ranking of Thor movies differs, yet the general consensus is that the first movie and third, 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, are the best of the bunch, while 2013's Thor: The Dark World and 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder are less beloved.
Beyond the God of Thunder's own movies, though, Marvel movies like 2026's Avengers: Doomsday will only further flesh out Thor's story in the MCU, meaning it is worth looking back on the first decade-and-a-half in the franchise. Upon doing so, Thor's most iconic MCU scenes become clear.
10 Becoming The King Of Asgard
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Concerning the evolution of Thor's character from 2011's Thor to the ending of the Infinity Saga, the God of Thunder becoming the King of Asgard has to rank as one of his most iconic moments. Although the scene is somewhat undercut by the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War and Thanos' attack on Thor's ship, the ending of Thor: Ragnarok is a strong moment that typifies not only the themes of the movie itself but also Thor's journey up to that point.
Thor had learned what it meant to be a king, all while accepting that Asgard was not a place, but a people. The moment of Thor striding through the Asgardian civilians he helped save from extinction, complete with his crew of Ravengers and allies like Heimdall and Korg, was exciting and moving, despite the undercurrent of humor synonymous with Taika Waititi's Thor movies. Nonetheless, becoming the king of an entire people would be iconic for any character, yet Thor's MCU journey from unworthiness to royalty makes this scene his tenth most iconic in the entire franchise.
9 The Trinity vs. Thanos
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Avengers: Endgame's Battle of Earth contains a dizzying number of MCU characters, but the preluding fight with Thanos is an iconic moment for Thor. Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor facing down the Mad Titan is an iconic moment for all four important MCU characters, though Thor gets ample time to shine. From powering up Iron Man's repulsor attacks with lightning to facing down Thanos one-on-one and claiming he knew all along that Steve Rogers was worthy of wielding Mjölnir, the scene includes many classic Thor moments to render it the ninth most iconic of the character's journey.
8 Thor vs. Hulk - Round 2
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor and Hulk have had many memorable moments together in the MCU. Their first fight on the SHIELD Helicarrier in The Avengers could easily go down as an iconic moment for both heroes, were it not for their second gladiatorial smackdown in Thor: Ragnarok. Thor: Ragnarok reinventing the titular character aids this scene in overcoming any other Thor and Hulk moments in the MCU, as proven by the memorable moment of Thor striding out into the Grandmaster's arena with a fresh haircut, a new outfit, and an iconic helmet to face the unknown champion of Sakaar.
The fight ends with Thor unleashing his true powers, giving the first hint at the full potential of the God of Thunder without Mjölnir...
The reveal that it is Hulk who Thor will have to fight, followed by the latter's joy as the former is "a friend from work" is Waititi's version of Thor at his absolute best. Hemsworth is great in the comedic moments, yet the ensuing fight proves no less badass due to the undercurrent of humor. The fight ends with Thor unleashing his true powers, giving the first hint at the full potential of the God of Thunder without Mjölnir, making this scene not only one of the MCU's best overall action sequences but a truly iconic one for Thor.
7 The Trinity Fight
The Avengers (2012)
Seeing the MCU's trinity face off against Thanos is one thing, but seeing them fight each other is just as iconic, if not more so. The Avengers wisely chose to show the titular team's growing pains before they became a true unit, with the fight in the forest at the end of the film's first act between Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America epitomizing this. The fight itself has great moments, especially from Thor - "You want me to put the hammer down?!" - but it is how the scene sets up the exciting team-up moves from the final act that makes it truly iconic.
6 Thor Regains His Powers
Thor (2011)
Thor may often be dubbed as a somewhat forgettable movie, but none can deny that it has some excellent moments. Thor regaining his powers in the third act is among them and is the sixth most iconic in the God of Thunder's MCU history. Watching the Thor movies in order means the character begins as an arrogant, unlikable prince, which only makes his transition into a benevolent god who understands the true meaning of humanity all the more compelling. The scene that brings this to a head makes Thor an underrated MCU film and provides the character with yet another iconic moment.
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The scene is masterfully edited, intercutting the former God of Thunder's unconscious state and the looming threat of the Destroyer with Odin's speech about being worthy of the power of Thor and Mjölnir flying out of the SHIELD encampment. The musical score by Patrick Doyle is also fairly rousing, and while the scene is not without its pulpy close-up reaction shots from Thor's ing cast, they only add to its charm. In of Thor coming into his own as an MCU hero, this scene's iconicity is clear.
5 Forging Stormbreaker
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
To this day, Thor has never been better than he was in Avengers: Infinity War, explaining why so many of the character's top five most iconic MCU moments come in that film, starting with the forging of Stormbreaker. The scene is intercut with the Battle of Wakanda, making it incredibly tense in its own right. Thor then takes the brunt of a dying star, proving just how strong he truly is in one of the MCU's most overt displays of physical power. The scene is simple and short, yet no less effective and iconic.
4 Going For The Head
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) & Avengers: Endgame (2019)
If forging Stormbreaker was an iconic moment for Thor, seeing him use it against Thanos was too. This is a two-for-one entry, as similar moments from Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame are intertwined. The third act of Avengers: Infinity War is filled with exciting moments but also a sense of dread. This dread disappears when Thor buries Stormbreaker into Thanos' chest. Thor's intense rage as he reminds Thanos of his promise to kill him is awesome, with the ensuing snap of Thanos' fingers as he tells Thor he should have gone for the head marking possibly the most iconic moment in the entire MCU.
Avengers: Endgame then builds on this as the surviving Avengers seek out Thanos in a bid to reverse the Snap. Thor, losing his patience and realizing it cannot be reversed, heeds Thanos' words and goes for the head. This moment is equal parts badass, exciting, shocking, and somber, making it a truly iconic Thor MCU moment, especially when paired with its similar scene from Avengers: Infinity War.
3 “I’m Still Worthy”
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
"Fat Thor" in Avengers: Endgame is often regarded as the character's most divisive appearance. Many found the serious subject matter of Thor slipping into depression - and, thus, weight gain - after failing to go for the head in Avengers: Infinity War to be treated too lightly, yet there are still many moments from the film that are iconic and emotionally resonant. One comes in another MCU timeline as Thor and Rocket search Asgard for the Ether, with the former encountering his mother, Frigga.
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Thor's talk with his mother is suitably emotional and outlines the character's guilt and trauma expertly. It also explores the themes of self-worth Thor is struggling with after blaming himself for the Snap happening. The moment that crowns this scene, with Thor recalling Mjölnir and tearfully, almost disbelievingly, claiming he is still worthy is beautifully done and definitely one of Thor's most iconic moments in the franchise.
2 The Bifrost Bridge Fight
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Regarding Thor's solo movies, Thor: Ragnarok contains his most iconic moment in the MCU, though it ranks second concerning the wider franchise. The final act of Thor: Ragnarok houses this moment, with Thor being badly beaten by his sister, Hela, while his allies are cornered on the Bifrost rainbow bridge by her undead soldiers. Hela ridicules Thor, asking him what he is the god of, leading to the character's second most iconic moment in the long-running franchise.
Thor sees a flash of his father before the power that was glimpsed in the aforementioned arena fight with Hulk shines through. Thor blasts Hela with lightning before flying off to the Bifrost. The shot of Thor, surrounded by lightning, coming down on Hela's army while Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" blares out is an MCU all-timer. The needle drop, the God of Thunder demolishing an army single-handedly, and the sheer hype all of this creates makes this scene an easy pick for a list of this ilk.
1 Arrival in Wakanda
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
All that being said, the most iconic Thor moment in the MCU picks itself: his arrival in Wakanda. As I alluded to earlier, the final act of Avengers: Infinity War is incredibly tense and builds to some perfect moments. Thor coming down in Wakanda after forging Stormbreaker with Alan Silvestri's perfect Avengers theme song blaring and screaming "Bring me Thanos!" is undoubtedly one of these perfect moments and one of the best in the entire franchise. For this alone, it ranks as Thor’s most iconic Marvel Cinematic Universe scene and I can only hope Avengers: Doomsday provides him with similar moments.
Thor
- Created by
- Kevin Feige
- First Film
- Thor
- Latest Film
- Thor: Love and Thunder
- Cast
- Taika Waititi
- Movie(s)
- Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok, Thor: Love and Thunder
- Character(s)
- Thor, Loki, Jane Foster, Valkyrie, Odin, Heimdall
