Christopher Eccleston Is (Probably) The Villain In "Thor 2"

"Thor 2" is subtitled "The Dark World," and now we may know part of what that's in reference to: Deadline reports that former Doctor Christopher Eccleston has been signed as the new main villain - Malekith. And in case you were thinking the "Thor" movies might be pulling back from the high-fantasy stuff after the character(s) turned out to be so memorable tearing up NYC in "The Avengers;" this fellow's full name and title is Malekith the Accursed: King of The Dark Elves of Svartalfheim.

Man, that's even fun just to type...

Unlike most of the supporting/villain cast from the first film, who mainly come from the Silver Age 60s/70s "Thor" stories, Malekith originated during Walt Simonson's legendary run on the book (considered by many to be the best era of "Thor" comics ever) in the 80s. His main "thing" is shape-shifting and illusion, but as the title implies he's also got a whole army and realm under his command.

It's going to be interesting to see how they handle his appearance, which is pretty bizzare even by the standards of Thor adversaries: Crimson Rennaissance Faire clothes, a half-blue/half-black face and a big white mane worn "Hair Metal" style. Done right, could look pretty cool. Done "wrong," could end up looking like "Cutie Honey's" Black Claw - who was cool in his own right, but maybe not what Marvel Studios is looking for in the sequel to their second most successful "solo" franchise...

Yes, this is a real movie. You can get the DVD in the U.S. and it's as great as it looks.