35:00-40:00
And they get in their car and plan. Then they run into Thor.
Back with the hammer, more townsfolk appear. They try several things, including chaining it to a car.
The driver is Stan Lee, in his required cameo.
Agent Coulson arrives in a scene we saw in Iron Man 2 (2010). He is played by Clark Gregg.
This is Gregg’s 3rd appearance in the MCU. We last saw him in Iron Man 2 (2010).
According to Zack Stentz, hey were unable to get Nick Fury due to contract negotiations with Samuel L Jackson. It led to an expanded role for Coulson here, which led to more screen time in Iron Man 2 (2010) and everything else to follow.
Jane gives Thor a shirt that says Donald Blake, MD. This is a reference to Thor’s early secret identity in the comics.
Back on Asgard, Sif, Loki and the Warriors Three, discuss plans.
Loki, with no trouble getting past Odin’s rubbish security, and touches the Frost Giant’s Casket.
And Loki is revealed to be half Frost Giant. Although many of the particulars have changed, in Norse mythology Loki was also half Frost Giant. This ties closer to the comics where Laufey is Loki’s father.
40:00-45:00
We flashback to Odin finding baby Loki.
Odin reveals that he took Loki, in hopes that it would unite the two kingdoms one day. So Odin is basically a baby thief, worse still that his father wasn’t even dead or anything.
Odin collapses.
Back on Earth, at Isabela’s Diner. It is also just part of the set and not a real place.
Darcy makes a reference to Facebook.
They hear about Thor’s hammer and plan to set off.
Erik mentions that Thor’s stories resemble those he heard as a child. Erik is Scandinavian, and that is where the Norse mythology originates.
They leave Thor on his journey.
45:00-50:00
As Jane looks back at Thor on the main street, we can see a sign welcoming back the local football team. They are called the Vikings, of course.
Back at their lab, they are being raided by SHIELD.
SHIELD, or Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. They are the Marvel comics and MCU version of every espionage and security agency rolled together. We last saw them in Iron Man 2 (2010).
SHIELD take everything, leaving Jane, Erik and Darcy to contemplate their next steps on the roof of their building.
Whilst on the roof, they look over at the town. There is a billboard on the town that says Land Of Enchantment…Journey Into Mystery. Land Of Enchantment is the state motto for New Mexico, and Journey Into Mystery is the name of the comic where Thor first appeared, and had many adventures.
Erik talks about knowing a scientist who was an expert in Gamma Radiation. It’s clearly an allusion to the mythos of the Hulk, and could be Bruce Banner himself or Samuel Sterns, aka The Leader.
Back on Asgard, Sif and the Warriors Three find Loki on the throne.
The scene where Loki becomes king was cut.
Erik investigates Thor.
50:00-55:00
Erik comes across a book about Norse mythology.
Thor goes to a pet store and asks for a horse. The pet store worker is played by Isaac Kappy.
Jane ends up giving Thor a lift anyway.
Odin is in a coma, in a very ornate chamber. Loki and Frigga discuss the obscure purpose behind Odin’s actions.
At the site of the hammer, SHIELD have set up a small base.
Thor enters, knocks out two guards.
Thor enters, knocks out two guards. The music here is called The Compound.
55:00-60:00
He then fights the rest of the guards.
There is one guy who picks up a bow and arrow instead of a machine gun.
Coulson gets an update from Agent Jasper Sitwell, played by Maximiliano Hernández.
We never really get a in focussed shot when he first appears. Which is a shame because he is one of more connected elements of the MCU, going on to appear in more films, short films and TV as this character.
Jasper Sitwell appears in the comics, a high ranking SHIELD agents alongside Nick Fury, having many adventures and even running SHIELD at one point.
He first appeared in Strange Tales #144, May 1966. He was created by Stan Lee and Howard Purcell.
Hernández is best known for his TV work, including series like The Americans and The Last Ship.
Coulson then gets an update from another guy. It’s Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, played by Jeremy Renner.
Hawkeye is a real mainstay of The Avengers. He was a troubled youth who learnt archery at a circus, and a minor villain to begin with. He later became a hero, joining the Avengers in their second incarnation in the comics.
He first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57, September 1964. He was created by Don Heck and Stan Lee.
Renner was very much still on the rise when this film came out. He had broken through with an acclaimed performance in The Hurt Locker, and The Town. He was not credited for his appearance in this film, but his appearance was made public before the film came out.
Thor continues on and finds his hammer. He is stopped by an unnamed agent, played by Bobby Sosthand. Sosthand is better known for his stunt work.
And twist! He’s not worthy.
60:00-65:00
Heimdall looks on from Asgard.
Jane tells Erik and Darcy what she saw.
They look over the book Erik found, with references to Mjolnir, Loki and more.
Foster quotes science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke. He is perhaps best known for the screenplay for 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Back at the compound, Coulson questions Thor.
Then Loki turns up.
The music we hear as Thor is sorry is called Loki’s Lie.
Loki tries the hammer, and of course fails to lift it.
65:00-70:00
Coulson meets with Erik. He claims Thor is Donald Blake, a researcher. Coulson knows its a lie but lets him go. The Blake name is another nod to his comic book identity.
Erik takes Thor to a bar. The bar is a strip club called Cheeks, 2841 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe.
The song playing in the bar is Walk by the Foo Fighters, from their 2011 album Wasting Light.
There was also an extended version of this scene.
Loki travels to Jotunheim. As everyone has worked out, he’s the traitor. And he strikes a deal with Laufey.