With Thor: Love and Thunder right around the corner as the fourth installment in Thor's MCU story, it is unsurprising that the Thor franchise is brimming with many of the MCU's most exciting and engaging characters to date.
However, despite the franchise's three movies, four one-shot short films, and Loki TV show, there are still many underdeveloped characters in this franchise who deserve the spotlight of a solo spin-off project (which are now more likely than ever to be greenlit due to Marvel's consistent release of 3 MCU movies a year alongside non-stop Disney + shows).
Skurge
Although Skurge was mostly played for laughs during his screentime in Thor: Ragnarok, the character has a very noble history, growing up with a dream to eventually become an Asgardian warrior worthy of being remembered (which does come true when he sacrifices his own life to save countless Asgardians during Asgard's destruction).
With the character being played by the extremely talented Karl Urban, it is a shame that Skurge may not appear in the MCU again. However, considering this character's long history of war and action, he may be the perfect character for a prequel solo project covering his life as an Asgardian soldier. They could potentially expand on the lore of Asgard and Odin's battles with the other realms from a soldier's point of view.
Eitri
With one of the shortest yet most essential roles within the Infinity Saga so far, Peter Dinklage's Eitri the Dwarf and his species are ripe for a spin-off project. As the sole survivor and former king of the MCU's dwarfs, Eitri is one of the most interesting characters in the MCU to date, belonging to the very race who created Mjolnir, Stormbreaker, and The Infinity Gauntlet before being decimated by Thanos.
Since Eitri was planned to have scenes in Love and Thunder initially (via SyFy), there is an implication that the MCU isn't done with him just yet - and a spinoff would be a great way going forward. With the Dwarves and Nidavellir existing for millennia, there is plenty of history that could be incorporated into an Eitri prequel project. Plus, it is still unknown what Eitri did in the wake of Infinity War, so there are also opportunities for a sequel storyline too.
Lady Thor
With the release of Thor: Love and Thunders trailer, fans were subject to the mind-blowing reveal that Lady Thor will be appearing in the movie (and will be portrayed by Natalie Portman). Whether this is the 616 Jane MCU fans have seen previously or another variant, the story of the character becoming the mighty Thor is undoubtedly an entertaining one that will no doubt be explored within Love and Thunder.
However, giving the character a spinoff project may be beneficial as it would flesh out this backstory further beyond Love and Thunder's 1 hour 59 runtime and help build up the character before she inevitably joins the New Avengers or Guardians of The Galaxy. Considering the success of Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel, Marvel should absolutely consider another female-led story starring this version of The Mighty Thor.
Kid Loki
After his brief appearance in Loki, Jack Veal's Kid Loki may not only be a major player in the Thor franchise going forwards but also a main component of the MCU's future too if he joins The 616 Young Avengers. Considering Kid Loki's backstory was kept rather mysterious, there is a lot of potential for his own prequel or sequel spin-off project due to the character's ambiguous origin.
Whether Kid Loki was given a prequel story elaborating on his claim of killing Thor or a multiverse-oriented sequel story depicting his journey into the 616 timeline after escaping from The Void, this potential fan-favorite character undeniably deserves the spotlight of a solo project to build him up before his next ensemble appearance.
Ares
Despite Ares' lack of screentime in the MCU, the Grandmaster's tower in Thor: Ragnarok suggests Ares is one of Sakaars previous champions, confirming his existence in the MCU. This extremely powerful anti-hero is the son of the god Zeus, king of Olympus.
Ares' inclusion on the Grandmaster's tower alongside the confirmation that Olympus and Zeus will both be featured in Love and Thunder suggests a fully-fledged Ares debut may occur very soon, and if given a spin-off project, he could be the vessel that explores the history of Olympus, Zeus, and Sakarr further outside of the Thor movies. Also debuting characters like his brother Hercules and building up to Ares' potential inclusion in The Dark Avengers.
Odin
As a seasoned veteran of MCU appearances, Odin is more than deserving of his own solo project. Odin is not only one of the most powerful entities seen in the MCU but one of the oldest too, dying at over 5000 years old, meaning a prequel story revolving around the character could access thousands of years worth of uncovered MCU history even Eternals didn't touch upon.
Not only could this show explore the backstory of Odin but many more related characters too whilst simultaneously fleshing out some of the more underdeveloped elements of the nine realms' histories. The 5000 years' worth of possibilities for a prequel project are endless and if handled correctly, could give viewers the freshest MCU content in years.
Throg
Thanks to a blink and you'll miss it easter egg in Loki, Throg (The frog variant of Thor) is now official MCU canon due to a small cameo in episode 5, where Throg can be seen trapped in a jar, buried underground in the void.
Due to the absurdity of the character, Throg is one of the most popular variants in Marvel comics and after his feature in Loki, it may not be completely farfetched to expect more cameos from the character going forwards and even his own spin-off project. After the instant popularity of characters, such as Baby Groot, this cooky yet powerful character could be an instant money maker for Marvel if given the correct prequel or sequel spin-off project.
Beta Ray Bill
Although Beta Ray Bill has never been shown on screen before, he is confirmed to exist within the MCU due to an easter egg in Thor: Ragnarok, which suggests Bill has previously been one of The Grandmaster's champions. Bill is undoubtedly one of the best warriors in Marvel comics, easily rivaling Thor in battle many times and having the ability to wield Mjolnir.
Related: 10 Comics That Could Influence Thor's Love And Thunder
With such a complicated backstory involving the likes of Odin and Surtur, it may be wise of Marvel to give the character a limited series at the very least to establish the character and his origin before adapting Thor and Bill's brutal rivalry to the screen and later having Bill join one of the MCU's many cosmic ensemble groups.
Lady Sif
After Jaimie Alexander's recent Instagram post regarding a Lady Sif Disney + show and her recent cameo in Loki, Sif could be the most likely Thor character to get the next spinoff project. The story possibilities for a Sif-centered series are endless, considering she has only appeared in one movie and briefly in two shows during her painfully short screen time, allowing writers a large timeline of absence to work with.
As Sif hasn’t appeared in the main MCU timeline since Thor: The Dark World, a spinoff project could depict what she did after the events of this movie, allowing a deeper exploration into the character of Sif and Thor franchises lore. There is also the opportunity to set this project during modern-day or even after the events of Love and Thunder, maybe featuring Sif as Valkyrie's Queen of Asgard or as a lone ranger traveling the cosmos.
The Warriors Three
The Warriors Three have been a prominent part of Thor's MCU storyline appearing in each of his movies so far and although they have had a decent amount of screentime, their brutal deaths at the hands of Hela left a lot to be desired in regards to the potential storylines, epic action scenes and comedic moments this trio could have birthed if given the spotlight.
If Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun were given the spotlight, writers would have the opportunity to further explain The Nine Realms lore further, whilst filling in the gaps between the past three Thor movies. Even a 6 episode mini-series would be enough to adapt a Warriors Three storyline and could feature many cameos from some of the Thor franchise's best characters.