From the beginning, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has excelled at hinting at bigger stories than any single movie could tell. The first Iron Man famously ended with Nick Fury talking about the Avengers Initiative, which seemed like a distant dream at the time. This trend continued with The Avengers, which introduced Thanos to audiences, even though Marvel Studios hadn’t fully decided what they wanted to do with him yet. It wasn’t until 2013 that the studio really solidified its long-term plan for the entire franchise, revealing it in a surprising place.
Today marks the twelfth anniversary of the world premiere of Thor: The Dark World, which first debuted in London on October 22, 2013. The movie centers around the Aether, a powerful and ancient force that could destroy the nine realms. What initially seemed like just another dangerous object for Thor (Chris Hemsworth) to find turned out to be much more important. The Aether was actually a crucial piece of a larger story, ultimately kicking off the Infinity Saga and setting Earth’s heroes on a path towards a major confrontation with fate.
How Thor: The Dark World Officially Kicked Off the MCU’s Infinity Saga
The post-credits scene in Thor: The Dark World dramatically changed the direction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by officially revealing the existence of the Infinity Stones. In that short scene, Lady Sif and Volstagg give the Aether to The Collector (Benicio del Toro). Their reasoning was that it was too dangerous to keep two Infinity Stones together, which retroactively established the object from Captain America: The First Avenger as the Space Stone.
This major addition to the storyline completely changed how we understood The Avengers, showing that the conflict wasn’t about taking over the world, but a battle over immense cosmic power. The expansion also cleverly connected previously unimportant objects, turning them into the key elements of a story that would unfold over ten years. When The Collector said, “One down, five to go” as the Asgardians left, it signaled the beginning of the biggest team-up event ever seen in movies.
This intentional reveal sparked years of passionate fan theories and debate. Viewers immediately began carefully re-watching older movies, trying to find clues that might identify other powerful items as one of these legendary gems. The introduction of the Aether also broadened what people thought these objects could be, showing they weren’t limited to just being solid gems and could exist in different forms.
The initial uncertainty sparked constant discussion, and each new movie added another piece to the overarching story. Fans eagerly watched after the credits, hoping for hints about the Soul Stone or the Time Stone. This carefully paced storytelling created incredible excitement and kept audiences engaged throughout many phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ultimately leading to the dramatic events of Avengers: Infinity War.
What was the most interesting fan theory you heard before Infinity War came out? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum!
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2025-10-22 17:12