'Thor' At Comic-Con: Everything You Need To Know From Chris Hemsworth's preparation for the role to Thor's costume and hammers, here are the details we've learned so far.
By Eric Ditzian
"Thor" star Chris Hemsworth at Comic-Con 2010
Photo: Jerod Harris/ Getty Images
Almost a week after Marvel debuted the first footage from "Thor" at Comic-Con, the video has popped up online. Now it's not only the lucky nerds that swooped into San Diego last weekend who get to gawk over the incredibly cool footage, which includes Chris Hemsworth as Thor laying down the hurt on some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, a close look at the mythical gods of gold-plated Asgard, and Thor swapping spit with the scientist played by Natalie Portman.
The Con simply delivered an embarrassment of "Thor" riches, and to help everyone get a handle on what was revealed, we've gathered all the available info right here. Read on for everything you need to know about "Thor" at Comic-Con.
How Hemsworth Prepared: Vikings and Mike Tyson
Early in 2009, the Australian-born Hemsworth was unknown on American shores. Then he wowed audiences with his turn as James Kirk's dad in "Star Trek" and won the hearts of Marvel execs, who gifted him with the role of Thor. How did Hemsworth prepare for the role? Not so much with comic book reading about Norse gods but with historical research about the Vikings.
"They live with this fearlessness, which for me was a lot of the angle I came at Thor with," he told us. "He does reckless sort of things, but his heart is in the right place. He believes it's right. He's not just a madman."
When it came to creating Thor's fighting style, Hemsworth at first turned to former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson. "Mike Tyson is very low to the ground, with a big open chest and big shoulder swings. Very sort of brutal but graceful at the same time," he explained. "As we shot stuff, we realized that it's virtually impossible to do that. The costume is pretty limiting with the movement, so there was a lot to work around."
Thor's Look: Armor, Hammers and Nakedness
As we saw in the Con footage, Thor is cast out of Asgard and lands on Earth, stripped of his armor and his all-powerful hammer. And without that hammer, Hemsworth admitted he felt more than a little vulnerable on set.
"You feel naked without it after holding it for a while," he laughed.
The actor went on to reveal that filmmakers employed various hammers depending on the needs of each scene. "There were a few different versions for different shots — the close-up one and the stunt one," he said. "The main one was very heavy, a beautifully polished, metal, wood, leather-looking thing. It was an impressive thing."
Equally impressive for the actor was Thor's costume, which had Hemsworth feeling nothing short of empowered. "I put the costume on for the first time and had the camera test and [co-star] Anthony Hopkins was there with me," he said. "We looked at each other and he said, 'God, there's no acting required here, is there?' "
Destroyer, Loki and Odin's Throne
Marvel's "Thor" effort at Comic-Con wasn't all about the central god, of course. Out on the floor was Odin's golden throne and the Destroyer armor in all its metallic glory. Hemsworth also gave us a sneak peek at Thor's battle with the nefarious Loki (Tom Hiddleston).
"We had a big rehearsal process with one particular fight scene we were doing and the whole time, Tom had his staff and his Loki helmet on with the horns," Hemsworth said. "He always wore it in rehearsals while he moved, so basically he's sweating and he can't hear anything because [the helmet] is extraordinarily heavy. He had this kind of crazy look in his eyes, and the whole time I was thinking, 'He's going to kill me!' He's swinging his staff and catching me in the legs and in the fingers and I kept thinking, 'He's going to hurt somebody.' "
Check out everything we've got on "Thor."
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