WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Loki Episode 5, “Journey Into Mystery,” now streaming on Disney+.
Thor has, understandably, been absent from Loki. There’s no space for The God of Thunder in Loki’s brief six-episode run, and besides, Chris Hemsworth’s Marvel Cinematic Universe focus is squarely on the recently wrapped Thor: Love and Thunder. However, while the God of Thunder we all know and love is unlikely to appear, the variant Thor that appeared in Loki’s penultimate episode still has massive cult appeal.
Frog Thor, or Throg, is one of the Easter Eggs found in the Void in “Journey Into Mystery.” As Loki follows his variant companions into their hideout, there are some objects of interest in the garbage, including a creature in a specimen jar wearing a Thor costume, struggling to get out.
The label on the jar reads T365, which a reference to the first appearance of the amphibious Thor, The Mighty Thor #365. That issue was written and drawn by Walt Simonson during his legendary run on the character, and in the story, the God of Thunder is transformed into a frog by Loki’s sorcery. Despite his transformation, however, Thor retained sentience, strength and warrior spirit. He was then drawn into a war between the rats and frogs of Central Park. And by enlisting the help of the fabled alligators of the New York sewers, which the frogs and rats thought were dragons, he saved the frog kingdom.
After taking his leave from the frogs, Thor found his goats Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, who brought Mjolnir with them. Through great effort, Throg was able to lift the hammer and turn into a Thor-sized frog, escaping a pack of vengeful rats in the process. The God of Thunder then returned to Asgard to confront Loki, just as he was attempting to take the vacant throne.
In an attempt to cement his claim, Loki grabbed a fake Mjolnir from an impostor Thor and flung it into the sky. But in place of the hammer, Throg swooped in and carried Loki away to the outskirts of Asgard. Thor demanded his brother undo his spell, but the God of Mischief insisted it couldn’t be reversed. Loki almost paid for his prank with his life when an increasingly animalistic Throg became enraged, and it took Volstagg destroying Surtur’s sword, Twilight, to undo the enchantment and turn Thor back into his old self.
During his adventure with the frogs, Thor met Puddlegulp, who had also been transformed into a frog. His name was later revealed to be Simon Walterson, a homage to his creator, and he became Throg when Thor gave him a sliver of Mjolnir. This new Throg went on to join the Asgardians of the Galaxy and fight in the War of the Realms.
Now, “Journey Into Mystery” is Throg’s first on-screen appearance in the MCU, but it’s not the first reference to him. In Thor: Ragnarok, during the play reenacting Loki’s death, he apologizes to Thor for turning him into a frog. The God of Thunder admits it was a good joke, and his brother, posing as Odin, agrees that it was hilarious. But while, at the time, this moment was a nice nod to one of Marvel Comics’ most outlandish stories, it also teased that there was a branch of the timeline where Thor could’ve been part of a Nexus Event that trapped him in frog form. And with a thread that juicy laying around, it’s no surprise Loki jumped at the chance to introduce Thor’s most iconic variant.
Created by Michael Waldron and directed by Kate Herron, Loki stars Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ravonna Renslayer, Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15, Tara Strong as Miss Minutes, Eugene Cordero as Casey, Sasha Lane as Hunter C-20 and Sophia Di Martino as Sylvie, with Richard E. Grant and Jack Veal. New episodes premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.
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