Thor: The Dark World takes place in the shared universe of Marvel.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe ( MCU ) films are an American series of superhero films , based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics . Phase Two includes Iron Man 3 ( 2013 ) , Thor : The Dark World ( 2013 ) , Captain America : The Winter Soldier ( 2014 ) , Guardians of the Galaxy ( 2014 ) , Avengers : Age of Ultron ( 2015 ) , and Ant-Man ( 2015 ) . The Marvel Cinematic Universe ( MCU ) is an American media franchise and shared universe that is centered on a series of superhero films , independently produced by Marvel Studios and based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics . Thor: The Dark World . It is the sequel to 2011 's Thor and the eighth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe .