How to Watch the ‘Thor’ Movies in Order

Few films are as highly anticipated as the upcoming ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’. But before we catch up with the Norse god in his fourth solo film, it’s worth looking back to see how far his journey has come. For the casual movie viewer, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness required something akin to a masters degree in Marvelology. The film needed viewers to not only follow previous MCU films, but to have watched WandaVision as well. Of course, you could still enjoy Doctor Strange without watching the prerequisite films, but Marvel nerds love to find the connective tissue throughout the MCU. Let’s take a look at Thor’s journey in the MCU thus far.

Thor (2011)

Thor was the fourth film in Phase One of the Marvel cinematic universe. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Thor was an origin story that established Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Anthony Hopkins as King Odin, and Tom Hiddleston as Thor’s brother Loki. The film sees Thor journey from his home world of Asgard to Earth, where he meets astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), her assistant Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), and Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard). The film sees Thor lose then regain his worthiness to wield the hammer Mjolnir, and vanquish his brother Loki. Thor received 77 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising the performances but criticizing the plot.

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Alan Taylor directs the 8th film in the MCU, one that is widely regarded as a low point in the franchise. The main cast returns as Thor battles the Dark Elves and reaches an uneasy alliance with estranged brother Loki, who previously tried and failed to take over Earth in The Avengers (2012). The film is fairly humorless and dour, with low stakes. The only notable plot point in The Dark World is the introduction of the Aether, aka the Reality Stone, one of the Infinity Stones that Thanos collects. Oh, and RIP Frigga (Renee Russo), Queen of Asgard.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Okay, here is where Thor finally gets good. Taika Waititi takes over the franchise, injecting it with some much needed color, humor, and silliness. The 17th film in the MCU is widely regarded as one of the best Marvel offerings to date, and we don’t disagree. Ragnarok finds Thor and Loki facing off against long-lost sister Hela (Cate Blanchett) who destroys Mjolnir and takes over Asgard. But before they can stop her, the duo crash land on Sakaar. There, Thor is forced into gladiatorial battle with his old friend Hulk, meets new allies Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Waititi), and Miek. To destroy Hela, Thor must destroy Asgard itself, kicking off the Ragnarok and taking the surviving Asgardians to safety aboard a spaceship.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Yes, Thor appears in the two previous Avengers films The Avengers and Age of Ultron, but neither are as necessary to Thor’s personal journey as the third and fourth Avengers films. Infinity War kicks off the war against Thanos as he collects the remaining Infinity Stones and seeks to destroy half of all life in the universe. The film opens in the immediate aftermath of Ragnarok, with Thanos hijacking the Asgardian spaceship. There, he kills Loki and Heimdall (Idris Elba) and takes the Space Stone from the Tesseract. Thor is rescued by the Guardians of the Galaxy, and travels with Rocket and Groot to Nidavellir to enlist the aid of the dwarf king Eitri (Peter Dinklage) in creating a weapon worthy of killing Thanos: the battle-axe Stormbreaker. The trio then arrive in Wakanda to battle Thanos. Thor strikes Thanos in the chest with Stormbreaker, but doesn’t stop him from snapping half the universe out of existence. Whomp whomp.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Avengers: Endgame opens with the surviving Avengers going after Thanos with the help of Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). They easily subdue Thanos, but discover that the stones are destroyed and the damage is permanent. In a rage, Thor chops off Thanos’s head. The film jumps to five years later, where we find Thor living in Norway in the Asgardian refugee settlement of New Asgard, where he is drunk, fat, and in a deep depression. When Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) returns from the Quantum Realm, the Avengers assemble to pull of a “time heist”, where they travel back in time to grab the Infinity Stones and make a gauntlet of their own. Thor and Rocket return to Asgard in 2013 (aka The Dark World), where they extract the Aether from Jane and Thor shares a touching reunion with his mother Frigga. He is also able to retrieve Mjolnir, proving he is still worthy. The Avengers defeat Thanos, restore the universe, and Thor names Valkyrie the new King of New Asgard, before departing Earth with the Guardians.

And that’s the last we see of Thor until Love and Thunder. If you’re looking for a quick refresher, I would start with Ragnarok and watch the Thor scenes in Infinity War and Endgame, but completists may want to run the whole series. What will you be re-watching to get ready for Thor’s next chapter?

Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters July 8.

(featured image: Marvel)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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