Film Phase 3C — Ragnarok & The Infinity War (2018)

Thor: Ragnarok

Name: Thor: Ragnarok
Released: 2017-11-03
Duration: 130 min
Rating: 7.6
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba

"No hammer. No problem."

Released November 3, 2017 2h 10m ★ 7.6TMDB ★ Essential

Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his home-world and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of a powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela.

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Watch note

Hela destroys Mjolnir and Asgard itself. Thor loses his eye. 'Asgard is not a place — it's a people.' The Asgardian refugees on their escape ship are who Thanos ambushes in the opening of Infinity War. Thor confirmed for Doomsday.

Why It Matters in the MCU

Ragnarok is the film that saved the Thor franchise by acknowledging everything the first two entries got wrong. Taika Waititi jettisoned the Shakespearean-epic register and replaced it with absurdist comedy, vivid colour, and an 80s sci-fi aesthetic that made Asgard feel strange again. Cate Blanchett's Hela is the most visually striking villain in Phase 3, and the gladiatorial arena sequences gave the films their first genuinely original action grammar. It also introduced Korg and cemented the creative case that letting directors bring a distinct voice could save a flagging sub-franchise.

Watch These First

7 titles lead into Thor: Ragnarok — 15 hours in total, 5 of them essential.

Captain America: The First Avenger Essential 2h 4m ★ 7.0
Thor Essential 1h 55m ★ 6.8
The Avengers Essential 2h 23m ★ 8.1
Iron Man 3 2h 10m ★ 6.9
Thor: The Dark World 1h 52m ★ 6.5
Captain America: The Winter Soldier Essential 2h 16m ★ 7.7
Avengers: Age of Ultron Essential 2h 21m ★ 7.3

Create a watch plan for these 7

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Where It Fits in the MCU

Thor: Ragnarok sits at position 100 of 165 in the MCU's story-chronological order, placing it within the Phase 3C — Ragnarok & The Infinity War (2018) 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.