Loki introduces its first Thor Variant in a well-hidden Easter egg

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Probably the strangest Variant so far

Thor: Ragnarok
(Image credit: Marvel)

We’ve had Loki Variants up to our eyeballs. MCU Loki, Sylvie, Richard E. Grant’s Classic Loki, Boastful Loki, Alligator Loki – and even President Loki. It only stands to reason that The God of Mischief’s half-brother gets in on the fun. The latest episode of the Disney Plus series has certainly delivered in that regard with a Thor Variant that has to be seen to be believed.

Spoilers for Loki episode 5 follow. If you haven’t seen the episode, look away now. Ribbit.

No, Loki didn’t bring in Chris Hemsworth for a secret cameo. Behold, Frog Thor. Better known as Throg in the comics (no, we’re not making that up), the amphibian God of Thunder can be seen at 9:10 in this week’s episode.

As ‘our’ Loki descends into the hideout of the Loki Variants, a few visual gags are thrown in. There’s a Mjolnir buried deep in the dirt, as well as a frog in a jar. That’s Throg.

In the comics, Throg is otherwise known as human Simon Walterson. After attempting to contact his dead wife via a witch, he was cursed and turned into, you guessed it, a frog. 

Walterson helps Thor save the day in one of his adventures and the frog, having proven himself worthy, lifts Mjolnir and is transformed into Throg. He later gets his own hammer, named Frogjolnir, and a group of Pet Avengers. Again, we’re not making this up.

The deep cuts just keep on coming. On Throg’s jar is a label with the identification ‘T-365.’ That’s actually a reference to Thor #365, the first appearance of Thor the Thunder Frog (technically a separate character, but you’re really splitting hairs at this point if you care that deeply about Frog canon).

Loki’s nods to Marvel history have already run the gauntlet. Renslayer’s own Hunter number similarly references her first comic appearance in Avengers #23, while vampires have now been confirmed in the MCU – which could be setting up Blade. But nothing will ever beat Frog Thor.

Find out what’s in store next with our guide to Marvel Phase 4 as well as all the new Marvel TV shows currently in the works.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.