Many people were disappointed that the first Thor film only showed three of the nine realms, and spent the majority of its in the realm that we already know. The sequel, Thor: The Dark World to be released this year, promises to show at least two more realms, if not all of the remaining six realms. The Nine Realms of Thor are difficult thing to understand, even for comic book fans. Before the film arrives, here is a crash course on the nine realms.
WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THOR AND THOR: THE DARK WORLD
1. Midgard (AKA Earth)
This is the place that we know best of the nine realms. It is the home of the humans including Thor's love interest Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, Dr Erik Selvig and The Avengers. Earth exists in a different dimension to the other realms however there are a number of ways to travel between Earth and the other realms. The Bifrost Bridge was a direct connection between Asgard and the other realms, but it was broken by Thor at the end of the first film. Thor returned to Earth in The Avengers using the magic of his father Odin. Thor's connection to Earth runs deeper than his inexplicable love for Jane Foster. He has connections to Earth through his biological mother Gaea. Gaea is better know as Mother Nature, the primeval Goddess of Earth. There are no indications that Gaea will be mentioned in The Dark World.