Thor (film)

Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.

Thor is a Live Action Adaptation of the Marvel Comics superhero The Mighty Thor, released on May 6, 2011 in the U.S. and on April 22nd in Australia, and one week later elsewhere. It is the fourth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

When Thor's headstrong and arrogant actions bring war to once peaceful Asgard, his father, Odin, casts him from Asgard as punishment. Banished to live among mere mortals, he must learn what it means to be a true hero if he is to stop the threat from his realm invading Earth.

Tropes used in Thor (film) include:

A-G

  • Ability Over Appearance: In the comics, Heimdall is pretty covered up, but still visibly Caucasian. For the film, however, Kenneth Branagh chose to cast Idris Elba. Fan controversy over his choice led to this quote:

"If you have a chance to have a great actor in the part, everything else is irrelevant. "

  • Action Girl: Sif.
  • Action Mom: Frigga, Thor's mom, proves that a strong son can only come from a strong mother. She kills the Jotun king's lackey with one hit before being taken out by the king himself.
  • Adaptational Badass: Loki actually manages to hold his own in a straight fight against Thor, something he wasn't as good at in the comics or animated adaptations.
  • Adaptation Distillation: Elements of 616 and Ultimate Thor are integrated in the film:
    • 616: Thor and Loki are brothers with a complicated relationship. Odin also has to undergo the Odinsleep to restore his strength. Thor's costume is also clearly based on the modern 616 design, the sleeves especially.
    • Ultimate: Thor's ramblings about being the god of thunder are thought to be delusional but turn out to be Real After All. Although some people think Thor's crazy in 616 as well. All the Ultimate version did was keep the readers wondering as well as the characters. Also Hawkeye's status as an Agent of SHIELD in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Also, Loki is infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D's infrastructure like his Ultimate counterpart. Thor himself is also a separate character from his 616 secret identity, Donald Blake.
  • Adorkable: Jane's usually a level-headed scientist, but anytime Thor turns on the charm, she turns into a giggling schoolgirl. Darcy much more so, and Thor himself applies when he gets adjusted to Earth culture.
  • Affably Evil: Loki to an extent.
  • Aliens in Cardiff: All kinds of extradimensional stuff breaks loose near a small New Mexico town.
  • Aliens Speaking English: All of the Asgardians speak pretty good English, and one (Hogun) even has a Japanese accent. Somewhat justified in that it's hinted they visit Earth occasionally, although why it seems to be their default language is anyone's guess. Those lucky people who got their hands on the script will likely remember a wonderful exchange between Darcy and Fandral that sort of lampshades this. She asks how the Asgardians can speak "our language." Fandral replies something to the effect of "Your language...? My dear, you're speaking our language."
  • All There in the Manual: Half of the characters' names, a good half of the plot, and all of the mythology.
  • All in the Eyes: Used in some shots of Laufey and Loki.
  • An Axe to Grind: Volstagg brings an axe into battle.
  • Ancient Astronauts: The Asgardians, and to a lesser extent, the Jotun.
  • Angrish: Odin just growls loudly at Loki when he tries to speak up for his brother after returning from Jotunheim.
  • Anti-Villain: The Big Bad honestly believed his actions were for the good of Asgard. Then again...
  • Animated Armor: The Destroyer. Its arrival on Earth includes this fun Shout-Out.

SHIELD Agent: Is that one of Stark's?
Agent Coulson: I don't know. Guy never tells me anything.

  • Apocalypse How: Loki attempts somewhere between a Class 2 - 5, but mostly amounts to either a Class 0 or Class 1. Hard to tell since we never see the full extent of the damage done.
  • Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: SHIELD take all of Jane's equipment and research... and Darcy's iPod.
  • Badass Beard: Practically a staple in Asgard.
  • Badass Cape: See just above.
  • Badass Family: Odin, Frigga, Thor and Loki.
  • Badass Grandpa: Odin and Laufey are both several thousand years old and quite powerful.
  • Badass Long Hair: Thor and Volstagg.
  • Batman in My Basement: After Thor ends up on Earth, he's taken in and protected by mere mortals.
  • Battle in the Rain: Thor's battle against the SHIELD agents.
  • Berserk Button:
    • Loki threatening Jane is what finally pushes Thor over the edge and makes him fight.
    • Thor is grudgingly willing to leave Jotunheim without a fight, until one of the Frost Giants calls him "Princess". Then it's on.
    • This is Thor we're talking about; basically the Wolverine of the Norse Mythology Pantheon. He was pretty much the embodiment of the rowdiest, strongest, most fearsome Norse warriors - berserkers. Seems to have carried through in the adaptations.
  • Beware the Quiet Ones: Loki.
    • Exemplified towards the beginning when Odin and Thor are boisterously arguing ("BUT YOU'RE NOT KING! ...Not yet") and Loki's just off in the corner giving them both a sassy side-eye.
  • Big Bad: Loki.
  • Big Bad Duumvirate: Loki tricks Laufey into believing they are this.
  • Big Damn Heroes:
    • Odin shows up just in time to save Thor and his friends from the Frost Giants near the beginning. Granted, it is only one hero, but he is on a horse at the time. A horse with eight legs no less. Then he does it a second time to save Thor and Loki from falling into a wormhole.
    • Loki invokes this trope to gain favor with his parents, intentionally setting up the Frost Giant assassination plot just so he could foil it. Fortunately, Thor shows up to immediately spoil the moment for Loki.
  • The Big Damn Kiss: Double Subverted when Thor and Jane Almost Kiss before he goes back to Asgard, and he pulls away a bit uncertainly and gives her another kiss on the hand, so she kisses him instead.
  • Big Eater: Seems common among Asgardians:
    • Thor eats an entire plate of food and asks for more. Darcy remarks that he had already eaten an entire box of Pop-tarts before that.
    • Volstagg, even by Asgardian standards, as Lampshaded by Fandral in one scene.

Fandral: Our dearest friend banished, Loki on the throne, Asgard on the brink of war, and yet you've managed to consume four wild boars, six pheasants, a side of beef, and two casks of ale. Shame on you! Don't you care?!
[Fandral knocks Volstagg's plate off]
Volstagg: Do not mistake my Appetite for Apathy!

  • Big Good: Odin.
  • Big Scary Black Man:
    • Heimdall is very big and even intimidates Sif, the Warriors Three and Loki.
      • There's even an exchange between Heimdall and Loki where it's hinted that Heimdall is more powerful than Odin, but Heimdall's unquestionable honor and commitment to his service meant that Odin didn't have to fear him.
    • Also, the rather big SHIELD agent Thor fights.

Thor: [to said SHIELD agent] You're big. I've fought bigger.

  • Big No: Thor, when Loki releases his grip on the spear at the climax of the film and hurtles across the universe. This is immediately followed by Odin who...
  • Big Screwed-Up Family: Odin, Thor, and Loki are just as dysfunctional as many mortal families. Despite their actions and their words, they still love each other. Poor Frigga just tries to keep the peace.
  • Bittersweet Ending: In the end, Thor puts a stop to Loki's plans and makes amends with his father. However, he has lost his brother to The Dark Side and with the destruction of the Bifröst Bridge, he remains separated from Jane and the others indefinitely until she finds a way to open a bridge into Asgard. Oh, and Loki is alive and well on Earth, and about to grab ahold of the Cosmic Cube.
  • Black Sheep: Arguably Loki. He's not as physically powerful as his father or brother, so he relies on his wits and illusions in battle. He's also an adopted Frost Giant as well, although this doesn't affect his family's love for him at all.
  • Black Vikings: And Asian Vikings, too. Justified because the Asgardians are strictly aliens, not actual vikings.
  • Blade on a Stick: Odin's (and later Loki's) spear, Gungnir which fires energy.
    • Odin used Gungnir to control the Bifröst as well.
  • Blatant Lies: Erik's explanation as to how Thor beat up a half-dozen or so SHIELD men. "Steroids!" Agent Coulson lets it slide but only so he can see where they'll go if released. Followed immediately by the following dialog.

Coulson: Dr. Selvig? Keep him away from the bars.
Selvig: I will!
(Beat)
Thor: Where are we going?
Selvig: To get a drink.

  • Blood Knight: Thor, at first. Sif and The Warriors Three also enjoy a good fight. Fandral, in particular, seems to have the time of his life fighting Frost Giants.
  • Bloodless Carnage: When shown the view through the Frost-monster's now-aerated head, the hole has little to no discernible dripping blood. Likewise, Thor is surprisingly clean for having flown through there hammer-first.
    • And inexplicably, when Thor actually flies through, you see a giant gush of gore out the exit wound.
  • Blue Eyes: Thor and Odin. Technically Loki too or at least Loki's glamoured form, thanks to Tom Hiddleston's real-life blue eyes not being changed in the film itself, only in merchandising.
  • Boisterous Bruiser: Volstagg. Thor himself is a milder version.
  • Boomerang Bigot: Loki, after finding out he's a Frost Giant, then wants to destroy them all. But he was raised as an Asgardian and taught to fear and hate Frost Giants all his life.
  • Boom! Headshot!: Thor flying through the ice-monster's head. Also his method of vanquishing The Destroyer.
  • Brains Evil, Brawn Good: Thor and Loki—the first hint you really get toward Loki's nature is that he's using spells and trickery during the first big battle, while Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three are all in the melee. Although he does toss magic bolts that break the Frost Giants ice weapons.
  • Break the Haughty: Thor's banishment to earth serves as one of these.
  • Brought Down to Badass: Thor is cast out of Asgard and stripped of Mjölnir and his powers, leaving him mortal... but a mortal built like a linebacker with the combat experience to match the most hardened soldier.

Agent Coulson: It's not easy to do what you did. You made my men--some of the most highly trained professionals in the world--look like a bunch of minimum-wage mall cops. That's hurtful. In my experience, it takes someone who's received similar training to do what you did to them.

  • Butt Monkey: Thor, for the first five minutes after he comes to Earth. He gets hit by a car, tazed, dosed, then hit by a car again.
  • Cain and Abel: Loki and Thor, respectively.
  • The Cameo:
    • Hawkeye, as played by Jeremy Renner, with some awesomely snarky lines.
    • Stan Lee, naturally.
    • J. Michael Straczynski, as the first guy who finds Mjölnir in the crater.
    • The Stinger with Nick Fury.
    • Walter and Louise Simonson (the Marvel husband-and-wife artist/writing team) as Asgardians at a feast.
  • Calling the Old Man Out: Thor and Loki do this to Odin at points in the movie.
  • Can't Hold His Liquor: Subverted when Selvig tries to outdrink Thor, who ends up having to carry him home, although it's really not known how much he drank.

Thor: We drank, we fought, he made his ancestors proud!

  • Catch a Falling Star: Odin snatches Thor and Loki on the Bifröst Bridge.
  • Character Development: Thor's is the whole point of the movie. He starts out as a reckless, selfish Boisterous Bruiser. By the end, the first two are gone and even the last trait is tempered to The Hero. On the other hand, the film also serves as Loki's Start of Darkness.
  • Chekhov's Gun:
    • Darcy's picture of Thor is later used on a falsified ID card. Also, remember Loki taunting Heimdall over making use of secret passages that he wasn't aware of? Take a guess how Loki manages to make it to earth even though Thor destroyed the bridge.
    • The Bifröst Bridge remaining open and causing destruction upon the world it links to is mentioned by Heimdall in the beginning of the film.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: The Destroyer.
  • Chekhov's Skill:
    • Jane's area of research is the creation of an Einstein-Rosen Bridge. The film ends with Asgard's Bifröst destroyed and Jane attempting to create a bridge from Earth in order to reach Asgard, doubling as a Sequel Hook.
    • Loki's ability to create illusionary duplicates of himself. Also, his inability to lift Mjölnir.
  • Chewing the Scenery: Thor does it often due to his fancy vocabulary and extreme gravitas.
  • Chew Out Fake Out: Sif and the Warriors Three are clearly expecting to be reamed out by Heimdall for planning to retrieve Thor and overthrow Loki. Instead, Heimdall totally approves of their idea and helps them do it.
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Loki. Loki so very much. He goes behind his father's back to aid the Frost Giants in order to "ruin his brother's big day"- indirectly resulting in Thor's banishment, which Loki probably didn't actually want based on his fuller arc in the deleted scenes, but he nevertheless completely uses to his advantage - and then tries to kill the Frost Giants himself.
  • Clarke's Third Law:
  • Close on Title: The words "Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment Present" take five minutes to appear, while the actors' names and title card come during the end credits.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Darcy sometimes appears to be this. Sometimes not. Thor, too, when he arrives on Midgard.
  • Cold Sniper: Hawkeye has his arrow trained on Thor the entire time he's wrestling with the large SHIELD agent. He's constantly checking in with Coulson on whether or not he should release his draw, as apparently he could have had a shot at any time. Of course, ultimately he doesn't but he definitely has the detachment and focus of your average sniper until the very end.
  • Color Coded for Your Convenience: Thor has flowing Hair of Gold, while Loki is an Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette. Or is at least glamoured to look like one.
    • Also shown with their Asgardian clothing: Thor dresses in red, blue and silver, while Loki dresses in green, black and gold.
  • Combat Pragmatist: Loki is a big fan of distracting his foes with illusions of himself and then shooting at them from a safe distance. And his magic-knife-things are the only ranged weapons used by the group. Everyone else had to get up close and personal with the giants to hit them, which was a bad thing after Volstagg found out that Jotun could freeze by touch.
    • Another plus is that this means that when the Frost Giant who speared Fandral is moving in to finish the job, Loki is able to take him out before he reaches him.
  • Comically Missing the Point: SHIELD took everything including, oh horror of horrors, Darcy's iPod after she just downloaded 30 new songs.
  • Composite Character: The film version of Heimdall mixes elements from the comic versions of both Heimdall.
    • Heimdall and who?
  • Consummate Liar: Loki, natch. He's so good at it you really do have to wonder about some of his more sympathetic aspects; maybe that's just how he wants you to feel about him.
  • Continuity Nod:
  • Cool Helmet: Almost every Asgardian wears one. The Frost Giants have a few as well.
  • Cool Horse: As per mythology (and the comics but to a lesser extent), Odin rides a giant horse with eight legs. As black as it is, it almost counts as a Hellish Horse. Ironically, the horse is white in the comics. In the original mythology it was grey, named Sleipnir (the Glider), and was the fastest horse on earth. It's a pity, badass as he was, that the movie gave him just one shadowy appearance.
    • Oh, and according to mythology (and thankfully not the comics or film), Sleipnir is Loki's son. As in Loki is his mother. His father is a giant horse. In fairness, in the myths, Loki had changed into the shape of a mare at the time.
  • Cool Old Guy: Odin and Erik Selvig. Heimdall is pretty cool and seemingly much older than the main cast as well, although he's played by a younger actor.
  • Cool Sword: Heimdall's sword controls the Bifröst Bridge, and Frost Giants can grow their own.
  • Crash Into Hello: With a car. Twice!
  • Cry for the Devil: Loki. On the one hand, he's a conniving, power-hungry liar, willing to betray his brother and doom him to permanent banishment while he usurped the throne. On the other hand, he's a deeply damaged young man who's convinced he's The Unfavorite, especially after finding out he was not only adopted, but from an enemy race, and is desperate for his father's approval and affection.
    • Made even sadder because he already had his father's approval and affection but convinced himself otherwise. And also because he's obviously going down a darker path, being the Big Bad of the Avengers movie.
  • Crystal Spires and Togas: Asgard, though they prefer slightly more form-fitting and battle-ready wear than togas.
  • Curb Stomp Battle:
    • The Destroyer has no difficulty wiping the floor with Sif and the Warriors Three. When Thor enters the battle, he responds in kind.
    • The Asgardians are wiping the floor with the Frost Giants until one gets hurt. Then...
    • They're at the bridge, facing a behemoth, stunned into silence. Then Thor introduces himself. Then...
    • They're backed against a cliff, facing an army of Frost Giants and Odin shows up.
    • Really, the first half hour of the film is a series of curb stomps, a way to show how awesome everyone is.
  • Cursed with Awesome: Heimdall has near-omniscience, but he is delegated to guarding the Bifröst bridge for all eternity.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Hawkeye, Darcy, and Loki after almost getting Thor to leave Jotunheim.
    • Coulson also has his moments.

Hawkeye: You want me to slow him down, sir? Or are you sending in more guys for him to beat up?
Coulson: I'll let you know.
(After Thor gets his powers back) Coulson: Donald? I don't think you've been completely honest with me.

Thor: YOU DARE TO THREATEN THE MIGHTY THOR WITH SO PUNY A WEAP-- *thud*

  • Disc One Final Boss: Laufey has elements of this since he's played up as the Big Bad, disappears for much of the movie, and comes back for a few scenes before dying.
  • Disney Villain Death: Loki is presumed dead after falling off of the ruined Bifröst and into the void of space, but The Stinger shows him alive and well on Earth.
  • Distracted by the Sexy: Darcy constantly gets distracted by Thor. To a lesser extent, Jane displays this as well.
  • Do Not Touch the Funnel Cloud: To defeat the Destroyer, Thor creates a tornado to throw it off-balance. However, only what is directly touching the funnel cloud gets caught within its grasp—most of the surrounding area is just fine during and after. Justified in that it was a funnel being controled by Thor using his mystical hammer. He likely didn't want to destroy the area and channeled it appropriately.
  • Double Weapon: Sif's sword can elongate and become a double-bladed Darth Maul-style weapon.
  • The Dragon: The Destroyer more or less fills this role for Loki as well as serving as a Mini Boss.
  • Drinking Contest: Thor and Selvig, not so subtly. Each drinks his boilermaker, eyeing the other and each ends up chugging it down. Thor wins, although Selvig makes his ancestors proud.
  • Driven to Suicide: Loki. Or so it appears at first...
  • Drop the Hammer: Thor, natch!
  • Dutch Angle: Done a lot, presumably to further emphasize the Asgardians' heights. Or that being on Midgard is just so darn weird for Thor.
    • According to Kenneth Branagh's DVD commentary, this was done to create a look similar to comic book panel layouts.
    • In one of the deleted scenes on the DVD, the camera angle becomes very tilted after Erik gets drunk.
  • Dyeing for Your Art:
    • Tom Hiddleston (Loki), who had originally auditioned for Thor and had therefore gained 20 lbs. of muscle for the part, went on a diet before and during filming, to give Loki a "lean and hungry look". He also had his hair straightened, and dyed black - along with eyebrows and eyelashes. Not to mention Chris Hemsworth's transformation into a towering stack of muscle, thanks to the training of an ex-Navy SEAL. Reportedly he gained so much between costume fitting and the beginning of shooting that he could no longer fit into the costume and actually had to take about a week off from training to slim down a bit.
  • The Dutiful Son: Played with. Both sons have their own idea of how to impress Odin, but both involve defying him in some way.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: Hawkeye.
  • Elemental Powers:
    • Lightning—Thor can summon lightning from the sky and channel it through Mjölnir.
    • Wind—Thor can also use Mjölnir to generate powerful whirlwinds.
    • Fire—The Destroyer's specialty.
    • Ice—The Jotuns, being Frost Giants.
  • Ermine Cape Effect: Everyone in Asgard walks around wearing Full Viking Mess Dress all the time.
  • Everything's Better with Spinning: The way the Bifröst is opened. Thor spinning his hammer also has quite awesome results.
  • Evil Is Deathly Cold: The sinister Frost Giants of Jotun all have ice-based powers.
  • Evil Laugh: For the God of Mischief, Loki almost never actually laughs. The fact that he lets off several impressive maniacal cackles during the climax is a sign that he's fallen quite deep into insanity.
  • Evil Orphan: Loki, has this trope forced on him, since he doesn't know he's an orphan!
  • Evil Sounds Deep: Laufey, the leader of the Frost Giants.
  • Exactly What It Says on the Tin: In Old Norse, at least. "Mjölnir" means "crusher". Odin's spear is unnamed in the film, but traditionally was called "Gungnir", "unswaying one".
    • Then there's the Rainbow Bridge. Three guesses as to what it looks like.
  • Exact Words/Stepping Out for a Quick Cup of Coffee: Heimdall employs this when he sends Sif and the Warriors Three to search for Thor.
    • Heimdall seems to love this trope - he actually waits for Loki to announce that he's banished from Asgard to turn on him. His mastery of this to say or hear things that aren't explicit is lampshaded by Fandral the first time he does it; "He's a complicated fellow, isn't he?"
      • More of being a Rules Lawyer; as his loyalty is sworn to the King of Asgard, he couldn't make any direct move against Loki (who at the time had authority) until he was no longer bound by his oath.
  • Expy: Much like in the comics, Volstagg is very obviously based on Falstaff, and Fandral owes a lot to swashbuckling heroes played by Errol Flynn.
  • Extremely Short Timespan: The bulk of the film takes place over two or three days.
  • The Extremist Was Right: The Big Bad engineers the Frost Giant's attempt to retake one of their ancient weapons from Asgard, thus ruining Thor's coronation into becoming king because he felt he was unfit to rule. He totally was, but his banishment was unforeseen and unwanted. But in the course of his adventures, Thor drops his hot-headed Boisterous Bruiser ways, allowing his native empathy, intelligence and leadership ability to come to the fore.
  • Eyepatch of Power: Odin, natch. He even has different patches for different situations—a golden armored one for battle, for instance. You even see him with with two eyes (or a dead, patch-less eye) in flashbacks.
  • Eye Scream: There are few shots of Odin with a gaping, bloodied hole where his right eye should be. The moment he loses an eye is also shown on screen although it is not graphic (he appears to lose it in a battle, which does not correspond to mythological origins where he willingly gives it up to gain knowledge and wisdom).
  • Eyes of Gold: Heimdall, unlike his comic book counterpart who has Blue Eyes.
  • Face Palm: Loki does this at points in the movie due to Thor's shenanigans. It's a ruse though, as things go according to his plan.
  • Famed in Story: Discussed. Sif is willing to go down fighting to the Destroyer, content that tales of her bravery would be told in Asgard for generations to come. The mortal Thor talks her out of it, saying that she should instead fight to live, so that she herself can tell said stories.
  • Fantastic Racism: Played with. While there is no little amount of bad blood between Asgardians and Frost Giants, Odin adopts Loki, a Frost Giant by birth, raises him as one of his own, and has no prejudice against him. Oddly enough, Loki thinks that destroying the entire Jotun race would please his adoptive father.
    • Thor's attitude towards the Frost Giants at first and Loki's comment below hint that racism and unacceptance are still present in Asgard.

Odin: I wanted only to protect you from the truth.
Loki: What, because I...I...I'm the monster parents tell their children about at night?

Darcy: You know, for a crazy homeless guy, he's pretty cut.

  • Fish Out of Water: Thor. The writers said they wanted to avoid the usual trope of a character coming to Earth and instantly becoming an idiot. To that end, they have Thor be easily capable of understanding Midgard once he just cares to try.
  • First Contact: What this film turns out to be, retroactively, to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From here on, humanity realizes that there are far more advanced and more powerful aliens in the universe.
  • Five-Man Band:
  • Flying Brick: Thor.
  • Foil: Thor and Loki, obviously.
  • Forbidden Chekhov's Gun: Played with. The Bifröst gate has the potential to destroy entire dimensional planes if not used properly. Loki's grand plan involves using it to eradicate the Frost Giants world and Thor stops it only by destroying the gate entirely, cutting them off from dimensional travel.
  • Foregone Conclusion: If you know anything about Norse mythology, then you know well in advance that Loki is a Frost Giant, not Odin's son, and that none of the Asgard characters can die, at least not until they make a movie taking place during Ragnarok.
  • Foreshadowing: "Allfather, you look... weary." Also, Loki's hand.
    • Loki's first appearance on Earth. His powers aren't nerfed like Thor, but he can't lift Mjölnir either.
    • Also, according to Odin, both Thor and Loki "were meant to be king"; Loki is the son of the Jotun King
    • Blink-and-you'll-miss-it: The Infinity Gauntlet is stored in the Weapons Vault... and The Avengers showed us Thanos.
  • Functional Magic: The enchantment "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor" on Mjölnir is used as a Secret Test of Character. It can also be used to imprison anyone who isn't worthy, simply by putting the hammer down on them, which is how Thor beats Loki.
  • Funny Background Event:
    • When Thor is eating in the diner, you can see Stan Lee's now-bedless pickup truck pull into the parking lot behind him.
    • When Jane declares that they must track down Thor even after he escapes custody at the hospital, Darcy can be seen reloading her taser.
    • In several shots, a watertower which reads 'Home of the Vikings' is visible.
    • Just before the Asgardians go home to battle Loki, Fandral flirts with Darcy while Thor and Jane have their emotional farewell.
    • In several shots, a New Mexico tourism ad invites readers to "Journey Into Mystery".
  • Genre Savvy: Agent Coulson is trying to talk to The Destroyer, when he sees the Destroyer's eyes begin to glow brightly.

Agent Coulson: Oh, here we go.

  • Giant Mook: Thor faces a SHIELD agent that fits the bill, and there's the Frost Giants who have an army of them, obviously.
  • Glamour Failure: How Loki figures out he's a Frost Giant, not an Asgardian.
  • Go Mad from the Revelation: Loki, when he discovers that he's a Frost Giant. He was unstable to begin with, demonstrated when he allowed a few Frost Giants into Asgard for "a bit of fun" (actually a plan to discredit Thor), but this tips him over the edge.
    • Also, Word of God says that, when he fell into the wormhole unprotected, he 'saw things' that contribute to his mental instability in The Avengers movie
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: Odin gets an Eyepatch of Power from the last war with the Frost Giants, while their leader, Laufey, now sports a nasty series of claw marks raked across his face like a cougar swiped at him.
    • In the myths, however, he ripped out that eye and offered in payment to drink from Mimir's Well.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Loki. Note his armour is green, too.
    • Green Eyes: Loki, in the posters. In the actual film his eyes are blue. He later admits he was envious of Thor.


H-M

  • Hammer of Plot Advancement: Once Thor has proven himself worthy of wielding Mjölnir, his powers and strength return.
    • A tad moreso when you consider that, according to Odin's words, whoever held the hammer would have Thor's power; while is was supposed to mean that when Thor himself was worthy he could lift the hammer, it comes across as... convenient that when he does become worthy, the hammer just flies to him instead of him having to get to where it is.
      • Though he's been shown calling it to his hand before. It just worked right then because his Heroic Sacrifice made him worthy.
  • Ham-to-Ham Combat: When Thor calls Odin out.
    • Also the fight scene between Thor and Loki in the climax; Hiddleston seems to be having quite some fun in character while he's winning.
  • Happily Adopted: Despite Loki's many transgressions and schemes, he genuinely loves his adoptive father, mother, and brother as well as his adoptive homeland of Asgard. He's even willing to destroy Jotunheim and his biological father to gain their acceptance. This just makes his descent into darkness all the more tragic.
  • Harmless Freezing: Heimdall takes the full brunt of the Casket of Ancient Winters, and is still capable of busting himself out. Justified as he's a senior god, though.
    • He's actually shown to be quite hurt after he breaks out, barely being able to get to the bridge to open it and afterwards collapses basically and needs to be treated
  • He Cleans Up Nicely: Thor, after reclaiming Mjölnir, goes from jeans, t-shirt and flannel to his standard armor-and-cape.

Jane: This is how you normally look?
Thor: More or less.
Jane: It's a good look.

  • Held Gaze: When Jane and Thor meet after she crashes into him with her van.
  • Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Thor only wears his signature winged helmet once near the beginning of the movie. (In case you forget about it, it's in the toyline.) Loki, on the other hand, wears an incredibly ornate one in the final showdown.
    • Thor's helmet features in a deleted scene, just prior to the coronation, where he is handed it by a servant, and both he and Loki have a cheerful sibling chuckle about all the pomp.
    • Despite being part of Thor's normal 616 costume (which the movie one is heavily based on), it was left out other than the above scene's quick call-out because it just looks silly on-screen. Fortunately, he has always been helmetless in the Ultimate series, and all the Marvel movies have been a mix of both universes.
  • Heroic BSOD:
    • Thor goes into one when he discovers that he can no longer lift Mjölnir. Then, when Loki visits him to tell him that their father has passed on, which is a lie, he nearly goes catatonic.
    • Arguably Odin as well, since Loki's discovery of his ancestry and consequent outburst seems to basically shut his power off.
      • Frigga points out that he's been putting off the Odinsleep longer than he should have, and several days worth of...extreme stress and high power expenditure finally pushed him past his limits.
  • Hero of Another Story:
    • The Warriors Three, Sif, and Odin all allude to having their own adventures. Agent Coulson, meanwhile, has already taken part in adventures in the Iron Man movies.
    • And of course, we have Hawkeye and Nick Fury popping in briefly.
    • Also, there's Heimdall, who everyone treats as being incredibly threatening. Remember, he's the force standing between Asgard and the rest of the universe. By himself.

Guard: Heimdall demands your presence.
Volstagg: We're doomed.

  • Heroic Sacrifice: Depowered Thor, to the Destroyer.
  • Heroic Vow: Thor makes one of these as part of his coronation ceremony. Later, he pledges himself as an ally to SHIELD.
  • Hope Spot: After Sif deals with the Destroyer. Also, just before the Heroic Sacrifice is obliged in his sacrifice.
    • Also when Thor, after beating through all of SHIELD's security, stands before his hammer Mjölnir ready to reclaim it. Much to his dismay, he can't lift it either.
  • Horny Vikings:
    • Played with. Asgardians share some, but not all Viking cliches, and it is stated outright that Viking culture evolved under Asgardian influence, not the other way round.
    • Also, in the brief moments where we see Vikings, there are no horned helmets to be found.
    • The horns on most Asgardian helmets happen to be on the front (like an antelope's) rather than to the sides like cow-horns, subverting the typical placement for horned helmets. This is a nice bit of set-up for Loki's donning of his own classic horned headpiece.
  • Horse of a Different Color:
    • Asgardian horses are implied to be special. Then there's this gem:

Thor: I NEED A HORSE!
Pet Shop Clerk: We don't have horses. Just dogs, cats and birds...
Thor: THEN GIVE ME ONE OF THOSE LARGE ENOUGH TO RIDE!

    • Odin, true to the myth, is seen at one point riding Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse.
  • Hot Scientist: Jane. Also Darcy, as played by Kat Dennings, who is admittedly only a political scientist.
  • Hot-Blooded: Thor is very much this, particularly at the beginning of the film.
  • Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Natalie Portman is a tiny girl (5'3/160 cm) compared to most guys, but next to Chris Hemsworth's Thor (6'3/191cm), she looks pocket-sized! And it's not just the height; having bulked up so much, he probably has more than 100 pounds on her as well.
  • Human Aliens: The Asgardians look like very tall and muscular humans. The Frost Giants are less human looking, with the blue skin, red eyes, sharp teeth, etc, but still more humanoid than not. Wild Mass Guessing would say that the nature of the World Tree has something to do with all the races (that we've seen) being so similar.
  • Humans Are the Real Monsters: Averted. While Thor is arrogant at the start, he develops a certain rapport with both Jane Foster and Erik Selvig. Also surprisingly averted by Loki; he doesn't seem to care either way about humanity (for now, at least, other than not worrying about collateral damage from The Destroyer), and instead seems to want to annihilate the Frost Giants for different reasons.
  • Humiliation Conga: Rare heroic example: Thor. He gets hit by cars twice, tasered, and he's a Badass Normal which is a drastic reduction from the god he's used to being.
  • Humongous Mecha: The Destroyer, which is controlled from Asgard.
  • I Am Not Left-Handed: In the final fight, Thor is holding back, because he loves his brother. He finally gets angry enough to unleash his strength and the fight is over.
  • I Am X, Son of Y:
    • Thor is referred to as Odinson and is fond of declaring himself to be the Son of Odin.
    • Also, when he meets Agent Coulson for the second time he refers to him as "Son of Coul".
  • An Ice Person: Frost Giants.
  • I Kiss Your Hand: Thor being such a gentleman, he does it twice to Jane. The second one leads to The Big Damn Kiss.
  • Impaled with Extreme Prejudice:
    • Fandral is skewered by a Frost Giant's ice spike during the raid on Jotunheim. Don't worry, he lives.
    • The Destroyer is also impaled by a double-bladed sword and gets better as well.
  • Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: The Destroyer manages to just miss Thor and his pals every time it shoots on Earth, despite quickly taking out three Jutons in seconds upon its introduction (in fairness, it was shooting at much closer range and in a hallway. Also, being ice giants, the Jotuns were likely weak against fire, hence why they went down in one shot while Volstagg survived an explosion caused by the blast).
  • Impossibly Cool Clothes: The Asgardians all wear awesome armor.
  • In Medias Res: The movie opens with Jane driving into a strange tornado-ish storm and hitting a random individual (Thor). The movie then spends another half-hour or so telling how Thor ended up in that situation.
  • Insignia Rip Off Ritual: According to director Kenneth Branagh's DVD commentary, he based the scene of Odin ripping the circles off of Thor's armor before banishing him on a scene from "The Life of Emile Zola" where French officer Dreyfus is found guilty of treason and ceremonially deprived of his rank and the insignias ripped off his sleeves.
  • Instant Sedation: Even though Thor has been Brought Down to Normal, a needle in the rump should not have knocked him out that quickly.
    • Rule of Funny applies—the look on Thor's face as he goes under is priceless.
  • Interspecies Adoption: Loki eventually finds out that he's an ice giant who was adopted by Odin during a raid on his homeworld. Odin couldn't bear to just let the child die after he'd just killed everyone else in the area.
  • Interspecies Romance: Jane and Thor.
  • Invincible Hero: Hardly anyone in this movie presents a real threat to Thor. The only exception is Odin, who can take away Thor's powers at will. Of course, given that Odin takes away Thor's power about 20 minutes into the movie and he only gets them back 20 minutes from the end, he isn't invincible most of the time we see him. See Humiliation Conga above.
  • Irony: Thor, God of Thunder, was tasered.
  • I Shall Taunt You:

Jotun soldier: Run home, little princess.
[Thor smirks and readies his hammer]
Loki: Damn.

  • I Thought It Was Forbidden: What Sif says to Thor about raiding Jotunheim. He talks her into it, anyway.
  • I Will Protect Her: Thor towards Jane.
  • Jerkass Has a Point: Loki is a dick, but putting Thor on the throne of Asgard, at least at the beginning of the film, probably wouldn't have ended well for anyone.
    • He also accuses Odin of adopting him for purely political reasons. Although Odin clearly loves him, his expression suggests that this accusation hit home rather hard.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: It's in Thor's nature to be naturally boisterous and conceited, but he means well. And by the end of the film, he's learned that being either wasn't doing him or his friends any favors, so he knocks it off.
  • Kick the Dog: Loki's petty threat to 'pay Jane a visit' when he learns that Thor cares deeply about her. In the scope of things, this is highly unnecessary and inconsequential to his schemes, and serves no purpose but to enrage both Thor and the audience.
    • He just says that to provoke Thor into fighting him.
  • Kill It with Ice: The Frost Giants' method of death, when they don't form ice blades in their hands.
  • Kill Sat/Wave Motion Gun: What the overloaded Bifröst essentially acts as, except it can hit anywhere in the universe...
  • Kirk Summation: Thor to Loki in the finale.
  • Lady of War: Lady Sif, verily. Queen Frigga, too. She killed Laufey's mook in one hit before being knocked out by Laufey.
  • Large Ham: Anthony Hopkins plays Odin. That is all. Thor, Volstagg, and most of the other Asgardians also count.
    • This film is directed by notorious Large Ham Kenneth Branagh, it shows in the performances.
  • Layman's Terms: Invoked when Jane tells Selvig that she thinks the phenomenon they witnessed was an Einstein-Rosen Bridge. Darcy doesn't get it, so Selvig begins a long, scientific explanation before Jane quickly cuts him off and says "a wormhole."
  • Lean and Mean: Loki. As stated above, Hiddleston was instructed to have a "lean and hungry look" like Cassius from Julius Caesar.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Thor, both metaphorically and literally.
  • Limit Break: Judging from how they're used, most of Thor's more Awesome uses of wind and thunder seem to function like this.
  • Literally Shattered Lives: The Frost Giants' preferred way of killing.
  • Love Makes You Evil: Throughout the film, you get the sense that Loki really did love his adoptive father. The belief that he would never be accepted, especially after discovering his true parentage, was what tipped him over the edge. Even in the end, in his Motive Rant, Loki declares that everything he did was for his father.
    • Well, not everything, but the same basic idea applies in regards to his other reason: he outright states he doesn't care about the throne, he just wanted Thor to see him as an equal.
  • Love Triangle: Averted in the film. In the comics, there's been one between Thor, Jane, and Sif in the past. Here, Sif seems to be just a friend. Though Word of God has said it was hinted at in scenes that were later cut and Sif's actress Jaimie Alexander has stated in interviews she played Sif as having feelings for Thor. It's most obvious during their last interaction at the banquet near the end of the movie.
  • MacGuffin: The Frost Giants' Casket, and the Bifröst Bridge itself.
  • Magitek: The Asgardian's power is a mix of this and sufficiently advanced technology. Thor even states that in Asgard, magic and science are the same thing.
    • Look closely at the scene where Odin rips off Thor's emblems. There's something that looks like glowing-hot circuit lines underneath.
  • Man Child: Invoked whenever someone berates Thor for his "boyish" attitude.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Loki.
  • Manly Tears: Thor, Loki, and even Odin have their moments.
  • Master of Disguise: One of Loki's major powers.
  • Meaningful Background Event: In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment at the end, during the final fight between the two brothers, the two are thrown from the sphere at the base of the Bifröst and one tumbles over the edge of the bridge. Look carefully and you'll see that, just beyond him, he's actually tumbling further and what's dangling over the edge is an illusion.
    • Seems to be just a piece of debris rolling around.
  • Meaningful Name: crossed with Bilingual Bonus. Puente Antigua means 'Old Bridge' in Spanish, a reference to the Bifröst. It's also the place where Jane begins researching a way to build a new bridge to Asgard after the Bifröst is destroyed.
  • The Men in Black: SHIELD provides a benign version of this trope. They're just so obsessed with keeping dangerous weapons out of the wrong hands that they don't have time to be nice about it. Agent Coulson is polite, however, and literally hands Jane a blank check to cover the expense of replacing her equipment.
  • Million Mook March: The Frost Giants going up against Asgard.
  • A Minor Kidroduction: The first appearance of Thor and Loki, which establishes Thor's Boisterous Bruiser persona and the rivalry between the two over succession of the throne.
  • Misapplied Phlebotinum: Averted: Everyone knows Bifröst, a wormhole generator that can reach anywhere in the universe, is a superweapon. But they also know that Odin refuses to use it as such. Loki, on the other hand...
  • Monster Protection Racket: Loki's scheme to stop the Frost Giants from killing Odin is basically this.
  • Mordor: Jotunheim is the rarer "frozen wasteland" variety.
  • Motive Rant: Near the end of the film Loki tells his father that he did all those things for the good of Asgard.
  • Mr. Fanservice: There's a long, gratuitous scene where Thor just stands around wearing low-slung jeans and no shirt while the camera pans lovingly over his godly shoulders and abs. (Unusually for an American movie aimed at comic book fans, there's actually comparatively little Fan Service aimed at straight men—the women are pretty hot, but unlike Thor they spend the whole movie fully clothed.)
  • Mundane Utility: Mjölnir, the source of Thor's power and one of the most powerful weapons in the universe, is used at one point as a restraining device on Loki. And no, it's not that it's too heavy; Loki is also unworthy of wielding it, so of course he can't lift it. See Functional Magic.
  • Mythology Gag: Multiple.
    • Dr. Donald Blake was Thor's secret identity in his early Marvel comics, and is used here as a fake ID to get him out of SHIELD custody. Not to mention that was the name on the "Hello my name is..." tag on the first shirt Jane gave him. She says he was her ex-boyfriend.
    • A tourism poster talks about "Journey Into Mystery," the book where Thor first appeared for Marvel.
    • Two other entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Tony Stark is mentioned, as is a certain expert on gamma-radiation. See The Stinger as well.
    • Thor's line about having words with his brother is a reference to a very excellent moment in comic book history when he and the other Avengers pull off a Big Damn Heroes against Ultron. Said line has become something of a Catch Phrase for Thor, although it's only used once in the movie.
    • A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent calls Sif, Hogun and Fandral "Xena, Jackie Chan and Robin Hood". While already a multiple Shout-Out, in the comics Fandral once claimed to have spent time on Earth during the Middle Ages, married to a woman named Marian - so he may actually be Robin Hood.
    • The scene where Loki speaks to the imprisoned Thor is extremely similar to a scene in The Ultimates 2.
    • In a Shout-Out to DC Comics and Jack Kirby's later creations, Bifröst is presented not as a simple solid rainbow but as a Boom Tube.
    • "Look at you...The Mighty Thor..."
    • The Frost Giant calling Thor "princess". In Norse Mythology Thor disguised himself as as Freyja to keep her from marrying Thymr king of Jotunheim and to get Mjölnir back.
    • Yes, that is The Infinity Gauntlet you saw in the weapons hall.
  • A Mythology Is True: Although Asgardian culture is somewhat different from old myths, they are true in the principal details.


N-S

  • Names to Run Away From Really Fast: The Destroyer.
  • Necessarily Evil: The ultimate goal of Loki's plans is destroying Asgard's enemies and making his father proud. For him, lying, scheming and slaughter on a massive scale are just means of accomplishing this goal.
  • Never Found the Body: Loki. Did anyone who saw this movie actually think he died before the credits?
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: If Loki hadn't tried to ruin Thor's big day, then tried to get him banished, Thor would've ended up being kind of a dick, instead of maturing like he did. In fact, his visit to Thor's cell is specifically what changes him into a better man. Also, Loki's plan to make himself the hero inadvertently informed Odin that Loki was the traitor, which makes the whole ending even more tragic when you realise that, raging jealousy for his brother aside, it might be what Loki intended all along.
    • Loki did explicitly state that he didn't think Thor was ready for the throne, and that is why he interrupted the ceremony. It seems that Loki sort of changed his plans about halfway through the movie, but his previous actions had already screwed him over.
    • Also, had Loki not panicked and sent the Destroyer to kill Thor, it's unlikely Thor would have found the means to prove his worthiness. Yeah, Loki would have still been ousted as a traitor, but Thor wouldn't have stopped his plan to eliminate Jotunheim.
  • No One Could Survive That: Basically the assumption of every God present as Loki commits 'suicide' at the end of the movie.
  • No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup: Thor speaking to Heimdall says that "Midgard is lost to us" now that Bifröst is destroyed, though he may have been speaking a bit overdramatically as is his wont.
  • Norse Mythology: Duh! Or rather, the Marvel Comics retelling...
  • Nothing Can Stop Us Now: What Loki tells Thor as he tries to stop the Bifröst, making Thor decide to smash the bridge instead.
  • Not Quite Dead: First inverted by Thor and then embraced by Loki.
  • Not Using The G Word: None of the Asgardians ever actually claim to be a god, which doesn't stop Selvig from being pretty sure that Thor is a total jacked-up freaky-deeky crazy-pants with delusions of godhood for most of the movie.
  • Oblivious Adoption: Loki discovers he is a Frost Giant adopted by Odin after the war. It all goes downhill from there.
  • Offscreen Moment of Awesome: "We drank, we fought, he made his ancestors proud!"
  • Once More, with Clarity: Interestingly, The Stinger from Iron Man 2 isn't just a tease but is actually integrated into the narrative in this film. While in IM it looks like maybe a bunch of scientists trying to study Mjölnir it turns out it was actually an overnight tourist trap and Running Gag.
  • Only the Chosen May Wield: Mjölnir in the Crater; they even have people lining up to try to pull it out. (Referred to by some as the Banishing Crater.)
  • Our Giants Are Bigger: The Frost Giants, who are quite intelligent, lean (but still very tall) and have cool ice-based powers.
  • Papa Wolf: Odin.
  • Parental Abandonment: Laufey abandoned baby Loki, and there is no mention of his birth mother.
  • Phlebotinum Overload: What is destined to happen if Bifröst stays open for too long. Which Loki ended up planning to use to deal with Jotunheim once and for all.
  • Plucky Comic Relief: Darcy.
  • Poor Communication Kills: Odin is absolutely horrible at communicating anything to Loki. For example, the reason Loki tried destroy Jotunheim is because Odin's words implied that the only reason he didn't go to war with Jotunheim was because it would be bad for Asgard. Thus, destroying it in one fell swoop and thus sparing Asgard "the horrors of war" while wiping out their eternal enemies was perfectly reasonable.
  • Precision-Guided Boomerang: Mjölnir
  • The Problem With Licensed Video Games
  • Product Placement: Wow, Go-Lean Crunch must have laid down a lot of pretty green to get their box displayed so prominently in Jane's trailer.
  • Prophecy Twist: Odin's words for the hammer imply Thor must become a worthy king to lift the hammer. Instead, it comes flying to his hand the moment he becomes worthy upon his Heroic Sacrifice.
  • Proud Warrior Race Guy: The Asgardians are, to put it very mildly, a martial-minded people.
  • Puppy Dog Eyes: Loki, as he tells Odin in their last interaction that he did it for Asgard and the family. The combined effect is tear-jerking.
  • The Queen's Latin: All of the actors playing Asgardians speak with some form of an RP accent, regardless of their nationality. Hogun, however, speaks with a Japanese accent, but this can be explained as being due to Hogun not being a native Asgardian in the comics. Heimdall is another exception, as Idris Elba's lower class British accent seems to be largely unmodified in the film. For example, whenever Elba uses a "th," it sounds more like an "f."
  • Race Lift: Heimdall is now played by a black actor, Idris Elba. The film's version of Heimdall was carried over into the Thor: The Mighty Avenger comic which was made to be closer to the film than the regular comics.
    • Hogun, whose look in the comics was partially inspired by actor Charles Bronson, is now played by Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano. This isn't necessarily a huge change, as the character has always been depicted as a non-Aesir from a vaguely Asiatic realm (though one that looks more Mongolian than Japanese.)
      • Hilariously, Tadanobu Asano had played Changeiz Khan in the film Mongol a few years earlier.
  • Rated "M" for Manly: Asgard and Jotunheim scenes are simply made of good ol' Norse masculinity.
  • Really Seven Hundred Years Old: All of the Asgardians would have to be hundreds, if not thousands, of years old.
    • Based on the dates given in the film, Loki would be 1046–1047 years old.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Odin gives one to Thor in return for his Calling the Old Man Out.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Odin, who prefers diplomacy over war. Laufey is a rare villainous example, who also wishes to avoid violence and does not attack Thor and his friends until after they kill one of his warriors.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: The Frost Giants.
  • Redemption in the Rain: Subverted. Thor does not prove worthy of Mjölnir, as evident in the trailer.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Thor and Loki.
  • Red Right Hand: Or rather, blue right hand. It foreshadows that Loki is actually a Jotun.
  • Redshirt Army:
    • The agents of SHIELD tend to get this treatment.
    • Averted in the case of the Asgardian army which is capable of fighting Frost Giants perfectly well.
    • Though Hawkeye works for SHIELD in this continuity, and it's implied he could have easily put an arrow through Thor's head had Coulson ordered him to do so.
  • The Resenter: Loki.
  • Reverse Psychology: Loki subtly uses some at the beginning of the film. Specifically, he says the only way for Thor to solve the problem is to defy Odin, then sees the determined look on Thor's face as the idea sinks in and immediately tells him that he can't. It's a really subtle bit of acting for both men.
    • In the extended scene from the DVD/Blu-Ray release, it's strongly hinted that Loki's "slip of the tongue" was a test to see if Thor would take the bait (which he did). It proved that Thor wasn't ready for the throne after all since "a wise king never seeks out war."
    • Coulson also uses a bit of this after releasing Thor into Selvig's care. He tells Selvig to keep Thor "away from the bars"; Selvig promptly invites Thor for a drink after leaving his company. This is later revealed to have made it easier for his men to track their movements.
  • Royals Who Actually Do Something: Odin actually participates in the battles against the Frost Giants. After Loki gets the throne, he does scheme, but he executes his plans himself.
  • Running Gag: Thor (while mortal) getting hit by a car, and by extension, Jane's driving skills.
    • Less her driving skills; Darcy was driving the first time.
  • Sadly Mythtaken: A fair share of liberties is taken with Norse Mythology. Handwaved and lampshaded with the beginning narration, stating that actual Norse myths are inaccurate in their representation of Asgardian history.
  • Same Character but Different: Jane Foster, a nurse or similar role in most portrayals, is in the film an astrophysicist.
  • Save the Villain: A key sign of Thor's growth as a hero. After all, an ordinary person would want to save their friends, but to fight with everything you have to save your deadly enemies (in this case, the Frost Giants) from an unjust death for no other reason than it being the right thing to do takes a special kind of nobility.
  • Scenery Gorn: Jotunheim, the Frost Giants' world.
  • Scenery Porn: Asgard sure is pretty.
  • Secret Test of Character: Odin cast Thor out so he could become a King worthy of Asgard.
  • Self-Made Orphan: Double subverted. Loki kills his biological father Laufey and at the same time declares that he's the son of Odin.
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Loki and Thor (before the latter's Character Development kicks in).
  • Sequel Hook/The Stinger: Nick Fury has a Tesseract/Cosmic Cube, which was later featured in Captain America: The First Avenger, and Loki has his eyes on it. Also, he seems to be controlling or magically suggesting things to Erik Selvig.
  • Sharp-Dressed Man: Loki, when he appears on earth. Strangely, nobody else even seems to notice him, so maybe he's throwing in a "you can't see me" glamour on top of his "look like a local" spell.
    • When he's on Asgard as well. That's one snazzy suit of armor he's got. Word of God mentioned that Loki cared quite a lot about appearances. Where Thor only had one armor, Loki's got three variations.
  • Shining City: Asgard. The main building looks like a giant golden pipe organ, there's mountains of crystals, and so on.
  • Shirtless Scene: Thor, and it's noted appreciatively by Darcy while Jane can't stop herself from peeking.

Darcy: You know, for a crazy, homeless person... he's pretty cut.

  • Shown Their Work:
    • The battle between the Aesir and the Jotun in the beginning of the film is stated to take place in Tønsberg, Norway. The author that first mentioned Tønsberg? Snorri Sturluson, the author of the Prose Edda.
    • When SHIELD seizes Jane's work, they give her a check, so they're actually seizing her work and materials under the Fifth Amendment, the right of Eminent Domain (i.e. the government can take private property for their use, but they have to pay for it). Seizure under Eminent Domain can be challenged in court, although the results depend on whether a) the government can claim its necessity for "public use" and b) whether a "fair price" for the materials was offered.[1]
    • The SHIELD agents around the Mjölnir crater have assault weapons but don't engage Thor with lethal force because he has not escalated to the point that lethal force would be permitted based on the usual US military rules on force escalation.
    • After the Destroyer has been defeated, Coulson comes in. Thor addresses him as "Son of Coul", which follows old naming conventions and is essentially the meaning of his name: basically, someone who is the son of a man by the name of Coul.
  • Sibling Rivalry
    • Sibling Yin-Yang: Thor and Loki.
    • In a meta-example... the final decision of casting for the lead role came between Chris Hemsworth and his younger brother Liam, to their mutual amusement:

Chris Hemsworth: We both came all the way over here from Australia and ended up battling against each other.

  • Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Trailer: Despite being major supporting characters, Fandrall, Volstagg, Selvig, and Darcy are barely glimpsed in the trailer. (Hogun has more screen time than the other Warriors Three, which is kind of weird...)
  • Shout-Out: One to the original comics, when a billboard says 'Journey into Mystery'.
    • The Shield vs Destroyer scene has a shout out to Iron Man, though given the shared continuity, it counts as a Continuity Nod.
  • Skyward Scream: Thor, when he realizes that he can't reclaim Mjölnir and return home.
  • So Proud of You: The final conversation between Thor and Odin.

Thor: One day, I shall make you proud.
Odin: You've already made me proud.


T-Z

Coulson: You've made my men, highly trained professionals, look like a bunch of minimum wage mall cops. That's hurtful.

  • This Means War:
    • Invoked early on in the movie between Odin and Laufey.
    • Also, this is what Thor's Catch Phrase tends to mean. In the film, said Catch Phrase doubles as a Let's Get Dangerous moment in the POV of Jane and the other humans who had doubted Thor's mental reasoning up until that point.

Thor: I would have words with my brother.

  • This Is Gonna Suck:
    • Loki thinks he's just ensured he and his friends can leave Jotunheim without getting killed, when one of the Jotun decides to push Thor too far.

Jotun: Run home, little princess.
Loki: ...Damn.

    • Agent Coulson, when the Destroyer opens up.

Coulson: Here it comes.

Odin: YOU ARE A VAIN! GREEDY! CRUEL! BOY!

    • Also invoked later by Thor and Loki:

Thor: This is madness!
Loki: Is it madness? Is it?! IS IT?!

  • This Is Unforgivable!: Not in so many words, but Thor's banishment was essentially this. It's implied Odin has forgiven Thor for cocky transgressions and rule breaking in the past, but inciting a new war with the Frost Giants was the absolute last straw.
  • Threshold Guardians: Played with in the form of Heimdall, who is an actual character with his own motivations instead of just a plot device.
  • Throw It In: Anthony Hopkins improvised his reaction to Thor's Calling the Old Man Out speech. Apparently, crew members were bursting into tears on the set during filming.
    • Odin's terrifying and definitely unscripted growl when Loki attempts to intervene deserves a mention by itself.
  • Throwing Your Hammer Always Works: Sure, when it comes back to you after you throw it.
  • Tomato in the Mirror: Loki
    • His heritage is actually TRUE to Norse Mythology, surprisingly enough.
  • Tragic Villain: Loki is motivated by a complex mixture of Sibling Rivalry, trying to impress his father, personal ambition and a warped sense of duty before Asgard. It's no wonder he elicits sympathy as he descends into wickedness.
      • There's probably a fair bit of self-loathing involved as well, once he finds out he's a frost giant.
  • Trailers Always Lie: A positive example; the trailers for the film were regarded by many as somewhat underwhelming, but the scale and acting and dialogue have turned out to be closer to the comics than many feared. Also, some of the trailers imply that the line "You can't kill an entire race" refers to humanity. This isn't the case, as the Frost Giants and Jotunheim end up as Loki's target. In particular, except for a few brief shots very little of the first act appears in the trailer; it is a good half an hour before Thor even reaches Earth.
  • Travel Cool: The Asgardians get around the Realms via the Bifröst Bridge, which shoots them through rainbow wormholes.
  • True Companions: The Warriors Three, Sif, and Thor.
  • Turn the Other Fist: Thor is almost convinced to leave Jotunheim without a fight... until he gets called "princess".
  • Twisting the Words: Loki, of course. Unlike most other examples of the trope, he not only does that to sabotage others, but also has it ingrained so deeply in his character that he always believes the worst in people.
    • Invoked by Loki. When he says that Thor cannot go to Jotunheim without defying Odin, Thor interprets that as a recommendation rather than a warning. Which is exactly what Loki wanted.
    • When Odin explained that he saved Loki as a child because he hoped that one day Loki can serve as an example that Frost Giants and Asgardians can peacefully co-exist. Loki instead believes that Odin saved him only because he wanted an extra war trophy. Odin even reacts by asking, "Why do you twist my words?"
  • The Unfavorite: Loki views himself as this, believing that Odin and Frigga favor the older and more physically powerful Thor over him. Finding out that he's an adopted Frost Giant just makes things worse.
  • The Unpronounceable: Darcy pronounces Mjölnir as "Myeh-myeh".
  • Unresolved Sexual Tension: Sif and Thor. Quite a bit of Sif and Loki as well if you look for it.
  • Use Your Head: Severe headbutts happen a few times in the first act. For example, a frost giant grabs and burns Volstagg's arm, and Volstagg uses his head.
  • Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Judging from the flashback in the beginning of the movie, Loki. Judging from just that scene and how most of the other characters treat him, he and Thor used to have a very good relationship, and he used to be just a sweet kid who had a penchant for mischief before jealousy set in.
  • Villainous Breakdown: Many of Loki's actions in the second half of the movie, and thus the plot for that portion, can be attributed to a very steep downward spiral that starts from the moment he discover's that he is actually a Frost Giant. It's quite clear that at least some of the more extreme actions he takes later are not what he had originally planned to take, and even as he keeps his trademark composure he appears increasingly harried over the course of the movie. By the climax he's lost all veneer of composure altogether.
  • Villains Blend in Better: Loki, when he sneaks to Earth, looks like a Sharp-Dressed Man. Additionally, nobody can see him except Thor. A simple trick for the God of Lies.
  • Visible Boom Mic: You can see it hovering over the pet shop owner for a few seconds.
  • War Is Hell: After having lived through the war between Asgard and the Frost Giants, which is repeatedly described as destructive and terrible, Odin is very dedicated to ensuring that sort of thing never happens again. Laufey, to an extent, feels or at least knows the same thing, but in contrast to Odin while he doesn't exactly want a war, he's very vindictive and thus not shy about starting another one should the situation arise.
  • "Well Done, Son" Guy: Thor and Loki, in his own way.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: Loki.
  • What Could Have Been: Brian Blessed was originally cast as Odin.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: The ultimate fate of the The Destroyer and the Casket of Ancient Winters remains unexplored. Presumably SHIELD took custody of the former.
    • The Casket is last seen in Loki's possession. He seems to pull it out of a Hyperspace Arsenal to ice over Heimdall and then put it right back in, and he also uses to freeze the power arcs in the Bifröst to keep anyone from stopping it.
    • What happened to the SHIELD guys spying on Thor from the rooftop? Volstagg knocks them out in one of the deleted scenes, but they don't try to evacuate the town or fight the Destroyer in the actual film.
  • What Measure Is a Non-Human?: To the film's credit, the answer seems to be pretty damn high. As part of Thor's Character Development, he stops seeing the Jotuns as merely walking experience points and pleads with Loki to stop his genocidal plan. Loki, however, calls the Jotun a "race of monsters", despite that he himself is one.
  • When All You Have Is a Hammer: Averted, but definitely worth mentioning partly because Thor's Weapon of Choice is a hammer and partly because it's part of Thor's Character Development. Mjölnir is a fine example of a Swiss Army Weapon, able to shoot lightning, return to its wielder's hand when thrown, and grant flight, just for starters. The trick is thinking of nonviolent uses for it, which doesn't occur to Thor at the start of the movie.
    • Played straight at the climax.
    • Subverted by Odin during the failed ceremony; specifically, he praises the hammer as "a formidable weapon of war... and as a tool to build; a fit weapon for a king."
  • When Things Spin, Science Happens: Bifröst, with a good measure of Power Glows, and it is glorious to look at.
  • Why Didn't They Just Smash Him?: The Frost Giants grab firmly onto the Idiot Ball when they ignore the opportunity to smash Heimdall into smithereens when they're standing right next to him.
    • Quite possibly they knew that this was simply impossible. Heimdall seems to be quite conscious even inside the block of ice, unlike every other character who suffers the same fate, so it may be that he's effectively indestructible to their attacks, only possible to stop, but not defeat completely. Considering that other characters think that even Odin would have a reason to fear Heimdall, he may be the most powerful Aesir in Asgard; the ice was the only thing keeping him from moving, so they weren't about to free him.
  • The Wise Prince: Thor, after some Character Development.
  • Would Be Rude to Say Genocide: Loki's plan to destroy the Jotun race.
  • The World Tree: Yggdrasil, which binds the nine realms (Midgard/Earth, Asgard, Jotunheim, etc.) together. You can see it hovering as the universe itself during the end credits.
    • The power arcs of the activated Bifröst (inside what director Branagh called Heimdall's "observatory") are also representative of the Yggdrasil.
  • World of Badass: Both Asgard and Jotunheim (the Frost Giants' realm) are filled with badass warriors with mystic weapons and powers. Also Earth (this is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after all), though the full scope of badasses down here is merely glimpsed this time...
  • World of Ham: Asgard is one. Which results in major Ham-to-Ham Combat.
    • Which is exacly the reason why Ken Brannagh was the perfect director for this movie.
  • The Unfavourite: How Loki sees himself. Also Loki's real heritage as a Frost Giant.
  • Xanatos Speed Chess: What Loki seems to have been doing for most of the movie. At first he simply seems to have been planning on discrediting Thor and starting a war with the Jotuns. But then Thor was banished, he found out he was a Jotun himself, went a bit berserk, and Odin entered his sleep. Everything else seems to have been very well orchestrated improvisation.
  • Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: Averted. While Asgardians do indulge in Antiquated Linguistics and Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness, their speech is mostly modern English.
  • Young Conqueror: Loki is young, ambitious, wants to bring greater glory to Asgard, and manipulates the hell out of everyone to achieve his goals.
    • Probably young in appearance only. See above concerning average Asgardian age.
  • You Must Be Cold: Thor gives Jane his jacket.
    • ...Just in time for a wild rainstorm. Seems that even as a mortal he could tell when thunder and lightening were on their way.
  • You're Insane!:

Thor: Loki, this is madness!
Loki: Is it madness?! Is it?! IS IT?!

  1. ↑ In other words, Jane would lose such a challenge, as SHIELD is essentially saying "Tell us how much money you want for it", and they could also claim national security issues
  2. ↑ For those who don't get it, Thor is a god
  3. ↑ Thor never actually flies, but rather throws the hammer and holds on
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