All The Easter Eggs To Look Out For In "Thor: The Dark World"

Image via Complex Original

When Thor debuted in Journey into Mystery #83 in 1962, he didn’t square off against a famous foe like Loki or Surtur first; instead, he went toe-to-toe with a race of stone aliens from Saturn named the Kronans. This alien race wasn’t the most distinguished creation of the Jack Kirby/Stan Lee era, but they served their purpose and got righteously pounded on by a rookie God of Thunder.

Early in Thor: The Dark World, during a battle on Vaneheim, a band of invaders releases a Kronan to do battle with Thor. Without breaking a sweat, Thor turns the creature into rubble with one swing of Mjolnir. This is a nod to Thor’s true first villain in the Marvel Universe and something longtime fans can enjoy without distracting from the overall film.

Another Marvel movie, another Stan Lee cameo. This time, the Godfather of the Marvel Universe is shown as a patient in a mental asylum where Dr. Erik Selvig is ranting and raving about cosmic abnormalities and impending doom. These cameos have become one of Marvel’s better traditions, and this one is no different. We say the producers finally give Stan a movie of his own in the same vein as Forrest Gump where we see him bumble and fumble his way into various superhero battles throughout the decades.

During the filming of The Dark World, Marvel Studios President, Kevin Feige, promised that we would see more of the Nine Realms in the sequel. Needless to say, we were excited to finally see all of the diverse worlds connected to Yggdrasil, the world tree. While he wasn’t lying, we really only get to see Vanaheim, Svartalfheim, Jotunheim, and the kingdom of Asgard up close. However, during the film’s climax, as the realms begin to converge, we do get a quick glimpse of what looks like Muspelheim, the home of the fire demons.

In the comics, Muspelheim is where the lord of the fire demons, Surtur, lives. This is the demon who attempts to bring upon Ragnarök, the Norse version of the apocalypse. We’re hoping this quick look at the fires of Muspelheim is a precursor to the appearance of Surtur in a potential third Thor installment.

During the mid-credits scene, the reason why Sif and Volstaag give The Collector the Aether is because they do not want it and the Tesseract—the cosmic cube from The Avengers—to be so close to eachother on Asgard. Interestingly enough, Sif refers to both the Tesseract and the Aether as Infinity Stones. This is undeniably a reference to the Infinity Gems that Thanos wields on the Infinity Gauntlet, which gives him power over time, space, mind, reality, power, and the soul.

It’s a bit odd that the Tesseract and the Aether are called Infinity Stones, as they are radically different from the gems in the comics, but this might simply be a small change for the movie universe. Either way, this short line of dialogue is hugely important to comic book fans and the future of the Marvel movie franchises.

This one is really tough to see during the movie unless you're really pay attention to it, but, hey, this is what we get paid for. While Dr. Erik Selvig rants in an insane asylum about the complexities of the universe, he is seen standing in front a chalkboard covered in some equally crazy writing. On the board are words like “616 Universe,” “The Fault,” and “The Crossroads.” This might not mean anything to the layman, but for us hardcore fans, it's pure nerdy bliss.

In the comics, the 616 Universe is the numerical designation for the mainstream Marvel Universe. There are other universes all with their own numbering—like the Ultimate Universe, the Earth X Universe, and the Age of Apocalypse Universe—but 616 is the one the majority of fans know.

”The Fault” appeared in War of Kings #6 and it is a massive tear in the universe that leads to a number of alternate realities. The tear was caused by a Terrigan-Bomb and was created by Black Bold of the Inhumans. With the Marvel comics putting the spotlight on the Inhumans recently, along with rumors that an Inhumans movie is imminent, “The Fault” might hold some real significance in the future. 

The most interesting item on the board is the inclusion of the term “Crossroads.” In the comics, the Crossroads is a bizarre, twisted reality that Doctor Strange sends the Hulk to to protect Earth during one of his rampages. With a Doctor Strange movie in development, we can’t help but wonder if the Crossroads will play a role in the story and if Mark Ruffalo will make his gamma-powered presence felt at all.