Marvel’s Thor: Fans spot easter egg in Kenneth Branagh’s new film

The touching nod was spotted by fans

Fans have spotted a touching nod to Thor in Kenneth Branagh’s new film, Belfast.

Branagh’s directed the first Thor film in 2011 as part of Marvel’s Phase One offering.

Branagh’s new film, which is a black-and-white coming of age drama set in the 1960s, focusses on Buddy (Jude Hill), a nine-year-old boy growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles.

Branagh wrote the film during lockdown last year; it’s semi-autobiographical and drew heavily on his own childhood experiences growing up in Belfast until he moved to England, aged nine.

Fans have now spotted a nod from Branagh to his directorial debut with Thor in the new film, when Buddy is spotted reading a Thor comic book in the street, which many see as a future nod to Branagh’s role as a director on the film.

According to Variety, fans watching the moment at the Toronto Film Festival were thrilled with the reference to the Marvel superhero and applauded.

(Marvel/Kobal/Shutterstock)

There were also references to Branagh’s other films in Belfast, such as his take on Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and the upcoming Death on the Nile. In Buddy’s room, a copy of an Agatha Christie novel can be spotted on his bookshelf.

Back in June, Thor actor Chris Hemsworth confirmed that filming on the next instalment in the series, Thor: Love and Thunder, had wrapped, sharing a tongue-in-cheek photo of him on set.

Hemsworth wrote on Instagram (2 June): “That’s a wrap on Thor: Love and Thunder, it’s also national don’t flex day so I thought this super relaxed photo was appropriate. This film is gonna be bats*** crazy off the wall funny and might also pull a heart string or two. Lots of love, lots of thunder!

“Thank you to all the cast and crew who made this another incredible Marvel journey. Buckle in, get ready and see ya in cinemas!!”

Hemsworth poked fun at himself over his physique in the film, which marks the biggest body transformation he has undergone yet, sharing a photo of him and director Taika Waititi on set in costume.

The film is set for release on 5 November.