Marvel paid homage to the veteran action star in Thor: Love and Thunder

One of the biggest action stars from the 80s and the 90s, Jean-Claude Van Damme, is renowned for his roundhouse kicks, and a serious gaze that would petrify his opponents. The actor’s career has been full of highs and lows, but he was in the limelight when his 1988 film Bloodsport was a massive hit of that time. Throughout his career, he has worked in a number of action films that have made him synonymous with the action genre. He is not only a fighter in front of the cameras but also trained in Taekwondo, Shotokan Karate, and Muay Thai.

Chris Hemsworth’s Thor 4  Pays Tribute To Jean-Claude Van Damme

Chris Hemsworth’s Thor: Love and Thunder paid tribute to Jean-Claude Van Damme in a bizarre manner. In the film, Chris Hemsworth pays homage to the veteran actor as Thor performs a split in the film. In the film, Hemsworth’s Thor executes the move as two pieces of machinery fly at the character and he jumps and performs the splits before getting hit by them.
Chris Hemsworth as Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder
The veteran actor was renowned for his split kicks that he used to combine with his different fighting styles. In almost all of his films, he has performed his signature move almost more than 80,000 splits so it is understandable how the move has become so associated with the martial arts actor. The move was so popular back in the day that he parodied it in a 2013 Volvo commercial. where he performed his move resting on top of two trucks.
Jean-Claude Van Damme as Frank Dux in Bloodsport
While the tribute was in the most bizarre way possible it happened because Jean-Claude Van Damme had showcased his interest in to be in the 2013 MCU film, Avengers: Age of Ultron. As a result, numerous fan pictures and fan-made trailers featuring the Hard Target actor started to circulate the internet. Sadly, he was never a part of the film, though watching him in the action-packed MCU films would have been a treat to the fans of the franchise and the actor.

Jean-Claude Van Damme Was Out of Shape Before The Expendables

When the Universal Soldier actor joined the cast of The Expendables sequel as its antagonist, he shared how it permitted him to “push the envelope more in terms of being creative and to be crazier.” Even though he was in good shape for his age, he mentioned that he was not a big fan of his shape, something that would not impress the viewers. During an exclusive interview with Fitness Magazine Coach in 2012, he mentioned how he was out of shape for the role, but following the workout routine advised by the Italian Stallion, helped him to get back in shape.
Jean-Claude Van Damme in The Expendables 2
“When I came on the set, I am sad to say, I was not in shape. But I did start to train right away because Sly basically said to me to build muscle and have arms, like, the size of trains.”
While getting back in shape was difficult, he did it by following a strict diet, and long hours of training, helping him regain his flexibility and regular fighting practice with Stallone.

Thor: Love and Thunder can be streamed on Disney+.

Source: Screen Rant