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5 Reasons Thor: The Dark World Could Be Better Than The Original

If it’s one thing we can say about Marvel Studios, it’s that they are great planners.  They didn’t just make a series of films and slap their heroes together for The Avengers, they made a world, which is unheard of for any movie studio to do.  With ‘Phase 2’ of their cinematic universe unfolding first with Iron Man 3 coming out his summer, you can get the sense they are aiming for something different, bigger, and darker than what was done in Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Thor:  The Dark World, which comes out later this year, is the one most people are unsure of given how the first one felt more like a stepping stone to The Avengers.  Let’s now take a look at how Thor:  The Dark World could be better than the original.

 

5. Loki Is NOT The Main Villain

Loki

Let me first say that I thought Loki (Tom Hiddleston) was a good villain.  He is not the normal brute that is typical of villains, he was more analytical but also driven by anger, greed, and revenge.  He also wasn’t expected to be the primary villain of The Avengers due to how different he is from most.  But, as proven numerous times throughout The Avengers, Loki is not a fighter, most proven by how Hulk handles him and how for a second time (this time not part of a plan) he gets captured by the good guys.  Thor (Chris Hemsworth) needs a more formidable opponent to elevate this movie and make it it’s own.  Don’t worry Loki fans, he is in this one, because he is a big part of this universe.  As hinted by Hiddleston in numerous interviews, Loki might be seeking redemption for his actions, which would be an interesting ride for the character to take.

 

4. More Asgard

asgard

The goal of the first movie was to get Thor onto Earth and have him be worthy of the hammer Mjolnir again.  This meant that Asgard was nothing more than a backdrop to introduce the characters and a cool place to have the climax of the film.  This time though, with all of the major characters introduced back in the first one returning, there will be time to show the beauty that is Asgard as well as get more in depth about it’s more interesting aspects.  Although a different director (Alan Taylor, replacing Kenneth Branagh) is at the helm, Marvel would not change the look of Asgard because us die-hard fans will take notice and get angry.  So if you liked the look and feel of Asgard in the first movie, there is no reason for you to absolutely fall in love with it this time around.  The last great thing about getting more Asgard is….

 

3. More Screen Time For The Asgardians

asgardians

It’s hard to believe that there were some powerhouse actors cast in Thor that sadly didn’t get the screen time they deserved.  I’m talking about Heimdall (Idris Elba), Volsagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Zachary Levi, replacing Joshua Dallas), Hogun (Tadanobu Asano) and Sif (Jaimie Alexander).  They all had their part to play in the first movie, but if anything, they were just there to serve a function and get out.  As hinted by Idris Elba though, we will definitely see more of the Asgardians and what their individual relationships are with Thor.  I personally felt they were the most interesting part of the first movie, not so much the human characters.  With the promise of the movie being bigger, I expect we will see them team up with Thor to take down Malekith (Christopher Eccleston).

 

2. Conflict Between Thor and Jane Foster

Thor and Jane

Now I know I am not the only one to laugh at how all it took for Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) to fall in love with Thor so fast was to see his abs.  She, a scientist, also believed his story about Asgard very quickly. Well, they are in love, but I don’t remember seeing him ever visiting her in The Avengers.  Hemsworth has hinted that this may lead to him having some explaining to do because the last we saw her in Thor, she was searching for a way to bring him back to earth.  There may also be conflict in that Sif will be getting more screen time, and if you know anything about the comics, her and Thor have a relationship.  They may not pursue that storyline now, but it could be there are seeds being planted for a third Thor movie.

 

1. Thor:  The Dark World Can Be It’s Own Movie

Thor resized

One of the chief complaints about the first movie was that it was nothing more than a stepping stone going into The Avengers.  Thor is a movie you need to watch to understand a lot of the conflicts going on in The Avengers, which is a shame because if you take out the S.H.I.E.L.D stuff you do get a good 45-60 minute Thor movie.  Since we already know the character of Thor, this will elevate the movie because they can go straight into the story and characters without explaining everything to us.  They have hinted that Thanos will be the villain in The Avengers 2 and they will certainly be planting seeds to introduce that character but it won’t be a major part of Thor:  The Dark World.  I expect a post-credit sequence introducing Thanos, but from what all the reports on the film are saying, this is very much a true Thor movie.Thor:  The Dark World is expected to come out November 8, 2013.

 

Do you think Thor: The Dark World better than the first one?

About the author

Philip Suson