People used to say the Marvel Cinematic Universe had a "villain problem." They weren't wrong. After all, with characters like Malekith, the main antagonist of Thor: The Dark World, it seemed as if the MCU didn't have a clue how to write a good villain. Sure, Loki and Red Skull were pretty intense antagonists, but Malekith? Bland motivation. Bland design. None of it seemed to stand out in any way.

However, what makes Malekith all the more disappointing is how close he was to being a good antagonist and a worthy foe for Thor. He had all the makings of a great villain, but a few creative decisions ruined it all. Why were these decisions made? You probably know the answer, but it's important to remember them so it doesn't happen again.

Terrific Actor

Let's get this out of the way right now: Christopher Eccleston is a fantastic actor. When people heard that Eccleston, most famous for playing the ninth Doctor in Doctor Who, was going to play an MCU villain, they were reasonably intrigued.

But Eccleston is first and foremost a dramatic actor. His work with Danny Boyle especially is intense. He is one of the scariest parts of 28 Days Later. Shallow Grave is an often overlooked thriller masterpiece where Eccleston manages to blow audiences away yet again.

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The point is that Eccleston can play a terrific antagonist. And has. Many times. He's a Shakespearean caliber actor who should have been able to blow audiences away even with a sloppy script (see: GI Joe: Rise of Cobra).

However, Eccleston is never given time to really act in the film. He barely has any lines, the script never gives him a chance to explore his character, and, worst of all, most of his lines are generic "Darkness!" and "You jerk!" villain lines. So... what happened? Why didn't the script work?

On Paper, a Great Villain

Malekith from Thor 2

To make matters more intense, on paper, Malekith has much in common with some of the MCU's best villains. Many of the MCU's best villains seek to change the world for the better. They seek one way to do this. And, because of that, they do bad things to get their perfect world.

This can just describe either Killmonger, Thanos, Alexander Pierce or Malekith.

It can also describe Hela.

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But what all these villains have in common is that we know precisely what they want. We know what world they desire. Their goals are made clear, as is what they lost or could lose. Malekith wants to return the world to darkness because it is the world his people thrived in, but we never know what "darkness" means. Is it the true absence of light? Is it a metaphorical darkness?

Furthermore, how is the Aether -- the Reality Stone -- going to fix that? The Reality Stone's powers are never described in any meaningful detail in the original film. It's only in Avengers: Infinity War that the Reality Stone's potential is outlined. Without a clear sense of what the villain wants or where the villain came from, Malekith comes across as  forgettable.

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Even Ronan the Accuser, another "generic" villain, has motivation and desires that are clearly defined in the film. Ronan is under-developed in order to devote more time and focus on the Guardians, who are the center of the film.

So, if Ronan's development time was given to the Guardians, where did Malekith's go?

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So, let's talk about Loki.

Following both Thor and The Avengers, Loki was arguably the most popular character in the whole saga. While it may seem a little ridiculous now, fans just couldn't get enough of him. This has died down since then because the number of quality characters in the MCU has ballooned, but for many he is still the most popular character in Thor's universe.

Reshoots were inserted late into the game to add more Loki to Thor: The Dark World. To make room, the decision was made to remove scenes developing the Dark Elves (and Malekith) in order to develop Loki, who, originally, barely even had a role.

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Clearly, the filmmakers have learned how to better balance Loki in the plot with the other characters, as indicated by Thor: Ragnorak.

But, again, the problem isn't just Loki. Even with the reduced time given to him, Malekith is still a dull character. It's easy to blame Loki, but the problem is deeper. None of the creative people cared to show audiences what Malekith wanted or what he was about.

So, why?

Too Many Cooks

Who directed Thor: The Dark World? Who wrote it?

Kenneth Branagh, director of the first Thor, planned on returning, but stepped down so that Patty Jenkins (who would direct Wonder Woman) could take the helm. She left following creative differences with Marvel. In regards to her departure, she said "I could have made a great Thor if I could have done the story that I was wanting to do. But I don't think I was the right person to make a great Thor out of the story they wanted to do."

They ended up hiring Alan Taylor, who ended up making that masterpiece Terminator: Genysis.

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There are five writing credits on Thor: The Dark World.

Three possible directors. Five writers. This tells one simple story: The movie was made by committee. No one really liked the story they were telling, but just sort of threw it together at the last second. Directors were told to do what Marvel wanted, not what they thought was best. And Marvel wanted Loki.

Which meant no one really cared to make Malekith a good villain, even though all the ingredients were there. There were too many cooks in Thor's kitchen to bake up a good villain.