A Hilarious Marvel Moment Left Thor's Chris Hemsworth Stressed

The Evolution of Thor in "Thor: Ragnarok"

Although the character had appeared in multiple films already, including two solo pictures and two Avengers team-up movies, it felt like Thor (Chris Hemsworth) wasn't fully developed until the release of "Thor: Ragnarok" in 2017. Prior to this film, Thor was a somewhat vague character—distantly heroic, blustery, and confident, but with unclear superpowers and an uncertain godhood status. He looked and spoke like a Norse deity, yet he was actually a superpowered alien from another dimension. His relationship with the other superheroes on the Avengers was neither warm nor cold; it was more of a generic alliance. He fought alongside them, wielding a hammer as his primary weapon and summoning lightning with a wave of his hand.

In "Ragnarok," however, directed by Taika Waititi, Thor transformed into a comedy character. His bluster became undue confidence, and his old-world speech turned into a form of baffled cluelessness. The middle portion of the film takes place on a garbage-strewn alien planet called Sakaar, where Thor is forced by the local dictator (Jeff Goldblum) to fight in a gladiatorial arena. By coincidence, his old teammate, the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), is also on this planet, as is the recognizable Norse warrior Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson). Thor is very much out of his element in "Ragnarok," but he attempts to accept everything with good humor. The film is generally light and much funnier than the other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Taika Waititi’s Unique Style

Taika Waititi’s sense of humor is loose and whimsical. He is also known for "What We Do in the Shadows," "Our Flag Means Death," and the new "Time Bandits" series, revealing his fondness for comedy/fantasy blends. He also employs a lot of improv comedy, allowing his actors to naturally find the humor within a scene. It seems, though, that Chris Hemsworth wasn’t particularly fond of improv, and it wasn’t his forte. He mentioned this in a recent interview with Men's Health Magazine.

A Challenging Scene for Hemsworth

Hemsworth noted one scene in particular that made him nervous. There was a moment, before Thor, the Hulk, and Valkyrie attempted to escape Sakaar, where they reconnoitered and went over their plan. They all rambled a little bit, dropping in their own improvised lines in between their scripted ones, trying to punch up the scene with some light comedy. Hemsworth had never studied comedy too closely, beginning his professional acting career at age 19 in his native Australia. His first big break came in 2004 when he took on a regular role on the Aussie soap opera "Home and Away," ultimately appearing on 189 episodes. His first major motion picture was 2009's "Star Trek," wherein he played the short-lived father of the baby James T. Kirk. None of his roles really required that he be funny.

"Thor: Ragnarok" put his feet to the comedic fire, however, and he was suddenly asked to improvise next to expert actors like Thompson and Ruffalo. He noted that improv makes him giggle, and that giggling can ruin a take. He had to fight not to feel like "a bunch of naughty kids at school." He continued:

"You try not to laugh, and then you try to remember your lines, and you're trying to improv and be creative and not screw it up, and then there's money being spent trying to capture this scene, and we're throwing it out the door as we fumble our way through it. [...] It was good stress."

The Pressure of a Major Production

Had the scene been for a lightweight, low-budget indie movie, Hemsworth may not have felt as much pressure, but "Ragnarok" was a $180 million SFX bonanza for a successful and long-running fantasy franchise. Wasting a whole day with comedic improv wasn’t an option when hundreds of people are on set at any given moment. Hemsworth, then, had to be sharp. And even if he was comfortable with the superhero character, being funny was difficult.

Flying is easy. Comedy is hard.