Marvel Cinematic Universe: Definitive Guide To Easter Eggs, In-Jokes And Foreshadowing

Captain America: The First Avenger

23. The Village From The Opening Is The Same As The Flashback In Thor

The opening of The First Avenger isn't the first time Tønsberg, the Norwegian city where Red Skull finds the Tesseract, has been in the MCU; it was also seen in Thor, in a flashback to the time Nords actually believed in the Gods. It's implied that the Tesseract made its way here in the aftermath the fight between Odin and the Frost Giants.

22. The Nine Realms

The wooden mural in the Tønsberg church is of the World Tree, a cross-culture icon of spirituality that connects the Earth to heaven and hell. The version here, however, is inspired by Asgardian myth; it's a representation of the nine realms, first seen in full CGI splendour in Thor.

21. Blood On Nazi Pin Foreshadows The Red Skull

When Schmidt kills the Norwegian church keeper, some of his blood splatters on his Hydra pin, turning the skull a vibrant red. It's on the nose foreshadowing of Schmidt's real nature, emphasised by the Nazi struggling in his own skin moments before the shot.