Caution: spoilers ahead for What If...? episode 7
Party on, Thor! These are the good-time MCU and Marvel Easter eggs in the latest installment of What If...? As proven by Loki, Odin's decision to adopt a little bundle of Frost Giant joy was a pivotal moment in MCU history, but What If...? episode 7 asks how the timeline might've changed if Asgard's ruler handed Loki back. Thor grows up an only child, and without Loki to bring the games and mischief, turns into something of a party animal. More vain and spoiled than Chris Hemsworth's live-action character, the God of Parties arrives on Earth for some Norse-flavored shenanigans.
What If...?'s Thor episode is a more upbeat adventure (nearly...) after weeks of pain and misery thanks to zombies, Killmonger and Strange Supreme. Thor's love of drinking and planet-sized phone book invites plenty of MCU Easter eggs from across the Marvel galaxy, and the cast this week includes Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, and Samuel L. Jackson.
A very different, Easter egg-heavy affair, here are all of the MCU references, guest cameos, writing nods, and clever in-jokes that accompany Thor Odinson as What If...? asks... what if The Hangover was a superhero movie?
What If...? episode 7 opens on a shot of Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis' van. Designed especially for staking out gods with flowing blond hair in the middle of the night, the same vehicle was seen in 2011's Thor movie, used by Jane, Darcy and Erik Selvig. They even ran Thor over with it (by accident, of course).
One of What If...?'s more prominent Las Vegas tourists is wearing a pineapple t-shirt, which feels like a nod toward Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love & Thunder director, Taika Waititi, who famously wore a similar garment before giving it to his Korg character in Avengers: Endgame. Pineapple Shirt Guy is later spotted drinking with Lady Sif and avoiding Korg's cannonball, suggesting the Waititi reference is probably intentional.
Instead of landing in the New Mexico desert as the fallen prince of Asgard, Thor arrives in Las Vegas, proclaiming himself the party savior of Midgard. Arriving via the Bifrost bridge, Hemsworth's character is accompanied by (from left to right) Fandral, Lady Sif, Volstagg, and Hogun. Mjolnir isn't missing the fun either.
Introducing this week's episode, The Watcher describes how Thor and Loki's sibling relationship "changed the fate of a universe." Obviously referring to the primary MCU timeline, it's interesting how cosmic beings view the brothers' importance to history. It was Thor and Loki's feud that resulted in the Battle of New York, the formation of the Avengers and, ultimately, saving the entire universe from Thanos. Last week's What If...? scenario suggested Ho Yinsen started the MCU by helping turn Tony Stark into Iron Man. This week's offering proves Thor and Loki played an equally vital role.
Past What If...? episodes began by animating key moments from MCU canon, such as Tony Stark forging his first Iron Man armor, and the Avengers assembling in New York. This week's Party Thor montage instead depicts unseen moments from Thor and Loki's younger years, and here we see the God of Mischief playfully freezing his brother using the Casket of Ancient Winters. Stolen from Jotunheim by Odin, Loki would use the weapon in 2011's Thor. Interestingly, it was the casket's magic that revealed Loki's true, blue Frost Giant appearance as an adult, though Loki's form in this image is unchanged.
Explaining how Thor came to be reveling on Earth, What If...? episode 7 shows Odin enter the "Odinsleep." This plot point hails directly from 2011's Thor, where the Asgardian ruler began a long, magical slumber, allowing Loki to seize control in his absence. Obviously, Frigga didn't see the Odinsleep as a vacation opportunity in the main MCU. Perhaps the different attitude can be attributed to Frigga not having that close parental bond with Loki in What If...? The animated Odinsleep scene is framed remarkably close to the live-action version, but with Thor taking Loki's place at his father's bedside.
As Thor and his pals sneak off to show Earth a good time, the quintet pass Odin's Infinity Gauntlet. The golden glove was included as a vault Easter egg in 2011's Thor movie before the franchise had properly decided its long-term direction, leaving Cate Blanchett's Hela to reveal the trinket was just a fake.
And so begins a rapid-fire guest list of party attendees from across the MCU. Here, Lady Sif is spotted drinking with Pineapple Shirt Guy and a Ravager who looks very much like Kraglin, who would've been working under Yondu at this point in the timeline. Though the character doesn't look exactly like Sean Gunn, Kraglin's mohawk makes him stand out among the other background Ravagers.
The camera pans around to reveal more familiar MCU faces answering Thor's call for Midgard mayhem. To the left, a group of Skrulls can be spotted cheering for the God of Thunder, while the blue figure on the right appears to be Yondu - Michael Rooker's Guardians of the Galaxy character, identified by his purple headgear. The Skrulls are later witnessed showing off their shape-shifting abilities to a deeply impressed Thor.
As more and more party-goers arrive in Vegas, What If...? reintroduces Skurge, memorably played by Karl Urban in Thor: Ragnarok. Though he doesn't get chance to speak and isn't acknowledge by name, the facial hair and armor give him away. No doubt Skurge enjoyed getting a "thunder hug" along with his tankard of ale.
Welcoming Skurge to the party, Thor hands over a tankard and gleefully promises, "it never runs out - you try to drink it all but you can't because it's MAGIC!" Though the circumstances were entirely different, this harks back to the Thor: Ragnarok scene between Chris Hemsworth and Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange, where the sorcerer would magically refill Thor's glass of ale, delighting the Asgardian. Evidently, Party Thor is more accustomed to mystic refills than his MCU counterpart.
Among the eclectic fleet of ships beaming down crew members to Thor's big bash, there's an Asgardian skiff (middle right with the fancy wings), a Ravager-type vessel dead in the center, and what looks to be a spacecraft from Sakaar (with the rounded cockpit) slightly left of that.
Rapidly becoming the "Phil Coulson" of What If...?, Howard the Duck makes yet another cameo, apparently not captured by The Collector in this reality (perhaps Thor originally put him there?) Whatever the reason for his freedom, Howard responds to Darcy calling him a loser with, "big talk coming from a brunette." It's an odd comment, even for Howard, and perhaps nods to the character ending up in bed with Lea Thompson's blond Beverly in his 1986 solo movie. Once again, the drunk duck is voiced by Seth Green.
Amazed by Jane Foster's relatively short stature, Thor comments on how she's "so tiny." An aloof insult that only a god would utter, the line riffs on when the Avengers were affected by the Mind Stone in 2012's The Avengers. Interrupting an argument between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, the God of Thunder referred to humans as, "so petty...and tiny."
The next two famous party attendees are The Grandmaster and his ever-faithful assistant Topaz, both seen digging into a huge cake. It's no secret that Jeff Goldblum's Thor: Ragnarok character loves a good party, and his presence would explain the Sakaaran ship from earlier. Worryingly, Topaz has brought along the Melting Stick, which sits right underneath "acoustic guitar" on the list of things you shouldn't take to a party.
Thor remembers one time Fandral got so drunk, he woke up next to a goat named Gary. Though such creatures are present throughout Norse mythology, Fandral's goat is most likely a reference to the "Fandral's Follies" 1988 Marvel comic story. Here, the Asgardian swordsman is charged with accompanying a goat to the Isle of Love. It's not what it sounds like.
Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster has already forced his way into the DJ booth (that's what the Melting Stick was for), but his passion for spinning records was seen previously in Thor: Ragnarok, where the Grandmaster held his own DJ sets on Sakaar. His What If...? equipment could even be the same gear.
Thor and Jane watch on as Karen Gillan's Nebula is playing dice, hoping to win a "brand new eye." In the main MCU (and presumably this continuity too), Thanos removed Nebula's eye after she lost a fight to her sister, Gamora. Also hanging around the table is Korg - Taika Waititi's super-friendly Kronan introduced in Thor: Ragnarok, taking a well-earned break from printing pamphlets.
Following the Grandmaster from Sakaar (presuming her tragic backstory remains the same in this What If...? episode), Valkyrie is present at Thor's Vegas shindig. The Asgardian warrior was played by Tessa Thompson in Thor: Ragnarok, and is seen here next to Drax, yet another representative from Guardians of the Galaxy.
Though it's no surprise to see an Elvis impersonator officiating a Vegas wedding (even one involving a duck), it is unusual that the Elvis in question looks so much like Kurt Russell. The resemblance is very unlikely to be coincidental, as Russell has a long association with the King of Rock n' Roll. The actor made his screen debut by kicking Presley's shin in It Happened At The World's Fair, then starred in John Carpenter's Elvis biopic some years later. Russell lent his voice to Forrest Gump's Elvis, before playing the singer's illegitimate son in 3000 Miles To Graceland. With Kurt Russell also a member of the MCU cast (playing Star-Lord's father, Ego), the visual comparison in What If...? is surely intentional.
During a whirlwind first night together, Thor and Jane Foster decide to get matching tattoos, with the Asgardian picking "science" and the Earth physicist choosing "magic." Their awful ink nods to a scene between Jane and Erik Selvig in 2011's Thor solo film, where Natalie Portman's character quotes Arthur C. Clarke's "magic is just science we don't understand yet" line.
The What If...? scene where Jane wakes up in a Vegas hotel room, only to be greeted by mad chaos from the night before, copies a famous moment from 2009 comedy The Hangover. It's fitting, then, that one of those passed out is Rocket Raccoon, voiced in the MCU by The Hangover's own Bradley Cooper.
While Jane tries talking down Maria Hill and Crossbones, Thor is heard talking about a "rabbit in the sink," obviously meaning Rocket Raccoon. In Avengers: Infinity War, Thor also mistook Rocket for a rabbit (and the ship's captain).
Nothing says "Earth is in trouble" quite like a SHIELD helicarrier hovering in the air, and the iconic MCU sky base returns in What If...? episode 7, used by Maria Hill and Phil Coulson to coordinate the resistance to Thor's rampant partying.
Even the uptight members of the Sovereign know how to let their perfectly coiffed hair down occasionally. Thor is spotted taking a selfie with Ayesha, the Golden High Priestess from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's opening sequence, and one of her shiny followers from the Sovereign.
Raised as the Prince of Jotunheim, Loki's appearance is completely different in What If...? episode 7, fully embracing his Frost Giant heritage - but this character has actually already debuted in the MCU. Among the many God of Mischief variants in Disney+'s Loki series, a TVA slideshow revealed Frost Giant Loki, who had clearly lived among his own kind. Though there's nothing to confirm both variants are the same person, What If...? raises the possibility that the Frost Giant Loki pursued by TVA agents (designated L6792) hails from the very same corner of the multiverse as Party Thor.
Swaggering into Thor's party, ice bros in tow, Loki calls the God of Thunder a "son of a witch." Though we soon find out the pair are actually good pals, this insult is deeply ironic considering Loki's strong connection with Frigga in mainstream MCU continuity. Had Odin not got his money back from Laufey, Frigga would've become one of the few Asgardians Loki truly loved. It was also Frigga who taught Loki magic, adding another layer of meaning behind a seemingly juvenile insult.
Despite growing up separately, Thor and Loki describe themselves as "brothers from different mothers." What If...? suggests that however their respective childhoods played out, Thor and Loki were predestined to become close one way or another, and openly using the term "brother" echoes their familial relationship in live-action.
After receiving her orders from SHIELD, Carol Danvers arrives on Earth to poop all over Thor's party. Captain Marvel greets the Asgardian with "hey, Whitesnake!" and this is due to the obvious visual similarity between Thor Odinson and Whitesnake vocalist David Coverdale. More importantly, the nickname recalls how Carol Danvers grew up on Earth through the 1980s, and would've been attending gigs and partying right when Whitesnake were at the height of their fame.
Before throwing down in the desert, Thor stretches out his hand and calls for Mjolnir. After a tense few seconds of nothing, the hammer comes whizzing perilously close to Captain Marvel's face, Cosmic Carol remaining unimpressed all the while. This is virtually identical to the duo's encounter in Avengers: Endgame, where Thor pulled the same stunt with Stormbreaker.
Dragon Ball Z's famous fight scenes have influenced superhero movies before (albeit mainly on DC's side of the divide), but What If...?'s battle between Captain Marvel and Thor owes much to the iconic anime. As the overpowered Avengers do battle in a vast, rocky desert, tossing each other into rocks, punching in midair and firing beams of energy (or lightning, in Thor's case), it's impossible not to be reminded of Goku's epic bout against Vegeta.
What If...? episode 7 takes in a variety of Earth locations, and two key English settings are featured - Stonehenge and the River Thames. It's surely no accident that both landmarks were also used in Thor: The Dark World. Stonehenge is where a semi-naked Erik Selvig was arrested, while Malekith's invasion began with the English capital.
After he did it to Loki in 2011, MCU fans have often wondered why Thor doesn't pin more enemies under his trusty hammer. The likes of Thanos could never lift Mjolnir, so why not simply halt the Mad Titan by popping Mjolnir on his chest. What If...? episode 7 runs with that idea, ending the God of Thunder's fight against Captain Marvel using that very tactic. Don't think too hard about when Odin cast the worthiness spell on Thor's hammer...
Among those chanting "pooper!" at Captain Marvel is Tasba, a member of Korg's Sakaaran Rebellion from Thor: Ragnarok, who also aided Thor in the battle against Hela. The guy in the holy helmet looks similar to another rebel, Roscoe.
According to Maria Hill, Nick Fury once claimed that Goose (Carol Danvers' pet cat) could take down an entire army by itself. As revealed in Captain Marvel, Fury actually has a bitter rivalry with Goose. The undercover flerken was responsible for the SHIELD director requiring an eye patch.
Bonus points to anyone who had "Surtur flirting with the Statue of Liberty" on their What If...? bingo card. The fiery villain introduced in Thor: Ragnarok returns to help Thor celebrate on Midgard, and takes a liking to New York's famous green lady before doing the limbo under some power cables.
As the party moves to Chris Hemsworth's home country of Australia, more familiar faces from the MCU arrive. Dancing on the bridge are Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's Mantis, as well as Korg's best friend Miek. The insect-like being was presumed dead in Thor: Ragnarok, only to make a miraculous recovery and take up residency in New Asgard.
Stellan Skarsgård's Erik Selvig played a key role in Thor, even accompanying Jane and Darcy during their late night desert stake-out. Though he's completely absent from the events of What If...? episode 7, Jane does call Selvig to help send a message to Heimdall regarding Thor's bad behavior. The brief mention pays tribute to Erik's importance in Thor's MCU backstory.
As the party begins breaking up, Thor struggles to muster the same enthusiasm for tidying as he did reveling. Nebula excuses herself by name-dropping her dad - a subtle reference to Thanos. Nebula defying her old man by partying with Thor suggests Thanos isn't the overwhelming force fans know from main MCU continuity, and these suspicions are confirmed by the Infinity Stones' fate later in the episode...
As Thor and his friends put Earth back to normal, the absent-minded Asgardian corrects Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa. More than just a nod to Thor's lack of intelligence, the scene pays homage to Superman III, in which the Evil Man of Steel commits various cultural atrocities just to annoy everyone.
In an intriguing line of dialogue, Frigga reveals she's already aware of Captain Marvel. In the MCU, Carol Danvers spends little time on Earth because she's too busy saving other planets who aren't blessed with a rapidly increasing population of superheroes. Though fans rarely get so witness these adventures, Frigga's familiarity with Danvers confirms Captain Marvel has left a positive impact on the bits of MCU galaxy we don't see.
Those who thought Surtur's liberty liaison was as weird as What If...? would get this week are proved wholeheartedly wrong by the reveal of Ultron emblazoned with a full complement of Infinity Stones. This Ultron incorporates elements of Vision also, with Paul Bettany's face (and Mind Stone) visible when the villain lifts his helmet. What If...? is yet to explain how Thor being an only child somehow led to UltraVision gathering the Infinity Stones before the Avengers even had time to assemble, but it's entirely possible that this Ultron hails from a different reality altogether - hence the Watcher's shocked reaction.
Though we know the figure in the final moments of What If...? episode 7 is a mashup of Ultron and Vision, the close up is eerily reminiscent of fellow Marvel baddie Galactus. Both already possess unfortunate square heads, but Ultron's horns echo Galactus' handles and Vision's narrow eyes only make the comparison clearer. The resemblance is probably just accidental...
What If...? streams every Wednesday on Disney+.
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September 23, 2021 at 12:26AM
