Every Thor Movie, Ranked Worst To Best

Since Thor (Chris Hemsworth) made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut 14 years ago, he has evolved into one of the franchise’s trademark superheroes. With four solo movies to his name, the God of Thunder became a founding member of the Avengers and has appeared in every Avengers installment. Despite Thor’s popularity, fans haven’t always been satisfied with how the MCU has treated him as a both a lead and supporting character. From leaving Asgard to protecting Earth from threats, Thor has taken on many challenges during his MCU tenure. 2011’s Thor, 2013’s Thor: The Dark World, 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, and 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder all contain positive and negative qualities, making it quite the challenge to rank them.

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Thor is officially confirmed to return in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday alongside the other remaining Avengers and numerous other Marvel characters. Before Thor graces the big screen again, it’s a great time to reminisce on the highs and lows of his MCU journey by ranking all four of the franchise’s Thor solo movies from worst to best.

4) Thor: Love and Thunder

Thor: Love and Thunder‘s over-the-top humor clashes with its attempt at heartfelt emotion. Thor reunites with his lost lover Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who claims Mjolnir to become Mighty Thor amid her cancer battle. Meanwhile, Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) seeks to vanquish Thor and all of the gods after tragically losing his child. In spite of Love and Thunder‘s compelling premise, its failure to take itself seriously most of the time undermines its deeper themes. Gorr is a fearsome threat whenever he’s on screen, but doesn’t appear nearly enough to have the impact on the film he should. Moreover, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) has shockingly little to do in her new role as New Asgard’s leader. Love and Thunder features impressive visuals, and Jane’s return is a welcome sight. Even so, the sum of the movie’s parts majorly disappoints.

3) Thor

Thor is neither a great nor a bad MCU movie, but it gets the job done as an origin story. The titular Norse god begins in Asgard, eager to succeed his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) as king. Thor’s brashness leads to him being banished to Earth, where he meets Jane Foster and tries to regain his power. The MCU’s first Thor movie is a solid story about a reckless warrior learning to take on the responsibility of a hero. Thor’s character development is accompanied by the exquisite debut of Loki (Tom Hiddleston), who plots all kinds of mischief in Asgard. All in all, Thor isn’t overly memorable more than a decade and over 30 MCU films later, but it’s occasionally nice to revisit the origin of one of the franchise’s most iconic superheroes.

2) Thor: The Dark World

A lot of MCU fans hate Thor: The Dark World, however in this case, the popular opinion is wrong. The movie brings Thor and Jane back together on Earth after some time apart as the latter falls victim to a deadly weapon known as the Aether. In a race to save Jane, Thor and his allies must defeat Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), who aims to destroy all of the Nine Realms. The Dark World isn’t devoid of flaws, but its triumphs make the film enjoyable. Humor and seriousness harmonize well in The Dark World, as Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), and Ian Boothby (Jonathan Howard) deliver loads of laugh-out-loud moments while Jane’s grim circumstances materialize.

Furthermore, The Dark World impressively expands on Thor and Loki’s complicated fraternal dynamic following the events of the first movie. Thor appears formidable in battle, and even though Malekith and the Dark Elves suffer from underdevelopment, they’re a frightening group of villains.

1) Thor: Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok introduces a version of the hero with a new hairstyle and fresh direction. At the start of the movie, Thor is imprisoned on the planet Sakaar, condemned to a life of meaningless gladiator battles. Upon learning of the impending destruction of Asgard at the hands of his estranged sister Hela (Cate Blanchett), Thor teams up with Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Valkyrie, Loki, and other allies to save their home. Ragnarok isn’t perfect, but it prevails as the best Thor movie. The film’s exploration of Thor’s crisis and newfound determination writes a captivating next chapter for the character. Ragarok‘s supporting personalities each inject heart and humor into the story, while Hela serves as a powerful and fun villain — even though she doesn’t have nearly enough screen time. The jokes can be hit-or-miss, though there’s still enough genuine amusement to entertain viewers. Complete with a vibrant color palette, Ragnarok is an excellent viewing experience.

Thor still hasn’t headlined a masterpiece MCU movie, but that doesn’t mean he won’t. It will be interesting to see what direction the franchise takes with him in Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars, and potentially beyond.

Which MCU Thor movie do you love the most? Let us know in the comments!