The MCU is by far the most expansive and popular cinematic universe in film today and as each year passes it only gets bigger. In July 2022, it will expand even further with the addition of Thor: Love and Thunder.
While many of the stories told within the MCU are contained mostly to their own narrative, there are often many connections to other projects and with Thor: Love and Thunder, of course, you’re going to have throwbacks to things from the previous Thor films.
If you’re getting set to see Thor: Love and Thunder and wanting to tick all of the boxes first, here are the movies that you’ll need to have seen beforehand, along with some additions that can be skipped if you’re stretched for time.
What to watch before seeing Thor: Love and Thunder
Fortunately for those gearing up to see Thor: Love and Thunder, the required watching isn’t too extensive and only includes movies.
Of course, let’s get the obvious out of the way first. You’ll want to have seen all of the previous movies in the Thor series before checking out the next adventure. Here is a list of these entries in the order they should be watched.
Required viewing:
- Thor (2011)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Thor Ragnarok (2017)
Outside of these Thor movies, there are a few films that you’ll need to have seen to pick up on where we’re at in the MCU timeline with Thor: Love and Thunder. While all of the Avengers movies do offer some value, you’ll only have to have seen Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers Endgame for this movie.
Required viewing:
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
You won’t be able to skip on these as Thor: Love and Thunder directly addresses events that have taken place throughout the two films, especially at the conclusion of Endgame.
Piggybacking on this, if you’re looking to get the best understanding of Thor: Love and Thunder, seeing the Guardians of the Galaxy films also could be beneficial.
While these are not required watching, given that Thor will kick off this new adventure alongside the Guardians, why not find out where it all began for this crew of space travelers. Fortunately, there are only two movies in this series so far.
Recommended viewing:
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
These are all of the films that you’ll need to watch or should watch to get a better understanding of the situation as things kick off in Thor: Love and Thunder.
If you’re looking for more to see, all of the MCU films have their perks and potentially could factor into the story — although we haven’t yet seen the film to confirm. Another production that potentially could be referenced is the Loki TV series, so if you’re after ideas, check that out on Disney Plus.