Thor: Love and Thunder is hitting theaters on July 8th, and it's been a few years since audiences have seen the Mightiest Avenger. Thor has been on quite a journey since Chris Hemsworth first started portraying the character in 2011. From prince to Avenger to King to failure, Thor's journey has been an emotionally rich and complex one, with lots of great characters who have come in and out of his life.
With sixteen previous entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, newcomers or people who want a refresher may feel intimidated. There's no need to watch EVERY movie to catch up on Thor's story, there isn't even a huge need to watch Phase Four so far. There are a select few films from the MCU related to Thor's story specifically.
9 Thor Started The Thunder God's Journey
The first Thor movie was the fourth ever MCU release, debuting in May 2011. Thor featured relative unknown Chris Hemsworth as the titular God of Thunder. Hemsworth's only US role of renown was playing Captain Kirk's father in the reboot Star Trek. The movie took a departure from the previous Marvel films, with director Kenneth Branagh telling a more Shakespearean story. It's a bit more of a fantasy epic than a straight-up superhero movie, although it does make attempts to ground all the magic in science (or science-fiction).
Thor is a unique character in the Marvel universe though, comics or films. Thor is based on the actual Norse god of thunder, and his presentation isn't the same as Marvel's more fallible heroes. The movie makes a great attempt to make a god relatable, and is helped by a great supporting cast.
8 Avengers Created The Big Event Comic Book Movie
The first Marvel movie to really set the world on fire, The Avengers is a much-watch film, and mostly holds up even a decade later. The alien invasion, the tension between the heroes, Loki's slightly regretful villain and, of course, the tease of Thanos all help contribute to the wider MCU. The Avengers is essentially the archetype of superhero team films going forward.
The Avengers also really hits its stride in the comic-book style storytelling that the MCU brought to films, acting just like an event comic would. In fact, a lot of the subsequent Marvel films are based on huge stories like Civil War an of course Infinity War, but The Avengers was the grand experiment that proved it could work.
7 Thor: The Dark World Continued Thor's Encounters With Infinity Stones
Thor: The Dark World established the Asgardians' awareness of the Infinity Stones. Thor's encounter with the Aether, also known as the Reality Stone, really starts to give moviegoers an idea of where the story is going with the Infinity Stones. There's also the continuation of the relationship between Jane and Thor, which will see some payoff in Love and Thunder.
The Dark World is one of the least-favorite amongst fans, but the movie received something of a redemption after the events of Endgame. The tone of the movie is uneven, mixing elements of stern seriousness as seen in the first movie and a bit of a buddy comedy when Thor adventures with Loki in the second half. It may not be the best, but The Dark World is crucial for following Thor's story.
6 Avengers: Age Of Ultron Laid The Groundwork For Infinity War
Avengers: Age of Ultron was another chapter in the Infinity Saga, leading the heroes to another Infinity Stone and creating one of their greatest foes in the process. The movie specifically puts Thor on the hunt for more of the Infinity Stones, keeping him away from the events on Earth, including the breakup of the Avengers in Civil War.
While it wasn't as universally loved as the first Avengers film, it was a financial hit, introduced us to Wanda Maximoff, and brought audiences the excellent James Spader as the iconic Ultron. Age of Ultron is an underappreciated entry into the MCU, if a billion-dollar earning movie can be considered that.
5 Guardians of the Galaxy: Sidekicks Or Family?
Guardians of the Galaxy was an unexpected success for Marvel, as they've been a relatively unknown group of comics characters. These Guardians are not the comics group, however. This group of spacebound vagabonds ended up becoming a sort of ragtag space Avengers, stopping Thanos' plans and earning a place in the hearts of millions of fans.
Director James Gunn's found family story worked really well, and he added a great classic 70's soundtrack that really set the tone for the movie. The group shows up in Love and Thunder, and maybe Thor has made the Guardians his sidekicks or allies, or maybe he's joined the found family? A
4 Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2's Cosmic Links May Play In
Guardians of the Galaxy got a sequel pretty quickly, and Vol. 2 deals directly with the idea of family, specifically Star-Lord's cosmically powered father, Ego. There's also the developing relationship between Gamora and Star-Lord, whose story may be included in Love and Thunder before Guardians of the Galaxy 3 comes out next year.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was a success and cemented the ragtag group as MCU mainstays. The cosmic heroes' ties to Thor and some of the potential threads that are left from this film could be important for Love and Thunder.
3 Thor: Ragnarok Changed The Paradigm For The God Of Thunder
Thor: Ragnarok was a huge shift for Thor, both in tone and story. Thor officially got handed the title of King of Asgard, and with it, some of the skeletons of Odin's past came to haunt him. His adventures across the universe led him to encounter cosmic beings, make new friends, rediscover old ones, and finally mend the rift with his brother.
The heavy humor emphasis by director Taika Waititi, a little similar to Guardians and James Gunn, really revitalized the franchise, and perhaps led to Chris Hemsworth returning for Love and Thunder. The direction Waititi took also seems to have appealed to Natalie Portman, who is coming back as well.
2 Avengers: Infinity War Was Thor's Peak... and Fall
Thor's long arc of growth and loss was amplified to its highest and fullest in Infinity War. Thor is dealt a huge setback to start off the movie, including the loss of loved ones and allies. He overcomes that to reach the peak of his powers with arguably the most powerful weapon in the MCU and rescues his Avenger friends in the nick of time. All of these highs were immediately undone by The Snap, and the film leaves off on one of the best cliffhangers in recent memory.
Chris Hemsworth's performance was one of the highlights of Avengers: Endgame. Infinity War was an excellent entry into the MCU and arguably the best "Event Comic" feeling movie, alongside Endgame.
1 Avengers: Endgame Gave Thor A New Direction
Endgame found Thor doing the worst of the surviving heroes. Guilt-ridden over his failure to stop Thanos, Thor secluded himself in the Asgardian enclave in Norway. His failure had consumed him until his friends offered him a chance at redemption. Thor leaped at it and faced some of the demons of his own past as well. Thor ended up with another chance at Thanos, albeit in a weakened state.
Thor: Love and Thunder looks to pick up shortly after Thor's redemption. He has risen and fallen several times in the last ten years, and now he is setting out on a new adventure alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy.