Where did it all go wrong for the MCU's Thor: The Dark World? The runaway success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been well-documented, with Avengers: Endgame currently sitting pretty as the highest-grossing movie of all time. From relatively humble origins with 2008's Iron Man, the franchise has grown into a powerhouse of modern cinema, dominating the big screen with a run of interconnected superhero movies and high-profile crossovers. Given the enduring popularity of Marvel's character roster, the MCU's financial success perhaps isn't surprising, but where the series really hits unprecedented territory is in its critical reception.

In Hollywood, any sequel that lives up to the original can be considered a pleasant surprise. A trilogy without a weak link is an even rarer beast, with Back to the Future and Toy Story (now a quadrology) both examples of consistently strong multi-part stories. With superhero movies, it's incredibly rare for a run of 3 or more movies to escape a bad apple. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3, Schumacher Batman, the third Christopher Reeve Superman effort - even Nolan's revered Dark Knight trilogy ended with the divisive The Dark Knight Rises. Arguably the MCU's greatest achievement is that the vast majority of the 20-plus movies released thus far have been rapturously received by fans and critics.

Related: How Powerful Loki Is In Each MCU Movie

As the God of Thunder, Chris Hemsworth's Thor had already impressed in both his 2011 debut and the following year's MCU breakout, The Avengers. Expectations were reasonably high for his next outing, Thor: The Dark World, but the 2013 release is generally thought of as one of the franchise's few disappointments. What, exactly, went wrong with Thor 2?

The Villain - Malekith

Superhero movies are so often defined by the strength, or otherwise, of their main villain, and Marvel especially have at times struggled to craft compelling antagonists for their solo movies. Ant-Man's Yellowjacket and Doctor Strange's Kaecilius were both underwhelming and largely forgettable baddies, but their weaknesses were compensated by other unique elements in those films, whether that be trippy inter-dimensional madness, or making stuff really small. Thor's Norse mythology theme had already been introduced in the first movie, so The Dark World is missing that fun, interesting gimmick to distract from the lackluster villain, highlighting Malekith's flaws more than his MCU contemporaries.

The Dark Elves could've been an exciting addition to Marvel movie canon; instead they were a cookie-cutter force for Chris Hemsworth to fight against. As their leader, Malekith also should've been better, especially being played by the highly respected Christopher Eccleston. Instead, the actor has spoken unfavorably about his time with Marvel and views his stint in Thor: The Dark World as a paycheck. Certainly, there's very little for Eccleston to work with in the Thor sequel. Lacking either the intricacy of Loki or the sinister, personal darkness of Cate Blanchett's Hela, Malekith is a stereotypical invader who never feels like a serious threat to the God of Thunder, and is never given enough depth to make the audience invest in their fight.

Following The Avengers

Loki in The Avengers staring into the camera in The Avengers.

It speaks to the overall strength of the MCU as a franchise that while most would consider Thor: The Dark World the low point of Kevin Feige's Hollywood takeover, the sequel still isn't an outright bad movie. There are some nice gags (Thor on the London tube springs to mind), typically impressive action sequences, and the roller coaster dynamic between Thor and Loki enjoys some of its finest moments. But Marvel Studios setting such a high bar for themselves with previous releases proves a poisoned chalice, from which Thor: The Dark World was unlucky enough to take the first sip.

Related: MCU Can Introduce TWO Thor Replacements In Love & Thunder

2012's The Avengers was a cinematic game-changer, finally unleashing the potential of the MCU and exponentially increasing the franchise's audience. Releasing in the year between The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (another undisputed highlight of the MCU), Thor: The Dark World's average-ness was magnified by its timing. No one seriously expected Marvel to offer a team-up level event movie for every installment, but reverting back to the safe, familiar superhero formula after the success of The Avengers was destined to disappoint - like a high school metal band going onstage after 1985-era Slayer. Interestingly, Thor: The Dark World wasn't actually the MCU's first post-Avengers release, with that duty falling to the well-received Iron Man 3. However, Stark had already endured his own sophomore slump in 2010, and had learned the lessons necessary to make the third film a success, even following the grandeur of The Avengers. Thor wasn't so lucky.

Thor & Jane Foster's Romance

Jane and Thor talking in the rain in Thor: The Dark World

Natalie Portman featured in both Thor and Thor: The Dark World, but was absent during the events of The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, before the couple ultimately broke up off-screen. Despite some early promise, the relationship between Thor and Jane was not well-handled in the MCU. Initially, the duo's unlikely pairing created a fun, Romeo and Juliet-style romance angle, with Thor the fish out of water and Jane his guide on Earth, but they parted on bitter terms as the God of Thunder returned home, leaving Jane feeling like a jilted vacantion fling. Thor: The Dark World failed to develop their love story in any meaningful way, embarking on a frustrating, soap opera-esque on-and-off between the Asgardian and his human love interest. The sequel aims to make Thor and Jane two tragic figures being cruelly kept apart by fate (see Agents of SHIELD's Fitz & Simmons for a more successful example), but the duo instead behave like that one couple who just need to get it together or call it quits.

Thor and Jane do finally unite by the end of The Dark World, but so uninspired was their journey, few cared when the couple were broken-up off-screen, leaving Thor free to move on to bigger and better things. Like Christopher Eccleston's Malekith, Thor: The Dark World put the talented Portman in a distinctly one-dimensional role, and it's no surprise that the actress opted out of future MCU appearances for a long time. Having already reinvented the Thor series, Taika Waititi has tempted Portman back for Thor: Love & Thunder, and it'll be fascinating to see what the upcoming film does differently compared to The Dark World in terms of romance for Thor.

The MCU Formula & Backstage Woes

The Marvel Studios operation is very much a machine of rapid turnover releases set within defined creative parameters, and these restrictions have cost the services of directors such as Edgar Wright and Scott Derrickson over the years. While the Marvel process can be flawlessly smooth when director and studio are both on the same page, the strict time frames can cause havoc when decisions aren't nailed down quickly. With Thor: The Dark World scheduled to premiere only two short years after the original, Kenneth Branagh declined to return, and Marvel flipped through a series of prospective new directors without success. Most notable of these was Wonder Woman's Patty Jenkins, who departed after disagreeing with Marvel Studios' vision for the story.

Related: Thor: What Went Wrong With Natalie Portman's Jane Foster

When Alan Taylor finally signed on to direct Thor: The Dark World, the deadly combination of strict time restrictions and heavy studio influence wasn't conducive to a creatively inspiring environment. Taylor has since recalled drafting in The Avengers director Joss Whedon to help save production. If Thor: The Dark World was afforded more time and the same creative freedom enjoyed by Waititi, the sequel might've fared better.

Thor's Lack Of Identity

Thor Dark World Hammer Cropped

One of the biggest problems endured by Chris Hemsworth's Thor in his second solo outing is the protagonist's lack of a defining identity, and the actor himself has picked up on this flaw, describing how he became bored playing the Marvel superhero around the time of Thor: The Dark World. In his original adventure, Thor embarked on a journey of self-discovery learning to be worthy of his hammer, coming of age, and acclimatizing to Earth's new surroundings. In The Avengers, Thor is learning to work as part of a team and struggling to stop Loki destroying his second-favorite planet, testing the God of Thunder's loyalties. In The Dark World, Thor is more a generic action hero. The Loki dynamic develops further, but Thor is essentially a stereotypical tough guy with long hair and a hammer.

Thor was reinvigorated by Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok, but the 2017 movie didn't just give the superhero a haircut and a sense of humor. Thor's third solo movie forced the character to tackle his personal family history, acknowledge his responsibilities as an Asgardian prince and balance Avengers duties with being Odin's successor, all while retaining the most successful element of Thor: The Dark World - Loki. These new strands to Thor's story proved essential in evolving the superhero following his recruitment into the Avengers, finally giving Hemsworth something to do other than flex his muscles and look intense.

More: Thor: How Many Asgardians Are Left Alive After Endgame

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