When a story is taken from the page to the screen, some details often get lost in translation. Characters are altered, storylines are changed and sometimes the film can stray too far from the source material. The Marvel Cinematic Universe usually does a good job at drawing inspiration from the comics, but even it has fallen short, as proven in Thor: The Dark World's villain Malekith.

Malekith the Accursed is the cruel leader of the Dark Elves, a race older than the universe itself. Thousands of years ago, he'd led the Elves in a war against the Asgardians, with his sole purpose being eternal darkness for the universe. The Asgardians won, but Malekith eventually got a hold of the Reality Stone, which he used to form the Aether -- a weapon that had the power to turn everything into utter evil and darkness.

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The movie picks up decades later when the weapon accidentally absorbed into Jane Foster, causing the beginning of the Convergence. Malekith had been awaiting this moment for centuries, as he'd finally be able to use the Aether, bringing together an army to take down the Nine Realms.

Malekith essentially chases Jane Foster/the Aether throughout the entirety of the movie. As a villain, he doesn't seem incredibly threatening; everything from his appearance to his abilities are lackluster in comparison to other MCU villains. For instance, when Jane is taken to Asgard to have the Aether removed from her, Malekith and his army invade the planet. When he finds Jane and Queen Frigga in the palace room, he demands the weapon be handed over to him. When they refuse, the Dark Elf and the Asgardian Queen engage in a brief fight that ends with the Queen easily beating him. Of course, Frigga is quite powerful herself, but one would think that the Leader of the Dark Elves would've been a worthy opponent. She likely would've killed him if it wasn't for Kurse hadn't come in and rescued him.

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Thor fighting a purple and black character with long white hair

Film Malekith doesn't have anything special to him. His powers are not that impressive: he has superhuman strength, superhuman durability, regenerative healing and longevity. It's only when he uses the Aether that he has more power, such as teleportation, matter manipulation and energy projection. His character is also quite dull, as he has zero personality.

Thor: The Dark World's version of Malekith unfortunately didn't do the villain justice, as he was much more powerful and threatening in the comics. His appearance was more sinister, magical and other-worldly, with long, flowing hair, blue/purple skin and a devilish smile. He was quite interesting in the comics, as he actually had a personality. Unlike his dry, one-note on-screen counterpart, the original Malekith was cool, sassy and theatrical.

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Additionally, his powers were far greater in the comics. He had strength, stamina, durability, longevity, speed, agility, reflexes, regenerative healing and energy manipulation -- all without the Aether. This differs greatly from the film, as Malekith can't do most of these things if he doesn't have the mystical weapon.

Thor: The Dark World missed a huge opportunity with Malekith the Accursed. His character was one of the biggest criticisms of the God of Thunder's second movie, and it's not surprising based on how dull and forgettable he is. Marvel didn't use the Dark Elf to his fullest potential, stripping away everything that made him such a cool character, which is certainly a shame.

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