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Courage is immortal.note 
"Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."
Allfather Odin Borson's enchantment on Mjölnir

Thor is a Live-Action Adaptation of the Marvel Comics superhero The Mighty Thor, released on May 6, 2011 in the U.S. and on April 22nd in Australia, and one week later elsewhere. It is the fourth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its Phase 1, and was directed by Kenneth Branagh.

When the headstrong and arrogant actions of Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth) nearly causes a war between his home realm of Asgard and the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), strips him of his powers and banishes him to Midgard (Earth) as punishment. Taken in by astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her crew, he must learn what it means to be a true hero if he ever wants to prove worthy of wielding his mighty hammer Mjölnir again. Meanwhile, his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) discovers his true origins, and sets out on a campaign to claim the throne and steal his brother's place in his parents' eyes.

Thor's story continues in the 2012 Crossover film The Avengers, the 2013 sequel Thor: The Dark World, the Avengers sequel Avengers: Age of Ultron, the 2017 sequel Thor: Ragnarok, the two-part crossover Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, and the 2022 sequel Thor: Love and Thunder. Loki himself eventually got his own story to tell in Loki, a live-action series made for Disney+.


Thor provides examples of:

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    Tropes A to C 
  • Action Girl: Lady Sif is part of Thor's team of warriors, and shows her mettle against the Frost Giants when they make their ill-fated expedition.
  • Action Mom: Frigga, Thor's mom, proves that a strong son can come from a strong mother. She kills Laufey's lackey with one hit before being taken out by Laufey himself.
  • Activation Sequence: The first time the Bifrost is shown, we are treated to the spectacle of Heimdall lowering his sword into the pedestal, the chamber begins to spin, the great spindle atop it lowers down before Heimdall fully inserts his sword, sending Thor and companions hurtling through the ether.
  • Actor Allusion:
    • The Son of Coul asks Thor if he received his training with Special Forces. Chris Hemsworth was trained by a former Navy SEAL for his role as the God of Thunder.
    • Nick Fury talks about "unlimited power."
  • Adaptational Attractiveness: Loki is far more attractive than his comic book counterpart, who is often (but not invariably and less so since the '80s) depicted as being hideous, particularly in the early days. Incidentally, this is more accurate to the original version of Loki, who was described in Norse Mythology as "pleasing and handsome" (an alternate translation is "beautiful and comely," which is closer to our modern definition of a Pretty Boy).
  • Adaptational Job Change: In the comics, Jane Foster was a nurse. The movie changes her occupation to an astrophysicist.
  • Adaptational Nice Guy: While still a villain, Laufey is far from the sadistic brute that he was depicted as in the comics. When reuniting with Loki in the comics, Laufey expresses nothing but open distaste for his son and doesn't hesitate in trying to kill him. In the original script of the film, Loki told Laufey who he was and Laufey also replied "Ah, the bastard son. I thought Odin had killed you. That's what I would have done. He's as weak as you are." This scene was never filmed.
  • Adaptational Sympathy: Loki, son of Odin, is not exactly a paragon of virtue in the comics (at least until this film came out, at which point he was altered to appear more like his MCU counterpart), being a conqueror and trickster that seeks only power for himself, or just to Troll with the other heroes for his own amusement. This film has him start off as a Well-Intentioned Extremist by setting off the plots of the Frost Giant's invasion of Asgard so he could get Thor exiled, knowing full well his brother's own rash behavior would cause Odin to inflict harsh punishment, as he feels that Thor's ascension to the throne and his Blood Knight tendencies make him ill-suited to rule, rather than trying to bump off Thor so he could claim the power for himself. His feud with Odin also gives him a more valid reason rather than simply detesting the All-Father's presence on what he believes is rightfully his throne—he is utterly crushed when he learns he was the abandoned son of King Laufey, ruler of Jotunheim, and Odin took him in as his own son, which leads Loki to think that Odin only took him in for political purposes.
  • Adaptational Wimp: The Destroyer. In the comics, it is Asgard's ultimate weapon, designed to kill cosmic entities of unimaginable power. When facing it, it is all Thor can do to survive, much less actually overpower it. The beam it blasts from its face is capable of disintegrating anything, up to and including Mjölnir. In the movie, Thor easily obliterates it once he gets his powers back, and Mjölnir easily blocks the beam attack.
  • Adaptation Distillation: Elements of 616 and Ultimate Thor are integrated in the film:
    • 616: Thor and Loki are brothers with a complicated relationship. Odin also has to undergo the Odinsleep to restore his strength. Thor's costume is also clearly based on the modern 616 design, the sleeves especially.
    • Ultimate: Thor's ramblings about being the God of Thunder are thought to be delusional but turn out to be Real After All. Although some people think Thor's crazy in 616 as well. All the Ultimate version did was keep the readers wondering as well as the characters. This movie also introduces us to the titular character of Hawkeye as an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Also, Loki is infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D's infrastructure like his Ultimate counterpart. Thor himself is also a separate character from his 616 secret identity, Donald Blake. His suit's design bears a resemblance to the Ultimate Universe design (silver arm and legpieces).
  • Adaptation Dye-Job: Loki's comic book counterpart is green-eyed, but the movie incarnation has blue irises. Moreover, the mythological Loki is a redhead, not raven-haired.
  • Adapted Out: Balder never appears in the film, despite being an important character in the Thor mythos since his debut in 1963.
  • Affectionate Gesture to the Head: Odin caresses the head of an abandoned Jötunn infant in order for it to stop crying. As it turns out, that child grows up to be Loki.
  • Age Cut: We go from young Thor and Loki telling Odin each was ready to be king to a grown Thor having Mjölnir passed to him.
  • Agent Peacock: Loki is a Vain Sorcerer and a Pretty Boy; his devotion to magic (a woman's trade in Asgard), his lithe physique (as opposed to the burly Asgardian men), his vanity (in a deleted scene, Thor calls Loki a cow because of the horns on the latter's helmet), and his penchant for deceit in a warrior culture set him apart from Asgard's traditional masculine ideals. Loki is The Chessmaster who's capable of outsmarting King Laufey. He's the only known individual who can block Heimdall's Super-Senses, which makes Loki extraordinarily adept at evasion. With throwing knives and illusions, Loki can take down Frost Giants.
  • Alas, Poor Villain: Loki's apparent suicide, both to the audience and to his family.
  • Alien Among Us: Thor, a Sufficiently Advanced Alien is stranded on Earth as a punishment.
  • Aliens in Cardiff: All kinds of extradimensional stuff breaks loose near a small New Mexico town.
  • Aliens Love Human Food: Thor has a fondness for coffee and Pop Tarts.
  • Aliens Never Invented Democracy: Asgard has an absolute monarchy.
  • Aliens of London: Most of the Asgardians speak with an English accent, although not the olde butchered variety as in the comics.
  • Aliens Speaking English: All of the Asgardians speak pretty good English, and one (Hogun) even has a Japanese accent. Somewhat justified in that it's hinted they visit Earth occasionally, although why it seems to be their default language is anyone's guess. The original script has a wonderful exchange between Darcy and Fandral that sort of lampshades this. She asks how the Asgardians can speak "our language." Fandral replies something to the effect of "Your language...? My dear, you're speaking our language." Even Hogun's different accent is justified. The sequel shows that he is not actually Aesir, but comes from another realm, namely Vanaheim.
  • Alien Sky: It was not seen, but Jane points out that, during the weird effect that brought this guy, the stars in the sky were not the right ones.
  • All in the Eyes: Used in some shots of Laufey and Loki.
  • All There in the Manual: Half of the characters' names, a good half of the plot, and all of the mythology come from the Ancient Norse legends. Subverted, in that most of it isn't canon in the MCU.
  • Always Second Best: Loki strongly feels this way about his older brother Thor. He lampshades it in the third act.
    Loki: I never wanted the throne! I only ever wanted to be your equal.
  • Amazing Technicolor Population: Frost Giants are blue-skinned.
  • Ancient Astronauts: The Asgardians, and to a lesser extent, the Jötnar, were aliens who visited Earth many times in our history.
  • And I Must Scream: While Heimdall is frozen in ice by Loki, his scream of rage gets louder and louder.
  • And Starring: The main cast roll here ends "with Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins as Odin".
  • And Your Little Dog, Too!: Thor finally stops trying to reason with a now Ax-Crazy Loki and attacks him when Loki threatens to pay Jane Foster a "visit".
  • Anger Born of Worry: Odin is furious at Thor when he foolishly goes to Jötunheim to pick a fight with the Frost Giants, which nearly gets him, his brother, and his friends killed, not to mention nearly starting a war.
  • Angrish: Odin just growls loudly at Loki when he tries to speak up for his brother after returning from Jötunheim. Loki gets the message.
  • Angst Coma: Downplayed. Odin was already close to the Odinsleep, but he eventual collapses when he tells Loki about his real heritage and his son subsequently berates him for hiding this.
  • Animal Reaction Shot: All of the puppies look up when Thor bursts into the pet store asking for a horse.
  • Animated Armor: The Destroyer. Its arrival on Earth includes this fun Continuity Nod.
    Agent Sitwell: Is that one of Stark's?
    Agent Coulson: I don't know. Guy never tells me anything.
  • Antagonistic Offspring: Loki to Laufey, although the latter is unaware of the relation.
  • Anti-Villain: Loki flip-flops between a Nominal Hero and a Woobie Anti-Villain throughout most of the film. His intentions were good, he had a valid point about Thor not being ready to be king, he tried to speak up for his brother before discovering his true heritage, and it's implied that finding out he was a Frost Giant is what drove him over the edge and really turned him against Thor. Thor's attitude towards Loki through most of the movie also makes his behavior all the more justified. While it initially seemed like Loki had wanted Odin dead, this is later revealed to be a ruse. His use of the Bifröst on Jötunheim is still a clear-cut attempt at genocide. Loki is a lost boy, desperately seeking his father's approval, a nerd in a society of bruisers. He's wrong in what he does, but he's not wrong about being The Unfavorite. He's not wrong that he's different.
  • Apocalypse How: After Thor returns to Asgard, Loki attempts to completely annihilate Jötunheim with the Rainbow Bridge.
  • Attack on One Is an Attack on All: After the Frost Giant attack on Asgard's treasure room that was easily repelled by the Destroyer, Thor calls it a declaration of war against Asgard while Odin dismisses it as the rash actions of a few individuals who paid for it with their lives.
  • Awesome Moment of Crowning: When Thor proves himself worthy and regains his power and armor in a glorious sequence.
  • Awful Truth: Loki's true origins. In the DVD commentary, Branagh lampshades it, saying it’s a "cataclysmic discovery" for him.
  • Badass Family: Odin, Frigga, Thor, and Loki are all badass Space Viking warriors. (Although Frigga and Loki lean more toward the badass Space Viking wizard side.)
  • Bait-and-Switch Suicide: It appears that suicide by collapsing wormhole is Loki's response to the realization that his father would never condone his actions, and indeed he is assumed dead by his family and the rest of Asgard. However, in The Stinger, he is shown to be alive and well and close to grabbing the Tessaract.
  • Bar Brawl: It is implied that Thor and Erik Selvig get into a bar brawl after Selvig unwisely tries to outdrink Thor.
    Thor: We drank, we fought, he made his ancestors proud!
  • The Bard on Board: invoked According to director Kenneth Branagh (most famous for his filmed productions of Shakespearean plays), he drew heavily on Henry V for Thor, with a bit of King Lear for flavor.
  • Batman in My Basement: After Thor ends up on Earth, he's taken in and protected by mere mortals.
  • Battle in the Rain: Thor's battle against the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to recover his hammer takes place on a cloudy night that rains harder and harder the closer Thor gets to failure. Culminating in a drenching downpour. Thor gives his coat to Jane before he heads in, hinting he knows the rain is coming and it's due to his proximity to Mjölnir.
  • The Beautiful Elite: As a Prince of Asgard, it's expected that Loki's wardrobe be lavish and majestic, but he takes the "beautiful" part much more seriously than Thor or Odin. Loki's attire is noticeably more elaborate than theirs, and it always flatters his statuesque frame. The extravagant horns on his gold helmet magnify his imposing stature, and combined with his royal armour, it leaves no doubt that he's part of the ruling class. He's easily the best-dressed man in the realm.
  • Beware the Quiet Ones: Loki. Compared to the World of Ham around him, he's almost whispering (early on, anyway). Exemplified towards the beginning when Odin and Thor are boisterously arguing ("BUT YOU'RE NOT KING! ...not yet.") and Loki's just off in the corner giving them both a sassy side-eye.
  • Big Bad: Loki manipulated the events of the film to seize the throne of Asgard.
  • Big Bad Duumvirate: Loki tricks Laufey into believing they are this.
  • Big Brother Is Watching:
    • Heimdall can turn his gaze upon anyone, allowing him to see people in other realms. Volstagg lampshades this, that they can't go against Loki's orders, because Heimdall might be watching. Cue a guard promptly showing up and informing them that Heimdall has summoned them.
    • On Earth, S.H.I.E.L.D. found out about Jane's research and were on site very quickly, they are unable to resist as Agent Coulson has everything electronic collected.
  • Big Damn Heroes:
    • Odin shows up just in time to save Thor and his friends from the Frost Giants near the beginning. Granted, it is only one hero, but he is on a horse at the time. A horse with eight legs no less. Then he does it a second time to save Thor and Loki from falling into a wormhole.
    • Loki invokes this trope to gain favor with his parents, intentionally setting up the Frost Giant assassination plot just so he could foil it. Fortunately, Thor shows up to immediately spoil the moment for Loki.
  • The Big Damn Kiss: Double Subverted when Thor and Jane Almost Kiss before he goes back to Asgard, and he pulls away a bit uncertainly and gives her another kiss on the hand, so she kisses him instead.
  • Big Eater: Seems common among Asgardians:
    • Thor eats an entire plate of food and asks for more. Darcy remarks that he had already eaten an entire box of Pop-tarts before that.
    • Volstagg, even by Asgardian standards, as Lampshaded by Fandral in one scene.
      Fandral: Our dearest friend banished, Loki on the throne, Asgard on the brink of war, and yet you managed to consume four wild boars, six pheasants, a side of beef, and two casks of ale. Shame on you! Don't you care?!
      [Fandral dashes the plate from Volstagg's hands]
      Volstagg: Do not mistake my Appetite For Apathy!
  • Big Fancy Castle: Asgard's golden palace is enormous.
  • Big Good: Odin is the king of Asgard and the highest authority against Laufey, the king of Jötunheim. The fragile peace between them is the catalyst of the movie's plot.
  • The Big Guy: One of the special agents at the crater is significantly bigger than the others and is the only one to give Thor an ounce of difficulty. Thor isn't impressed by his size.
    Thor: [grins] You're big... fought bigger.
  • Big "NO!": Thor, when Loki releases his grip on the spear at the climax of the film and hurtles across the universe. This is immediately followed by Odin who whispers the same reaction.
  • Big, Screwed-Up Family: Odin, Thor, and Loki are just as dysfunctional as many mortal families. Despite their actions and their words, they still love each other. Poor Frigga just tries to keep the peace.
  • Big "WHAT?!": Jane has a particularly comedic one when she accidentally hits Thor with the van. Again.
  • Big "WHY?!": Implied. As a part of a Break the Haughty moment, Thor screams towards the sky when he realises that he can't lift Mjölnir anymore and that his father has well and truly banished him.
  • Bilingual Bonus: The very first scene takes place at a location called "Puente Antiguo," Spanish for "ancient bridge."
  • Birds of a Feather: When fighting breaks out at the crater site, Jane calls Selvig to confess she did exactly what he told her not to do, paralleling Thor's confrontation with Odin in the first act.
  • Bittersweet Ending: In the end, Thor puts a stop to Loki's Evil Plan and makes amends with his father. However, he has lost his brother to The Dark Side and with the destruction of the Bifröst Bridge, he remains separated from Jane and the others indefinitely. Oh, and Loki is alive and well on Earth, and about to grab a hold of the Tesseract.
  • Black Sheep: Loki's not as physically powerful as his father or brother, so he relies on his wits and illusions in battle. He's also an adopted Frost Giant as well, although this doesn't affect his family's love for him at all.
  • Black Site: S.H.I.E.L.D. builds a temporary black site around Mjölnir. It's not terribly secret, considering everyone in the nearby town knows what was there before the government chased them out, but it otherwise hits all the points of the "Secret Lab" description.
  • Blatant Lies: Erik's explanation as to how Thor beat up a half-dozen or so S.H.I.E.L.D. men. "Steroids!" Agent Coulson lets it slide but only so he can see where they'll go if released. Followed immediately by the following dialog.
    Coulson: Dr. Selvig? Keep him away from the bars.
    Selvig: I will!
    (Beat)
    Thor: Where are we going?
    Selvig: To get a drink.
  • Bling of War: Loki's green-and-gold armour is magnificent to behold. It's more stylish than Thor's or Odin's, which is not surprising considering that Loki is a master of deception, so appearances are important to him.
  • Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: The Warriors Three; Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg.
  • Blood Knight: Thor, at first. Sif and The Warriors Three also enjoy a good fight. Fandral, in particular, seems to have the time of his life fighting Frost Giants.
  • Bloodless Carnage: When shown the view through the Frost-monster's now-aerated head, the hole has little to no discernible dripping blood. Likewise, Thor is surprisingly clean for having flown through there hammer-first. Inexplicably, when he flies through, you see a giant gush of gore out the exit wound.
  • Blue Blood: All of the prominent Asgard characters are members of its royalty, or at least nobility. Thor and Loki are the blue-bloodiest of all, being first and second in line to the throne, respectively.
  • Bodyguarding a Badass: Odin is the most powerful being in the Nine Realms, but he's helpless during the Odinsleep, so it's Frigga's duty to guard him as he recuperates. She kills one of Laufey's goons who attempts to assassinate her husband.
  • Boisterous Bruiser: Volstagg. Thor himself is a milder version. Both of them are rowdy, fight happy guys.
  • Boomerang Bigot: Loki, after finding out he's a Frost Giant, then wants to destroy all Frost Giants. The bigotry is less apparent because he was raised as an Asgardian and taught to fear and hate Frost Giants all his life.
  • Boom Head Shot: Thor flying through the ice-monster's head. Also his method of vanquishing The Destroyer.
  • Both Sides Have a Point: While Laufey is right about Thor mucking around with things that will only lead to bloodshed if he had any sense of self-reflection about his actions, Thor wasn't just in Jötunheim entirely for personal glory but because he was angered over an illegal invasion of his lands. The fact Odin did not want to deal with Laufey over it is being overly conservative when the invaders killed two guards and almost stole back their people's most dangerous weapon. In the very least a pointed discussion with Laufey should have been on the table (counter-invasion being a bit much as a first move but a consideration down the line should Laufey be uncooperative) as the terms of their truce were faltering.
  • Brains and Brawn: Loki and Thor complement each other this way. At first...
  • Brains Evil, Brawn Good: Thor and Loki — the first hint you really get toward Loki's nature is that he's using spells and trickery during the first big battle, while Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three are all in the melee. Although he does toss magic bolts that break the Frost Giants ice weapons.
  • Brainy Brunette:
    • Dr. Jane Foster is an astrophysicist.
    • Gender-flipped with Loki, who is a master of magic, which makes him the equivalent of a Bookworm on Asgard because magic and science are the same thing in that realm. In the original material, this is part of what made Loki a queer icon. Magic was the woman's science, and his mastery of it, learned from his mother, along with his constant gender-flipping, makes him a perfect brainy brunette.
  • Breakout Character: Loki was well-received by audiences and fans and became one of the franchise's most popular characters, especially after he was given a major role in The Avengers after his surprise success here.
  • Break the Haughty: Thor's banishment to Earth serves as one of these. Thor is a "vain and greedy boy" before it and a noble prince afterwards.
  • Brought Down to Badass: Thor is cast out of Asgard and stripped of Mjölnir and his powers, leaving him mortal... but as a mortal built like a linebacker with a combat experience reaching back several millennia. As Son of Coul aptly puts it:
    Agent Coulson: It's not easy to do what you did. You made my men — some of the most highly trained professionals in the world — look like a bunch of minimum-wage mall cops. That's hurtful. In my experience, it takes someone who's received similar training to do what you did to them.
  • Buffy Speak: Darcy has a tendency to do this. For instance, she constantly refers to Mjölnir as "Mew-Mew". It's lampshaded when Selvig wonders what her scientific qualifications are, leading Jane to admit it's in political science, but she hired her because she was the only applicant they had.
  • Butt-Monkey: Thor, for the first five minutes after he comes to Earth. He gets hit by a car, tased, dosed, then hit by a car again.
  • Cain and Abel: Loki and Thor, respectively.
  • Calling the Old Man Out: After finding out about his adoption, Loki calls out Odin for lying to him his entire life and having a Parental Favoritism towards Thor.
    Loki: You know, it all makes sense now, why you favored Thor all these years! Because no matter how much you claim to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!
  • Calling the Young Man Out: Early in the movie, Thor is caught starting a brawl with the Frost Giants, nearly paving the way for a war between Asgard and Jotunheim, and has to be bailed out by his father Odin. Normally the golden boy of the family, Thor is raked over the coals for this, but in an astonishing display of arrogance, tries Calling the Old Man Out for perceived cowardice. Odin's response is a full-blown "Reason You Suck" Speech that ends with Thor being stripped of his powers and banished to Earth.
    Odin: You are a vain, greedy, cruel boy!
  • Call Reception Area: Thor and co. going to Jötunheim is what gets the plot going.
  • Came from the Sky: Mjölnir is found in a crater by locals that is assumed to come from a satellite crash by some, until S.H.I.E.L.D. gets interested in it.
  • The Cameo:
    • Hawkeye makes his debut through a minor role as a sniper when Thor tries to retrieve his hammer.
      Barton: You better call it, Coulson, 'cause I'm starting to root for this guy.
    • The movie possibly sets a record for writers of the comics doing cameos: Stan Lee gets his traditional cameo, of course. J. Michael Straczynski as the first guy who finds Mjölnir in the crater, and Walt Simonson is an Asgardian. His wife and fellow writer Louise Simonson, and Marvel editor Ralph Macchionote  are also present as extras.
    • The Stinger with Nick Fury recruiting Selvig.
  • Canon Foreigner: Erik Selvig and Darcy Lewis were created specifically for the film to round out the human side of Thor's supporting cast. Selvig eventually went on to appear in the comics.
    • Darcy would appear in the first sequel and, possibly due to events in the films, became an astrophysicist (like Jane), and was tapped for the brain-squad in Wandavision.
  • Can't Hold His Liquor: Selvig tries to out drink Thor who ends up having to carry him home, although it's really not known how much he drank.
    Thor: We drank, we fought, he made his ancestors proud!
  • Character Development:
    • Thor's is the point of the movie. He starts out as a reckless, selfish Boisterous Bruiser. By the end, the first two are gone and even the last trait is tempered to The Hero.
    • Meanwhile, as his Evil Counterpart Foil, Loki lets his flaws and problems consume him once he finds out his true origins.
  • Charm Person: In The Stinger, Loki forces Dr. Erik Selvig do his bidding without the Chitauri scepter (Selvig doesn't have the Mind-Control Eyes associated with the Mind Stone, and Loki even has to touch him with the scepter in The Avengers (2012) to enslave Selvig's mind) via a Psychic Link. When Loki's "reflection" in the mirror whispers with a smirk, "Well, I guess that's worth a look," Selvig parrots his words and his grin.
  • Cheerful Funeral: The end shows Thor and the other Asgardians having a huge feast, and in The Avengers Thor tells an actually-very-much-alive Loki that they mourned him. At least one person outside the film tried to claim Thor was a Hypocrite because of this, but this was in fact how the Norse honored someone's death, making this a severe research flub.
  • Chekhov's Gun:
    • Darcy's picture of Thor is later used on a falsified ID card.
    • Remember Loki taunting Heimdall over making use of secret passages that the latter wasn't aware of? Take a guess how Loki makes it to Earth even though Thor destroyed the Rainbow Bridge.
    • The Bifröst Bridge remaining open and causing destruction upon the world it links to is mentioned by Heimdall in the beginning of the film.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: The Destroyer vaporizes frost giant thieves in the first Asgard scene. It provides the opportunity for Thor to prove himself worthy of his hammer.
  • Chekhov's Skill:
    • Jane's area of research is the creation of an Einstein–Rosen Bridge. The film ends with Asgard's Bifröst destroyed and Jane attempting to create a bridge from Earth in order to reach Asgard, doubling as a Sequel Hook.
    • Loki's ability to create illusionary duplicates of himself and his inability to lift Mjölnir.
  • Chew-Out Fake-Out: Sif and the Warriors Three are clearly expecting to be reamed out by Heimdall for planning to retrieve Thor and overthrow Loki. Instead, Heimdall totally approves of their idea and helps them do it.
  • Child of Two Worlds: Loki. Odin hopes he will be able to unite the Asgardians and the Jotuns and bring about peace between them. It doesn't work out that way.
  • Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Loki.
    • First, he goes behind his father's back to aid the Frost Giants in order to "ruin his brother's big day" — indirectly resulting in the death of two innocent guards and Thor's banishment, which Loki didn't want based on his fuller arc in the deleted scenes, but he nevertheless uses to his advantage.
    • He probably also didn't intend to send Odin into a coma, but he took full advantage of the situation to take the throne and keep Thor banished, lying to his brother about Odin being dead and a treaty with the frost giants stipulating that Thor stay gone.
    • Then, he approached the king of the frost giants with a deal: kill Odin in his sleep, and Loki would return their lost MacGuffin.
    • Finally, when said King of the Frost Giants approached Odin's bedside, Loki blew him away in order to try to appear as a hero before his father. Unfortunately for him, Thor showed up and spilled the beans moments later, but that didn't stop Loki from going on to try to annihilate the entire Frost Giant realm.
  • Clarke's Third Law: The Asgardians. The law is quoted by Jane. The Asgardian Bifröst is explained as an Einstein–Rosen Bridge. However, this law cannot explain things like Odin's enchantment on Mjölnir, his Odinforce, Thor's lightning powers (it is later revealed his powers do not originate from Mjölnir), Loki's illusion powers or Heimdall's sight power, etc. In such cases, it's clear that there is actual magic behind it and not something that can be explained away scientifically or with this law. Also, Asgard's technology does use actual magic in it to an extent.
  • Close on Title: The words "Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment Present" take five minutes to appear, while the actors' names and title card come during the end credits.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Darcy sometimes appears to be this and sometimes not. Thor, too, when he arrives on Midgard.
  • Cold Archer: Hawkeye has his arrow trained on Thor the entire time he's fighting the large S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He's constantly checking in with Coulson on whether or not he should release his draw, as apparently he could have had a shot at any time. Ultimately he doesn't, but he definitely has the detachment and focus of your average sniper until the very end.
  • Color-Coded Eyes: Loki was given artificially bright, almost glowing green eyes for the promotional posters, both to highlight his unpredictable mischievousness and to lampshade his envy of Thor. In the actual film, his eyes are blue.
  • Combat Pragmatist: Loki is a big fan of distracting his foes with illusions of himself and then shooting at them from a safe distance. His magical throwing knives are the only ranged weapons used by Thor's group, other than Mjölnir (which Thor largely uses as a melee weapon anyway). Everyone else has to get up close and personal with the Frost Giants to hit them, which turns out to be a bad thing after Volstagg learns the hard way that the Jötnar can freeze by touch. When a Frost Giant who speared Fandral is moving in to finish the job, Loki is able to take down the Jötunn before the latter can reach his target.
  • Comically Missing the Point:
    • S.H.I.E.L.D. took everything, including, oh, horror of horrors, Darcy's iPod after she just downloaded 30 new songs.
    • Thor himself, in the hospital scene:
      Doctor: Hi! We'll just take a little blood.
      Thor: How dare you attack the son of Odin!
    • And again in the pet store.
      Thor: I need a horse!
      Bemused Clerk: We don't have horses. Just cats, dogs, birds...
      Thor: Then give me one of those big enough to ride.
  • Consummate Liar: Loki, natch. He's so good at it you really do have to wonder about some of his more sympathetic aspects; maybe that's just how he wants you to feel about him.
  • Continuity Nod:
  • Cool Helmet: Almost every Asgardian wears one; golden, horned, etc. The Frost Giants have a few as well.
  • Cool Horse: As per mythology (and the comics but to a lesser extent), Odin rides a giant horse with eight legs.
  • Cool Old Guy: Odin (Action Dad) and Erik Selvig (drinking match). Heimdall is pretty cool and seemingly much older than the main cast as well, although he's played by a younger actor.
  • Cool Sword: Heimdall's sword, Hofund, controls the Bifröst Bridge, and Frost Giants can grow their own.
  • Costume Porn: All over Asgard because it's a fantasy-alien-Viking culture.
  • Crash-Into Hello: With a car. Twice!
  • Crazy Homeless People: Darcy initially believes Thor to be this, based on his behavior, and even calls him a "crazy homeless guy."
  • Create Your Own Hero: Loki gets Thor exiled from Asgard by setting things up to show that his brother isn't worthy of taking their father's throne. In doing so, he humbles Thor enough for him to become worthy. Sending the Destroyer after him gave him a chance to prove it.
  • Crown of Horns: Loki wears a very ostentatious horned helmet. It's both a status and ceremonial symbol, like a crown or coronet, indicating his rank as a prince of Asgard.
  • Cryptic Background Reference: Selvig references knowing a colleague who's had dealings with S.H.I.E.L.D. in the past. invoked Word of God would confirm this to be a reference to Hank Pym.
  • Crystal Spires and Togas: Asgard, though they prefer slightly more form-fitting and battle-ready wear than togas.
  • Cue the Billiard Shot: The scene of Thor and Selvig getting a drink at the local bar after getting Thor out of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody opens with a pool table shot.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle:
    • The Destroyer has no difficulty wiping the floor with Sif and the Warriors Three. When Thor enters the battle, he responds in kind.
    • The Asgardians are wiping the floor with the Frost Giants until one gets hurt. Then...
    • They're at the bridge, facing a behemoth, stunned into silence. Then Thor introduces himself. Then...
    • They're backed against a cliff, facing an army of Frost Giants and Odin shows up.
    • Really, the first half hour of the film is a series of curb stomps as a way to show how awesome everyone is.
  • Cute Monster Girl: Gender-inverted; Loki was abandoned by the Frost Giant king Laufey for being too small. When Odin found the crying and helpless infant, it resembled a blue human (or Asgardian) baby with raised lines on its skin. Although Odin had pragmatic reasons to adopt the offspring of an enemy (he had planned for Loki to become the next sovereign of Jötunheim), it's implied that he also took pity on the child, which was facilitated by the fact that Loki looked no less cute than any other Asgardian baby. As an adult, Loki becomes a male Green-Skinned Space Babe whenever he's in the presence of Jötunn magic.

    Tropes D to G 
  • Dagwood Sandwich: Volstagg is preparing one while Thor is talking his comrades into attacking Jötunheim.
  • Damned by Faint Praise: When Thor sets off to recover Mjölnir and parts ways with Jane, Erik, and Darcy, there's a furniture store in the background named "OK Furniture".
  • Dance Battler: In combat, Loki's movements are always fluid and dance-like, and they're deliberately filmed to appear beautiful. Tom Hiddleston elaborates on his character's supple physicality this interview:
    Hiddleston: I did a lot of training, actually. Ken[neth Branagh] asked for me to be very lean and very strong at the same time. And he wanted me to develop a fighting style that would be much closer to, I don't know if you've heard about the Brazilian martial art of capoeira. If Thor was a big rock then Loki was like the wind. And he would just dance around this sturdy block of granite that was Thor. And so I developed a kind of fighting style that was much more balletic. I used to jump rope a lot. Ken said, "I don't want you to build muscle," because I could have. But he wanted to keep me really lean and really flexible so that he would swing the hammer and I would bend around it.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Hawkeye, Darcy, Coulson, and Loki after almost getting Thor to leave Jötunheim.
    Hawkeye: You want me to slow him down, sir? Or are you sending in more guys for him to beat up?
    Coulson: I'll let you know.
    [after Thor gets his powers back]
    Coulson: Donald? I don't think you've been completely honest with me.
  • Death Glare: Loki gives a menacing one to Sif in the throne room while he leans slightly forward in her direction. His eyes and body language seem to say, "I dare you to talk back to your king."
  • Defensive "What?": Darcy Lewis does this after zapping Thor with her taser — with Jane Foster and Erik Selvig staring at her in horror.
    Darcy: What?! He was freaking me out!
  • Descriptively-Named Species: The Frost Giants, who are about eight feet tall and living on a planet full of ice.
  • Despair Event Horizon: Odin's "No, Loki" seems to have had this effect on his son. Loki allowed himself to be sucked into the swirling, random tunnel of the Bifröst... making it a literal despair event horizon.
  • Deuteragonist: Loki moves the plot along as much as his brother. For most of the movie, he is wrapped up with his own story that doesn't intersect with Thor's perfectly. At the end, everything converges, and Loki must bear the consequences of his actions.
  • Did Not Think This Through: The end of the film shows at least one reason why no one has ever used the Bifröst as a weapon before. Thor can't even approach it to shut it off and it's putting Asgard at risk as well.
  • Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Played for Laughs when it happens twice to Thor in his relatively weak mortal form, first via taser and later from a fast-acting sedative. The best part of this? Thor is the god of thunder. Taser = electricity.
    Thor: YOU DARE TO THREATEN THE MIGHTY THOR WITH SO PUNY A WEAP— [thud]
  • Disappointing Heritage Reveal: Loki is a Jötnar, the son of the Frost Giant king Laufey, but was raised as an Asgardian and Odin's son from infancy. When he discovers the truth, he's furious because, besides feeling deeply betrayed by Odin's ruse, he despises the Jötnar and, in a twisted attempt to prove his loyalty to Asgard, devises a plan to trick them into thinking he's loyal to them in order to then wipe out his own species.
  • Disc-One Final Boss: It seems like the main antagonist will be Laufey, the Frost Giant king invading Asgard. However, Loki is manipulating him to take the Asgardian throne for himself.
  • Disney Villain Death: Loki is presumed dead after falling off of the ruined Bifröst and into the void of space, but The Stinger shows him alive and well on Earth.
  • Distracted by the Sexy: Darcy constantly gets distracted by Thor's attractiveness. To a lesser extent, Jane displays this as well, as when Thor kisses her hand and she's reduced to a giggling blush, or when she almost drives off the road because she's busy staring at him.
  • Doing In the Wizard: Played with. While the comics firmly depict the Asgardians as gods who are magical in nature, the film's Asgardians are explicitly aliens, with their powers kept ambiguous. Some of it is attributed to advanced technology, but Loki's powers are explicitly called magic. The Asgardians do not draw a distinction between the two as modern humans do.
  • Do Not Touch the Funnel Cloud: To defeat the Destroyer, Thor creates a tornado to throw it off-balance. Only what is directly touching the funnel cloud gets caught within its grasp—most of the surrounding area is just fine during and after. Justified in that the tornado is under Thor's complete control via Mjölnir. Normal rules may not apply. This also happens at the end of the film with the falling, firing Bifröst creating a vortex in space.
  • Doppelgänger Spin: Loki does this now and then, especially during his fight against Thor at the end.
  • Dork Knight: Thor, after he's transported to Earth and stripped off his powers, is a complete and utter naive dork with a big, goofy grin on his face when there isn't any danger about. Much of it comes from having little clue about Midgard customs and being as excited and happy to learn as a Golden Retriever let loose in a dog park.
  • Double Entendre: In a deleted scene, Fandral, the Robin Hood-esque Warrior Three is surrounded by attractive young women in Asgard. He draws his sword and asks "Who wants to polish my sword?"
  • Double Weapon: Sif's sword can elongate and become a double-bladed Darth Maul-style weapon.
  • Dramatic Drop: Selvig and Darcy drop their mugs at the sight of Sif and the Warriors Three, while they and Jane also do borderline Eye Takes.
  • Drinking Contest: Thor and Selvig. Each drinks his boilermaker, eyeing the other and each chugs it down. Thor wins, although Selvig makes his ancestors proud.
  • Driven to Suicide: Loki. Or so it appears at first...
  • Dutch Angle:
    • Done a lot, presumably to further emphasize the Asgardians' heights or that being on Midgard is just so darn weird for Thor. According to Kenneth Branagh's DVD commentary, this was done to create a look similar to comic book panel layouts.
    • In one of the deleted scenes on the DVD, the camera angle becomes very tilted after Erik gets drunk.
    • Erik lies to Coulson about Thor (a.k.a. Donald Blake). Coulson knows he's lying. He wants to see where this is going.
  • The Dutiful Son: Played with. Both sons have their own idea of how to impress Odin, but both involve defying him in some way. In fact, trying to prove themselves as this is the driving factor in the plot. Towards the end of the movie, however, Thor more or less begins playing this straight.
  • Dynamic Entry: Eventually, after being banished to Earth, Thor finds Mjölnir at a government research facility build around it (since it can't be moved). As he confidently strides towards it, a huge guard introduces himself to Thor and the viewer by punching Thor square in the face.
    Thor: [smiling] You're big... fought bigger. [attacks guard]
  • Early-Bird Cameo:
    • Hawkeye has a minor role here and does not come into prominence until The Avengers.
    • The huge statues spread throughout Asgard are revealed in Thor: The Dark World to be modeled after Bor, Odin's father, who fought against Malekith and the Dark Elves millennia ago.
    • Agent Jasper Sitwell. He makes a few more subsequent cameos before becoming a fairly prominent character in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
  • Early-Installment Weirdness:
    • Odin's vault has a blink-and-you-miss-it wiew of The Infinity Gauntlet, with all the Infinity Gems. Later movies of the MCU would work with the gems as a recurring plot topic, leading to Avengers: Infinity War. Kevin Feige invoked had to clarify that the one in Asgard is indeed a second one, unrelated to the main one. And Thor: Ragnarok reveals that that gauntlet is a fake.
    • Hawkeye's Early-Bird Cameo (mentioned above) comes off as odd to anyone who's now seen the character in the later MCU productions. The Hawkeye we know now would never even have a moment where he doesn't have his bow on him, let alone momentarily consider picking up a gun rather than a bow.
    • The movie's Asgard looks very dark compared to the colorful sequels, not helped by how it's seemingly Always Night in the scenes there.
    • Directed by a director of Shakespearian theater, this film stands out in that it's Shakespearian theater. It has a royal family with lots of family drama rather than world-threatening monsters or a purple man who wants to demicide the universe or a working class joe who became a weapons dealer. Thor and Loki are both princes who desperately seek the king's approval. Said king is also played by a Shakespearian actor and a good chunk of the cast only joined the project because they heard it was a Shakespeare thing. It was about that time everyone knew the MCU was its own thing, and it wasn't a Shakespearian drama. This film generally has a low rating among fans, in part for being such a Shakespearian stand-out among the rest of the more than a decade of MCU films. It also has its holdouts. Shakespeare. Loki is pretty.
  • Easter Egg: If you look really closely, you can see The Infinity Gauntlet in the arsenal at the start of the movie. This ends up being a Call-Forward to The Avengers and the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large... until Thor: Ragnarok reveals that Gauntlet is a fake and the real one is given a different origin in Avengers: Infinity War.
  • Eating the Eye Candy:
    • It's pretty obvious just how much Darcy appreciated Thor's physical attributes. When she first sees what Thor looks like after Jane inadvertently runs him down:
      Darcy: Whoa. Does he need CPR? Because I totally know CPR.
      • And when Thor is getting dressed:
        Darcy: [staring] You know, for a crazy, homeless person, he's pretty cut.
    • Jaimie Alexander, the actress who played Lady Sif, talked in an interview about this kind of thing going on behind the scenes. People on set agreed it was in character for Sif, but Jaimie did it because... well, just look at Chris Hemsworth.
      Interviewer: Yeah... so how hard was it not to just touch what Kenneth Branagh aptly describes as that "awe inspiring" chest every so often?
      Jaimie Alexander: Oh no, I would always go up to him like, "Hey what's up how you doing?" slapping him on the chest. Sometimes my hand would linger a little too long, or I would stare at him and they were like, "That's okay, you’re just in character." And I was like, "Yeah... that’s why I'm doing it."
  • Elemental Powers:
    • Lightning — Thor can summon lightning from the sky and channel it through Mjölnir.
    • Wind — Thor can also use Mjölnir to generate powerful whirlwinds.
    • Fire — The Destroyer's specialty with its heat beams.
    • Ice — The Jötnar, being Frost Giants.
  • Engineered Heroics: Loki makes an arrangement for the Jotuns to enter Asgard and kill Odin while he sleeps. His actual plan is to sweep in and kill them thereby making himself the hero of Asgard with a good excuse to wipe out their entire planet.
  • Ermine Cape Effect: Everyone in Asgard walks around wearing Full Viking Mess Dress all the time.
  • Establishing Character Moment: A deleted scene before Thor's coronation introduces Sif and the Warriors Three. Volstagg, The Big Guy Viking, is seen pining after food and complaining of being hungry. Hogun, the Japanese-esque, is grimly hiding a blade in his gauntlet and not talking. Fandral, the "Robin Hood", is admiring himself in a mirror and flirting with attractive women. Sif, the Action Girl, is seen removing several weapons and placing them on a table.
  • Even Evil Can Be Loved: Despite everything that happened, his brother, his mother, his father, and his friends still love and care for Loki, and are grieved when he seems to die.
  • Everyone Went to School Together: When talking about Thor, Loki, Sif and the Warriors Three's backstory in the DVD commentary Kenneth Branagh mentions that "they'd been to the 'Asgardian Academy'" and had been on several adventures together in the past.
  • Evil Counterpart: Loki is this to Frigga. They're linked through their femininity, as she's the lone woman in the royal family and he's an androgynous man. Frigga is happy being the Queen consort of Asgard with a supporting role in her husband's reign, whereas Loki is miserable having to play second fiddle to Thor, the Crown Prince. Loki's envy and resentment towards his brother eventually lead him to commit fratricide (although the enchantment Odin had placed on Mjölnir revives Thor), while Frigga is devoted to Odin and protects him from Laufey's mook.
  • Evil Is Deathly Cold: The sinister Frost Giants of Jötunn all have ice-based powers.
  • Evil Laugh: For the God of Mischief, Loki almost never laughs. The fact that he lets off several impressive maniacal cackles during the climax is a sign that he's fallen quite deep into insanity.
  • The Evil Prince: Subverted. Loki shows all signs of being the evil prince, who wants his brother and father out of the way so that he can have the throne, except for one thing: he doesn't want the throne. He never intended for Thor to be banished to Earth or for Odin to fall into the Odinsleep. After they do, it just drops into his hands. His genuine puzzlement when Frigga orders Gungnir, the symbol of kingship, to be handed to him as the Spare to the Throne in a deleted scene, and his Motive Rant during the fight with Thor prove it.
    Loki: I never wanted the throne! I only ever wanted to be your equal!
  • Evil Sorcerer: Loki uses his abilities for all sorts of things, among others to conceal the Frost Giants so that Heimdall does not notice them entering Asgard.
  • Evil Sounds Deep: Laufey, the leader of the Frost Giants has a deep, booming voice.
  • Exactly What It Says on the Tin:
    • In Old Norse, at least. "Mjölnir" means "crusher." Odin's spear is unnamed in the film, but traditionally was called "Gungnir," "unswaying one."
    • Then there's the Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge. Three guesses as to what it looks like.
    • Expecting The Destroyer to help you repair your shed is just setting yourself up for disappointment (and a ruined shed).
  • Exact Words: Heimdall employs this when he sends Sif and the Warriors Three to search for Thor. He loves this trope — he waits for Loki to announce that he's banished from Asgard to turn on him (since he no longer owes him loyalty). His mastery of this to say or hear things that aren't explicit is lampshaded by Fandral the first time he does it; "He's a complicated fellow, isn't he?" It overlaps with Rules Lawyer.
  • Expy: Much like in the comics, Volstagg is obviously based on Falstaff, and Fandral owes a lot to swashbuckling heroes played by Errol Flynn.
  • Extended Disarming: Sif in a deleted scene, in which she hands over the entire arsenal she was carrying before the coronation...then the guard knowingly stops her and she has to surrender her extra knife.
  • Extremely Short Timespan: The bulk of the film takes place over the span of two or three days.
  • The Extremist Was Right:
    • Loki engineers the Frost Giant's attempt to retake the Casket of Ancient Winters from Asgard, thus ruining Thor's coronation into becoming king because he felt he was unfit to rule. He totally was, but his banishment was unforeseen and unwanted. In the course of his adventures, Thor drops his hot-headed Boisterous Bruiser ways, allowing his native empathy, intelligence and leadership ability to come to the fore.
    • Nearly everything that Odin does. He makes it very clear that Thor's brazen and reckless actions threatened all nine realms and that just because the Asgardians won the War does not mean that the Frost Giants were defeated. His dialogue with Laufey implies there is a very tentative peace barely held between the two and they are effectively in a Cold War.
  • Eyepatch After Time Skip: Odin is seen with two eyes (or a dead, patch-less eye) in flashbacks.
  • Eye Patch Of Power: Odin, natch. He even has different patches for different situations — a golden armored one for battle, for instance.
  • Eye Scream: There are few shots of Odin with a gaping, bloodied hole where his right eye should be. The moment he loses an eye is also shown on screen although it is not graphic (he appears to lose it in a battle, which does not correspond to mythological origins where he willingly gives it up to gain knowledge and wisdom).
  • The Face: Loki is the diplomat in Thor's group of warriors. The others remark on his silver tongue, and he's the one who does the negotiating in Laufey's court.
  • Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Loki has a boyish, youthful, innocent-looking visage, and he's a Boomerang Bigot who attempts to annihilate the entire Jötunn species. After Thor has thwarted his plans and they're both hanging off the edge of what remains of the Rainbow Bridge, Loki glances up at Odin with Puppy-Dog Eyes, and in spite of the genocide that Loki had just tried to commit, his facial features are still childlike, which conveys visually that deep down, he's a love-starved boy who wishes for nothing more than to earn his father's respect and affection. When Odin expresses his disappointment at his adopted son's actions, a heartbroken Loki then releases his grip on Gungnir, and he almost literally becomes a Fallen Angel — he's a god who has fallen from grace and from the heavens (Asgard), and plunges into an abyss (a hell of sorts).
  • Facepalm: Loki does this at points in the movie due to Thor's shenanigans. It's a ruse as things go according to his plan.
  • Face-Revealing Turn: In the vault, Loki is shown from behind. Then he turns to reveal that his skin turned blue after touching the Casket because he is a Frost Giant.
  • Failure Is the Only Option: As shown in the climax when Thor proves himself worthy and Odin sheds a Single Tear, Odin is still aware of what's happening when he's in the Odinsleep. Loki's scheme had no chance of success.
  • Famed In-Story: Discussed. Sif is willing to go down fighting to the Destroyer, content that tales of her bravery would be told in Asgard for generations to come. The mortal Thor talks her out of it, saying that she should instead fight to live, so that she herself can tell said stories.
  • Fantastic Racism:
    • Played with. While there is no little amount of bad blood between Asgardians and Frost Giants, Odin adopts Loki, a Frost Giant by birth, raises him as one of his own, and has no prejudice against him. Oddly enough, Loki thinks that destroying the entire Jötunn race would please his adoptive father.
    • Thor's attitude towards the Frost Giants at first and Loki's comment below hint that racism and unacceptance are still present in Asgard.
      Odin: I wanted only to protect you from the truth.
      Loki: What, because I... I... I'm the monster parents tell their children about at night?
    • This essay interprets Loki's motives as Internalised Racism.
  • Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Inverted/lampshaded in the opening narration, which states that the Vikings are a counterpart culture of Asgardians.
  • Fashionable Asymmetry: Loki's casual outfit.
  • Fastball Special: The Warriors Three do this, with Volstagg as the ball. It doesn't work.
  • Fearsome Foot: There's a closeup of the Destroyer's foot as it enters the town on Earth.
  • Fee Fi Faux Pas: When Thor arrives on Earth and joins his new friends in a small-town diner for breakfast, he finishes drinking a cup of coffee, throws it down to the floor like a mug of ale at a Viking feast, and loudly exclaims "Another!", to the embarrassment of his companions.
  • Female Gaze: Holy Shirtless Scene, Batman!
    Darcy: You know, for a crazy homeless guy, he's pretty cut.
  • Final Solution: Loki attempts to use the Bifröst to destroy the frost giants, which for most of the movie had been portrayed as savage and violent. Thor stops him by destroying the Bifröst.
  • First Contact: What this film turns out to be, retroactively, to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From here on, humanity realizes that there are far more advanced and more powerful aliens in the universe.
  • First Kiss: Thor first kisses Jane on the hand twice, with Jane pulling him in for an actual kiss at the end.
  • Fish out of Water: Downplayed with Thor. The writers said they wanted to avoid the usual trope of a character coming to Earth and instantly becoming an idiot. To that end, they have Thor be easily capable of understanding Midgard once he cares to try. It makes sense, he's been there before. Though he was primarily interacting with a culture that was basically his own. This could also be why he gets along well enough with the Scandinavian Erik Selvig.
  • Flat World: Asgard. The Bifröst sits at the very edge.
  • Flipping the Table: Thor upturns a large banquet table in frustration after Odin shots down his suggestion of striking back against the Jötnar and delay his coronation.
  • Foil: Thor and Loki, obviously; brawn prince and brains prince; Asgardian and Frost Giant, etc.
  • Food End: Towards the end of Thor, Asgard holds a feast as their way of mourning Loki's Disney Death.
  • Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Interestingly, prior to shit getting real, Loki and Thor were this. Loki — although younger — was the bookish, reasonable, responsible brother who was implied to regularly attempt to talk sense to a Thor who was childish, reckless, and volatile. However, it gets swapped throughout the film. Thor's time on Midgard as a mortal mellows him out and he matures into a Wise Prince while Loki's insecurities lead him to attempt a plot that backfires horribly on him, and it begins his path on self-destruction and villainy.
  • Forbidden Chekhov's Gun: Played with. The Bifröst gate has the potential to destroy entire dimensional planes if not used properly. Loki's Evil Plan involves using it to eradicate the Frost Giants world and Thor stops it only by destroying the gate entirely, cutting them off from dimensional travel.
  • Forbidden Zone: Jötunheim for Asgardians, as lampshaded by Sif.
  • Foregone Conclusion: If you know anything about Norse Mythology, then you know well in advance that Loki is a Frost Giant and not Odin's son.
  • Foreshadowing:
    • Heimdall pointed that, if he left the Bifröst open (instead of opening it to make a transport and then close it again), he would destroy Jötunheim. It you stop to think in that line, it shouldn't have been any surprise that later in the film someone would attempt to actually use the Bifröst as a weapon doing exactly that.
    • "Allfather, you look... weary."
    • Loki's hand and lower arm turn blue when a Frost Giant attempts to "freeze-burn" him.
    • Loki's first appearance on Earth. His powers aren't nerfed like Thor, but he can't lift Mjölnir either.
    • Also, according to Odin, both Thor and Loki "were meant to be king"; Loki is the son of the Jötunn King.
    • Blink-and-you'll-miss-it: The Infinity Gauntlet is stored in the Weapons Vault... and The Avengers showed us Thanos.
    • If you're unfamiliar with Loki's inferiority complex from the comics, just watch the first half hour of the film set in Asgard and Jötunheim and watch his face every time someone talks over him or shuts him down (which happens a lot).
    • And all the way to Thor: The Dark World, this line:
      Loki: So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me?
    • And even all the way to Thor: Ragnarok, when Odin calls Thor, "my firstborn" and his voice trembles a bit at the line. The third film reveals Thor is not Odin's firstborn, but he had to imprison and remove all memory of his actual firstborn child, because her lust for power and conquest outstrips that shown by Thor in this film a hundred-fold.
    • It's established early on that the Asgardians can instantaneously travel across vast interstellar distances via the Bifrost, which is presented as an advanced wormhole gateway. In light of later films, this shouldn't be that surprising, considering they had an Infinity Stone in their possession for centuries — specifically, the one that gives its owner mastery over Space.
    • When Thor reminds Sif and the Warriors Three of all he's done for them, he asks Sif who proved that a woman could fight as well as a man. Sif pointedly says that it was she who did that. Thor cheerfully backpedals with a "true, but I supported you!", but this is actually an early hint of his Fatal Flaw — he tends to perceive himself as the main character of every story, even ones where he knows intellectually that he just played a supporting role.
  • Functional Magic: The enchantment "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor" on Mjölnir is used as a Secret Test of Character. It can also be used to imprison anyone who isn't worthy, simply by putting the hammer down on them, which is how Thor beats Loki.
  • The "Fun" in "Funeral": The end of Thor shows Thor and the other Asgardians having a huge feast in honor of Loki. This was actually Truth in Television: after a week of more "traditional" mourning, the Norsemen would throw a huge feast to honour and remember their dead ones.
  • Funny Background Event:
    • When Thor is eating in the diner, you can see Stan Lee's now-bedless pickup truck pull into the parking lot behind him.
    • When Jane declares that they must track down Thor even after he escapes custody at the hospital, Darcy can be seen reloading her taser.
    • In several shots, a watertower which reads 'Home of the Vikings' is visible.
    • Just before the Asgardians go home to battle Loki, Fandral flirts with Darcy while Thor and Jane have their emotional farewell.
    • In several shots, a New Mexico tourism ad invites readers to "Journey Into Mystery."
  • Futile Hand Reach: Thor vainly reaches for Loki when Loki lets go of Gungnir and allows himself to fall into the abyss below the Bifrost.
  • Gender Flip: Loki is the son of Laufey, true enough, he is called Loki Laufeyjarson, but whoever Laufey may have been, it is a woman's name, and a woman's name only.
  • Gendered Insult: Thor is grudgingly willing to leave Jotunheim without a fight, until one of the Frost Giants says "Run back home, little princess."
  • Genocide from the Inside: Loki is a Frost Giant who has been raised believing he is an Asgardian and taught to hate Frost Giants. He attempts to kill the Frost Giants.
  • Genre Blind: Laufey cannot see how Loki is setting him up, even though Loki never makes any provision for Asgard in their agreement once he turns over the Casket. Why would any sensible ruler offer to return their enemy's most feared weapon and not make some kind of assurance that it won't be used against them later unless it's specifically trying to create a false sense of security?
  • The Ghost: Thor takes some spare clothes left behind by Donald Blake, Jane's ex-boyfriend, and assumes his identity while trying to pass as a civilian. Blake himself is never seen. In the original comics, Blake was an identity that an amnesiac Thor used before realizing that he was actually the formerly-amnesiac son of Odin.
  • Giant Mook: Thor faces a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that fits the bill, and there's the Frost Giants who have an army of them.
  • Glamour Failure: How Loki figures out he's a Frost Giant, not an Asgardian. His hands turn ice blue when they touch the casket.
  • Glass Smack and Slide: When Thor wakes up in the hospital after getting tased by Darcy, he immediately starts fighting with the nurses and orderlies, only to get taken down by medication, and ending up face-first against the room's window.
  • The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: A gender flipped example in Thor and Loki, Thor being the elder brother, heir to the throne, golden, popular and Hot-Blooded warrior-prince, contrasted by his younger brother Loki's clever, magic-wielding Trickster God nature making him The Un-Favourite Black Sheep prince and heightening their rivalry to Cain and Abel proportions. They do love each other initially, though.
  • God Guise: While the Asgardians in the comic book are Physical Gods, in the movie they avoid that designation — Fandral talks about humans "worshiping [them] as gods", but doesn't claim to actually be one. (Jane specifically invokes Sufficiently Advanced Technology).
  • Gold and White Are Divine: Odin and Frigga are the King and Queen of Asgard and wear mostly these colours.
  • Go Mad from the Revelation: Loki, when he discovers that he's a Frost Giant. He was unstable to begin with, demonstrated when he allowed a few Frost Giants into Asgard for "a bit of fun" (a plan to discredit Thor), but this tips him over the edge. invokedWord of God says that, when he fell into the wormhole unprotected, he "saw things" that contribute to his mental instability in The Avengers.
  • Good Is Not Dumb:
    • Coulson agrees to let Thor go, then immediately gives the order to follow them once they are out of earshot.
    • Sif, Heimdall and the Warriors Three quickly figure out that Loki was behind the Frost Giant incursion.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: Odin gets an Eyepatch of Power from the last war with the Frost Giants, while their leader, Laufey, now sports a nasty series of claw marks raked across his face like a cougar swiped at him.
  • Gray Rain of Depression: The rain when Thor tries to lift his hammer and failed.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Loki. Note his armour is green, too. Thor has always been his Always Someone Better and he's never believed his father loved him.
  • Green-Skinned Space Babe: Gender-flipped; in his Frost Giant form, Loki is a lot more attractive than the grotesque, monstrous-looking members of his race. Another way to look at this is that Colm Feore (who portrayed Laufey) is wholly unrecognizable with the make-up and prosthetics, yet Tom Hiddleston's prettiness remains even when we see Loki with red eyes and raised patterns on his blue skin. This is consistent with his depiction in Norse Mythology; Loki is the sole male Giant who is "pleasing and handsome" while the other men of his kind are extremely repulsive.
  • Ground Pound: Thor does this during the fight on Jotunheim. The devastation apparently spreads for miles.

    Tropes H to M 
  • Hair-Contrast Duo: Thor as the "good blond" and Loki as the "bad brunet."
  • Hammer of Plot Advancement: Once Thor has proven himself worthy of wielding Mjölnir, his powers and strength return.
  • Hammerspace: Where Loki keeps the Casket of Ancient Winters after he takes it from the vault.
  • Ham-to-Ham Combat: When Thor calls Odin out they shout each other down.
  • Happily Adopted: Despite Loki's many transgressions and schemes, he genuinely loves his adoptive father, mother, and brother as well as his adoptive homeland of Asgard. He's even willing to destroy Jötunheim and his biological father to gain their acceptance. This makes his descent into darkness all the more tragic.
  • Harmless Freezing: Heimdall takes the full brunt of the Casket of Ancient Winters, and is still capable of busting himself out. Justified as he's a senior Asgardian, but downplayed because he's shown to be hurt after he breaks out: he's barely able to get to the bridge to open it, and afterwards collapses and needs to be treated.
  • Heaven Above: The movie has an odd scene where the titular character angrily demands to be returned to Asgard by yelling into the night sky, even though he should know the people operating the Bifrost aren't actually floating above him.
  • He Cleans Up Nicely: Thor, after reclaiming Mjölnir, goes from jeans, t-shirt and flannel to his standard armor-and-cape.
    Jane: This is how you normally look?
    Thor: More or less.
    Jane: It's a good look.
  • Heel Realization: Thor getting banished wasn't enough; learning that he couldn't wield Mjölnir is what did it.
  • Heinousness Retcon: In the first film, Loki appears to have been a decent kid and maintained a close relationship with his brother, only growing treacherous in adulthood due to a combination of envy, a misguided attempt to restrain his brother, and to appease his father. Both Thor and the Warriors Three express disbelief in the first film at the possibility that Loki could be a traitor. Come Thor: Ragnarok it's claimed that Loki has always had a treacherous side since childhood, with Thor relating an incident when they were 8 and Loki stabbed him as a "prank".
  • Held Gaze: When Jane and Thor meet after she crashes into him with her van.
  • Helmets Are Hardly Heroic:
    • Thor only wears his signature winged helmet once near the beginning of the movie. (In case you forget about it, it's in the toyline.) Loki, on the other hand, wears an incredibly ornate one in the final showdown.
    • Thor's helmet features in a deleted scene, just prior to the coronation, where he is handed it by a servant, and both he and Loki have a cheerful sibling chuckle about all the pomp.
    • Despite being part of Thor's normal 616 costume (which the movie one is heavily based on), it was left out other than the above scene's quick call-out because it was heavy, and Chris Hemsworth had trouble wearing it. Fortunately, he has always been helmetless in the Ultimate series, and all the Marvel movies have been a mix of both universes.
  • Heritage Face Turn: An inverted case for Loki. Loki finds out he is of Jotunn — Frost Giant — lineage and confronts his adoptive father Odin who reveals he adopted an abandoned baby Loki after his forces killed many of the Frost Giants. Angered at being The Un-Favourite and by the revelation that Odin took Loki in an attempt to use him to bring about an alliance and permanent peace between the Asgardian and Jotunn kingdoms, Loki kills Laufey and attempts to annihilate all the Frost Giants, decrying them as a race of monsters, to make himself look like he saved his father's life and thus prove himself worthy of being the King of Asgard.
  • Hero Antagonist: S.H.I.E.L.D. is only making things difficult for the protagonists (stealing Jane's equipment, sending guys to beat up Thor as he tries getting Mjölnir and then arresting him), but the audience knows that they're the good guys.
  • Heroes' Frontier Step: Thor is stripped of his powers and banished due to his arrogance and hot-headedness. While on Earth, Thor begins to learn the importance of kindness and humility. So when Loki sends the Destroyer to kill him, Thor offers to sacrifice himself in order to spare the innocent civilians. This is the act of selflessness that makes him worthy to wield Mjölnir again.
  • Heroic BSoD:
    • Thor goes into one when he discovers that he can no longer lift Mjölnir. Then, when Loki visits him to tell him that their father has passed on, which is a lie, he nearly goes catatonic.
    • Odin as well, since Loki's discovery of his ancestry and consequent outburst are the final push into Odinsleep. Frigga points out that he's been putting off the Odinsleep longer than he should have, and several days' worth of... extreme stress and high power expenditure finally pushed him past his limits.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Depowered Thor offers himself to the Destroyer to spare the human town.
  • Heroic Vow: Thor makes one of these as part of his coronation ceremony. Later, he pledges himself as an ally to S.H.I.E.L.D.
  • Hero of Another Story:
    • The Warriors Three, Sif, and Odin all allude to having their own adventures. Agent Coulson, meanwhile, has already taken part in adventures in the Iron Man movies.
    • We have Hawkeye and Nick Fury popping in briefly.
    • Also, there's Heimdall, whom everyone treats as being incredibly threatening. He's the force standing between Asgard and the rest of the universe. By himself.
      Guard: Heimdall demands your presence.
      Volstagg: We're doomed.
    • Loki in a past adventure, discussed in one of the deleted scenes.
      Thor: How else could I have fought my way through a hundred of warriors and get us out alive?
      Loki: As I recall, I was the one who veiled us in smoke to ease our escape.
  • Hide Your Otherness: After Loki discovers that he's actually a Jötunn, he never deactivates his Asgardian Glamour because he was raised by his adoptive society to hate and fear Frost Giants, and thus he's ashamed of his true lineage and doesn't want to look like a "race of monsters." Moreover, having been wholly assimilated into Asgardian culture, maintaining his Asgardian veneer is his way of proving to others that he's still very much a citizen of Asgard despite his alien background.
  • Homoerotic Subtext: Between Thor and Loki in a deleted scene:
    Loki: Now give us a kiss.
  • Hope Spot:
    • After Sif deals with the Destroyer, it stops moving temporarily.
    • When Thor, after beating through all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s security, stands before his hammer Mjölnir ready to reclaim it. Much to his dismay, he can't lift it.
    • Thor pleads with Loki to spare the humans and just kill him. Loki seems to call off his attack entirely, and the Destroyer turns to leave — then casually backhands Thor anyway.
  • Horny Vikings:
    • Played with. Asgardians share some, but not all Viking clichés, and it is stated outright that Viking culture evolved under Asgardian influence, not the other way round.
    • Also, in the brief moments where we see Vikings, there are no horned helmets to be found.
    • The horns on most Asgardian helmets happen to be on the front (like an antelope's) rather than to the sides like cow-horns, averting the typical placement for horned helmets. This is a nice bit of set-up for Loki's donning of his own classic horned headpiece.
  • Horseback Heroism: Odin arrives on his eight-legged horse to save his sons and their friends on Jotunheim.
  • Horse of a Different Color:
    • Asgardian horses are implied to be special. Then there's this gem:
      Thor: I need a horse!
      Pet Shop Clerk: We don't have horses. Just dogs, cats and birds...
      Thor: Then give me one of those large enough to ride!
    • Odin, true to the myth, is seen at one point riding Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse.
  • Hot-Blooded: Thor is very much this, particularly at the beginning of the film. This is why he invades the Frost Giant world and gets banished.
  • Hourglass Plot: Thor starts out as a vicious Blood Knight while his brother, Loki, is much more cautious and diplomatic. By the movie's end, Thor is much more peaceful and tries to reason with his enemies rather than plunging into battle, while Loki tries to demolish an entire world to achieve his goals.
  • How We Got Here: The movie opens with Thor getting hit by a car in the middle of the desert. The next half-hour or so is spent on how he got there, and why being hit with a truck would be bad for him.
  • Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Natalie Portman is a tiny girl (5'3/160cm) compared to most guys, but next to Chris Hemsworth (6'3/191cm), she looks pocket-sized! It's not just the height; having bulked up so much, he probably has more than 100 pounds on her as well.
  • Huge Rider, Tiny Mount: Invoked in dialogue when Thor walks into a pet shop on Earth and demands to be given a horse. When he realizes there are no horses, only dogs, cats and birds, he replies "Then give me one of those large enough to ride."
  • Human Aliens: The Asgardians look like very tall and muscular humans. The Frost Giants are less human looking, with the blue skin, red eyes, sharp teeth, etc, but still more humanoid than not. Wild Mass Guessing would say that the nature of the World Tree has something to do with all the races (that we've seen) being so similar.
  • Humans Are Bastards: Averted. While Thor is arrogant at the start, he develops a certain rapport with both Jane Foster and Erik Selvig. Also surprisingly averted by Loki; he doesn't seem to care either way about humanity (for now, at least, other than not worrying about collateral damage from The Destroyer), and instead seems to want to annihilate the Frost Giants for different reasons.
  • Humiliation Conga: Rare heroic example: Thor. He gets hit by cars twice, tasered, and he's a Badass Normal, which is a drastic reduction from the nigh-invincible badass he's used to being.
  • Humongous Mecha: The Destroyer, which is controlled from Asgard.
  • I Am Not Left-Handed: In the final fight, Thor is holding back, because he loves his brother. He finally gets angry enough to unleash his strength, and the fight is over.
    Thor: ENOUGH!
  • I Am Not Your Father: Odin finally admits to Loki that he is an adopted Frost Giant when Loki confronts Odin about his changing skin colour in the vault.
  • I Am X, Son of Y:
    • Thor is referred to as Odinson and is fond of declaring himself to be the Son of Odin.
    • When he meets Agent Coulson for the second time he refers to him as Phil, "Son of Coul."
    • Despite everything, Loki calls himself Son of Odin when he kills his biological father Laufey as a way of stating his true loyalties.
  • An Ice Person: Frost Giants.
  • If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: Subverted when Erik Selvig starts out warning Thor that he had better genuinely care about Jane, then essentially warns him to stay away from her.
    Erik: I don't know if you're delusional or if you're pulling some kinda con; I don't care. Just care about her. I've seen the way she looks at you.
    Thor: ...I swear to you, I mean her no harm.
    Erik: Good. In that case, I'll buy you another round, and you leave town tonight.
    Thor: [nods]
  • I Gave My Word: Asgardians consider breaking one's oath to be Serious Business.
  • I Kiss Your Hand: Thor being such a gentleman, he does it twice to Jane. The second one leads to The Big Damn Kiss.
  • I Made Copies: Jane did. Unfortunately, this doesn't help her when S.H.I.E.L.D. takes her research.
    Jane: They took our back-ups. They took the back-ups of our back-ups. They were extremely thorough.
  • Immortal Immaturity: Thor and Loki are hundreds of years old and both show traces of this. Possibly justified, as we don't know how long Asgardians take to mature physically or psychologically and they seem to be the equivalent of young adults.
  • Impaled with Extreme Prejudice:
    • Fandral is skewered by a Frost Giant's ice spike during the raid on Jötunheim. Don't worry, he lives.
    • The Destroyer is also impaled by a double-bladed sword and gets better as well.
  • Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: The Destroyer misses Thor and his pals every time it shoots on Earth, despite quickly taking out three Jötnar in seconds upon its introduction. (In fairness, it was shooting at much closer range and in a hallway. Also, being ice giants, the Jötnar were likely weak against fire, hence why they went down in one shot while Volstagg survived an explosion caused by the blast.
  • Impossibly Cool Clothes: The Asgardians all wear awesome armor.
  • Improbable Aiming Skills: Loki seldom misses his target with throwing knives or energy blasts from Gungnir.
  • Inadequate Inheritor: Thor doesn't start out this way, but his brash attack on Jötunheim makes him this in Odin's eyes and earns him banishment until he can once again prove worthy.
  • Inappropriate Hunger: After Thor has been banished and Loki is put on the throne, the Warriors Three's discussion on what to do starts with Fandral calling Volstagg out for chowing down. Volstagg shouts back that Fandral should not "mistake [his] appetite for apathy."
  • In Medias Res: The movie opens with Jane driving into a strange tornado-ish storm and hitting a random individual (Thor). The movie then spends another half-hour or so telling how Thor ended up in that situation.
  • Insignia Rip-Off Ritual: According to director Kenneth Branagh's DVD commentary, he based the scene of Odin ripping the circles and the cape off of Thor's armor from "The Life of Emile Zola" where French officer Dreyfus is found guilty of treason and ceremonially deprived of his rank and the insignias ripped off his sleeves.
  • Insistent Terminology: Anytime a character references S.H.I.E.L.D. 'taking' Jane's equipment, she insists they stole it.
    Thor: You need to return the equipment that you took.
    Jane: That you stole.
    Coulson: Borrowed.
  • Instant Sedation: Even though Thor has been Brought Down to Normal, a needle in the rump should not have knocked him out that quickly. This is because Rule of Funny applies — the look on Thor's face as he goes under is priceless.
  • Interspecies Adoption: Loki eventually finds out that he's a Frost Giant who was adopted by Odin during a raid on his homeworld. Odin couldn't bear to let the child die after he'd just killed everyone else in the area.
  • Interspecies Romance: Jane and Thor; human and Asgardian.
  • Interstellar Weapon: Keeping the Bifrost open too long will destroy any world it's currently connected to. Odin refuses to use it as a weapon of war. Loki, on the other hand...
  • In Touch with His Feminine Side: By Asgardian standards, Loki is an androgynous man primarily due to his Typically Feminine Interests (his area of expertise is magic, which is usually regarded to be a woman's domain, and he loves to wear ornate armour and stylish clothing) and Effeminate or Non-Masculine Appearance (he's a Pretty Boy, and his slim frame means that he's not as physically strong compared to other Asgardian males, plus he's a Frost Giant runt). To a lesser extent, his relative Lack of Athleticism (as a sorcerer, he was a Bookworm growing up; in combat, he's an excellent ranged attacker and is skilled with a spear, but as a melee warrior, he's definitely not in the same league as Thor) and his relative Lack of Aggression (Loki has occasionally indulged in extreme violence, but he generally favours diplomacy and manipulation to achieve a desired result) also exacerbate his awareness that he's not "manly" enough in the eyes of Asgardian society.
  • Invincible Hero: Hardly anyone in this movie presents a real threat to Thor. The only exception is Odin, who can take away Thor's powers at will. Given that Odin takes away Thor's power about 20 minutes into the movie and he only gets them back 20 minutes from the end, he isn't invincible most of the time we see him. See Humiliation Conga above.
  • Irony:
    • The God of Thunder gets tasered by a human when he lands on Earth after being depowered. What makes it funnier is that he just said, "You dare threaten me, Thor, with so puny a weapon!"
    • Loki, the God of Lies, has been lied to his whole life about his true ancestry. Frigga informs him that Odin kept it a secret because he didn't want Loki to feel different, yet Loki had always been treated like an outcast because he fell short of what the ideal Asgardian man should be.
  • I Shall Taunt You:
    • When Thor has agreed to leave Jötunheim without trouble.
      Jötunn soldier: Run back home, little princess.
      [Thor smirks and readies his hammer]
      Loki: Damn.
    • Also Loki himself, during the climactic battle with Thor, and after he believes that nothing can stop the Bifröst.
  • Jerkass Has a Point:
    • Thor may have been a cocky jerk in the beginning, but he was completely right about the Jötnar when they broke into the weapons vault. It was a serious security breach and was an ordered mission and not an act of a few.
    • Laufey was technically truthful when he said that there were traitors in the house of Odin, since whatever supposed intentions Loki might have had, letting your mortal enemy into the WMD storage of your country is treason any way you spin it.
    • Laufey is also right and quick to point out that pre-Character Development Thor is just a boy who tried to prove himself a man, and he's also right about how much a war between Asgard and Jötunheim would cost both sides.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: It's in Thor's nature to be naturally boisterous and conceited, but he means well. And by the end of the film, he's learned that being either wasn't doing him or his friends any favors, so he knocks it off.
  • Job's Only Volunteer: Darcy Lewis only became Jane Foster's astrophysics intern because she was the only applicant. Worse, her college major is only a STEM subject on a technicality (Political Science).
  • Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: Frigga fights the Frost Giants while wearing a long dress.
  • Kick the Dog: Loki's petty threat to 'pay Jane a visit' when he learns that Thor cares deeply about her. In the scope of things, this is highly unnecessary and inconsequential to his schemes, and serves no purpose but to enrage both Thor and the audience. In this case the trope was exploited: Loki was trying to enrage Thor because he didn't like Thor pretending to be left-handed.
  • Killed Off for Real: Laufey is killed by Loki, so that Loki would become Odin's favorite son, and be able to be the true heir to the throne.
  • Kill It with Ice: The Frost Giants' method of death, when they don't form ice blades in their hands.
  • Kill Sat: What the overloaded Bifröst essentially acts as, except it can hit anywhere in the universe...
  • Kind Restraints: Thor gets restrained at the hospital in New Mexico after he fights off the hospital staff. He easily manages to free himself from the restraints.
  • Kirk Summation: Thor to Loki in the finale by pointing out the inconsitencies and evilness in his plan.
  • Lady of War:
    • Lady Sif, verily, as one of Thor's warrior friends.
    • Queen Frigga. She slays Laufey's mook in one hit before being knocked out by Laufey.
  • The Lancer: Loki is this to Thor. Their dynamic is a blend of Brains and Brawn and Sword and Sorcerer, with Loki being the Brains and the Sorcerer of this pairing.
  • Large Ham: This film is directed by Kenneth Branagh, and it shows in the performances. It's the costumes. The way Chris Hemsworth tells it, the first time he and Anthony Hopkins were suited up in a scene together, they took one look at each other, registered the gleam in each other's eye, and started chewing the scenery.
  • Last Chance to Quit: Laufey warns Thor at the beginning to return to Asgard. It almost works, but one of the onlooking Jötnar cracks wise, and off they go...
  • Layman's Terms: Invoked when Jane tells Selvig that she thinks the phenomenon they witnessed was an Einstein–Rosen Bridge. Darcy doesn't get it, so Selvig begins a long, scientific explanation before Jane quickly cuts him off and says "a wormhole."
  • Lean and Mean: Loki is very wiry compared to the other Asgardian men. Hiddleston was instructed to have a "lean and hungry look" like Cassius from Julius Caesar.
  • Leave Him to Me!: A hero-to-villain example when near the end of the film, Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three return to Asgard. They stay to look after a weakened Heimdall, while Thor goes to face Loki.
    Thor: Leave my brother to me.
  • Leeroy Jenkins: Thor decides to gather his brother and his four friends and embark on a "diplomatic" mission to the realm of the Frost Giants. After a deal of tension, Thor turns to leave, but a Giant calls him "princess", prompting him to send Mjölnir through his head at Mach 2. His friends have no choice but to join in the ensuing fight, and while Thor smacks the army around without even trying, Fandral is almost mortally wounded, and Odin exiles Thor for his lack of foresight.
  • Legendary Weapon: Mjölnir is a one-of-a-kind hammer and can only be wielded by the person(s) deemed worthy.
  • Limit Break: Judging from how they're used, most of Thor's more Awesome uses of wind and thunder seem to function like this.
  • Literally Shattered Lives: The Frost Giants' preferred way of killing.
  • Little "No":
    • Loki utters an inaudible one when his arm turns blue after being touched by a Frost Giant on Jotunheim.
    • Odin, when Loki lets himself fall into the abyss below the Bifrost.
  • Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Thor, if you like the surfer dudes. Loki, if you like them skinny and dark. Volstagg, if you like a chonk.
  • Long-Range Fighter: Loki is a lethal ranged attacker with Improbable Aiming Skills, where his magical throwing knives and energy blasts from Gungnir are his dominant weapons; individual Jötnar are struck down with a single shot. However, unlike most other examples, Loki is not a Glass Cannon; he readily defends himself with one of his knives against a Frost Giant who grabs his arm, and he utilizes Gungnir as a spear. Loki is the ideal of this trope: high long-range offense, near-perfect aim, and a fast, agile fighter in close quarters.
  • Longing Look: Sif does this for Thor on a couple of occasions, hinting at her secret feelings for him and the upcoming love triangle of the sequel.
  • Love Makes You Evil: And also Crazy. Throughout the film, you get the sense that Loki really did love his adoptive father. The belief that he would never be accepted, especially after discovering his true parentage, was what tipped him over the edge. Even in the end, in his Motive Rant, Loki declares that everything he did was for his father. The only way in which that is not is the stuff he did so Thor, his brother, would see him as an equal.
  • Love Triangle: Averted in the film. In the comics, there's been one between Thor, Jane, and Sif in the past. Here, Sif seems to be just a friend. Though Sif's actress Jaimie Alexander has said that it was hinted at in scenes that were later cut, and that she played Sif as having feelings for Thor. It's most obvious during their last interaction at the banquet near the end of the movie.
  • Loyal to the Position: Heimdall says he's this, but when Loki takes command momentarily, he shows he is actually loyal to Asgard, not just to whoever is in charge (although he sticks to the letter of his new ruler's orders until the betrayals become unsubtle).
  • MacGuffin: The Frost Giants' Casket is the cause of the conflict. Frost Giants attempting to steal it back starts the plot. Loki offers to return it to Laufey in exchange for assistance.
  • MacGuffin Guardian: The Destroyer.
  • Made of Iron: Part of the physiology of Asgardians and Jötnar. The explosion of the Bifröst Bridge that hurled Thor and Loki hundreds of feet into the air didn't seem to make a scratch on them. Which makes Loki's look in The Stinger quite odd: his reflection in a glass panel seems to sport burns and bruises on the left half of his face.
  • Machiavelli Was Wrong: Upon their return from Jotunheim, Thor declares he was trying to make the Frost Giants fear him like they once did his father. Odin retorts that that's not leadership, but pride and vanity.
  • Magically Regenerating Clothing: In a deleted scene, Selvig is wounded by a shard of glass, and then healed by Thor's "healing stone". The stone not only clears up the wound but patches Selvig's cardigan as well.
  • Magic Enhancement: Loki imbues his throwing knives with magic that emits a light blue glow, which presumably augments the damage they inflict on his chosen targets.
  • Magic Knight: Loki is a talented sorcerer who frequently employs Master of Illusion spells during combat, and he's also proficient throwing knives and spears (such as Gungnir).
  • Magic Staff: Odin's (and later Loki's) spear, Gungnir, which fires energy, controls the Bifröst, and activates the Destroyer. It is also the symbol of kingship in Asgard.
  • Magitek:
    • The Asgardian's power is a mix of this and sufficiently advanced technology. Thor states this;
      Thor: Your ancestors called it magic and you call it science. Well, I come from a place where they're one and the same thing.
    • Look closely at the scene where Odin rips off Thor's emblems. There's something that looks like glowing-hot circuit lines underneath.
  • Magical Girl Queenliness Test: Thor's exile to Midgard is a (narrative, if not intentional by Odin) test for him to prove his maturity, heroism and selflessness before he can regain his powers and return to Asgard.
  • Manchild: Invoked whenever someone berates Thor for his "boyish" attitude.
  • Manly Tears: Thor, Loki, and even Odin have their moments.
    • Thor weeps when Loki comes to tell him that Odin is dead, that his exile is permanent, and that their mother has forbidden his return.
    • Odin cries when Loki confronts him about his origins, and he's forced to admit that his younger son is an adopted frost giant.
    • Loki breaks down when he realizes Odin isn't proud of him for attempting to genocide Jotunheim.
  • Master Actor: Loki uses his acting talents to play Thor like a fiddle. Unusually for an evil example, his ability to cover up his true motives makes them appear more sinister than they actually are.
  • Master Archer: Strictly speaking, Clint Barton/Hawkeye's Early-Bird Cameo keeps his archery skills as an Informed Ability, as he never actually looses an arrow. However, he's the marksman who Coulson assigns to take oversight during Blake/Thor's break-in, and from the moment he gets into position, neither he nor Coulson display any doubt that he could make the shot — at range, in uncertain lighting, from a cramped position, shooting into a melee.
  • Master of Illusion: One of Loki's major powers.
  • Match Cut: After Darcy sees Thor's shadow in an image of the anomaly, the scene cuts from his outline to Thor himself strapped to a hospital bed.
  • Meaningful Name: Crossed with Bilingual Bonus. Puente Antiguo means 'Old Bridge' in Spanish, a reference to the Bifröst. It's also the place where Jane begins researching a way to build a new bridge to Asgard after the Bifröst is destroyed.
  • The Men in Black: S.H.I.E.L.D. provides a benign version of this trope. They're just so obsessed with keeping dangerous weapons out of the wrong hands that they don't have time to be nice about it. Agent Coulson is polite, however, and literally hands Jane a blank check to cover the expense of replacing her equipment.
  • Mentor Archetype: Erik tries to keep Jane safe and gives Thor advice on how to be a man... then they get in a drinking contest.
  • Mighty Roar: The giant Frost Beast on Jotunheim.
  • Million Mook March: The Frost Giants going up against Asgard.
  • A Minor Kidroduction: The first appearance of Thor and Loki, which establishes Thor's Boisterous Bruiser persona, Loki's desire to gain his father's approval, and the rivalry between the two over succession of the throne.
  • The Mirror Shows Your True Self: Used in The Stinger, to show that Dr. Selvig is being controlled by Loki.
  • Misapplied Phlebotinum:
    • Averted: Everyone knows that the Bifröst, a wormhole generator that can reach anywhere in the universe, can be used as a superweapon. But they also know that Odin refuses to use it as such. Loki, on the other hand...
    • There's also the matter of getting past Heimdall first. Good luck with that!
  • Misery Builds Character: Thor's Humiliation Conga takes him from being the Norse equivalent of an Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy to a humble Gentle Giant. Who can fly and summon lightning and lift cars.
  • Monster Protection Racket: Loki's scheme to stop the Frost Giants from killing Odin is basically this.
  • Mordor: Jötunheim is the rarer "frozen wasteland" variety.
  • Moses in the Bulrushes: How Loki was found by Odin in Jötunheim as a baby.
  • Motive Misidentification: Thor's friends are right to suspect that Loki is behind the Frost Giants' attack on Asgard. However, their pre-existing distrust of him, combined with his acting ability and tendency to keep his motives to himself, have the effect of convincing them that his motives are a lot worse than they actually are, in this movie, at least.
  • Motive Rant: Near the end of the film, Loki lays something akin to this on Thor.
  • Mr. Fanservice: Thor is a tall, broad, linebacker type that in-universe girls appreciate.
  • Mud Wrestling: A highly gratuitous male-on-male one, between Thor and a bulky security guard. Complete with slo-mo and floodlights.
  • Mundane Made Awesome: Take away the fact that Odin banished and made Thor Mortal and he pretty much grounded Thor, while kicking him out of his house.
  • Mundane Utility: Mjölnir, the source of Thor's power and one of the most powerful weapons in the universe, is used at one point as a restraining device on Loki. And no, it's not that it's too heavy; Loki is also unworthy of wielding it, so of course he can't lift it.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: Thor's reaction to Loki telling him that his shenanigans have indirectly caused the death of their father Odin by way of stress and that now it's up to King Loki to stop the war with the Frost Giants that Thor started. Of course Thor learns later that it's a lie but he is genuinely devastated before the truth is revealed to him.
  • Mysterious Parent: A variation is Laufey for Loki, since the latter doesn't even know about his Parental Abandonment.
  • Mythology Gag:
    • Dr. Donald Blake was Thor's secret identity in his early Marvel comics, and is used here as a fake ID to get him out of S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. Not to mention that was the name on the "Hello my name is..." tag on the first shirt Jane gave him. She says he was her ex-boyfriend.
    • A tourism poster talks about "Journey Into Mystery," the book where Thor first appeared for Marvel.
    • Two other entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Tony Stark is mentioned, as is a certain expert on gamma-radiation. See The Stinger as well.
    • Thor's line about having words with his brother is a reference to a very excellent moment in comic book history when he and the other Avengers pull off a Big Damn Heroes against Ultron. Said line has become something of a Catchphrase for Thor, although it's only used once in the movie.
    • A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent calls Sif, Hogun and Fandral Xena, Jackie Chan and Robin Hood. While already a multiple Shout-Out, in the comics Fandral once claimed to have spent time on Earth during the Middle Ages and married to a woman named Marian — so he may be Robin Hood.
    • The scene where Loki speaks to the imprisoned Thor is extremely similar to a scene in The Ultimates 2.
    • In a Shout-Out to DC Comics and Jack Kirby's later creations, Bifröst is presented not as a simple solid rainbow but as a Boom Tube.
    • "Look at you... The Mighty Thor..."
    • The Frost Giant calling Thor "princess." In Norse Mythology, Thor disguised himself as Freyja to keep her from marrying Thrym king of Jötunheim and to get Mjölnir back.
    • Yes, that is The Infinity Gauntlet you saw in the treasure vault. Other items seen include the Eternal Flame, the Warlock's Eye, the Tablet of Life, and the Orb of Agamotto.
    • Thor's first heroics on Earth involves him saving the world from a giant robot, much like in Journey into Mystery #83 where Thor defeats a robotic weapon called Mechano-Monster sent by the invading Kronans.
  • A Mythology Is True: Although Asgardian culture is somewhat different from old myths, they are true in the principal details.
  • Myth Prologue: Thor begins with Odin narrating the history of the conflict with the Frost Giants and how they would attack the mortal realm. The Asgardians would come to Midgard's defense, eventually driving the Frost Giants back to their homeworld and seizing their source of power. It then shows that he's telling this story to his young sons, Thor and Loki.

    Tropes N to S 
  • Named Weapons: Thor's hammer Mjölnir, Heimdall's sword Hofund, Odin's lance Gungnir, Hogun's mace Hridgandr, Fandral's sword Fimbuldraugr...
  • Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The Destroyer. It only has one job.
  • Necessarily Evil: The ultimate goal of Loki's plans is destroying Asgard's enemies and making his father proud. For him, lying, scheming and slaughter on a massive scale are just means of accomplishing this goal.
  • Never Found the Body: Loki, when he falls into the abyss below Asgard.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: If Odin had only been honest with Loki from a very young age about his heritage and Odin's hope for a lasting and stable peace between their peoples between two kind and loving brothers...
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain:
    • If Loki hadn't tried to ruin Thor's big day, then tried to get him banished, Thor would've ended up being kind of a dick, instead of maturing like he did. In fact, his visit to Thor's cell is specifically what changes him into a better man. Also, Loki's plan to make himself the hero inadvertently informed Odin that Loki was the traitor, which makes the whole ending even more tragic when you realize that, raging jealousy for his brother aside, it might be what Loki intended all along.
    • Loki did explicitly state that he didn't think Thor was ready for the throne, and that is why he interrupted the ceremony. It seems that Loki sort of changed his plans about halfway through the movie, but his previous actions had already screwed him over.
    • Also, had Loki not panicked and sent the Destroyer to kill Thor, it's unlikely Thor would have found the means to prove his worthiness. Yeah, Loki would have still been ousted as a traitor, but Thor wouldn't have stopped his plan to eliminate Jötunheim.
  • Nobody Calls Me "Chicken"!: Thor can't resist lashing out after a Frost Giant calls him a "little princess."
  • Noodle Incident: Thor and Loki's adventure in Nornheim, mentioned in a deleted scene.
  • No One Could Survive That!: Basically the assumption of every Asgardian present as Loki commits 'suicide' at the end of the movie.
  • No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup: Thor speaking to Heimdall says that "Earth is lost to us" now that the Bifröst is destroyed, though he may have been speaking a bit overdramatically as is his wont.
    • In The Avengers, Loki lampshades that it must have taken a lot of Dark Energy for Odin to send Thor to Earth, making it essentially a one way trip. Indeed, only by using the Tesseract is Thor able to return home at the end. Trailers for the sequel indicate it's been repaired, which would suggest that they simply lacked an adequate power source.
  • Norse Mythology: Duh! Or rather, the Marvel Comics retelling...
    • The movie seems to go out of its way to avoid calling it Norse mythology in-universe: Selvig calls it "tales he heard as a child", and the book he checks out of the library is called "Myths and Legends of the World".
  • Not Always Evil: Despite being both the main antagonist and a Frost Giant, Loki is actually a straight example of this trope. While some might consider his character evidence that Frost Giants are actually Always Chaotic Evil, he only jumps off the slippery slope after finding out he’s a Frost Giant, and Used to Be a Sweet Kid. It is heavily implied that it is the revelation that he is part of a species he was taught to hate that affects his behavior, not an inborn evil nature due to his species.
  • Nothing Can Stop Us Now!: What Loki tells Thor as he tries to stop the Bifröst, making Thor decide to smash the bridge instead.
  • Not Quite Dead: First inverted by Thor and then embraced by Loki.
  • Not That Kind of Doctor:
    • Discussed when Dr. Selvig and Coulson talk about "Dr. Donald Blake", Selvig claims that "Donald" is a physicist, but Son of Coul points out that "Donald" is M.D. in his ID.
    • Also applies to Darcy Lewis, who's working as a college intern. When she asks what an Einstein-Rosen bridge is, Selvig says that he thought she was a science major. Jane tells him that it's in political science; she happened to be the only applicant. Funnily enough, Darcy does eventually study to become an astrophysicist.
  • Not Using the "Z" Word: None of the Asgardians ever claim to be a "god" — and all the modern-day humans seem to immediately categorize them as Sufficiently Advanced Aliens — though Odin and Volstagg do reference the fact that at one time humans had identified Asgardians as gods.
  • Not Wearing Tights: Played with. People in Asgard wear battle armor, capes, and other clothes which look close enough to tights. When Thor travels to Earth, however, he is stripped of his armor and wears normal clothes until it's time to go back to Asgard. As such, the costumes don't stand out in more "realistic" looking scenes. When they are shown, it is in the realm of Asgard which fits the fantastic setting and seems perfectly natural. Thor technically does not have a codename, either. Thor is his real name.
  • Number Two: Loki is Thor's Lancer when they're on Jötunheim.note  Sif and the Warriors Three, who aren't royalty, "know their place" because only Loki is permitted to advise Thor and speak to King Laufey.
  • Nurture over Nature: It's still his adoptive family and his adoptive society that Loki exclusively identifies with. He looks (albeit with a glamour), talks, and dresses like an Asgardian, covets the Asgardian throne, and uses magic which he had learned from his Asgardian mother as his primary power. He has no interest in his Jötunn heritage, and no desire to rule Jötunheim; in fact, he tries to impress his Asgardian father by destroying it. Loki consistently presents himself as an Asgardian and is regarded as such by everyone he meets.
  • Oblivious Adoption: Loki discovers he is a Frost Giant adopted by Odin after the war over a millennia ago. It all goes downhill from there.
  • Obliviously Evil: Loki genuinely doesn't consider his attempt to destroy Jotunheim as an evil action, fully expects his father to approve, and is devastated when he doesn't.
  • Offscreen Moment of Awesome:
  • Off with His Head!: One of the Frost Giants left behind to keep an eye on Heimdall after Loki trapped him in ice gets graphically beheaded when their captive breaks out of his prison, although there is, of course, no blood.
  • Oh, Crap!:
    • Thor gets several.
      • First when he basically starts a war in Jötunheim and Heimdall refuses to open the Bifröst for him.
      • Second when he tries to lift Mjölnir and can't, then sees the spell cast on it by Odin.
      • Third when he calls on Heimdall to open the Bifröst so he can stop Loki's plan, only nothing happens.
    • Loki, Sif, and the Warriors Three all get one when Laufey just can't resist throwing one last taunt at the Blood Knight Thor.
    • Erik, until that point the Only Sane Man, recognizes SHIELD when they show up and realizes that he, Jane, and Darcy in way, way over their heads.
  • Ominous Cube: Whoever holds The Casket of Ancient Winters instantly becomes An Ice Person. The Casket also has the ability to plunge a planet into a new ice age.
  • Omnidisciplinary Scientist: Eric's "explanation" for Thor's Actions paints him as one. He started as an Medical Doctor and switched to Astrophysics, which is an entirely separate field of study with little overlap.
  • Once More, with Clarity: Interestingly, The Stinger from Iron Man 2 isn't just a tease but is integrated into the narrative in this film. While in IM it looks like maybe a bunch of scientists trying to study Mjölnir it turns out it was an overnight tourist trap and Running Gag.
  • Only the Chosen May Wield: Mjölnir in the crater; they even have people lining up to try to pull it out.
  • Orc Raised by Elves: Loki had always felt different among his fellow Asgardians, but he never realized he was a Frost Giant because a Glamour had disguised his true appearance. When he discovers the truth, he's furious because while Odin did love him, Loki was nonetheless meant to be a political pawn in Odin's attempt to bring Jötunheim under Asgard's control by using his adopted son as a Puppet King who would promote Asgardian interests. Loki then strikes a deal with the Giants which would allow them to invade Asgard, and this turns out to be part of a Batman Gambit — Loki despises the Jötnar, and in a twisted way of proving his loyalty to Asgard, he had planned to wipe out his own species.
  • Our Giants Are Bigger: The Frost Giants, who are quite intelligent, lean (but still very tall) and have cool ice-based powers.
  • Our Wormholes Are Different: The Bifröst bridge is actually a traversable Einstein–Rosen Bridge (read: wormhole) appearing as a beam of light shooting to and from the sky. The myth of it being a rainbow bridge is due to the fact that it causes atmospheric disturbances as it opens up on Earth. It also comes with a neat light show. If you keep it open longer than a few seconds, it can act as a Wave-Motion Gun and destroy an entire planet... Which makes a lot more sense when one considers the ludicrous energies required to make one of these things work in Real Life.
  • Over-the-Shoulder Carry: Thor carries Selvig this way when they're both drunk after spending a night at the bar drinking.
  • Papa Wolf:
    • Odin shows up in Jötunheim to pull Thor's ass out of the fire. He then scolds him for not only putting Asgard and the other warriors in danger, but his own little brother as well.
    • Erik has shades of this towards Jane, and to some extent Darcy.
  • Parental Abandonment: Laufey (possibly) abandoned baby Loki, and there is no mention of his birth mother.
  • Parental Favoritism: Odin paid more attention to Thor, who is his eldest son and whom he shares a lot in common with, as they both embody the ideals of Asgardian masculinity. Tom Hiddleston confirms this when he affirms that "[Odin] connected much more with Thor. They were sort of cut from the same cloth." Odin's preference for Thor initially made him blind to the latter's faults.
  • Parental Neglect: Although Odin does love Loki, he found it difficult to forge a close bond with his second son because Loki isn't manly like he is, and being of Jötunn descent may also have contributed to Odin remaining somewhat distant. It's lampshaded by Loki.
    Loki: You know, it all makes sense now, why you favoured Thor all these years, because no matter how much you claim to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!
  • Parental Substitute: Selvig became this to Jane after the death of her father.
  • The Patient Has Left the Building: Thor is exiled to Earth, where he is hit by a van and hospitalized. When he wakes up, he doesn't know where he is, so he flees the hospital, beating up everyone who tries to restrain him.
  • Patricide: Double subverted. Loki appears at one point to be plotting Odin's murder, but it turns out it's all part of a ploy to impress Odin by apparently saving his life. At the same time, this involves killing Laufey — whom he has just discovered to be his biological father! While Loki isn't Laufey's son in any meaningful sense of the word, it seems likely that he wants Laufey dead precisely so as to permanently abjure any potential relationship between them.
  • Perception Filter: When Loki visits his brother on Midgard, the humans can't see him. He also shields himself (and Laufey) from Heimdall's Super-Senses.
  • Personality Powers: Loki is the Norse God of Mischief, so naturally, he's gifted with Master of Illusion powers.
  • Phlebotinum Overload: What is destined to happen if Bifröst stays open for too long. Which Loki ended up planning to use to deal with Jötunheim once and for all.
  • Planet of Hats: Everyone on Asgard is a space Viking. Even the guys who look Asian.
  • Planetville: Asgard appears to be just one city.
  • Platonic Declaration of Love: Loki to Thor, in a deleted scene.
    Loki: You are my brother and my friend. Sometimes I'm envious, but never doubt that I love you.
  • Plucky Comic Relief: Darcy.
  • Pop-Cultural Osmosis: For any comic book reader (or anyone with some basic knowledge of Norse myths, for that matter), the reveal that Loki was the villain was not surprising at all.
  • Pragmatic Villainy: Laufey is evil, but he's not stupid. He knows that Odin's a dangerous enemy, and wants to make sure that the Asgardians fire the first shot so he can have the moral high ground when he starts the war. Loki cleverly plays this trait against him by setting him up. He allows Laufey and a few Jötunns into Asgard to assassinate Odin (causing Laufey to believe he has an ally within Asgard) while he sleeps, but only so Loki can then turn the tables on Laufey, kill him, and give himself the moral high ground in order to start a war with Jötunheim.
  • Precision Crash: Averted. Mjölnir ends up in the middle of the desert as The Stinger in one of the Iron Man movies, nowhere important until Thor's film itself starts.
  • Precision-Guided Boomerang: Mjölnir will always come back when thrown because of its magic/tech/magical tech stuff.
  • Pretty Boy: Loki has big, expressive blue eyes, an elegant, youthful face (which alludes to his cultural sophistication and his mischievous nature), a slimmer build than other Asgardian males, and always moves gracefully, even when he gets into a fight. He's also clean-shaven (facial hair is the norm for Asgardian men), and Tom Hiddleston mentions in this interview that his "eyebrows were plucked to within an inch of their lives" for the role; thinner, sculpted eyebrows give the actor's visage a more feminine look. Loki's physical appearance is meant to be a sharp contrast to Thor's Hunk looks.
  • Princeling Rivalry: Thor as the strong, hot-blooded, and heroic first born, and Loki as the smart, svelte, and cunning second born. Loki tricks Thor into getting himself banished. Thor learns to be less of a Jerk Jock and retakes his rightful throne from his brother.
  • Product Placement:
    • Go-Lean Crunch must have laid down a lot of pretty green to get their box displayed so prominently in Jane's trailer.
    • And Asgardians eat Pop-Tarts.
    • Also, Puente Antiguo may not have any fast food restaurants or big chain grocery stores, but it has a 7-11.
  • Prophecy Twist: Odin's words for the hammer imply Thor must become a worthy king to lift the hammer. Instead, it comes flying to his hand the moment he becomes worthy upon his Heroic Sacrifice.
  • Protagonist Title: Obviously.
  • Proud Warrior Race Guy: The Asgardians are, to put it very mildly, a martial-minded people.
  • Punctuated! For! Emphasis!:
    Odin: YOU ARE A VAIN! GREEDY! CRUEL! BOY!
  • Puppy-Dog Eyes: Loki, as he tells Odin in their last interaction that he did it for Asgard and the family. The combined effect is tear-jerking.
    • Also in his vault scene, again with Odin and again really sad to watch.
  • The Queen's Latin: All of the actors playing Asgardians speak with some form of a Received Pronunciation accent, regardless of their nationality. Hogun, however, speaks with a Japanese accent, but this is explained in the sequel as being due to Hogun being from Vanaheim. Heimdall is another exception, as Idris Elba's lower class British accent seems to be largely unmodified in the film. For example, whenever Elba uses a "th," it sounds more like an "f."
  • Race Lift:
    • Heimdall is now played by a black actor, Idris Elba. The film's version of Heimdall was carried over into the Thor: The Mighty Avenger comic which was made to be closer to the film than the regular comics. note  note 
    • Hogun, whose look in the comics was partially inspired by actor Charles Bronson, is played by Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano. This isn't necessarily a major change, as the character has always been depicted as a non-Aesir from a vaguely Asiatic realm (though one that looks more Mongolian than Japanese). note 
  • Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Loki is a male version, as he's raven-haired with pale skin, and the juxtaposition between the two heightens the blueness of his expressive eyes. For an Asgardian male, he possesses an androgynous personality, so conveniently, he's beautiful in a feminine way.
  • Really 700 Years Old: All of the Asgardians would have to be hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. Based on the dates given in the film, Loki would be 1046-1047 years old.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Odin, who prefers diplomacy over war. Laufey is a rare villainous example, who also wishes to avoid violence and does not attack Thor and his friends until after they kill one of his warriors.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Odin gives one to Thor in return for his Calling the Old Man Out.
  • Redemption in the Rain: Subverted. Thor does not prove worthy of Mjölnir, as evident in the trailer. On the other hand, his failure to lift Mjölnir is what starts his actual redemption.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: The Frost Giants.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Thor and Loki, respectively. The colours of their costumes (a red cape for Thor, green for Loki) reinforce this. Somewhat reversed come the climax — Loki is deep in the throes of a Villainous Breakdown and is yelling for Thor to fight him, while Thor is refusing and trying to talk him down.
  • Red Right Hand: Or rather, blue right hand. It foreshadows that Loki is a Jötunn, although his Jötunn form is rather more blue-skinned space prince than the rest of them.
  • Redshirt Army:
    • The agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tend to get this treatment.
    • Averted in the case of the Asgardian army which is capable of fighting Frost Giants perfectly well.
    • Though Hawkeye works for S.H.I.E.L.D. in this continuity, and it's implied he could have easily put an arrow through Thor's head had Coulson ordered him to do so.
  • Reflective Eyes: When Thor fails to lift Mjölnir, the S.H.I.E.L.D. base reflects in Heimdall's eyes, showing that he is watching over Thor from Asgard.
  • Regent for Life: What it looks like Loki intends to become for 3/4 of the movie, before it's revealed that he's more like an evil Cincinnatus — he intended to step down after Odin reawakened all along, using his handling of the Jötunn crisis he arranged in the first place to create the impression of himself as a heroic, dutiful, and above all better-than-Thor son. He doesn't seem to consider that Odin might disapprove of him wiping out an entire species.
  • Requisite Royal Regalia: For the Asgardian royal family, it's the throne and Gungnir.
  • The Resenter: Loki's resentment for his brother drives his inferiority complex and thus his part of the plot.
  • Revenge: Although this is not explicitly stated in the movie, it's quite obvious that part of the reason why Loki wanted to kill Laufey is to get back at his biological father for leaving him to die as an infant.
  • Reverse Psychology:
    • Loki subtly uses some at the beginning of the film. Specifically, he says the only way for Thor to solve the problem is to defy Odin, then sees the determined look on Thor's face as the idea sinks in and immediately tells him that he can't. It's a really subtle bit of acting for both men.
      • In the extended scene from the DVD/Blu-Ray release, it's strongly hinted that Loki's "slip of the tongue" was a test to see if Thor would take the bait (which he did). It proved that Thor wasn't ready for the throne after all since "a wise king never seeks out war," though the junior novelization (which tells this scene from Loki's point of view) makes it clear that he didn't want them to go to Jötunheim. Loki's terrified of the place and its inhabitants.
    • Coulson also uses a bit of this after releasing Thor into Selvig's care. He tells Selvig to keep Thor "away from the bars." Selvig promptly invites Thor for a drink after leaving his company. This is later revealed to have made it easier for his men to track their movements.
  • Ride the Rainbow: The Asgardians get around the Realms via the Bifröst Bridge, which shoots them through rainbow wormholes.
  • Roar Before Beating: The Frost Beast on Jotunheim lets out a roar before it tries to attack the group, but Thor puts a quick end to it.
  • Rooting For The Demi-God: Invoked by Hawkeye when Thor curb-stomps his way through dozens of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on his way to retrieve Mjölnir.
    Hawkeye: You better call it, Coulson... because I'm starting to root for this guy.
  • Roswell That Ends Well: It's not Roswell, but it might as well be. An alien crash lands in the desert outside a small New Mexico town and a government cover-up immediately ensues.
  • Royals Who Actually Do Something: Odin participates in the battles against the Frost Giants. After Loki gets the throne, he does scheme, but he executes his plans himself.
  • Rule of Sexy: For Loki's Frost Giant form, the make-up department must have been given instructions not to make Tom Hiddleston look too ugly even though it has been established that the Jötnar are scary-looking behemoths. Being a runt doesn't explain why Loki's real appearance, while strange, is still gorgeous.
  • Running Gag:
    • Thor (while mortal) getting hit by a car, and by extension, Jane's driving skills. (Technically, Darcy was driving the first time, but Jane had grabbed the wheel and was steering into the cloud.)
    • In-Universe Meta-example- Poor Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. He never gets to debrief anybody...
      Coulson: [as Thor flies away] Wait! I need to debrief you!
  • Running Over the Plot: A Running Gag as detailed above. Jane meets Thor after hitting him with a car and later, after he escapes from the hospital, hits him again just when she needs information from him.
  • Sadistic Choice: Thor must choose between the genocide of the Frost Giants or possibly never seeing Jane again.
  • Sadly Mythtaken:
    • Taken as an adaptation of Norse Mythology, it's actually easier to list the movies' accuracies than their inaccuracies. Handwaved and lampshaded with the beginning narration, stating that actual Norse myths are inaccurate in their representation of Asgardian history. See the Analysis page and the Sadly Mythtaken page of the franchise for details.
    • Interestingly, Marvel's interpretation of Loki is one of the few not to associate him with fire. Which makes it, in this respect alone, more mythologically accurate than many other modern takes on the character.
  • Same Character, But Different: Jane Foster, a nurse or similar role in most portrayals, is in the film an astrophysicist.
  • Save the Villain:
    • A key sign of Thor's growth as a hero. An ordinary person would want to save their friends, but to fight with everything you have to save your deadly enemies (in this case, the Frost Giants) from an unjust death for no other reason than it being the right thing to do takes a special kind of nobility.
    • Invoked by Loki and subverted during the climactic battle between him and Thor. When they crash through the wall of the Observatory and onto the Bifrost, Loki rolls over the edge and is left clinging to it by his fingertips. As they are brothers, Thor only hesitates briefly and reaches down to help him, but it turns out to be one of Loki's illusions.
    • Defied when Odin tries to save both of his sons from falling into the abyss after the explosion of the Bifrost, but Loki lets go and allows himself to fall.
  • Scary Black Man:
    • Heimdall. He's big, stoically intimidating and carries a big sword.
    • Also the S.H.I.E.L.D. Giant Mook.
    • For a moment when Selvig first sees him, Nick Fury himself.
  • Scenery Gorn: Jötunheim, the Frost Giants' world.
  • Scenery Porn: Asgard sure is pretty. The on-location filming in New Mexico is pretty nice too.
  • Science Fantasy: Thor says that Asgard considers science and magic the same thing. Is it a "Quantum Field Generator" or a "Soul Forge"? Yes.
  • Secret Identity: Selvig takes Thor from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody giving him the alias "Donald Blake" (Jane's ex), but it immediately gets busted, although they let Thor and Selvig go anyways to find out what they're up to.
  • Secret Test of Character: Odin cast Thor out so he could learn the compassion, humility and kindness needed to be truly worthy of Asgard's Throne.
  • Seeing Through Another's Eyes: In The Stinger, Loki is able to perceive everything that Dr. Erik Selvig does through a Psychic Link, and even seems to be able to influence his thoughts and actions.
  • Seen It All: By this point, most of S.H.I.E.L.D., whose attitude to the Destroyer showing up is more irritation than actual fear.
  • Self-Defenseless: Hilariously subverted. When Thor, recently banished to the mortal realm and stripped of his powers, is found by Jane and her friends, he goes on a rant that makes Darcy nervous enough to aim her taser at him.
    Thor: You dare threaten the god of thunder with such a puny weap—" [*TZZZZZ* *WHUMP*]
  • Self-Made Orphan: Loki makes a deal with the Frost Giant King Laufey to kill his adoptive father, Odin, in his sleep. Subverted in that it was just a ploy to be seen as Odin's savior and fabricate a reason to anihilate Jotunheim, but played straight in that he kills Laufey, who is his biological father.
  • Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Loki's the wily Sensitive Guy to Thor's warrior Manly Man. On Jötunheim, Loki utilizes diplomacy to try to ease the belligerent tension which is brewing between Thor and Laufey, whereas Thor wants to incite Laufey to attack him. A skirmish then breaks out, and Loki relies on magical throwing knives and his illusion spells to kill Frost Giants from a distance, which juxtaposes Thor bashing them directly with Mjölnir.
  • Sequel Hook: Nick Fury has the Tesseract/Cosmic Cube, which was later featured in Captain America: The First Avenger, and Loki has his eyes on it. Also, he seems to be controlling or magically suggesting things to Erik Selvig.
  • Shapeshifter Default Form: Loki is revealed to be unknowingly using his illusion powers to create a glamour that hides his true form — a blue-skinned, red-eyed Frost Giant. Since he thinks of himself as Asgardian and hates his true species, he keeps the glamour on afterward. Alternatively, some fans speculate that it was actually Odin or Frigga that placed the glamour on Loki, so that their son wouldn't feel out-of-place by seeing his Frost Giant form.
  • Sharp-Dressed Man:
    • Loki, when he appears on Earth. Strangely, nobody else even seems to notice him, so maybe he's throwing in a "you can't see me" glamour on top of his "look like a local" spell. He also owns a very snazzy suit of armor on Asgard.invoked Word of God mentioned that Loki is quite concerned about appearances; whereas Thor only had one suit of armor, Loki's got three variations.
    • Agent Coulson fulfills this trope, as part of his The Men in Black dress code.
  • Shining City: Asgard. The main building looks like a giant golden pipe organ, there's mountains of crystals, and so on.
  • Shirtless Scene: Thor, and it's noted appreciatively by Darcy while Jane can't stop herself from peeking.
  • Shout-Out: Collected in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Shout-Outs page.
  • Showing Up Chauvinists: It's implied that Lady Sif had to pull one in order to be taken seriously as a warrior.
    Thor: And who proved wrong all who scoffed at the idea that a young maiden could be one of the fiercest warriors this realm has ever known?
    Sif: I did.
    [Beat]
    Thor: ...True, but I supported you!
  • Shown Their Work:
    • The battle between the Aesir and the Jötunn in the beginning of the film is stated to take place in Tønsberg, Norway. The author that first mentioned Tønsberg? Snorri Sturluson, the author of the Prose Edda. The representation of Tønsberg, however, is highly incorrect, and makes it look more like a western Norwegian fjord-end village. The real Tønsberg is located in a fairly flat region. Many Norwegians found this amusing.
    • When S.H.I.E.L.D. seizes Jane's work, they give her a check, meaning that they're seizing her work and materials under the Fifth Amendment, the right of eminent domain (i.e. the government can take private property for their use, but they have to pay for it). Seizure under eminent domain can be challenged in court, although the results depend on whether a) the government can claim its necessity for "public use" and b) whether a "fair price" for the materials was offerednote .
    • The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents around the Mjölnir crater have assault weapons but don't engage Thor with lethal force because he has not escalated to the point that lethal force would be justified based on the usual US military rules on force escalation.
    • After the Destroyer has been defeated, Coulson comes in. Thor addresses him as "Son of Coul", which follows old naming conventions and is essentially the meaning of his name: Someone who is the son of a man by the name of Coul.
  • Showy Invincible Hero: Thor has to be Brought Down to Normal to be given a fair fight. While he has his powers, he pretty casually decimates an army of Frost Giants, shoves the Destroyer's energy blast back in its face without taking a hit, and while Loki does initially begin the fight by kicking him around, it's because Thor refuses to fight his brother until Loki starts threatening Jane Foster. At which point, Thor tackles him through the Bifrost's observatory and lays his hammer on his chest. The point of the movie is to show a god discovering humanity.
  • Sibling Rivalry:
    • Thor and Loki, because only one of them can be king — which Odin outright told them when they were children.
    • In a meta-example: the final decision of casting for the lead role came between Chris Hemsworth and his younger brother Liam, to their mutual amusement:
      Chris Hemsworth: We both came all the way over here from Australia and ended up battling against each other.
  • Sibling Yin-Yang: Thor and Loki. Thor is a passionate and forthright warrior, Loki is a planner and illusionist who keeps his cards much closer to his chest.
  • Silence, You Fool!: Thor, together with his brother and friends, has gone to Jotunheim against his father's orders to investigate the Jotuns' appearance in Asgard. It eventually leads to a huge fight, threatening to break the truce between the two realms. When the group is surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered, Odin suddenly appears through the Bifrost:
    Thor: [shouting] Father! We'll finish them together!
    Odin: [angrily growling] Silence!
  • Single-Biome Planet: Jötunheim is entirely an ice planet.
  • Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer: Despite being major supporting characters, Fandrall, Volstagg, Selvig, and Darcy are barely glimpsed in the trailer. (Hogun has more screen time than the other members of the Warriors Three, which is kind of weird but it justifies Hogun appearing in the Japanese trailer, in a way.
  • Skyward Scream: Thor, when he realizes that he can't reclaim Mjölnir and return home. It doubles as a Howl of Sorrow.
  • Sleeves Are for Wimps: Sif's armour.
  • The Smurfette Principle: Sif is the only Action Girl in Thor's gang of warriors. This is lampshaded in the film, where it is noted that Sif is the only girl in Asgard to want to become a warrior, and must do so in the face of entrenched sexism. Anyone who knows about Norse history or mythology will find this odd, since Scandinavian women enjoyed more freedom than women almost anywhere else in the world during the medieval period, and Norse Mythology features several Action Girls.
  • The Snack Is More Interesting: Volstagg denies this is the case when accused of it by Fandral.
  • Snow Means Death: Lots of killing happens in Jötunheim.
  • So Proud of You: The final conversation between Thor and Odin.
    Thor: One day, perhaps, I shall make you proud.
    Odin: You've already made me proud.
  • Space Clouds: The credits feature a dazzling journey through the cosmos via the rainbow bridge through a nebula which looks suspiciously like the Pillars of Creation, complete with the false coloration featured in the famous Hubble photo.
  • Spare to the Throne: Because Thor, the Allfather's firstborn, has been exiled to Midgard, Loki, as the second son, becomes the regent of Asgard after Odin becomes indisposed due to the Odinsleep. In the past, it's implied that Frigga once held the office of regent (Sif and the Warriors Three initially believe that they need to speak to the Queen about undoing Thor's banishment), but now that Loki has come of age, he inherits the position. This deleted scene makes it clearer:
    Frigga: Thor is banished. The line of succession falls to you. Until Odin awakens, Asgard is yours.
  • Spectacular Spinning: The way the Bifröst is opened. Thor spinning his hammer also has quite awesome results.
  • Spontaneous Weapon Creation: The Frost Giants can form weapons out of the ice covering their body.
  • Staff of Authority: Odin's (and later Loki's) spear, Gungnir, is the symbol of kingship in Asgard.
  • Stealth Insult: Loki uses good timing on a comment for ironic effect:
    Thor: You are a talented liar, brother. Always have been.
    Loki: It's good to have you back.
  • Stealth Pun:
    • Odin uses Mjölnir, a hammer, to banish Thor. A ban hammer.
    • When Thor's powers are returned to him, Jane, wide-eyed, simply says "Oh. My. God." at witnessing the event. note .
  • Stepping Out for a Quick Cup of Coffee: Heimdall does this at the Bifrost Bridge to allow the Warriors Three and Lady Sif to travel to Earth without him having disobey Odin's orders. After confirming with them what they plan to do, he loudly announces that he is bound by honor to the king and cannot open the bridge for them... and then walks away, leaving the proverbial keys in the ignition.
    Fandral: Complicated fellow, isn't he?
  • The Stoic:
    • Hogun the Grim.
    • Heimdall definitely counts as well, as does Coulson, just like in all of his other appearances. Neither of them loses their cool.
  • Storming the Castle: Thor, as a mortal man at that moment, sneaks into the military base buit around Mjölnir and takes down all the soldiers that get in his way. He is successful, he does get to Mjölnir. They captured him simply because, as he could not raise the hammer, he had lost the will to fight. If there was no "must be worthy" clause, it would have been a clean victory.
  • The Straight and Arrow Path: Hawkeye passes up a Wall of Guns to use a bow and arrows.
  • Sufficiently Advanced Alien: The Asgardians again. Lampshaded several times. It doubles as Sufficiently Analyzed Magic; Thor states that many of the things humans now call science used to be dubbed magic, and Asgard has simply stopped bothering with the pretense — probably around the time that they stopped needing physical tools to practice it. QED, they simply say that Loki is a spell caster...
  • Summon to Hand: Thor does this with Mjölnir at the beginning and, predictably, at the end as well.
  • Super Cell Reception: Jane has no problem making a phone call despite being in the New Mexican desert and Thor's hammer scrambling electronics.
  • Super-Strength: Thor and other Asgardians are incredibly strong. Loki's strength is equal to any other Asgardian of his size and training. He's just not a very big guy.note 
  • Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: A rancher in the middle of nowhere New Mexico finds an impossibly heavy hammer in the middle of a crater, what happens? He tells everyone about it and an impromptu barbecue ensues.
    • Thor's hammer ends up resting on a pillar of dirt in the middle of the crater it formed when it landed. This actually happens with craters. The soil/rock a meteor lands in acts just like a liquid and splashes upward in the middle. It's just that most often that spike gets weathered down or collapses under its own weight before we get to it thousands or millions of years later.
  • Sweet and Sour Grapes: Thor desperately tries to get his hammer back and his heartbroken when he can't lift it, but eventually accepts it. Later, when Loki sends the Destroyer to earth, Thor attempts a genuine selfless sacrifice, which eventually deems him worthy, and he gets his hammer back.
  • Swiss-Army Weapon: Mjölnir can smash like a typical hammer, it can summon lightning bolts, it can be used as a Precision-Guided Boomerang, it can make you flynote , it can deflect energy blasts from other Asgardian weaponry, and it can simply be used as an immovable weight. Odin also suggests it can be used to build things, but Thor never uses it for that purpose.
  • Sword and Sorcerer: Thor prefers smashing things with Mjölnir. Loki likes to use magic and illusions as his weapons.

    Tropes T to Z 
  • Take My Hand!: Thor and Odin during the climax to Loki. He doesn't take it because Odin doesn't condone genocide in his name.
  • Taser Tag Weakness: Thor is ironically knocked out by Darcy's taser.
  • Taunting the Unconscious: After Odin goes into the Odinsleep, Laufey gains access to his chamber, opens his eye, remarks that Odin is supposed to be aware of what's going on around him while he's in the Odinsleep, and hopes it's true so he can see that it's Laufey that kills him. He then forms an ice dagger to kill Odin, but is struck down and then killed by Loki.
  • Tempting Fate: The Warriors Three and Sif discussing what to do after Loki takes the throne. Hogun suggests they go and find Thor, Volstagg gets very nervous because that would be a betrayal.
    Volstagg: Sssh! Heimdall might be watching!
    Guard: [enters the room] Heimdall demands your presence! [leaves the room]
    Volstagg: ...We're doomed.
  • That Makes Me Feel Angry: Son of Coul's reaction upon seeing Thor.
    Coulson: You've made my men, some of the highest trained professionals in the world, look like a bunch of minimum wage mall cops. That's hurtful.
  • They Died Because of You: Loki tells Thor (or rather lies to him) that their father died as a result of the stress from banishing Thor and being confronted with a potential new war with Jotunheim.
  • This Is Gonna Suck:
    • Loki thinks he has just ensured that he and his friends can leave Jötunheim without getting killed, and then a Jötunn decides to push Thor too far.
      Jötunn: Run back home, little princess.
      Loki: ...Damn.
    • Agent Coulson, when the Destroyer opens up.
      Coulson: Here it comes.
  • This Is Unforgivable!: Not in so many words, but Thor's banishment. It's implied Odin has forgiven Thor for cocky transgressions and rule breaking in the past, but inciting a new war on Jotunheim with the Frost Giants was the absolute last straw. Except Odin isn't completely ready to give up on his son without secretly adding a Redemption Quest loophole, and enchants Mjölnir with: Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor!
  • This Means War!:
    • Invoked early on in the movie between Odin and Laufey; Thor invaded Jotunheim and killed Laufey's subjects. There is no recourse but war.
      • Although at the time Thor was acting on what he believed was his royal duty in response to the earlier breach by the Jotuns on Asgardian soil on his coronation day (so it's still grounds for war, just with Asgard being the one to declare it instead of Jotunheim).
    • Also, this is what Thor's Catchphrase tends to mean. In the film, said Catchphrase doubles as a Let's Get Dangerous! moment in the POV of Jane and the other humans who had doubted Thor's mental reasoning up until that point.
      Thor: I would have words with my brother.
  • Three-Act Structure: The three act structure is well suited to Thor and a classical Shakespearian director. Thor proves he's a warrior. Then he learns how to be a good man. Then he learns how to be a king.
  • Threshold Guardians: Played with in the form of Heimdall, who is a character with his own motivations instead of just a plot device.
  • Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Throwing Your Hammer Always Works: Sure, when it comes back to you after you throw it.
  • Timeshifted Actor: Dakota Goyo and Ted Allpress respectively portray Thor and Loki as children, while they are played by Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston as adults.
  • To Be Lawful or Good: Heimdall is bound by his oath to serve whomever is king of Asgard, no matter what he is told to do, and no matter how amoral his leader is. When Loki tells him he is to be banished from Asgard, Heimdall's response is "then I need no longer obey you!" as he immediately attacks Loki.
  • Tomato in the Mirror: Loki. His heritage is true to Norse Mythology.
  • Tomboyish Ponytail: Sif wears one when going into battle.
  • Too Dumb to Live:
    • A Frost Giant soldier thinks it's a good idea to insult Thor as "little princess." Thor responds him by striking the bastard with his hammer.
    • The fact that Loki was offering to let King Laufey have the Casket of Ancient Winters back with no strings attached once Odin was dead should have raised several red flags. Loki's terms never provided for any sort of permanent immunity for Asgard once their plan had been carried out, which should have reeked of "too good to be true". If Loki were serious about the agreement, he would have made Laufey promise to stay out of Asgardian business once he had what he came for but instead Loki implies that Laufey will be free to do as he pleases once he enacts the assassination of Odin and Loki can be installed as ruler of Asgard.
  • Took a Level in Kindness: After having been banished to Earth for starting a war with the Frost Giants, Thor has to learn humility and compassion before he becomes worthy of his godly powers again.
  • Too Unhappy to Be Hungry: Played with: there's a scene where Thor's friends are worrying about the dire straits Asgard is in, and one of them points out that Big Eater Volstagg's appetite hasn't been affected, obliging him to assure them that that doesn't mean he's not just as worried as the rest of them.
  • Tragic Bromance: Thor and Loki, although the latter doesn't actually die.
  • Tragic Villain: Loki is motivated by a complex mixture of Sibling Rivalry, trying to impress his father, personal ambition and a warped sense of duty before Asgard. It's no wonder he elicits sympathy as he descends into wickedness. There's probably a fair bit of self-loathing involved as well, once he finds out he's a Frost Giant.
  • Trailers Always Lie:
    • A positive example; the trailers for the film were regarded by many as somewhat underwhelming, but the scale and acting and dialogue have turned out to be closer to the comics than many feared. Also, some of the trailers imply that the line "You can't kill an entire race" refers to humanity. This isn't the case, as the Frost Giants and Jötunheim end up as Loki's target. In particular, except for a few brief shots, very little of the first act appears in the trailer. It is a good half an hour before Thor even reaches Earth.
    • Also, Loki was featured in only one or two shots in all of the trailers, and when he does appear, he seems a bit like the tag-along younger brother, which he is until he descends into villainy, or like the generic Big Bad. This may have helped create the strong audience reaction to Loki — non-comics fans probably didn't expect him to have a major part, and comics fans probably didn't expect him to be portrayed as sympathetically as he was.
    • The trailer for the first movie makes it seem like Thor reclaims the hammer in awesome fashion in the rain. He fails.
  • Traitor Shot: When Loki visits Thor on Earth to inform him that their father has died and that their mother forbids Thor to return home, there is a lingering close-up on Loki's eyes when he turns away from Thor and is about to leave, clueing the viewer in that Loki is lying.
  • Tragic Villain: Loki was jealous, sure, but he truly didn't want things to go where they did. He was a bout to cry when Odin cast Thor out of Asgard. Everything after tha was Loki getting even more of a Humiliation Conga than Thor did, learing he was never Odin's son, nothing more than a political tool. He was trying to prove he really deserved to be Odin's son. Not some fucking Jotun, a true Asgardian. He fell into the abyss thinking his father despised him, that he'd betrayed his brother.
  • True Companions: The Warriors Three, Sif, and Thor. The first four were willing to defy their king and reverse Thor's banishment on their own.
  • Truer to the Text: In one small way to Norse mythology, Heimdall and Sif are not portrayed as siblings. In the comics, that is actually a case of Related in the Adaptation.
  • Tube Travel: The Bifröst opens a magic beam across the universe and transports people from one place to another.
  • Turn the Other Fist: Thor is almost convinced to leave Jötunheim without a fight... until he gets called "princess."
  • Twisting the Words:
    • Loki, of course. Unlike most other examples of the trope, he not only does this to sabotage others, but it's also ingrained so deeply in his character that he always believes the worst in people. Also invoked by him when he says that Thor cannot go to Jötunheim without defying Odin; Thor interprets that as a recommendation rather than a warning. Which is exactly what Loki wanted.
    • When Odin explains that he saved Loki as a child because he hoped that one day Loki can serve as an example that Frost Giants and Asgardians can peacefully co-exist, Loki instead believes that Odin saved him only because he wanted an extra war trophy. Odin even reacts by asking, "Why do you twist my words?"
  • Undead Tax Exemption: Enforced. Jane just gives Thor the identity of her ex, who isn't even stated as being dead. S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson has a background check done, sees through the alias in seconds, but goes with it anyway in order to see what Thor does.
  • The Un-Favourite: Loki views himself as this, believing that Odin and Frigga favor the older and more physically powerful Thor over him. Finding out that he's an adopted Frost Giant just makes things worse, which accelerates his descent into villainy and furthers the plot.
  • Unflinching Walk: Thor when he walks out of the stilling tornado after defeating the Destroyer.
  • The Unmasqued World: The events of this film start a black ops arms race within S.H.I.E.L.D. to develop weapons that can combat extraterrestrial problems like the Destroyer. This is followed up on in The Avengers. A number of other MCU films mention that it was Thor showing up (and not any of the other characters, who are all from Earth) that made people aware of just what kind of universe they lived in, and what they might have to go up against.
  • The Unpronounceable: Darcy never pronounces Mjölnir's name correctly. She always pronounces it as "Myeh-myeh."
  • Unreliable Narrator: In a flashback at the beginning of the film, we see Odin telling young Thor and Loki about the war with Jötunheim. He leaves out the part about Loki's background in which he finds the Jötunn king Laufey's abandoned baby and adopts him.
  • Unresolved Sexual Tension:
    • Intentionally used by the writers for Sif and Thor, as the people who worked on the film wanted to be able to have the option of writing Thor/Sif into the sequels, should they later want to.
      Jaimie Alexander: [about Thor and Sif] But there is a reason that we sort of subtly hinted to it in the first film. Just so that there is a door. If we want to go through that door, we can. They like to cover all their bases at Marvel.
    • During an interview, Chris Hemsworth referenced this when speaking about their relationship in the sequel, as well as what it was throughout the first movie.
      Chris Hemsworth: In the comic books there’s obviously an attraction with Thor and Sif, or what have you. And there was little peppering of that, I think, in the first one. Little hints at it. There [in the sequel] may be... might be more indication...
  • Unusually Uninteresting Sight: When Mjölnir is found in the desert, it is at first treated as a tourist attraction, but later becomes subject to surveillance, as nobody but Thor knows where it came from and thus would be suspicious about it.
  • Uptight Loves Wild: Has shades of this. The serious science student Jane falls for the Fish out of Water demigod Thor who (initially) likes to smash things.
  • Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Loki. Judging from just the flashback scene and how most of the other characters treat him, he and Thor used to have a very good relationship, and he used to be just a sweet kid who had a penchant for mischief before jealousy set in.
  • Use Your Head: Severe headbutts happen a few times in the first act. For example, a Frost Giant grabs and burns Volstagg's arm, and Volstagg uses his head.
  • Vain Sorceress: Loki, a spell caster, is a Rare Male Example; he's the sole Asgardian man with sculpted eyebrows (this is confirmed by Tom Hiddleston) and who's clean-shaven. He has three intricately-designed outfits on Asgard, plus an elegant Midgardian suit.
  • Vanity Is Feminine: Loki is the best-dressed male character in the movie, and he also happens to be the most androgynous in terms of looks and personality. In a deleted scene, Thor derides Loki as a cow because of the latter's horned helmet.
  • Villainous Breakdown: Many of Loki's actions in the second half of the movie, and thus the plot for that portion, can be attributed to a very steep downward spiral that starts from the moment he discovers that he is a Frost Giant. It's clear some of the more extreme actions he takes later are not what he had originally planned to take, and even as he keeps his trademark composure he appears increasingly harried over the course of the movie. By the climax he's lost all veneer of composure.
  • Villain Has a Point:
    • Loki is coveting the throne for himself, but he's right that putting Thor on the throne of Asgard at the beginning of the film wouldn't have ended well for anyone. By the end, even Thor himself realizes he wasn't ready for the responsibility and needs more time to mature and learn.
    • Loki also accuses Odin of adopting him for purely political reasons. Although Odin clearly loves him, his expression suggests that this accusation hit home rather hard.
  • Villains Blend in Better: Loki, when he sneaks to Earth, looks like a Sharp-Dressed Man. Additionally, nobody can see him except Thor. A simple trick for the God of Lies.
  • Violently Protective Girlfriend: Frigga not only takes care of Odin during his Odinsleep, but guards him as well. One of Laufey's soldiers learns the hard the way that the Queen of Asgard is deadly with a sword.
  • Visible Boom Mic: You can see it hovering over the pet shop owner for a few seconds.
  • Waif-Fu: Loki is a Rare Male Example — he's played by 6'2", ordinarily-slender Tom Hiddleston, but made up and costumed to look outright skinny — and still capable of at least briefly beating his beefy brother in combat (including, notably, using his father's scepter/spear as a pole to propel his body around in order to increase his momentum for a kick in the face).
  • War Is Hell: After having lived through the war between Asgard and the Frost Giants, which is repeatedly described as destructive and terrible, Odin is very dedicated to ensuring that sort of thing never happens again. Laufey, to an extent, feels the same, but in contrast to Odin, he's very vindictive and thus not shy about starting another one should the situation arise, and even then he tries to prevent such a situation from occurring.
    Laufey: You're just a boy. You cannot see the consequences of your actions. I can. Leave now while I still allow it.
  • The War Just Before: In the beginning of the film, Odin tells his sons a story about the war Asgard waged against the Frost Giants under his command. Peace with the former enemies is broken shortly after, then Thor ventures to Jotunnheim.
  • Warrior Prince: Both Thor and Loki because they are Asgardian princes.
  • Waterfall into the Abyss: The edge of Asgard.
  • Wave-Motion Gun: Loki uses the Bifröst as one in the climax.
  • "Well Done, Son" Guy: Thor and Loki, in each their own way. The relationship between fathers and their sons is a theme in this movie.
    • Thor wants to be a "great king" like his father, a conqueror who defends his people by attacking their enemies. He has to learn that his father regrets that phase of his life and wants his son to be wise, generous, and peaceful.
    • Loki has this to both Thor and Odin. He wants to be seen as a hero the way Thor is, but his natural methods are as The Trickster rather than a mighty warrior. He feels himself The Unfavorite with Odin and wants to be seen as a hero to his people, but his method is to trick Laufey into an invasion so that Loki can assassinate him, and he has to spend a long, long time learning that it's not all about what you do, it's about how you do it and why you do it.
  • We Used to Be Friends: Sif and the Warriors Three start to feel this way about Loki when he refuses their appeal to de-banish Thor, in their mind betraying him. Exactly how much he feels this way about them and how much is for show is up for debate at this point.
  • Wham Episode: With the appearance of Thor and the Destroyer in New Mexico, the existence of other worlds is known to the people of Earth. The movie also introduces the Tesseract, the MacGuffin of The Avengers and an Infinity Stone, as well as Loki, one of the universe's biggest villains.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?:
    • The ultimate fate of the The Destroyer and the Casket of Ancient Winters remains unexplored. Presumably S.H.I.E.L.D. took custody of the former while the latter is last seen in the Bifröst before it was destroyed. In The Avengers it is revealed S.H.I.E.L.D. recovered the remains of the Destroyer and reverse engineered it. Thor: Ragnarok shows the Casket to be back in Odin's Vault.
    • What happened to the S.H.I.E.L.D. guys spying on Thor from the rooftop? Volstagg knocks them out in one of the deleted scenes, but they don't try to evacuate the town or fight the Destroyer in the actual film.
  • What Measure Is a Non-Human?: To the film's credit, the answer is pretty damn high. As part of Thor's Character Development, he stops seeing the Jötnar as merely walking experience points and pleads with Loki to stop his genocidal plan. Loki, however, calls the Jötunn a "race of monsters", despite being one himself.
  • When All You Have Is a Hammer…: Averted, but definitely worth mentioning partly because Thor's weapon is a hammer and partly because it's part of Thor's Character Development. Mjölnir is a fine example of a Swiss-Army Weapon, able to shoot lightning, return to its wielder's hand when thrown, and grant flight, just for starters. The trick is thinking of nonviolent uses for it, which doesn't occur to Thor at the start of the movie.
  • When Things Spin, Science Happens: Bifröst, with a good measure of Power Glows, and it is glorious to look at.
  • Where the Magic Went: Asgard and Jotunheim, the homes of Norse Mythology's gods and giants (respectively). While Asgard still considers Earth one of its Nine Realms, it doesn't seem like they've visited Earth in a very long time.
  • White Stallion: Thor rides a white horse when he, Loki and their friends travel to the Bifrost observatory to go to Jotunheim. The rest of the group's horses are beige, brown or black.
  • Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Two Frost Giants stand next to a frozen Heimdall and neglect smashing him to smithereens when they have the chance. Possibly justified considering how quickly Heimdall breaks out. Smashing him could have freed him sooner, and they were only there to prevent anyone from helping him.
  • "Will Return" Caption: "Thor will return in The Avengers."
  • The Wise Prince: Thor, after some Character Development.
  • Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Loki, almost literally. He bears no more hatred to the Frost Giants than the average Asgardian. Then he discovers he is one. His smoldering jealousy bursts into a bonfire, his self-hatred sky-rockets, and he attempts genocide to prove without a doubt that he is Asgardian.
  • World of Badass: Both Asgard and Jötunheim are filled with badass warriors with mystical weapons and powers. Also Earth (this is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after all), though the full scope of badasses down there is merely glimpsed this time...
  • World of Ham: Asgard is one, which results in major Ham-to-Ham Combat. This is exactly the reason why Kenneth Branagh was the perfect director for this movie.
  • World of Snark: Earth's other hat in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Seriously, try to find a part in the film where the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents don't take a moment to snark in the face of otherworldly beings.
  • The World Tree:
    • Yggdrasil, which binds the nine realms (Midgard/Earth, Asgard, Jötunheim, etc.) together. You can see it hovering as the universe itself during the end credits.
    • The power arcs of the activated Bifröst (inside what director Branagh called Heimdall's "observatory") are also representative of the Yggdrasil.
    • In the prelude for Thor: The Dark World, Odin mentions that Loki fell into "Yggdrasil itself" when he let himself fall into the abyss at the end of Thor.
  • Worst Aid: Sticking a syringe in someone who's actively struggling is a very bad idea: it's a good way to break the needle off inside of their body, which can cause any number of serious problems.
  • Worthy Opponent: Seeing Thor kick ass all the way through the SHIELD installation, Hawkeye starts rooting for him and tells Coulson he doesn't quite want to take the shot.
  • Would Be Rude to Say "Genocide": Loki's plan to destroy the Jötunn race.
  • Xanatos Speed Chess: What Loki's doing for most of the movie. At first, he simply seems to have been planning on discrediting Thor by goading his brother to start a war with the Jötnar. After Thor is banished, he finds out he is a Jötunn himself, goes berserk, and Odin enters his sleep. Everything else seems to have been very well-orchestrated improvisation.
  • Yandere: When Odin becomes ill just thinking about warring with the Frost Giants, Loki concludes that the best way to please his father is to blow up Jötunheim.
  • Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: Averted. While Asgardians indulge in Antiquated Linguistics and Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness, their speech is mostly modern English.
  • You Must Be Cold: Thor gives Jane his jacket just in time for a wild rainstorm. Even as a mortal, he can tell when thunder and lightning are on their way.
  • Young Conqueror: Loki is young (relative to other Asgardians), ambitious, wants to bring greater glory to Asgard, and manipulates the hell out of everyone to achieve his goals.
  • You're Insane!: When Thor realizes what Loki's plans are.
    Thor: Loki, this is madness!
    Loki: Is it madness?! Is it?! IS IT?!
  • You're Not My Father:
    • An indirect version — since only one of the characters is aware of the relation — takes place when Loki shoots Laufey with Gungnir while making it very clear who he considers to be his true parent:
      Loki: And your death came by the son of Odin.
    • A scene invoked that was present in the original script where Loki did reveal himself to Laufey as his son. Laufey then admitted his Parental Abandonment of him.
  • You Shall Not Pass!: Heimdall's main purpose of being is to guard the entrance to Asgard.
  • Zerg Rush: The Frost Giants attempt to do this to Thor. It fails spectacularly as Thor single-handedly destroys them all by summoning a lightning bolt.

"Legend tells us one thing, history another. But every now and then, we find something that belongs to both."

Alternative Title(s): The Mighty Thor

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Thor Taken Out By a Taser

The God of Lightning is taken out by a taser.

How well does it match the trope?

4.92 (12 votes)

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Main / TaserTagWeakness

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