Film Phase 4 — Multiverse Opens (2024–2025)

Thor: Love and Thunder

Name: Thor: Love and Thunder
Released: 2022-07-08
Duration: 119 min
Rating: 6.4
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Taika Waititi

"The one is not the only."

Released July 8, 2022 1h 59m ★ 6.4TMDB ★ Essential to the MCU

After his retirement is interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods, Thor Odinson enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg, and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who now wields Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor. Together they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.

Watch note

Jane Foster wields Mjolnir as the Mighty Thor — and dies of cancer after the final battle. Thor adopts Gorr's daughter Love. Love appears in Doomsday trailers. Thor confirmed for Doomsday.

Why It Matters in the MCU

Taika Waititi's second Thor film attempts to replicate Ragnarok's tonal success while telling a more emotionally complicated story — terminal illness, faith, and the silence of gods — and the tonal negotiation doesn't always hold. Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher is the franchise's most visually menacing villain in Phase 4, and the black-and-white Eternity sequence is among the most striking images Waititi has produced. The return of Jane Foster as Mighty Thor is the film's most important narrative move, though the abbreviated execution of her arc leaves the emotional payoff feeling compressed.

Watch These First

24 titles lead into Thor: Love and Thunder — 46 hours in total. 21 of the 24 are essential.

Captain America: The First Avenger Essential 2h 4m ★ 7.0
Captain Marvel Essential 2h 4m ★ 6.8
Iron Man Essential 2h 6m ★ 7.7
Iron Man 2 Essential 2h 4m ★ 6.9
The Incredible Hulk Essential 1h 52m ★ 6.3
Iron Man 2 (Post-Credit Scene) Essential 0h 2m
Thor Essential 1h 55m ★ 6.8 +2 before this
Captain America: The First Avenger (Credits) Essential 0h 2m
Thor (Post-Credit Scene) Essential 0h 2m
The Avengers Essential 2h 23m ★ 8.1 +2 before this
Iron Man 3 Essential 2h 10m ★ 6.9
Thor: The Dark World Essential 1h 52m ★ 6.5
Captain America: The Winter Soldier Essential 2h 16m ★ 7.7 +3 before this
Guardians of the Galaxy Essential 2h 1m ★ 7.9
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Essential 2h 16m ★ 7.6
Avengers: Age of Ultron Essential 2h 21m ★ 7.3
Captain America: Civil War Essential 2h 27m ★ 7.5 +1 before this
Team Thor 0h 4m ★ 7.2
Team Thor: Part 2 0h 2m ★ 6.9
Eyes of Wakanda (Season 1) Essential 2h ★ 6.2
Black Panther Essential 2h 14m ★ 7.4
Spider-Man: Homecoming Essential 2h 13m ★ 7.3
Doctor Strange Essential 1h 55m ★ 7.4
Thor: Ragnarok Essential 2h 10m ★ 7.6
Team Darryl 0h 4m ★ 6.2
Avengers: Infinity War Essential 2h 29m ★ 8.2 +2 before this
Captain Marvel (Post-Credits Scene) Essential 0h 2m
Avengers: Endgame Essential 3h 2m ★ 8.2 +7 before this
Avengers: Endgame Encore Essential 3h 5m +7 before this

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Where It Fits in the MCU

Thor: Love and Thunder sits at position 126 of 158 in the MCU's story-chronological order, placing it within the Phase 4 — Multiverse Opens (2024–2025) era. It is rated Essential — must-watch for following the main MCU narrative. Watching in story-chronological order provides the most coherent character development experience — individual arcs build naturally toward the franchise's major crossover events, with each film's post-credits scenes carrying forward into what follows.