Understanding Thor: Ragnarok’s place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline

Thor: Ragnarok details are beginning to emerge and we have a little more information about when and where it’s set in relation to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

[Warning: The following may contain spoilers for Thor: Ragnarok.]

Thor: Ragnarok producers confirmed that the film takes place around the same time as Captain America: Civil War. Producer Brad Winderbaum told ScreenRant that it’s hard to give an exact timeline for Ragnarok because Thor has been on his own for so long, but it’s roughly around the same time as Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

“In the timeline of the MCU, things kind of happen on top of each other, especially now in Phase Three,” Winderbaum said. “They’re not as interlocked as they were in Phase One, you know, during Fury’s Big Week and everything. So [Thor: Ragnarok] happens maybe on top of Civil War, on top of Spider-Man [Homecoming]. Somewhere in that ball park.”

The immediate issue that some may be quick to point out is that Thor: Ragnarok can’t take place around the same time as both Civil War and Homecoming.

In Civil War, there’s a moment where Vision refers to Tony Starks public admission of being Iron Man as taking place eight years before the events of Civil War. We know that Civil War takes place in 2016, as confirmed by Marvel, and that would put Stark’s admission in 2008, not 2010. Marvel has also confirmed that after being retconned, Iron Man takes place in 2010, prior to the events of “Nick Fury’s Big Week” in 2011. Spider-Man: Homecoming, on the other hand, takes place eight years after The Avengers, which is also set in 2012, confirming that the film takes place in 2020.

Thor: Ragnarok can’t take place both in 2016 and 2020. We also know, however, that Thor has been doing his own thing for a couple of years at this point, which is why he missed Civil War. Remember the short video Taika Waititi directed about Thor and his Australian roommate, Darryl? That’s not canon, but the fact that Thor has been busy elsewhere very much is.

The better explanation for Thor: Ragnarok is that it takes place in the period between Civil War and Homecoming. Winderbaum also confirmed that Thor has been doing his own thing in space for a couple years. The timeline makes sense when that’s taken into account, but the important thing to remember is that Marvel isn’t beholden to a specific timeline — especially if it’s a stand-alone film.

Ragnarok isn’t an Avengers movie in the same way Civil War or a dedicated Avengers movie is. It doesn’t need to set anything up, even though it absolutely will. It can exist as a stand-alone film within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and nothing changes. In an interview with CinemaBlend, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige confirmed the studio doesn’t think about timeline restrictions in the same way other films or universes do.

“I think people like to talk about our long term plans, which we certainly have. But very rarely do those long term plans dictate the specificity of any individual film. It’s usually the opposite. It’s focusing on a story, and focusing on the individual movie that we’re making to do what’s best. And then, if something changes that we weren’t quite expecting down the line because it was made for a better movie, then we deal with it down the line.”

Unlike the Spider-Man: Homecoming timeline debacle from earlier this summer, devout MCU fans don’t have to worry about scratching their heads over this one. If you’re looking for a refresher on the timeline structure, we have you covered.

Thor: Ragnarok will be released on Nov. 3.