Perhaps the most disappointing thing about The Dark World was how much it wasted Christopher Eccleston in the role of the villainous Malekith. Over the years, many people have complained how the MCU has underutilized most of its villains and the actors behind them - on the big screen, at least - and Malekith is, perhaps, the best example of that issue. Following in the footsteps of Loki was going to be no big feat, but the casting of Eccleston had many fans excited ahead of the film's release. Unfortunately, Malekith didn't even come close to living up to his predecessor, with his lack of screentime - which, ironically, served to give Loki more screentime - preventing anyone from being able to connect with him as a character, see his personality, or even sympathize with (or be disgusted by) his motivations. Unlike Loki in the first film, by the time the final showdown between Malekith and Thor rolled around, we had no reason to root for or against the villain, or even feel satisfied or conflicted about his defeat, and he's since been relegated to the bottom of the barrel in term's of the MCU's antagonists as a result. Fans love Loki because they can relate to or, at the least, understand his character, and because the films have capitalized on Tom Hiddleston being in the role; in comparison, fans don't care about Malekith because he only existed to be a generic "final boss" for Thor to beat up. Whether it's the Enchantress or Surtur or any of the other villains people have been asking to see Thor go up against for years that we get when Ragnarok arrives, the film needs to give them something to chew on. There's going to be a lot going on within the film, but a fantastic villain can help turn a good film into a great film, and Thor's series and the MCU as a whole would benefit greatly from the rise of another big screen antagonist that can leave fans talking for years to come. What do you want to see from Thor: Ragnarok? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
Writer, film enthusiast, part-time gamer and watcher of (mostly) good television located on the fringe of Los Angeles, who now has his own website at www.highdefgeoff.com!
