Adorkable: Jane while she's lying on the examination table in Asgard. She's so delighted by the new tech and asking so many questions that a visibly annoyed Eir has to tell her to be quiet and lie still.
His treatment of Loki brings up the question if he ever did love him at all. Imprisoning him is one thing, disowning him is another. However, Loki did cause the senseless deaths of who knows how many people by this point, and didn't show so much as a hint of remorse or repentance. Is Odin just accepting that his son, who is now a war criminal, is too far gone and doesn't want his old feelings for him to outweigh his duty as king? Keep in mind that Loki became insane after falling off the Bifrost Bridge and could really use some therapy.
His stance on how to handle Malekith. Was he not thinking clearly due to Frigga's death, or was he showing himself similar to the likes of Malekith and Loki? Was he resigned to fighting the Dark Elves at Asgard and let it be destroyed because he just didn't care anymore, or was he accepting the heavy cost that was the best chance at preserving the universe? Maybe he was absolutely right and was just voicing it poorly. Would a single ship of Dark Elves really be capable of defeating the Asgardians in Asgard when their entire race couldn't do so on their home planet? Furthermore, the Asgardians just had to hold the Dark Elves off for less than a day and the Convergence would have been over and it wouldn't matter anymore. Odin isn't wrong, he's just too upset to properly explain himself. He could be going senile. He's been trying to pass the throne for several years at this point, and he's growing increasingly erratic even before Malekith attacks, so he may even be aware that he's slipping.
Much like the last film; is Odin really a wise and just king who simply suffers from a Hot-Blooded streak and tendency to make rash decisions similar to his son, or a Smug Super who's content to lord Asgardian superiority over the other Nine Realms with a Might Makes Right attitude? Lampshaded twice by Loki, who points out that his own failed attempt to rule the Puny Earthlings on Earth as a God was absolutely no different than what Odin did, with the death-toll being (supposedly) far less in comparison. Thor: Ragnarok reveals that Loki actually isn't too far off the mark, as unbeknownst to even him, Odin was once a vicious conqueror in his own right.
Loki:
Usurping the throne. Did he merely use his presumed death to his advantage to catch Odin off-guard; or did he manipulate everyone from Kurse to Thor in a plot to usurp the throne, expecting it would be Odin who died defending the Aether rather than Frigga, and went through with his planned usurpation once she was avenged?
Saving Jane. Did he finally change for the better and save the love of his brother's life? Was he doing it to honor his late mother's sacrifice in protecting Jane? Or did he just want to make sure Thor leaves Asgard and joins Jane on Midgard instead?
Loki-as-Odin allowing Thor to pursue his own agenda as guardian of the Nine Realms. Did he do it out of good will as much as convenience, did getting Odin out of the picture temporarily sate his need for vengeance, or did Thor hand him a major gift (a way to get him out of the picture without being seen as dicking over the savior of the Nine Realms) without knowing it? Another option could be that Loki-as-Odin is trying not to blow his cover (among other things, had Thor tried to hand him Mjolnir, he would not have been able to hold it, thus immediately blowing his cover), so everything he said to Thor in that scene is what Odin would have said - i.e. real!Odin is wise enough to understand what his son is saying about being unfit to handle The Chains of Commanding etc. Another possibility is that his chat with Thor on the flying boat ("I wish I could trust you") really opened his eyes, and he knows that if Thor returns to Asgard with things as-is, everyone's going to prison or "the axe". So at least a partial motive (or rationalization) could be his intention to do his reconciled brother a good turn. Considering that he pardoned people (i.e., Thor's friends) who had offended him constantly throughout his life...
His comments towards Thor (illusioned as Sif) and Jane after she slaps him. Is he just being a smartass when he says "you look ravishing" and "I like her"; or is he really an Amazon Chaser? (It doesn't help that he was looking down and grinning at Jane's bod in the background after that scene).
How deserving of punishment is he? His actions during the invasion of Earth were influenced by the Scepter and Tom Hiddleston compares his time in Thanos' keeping as a nightmarish and scarring experience. On the other hand, he shows no guilt or remorse for his crimes and clearly finds the idea that he shouldn't have tried to conquer another world absurd. Is this just a front, him maintaining a wall of defiance rather than admitting fault or showing weakness by admitting that he wasn't in control of events? Or does he really see nothing wrong with trying to kill his brother and subjugate humanity?
Thor:
His offer to Loki: Given the stakes (fate of the Nine Realms and of Jane), is he simply attempting to uphold a punishment he believes to be just and/or legally administered? Is he deliberately giving Loki reason to jump ship after their task is done (by convincing him that remaining with Thor will lead only to his further incarceration), or is he honestly stupid enough to think that a brother he admits he cannot trust will cheerfully go along with a course that will likely kill him (possibly at his brother's hands) and doesn't provide any long-term benefit beyond the satisfaction of vengeance?
His relationship with Loki in general: Any brotherly concern for Loki is gone and Thor clearly has No Sympathy for Loki's incarceration and during their escape enjoys seeing Loki humbled and roughed up along the way. Given Loki's actions in the previous films, including several attempts to kill Thor, this can be seen as Thor simply having had enough and coming to see his brother as deserving the harsher treatment, though some fans disagree. One interpretation of Thor's repeated insistence that he doesn't trust Loki is that he's trying to remind himself of that fact, given that in The Avengers he made several failed attempts to convince Loki to abandon his dreams of conquest and in this movie admits that he wants to trust Loki.
The film's finale: too much comedy or a good blending of action and humor?
The focus on Thor/Jane and Loki over Malekith and Asgard as a whole — either you ship the pairing and/or love Loki so this film's great for you, or you don't like the two (see below for reasons) and you think Loki's only being shoehorned in because of Hiddleston's popularity with the fans, and thus you don't really like a lot of the film.
Complete Monster: Malekith the Accursed is the leader of the Dark Elves who intends to plunge the universe into eternal darkness. Millennia ago, Malekith waged war with Asgard to acquire the Aether, yet when he found he was losing the battle, Malekith disabled all of his soldiers' ships, crushing his enemies yet killing all of his own soldiers just so he could escape. Blaming Asgard for this, Malekith resurfaces in the present day to continue his hunt for the Aether. After Kursing his loyal follower Algrim without hesitation, Malekith tracks the Aether to Asgard, having Thor's mother Frigga killed when she hides its location from him. After removing the Aether from Jane Foster and taking it for himself, Malekith then leads an assault on London, using the Aether to begin reverting the universe to a state of complete darkness forever.
"Black Hole Grenades" for the Dark Elf bombs that open vortexes to suck people in.
"Friggason" for Loki because Frigga is the sole parent whom he still loves (and she's also the only parent who still loves him unconditionally). Moreoever, Loki is revealed to be his mother's son, as he had learned magic from her, they share a talent for deception, and their fighting styles are virtually identical.
"Game of Thors" refers to Director Alan Taylor's work on Game of Thrones.
Fan-Preferred Cut Content: The initial pitch by original director Patty Jenkins was going to focus more on Thor and Jane Foster's relationship, akin to Romeo and Juliet. Odin would forbid them to be with each other and his disinterest in Earth would be exploited by Malekith to hide all of the dark energy of the Aether inside the planet, only for Thor and Jane to discover it. Most fans prefer Jenkins' proposal over the final product, which is considered to be mediocre if not one of the least liked installments of the Infinity Saga.
Fanfic Fuel: Malekith the Accursed's backstory and motives. He isn't just a run-of-the-mill Flat Character, after all!
Loki's Bond One-Liner to Kurse ("See you in Hel, monster."): it might not really be a reference to the more common Stock Phrase "see you in hell," but to the similar-sounding Hel (place for the dead in Norse mythology), ruled also by a person named Hel, who of all people is Loki's daughter in the original mythos.
Svartalfheim literally means "home of the black elves" in old Norse.
The gag of Thor hanging up on his hammer on a coat hook in Jane's apartment makes perfect sense considering that typical warrior's etiquette when entering the personal home of a trusted friend is to hang up your weapons as a courtesy.
Sif promises Loki that if he betrays Thor, she'll kill him. We see her twice in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and both times she is following Loki's orders without knowing it.
Thor: Ragnarok reveals that far in the past Odin was once a ruthless imperialist who waged numerous wars of conquest across the galaxy to expand the Asgardian empire across the Nine Realms, rather than the benevolent protector of the peace he currently acts as. With this knowledge in mind the scene where Odin declares war on the Dark Elves after Frigga's death takes upon a darker meaning. It's not just the outburst of a grieving husband, but also one of a bloodthirsty conqueror regressing to his former violent ways. It also means Loki has no idea how right he is when he states that the people he killed in The Avengers are "a mere handful compared to the number Odin has taken himself".
During the fight in Greenwich, Malekith threatens Thor "Your world and your family will be extinguished!" Following Ragnarok and Infinity War, Asgard has been completely destroyed and his brother, both his parents and the sister he only just found out existed are all dead.
Thor and Loki's discussion while en route to Svartalfheim regarding Jane's mortality, how her lifespan is but a flicker compared to Thor's, and how he will never be able to prepare himself for her death. While he was trying to goad his brother, Loki also wasn't wrong and his warning finally come to pass in Thor: Love and Thunder when Jane is diagnosed with cancer and ultimately dies in Thor's arms.
Thor's plan, which involves allowing Loki to pretend to stab him becomes funny after Thor: Ragnarok, which reveals that Loki has been stabbing Thor as a prank since they were eight.
Any reference to Malekith becomes this now that the name is associated with the even more despisedMaliketh. He doesn't get the Accursed subtitle, possibly because it was taken.
The interactions between Malekith and Algrim suggests something more than the latter having loyalty to the former. The scenes where Malekith gives Algrim the Kursed stone and when Algrim wants Malekith to rest after his battle in Asgard help.
At one point, Loki tells Thor he looks "ravishing." Granted, he'd used an illusion to make the thunder god look like Sif, but he still clearly refers to him as "brother."
Jerkass Woobie: Weirdly enough, Loki falls into this once again. He's truly devastated when he hears that Frigga is dead, becoming little more than a broken mess until he gets the chance for revenge.
Just Here for Godzilla: A significant portion of the female demographic admitted that they only wished to see the movie to see Tom Hiddleston as Loki again.
Loki goes through a fake-out but then dies anyway, only to be revealed to be alive by the end.note Early drafts of the story did actually have them pull the trigger on this but he was just getting too popular to go through with it so instead they went with the fake death
Averted in another case. Frigga, in spite of a few skeptical people doubting she would die, really did kick the bucket.
Loki appears to turn on Thor, cutting off his hand. Sure enough, it's an illusion to trick Malekith.
Memetic Loser: Malekith became infamous for being one of the MCU's most forgettable villains and is often a go-to example for Generic Doomsday Villains.
A still of Tom Hiddleston imitating Natalie Portman's pose on the poster has been photoshopped into various situations.
Many have taken note of the Mjölnir being "borne" by the coat rack in Jane's apartment. The general consensus is that the coat rack is worthy.
This one seems to have been acknowledged in Avengers: Age of Ultron, where at the end, the heroes are discussing whether an elevator carrying both Thor and Mjölnir is to be considered worthy while discussing what Vision's status is on the worthiness scale.
"You must be truly desperate to come to me for help."
By the end of the film, Loki's shapeshifting. Anyone could be him.
Ragnarok establishes that Loki's canonical nervous tic (picking at his hands, a trait he shares with his mother) shows up even when he's masquerading as someone else. So at least he does have a tell, if you can make him nervous.
Retroactive Recognition: The student who insists on hanging around and filming Thor fighting Malekith in Greenwich is played by Royce Pierreson, who had a much more significant role as Yennefer's first love Istredd in The Witcher (2019).
Thor, for almost punching Loki while Loki is shackled and helpless. (Contributing to the adoption-joke in The Avengers.)
Everything Odin does is evil. Some even going as far as accusing him of child abuse, and he's got an Odin's A+ Parenting tag on AO3.note Given the effects of solitary confinement on humans who've only been there a few weeks, a 4000-year lifetime sentence for a character already suspected to be partially insane hardly seems like a just or reasonable punishment. Though it's 'lenient' compared to mythological canon, which includes Loki getting his lips sewn shut, and being bound to a rock while a giant serpent drips poison in his eyes.
The Scrappy: Malekith is probably the MCU villain with the most negative reception due to his Flat Character status. Even people who loved the movie found the character flat and forgettable.
Initially, fans were heavily divided between whether this or the first one is the better Thor film, in contrast to other MCU series where there's usually one obvious favorite entry. However, as time has gone on with more MCU installments with and without Thor giving the film some perspective, fan consensus heavily agrees that this is the weaker movie of the two. Common criticisms include its rushed execution of the plot, uninteresting and dull settings, poor utilization of the Earth characters, especially Erik Selvig, and a romantic sub-plot that heavily distracts from the family dynamic the film tries to establish.
By the release of Thor: Ragnarok, this was openly acknowledged. Much of the marketing campaign around the third film sought to desperately distance itself from the previous films. Within the film itself, many of the supporting characters are discarded, with Odin and the Warriors Three being killed off early on, Jane's research team being excluded entirely, and Sif being reduced to a nod. These were all elements that appeared in the first film, but are viewed harshly today thanks largely in part of how The Dark Word utilized them. Most of the positive reviews for Ragnarok mostly defined it as better than its predecessors, especially its immediate one. Avengers: Endgame proceeded to make a joke out of The Dark World's plot, with Thor drunkenly recalling it to the other Avengers members while they stare in confusion, with Frigga and her impending death being the sole element still treated seriously.
Ship-to-Ship Combat: There has been some Thor/Jane vs. Thor/Sif combat going on. Sif's actress, Jaimie Alexander, stirs the pot in an interview about Thor and Sif's relationship as well as scenes of the two acting way more than Just Friends probably contributed to this, though she also pointed out that Sif doesn't really have any negative feelings toward Jane or her relationship with Thor. A glare Sif gives Jane that many mistook for jealousy was actually because Asgard was threatened by Jane's presence. As Alexander points out, Sif is a warrior for her realm first and foremost.
Shocking Moments: Loki betraying Thor was fully expected. That he then cut off Thor's hand was not. Nor was the fact that it was all a ruse to lure in Malekith.
Strangled by the Red String: Thor/Jane again. They knew each other for two days, maybe three, then pined for each other for two years even though they barely knew each other. Some critics believe there is little chemistry between the actors. The most convincing moment the couple have is their big kiss during the finale. However, rather tellingly, this wasn't even Natalie Portman but Chris Hemsworth's wife Elsa Pataky acting as a stand in. For what it's worth, when Patty Jenkins was on board, she planned to incorporate the romance more organically into the story (comparing it to the tone of Romeo and Juliet) and one of the reasons she left was being refused time for rewrites.
They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: General reception to the movie is that while it's a fun action movie and has good set up for Guardians of the Galaxy, if you liked the supporting characters from the last film you'll be disappointed.
Sif, mainly because her actress was injured during filming and couldn't be in as much of the movie as she could have been otherwise. With her being unavailable for Thor: Ragnarok, it seemed like this would be her final appearance in the franchise for a long time until her return in Thor: Love and Thunder was announced.
The Warriors Three, but especially Hogun. Poor guy basically just stayed home and sat the whole adventure out.
Frigga, who has little to no defining characteristics in the first film beyond "Odin's wife" and "Thor and Loki's mother". Just as they begin to expand her character in this one, she's promptly killed off, and her death is basically a plot point to get Thor and Loki to work together. Her interaction with a mentally broken Thor in Avengers: Endgame was one of the film's highlights.
Malekith. He's introduced as being a military leader from a warring nation. With a backstory like that, it wouldn't have taken much effort to establish him as a three-dimensional character that just happens to be an enemy of the Asgardians. Instead, he's given no reason to be a villain outside of it being a plot requirement.
They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: Corresponding with They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character, we don't see much of Jane's reactions to visiting Asgard, and neither Darcy or Erik ask her what it was like, or observe how the experience could have changed her. Given that her scientific obsession with this exact kind of thing was a big part of her characterization in the previous movie and now she gets to experience it first-hand, this is a particularly egregious waste.
The Un-Twist: Everyone, both in- and out-of-universe, expects Loki to betray Thor. And sure enough, it looks like he does... except it's part of a ploy to get Malekith to draw the Aether out for Thor to destroy it. Ultimately played straight, as he fakes his death and usurps the Throne of Asgard while Thor is on Earth.
Vanilla Protagonist: One of the biggest criticisms of the film is that its lead, Thor, does not have much Character Development and ends up getting overshadowed by the more charismatic Loki.
Visual Effects of Awesome: A staple of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though the standout is the combination of practical and digital effects used to bring Kurse to life. As an example, we get to see more of Asgard this time around, and it is stunning. It really looks like something out of a Nordic haven, with lasers.
For the tie-in mobile game:
Complete Monster: Malekith the Accursed, the leader of the Dark Elves and the root of all evil in the game, differs from the version seen in the film. Desiring to return the universe to the "darkness" that existed before life sprouted throughout the cosmos, Malekith begins collecting powerful Uru weapons to use in a ritual to fulfill his desire. Sending his minions throughout the Nine Realms, Malekith has innocents killed, monstrous creatures released, and entire villages razed to the ground, all in various attempts to distract Thor from stopping him. With no loyalty to his "partners", as seen when he betrayed and attempted to murder both the Frost Giants and the God of Mischief, Loki, when they outlived their usefulness, Malekith proclaims himself a god before trying to wipe out all life in the universe, so as to make the Dark Elves the reigning power once again, with himself as ruler supreme.
◊, which has drawn comparisons to Tommy Wiseau, Skrillex, and old-fashioned rockers. Becomes Harsher in Hindsight when it turns out he's like that after his mother Frigga was murdered.
