How to Watch the Thor Movies in Chronological Order
With the release of Thor: Love and Thunder, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor Odinson is now the MCU hero with the most solo films. When you add to that the four Avengers films he appears in, this powerful god of thunder really did the job.
Thor has transformed from a boastful, exiled heir to a grieving brother and son. More recently, he staggered into the aftermath of The Blip and buried himself in a reclusive life of carbs and video games before emerging as a wandering space pirate trying to find his final place in the cosmos. He loved, he lost, he lost an eye and he rose from the ashes to save the universe once more. What’s next for Thor? Well, unless it’s a fifth solo film, there are plenty of places he can appear in upcoming Marvel movies.
Want to follow Thor’s entire journey from start to finish (for now)? We’ve got that all cleared up for you, chronicling Thor’s journey and timeline throughout the MCU so far. Check out Thor’s full arc in chronological order below…
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How many Thor movies are there?
Currently there are total four full-length Thor films and four Avengers films in which Thor appears. Thor: Love and Thunder’s ending said Thor would return, but in what capacity? A mid-credit sequence gave us a glimpse of a future adversary, but nothing has been confirmed yet. And with the Multiverse saga about to launch, who knows if it will be Chris Hemsworth’s version of Thor?
Thor movies in chronological order
1. Thor (2011)
where to see: Disney+ or rentable/buyable on most platforms.
One of Chris Hemsworth’s first major films, he made his MCU debut as the legendary Thor, god of thunder in the MCU’s greatest early venture, which marked the full introduction of space and magic (well, cosmic “science”) to the saga was. Kenneth Branagh directed this Shakespearean family feud about an arrogant, untried god-prince who finds redemption after falling in love with an Earth scientist, Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster. Betrayed by his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston makes a splash), Thor learns the true meaning of heroism and sacrifice.
Read ours Review of Thor.
2. The Avengers (2012)
Where to see: Disney+ or rentable/buyable on most platforms.
In The Avengers, Thor joined Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye to stop Loki from leading an alien invasion of Earth. Due to his ensemble nature, Thor himself wasn’t the focus here, with his storyline largely reduced to feeling responsible for his family’s devilish nature, but the film was a smash hit and gave fans a first taste of what the MCU is really about when able was about fusing strong characters and stories.
Read ours Review of The Avengers.
3. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Where to see: Disney+, DirecTV, Starz or rentable/buyable on most platforms.
After The Avengers, Thor clashed with Dark Elves and suffered a great loss in the process. Jane first found herself in Asgard after becoming infected with a space substance called Aether (aka “Reality Stone”), and a defeated Loki began his first steps towards (his first) redemption arc. Thor: The Dark World isn’t exactly the most critically acclaimed film in the MCU, but it does contain some very important character moments.
Read ours Review of Thor: The Dark World.
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
where to see: Disney+, DirecTV, Syfy, Sling or rentable/buyable on most platforms.
In terms of character, Thor stumbled in the jam-packed Avengers: Age of Ultron. With most of the characters that have had to be served thus far, Thor’s story, many of which were cut from the last film, has involved seeing a vision of the Infinity Stones and learning that he was a “destroyer”. Of course, he still helps save the day during the action in the third act and helps defeat the apocalypse-obsessed AI Ultron, but this was Thor’s least effective outing.
Read ours Avengers: Age of Ultron review.
5. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
where to see: Disney+ or rentable/buyable on most platforms.
Taika Waititi took the helm on the third Thor film and created the craziest and funniest MCU film to date with Thor: Ragnarok. So much mayhem and misery is in (which is essentially) a laugh-fest, complete with major deaths, hilarious MCU reveals, great empires destroyed, and a straight-forward introduction to Avengers: Infinity War, that it’s hard to grasp how it all works Has . But it did, and pushing Thor from sullen melodrama into silly antics was a boon to the character.
Read ours Review of Thor: Ragnarok.
6th Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
where to see: Disney+ or rentable/buyable on most platforms.
Infinity War allowed Thor to maintain his comical edge over Ragnarok while still placing him in an extremely serious, high-impact storyline. In search of a weapon to defeat Thanos, Thor cosmically crafts an ax called the Stormbreaker. But did he arrive on time? And did he go on his head? Thor’s actions in this film would spiral him into future films and make him uncertain about his fate as a whole.
Read ours Avengers: Infinity War review.
7th Avengers: Endgame (2019)
where to see: Disney+, DirecTV or rentable/purchasable on most platforms.
Endgame has given us a Thor like we’ve never seen before. Everyone mourned the loss half of all life in her own way, but Thor rolled and rolled and really blamed himself for everything that happened. Traveling back in time and visiting his late mother helped reignite his fire for one final showdown with Thanos, this time with the entire universe at stake. This was a very crowded movie, but Thor made a big impression.
Read ours Avengers: Endgame review.
8. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
where to see: Disney+ or rentable/buyable on most platforms.
Thor’s fourth solo film brought back director Taika Waititi and Natalie Portman’s Jane for a tale of two Thors and a renewed (but tragic) love. Christian Bale took on the villain role as Gor the God Butcher, a grieving alien determined to slaughter all gods, while Portman muscled for her new role as The Mighty Thor. Wild action, seditious humor, touching moments and Guns N’ Roses prevailed.
Read ours Review of Thor: Love and Thunder.
How to watch the Thor movies by release date
If you want to watch all the movies in theatrical release order, below is the correct list:
- Thor (2011)
- Avengers (2012)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Matt Fowler is a freelance entertainment writer/critic who has been covering television news, reviews, interviews and features on IGN for more than 13 years.