The Steelcase edition Blu-ray of Loki season 1 came out today, and it features two deleted scenes: a standoff between Loki and the Time Variance Authority on Lamentis, and a flashback to Loki’s attempted ascension to the throne of Asgard. The second scene features a long-awaited cameo: Chris Hemsworth as Frog Thor, or “Throg.”
Throg makes a brief appearance in the final cut of Loki season 1. In episode 5, as the group of Lokis enters their secret hideout in the Void at the End of Time, the camera pans down through layers of soil. It briefly passes over Throg stuck in a glass jar, grunting and yelling as he tries to break free. Although Hemsworth did the grunts, Throg doesn’t have any actual lines.
In “Loki’s Coronation,” though, we get to see more of Throg. The deleted scene starts in the TVA interrogation room, with Mobius bringing an image of Asgard up on the screen. As he and Loki watch, we see Loki standing on a dais in his Asgardian armor, addressing an audience of Asgardians. Loki announces that since Thor is missing and most likely dead, he’s taking the throne as crown prince and eventual king.
Then Throg appears in a bolt of lightning and accuses Loki of turning him into a frog (as if that weren’t obvious!). He hits Loki with Mjolnir, and the flashback ends.
If you haven’t watched the scene yet, brace yourself: the visual effects were never finished, so the scene looks very cartoony and goofy. But is it worth it to hear Hemsworth saying, “You turned me into a frog!”? Oh yeah. So worth it.
Why wasn’t Frog Thor in the final cut of Loki season 1?
When season 1 ended in 2021, fans wondered where the coronation was. After all, Marvel had included footage of the deleted scene in the trailer.
In a 2021 Twitter thread, writer Eric Martin explained why the scene was cut. “We actually shot a scene for the Time Theater in Ep 1 of Loki getting pummeled by Frog Thor but had to cut it to keep things moving,” Martin wrote. “It’s too bad because Tom was funny as hell.”
Director Kate Herron also explained why the scene was cut in an interview with TVLine. “[The flashbacks] tended to lean a bit more into comedy, and the scenes weren’t bad,” Herron said. “But when we were putting the edit together, they were quite near where [Loki] sees Frigga [dying]. Obviously, we didn’t want to take away from that moment, because it’s his mom dying and it’s very emotional. It’s always tricky. The scenes weren’t necessarily not good, but they weren’t quite sitting right. That’s why there’s sometimes bits that people see that don’t end up in the show.”
Love the scene or hate it, Frog Thor has been unleashed in the MCU. What surprises will Loki season 2 hold? We don’t have to wait long to find out.
(featured image: Disney+)
