Many MCU Fans Still Think This Thor Villain Is Marvel's 'Most Wasted' Bad Guy

Throughout Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) Marvel Cinematic Universe run, he has faced off with some of his comic counterpart's biggest villains. From the Destroyer to Gorr (Christian Bale), the God of Thunder has bravely faced them with lightning in his eyes and one of his trusty Asgardian weapons in hand. Unfortunately for moviegoers, some of these battles didn't live up to their full potential. There are a few Thor antagonists who pale in comparison to their print versions, with many of the belief that Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) is the most disappointing.

Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves and the main bad guy in "Thor: The Dark World," comes up several times in a Reddit thread by u/calltheavengers5 regarding the worst MCU villains. Words like "boring" and "uninspiring" come up in comments about the character, with several claiming that he was absolutely wasted in the live-action realm and deserved more screen time. One fan wrote: "Maliketh is the most forgettable imo." U/Dvaderstarlord2 flat out stated: "Malekith is definitely the worst." 

While other names like Flag Smasher (Erin Kellyman) and Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) are also brought up in the thread, it seemed Malekith got the greatest spotlight. Others noted that he didn't even come close to evoking his Marvel Comics equivalent, being bogged down by cliché dialogue and a lack of proper motivation. "Christopher Eccleston was so wasted behind all of that makeup/uninspiring writing," one Redditor wrote. As it turns out, those who are disappointed in the MCU's take on Malekith feel just as negatively about the character as Eccleston himself.

Since "Thor: The Dark World" reached the big screen in 2013, MCU fans have expressed their dislike for the franchise's attempt at Malekith. He didn't have much negative to say back then, but in recent years, Christopher Eccleston has admitted that playing the character was far from a positive experience. For instance, he made some incredibly harsh remarks about making "The Dark World" in a 2018 interview with The Guardian. 

He also claimed during a chat with Graham Norton on "BBC Radio 2" (via Digital Spy) that Marvel Studios was dishonest with him when it came to the amount of makeup and prosthetics required for the film. "Marvel were dishonest to me ... Because they never, ever let me know that there'd be that amount of make-up. So yeah, that was not my finest moment."

With all of this in mind, it's fair to say that Malekith proved to be anything but a career highlight for Eccleston. At the same time, the actor has mentioned that he's not opposed to returning to the MCU down the line. During an appearance at New York Comic Con (via Radio Times), he expressed his enjoyment with the "Dark World" sequel, "Thor: Ragnarok," noting that if he were to come back, he'd want the team behind that movie involved. "If it was the guy[s] who wrote the third. I'll do that," he said, seemingly leaving the door open for an MCU return.

Seeing as Christopher Eccleston's talents were wasted on a half-baked attempt at Malekith so long ago, hopefully, if he does make his way back to the MCU, he'll play a much more memorable character and have an overall better experience.