Spoilers ahead for Thor: Ragnarok.
With Thor: Ragnarok now having dominated for a full week at the box office, it seems that just about every frame of Taika Waititi's threequel has been dissected and discussed. Ragnarok injected the Thor franchise with more color and over the top action than ever before, but it was the humor that really helped the sequel become beloved by critics. Much of Waititi's comedic sensibility is injected into Ragnarok, and we've been able to learn the origin of a variety of ongoing bits. Costume designer Mayes Rubeo recently revealed how the Tony Stark jokes came to be. In the film, Bruce Banner is forced to wear some of Tony's clothes when he finally regains control of his body. But Tony's fashion and style doesn't line up with Bruce's. Rubeo said of the joke,
I think it was Taika or [producer] Brad Winderbaum, our creative executive. It just goes into the bible of the '80s, and what would Tony Stark wear? We make his pants tight, and everything is a little tight because it's more fitted for Tony Stark, of course. And we made a joke about it. So you know, it worked.
Mayes Rubeo's comments to Yahoo once again highlights how an 1980s sensibility was at the forefront of Ragnarok's development and design process. Because even the casual jeans and t-shirt that Bruce Banner wore during his time on camera were given an 80s spin. The t-shirt he found looked like it was straight out of an 80s salon, which actually slid by without the characters making jokes about it. The pants, however, were another story.
Thor: Ragnarok highlighted a ton of blue humor, aka the dirty stuff that isn't normally a huge part of the MCU's comedy. When Bruce Banner got dressed aboard the Quinjet, he noted that Tony Stark likes his clothes a bit tighter than the good doctor. What followed was quite a few shots of Banner attempting to pull down the inseam of his pants, with plenty of accompanying crotch grabs.
This joke is just one of many poop and fart jokes involved in Thor: Ragnarok. Perhaps the most outlandish one was referencing Sakaar's giant wormhole as an anus, a joke which certainly took me by surprise in the theater. Plus Taika Waititi was able to inject even more of his comedic chops by voicing Korg in Ragnarok. Everything that came out of Korg's mouth was hilariously ridiculous, and made even stronger by his New Zealand accent.
It should be interesting to see how much more the 80s continues to inform new Marvel films. The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise has always leaned heavily on 80s culture, and Ragnarok certainly felt like another film form the cosmic universe. Perhaps characters like Thor and Korg will be able to team up with the Guardians in the neat future.
Thor: Ragnarok is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2018 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
