How Thor: The Dark World Plays a Major Role in Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame marked the 22nd chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has become one of the biggest properties in pop culture over the past decade. The new film is a continuation of the events of all the films that came before it, as well as depicted the various characters and relationships we've grown to love over the years. The number of entries in the franchise has allowed audiences to connect with various adventures in different capacities, which will ultimately see one film land at the bottom of the heap, no matter what its accomplishments might be. Despite Thor: The Dark World earning the brunt of the MCU's criticism, it ended up playing a pivotal role in Avengers: Endgame.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Avengers: Endgame

In order to reverse the events of Thanos' deadly snap, the Avengers traveled back in time to various points which would allow them to recover the Infinity Stones to undo the damage caused by the Mad Titan. For the Reality Stone, which was depicted as Aether, Thor and Rocket had to head back to 2013 and the events of The Dark World to obtain the substance.

In that film, Natalie Portman's Jane Foster was injected with the substance, requiring her and Thor to travel to Asgard in hopes of removing it. Compared to the many other points in time in the Aether's existence, this seemed like the easiest time and place to recover it. Complicating matters slightly was the fact that Thor and Rocket also saw Frigga, Thor's mom, before she had a fatal encounter with Malekith and Kurse.

While fans who might not be as familiar with The Dark World would be able to piece together that narrative's importance in Endgame, the direct inclusion of the events of that film retroactively gives that installment much more weight, solidifying it as a more essential piece of the MCU.

Of course, the events of all of the films in the franchise were relevant to this adventure, though Thor: The Dark World is tied with The Incredible Hulk for the lowest score on Rotten Tomatoes, which calculates only 67% reviews as positive. The film fared slightly more strongly at the box office, but with the 20 other films in the franchise all earning the Certified Fresh distinction on the aggregator site, it's clearly an outlier for the well-performing franchise. Thanks to Endgame, the film will surely earn more repeat viewings from fans.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now.

Were you glad to see Thor: The Dark World featured prominently in the new Avengers? Let us know in the comments below!

-----

Have you subscribed to ComicBook Nation, the official Podcast of ComicBook.com yet? Check it out by clicking here or listen below.

In this latest episode, we go all in on Avengers: Endgame! This is the spoiler-filled discussion you've been waiting for after coming out of the movie and we cover a ton of ground. Make sure to subscribe now and never miss an episode!