The following contains minor spoilers for Thor: Ragnarok.
The return of the Incredible Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok was a highlight of the film as the big green guy was the source of many of the film's best moments, however, one great moment was unfortunately left on the cutting room floor. Director Taika Waititi says that a scene near the end of the film would have included a call back to the original Avengers film, where Hulk gives Loki a swift straight punch that knocks him completely off the screen. Unfortunately, the scene had to be removed to keep the runtime down.
They all land on the bridge -- Thor, Loki and then Hulk. They stand for a second. Then Hulk just smashes Loki, punches him out of the frame -- just like in Avengers, when Hulk did it to Thor. It was a crowd favourite, but we just had to get rid of it for time. It might be on the DVD.
Early in the original Avengers film Thor and Hulk get into in a massive fight that takes them all over S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier. While the pair put the altercation behind them, it's clear that Hulk hasn't quite gotten over it. During a moment of downtime during the film climactic battle, Hulk takes a cheap shot at an unprepared god of thunder.
It's not surprising that fans at early screenings loved the scene. Even if you somehow had missed the Avengers, the shot would almost certainly be funny.
It's actually really unfortunate that this moment was cut out, as it not only acts as a great reminder of the funny moment from The Avengers, but it also bookends nicely with another Avengers callback earlier in Thor: Ragnarok. During the large arena battle between Hulk and Thor, Hulk grabs Thor by the legs and begins to smash him repeatedly against the ground, in much the same way that Hulk did to Loki in The Avengers. Loki celebrates this moment, so it would have been great to see the tables turned and have Loki be on the receiving end of the shot that once took down Thor.
Taika Waiti tells Empire that the scene could end up on the DVD, and if the CGI work on the scene was completed, there's a good chance that will happen. Ir would be great to see the moment, even if it's out of context of the film.
While that moment didn't make the cut in Thor: Ragnarok plenty of other hilarious moments did. If the box office is any indication, the lighter tone was the right move for the Thor franchise to make.
