'Thor' sequel gets a villain: Christopher Eccleston as Malekith the Accursed

Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor in the BBC's "Doctor Who."

Credit: BBC

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Chris Hemsworth officially has a nemesis to do battle with in "Thor: The Dark World."

British actor Christopher Eccleston, perhaps best known for playing the Ninth Doctor on the BBC series "Doctor Who" for a single season, has been cast as Malekith the Accursed in the upcoming Marvel sequel, according to Deadline. For the uninitiated, Malekith is ruler of the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim, a superhuman race of magical creatures that was first introduced in Thor #344 (published in June 1984).

It should be noted that "Casino Royale" star Mads Mikkelsen was originally rumored for the villain role, but was forced to drop out after committing to play the title character in NBC's mid-season procedural "Hannibal."

Rumors that the Elves would be involved in the sequel's storyline broke back in June, when stuntman John Grogan all but spelled it out in an interview he gave with the website I Review Too. Consider this confirmation.

Eccleston's other credits include "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" (in which he played villainous weapons master James McCullen/Destro) and Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later." He most recently starred in the three-part BBC drama series "Blackout."

"Thor: The Dark World" is slated for release on November 8, 2013. Returning cast members include Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba, Ray Stevenson and Rene Russo, with "Chuck" star Zachary Levi slated to step in for Joshua Dallas ("Once Upon a Time") as Fandral.

Are you a fan of Eccleston? How do you feel about Malekith as the film's main villain? Sound off in the comments!

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