In 2011, Thor prepares to ascend to the throne, but Frost Giants attempt to retrieve the Casket of Ancient Winters, an artifact seized by Odin in a war centuries before.

Against Odin's order, Thor travels to Jotunheim to confront Frost Giant leader Laufey, accompanied by Loki, childhood friend Sif, and the Warriors Three: Voltstagg, Fandral, and Hogun.

Odin enters the "Odinsleep", a period of rest needed to maintain his power, and Loki, having learned he is actually an adopted Frost Giant, seizes the Asgardian throne and prepares to conquer the Nine Realms.

Agents including Clint Barton, who were mind controlled by Loki, attack the Helicarrier, disabling one of its engines in flight and causing Bruce Banner to transform into the Hulk.

Thor then becomes a founding member of the Avengers upon returning to help Rogers, Stark, Banner, Romanoff, and Barton when Loki uses the Tesseract to open a wormhole over New York City to allow a Chitauri army to invade.

With the help of Stephen Strange, they find a dying Odin in Norway, who explains that his passing will allow his firstborn child, Hela, to escape from a prison she was sealed in millennia ago.

Thor transports himself, Rocket, and Groot to Wakanda on Earth to help Rogers, Romanoff, Banner, Rhodes, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, T'Challa, and the Wakandan army in the battle against the Outriders.

Three weeks later, Thor goes with Rogers, Romanoff, Banner, Rhodes, Rocket, Carol Danvers and Nebula into space to Titan II to confront Thanos.

Thor returns to the Compound, reuniting with the Avengers, and learns of the plan to time travel via the Quantum Realm to collect the Infinity Stones from different points in the past.

Upon arrival, a beaten Sif warns Thor of Gorr, a being possessing the god-killing weapon, the Necrosword, seeking the extinction of all gods and that his next target is New Asgard.

Thor debuted as a Marvel Comics superhero in the science fiction/fantasy anthology title Journey into Mystery #83 (cover-date August 1962), created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller-plotter Jack Kirby.

Feige, a self-professed "fanboy", envisioned creating a shared universe just as creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had done with their comic books in the early 1960s.

[14] Mark Protosevich, a fan of the Thor comic book, agreed to write the script in April 2006, and the project moved to Paramount Pictures, after it acquired the rights from Sony.

[15] In December 2007, Protosevich described his plans for it "to be like a superhero origin story, but not one about a human gaining super powers, but of a god realizing his true potential.

[22] Feige mentioned that the film would take place on both modern day Earth and Asgard but Thor's human host, Dr. Donald Blake, would not be included.

For The Avengers, Hemsworth said that he was able to maintain the strength he built up for Thor by increasing his food intake, consisting of chicken breasts, fish, steak, and eggs every day.

[32] Hemsworth stated that he had to work harder to bring new elements to the character to avoid repeating himself, saying that it "gave us room to kind of make him a little more grounded and human and have him in some civilian clothes and mixing it up at a party".

[38] Waititi also wanted to use more of Hemsworth's comedic talents showcased in films like Vacation (2015) and Ghostbusters (2016),[39] and cited Kurt Russell's portrayal of Jack Burton from Big Trouble in Little China (1986) as an influence on the character.

[40] The events of Infinity War come right on the heels of Ragnarok, finding Thor in a "very profound... very interesting place" with "real emotional motivation".

"[46] Thor's story was his favorite arc, saying, "Part of Chris' magic as a comedic actor is his dedication to the depth of the character on a very earnest level...It's so devious and subversive when comedy is coming from a place of complete commitment and emotional complexity.

"[47] Hemsworth underwent around three hours of hair and makeup for the transformation, which also required him to wear a large silicone prosthetic suit; he called himself "Lebowski Thor" on set.

[49] Chris Pratt said Love and Thunder would continue the rivalry between Guardians leader Peter Quill / Star-Lord and Thor that was established in Infinity War and Endgame.

[53] Analysis of the character from a feminist perspective has noted that Thor "might be a hotheaded braggart, but he never demeans women", a sharp contrast with the womanizing Tony Stark.

[62] In September 2020, Hemsworth stated that he wished to continue playing Thor after Love and Thunder, saying, "I'm not going into any retirement period" pointing out that the character was "way too young for that".

[68] In his review of Avengers: Endgame, Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal acknowledged "Chris Hemsworth's Thor, endearing despite some ragged material and the actor's seemingly limited dramatic range".

[70] Thor in Infinity War was widely praised, for its themes signifying his losses, his journey as a God and his sacrifice for the people of earth and Asgard.

[71] Mike Reyes of Cinema blend stated "The quest itself is Thor's way of trying to build himself back up after the most devastating losses, and Hemsworth is most certainly game for that.

Paying close attention to his conversation with Rocket, you can see a bit more of the age and wisdom in his person, particularly due to the fact that Chris Hemsworth seems to have adopted more of the tone and mannerisms of Anthony Hopkins' Odin.

[76][77] On the other hand, the depiction also received critical acclaim for adding relatability and for the tackling of mental health issues,[78][79] with Hemsworth himself having advocated against the initial plan for Thor to become muscular again halfway through the film.

[80][81] Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal praised Hemsworth in the Avengers franchise finale "as the graceful, exuberant comic actor he was destined to be, while Thor morphs, alarmingly and charmingly—yet still heroically—into a beer-bellied apparition who could pass for Jeff Lebowski.