishing him into exile.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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