The mighty but arrogant warrior Thor reignites an ancient war against the Frost Giants, leading his father Odin to strip him of his powers and banish him to Earth. Stranded among humans and befriended by astrophysicist Jane Foster, the fallen god must learn what it truly takes to be a hero before his brother Loki's dark machinations destroy both Asgard and his new home.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
May 6, 2011 |
Running time |
115 minutes |
Genre |
Action Adventure Fantasy |
Budget |
$150,000,000 |
Box Office |
$449,326,618 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Kenneth Branagh |
Produced by |
Kevin Feige |
Written by |
Ashley Edward Miller Zack Stentz Don Payne |
Music by |
Patrick Doyle |
Cinematography |
Haris Zambarloukos |
Edited by |
Paul Rubell |
Production Co. |
Marvel Studios |
Distributed by |
Paramount Pictures |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #01 in Thor Collection
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The Plot
The Ancient War and the Spoiled Prince
The history of the Nine Realms is forged in ice and blood. In 965 A.D., the Allfather Odin narrates a brutal conflict between the Asgardians and the Frost Giants in the frozen wastes of Jotunheim. The Jotuns, wielding the Casket of Ancient Winters, attempted to plunge Earth into a permanent ice age, freezing and killing innocent humans. The Asgardian armies descended to the rescue, engaging in a bloody war that ultimately ended in their victory. They seized the Casket, the source of the Giants' power, and returned it to the vault of Asgard. Years later, Odin stands before his two young sons, the energetic Thor and the thoughtful Loki, imparting a lesson on leadership. He assures them that while both were born to be kings, only one can ascend to the throne of Asgard.
In the present day, Asgard shines in golden splendor as an adult Thor prepares for his coronation. He revels in the adoration of the crowd, eager to be formally recognized as crown prince, while Loki watches with a gaze of envious silence. However, before Odin can finalize the proclamation, he senses a disturbance in the vault. Three Frost Giants have infiltrated the secure sanctuary to retrieve the Casket of Ancient Winters. Their attempt is cut short when the Destroyer, the vault's automaton guardian, awakens and vaporizes the intruders. Examining the remains, Odin remains stoic and calm, wishing to preserve the peace, but Thor is enraged by the violation and demands an immediate counter-attack. Odin sternly forbids it.
Intrusion into Jotunheim
Defying his father’s direct orders, Thor gathers Loki and his closest comrades—the Warriors Three (Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun) and the Lady Sif. They ride to the Bifrost Bridge, where the all-seeing guardian Heimdall grants them passage, curious to see if they can survive the journey. The six warriors are transported across the cosmos to Jotunheim, a crumbling, frozen wasteland shrouded in darkness. They confront King Laufey, who sits upon a throne of ice and taunts the Asgardians, calling them little more than a "house of cards." Surrounded by an army of Frost Giants, Laufey offers them a chance to leave with their lives.
Loki, sensing the overwhelming odds, manages to persuade his hot-headed brother to accept the truce. They turn to depart, but a Frost Giant hurls an insult at Thor, calling him a "princess." Thor’s vanity gets the better of him; he strikes out with Mjølnir, igniting a chaotic battle. The Asgardians fight valiantly, but during the melee, Loki is grabbed by a Frost Giant. Instead of burning him, the Giant's touch causes Loki's skin to turn blue—an unusual reaction that leaves the trickster god confused. Laufey unleashes a massive Frost Beast, forcing the Asgardians to retreat toward the extraction point. Thor kills the beast, but they are soon completely surrounded, facing certain death.
Banishment and the Enchantment
Just as the end seems near, the sky tears open and Odin arrives upon his eight-legged steed, intervening to save the young warriors. He apologizes to Laufey for the intrusion and attempts to reinstate the truce. Laufey, however, declares that they are beyond reason and that the Frost Giants are now at war with Asgard. He attempts to assassinate the Allfather with an ice dagger, but Odin blasts him back and swiftly transports the Asgardians home. Back at the Himinbjorg, Odin dismisses the others and turns his fury upon his sons. He confronts Thor, berating him for his arrogance and for dragging the realm back into a war they had sought to avoid.
Odin declares Thor unfit to be king. Despite Loki’s attempt to interject, Odin silences him and proceeds to strip Thor of his power, armor, and titles. He banishes his son to Earth as punishment. Moments later, Odin whispers an enchantment into Mjølnir: "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." He hurls the weapon into the Bifrost, sending it after the fallen prince.
Arrival in New Mexico
On Earth, in the New Mexico desert, astrophysicist Jane Foster, her mentor Dr. Erik Selvig, and their intern Darcy Lewis are conducting research on an aurora-borealis-type phenomenon from their van. Suddenly, a violent storm of lightning and tornadoes manifests before them. Driving closer to investigate, their van collides with a man who stumbles out of the maelstrom—Thor. Disoriented and stripped of his powers, Thor begins to shout, demanding to know where he is. His aggression frightens the scientists, prompting Darcy to tase him, knocking him unconscious. They load him into their van and transport him to a local hospital.
Upon waking in the medical facility, Thor creates a scene, fighting against the medical staff as they attempt to draw blood. He is eventually tranquilized. Selvig urges Jane to abandon the stranger, believing him to be a mentally unstable drifter, but Jane finds herself curious about the man and strangely attracted to him. When they return to their outpost in town to review their data, they are shocked to find S.H.I.E.L.D. agents confiscating all their equipment and research notes, citing a connection to recent atmospheric disturbances and the sudden appearance of a mysterious satellite crash.
The Unworthy God
Unsure of what to do, the trio returns to the hospital, only to find that Thor has escaped his restraints. As they drive away, they accidentally hit the Asgardian with their van for a second time, knocking him out again. This time, they take him in. Jane provides him with civilian clothes belonging to her ex-boyfriend. While at a diner, Thor overhears locals discussing a "satellite" that crashed 50 miles west. Realizing this must be Mjølnir, he decides to retrieve it. He marches into a pet store demanding a horse, but eventually accepts a ride from Jane, who agrees to drive him to the crash site in her van despite Selvig’s protests.
At the crash site, a crater has formed around the hammer. A festival atmosphere has developed, with locals partying and taking turns trying to pull the immovable object from the earth. Soon, S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives, clearing the civilians and erecting a temporary research base around the artifact. Under the cover of darkness, Thor and Jane arrive. Thor infiltrates the camp, dismantling several agents with his bare hands while agent Clint Barton targets him with a compound bow from a sniper nest. Thor finally reaches Mjølnir, gripping the handle with anticipation. He pulls, but the hammer refuses to budge. He screams at the heavens, howling at his powerlessness. Broken and humbled, he drops to his knees in the mud, offering no resistance as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrest him.
Loki’s Rise and Thor’s Revelation
On Asgard, Thor's friends begin to suspect that Loki manipulated the events leading to Thor's banishment. Confronted with the truth of his physiology, Loki realizes he is not Asgardian. In the weapons vault, Odin admits the truth: Loki was found as an abandoned infant in Jotunheim, the son of Laufey, and raised as Odin's own to one day unite the two kingdoms. Overwhelmed by the revelation and the stress, Odin falls into the "Odinsleep," a deep coma-like state. With Thor banished and Odin incapacitated, Loki seizes the throne as acting king.
Back on Earth, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson interrogates Thor. When Coulson steps away, Loki magically appears in the detention room. He lies to Thor, telling him that Odin has died from the strain of Thor's betrayal and that the condition of the truce with Jotunheim is that Thor must remain in exile. Thor, distraught and guilt-ridden, accepts his fate. Erik Selvig soon arrives at the facility with a fake driver's license, claiming Thor is Jane’s ex-husband on steroids. Coulson allows Selvig to take Thor. On the way out, Thor surreptitiously steals Jane’s notebook. Selvig takes Thor for a drink, trying to convince him to leave Jane alone, but the two end up bonding over boilermakers. Drunk, Thor carries Selvig back to Jane’s trailer. Under the stars, Thor explains the concept of the Nine Realms and the Bifrost to Jane, confirming her theory that the "Rainbow Bridge" is actually an Einstein-Rosen Bridge wormhole.
Betrayal and the Destroyer
Loki proceeds with his machinations. He travels to Jotunheim and strikes a deal with Laufey: he will ensure safe passage for the Frost Giants into Asgard to kill Odin and retrieve the Casket, and in exchange, they will never return to Asgard. Back at the Bifrost, Loki betrays Heimdall, freezing him solid with the Casket of Ancient Winters. Sensing the threat to his brother, Loki commands the Destroyer to descend to Earth and kill Thor.
The Destroyer lands in the New Mexico desert and begins obliterating the town with its heat ray. The Warriors Three and Sif, who have come to Earth to find Thor, attempt to fight the automaton but are easily overpowered. Thor, realizing he is the target, steps forward to confront the machine. He calls out to Loki, who watches from Asgard, and offers his own life in exchange for the safety of the humans. The Destroyer responds with a vicious backhand, breaking Thor’s body and sending him tumbling. Jane rushes to him in tears as he lies dying. However, this act of selfless sacrifice proves Thor worthy. Mjølnir frees itself from the crater, flying into Thor’s hand. He is instantly healed, clad in armor, and restored to full power. He dismantles the Destroyer within moments and prepares to return to Asgard, promising Jane he will return for her.
The King's Deception and the Bridge's Fall
In Asgard, the Frost Giants invade through the portal, walking past the frozen form of Heimdall. Laufey enters Odin’s bedchamber, creating an ice blade to murder the sleeping Allfather. Before the blow lands, Loki blasts Laufey with Gungnir, killing his biological father to paint himself as the hero who saved Odin. Meanwhile, Heimdall, though frozen, strains his consciousness to break free of the ice and summons Thor back to Asgard. Thor flies swiftly to the palace, revealing Loki's treachery.
Loki escapes to the Himinbjorg and initiates the full power of the Bifrost, aiming the energy beam at Jotunheim to destroy the entire planet and commit genocide to prove he is a "true" Asgardian son. Thor confronts him, and the brothers engage in a desperate duel. Thor immobilizes Loki with Mjølnir and, realizing he cannot stop the energy build-up, begins to smash the Rainbow Bridge itself. As the bridge shatters, the portal collapses, saving Jotunheim but severing the link to Earth. Thor and Loki fall into the abyss of space, but Odin, now awake, catches Thor, who in turn holds Loki’s staff. Loki pleads for validation, claiming he did it all for Odin. When Odin looks at him with sorrow, Loki lets go of the staff, allowing himself to fall into the void, disappearing into the darkness.
A New Purpose
Peace returns to Asgard, though the mood is somber. The family gathers for a feast, but Odin is saddened by the loss of his son and the destruction of the bridge. Thor mourns his brother and the separation from Jane Foster, whom he can no longer visit. He joins Heimdall at the severed edge of the Rainbow Bridge, looking out into the cosmos. Heimdall assures Thor that there is always hope, telling him that Jane is currently searching for a way to reach him. On Earth, Jane is seen in a new high-tech laboratory with new equipment provided by S.H.I.E.L.D., determined to reopen the doorway to the stars.
Later, Dr. Selvig is escorted through the corridors of the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility to meet Nick Fury. Fury opens a briefcase to reveal the Tesseract, a glowing blue cube which he claims holds unlimited power. As Selvig examines it, Loki appears in a reflection on the glass case, invisible to the others but exerting control over the scientist's mind. Loki whispers, "Well, I guess that's worth a look," and under his subtle influence, Selvig repeats the phrase verbatim.
