One of the biggest surprises in Thor: Ragnarok was Korg, the Kronan warrior who ended up becoming a close friend of the God of Thunder – and as it turns out, Ragnarok wasn’t his first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as he briefly appeared in Thor: The Dark World. The MCU has been bringing a variety of characters from Marvel Comics to the big screen, with some of them getting their own solo movies. Among those is Thor, who after a rough start is now the first hero in the MCU to get four solo movies.
Thor got his first solo adventure in 2011, and one year later he joined Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in The Avengers. However, his second movie, Thor: The Dark World, is considered among the weakest movies in the MCU, due to its story, pacing, and villain. After another mission with the Avengers in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor returned with his third solo movie, Thor: Ragnarok, which revived the character. Now directed by Taika Waititi, Ragnarok brought big and necessary changes to the character, giving him a personality and seizing Chris Hemsworth’s comedic skills.
Ragnarok also introduced new characters that earned their spots in other MCU movies, suchkorg
However, one detail in Korg’s first appearance was what made it possible for Waititi to retcon the character and add it to Thor: Ragnarok: his name was never said on screen. This allowed Waititi to do what he wanted and needed with the character, which included a change of attitude and behavior. Waititi based Korg on Polynesian bouncers, saying he wanted to change the idea of what a guy with physical characteristics like Korg could be like, thus going for making him “huge and heavy, but with a light soul, and he’s funny a friendly”. This also reflected on Korg’s appearance, as he was given a softer expression but without sacrificing his Kronan nature. His color was also changed to blue, instead of the dark colors he was sporting in Thor: The Dark World.
No matter what your thoughts on Thor: The Dark World are, Korg’s appearance was brief and happened early on in the movie, so it’s an easy one to forget. Waititi definitely revived Thor and those around him, allowing them to stay in the MCU for a bit longer and turning many into new fan-favorites, especially Korg, who wouldn’t have been memorable had he just stayed in Thor’s second solo movie.