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

With the arrival of Marvel Studios and the forthcoming Batman/Superman flick, comic book fans everywhere are enjoying a Golden Age of superhero movies. Just a few years ago, comic book movies were seen as juvenile and campy, but now they are a multi-billion-dollar business with films that routinely shatter records and garner rave reviews. Most importantly, though, the producers, writers, and directors behind the camera are now all genuine fans of the source material; so much so that they regularly sprinkle in easter eggs to show their love that only longtime comic book fans will pick up on.

The Marvel movies, in particular, have had prolific Easter eggs included in nearly every installment, and Thor: The Dark World is no different. We got a sneak peek at the movie earlier in the week and kept our eyes open to catch every nod and wink aimed at hardcore Marvelites so we could bring you our list of All The Easter Eggs To Look Out For In Thor: The Dark World. There are some serious SPOILERS ahead, so be warned.

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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.

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.

We’re not sure what this says about the overall quality of Marvel’s movies, but it seems like fans are more interested in the post-credit scenes attached to each movie than the actual film itself. In a wise move, the stinger scene attached to The Dark World leads us right into next summer’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The scene involves Sif and Volstaag bringing the Aether to The Collector, played by Benicio del Toro, for safe keeping.

In the comics, The Collector is an alien being who literally collects powerful artifacts from across the Marvel Universe. With the Aether in his possession, The Collector looks to gather more power than any single being should ever wield. We’re not going to spoil the look of The Collector here, but just be warned to expect something along the lines of this:

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.