Thor is  2011 American superhero movie based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It’s the fourth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Take a look below for 30 more interesting and fascinating facts about Thor.

1. The movie was directed by Kenneth Branagh, written by the writing team of Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz along with Don Payne.

2. The movie stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, alongside Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgard, Colm Feore, Ray Stevenson, Idris Elba, Kat Dennings, Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins.

3. In the movie, Thor, the crown prince of Asgard, is banished to Earth and stripped of his powers after he reignites a dormant war. As his brother, Loki, plots to take the throne for himself, Thor must prove himself worthy and reclaim his hammer Mjolnir.

4. The final choice for the role of Thor came down to brothers Chris Hemsworth and Liam Hemsworth. Chris found it funny: “We both came all the way over here from Australia and ended up battling against each other.” He, however, bore no ill-will towards Liam, claiming he was rooting for him to get the role. Chris was eventually chosen, but Liam got a supporting role in the Hunger Games movie franchise.

5. When Chris Hemsworth and Anthony Hopkins saw each other in full armor for the first time, Hopkins said, “God, there’s no acting required here, is there?”

6. Stan Lee claims that he’d always wanted to play Odin, but was happy with Anthony Hopkins’ casting and performance in the role.

7. To prepare for the role of Thor, Chris Hemsworth put on a massive amount of muscle, through a six month regiment of trips to the gym and indulging in a diet of eggs, chicken, sandwiches, vegetables, brown rice, steak and protein drinks.

8. When Tom Hiddleston learned that he was going to be in the movie, he was in a “grisly pub” in North London, and caused an uproar there by screaming out loud.

9. Tom Hiddleston found Loki’s helmet very uncomfortable, as it was heavy to wear, and he couldn’t see properly out of it. He channeled this discomfort into Loki’s battle scenes.

10. Kenneth Branagh has been a fan of Thor since childhood. When Marvel Studios selected Branagh as the director, they sent him the complete collection of the Marvel Thor comics series as reference material for the character.

11. Tom Hiddleston prepared for the role by going on a strict diet before and throughout filming, so that Loki would have a lean, but hungry visage.

12. According to Kenneth Branagh, the closing credits sequence was based on images from the Hubble Space Telescope, and took 18 months to create.

13. When the Destroyer appears on Earth, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents speculate that it could belong to Tony Stark. In the storyline “Fear Itself,” Tony Stark acquired Destroyer armor from Asgard.

14. The agent that grabs a bow and arrow when Thor is attempting to recover Mjolnir is referred to as Agent Barton. This is Clint Barton, also known as the archer Hawkeye.

15. Tom Hiddleston described his role of Loki as, “a comic book, but nastier version of King Lear’s Edmund.” In the William Shakespeare play, Edmund was a prince, who was jealous of his brother Edgar, and tricked his father into banishing him into exile.

16. Mjolnir is ancient Norse for “grinder.”

17. To prepare for his role as Loki, tom Hiddleston trained in the Brazilian martial art of capoeira.

18. Anthony Hopkins signed on as Odin, despite never having read a Thor comic, nor knowing anything about the Thor mythology. It was the concept of the father and son relationship that intrigued him about the role.

19. As Thor is leaving the restaurant to go to the crater site, and Jane follows him, you can see a small water tower at the end of the street that says, “Welcome. Home of the Vikings.”

20. Jaimie Alexander had served on the wrestling team at her high school, in her Texas hometown of Colleyville, so she says she had some experience in fighting, to use in her role as Sif.

21. An entire town was constructed in Galisteo, New Mexico, to serve as a fictional location for the movie.

22. To prepare for the role of Heimdall, Idris Elba read the Thor comics where Heimdall was featured prominently. He said, “He’s a very central character, and I wanted to reflect him as he is in the comic books.”

23. Thor refers to Agent Coulson as “Son of Coul,” misinterpreting his surname as “Coul’s Son,” in the way Norse cultures construct surnames.

24. According to Chris Hemsworth, the action coordinators experimented with different combat styles, but ultimately the fighting technique Thor utilizes, is an original one, based on boxing: stance low to the ground, with big powerful hip movements.

25. Natalie Portman took the role of Jane Foster because she couldn’t resist the opportunity of a comic book movie, directed by Kenneth Branagh. She said, “I was just like, Kenneth Branagh doing Thor is super weird, I’ve gotta do it.”

26. The Earth town where most of the movie is set is called “Puente Antiguo,” which means “antique bridge,” and could be hinting at the Bifrost using it as a frequent destination point.

27. Tom Hiddleston went on to become a comic book fan, especially of Loki.

28. Alexander Skarsgard was one of the actors in the running for the role of Thor, primarily for his physical appearance. Alexander’s father Stellan landed a role in the movie, as Professor Erik Selvig.

29. In the movie, the casket of Ancient Winters was held by the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. In the comic, it was held by the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim, in particular, their leader Malekith the Accursed. In this movie, Loki holds the Casket, and asks Odin if he is accursed, which is a homage to Malekith.

30. In the comics, Jane Foster took over the Mjolnir and assumed the mantle of Thor, replacing the original character in his monthly comic book title.