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Basically, Thor seems to have the best understanding in the group of what these Infinity Stones are. This is because the stones come from different parts of the galaxy and Thor is the only Avenger from another realm. His ancient race of Asgardians is well versed in such magical things which is why he leaves Earth at the end of Avengers 2, so he can learn more about these stones. Hulk also went on his own adventure at the end of the movie and nobody knows where. He was missing in Avengers 2.5 with no mention of his whereabouts. Thor 2 is considered one of the weakest Marvel movies which put Thor 3 in jeopardy but Hulk has never been more popular after he joined the Avengers. A solo-Hulk movie is in high demand at the moment and Planet Hulk is one of the fanboys’ favorite storylines. Adding Planet Hulk to Thor’s galaxy-hopping shenanigans was the smartest thing Marvel could do to correct expectations for Thor 3, and watching Avengers 2 is the smartest thing you could do before watching Ragnarok.

Way to Prep #2 - Green Lantern (2011)

Maybe Thor 3’s great reviews are because of the untapped genius of first-time blockbuster director Taika Waititi. Maybe it’s because every time you hold a Marvel movie up next to a DC movie, the latter ends up green with envy. Both of these concepts can be found in Green Lantern, DC’s initial attempt at forming their Justice League. After 2006’s Superman Returns failed to relaunch America’s favorite alien that’s invaded Earth, they tried taking the human most audiences barely knew and sent him out to space. Despite Ryan Reynold’s popularity and the assumption that all comic book movies will earn mega money, Green Lantern showed that DC doesn’t know how to handle their characters or how to properly build a release schedule.

DC tried to launch Green Lantern as if most audiences knew him, or at least knew Reynolds enough to give the movie a shot. The film barely broke $100 million on the back of 3D effects being a new novelty, with low-rated reviews and high production costs ruining any chance of a sequel. Needless to say, Green Lantern is nowhere to be found in the upcoming Justice League. Unless the League does well financially, you may not see DC’s version of an intergalactic superhero happen again anytime soon. Aside from decent 3D effects, the only worthwhile part of Green Lantern is the presence of Taika Waititi as Reynold’s funny friend. Before he was an up-and-coming director, he was a scene-stealing actor. You should watch Green Lantern before Thor 3 so you can get to know the face behind the name, and so you can laugh at DC’s version of a space hero before Waititi strikes lighting with Ragnarok.

Way to Prep #3 - Vacation (2015)

Sometimes my recommendation is meant to help you appreciate a specific actor from a movie. To help you like Ragnarok better, it would be helpful to already like Thor himself. Chris Hemsworth stars as the hammer-wielding god of thunder. Usually, I’d recommend a movie that makes you appreciate this person’s acting or appreciate them as a certain kind of talent. Ragnarok is being touted as one of Marvel’s funniest movies, so maybe we should look at a comedy that Chris has starred in before. Vacation is one of those movies.

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