The Story Behind the Thor: Ragnarok Trailer Laugh Line Is Even Better Than the Joke

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The first trailer for Thor: Ragnarok had an exuberant tone all its own among Marvel movies, due in no small part to the fun ’80s sci-fi feel the whole movie is going for, but it turns out that it had a bit of outside help, too.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly (video above) Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, explained the origin of the line, “He’s a friend from work,” spoken when the Hulk is first unleashed on him gladiator-style. Though Director Taika Waititi has previously said that he fostered improvisation and an experimental atmosphere on the set, this line came from somewhere extra special: a fan.

As Hemsworth told it, “We had a young kid, a Make-A-Wish kid on set that day. He goes, ‘You know, you should say, ‘He’s a friend from work!'” And so, the big laugh line of the first trailer was born—one that helped propel it to Disney’s most-watched trailer in its first day, which is a pretty amazing feat within a company that owns most Marvel movies and Star Wars.

I was already excited about this movie, and then this story gave me a whole new reason to appreciate what Waititi and the cast are doing with it. It’s hard not to feel good reading about anything that Make-A-Wish makes possible for a child, but it’s hard to even imagine how thrilled he must have been with this unexpected twist. Bonus: It would now be accurate for the kid can shout his own line every single time he sees Hemsworth from now on.

(via The Nerdy Bird, image: Marvel Entertainment)

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Dan Van Winkle
Dan Van Winkle (he) is an editor and manager who has been working in digital media since 2013, first at now-defunct Geekosystem (RIP), and then at The Mary Sue starting in 2014, specializing in gaming, science, and technology. Outside of his professional experience, he has been active in video game modding and development as a hobby for many years. He lives in North Carolina with Lisa Brown (his wife) and Liz Lemon (their dog), both of whom are the best, and you will regret challenging him at Smash Bros.