We are just under three months away from the return of Thor and Loki in theaters with Thor: The Dark World set to hit American theaters on November 8. Though last Wednesday's new trailer didn't give away much, we did catch a few glimpses of some of the villains Thor will be taking on both on Earth and in other realms. Let's do some research and find out who Thor will do battle against in The Dark World.
In The Dark World we know the biggest threat Thor will face will be against the Dark Elves, or Svartalfar, of Svartalfheim. Svartalfheim is one of the nine mythical realms in Norse Mythology, along with Asgard and, of course, Midgard (Earth). The Dark, or more accurately, black elves, are highly associated with magic, none more so than their leader, Malekith.
Malekith ruled over the realm of Svarthalfheim but longed to have dominion over all the 9 realms and chose a familiar weapon with which to try to take control: The Casket of Ancient Winters, seen in Thor as the weapon the Frost Giants came to reclaim from Odin's vault in Asgard. At one point Malekith did unleash the power of the Casket on Earth before being defeated by Thor and taken back to Asgard as prisoner.
Of interest to the possible plot of Thor: The Dark World are the partnerships, unstable though they were, that Malekith made with two other villains: Loki and Surtur, the giant fire-demon and lord of Muspelheim. One can almost be certain, given Loki's proclivities, that at some point in the movie he will be revealed to be in league with Malekith, though certainly for his own ends and not, intentionally, to aide Malekith. Surtur is a foe we've not yet seen on screen, though it is quite possible that we will begin to hear his name mentioned in this film setting him for for a third Thor film in which he attempts to destroy Asgard assisted, of course, by Loki. Just remember as you watch Thor: The Dark World that in comics being dead doesn't mean you're dead.
Malekith, arm extended, showing skills while Loki, left looks on
Malekith will possess a great deal of power through dark magic, something referenced in Avengers by Loki as a means to get Thor to Earth after the destruction of the bridge. It is possible that by using the dark magic, Odin may have set events in motion that allowed Malekith access to Earth. We've seen little bits of magic, applied by Loki, in the MCU but Malekith is likely to give us our first true sorcerer, and an especially powerful one at that. Of note, however, is that Malekith's magic is able to be undone and broken down by iron as all members of his race of Dark Elves are vulnerable and able to be injured badly by iron. Other metals have little to no effect on Malekith, apparently not even uru, the magical metal from which Thor's hammer Mjolnir was forged.
Christopher Eccleston, under heavy make-up, will play Malektih in The Dark World. Eccleston is a wonderful actor and fanboys were elated at the casting of the Doctor Who star in the film. We've only really been given brief looks at Eccleston as Malekith in the trailers we've seen and we know that his look wasn't totally finished in set pics, like the one to the left, taken earlier this year. Given director Alan Taylor's eye for aesthetics, we can rest assured that Malekith's finished look will be solid.
Malekith will provide Thor and his allies with a formidable dark force and are certainly opening the gateway to further exploring the mystical and magical side of the MCU. Up next I will take a look at Malekith's muscle Kurse.