A list of trivia related to Thor: The Dark World.
References to the Marvel Cinematic Universe[]
- Benicio del Toro's uncredited cameo as the Collector was written to set the stage for Guardians of the Galaxy, and the scene was directed by James Gunn.
- This is the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to not include a character introduced in the first Iron Man film.
- This is the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film to not be set in the United States of America.
- The Captain America March can be heard when Loki disguises himself as Captain America as he and Thor are planning their escape from Asgard.
References to Marvel Comics[]
- Thor accidentally destroys a statue of his grandfather Bor. In the Marvel comics, Thor actually ended up killing his grandfather as part of a deception by Loki.
- The diagrams seen on Dr. Selvig's board contain homages to elements in Marvel Comics:
- the number "616" is a designation given to a specific Marvel universe (the original one that started in the 1960s - the Marvel Cinematic Universe is designated 199999)
- Simonson's Theory of Relativity is a homage to Thor comic writer Walter Simonson
- the Nexus of All Reality is a location in the Florida Everglades where dimensions intersect, which is guarded by the hero Man-Thing.
- the Crossroads is an intersection for routes to different worlds
- and the Fault is a tear in the fabric of the universe, attended to by the Guardians of the Galaxy.
- The stone creature Thor fights is a Kronan, an alien being that appeared in Thor's first comic,"Journey Into Mystery" #83.
- Loki creates an illusion in which he cuts off Thor's arm. Thor would actually lose an arm in the comics a year later.
Casting[]
- Chris Hemsworth's real-life wife Elsa Pataky stood in for Natalie Portman when filming the post-credits kissing scene.
- Mads Mikkelsen was considered for the role of Malekith, but he dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. He later played Kaecilius in Doctor Strange.
- Joshua Dallas was supposed to return as Fandral but commitment with Once Upon a Time (2011) prevented him from returning. He was replaced with Zachary Levi, who was the original choice for the role. Levi later played Billy Batson/Shazam in the DC Extended Universe productions Shazam! and Shazam! Fury Of The Gods.
- The filmmakers chose Iceland as the setting for the dark world of Svartalfheim, for its black volcanic landscapes.
- This is the last film written by Don Payne (who also wrote Thor (2011)). He died from bone cancer before the film was released.
- In late 2011, Patty Jenkins was officially announced as director for this film. In December 2011, she backed out of the project due to "creative differences". Natalie Portman was publicly upset that talks between Marvel and Patty Jenkins broke down, some sources even claim she threatened not to take part in the film with another director but couldn't get out of her contract.
- Kenneth Branagh turned down directing this film as he felt that the locked release date didn't give him enough pre-production time that he decided to work on Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) instead.
- It took six hours of make-up to complete Malekith's look.
- Christopher Eccleston and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje previously worked together on the film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009).
- Akinnuoye-Agbaje later portrayed Waylon Jones/Killer Croc in the DC Extended Universe production Suicide Squad.
Production[]
- This is the first Marvel Studios film to start with just the Marvel Studios logo. Aptly enough, starting with this film, the logo has been given an update as well as a fanfare written by composer Brian Tyler.
- This is the first Marvel Studios film to include a title card at the beginning and the ending, rather than one or the other. This would be repeated with Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War.
Unorganized trivia[]
- A post-credits caption promises ''Thor will return".