Chris Hemsworth has carried two Marvel movies as hammer-wielding deity Thor and now he’s carried an episode of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” too.
Hemsworth himself was the butt of many of the episode’s jokes, which touched upon his renowned looks and physique, his Australian homeland and his chops as a thespian (with Kenan Thompson playing an overzealous acting coach in one sketch).
But the night’s most memorable moment had Hemsworth reprising the role of the Thor, whom he’s set to play again in May’s highly anticipated “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” Set moments after the Avengers beat Ultron in battle, the “SNL” sketch follows a news crew trying to take in the aftermath from the movie’s big melee. What they find is Thor celebrating victory with his super friends, Iron Man, Nick Fury, Bruce Banner and Captain America, the last of whom is a hilarious stick in the mud.
As funny as the sketch was, it might have disappointed some of the Marvel fans who had speculated Hemsworth’s “Age of Ultron” co-stars might make cameos on Saturday’s “SNL,” but it was not to be. The other Avengers were played by the NBC show’s regular players.
However, the night did have a few unexpected guests. Hemsworth’s brothers, Liam, Luke and the fictional Callum (played by Thompson), appeared alongside the host during the opening monologue, which centered around his famous and fabulous looking family. But, the rest of the episode carried fewer surprises.
The first few sketches focused on Hemsworth’s physical attributes. One sketch, a mock up of a Disney Channel kids’ show, involves identical twins (played by Hemworth and Taran Killam) who try and pull a fast one on their math teacher.
The joke is that Hemsworth and Killam aren’t exactly identical, and the whole sketch revolved around ancillary characters describing Hemsworth’s physical characteristics: “I feel like [his] nipples are smaller and harder.”
Another spoofed Mindy Kaling‘s recent American Express commercial, which celebrated her ability to succeed in Hollywood despite the odds. On the “SNL” version, Hemsworth shares his less than arduous journey: “I bounced around Hollywood for days,” the actor joked.
One highlight of Saturday’s episode, Michael Che and Colin Jost’s Weekend Update, didn’t involve Hemsworth at all. The recurring segment featured political quips about the federal investigation into Ferguson’s policing tactics, random jokes about “rat aids” in New York City subways, and even four consecutive jabs thrown at Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson, a neuro-scientist who recently made headlines by declaring homosexuality was a choice.
Zac Brown Band, the night’s musical guest, added a bit of rock-infused country to the episode. Soundgarden/Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell joined the band for its second song, “Heavy Is The Head.”
