After being shown 20 minutes of the movie on Saturday, those of us in attendance at the Kapow! Comic Con Thor panel were then treated to an additional two scenes. Here are my detailed (and spoiler filled) descriptions of those, along with my take on each of them. You can find my analysis of the longest scene by clicking HERE as well as a description of the Q&A with Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston by clicking HERE.
The first scene put the spotlight very much on Loki. This was exactly what I was hoping for. While we're all pretty convinced that Tom Hiddleston will make a great Loki, we've not really seen that much of him in the trailers and TV Spots that have so far been released. Well, it was enough to convince me how perfect a casting choice he is. The scene began with the Warriors Three and Sif approaching the throne in Asgard to request that Odin reconsider Thor's banishment. However, they get there to discover Loki atop of the throne in a pose that look like it was taken straight from the comic books. He explains that Odin has entered the Odinsleep and may never wake up, revealing that HE is now the new King of Asgard. At this, the four look somewhat surprised while Loki looks expectantly on. At this, they all fall to one knee in a sign of respect. Each of them appear concerned about this development and request that he brings Thor back from his exile. Loki refuses, saying that his first rule as Asgard's new King cannot be to undo that of the lasts. Sif reacts angrily to this, but is held back to Volstagg. With this, Fandral tells Loki that they understand and the scene came to an end.
I have to say that I loved this. Tom Hiddleston has a real sinister air of superiority, confidence and arrogance while addressing the Warriors Three and it was plain to see that he portrays the God of Mischief wonderfully. It's a real shame that we'll probably only see him in this role for a small portion of the movies 130 minute run time, but there's no doubt that he'll steal every scene he's in. We don't hear Hogun speak in the scene, but Fandral, Sif and Volstagg all talk with English accents. Josh Dallas, Jaimie Alexander and Ray Stevenson handle this perfectly fine and it's not over the top...it simply makes them sound different enough to distinguish them as Asgard's. If they'd spoken with regular American accents (as the rest of the human cast obviously do with half of the movie being set on Earth) I believe that they would have lost a good deal of character. This was an effective scene, and yes, Ray Stevenson's fat suit used to transform him into Volstagg does look great...although not as exaggerated as the comic book character it's based on.
I wasn't expecting much from the second scene when we were told it featured Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson interrogating Thor. After all, we've already seen a lot of this in the trailer! However, within second of it starting, Coulson leaves the room, and who should turn up but the God of Mischief himself! Dressed in regular Earth clothing (a fairly stylish green suit) his and Thor's relationship seems extremely brotherly and trusting. Loki tells Thor that the upset of his banishment and the problems he caused back in Asgard resulted in Odin's death and that he, Loki, is now the new King. Thor appears crushed by the news and falls back in his seat, devastated. He looks at Loki almost pleadingly and asks whether he'll allow him to return to Asgard, to which his brother responds that this is impossible as part of the deal with the Yodenheim is conditional upon the exile remaining in place. Clearly desperate, Thor asks whether there is any way around this, while Loki says that the uneasy truce cannot be risked. In what then appeared to be a case of Loki taunting Thor, he says that it was cruel of their father to put Mjolnir within his reach, knowing that he'd never be able to lift it. This is of course followed up with an evil smirk from the villain out of Thor's sight. [A huge thank you to CBM's own
Frecks for reminding me about that part of the clip] They say goodbye to each other, and it is at this point that Coulson reenters the room. As he continues to question Thor, we see Loki outside approach Mjolinir. Looking down upon the hammer, he attempts to lift it, struggles and gives up with a dissatisfied look upon his face.
Fantastic stuff. This scene made it clear that the relationship between the two is a good one, on the surface at least, and Thor trusts Loki entirely. The chemistry between the two is electrifying and I imagine Loki's betrayal coming as a real shock to the regular (non comic book reading) audience. Him appearing in regular clothing is surely something of a nod to Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's
The Ultimates, and I can picture him turning up in the exact same way should we see him manipulates things in
The Avengers. A big chunk of
Thor is surely going to focus on the relationship between these two, and it is far more complex than I ever imagined. Hiddleston once again steals the show, but that is by no means an insult to Chris Hemsworth. The look on his face when he is told that Odin is dead, and his subsequent pleading to be allowed to return to Asgard is poweful and moving stuff.
And that was unfortunately the end of the footage shown at the
Thor panel at Kapow! Comic Con. A great way to close the event on Saturday and a brilliant twenty five minutes that have left me desperate for more. You can find my review here on CBM in exactly two weeks time when the movie is released in the UK.
With an all star cast which includes Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury,
Thor is set to be released in the UK on April 29 and shortly after in the US on May 6, later this year!