As the 29th movie releasing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there is a substantial amount of story that precedes Thor: Love and Thunder. While fans don't need to watch every single MCU movie and television show before watching Love and Thunder, there are certain stories that fans should definitely revisit or watch for the first time.
The stories focused on Thor, Jane Foster, Valkyrie, and the Guardians of the Galaxy are the most important to watch as all of these characters are confirmed to be important in Love and Thunder.
Thor (2011)
In order to see how Thor and Jane Foster have developed, audiences have to watch the beginning of their stories. Thor has changed a great deal from the arrogant, overconfident, and stoic individual who was first introduced. He learned to be selfless, to be humble, and learned how to be worthy of being Thor again, and Love and Thunder will show him continuing to learn and transform.
Seeing how he proved to be worthy of the hammer Mjölnir and the powers of Thor is also worth looking at considering that Jane is now Might Thor, an individual also worthy of Mjölnir in Love and Thunder. The first Thor movie shows Jane's scientific gifts, her intellect, and her chemistry with Thor, laying the foundation for a strong character that Love and Thunder has seemingly taken to new heights.
The Avengers (2012)
The Avengers is where Thor first learned to be a team player. He learned to work with and rely on others, even with big personalities like Tony Stark. Thor's ability to be a team player has paved the way for him now teaming up with characters such as the Guardians of the Galaxy, Jane Foster, Valkyrie, and Korg in Love and Thunder.
The Avengers also had Thor defending Earth from Loki and the Chitauri, proving that he can take on all kinds of foes, and adding more weight to him being a defender of Earth.
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Thor: The Dark World is the last time that Thor and Jane Foster were together in the MCU. This movie proved that their romance was not just a fleeting bit of passion. Their relationship and their feelings for each other ran much deeper and they would do anything for each other.
The Dark World was also Jane's first time away from Earth, an initially jarring and mind-blowing experience that would unknowingly prepare her for her adventures beyond Earth in Love and Thunder. For Thor, the events in this movie also made him realize that his path is not to be King of Asgard, leading to him still finding his path and his true self in Love and Thunder.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy introduces the ragtag group of unlikely heroes before they were a team and long before they met Thor. Fans can see how their stories began and how these characters developed before they became integrated into the story of Thor and the Avengers.
It is worth noting that the versions of Gamora and Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy will not be in Love and Thunder. This version of Gamora was killed by Thanos and this version of Groot sacrificed himself in the first Guardians movie. The teenage Groot in Love and Thunder is the original Groot's son.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Beyond being another story of Thor learning to be a team player, Avengers: Age of Ultron showed that Thor is not the only one worthy of wielding Mjölnir. Steve Rogers is able to lift it slightly, teasing his ability to fully wield it in Avengers: Endgame. More importantly to the story in Age of Ultron, Vision is able to effortlessly pick it up, proving to Thor that Vision can be trusted.
This is where Thor began to get used to the idea of others being worthy of Mjölnir. Instead of someone else just temporarily holding or using it, Thor will have to get used to the idea of someone other than himself having it permanently now that Jane is the one wielding it in Love and Thunder.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 added Nebula, Mantis, and Kraglin to the team. Mantis has been with the team ever since Thor met them and Thor worked with Nebula to save the universe in Avengers: Endgame. Mantis, Nebula, and Kraglin can be seen in the Love and Thunder trailers, so it is definitely worthwhile to see how they became part of the team.
The Guardians of the Galaxy sequel also provides the best look at these characters as an established team with a reputation whose services are called upon by various groups and individuals across the galaxy. This is likely what Thor and the team will be doing at the start of Love and Thunder.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok is arguably the most important story to watch before Love and Thunder. As one of the best movies directed by Taika Waititi, his direction changed the tone of the Thor franchise and changed some key aspects of the titular character. These changes resonated well with fans, leading to Waititi also directing Love and Thunder and seemingly continuing the tone and changes established in Ragnarok.
The destruction of Mjölnir and Asgard were particularly game-changing moments for Thor and the other characters. By the time of Love and Thunder, the Asgardians have been living on Earth for several years and Jane is wielding the repaired Mjölnir. Ragnarok also introduced characters like Valkyrie and Korg, leaving fans eager to see more of their stories, which will now be explored further in Love and Thunder. Thor learned to trust both of them and learned he could count on them when he needs it most, leading to them inevitably teaming up again.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
The devastating deaths of Thor's brother Loki and his best friend Heimdall in the beginning Avengers: Infinity War explain why they will not be in Love and Thunder. After enduring these tragedies and floating through space, Thor meets the Guardians of the Galaxy. He spends the majority of the movie with Rocket and Groot on a quest to acquire a weapon that can replace Mjölnir and kill Thanos, all while building relationships that are important to Thor's future.
The weapon that they craft is called Stormbreaker, which will continue to be Thor's primary weapon in Love and Thunder. Thor's ultimate failure to kill Thanos with Stormbreaker before Thanos wiped out half the living beings in the universe haunted him for years. Now facing another formidable villain--this one intent on killing all gods--Thor could be impacted by his past trauma.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
After Thor experienced his biggest fears of losing his loved ones, his home, and failing to save the universe, Thor hits rock bottom in Avengers: Endgame. Through some of the help and support he gets along the way, Thor realizes he is still worthy and finds his groove again. He helps recover the Infinity Stones from other timelines to bring back everyone who Thanos wiped out with the Snap, along with helping to defeat 2014 Thanos and his army. Thor is joined by Valkyrie, Korg, and Miek during this battle.
The most important developments that set up Love and Thunder come at the end of the movie when Thor appoints Valkyrie as the leader of New Asgard and he goes off into space with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Love and Thunder will show how things have progressed with Valkyrie as New Asgard's leader and with Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy since the conclusion of Endgame.
Moon Knight (2022)
In earlier versions of Moon Knight, there were references to Love and Thunder's villain Gorr the God Butcher. These references were ultimately cut and Gorr had no bearing on the story of Moon Knight. However, there is a possibility that Love and Thunder could have references to Moon Knight.
Gorr's mission to kill all gods and Moon Knight's focus on Egyptian gods creates a natural connection between the two stories. The corrupt, self-serving, and downright evil actions of some of the gods in Moon Knight might even hint at what Gorr has such a vendetta against gods and why he's made it his mission to destroy them all.