With the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday’s release pushed back to December 2026, you’ve got plenty of time to revisit your favorite Marvel films, including the best Thor movies. Whether you’re new to the Asgardians’ story or just in the mood for a rewatch, this list should get you hyped for the upcoming MCU release.
Best Thor Movies as of 2025
After the success of Iron Man (2008), Marvel started rolling multiple solo superhero films, including Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Green Lantern (2011), and of course, Thor (2011), all leading up to the first Avengers movie in 2012. And after those did well, we got even more films featuring these iconic characters.
For this list, we’ve included both Thor standalone films and the major ensemble movies where the God of Thunder plays a significant role. Whether he’s slinging Mjolnir solo or fighting alongside the Avengers, these are the essential Thor films to revisit before Doomsday arrives.
Thor
Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Shakespearean actor turned superhero-Shakespeare director, the first Thor movie brings the myth and magic of Asgard into the MCU. The film tells the story of the egotistical, downright good-looking God of Thunder (perfectly cast as Chris Hemsworth) who definitely needs to learn a thing or twenty about humility and the responsibility of his actions. After reigniting a war, Thor’s father, Odin (gloriously portrayed by Anthony Hopkins), expels him to Earth to learn some valuable lessons before he’s allowed to take the throne of Asgard.
When he lands in New Mexico, Thor gets hit by a car driven by future love interest and astrophysicist Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman), then tased by the classically funny best friend (Kat Dennings). Now powerless and hammerless, Thor wakes up in a hospital, where he immediately starts tossing the nursing staff and doctors around before being sedated, all with perfect comedic timing.
A highly entertaining watch, much of the film’s charm comes from the continuous lighthearted streak of comedy, as we watch this Norse god less-than-gracefully thrash around without his powers. There are plenty of “How dare you touch me, you puny humans” moments… right before someone both puny and human takes him down. And if you’re a fan of Thor comics, the whole thing also feels like a nod to Thor Vol. 3 #1. But of course, his self-sacrifice, a running theme in many of the Thor stories, helps him get his powers back.
We can’t not mention the other standout character in Loki, God of Mischief, who is trying to take the throne of Asgard. The role is played by the darkly elegant Tom Hiddleston, who landed the breakout role thanks to an old theatre connection with Branagh. The film grossed approximately $449 million worldwide.
Thor: The Dark World
Directed by Alan Taylor, Thor: The Dark World is the 2013 sequel to the first film, set two years after its events. This time, the main villain is a Dark Elf named Malekith, who once tried to plunge the universe into darkness using a powerful weapon called the Aether. Odin’s father once defeated him, but a series of events gives him a second chance. Although Thor and Loki were left at odds at the end of the first movie, they’re forced to team up to protect the Nine Realms from destruction.
While the film was a box office success, taking in $644.8 million worldwide, it’s often considered the least popular Thor installment due to a relatively lackluster storyline and less-than-interesting development with Jane Foster. Still, the relationship between Loki and Thor keeps this film entertaining. And, whether slightly boring or not, this one ultimately played a crucial role in the larger MCU by introducing the Aether as one of the Infinity Stones, setting the stage for Infinity War and Endgame.
Thor: Ragnarok
This is maybe the best Thor movie, and most importantly, it’s the one where we get Jeff Goldblum. And yes, in addition to his wonderfully weird performance, we get an iconic turn from Cate Blanchett as Hela, goddess of death, who’s out to do some serious damage to the realm. Unfortunately for Thor (but fortunately for us, thanks to the comedic storytelling and the stylistic punchiness of director Taika Waititi), he’s tossed to the opposite side of the universe as a gladiator, where he has to face off against the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), fellow Avenger and former ally.
Now, Thor has to get back to stop Ragnarok and the destruction of Asgard. He hits some roadblocks along the way, but we finally get to see Thor rise to his full power. Alongside him, we learn exactly why he’s called the God of Thunder. It’s very satisfying to watch. Colorful, zippy, and hit with a dose of rock and roll, Ragnarok is one of the most positively reviewed Thor movies. It took in a truly insane $855 million worldwide.
Thor: Love and Thunder
After the success of Ragnarok, Waititi returns as director to helm Love and Thunder. Set after the events of the Avengers’ battle against Thanos in Infinity War and Endgame, Thor teams up with Korg, Valkyrie, and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who now wields the hammer as the Mighty Thor (confusing to read in a synopsis; watch the movie). These heroes must now defeat the God Butcher, Gorr (played by Christian Bale), who’s out to destroy all gods. Like Ragnarok, this one has plenty of comedy, and we get to see other gods of mythology in action, plus an electric fight scene between Thor and Zeus (a hilarious Russell Crowe, which is not a usual statement). Two gods of thunder from opposing mythologies? Fabulous. Maybe the most popular Thor movie,
The Avengers: Age of Ultron
The Avengers must reassemble after Tony Stark and Bruce Banner create an AI program to help save humanity, but when the AI becomes sentient, it decides that humanity is the real threat. As things spiral out of control, the Avengers have to save the day and meet two newcomers: Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. While this one is a heavy ensemble film, Thor gets a sizable side mission after having a vision that foretells the destruction of the universe, thanks to the Infinity Stones. He sets off in search of answers, leading him toward the cosmic war we eventually get in Infinity War. The whole movie kicks off with the witticisms and action sequences we love, then bumps up the volume on both.
Despite being the worst-performing Avengers movie (it still made $1.4 billion worldwide, so it didn’t do that bad). And we’ll fully say none of the Avengers movies are bad, so even ranking the Avengers from worst to best is really just a matter of opinion. But Age of Ultron makes our best Thor movie list for one primary reason: his side quest is essential, not just to this film, but to setting up Ragnarok, Infinity War, and Endgame.
The Avengers: Infinity War
Infinity War, along with its part-two counterpart, Endgame, was a rager as far as Marvel movies go. Action sequence after action sequence, loss after loss, it was both wildly entertaining and deeply painful for fans. Thor plays a major role here, trying to stop supervillain Thanos but failing due to a moment of hesitation. It’s another franchise moment where fans were collectively screaming, “Just do it already!!” And though Thor survives the snap, he’s now dealing with massive loss and guilt. He also fails to save many Asgardians, which leads to a very different Thor in Endgame, barely holding on, drinking heavily, gaining weight, and suffering from depression. And honestly, that version of him might feel the most human of all. But don’t worry – he gets another chance to take on Thanos. And does he ever.
How we chose the best Thor movies
There aren’t too many Thor movies, so really, we’ve just given you all of them — except for his first appearance in the 1988 TV movie The Incredible Hulk Returns, which is… a less-than-spectacular depiction of a Norse god. Of course, there are rumors of a Thor 5, though nothing has been officially confirmed yet. There are even more rumors that Chris Hemsworth is trying to tap Extraction director Sam Hargrave to lead, which would give the next film a very different tone. We’ll stay hopeful.
