Thor: Ragnarok is undoubtedly one of the most entertaining MCU films to date, and a big reason why is because it’s busting with ideas, with the movie acting as a kind of blend of various different comic book storylines. Apart from dealing with the events of Ragnarok, there’s a lot of Planet Hulk in it, too, as well as bits of recent Thor comics from writer Jason Aaron.
With the net cast so wide for comic book inspiration, then, it’s not surprising that the threequel is stuffed full of easter eggs, callbacks and references to a huge variety of Marvel characters, creators and stories. As you’ve surely heard – and probably seen, too – one individual who’s nodded to is Beta Ray Bill – a fan favorite hero from the comics who possesses the rare quality of being worthy enough to wield Mjolnir.
As for the easter egg, well, even if you haven’t actually seen the film, you no doubt know that the plot involves Thor being conscripted into a galactic gladiatorial contest. Near to the arena is Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster’s HQ, and when our heroes are en route there, they pass a tower showcasing the Contest of Champion’s all-time greatest fighters.
Naturally, Hulk is at the top of the pops right now, but cast your eyes a little further down the tower and you’ll spot the distinctive Karbonite features of Beta Ray Bill. It’s not much, but it’s still a fun little nod and it would seem to signal that we’ll be seeing the character in the flesh quite soon.
Or at least, that’s according to Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige, who said the following when asked if they planned to include him in Ragnarok in a larger capacity at any point.
“There was Beta Ray Bill, but it was so quick that you would have the same complaints that you have now. He was in it a little bit more and it just didn’t do justice. And the feeling is, if you can’t do it justice, do it later.”
What Feige says makes perfect sense. While it would have been nice to see Bill show up in person rather than the easter egg we ended up getting, it’s definitely better to save his actual introduction for a film where they can do him justice – rather than just shoehorn the character in for the sake of it. Besides, if nothing else, we can at least take comfort in the fact that the horse-faced alien is on his way to the MCU.
Tell us, were you happy with the Beta Ray Bill easter egg that we got in Thor: Ragnarok? Or would you have preferred to see him in the flesh? Sound off in the usual place!