MCU Phase 1 Guide: Thor
Viewing Order Placement
Thor picks up right before the post-credits scene teased at the end of Iron Man 2. Though the film quickly flashes back in time several hundreds years to reveal the earliest events we’ve seen so far in the MCU, the bulk of the story happens at the end of Fury’s Big Week which began in The Incredible Hulk.
easter eggs and references
Norway: The film opens with a scene in Tønsberg, Norway, a town which will be seen again in Captain America: The First Avenger and Avengers: Endgame.
Treasured Artifacts: In Odin’s treasure room a number of important artifacts can be seen, including the Infinity Gauntlet (later revealed to be a fake), and The Eternal Flame, which plays an important role in Thor: Ragnarok.
Bird’s-Eye View: Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, makes a brief appearance as a S.H.I.E.L.D. special agent tasked with taking down Thor. Hawkeye will next be seen as a member of The Avengers.
The Tesseract: In the post-credits scene, Nick Fury shows Dr. Selvig the Tesseract, an artifact of unknown power and origin that will play a central role in the next two movies.
A Promise: After the post-credits scene, the text “Thor will return in The Avengers” appears onscreen in the first instance of what will become the norm for most MCU movies going forward.