The Avengers have assembled and separated again.
Iron Man 3 has happened and acted as a sort of bookend for Avengers. And now Thor: The Dark World really kicks off the second phase of Marvels cinematic adventures.
And similarly to the original Thor it is the silver lining after the disappointing Iron Man 3 (a very similar situation to Thor following Iron Man 2) and probably the most entertaining Marvel studios film since Thor.