From Mjolnir to Multiverses: Unraveling the Thor Movies in Order
By Rishab Dey
25 September, 2023
Movies
Last Updated on: November 26th, 2024
All MCU movies have an interconnected storyline. Their characters overlap and have appearances in different installments, too. Along with having solo movies for all the major characters, they also show up for team-up movies with all the rest of the Avengers. As such, each of these narratives makes more sense when watched in order of their release.
If you are asking what the Thor movies are in order, the release date is the same as the chronological order. The first Thor movie established the character and the world he comes from.
After that, he was featured in several solo and team movies. In every movie, the character appears in different scenarios and relationships, illustrating him in his different shades.
All the Thor Movies in Order
So, how many Thor movies are there? The movies that Thor has appeared so far are:
- ‘Thor’ (2011)
- ‘The Avengers’ (2012)
- ‘Thor: The Dark World’ (2013)
- ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015)
- Team Thor 1 And 2 (2016-2017)
- ‘Doctor Strange’ (2016)
- ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ (2017)
- Team Darryl (2018)
- ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
- ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)
- ‘Thor: Love & Thunder’ (2022)
‘Thor’ (2011)
In this Kenneth Branagh-directed movie, Thor begins with an MCU origin story for the character. It shows the arrogant prince of Asgard, played by Chris Hemsworth, getting banished to Earth after almost starting a war with the Frost Giants.
Reaching Earth, Thor meets Jane, played by Natalie Portman. He starts to learn the value of humility, which makes him worthy of his hammer against. He returns to Asgard to prevent his adopted brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) from overthrowing Odin (Anthony Hopkins).
The MCU presents a pretty straightforward origin story, but it is embedded in the memories of true Marvel fans. It has lots of humor and action, which really makes up for the otherwise linear plot.
‘The Avengers’ (2012)
In the second outing of the Thor movies in order, our titular thunder god comes to Earth for the second time to put an end to Loki’s plans of summoning Thanos’ army, who wants control of the planet in pursuit of the tesseract. This time around, Loki is a much bigger threat than before.
He gets into a tussle with Captain America and Iron Man, played by Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., respectively. He goes full-out wrestling with Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), too, before he joins Earth’s mightiest heroes in the fight against enemies from other realms.
Essentially, Thor serves as a muscle for the Avengers. The film sets up quite a dynamic for the rest of the team but has a long way to go in the next few films. He also shares a somewhat fractious relationship with the Hulk, which obviously resolves over the following movies.
‘Thor: The Dark World’ (2013)
After he puts a stop to the chaos that engulfs the Nine Realms, Thor is called back to Earth again to investigate a powerful Dark Elf weapon called the Aether. It is a strange red mist that manages to infect Jane, making her the target of Malekith. He is a despotic Dark Elf who wants the Aether for himself.
This leads to a battle in Greenwich, which leads to Loki’s death (not really). He declines the Throne of Asgard, and Odin gets banished to Earth. The movie is pretty messy and draws on, except for the part where the movie introduces one of the infinity stones. If you are watching the Thor film series to understand the plot line and how it leads up to the team-up movies, you cannot miss out on it.
‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015)
After he declined the Throne of Asgard, Thor stayed busy with the Avengers, working on bringing down Hydra bases around the Earth. Destroying the final stronghold, Thor is about to return home when the evil mechanical menace Ultron attacks.
Although Thor has very little to do in the film other than hit some robots out of his way with his hammer, he does help by adding the spark of creation to bring Ultron to life.
Although Thor has very little to do in the film other than hitting some robots out of his way with his hammer, he does help with adding the spark of creation to bring Ultron to life. He spends most of the film’s running time about the Infinity Stones. He also learns that Captain America might have a secret of his own about Mjolnir.
Team Thor 1 and 2 (2016-2017)
These short films, in the series of Thor movies in order, help propel the idea of Thor transforming from being the Avengers’ heavy-hitter to a comic relief.
With Taika Waititi as the director, Thor’s whereabouts up to the Civil War are depicted. He basically spent his time in Australia leeching off his roommate, who clearly suffers in his company.
They are short and funny, inessential to Thor’s major cinematic journey. But you can watch them if you want to know what goes on behind the scenes and if the Thor cast is having a blast.
‘Doctor Strange’ (2016)
This movie follows the story of Stephen Strange. He is a successful but arrogant neurosurgeon. He loses his power to use his hands in a tragic car accident. Desperate to regain his powers, he travels to Nepal to find the mystical order led by the Ancient One, who teaches him magic and sorcery. He quickly gets caught in a battle against Kaecilius, a former student who wants to merge the earth with the dark dimension. Thor has a mid-credits appearance, and Doctor Strange questions him about the presence of his brother Loki on Earth. When he learns that they are searching for his missing father, Odin, Strange offers his assistance on the condition that they return back to Asgard once the task is fulfilled.
‘Thor: Ragnarok’ (2017)
In this movie, out of all the Thor movies in order, Thor went from Viking warrior guy to Viking alien weirdo. His entire characterization is overhauled for the sake of the film. And it actually works. It redefines the character as a comic, a little buffoonish, yet ultimately a well-meaning hero.
The movie opens with Thor trying to stop Ragnarok, and it ends with Asgard being completely obliterated in his bid to kill his long-lost sister, Hela, the god of death. The storytelling is hilarious, irreverent, and yet exciting. It became such a blockbuster that most movies from the MCU were held up to their standard and called a success. The movie made a high watermark.
In terms of major plot developments, Ragnarok destroys Mjolnir, Thor learns that his power comes from within, Asgard is destroyed, and Loki finally accepts that he belongs by his brother’s side. It is the best Thor movie to date and one of the best in the MCU.
Team Darryl (2018)
Directed by Waititi, again, this is yet another fun short film that came along with the Ragnarok DVD. It shows Darryl getting a new roommate, the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum). It goes as fun as it sounds.
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
This movie picks up right after Rgnarok’s events. Thor is brought to his lowest when supervillain Thanos chokes Loki to death. Thanos’ children slaughter half the population of Asgard while looking for the Infinity stones. It is obviously not going well for Thor.
He is desperate for revenge, so he goes on to forge a new weapon with the help of the Guardians of the Galaxy. He is hell-bent on killing Thanos before he finds all the stones. Besides, he has a lot more action in this movie than the others.
Thor succeeds in getting a new hammer, but he fails to attack Thanos the right way. This leads to the Mad Titan snapping his fingers and wiping out half of the life in the universe. Infinity War is perhaps the best comic book adaptation ever made, especially after Ragnarok. It makes about 5 wonderful hours of Thor-watching so far.
‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)
Five years after the Avengers failed to stop Thanos, Thor has lost all sense of being. He is depressed AND he is overweight. He does not even have the motivation to try and gather the infinity stones, having given up.
An encounter with his mother 9time travel) allows Thor to remember that he is still worthy, and it helps him regain his confidence.
During the climax, he helps Captain and Stark fight an alternate version of Thanos. After the battle, he gives up the throne of Asgard to Valkyrie.
He sets off into space with the Guardians of the Galaxy, but it is short-lived, as seen in the following movies. If you are questioning what to watch before Thor Love and Thunder, this one is it.
‘Thor: Love & Thunder’ (2022)
In this series’ latest outing, Thor is seen hanging out with the Guardians. His physique is back to its previous glory. But a new villain, Gorr, goes around butchering the gods, and Odinson is ready to lock horns. He adopts Gorr’s daughter, Love, which brings the franchise full circle with Thor standing where Odin stood at the beginning of the series.
Thor gets reunited with a repaired Mjolnir. It is wielded by Jane, who is set to help the former
Prince of Asgard in his fight. The movie has divided its viewers vastly. Some have said that the comedic aspect of the character has been taken too far, some say it’s still the best thing they have watched. It really depends on the day we choose to watch it.
The Making of Thor: Characters and their Actors
The journey to Asgard began with a cast assembled by the visionary Kenneth Branagh. Each actor brought their unique perspective and dedication to breathe life into their iconic characters.
Chris Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth, the embodiment of Thor, transformed his physique for the role. “It wasn’t until Thor that I started lifting weights,” he confessed. “We wanted to humanize the character, to make him relatable. So, we delved into the comics, but also asked ourselves, ‘Who is this guy as a person?'”
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman, as Jane Foster, brought a scientific mind to the role. “I was drawn to the project because Kenneth Branagh was directing it,” she explained. “I got to read biographies of female scientists like Rosalind Franklin and realized what a great opportunity it was to portray a woman in a leading scientific role.”
Tom Hiddleston
Tom Hiddleston, the enigmatic Loki, studied the performances of Peter O’Toole in “The Lion in Winter” and “Lawrence of Arabia.” “We wanted that emotional volatility,” he said. “It’s a different acting style, but it’s fascinating to watch an actor as great as O’Toole.”
Stellan Skarsgård
Stellan Skarsgård, as the wise and experienced Dr. Erik Selvig, was drawn to the project because of Branagh’s direction and the opportunity to collaborate with the writers. “I always try to do something I haven’t done before,” he explained. “It keeps things interesting.”
Kat Dennings
Kat Dennings, who played Darcy Lewis, described her character as “a cute, clueless, little puppy or maybe a hamster.” She admitted she didn’t know much about Darcy at first but found her to be “so much fun.”
Idris Elba
About his involvement in the film, Elba says, “[Branagh] called me up personally and said, ‘I know this isn’t a big role, but I would really love to see you play it.’ It’s Kenneth Branagh. I was like, ‘Definitely'”. About the role, Elba remarked, “I did green screen for the first time! I wouldn’t like to do a whole movie of green screen, though. You kind of forget the plot a little—like being in a Broadway play and doing it over and over and forgetting your line halfway through”.
Rene Russo
She plays the wife of Odin, the mother of Thor, and the adoptive mother of Loki. On being asked about the sequels she will be a part of, she remarked, “Who knows how many I’ll do.”
Anthony Hopkins
And finally, Anthony Hopkins, the legendary actor who portrayed Odin, described the character as “a stern man with purpose.” “He’s a hot-headed, temperamental young man… probably a chip off of the old block,” Hopkins said. “But I decide he’s not ready to rule the kingdom, so I banish him.”
Ready for Your Movie Night?
Now that we have covered all the Thor movies in order, we can tip you on where to catch them. You will be able to watch these movies on Disney+ without interruptions.
The short films are also available on YouTube. Although there is no confirmation of a possible Thor sequel in the near future, catching up on the past glory is a perfect idea.
Taika Waititi has, however, teased a new villain in a possible 5th film in ‘Marvel’s Thor 4: Love and Thunder Movie Special Book.’ If you are a fan, you need not lose hope just yet.
If you have thoughts to share or questions to ask, please leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you!
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