4. An Ancient Threat
Dark Elves; an ancient band of buried bastards intent on claiming some land and reminding people who have forgotten them that they're really bad. Wight Walkers; an ancient band of dead and buried bastards casually claiming some land while everyone else is busy down south worrying about overthrowing a teenage boy. Same difference, right? One thing I find quietly amusing about Game of Thrones is the priorities of the principle characters; everyone is tripping over one another, fretting about politics and claiming a frankly uncomfortable looking throne while, far off in the North, something far more serious is occurring. Eddard Stark shrugs off the threat of the Wight Walkers all the way back in episode one, too busy worrying about honour and tradition and leaving his bastard son and a gang of misfits to stand between civilisation and chaos. Meanwhile, Daenerys' leisurely, dragon-laden approach from the East is reduced to a throwaway joke by Tyrion Lannister. In Thor: The Dark World, this dynamic is switched, understandably for a Marvel movie. Thor couldn't care less about thrones and leadership, instead keeping a firm eye on the imminent arrival of Malekith's vengeful elves. Well played, Thor.