Did you spot the brilliant Thor’s hammer joke in Men in Black: International?

With Thor AND Valkyrie together again just a few months after we last saw them in Avengers: Endgame, it’s no surprise to see MIB:I sneak a few Marvel references into the new movie. Well, we say sneaky – it’s actually rather hammered home.

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The reference comes during a battle between Hemsworth’s Agent H and a blue alien, during which a vastly outmatched H strains to reach for and grab a tiny hammer (around toothbrush-sized) in what looks rather like an imitation of Thor’s hammer-summoning action.

Finally grabbing the small implement, Hemsworth stands up and tells his foe that it “looks like the tables have turned,” before throwing the hammer hard.

Unfortunately, the small weapon is rather easily snatched out of the air by H’s assailant, much to his surprise.

“That was an incredible catch,” he gasps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7MGUNV8MxU

Obviously, any and all hammer jokes in a Chris Hemsworth movie evoke memories of Thor – but this scene does seem to reference a moment in his most recent solo movie Ragnarok, specifically when baddie Hela (Cate Blanchett) blocks and catches his unbeatable hammer Mjolnir with one hand before shattering it.

A highlight of Ragnarok’s hugely-popular first trailer and a shocking moment for Thor at the time, it’s nice to see that the end of Mjolnir can still make echoes in popular culture – especially in a film that, thanks to Thompson’s presence, has more of a Thor pedigree than most.

Men in Black: International is in UK cinemas now