‘Thor: Love and Thunder‘ is not short of pop-cultural references, including a nod to the Harry Potter franchise. Another instance where Taika Waititi makes a tongue-in-cheek tip of the hat is when Korg speaks of his new partner, with whom he tries to have a baby. 

Earlier in the film, Thor’s friend, who’s essentially made of rocks, tells Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie that his fathers had him by holding hands over hot lava. Korg implies that their species is gay, including himself. When Thor’s friend from Ragnarok gives a windup of the situation, he mentions his partner’s name with whom Korg is trying to have a baby. 

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He calls him Dwayne, in a subtle nod to actor Dwayne Johnson, who’s become a household name with blockbuster hits like ‘Jumanji’ and ‘Jungle Cruise’, since he switched from WWE. Johnson, of course, was known by his moniker ‘The Rock’, back in his wrestling days. Seeing how Korg’s kind is made of rocks, his partner’s name being Dwayne is no mere coincidence, and points to Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson. 

While Johnson isn’t part of the MCU, he will be seen in a DC movie next, where he plays Black Adam. 

Korg’s narration, throughout the movie, serves not just as comic relief but also helps viewers recall the events that happened in Thor’s life, before the story of ‘Love and Thunder‘ takes off. 

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Along with Korg, the plays staged in the movie serve to entertain and remind viewers of past events, making for great narrative strategies to keep the plot compact while the audience remembers all relevant context. 

The Kronan warrior, elsewhere, tells viewers about Thor’s many loves and despite being reduced to a single rock – that is his face – by Zeus’ thunderbolt, Korg is back to his old ways by the time ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ comes to an end.