The parts that are hard to follow from the film alone, explained with a story summary, a character map and key terms.
Released
2011
Runtime
115 min
Set in
2011
Good to know before watchingNo spoilers
They're based on myths
Thor, Loki and Odin come from Norse mythology. Here they're shown as extremely powerful beings from another world.
It moves between space and Earth
The settings are Asgard, the frost giants' realm of Jotunheim, and New Mexico.
Watch Loki
Thor's brother Loki becomes one of the MCU's most popular villains. Watching how his feelings shift makes the film more fun.
Stay until after the credits
An important scene after the credits leads into The Avengers.
Character mapSpoilers
Who's who in Thor (2011), with Thor and Jane Foster at the center. Asgard is on the left, Earth on the right.
Because of copyright, we can't use stills, posters or any other images of the characters as they appear in the film. All face photos are freely licensed photos of the actors themselves (non-human characters are original illustrations made for this site; people without a photo are shown with initials).
Drag to move, pinch (or scroll on a computer) to zoom. Tap a person to read about them.
Face photos are freely licensed photos of the actors from Wikimedia Commons, cropped to a square and resized. Non-human characters are original illustrations made for this site, and people without a photo are shown with a placeholder (initials).
In the New Mexico desert, scientist Jane and her team are studying a strange storm when a man falls from the sky. The story then jumps back to Asgard.
2. Prince Thor's mistake
On the day Thor is to be crowned, frost giants sneak into Asgard's vault. Furious, Thor ignores his father Odin and leads his friends to attack the frost giants' realm, starting a fight.
3. Banished to Earth
Odin strips Thor of his power and banishes him to Earth. He sends the hammer too, enchanted so that only someone worthy can lift it.
4. Thor on Earth
Powerless, Thor is taken in by Jane and her friends. He breaks into the S.H.I.E.L.D. site to get his hammer back, but can't lift it.
5. Loki's secret
In Asgard, Loki learns he's really a frost giant's son, raised by Odin. When Odin falls into a deep sleep, Loki takes the throne and lies to Thor that their father is dead and he can't come home.
6. Worthy
Loki sends the Destroyer to Earth. Thor offers himself to protect the townspeople. That selflessness proves him worthy, the hammer returns, and his power comes back.
7. Brother against brother
Back in Asgard, Thor destroys the rainbow bridge to stop Loki from wiping out the frost giants' realm. Loki falls into the void of space.
8. Worlds apart
With the bridge gone, Thor can't get back to Jane on Earth. After the credits, Fury shows Dr. Selvig a glowing blue cube.
