2011’s Thor Gave Us The MCU’s First Major Expansion (And One Of The Greatest Villains)

After doing a recent rewatch of 2011’s Thor, I’m reminded of how ambitious the fourth MCU movie actually was. While 2008’s Iron Man served as a solid foundation for the MCU overall and what it would eventually become, the first Thor film is just as much of a core pillar in the MCU’s earliest days for several reasons.

Looking back, Thor was a significant leap in scale for the MCU. While Marvel’s first three films were largely grounded in science and technology, Thor was the first real expansion of the greater MCU franchise into the mythological and cosmic territories. Keeping that in mind, here are my takes following our Super Rant Rewatch of 2011’s Thor on the road to Avengers: Doomsday.

2011’s Thor Highlights Marvel Studios’ Impressive Early Confidence

Before Thor, the early MCU movies were relatively grounded. Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man 2 all focused heavily on science, technology, weapons, and military experimentation. Although all MCU superhero movies naturally push the boundaries of realism, those first three were still pretty rooted in the modern real-world.

In comparison, Thor changed things pretty significantly.

The first Thor movie may start with the God of Thunder’s arrival on Earth (and hit with a car in the New Mexico desert), though the movie quickly shows us the events leading up to Thor’s exile by Odin, revealing the noble realm of Asgard and its various warriors from Norse mythology, wielding impressive weapons so advanced they appear as magic to those from Earth.

As such, there’s an impressive level confidence on display here with Marvel Studios’ execution, not only debuting this massive cosmic realm to the MCU so early in the interconnected universe’s inception, but to also have it be understood via a more realistic lens.

By the end of 2011’s Thor, it’s established that there are worlds and realms beyond Earth, expanding the MCU franchise to a pretty high degree. Not only that, but the near-mythic origins of Thor and his journey to become truly worth of Mjolnir is quite well done, seeing as how the movie ends with the God of Thunder ready to become one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

2011’s Thor very much paved the way for future cosmic adventures like the Guardians of the Galaxy, which debuted in the MCU’s second phase of films.

Chris Hemsworth’s Thor Was A Work in Progress, But Tom Hiddelston’s Loki Was A GOAT From The Start

Looking back, it’s clear that Chris Hemsworth’ss take on Thor evolved significantly over time. Later films like Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War further refined Thor’s personality, leaning more into humor and stronger emotional depth, transforming the God of Thunder into one of the MCU’s most beloved characters.

That said, Tom Hiddleston absolutely nailed Loki from the very beginning right off the bat.

From his very first scenes, Hiddleston portrayed Loki as deeply layered and emotionally compelling. Rather than serving as a one-note villain, the God of Mischief is driven by sympathetic jealousy, insecurity, and a desperate need for recognition.

Despite his extreme choices and scheme to kill both his biological Frost Giant father Laufey and potentially even his adpoptive father Odin, Hiddleston’s performance keeps Loki sympathetic and captivating not only in 2011’s Thor, but well into the MCU overall for over a decade and half.

Following Hiddleston’s performance in Thor, it’s obvious why he was the ultimate choice to become the primary villain in 2012’s The Avengers, eventually evolving over the years into a major hero in his own right, as we see in both seasons of Marvel’s Loki, a show that is widely considered te be one of the MCU’s best.

Rewatching Thor today makes Loki’s journey even more exciting and compelling. Knowing where his story eventually leads only adds more weight to every scene, especially Thor’s ending and how Loki’s desperation for purpose finally pays off over a decade later in his own show.

Avengers: Doomsday Will Pay Off 15 Years Of Legacy Since 2011’s Thor

One of the most fascinating aspects of revisiting Thor is realizing just how long Thor and Loki’s shared MCU journey has lasted and how much they’ve been through. Across multiple films and appearances, the Sons of Odin have moved from bitter rivals to uneasy allies and eventually family once more.

Unfortunately, that relationship ended in tragedy in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, just after Loki and Thor started reconciling as brothers. At the beginning of the third Avengers movie, Loki attempts one final act of heroism by trying to kill Thanos, sacrificing himself for the sake of his brother.

While that seemed like a definitive end for the God of Mischief, the events of Avengers: Endgame gave Loki a renewed journey in the MCU. During the Avengers’ time heist, an alternate version of Loki escapes custody in 2012 after briefly obtaining the Tesseract. As such, it’s this version of Loki who becomes the protagonist of the MCU’s Loki series.

Unlike the Loki who died in Infinity War, this variant never experienced the events of Thor: The Dark World or Thor: Ragnarok alongside Thor, though he was shown those events thanks to the Time Variance Authority.

Regardless, Loki’s story in his own show leads him down an equally compelling path of redemption. By the end of the series’ second season, Loki has now become one of the most important figures in the entire MCU as he’s now tasked with holding together the multiverse and protecting the Sacred Timeline.

Meanwhile, Thor lost the love of his life, Jane Foster, and gained an adoptive daughter as seen in Thor: Love & Thunder. As such, this new status quo for the Sons of Odin is pretty exciting considering the fact that both Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth are confirmed as part of Avengers: Doomsday’s cast, sparking a fair amount of speculation that a long-awaited reunion might finally happen.

15 years after 2011’s Thor, the MCU may finally bring the God of Thunder and Mischief’s journey full circle.

Let us know your thoughts on Thor (2011) in the comments, and be on the lookout next week for our Super Rant Rewatch of Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)! You can also check out our Super Rant: Doomsday Preppers podcast on Spotify and YouTube.