Meet Korg, the rock-bodied revolutionary
Korg comes from the Kronans, a race made of stone, but his personality is the opposite of hard. When Thor lands on Sakaar as a prisoner in Thor: Ragnarok, Korg is the first fellow captive to talk to him, explaining in a calm, polite voice how the arena works and why nobody should panic. He has tried to start a revolution before. It failed, he says, because he did not print enough pamphlets.
That mix of size and softness is the whole joke, and it lands because Korg never seems to know he is funny. He travels with Miek, a small insect-like gladiator who never speaks, and the two become a package deal.
Korg's appearances in order
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017, film, essential)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019, film, essential)
- What If...? (2021, animated series, optional)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022, film, optional)
What If...? is an animated anthology of alternate realities, so his appearance there sits outside the main story. It is a fun extra, not required viewing.
How his story moves (spoiler-light)
On Sakaar, Korg goes from fellow prisoner to one of the people who help Thor break out, and he ends Ragnarok as part of the Asgardian survivors. That alone tells you how far he has come: a gladiator with no home now has a people to belong to.
In Avengers: Endgame he shows up in a short, very funny scene that reveals how he and a few other friends are spending their time with a struggling Thor. Thor: Love and Thunder hands him a bigger job, because Korg narrates the film, telling Thor's history to an audience like a campfire story. If you enjoy his voice, that framing is the main reason to watch it for him.
Friends and allies
Thor is the center of Korg's world in every appearance. On Sakaar he also fights beside Valkyrie, the hard-drinking former Asgardian warrior, and he watches the arena bout between Thor and the Hulk, Sakaar's reigning champion. Doctor Strange is also on our list of his connections, since both appear in Ragnarok, though they barely cross paths. More names are in our MCU character directory.
Taika Waititi, the director inside the rock suit
Korg is played by Taika Waititi through motion capture, with his own New Zealand accent supplying the gentle, unhurried voice. It is an unusual case in the MCU: the man directing the film is also performing one of its most quotable characters. The contrast does a lot of work: the body is built for war, while the voice belongs to someone apologizing for taking the last cookie.
Outside Marvel, Waititi directed and co-starred in What We Do in the Shadows, directed Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and wrote, directed and played an imaginary version of Hitler in Jojo Rabbit. He also plays Blackbeard in the series Our Flag Means Death.
Which order to watch Korg's titles
Start with Thor: Ragnarok. It introduces Korg properly and is also one of the essential Thor films, so you lose nothing. Next comes Avengers: Endgame, which you will want to see anyway for the end of the Infinity Saga. Korg's moment there is short but works much better once you know him.
After that, Thor: Love and Thunder is optional, but it is the closest thing Korg has to a starring role. Save What If...? for last if you have already finished the main films and want more of him.