SPOILERS lie ahead for Thor: Love and Thunder, so read at your own risk.
It’s been some time since fans have been able to catch up with Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder, but the OG Avenger is finally back in Thor: Love and Thunder. And as is usually the case with Marvel movies, there are a few fun cameos to look out for. One of these is very cool Easter egg that ties all the way back to 2016's Captain America: Civil War. Does an average guy named Darryl Jacobson ring a bell?
Well, Darryl Jacobson was Thor’s roommate, who was introduced in the Taika Waititi-directed shorts starring Chris Hemsworth's hero in a mockumentary setting. They were released as bonus features on Marvel's home media releases, starting with the first one on Captain America: Civil War, which the God of Thunder was notably excluded from. Darryl, who is played by Daley Pearson, totally shows up in Love and Thunder. As Waititi shared with CinemaBlend during our exclusive Thor interviews:
Darryl is in the film, he’s the tour guide in New Asgard. I love that thing we shot before Ragnarok – those little short films kind of set the tone for the character. It was a little experiment, we were like ‘Oh, let’s see what Thor’s like when he’s a bit more human.’
The first Thor short, titled Team Thor, was shot one month before Ragnarok, marking the first time Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth worked together. In the process, the duo brought a new energy to the Marvel hero, one that many fans have enjoyed. On making the shorts, Hemsworth added:
And [the shorts were] a bit more improvisational, and wacky and we kind of had no risk and then we walked on set [of Ragnarok] and thought, ‘Let’s kind of keep that going.’
The short films are definitely MCU highlights. Check out Team Thor, featuring Darryl and that specific humor we now know and love from Ragnarok and Love and Thunder:
The comedy in the short is quite reminiscent of Taika Waititi’s work in What We Do In The Shadows, and Taika Waititi has since brought a lot of that into the Marvel movies he's done. (The nude scene in this latest film is a prime example of how wild the filmmaker can get.)
Following his absence, Darryl was brought back for Love And Thunder as a tour guide in New Asgard, during which he regales visitors with info on some of the locations greatest items. When CinemaBlend asked how he got there, the New Zealand-born director said this:
He owed Darryl money and he said: ‘I’ll get you a job in New Asgard, you’re gonna love it in Norway’.
In addition to Darryl returning to Thor’s circle, Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth, Sam Neill's characters all return as the repertory players in New Asgard. They're also joined by Melissa McCarthy, who plays the faux Hela. The movie also includes a number of other notable newcomers to the franchise For example, there’s the introduction of Russell Crowe’s Zeus and, in one of the end-credits scenes, fans meet his son -- Hercules!
All of these characters were definitely fun to see in the new movie, but Darryl was definitely a big surprise. It’s a great Easter egg, and maybe if Taika Waititi keeps making more Thor movies, it'll continue!
Once you’ve seen Thor: Love and Thunder, check out what upcoming Marvel movies are heading our way next., and stream past MCU films with a Disney+ subscription.
