The Fan-Favorite Moment They Had To Cut From Thor: Ragnarok

If you would've told us in 2011 that the third sequel in the Thor franchise would be the one of the funniest movies of the year on its release, there wouldn't have been a lot of reason to believe you. Yet here we are, with Thor: Ragnarok earning over $120 million on its opening weekend, and rave reviews crowning it as the most hilarious entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  

One of the best comedic moments in the entire MCU occurred during The Avengers, a movie which, apart from the Iron Man series, was really the entry in the franchise that proved Marvel's heroes to be as deft with their comedic timing as they were with landing punches. We're talking, of course, about Hulk vs. Loki, and the punchline "puny god".

Trailers for Thor: Ragnarok have teased the reunion of Loki with Hulk, the only Avenger who can be said to have truly—and humiliatingly—defeated him. But while the two do team up by the movie's end, Thor: Ragnarok was originally supposed to address their contentious relationship in a more direct, hands-on way, with a hilarious callback to The Avengers that reportedly had test audiences howling. 

According to CinemaBlend, there was originally a moment near the end of Thor: Ragnarok where Hulk, Thor, and Loki all line up beside each other before Hulk, still harboring no love for Loki, unexpectedly punches him out of the frame. 

The callback actually served a dual function, referencing Hulk and Loki's past encounter while mirroring a similar sucker punch Hulk once pulled on Thor.

Director Taika Waititi says viewers loved the moment, but it was ultimately cut for the purposes of time. Evidently, it made people laugh a little too hard, derailing the momentum of the scene.

Waititi explained the content of the missing scene to CinemaBlend.

"They all land on the bridge—Thor, Loki and then Hulk," Waititi said. "They stand for a second. Then Hulk just smashes Loki, punches him out of the frame—just like in Avengers, when Hulk did it to Thor. It was a crowd favorite, but we just had to get rid of it for time. It might be on the DVD."

Thor: Ragnarok is currently in theaters worldwide; enjoy it as a lighthearted romp before everything turns bleak next year in Avengers: Infinity War.