

Bloopers that make us love the Thor movies even more

He comes from the land of the ice and snow — the incredibly powerful Avenger who is acknowledged as a god, the Mighty Thor himself. Already a hit with mythology aficionados everywhere, Thor saw his comic book debut in 1962, an event that would spark a series of solo films almost fifty years later as part of the extended Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the scope of the MCU, the Thor films are some of the most fun and fantastical, eschewing much of the scientific technobabble of Iron Man and the rest of the more Earth-based films for mead halls, elemental alien-gods, and a truly awe-inspiring hyperspace transport system that works through the use of a magic sword. The Led Zeppelin reference comes easily — this is some truly epic material.

But despite the beauty and fantasy of these films, it is important to remember that behind the magic are lots of hard-working people. And sometimes those hard-working people goof up or act a little silly. And it is with great pleasure that we're able to see some of these moments captured on film, to delight us and enhance the joy and wonder of the movies themselves.

A hairy kiss

The romantic payoff is always one of the most anticipated scenes in any movie. Actors and directors go to great lengths to shoot and perform the most gratifying scene possible. Thor and Jane keep coming up against all kinds of obstacles to their love, so whenever they're able to express their affection for each other, it's a brief respite in the midst of world-altering chaos. 

But it's got to be awkward to kiss your coworkers sometimes, right? Especially when you've got your trademark long blonde Thor locks blowing into her mouth! Kind of makes you wonder if that's part of the reason Thor's keeping it short later on in the timeline of the MCU. This funny little snippet provides some levity to a somewhat fraught and difficult relationship, and it's nice to see that even in the midst of something so intense, Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman appreciate a little silliness.

Mjolnir falling off its handle

Mjolnir is one of the coolest accessories a superhero/god can have. Too heavy to be wielded by anyone but the most worthy, Mjolnir is the center of Thor's power, calling avenging lightning down upon his enemies and flying to him from anywhere in the universe like the loyal companion that it is. The reality, of course, is that Mjolnir is a prop — probably many props, actually — that can't possibly be as weighty or awesome as the real deal. So to see Thor fearlessly vanquishing foes just for Mjolnir's top to pop off is incredibly funny, and an excellent reminder that even if he is bearing the heavy title of God of Thunder, Chris Hemsworth is just an average guy (with perhaps a more-dazzling-than-average smile). He takes the goof-up in stride, swinging the handle as though to say, "I meant to do that!"

The cape conundrum

It seems Edna Mode from The Incredibles was right when she insisted that superheroes shouldn't wear capes. But Thor is known for his, so he would be remiss to go without. Still, it seems to have caused a great deal of trouble for Hemsworth, who is shown in several bloopers batting the great swath of crimson fabric out of his face. You would think that a weather god who frequently summons down great winds might consider ditching the cape and the flowing hair, but he has an image to uphold. 

The problem any fashion-forward hero faces is knowing that looking really cool often comes at the expense of being comfortable, but it wouldn't do to be a god who wears a windbreaker and tennis shoes — no one would take him seriously! Once again, this very relatable problem serves to humanize one of the most powerful beings in the universe, reminding us of our own fashion fiascoes.

Crash landing

Guys often seem to think that a lady is really impressed by a cool ride, whether that be a car, a bike, or a yacht. Thor should have no problem dazzling Jane Foster, then, as his primary modes of transportation are either through a hyperspace transportation system manned by the incredibly handsome Heimdall, or via clinging to his exceptionally cool hammer, Mjolnir, as it whizzes through the air. 

Unfortunately, airborne transportation comes with its own set of drawbacks, not the least of which are some rough landings. On set, the actors need to wear complicated wire systems in order to perform these trips through space, and those can result in a fair number of humorous and totally-not-cool tangles and stumbles. This blooper might spoil the magic of movie flight, but since no one gets hurt and the actors seem good-humored, it's an enjoyable glimpse into some everyday on-set shenanigans.

An uncooperative Hugin and Munin

In Norse mythology, the great god Odin has two raven companions: Hugin (meaning "thought") and Munin (meaning "memory"). These elegant and intelligent birds bring Odin the news on Midgard (the planet we know as Earth), serving as his all-seeing eyes. Hugin and Munin don't have a huge role in the MCU, but it's a nice little nod to Thor's Norse origins to include them in a scene where Thor has a heart-to-heart with his father, Odin. 

Of course, the ravens on set are just normal birds, even if they are more intelligent than your average city pigeon. Trained animals aren't always easy to work with, and ravens in particular are known to be pretty independently-minded creatures. Instead of coming off as mystical and mysterious, these bloopers reveal the birds to be stubborn and a little hard to work with — typical avian divas. Luckily, they seem to have gotten the scene down eventually, further enveloping the viewer in the magic of Asgard, but one has to wonder if the "real" Hugin and Munin ever gave the Allfather a hard time in the old myths.

Thor and Loki argue over pressing a button

Thor and his brother Loki have a really complicated relationship, which may have something to do with the fact that Loki is a trickster god who is never really able to stick to one side of a fight. In Thor: The Dark World, audiences are given a lot of screentime with the two brothers as they work together to thwart the Dark Elves. Like any sibling pair, the two squabble incessantly, even though it's obvious that they care about each other (or at least, we think they do — Loki is really, really hard to read). 

This scene where the two are arguing over whether Thor is "hitting" or "pressing" a button sees Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston break into giggles. Hemsworth and Hiddleston are both the middle child of three, so it's fair to assume that their childhoods were similarly marked by silly banter over meaningless things that eventually resulted in mutual merriment. It certainly adds depth to the brotherly love between the characters of Thor and Loki, as well.

Hela falling over

In Thor: Ragnarok, Thor and Loki are introduced to the sister they never knew they had, the terrifying and all-powerful Hela, goddess of death. She takes her job very seriously, sowing destruction and misery wherever she goes. It is a great blow, then, to see the equally stunning Cate Blanchett stumble backwards while unleashing some of that awesome power, breaking the illusion of Hela's deadly poise. 

It is humbling to realize that even Blanchett, one of the most talented and elegant women in Hollywood, also loses her balance in front of lots and lots of onlookers when she's trying so hard to just do her job well. Watching her running around in a motion-capture suit is also a bit disorienting when we recall how grandiose Hela's appearance is, but a death goddess has got to do what a death goddess has got to do!

Hela says "bless you" to Asgardian refugees

In Hela's quest to expand the empire of Asgard, she pushes out scores of normal Asgardian citizens, who are no longer safe since she has resurrected her hordes of undead soldiers. Part of the great drama of Thor: Ragnarok is watching Heimdall attempt to secret away and save as many Asgardian citizens as possible before they can come to a tragic end. This means there are a good deal of crowd scenes full of extras, and it's not hard to imagine how many random noises might come up in such a situation. So when one of the Asgardians sneezes, what's a death goddess to do but offer a sultry "bless you?" The expression and sentiment are so very out of character, but it's doubly funny since Cate Blanchett delivers it in the best Hela-esque manner possible. It's important to make a good impression on the people you're subjugating, right?

"Did I get your testicle?"

It's hard to have a superhero movie without plenty of fight scenes. One of the great payoffs of a comic book story is to watch evil getting vanquished, and it's usually hard to portray that without a good deal of fisticuffs. But stage battles, while theoretically harmless to the people engaged in them, can sometimes have unforeseen drawbacks — like an accidental hit to the groin. 

In the Ragnarok gag reel, we see two fight scenes: one between Thor and Hela, and another between Valkyrie and Loki. Each one eventually finds the gents doubled over. It's particularly funny to hear Cate Blanchett's smooth voice asking, "Did I get your testicle?" Of course, bodily harm is no laughing matter, but a true accident met with genuine apology from the perpetrators allows the audience a little giggle at the expense of Hemsworth's and Hiddleston's bruised... egos. And Blanchett's overly-polite inquiry into Hemsworth's undignified state is almost too much to bear.

The Shake Weight

Upon regaining her throne, one of Hela's first actions is to enlist Skurge, the cowardly Asgardian warrior, as her Executioner. In many ways, Skurge serves as a punching bag for Hela, and the audience is meant to be disgusted with his actions until he redeems himself at his own expense later. It's a minor role, but a heavy one — so apparently actor Karl Urban thought that the best way to prepare for it was with a Shake Weight, that notoriously naughty-looking piece of workout equipment that's among his myriad of Midgardian treasures. 

Urban, decked out in full Skurge gear, seems to know how silly he looks in this clip, because even he can't help but giggle while he fires up his muscles in front of the camera. You've gotta wonder — was that his proprietary Shake Weight, or did everyone on set take a whack at it? There were certainly a lot of bulging muscles on set, so they must have used something to get those gains, right?

Everybody boogie!

It's important not to take yourself or your job too seriously, and it seems that no group knows this better than the cast and crew of Thor: Ragnarok. Starting with the eminently witty Jeff Goldblum, gag reel viewers are graced with several shots of the actors performing fun little dances, presumably breaking up some of the hurry-up-and-wait monotony of a typical day on a movie set. 

Cate Blanchett sends up a call to "freestyle!" and we see Chris Hemsworth riding around on his gladiator weapon and then flapping like a bird, Tessa Thompson nailing a sweet turn, and Mark Ruffalo prancing across the screen, green powder floating off of his face to surround his head in a cloud. It really makes you want to join in on the fun of filmmaking, and makes you anticipate watching these goofy actors in subsequent installments within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.