While it might seem hard to believe, the first Thor movie is celebrating its 10 year anniversary in 2021.
That first film introduced MCU to the asked Asgardian God of Thunder, the third Marvel hero to get his own movie following Iron Man and the Hulk.
In 2022, Thor will be the first Marvel hero in the MCU to get a fourth solo movie with Thor: Love & Thunder.
That might come as a slight surprise since his first movie didn’t set the world on fire.
However, since Thor: Ragnarok, Thor has become one of Marvel’s most popular superheroes.
Here is a look at every movie Thor appeared in, including his first appearance in Lou Ferrigno’s 1988 Incredible Hulk Returns, ranked according to Rotten Tomatoes scores.
The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988) – 50%
In 1988, Kenneth Johnson brought his popular TV show the Incredible Hulk back for a made-for-TV movie.
Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno returned as David Banner and the Hulk, respectively. However, this movie also introduced another Marvel hero.
Eric Kramer started as Thor, in the god’s first movie appearance. Donald Blake is a former student of banners, and he tells his old teacher that an enchanted hammer now bounds him to the Asgardian God Thor.
While Hulk and Thor initially fight in this movie, they finally team up to stop the real bad guy.
Thor: The Dark World (2013) – 66%
The second Thor movie in the MCU, Thor: The Dark World, is also the least appreciated.
In this movie, Asgard finds itself under attack by Malekith, the Dark Elf. Malekith wants to conquer all nine realms and has an Infinity Stone at his disposal.
Patty Jenkins, the director of Wonder Woman, left the movie early because of creative differences and Alan Taylor came in to finish it.
What resulted was a movie that never felt cohesive. Despite outstanding performances by Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, it doesn’t stand up to the rest of the MCU.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) – 76%
Avengers: Age of Ultron pitted Earth’s Mightiest Heroes up against the mighty robot Ultron.
All the Avengers from the first movie returned, joined by newcomers Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and eventually The Vision.
It took all the Avengers working together to stop and defeat Ultron. not even Thor and Hulk could stop the villain alone.
Critics consider Avengers: Age of Ultron the worst of the Avengers movies and it was the end of the road for Joss Whedon’s Marvel career.
Thor (2011) – 77%
The first Thor movie arrived in 2011, only the fourth movie for the MCU following the first two Iron Man movies and The Incredible Hulk.
Kenneth Branagh directed Thor as a Shakespeare drama mixed with a superhero movie.
Thor was trying to win over the respect of his father, Odin. Loki felt disrespected and wanted to prove himself worthy of his father’s respect.
While this was the movie that showed for becoming worthy of Mjolnir, critics felt the split between Asgard and Thor’s life on Earth felt disjointed.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – 85%
Avengers: Infinity War was one of the most ambitious MCU movies ever released. However, its Rotten Tomatoes score is lower because it was the first half of one long story.
This was the movie where Thanos finally attacked the Earth. The combined forces of all Earth’s heroes were not powerful enough to stop the threat.
The movie ended with “the snap” and half the beings the universe disappearing. Avengers: Infinity War ended at that moment, leaving many fans and critics wondering what was going to happen next.
Marvel’s The Avengers (2012) – 91%
In 2012, the MCU finally brought together all its greatest heroes. After two Iron Man movies, one Hulk movie, a Thor movie, and Captain America’s introduction, it was time for them to all work together.
The villain that brought them together was Thor’s brother Loki. Working with Thanos, Loki brought an alien invasion to Earth, and it took the combined might of The Avengers to stop it.
Out of all the early MCU releases, The Avengers felt most like a comic book movie.
Rotten Tomatoes critics gave The Avengers the first MCU fresh rating over 90 percent.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) – 93%
The first two Thor movies did not receive critical acclaim. That all changed with the third movie, Thor: Ragnarok.
Taika Waititi signed on to direct the third movie, and he brought humor and lightness to Thor that did not exist in the first two movies.
This movie also told the story of Planet Hulk, merging with Ragnarok. It never felt like too much. Thor: Ragnarok walked the line of humor and action, making it one of the MCU’s best movies.
It was Thor: Ragnarok that insured Thor would be the first MCU hero to get a fourth movie.
Avengers: Endgame (2019) – 94%
The highest-rated MCU movie in history According to Rotten Tomatoes critics was Black Panther, with a 96% fresh rating.
However, sitting right behind it is Avengers: Endgame, at 94% fresh. While Avengers: Infinity War ranks lower because it was the first half of one long story, Avengers: Endgame paid it off big time.
The movie has some of the best crowd-pleasing moments in any comic book movie. It was also the perfect end to the story of the MCU’s two greatest heroes, Iron Man and Captain America.
The movie mostly used Thor for comedic purposes. However, his story was as touching as the rest, as Thor found his worth in the new world.