Where to watch Thor right now
In the US, Thor is on Disney Plus, and so are Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder. That means one subscription covers the whole solo run, plus the Avengers films that sit between them. Outside the US, availability varies by country, so check the watch box on this page for the services we track in your region.
Catalogs shift now and then. If you are planning a full marathon, open the app the day before and confirm everything is still there.
Where Thor fits in the MCU timeline
Thor needs no homework. Nothing in it depends on Iron Man or Captain America, which makes it a fine entry point for anyone curious about the Asgard side of the universe. In story order it is set in 2011 and lands between The Incredible Hulk and The Avengers. It is a Phase 1 film and part of the Infinity Saga.
Its New Mexico misadventure runs roughly alongside Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk, which is why S.H.I.E.L.D. agents keep turning up looking like they have had a very long week. Here is how the neighbors change depending on the order you pick:
| Watching by | Right before Thor | Right after Thor |
|---|
| Story order | The Incredible Hulk | The Avengers |
| Release order | Iron Man 2 | Captain America: The First Avenger |
Both routes end at the same team-up, so neither one changes how the story plays. Our Marvel Phase 1 in order guide shows the whole first stretch side by side, from Iron Man to the Battle of New York.
Thor explained: the story without spoilers
Thor is about to be crowned king of Asgard when his temper gets the better of him. He drags his friends into a fight with the Frost Giants and breaks a fragile truce. Odin answers by stripping him of his power and his hammer and banishing him to Earth, where he lands, quite literally, in front of scientist Jane Foster's van.
From there two stories run side by side. On Earth, a humbled Thor has to work out who he is without his strength while S.H.I.E.L.D. sets up camp around a hammer nobody can lift. In Asgard, his brother starts making moves of his own while their father falls into a deep sleep. Kenneth Branagh directs the palace scenes like a family tragedy, and the fish-out-of-water comedy in a tiny desert town keeps things light on their feet.
At heart it is a story about a prince learning humility, told with big cosmic set pieces at either end and a small-town romance in the middle.
Why it matters for the rest of the MCU
We mark Thor as recommended rather than essential, but it is close. Loki is the villain of The Avengers, and his grudge only makes sense once you have seen what happens between the brothers here. The film also introduces Heimdall, Sif, the Warriors Three and the idea of the Nine Realms, all of which return in the sequels.
Keep an eye out for Clint Barton, a year before he joins the team. He shows up at the S.H.I.E.L.D. camp, bow in hand, waiting for an order to shoot. It is a tiny cameo, but it is one of the threads Phase 1 quietly ties together.
Thor post credit scene: what it sets up
There is one extra scene, and it comes after the full credits. Without giving too much away: Nick Fury shows Erik Selvig the Tesseract, the glowing cube that drives the plot of The Avengers, and a familiar face is listening in. That brief moment explains how the next film's villain gets his foot in the door.
Skipping it is the most common mistake people make with this movie. There is no mid-credits scene, so you only need to wait once.
Cast and characters
Chris Hemsworth plays Thor for the first time, and Tom Hiddleston's Loki became the breakout of the film. Natalie Portman is Jane Foster, the astrophysicist whose research leads her straight to Thor, with Kat Dennings as her intern Darcy Lewis and Stellan Skarsgård as her mentor Erik Selvig. Anthony Hopkins brings real weight to Odin, the All-Father whose decision sets everything in motion.
Runtime and what to watch after Thor
Thor runs 115 minutes, just under two hours, so it fits easily into one evening. Go straight to The Avengers if you are following story order. If you would rather stay with the God of Thunder, Thor: The Dark World picks up his story with Jane and Loki, and our Thor movies in order guide lists all four solo films with the team-ups that fill the gaps.
Planning a longer run? The marathon plan turns either order into a day-by-day schedule that fits your free evenings.
