Tom Hiddleston talks Thor 2

Having wowed audiences as the big bad in both Thor and The Avengers , Tom Hiddleston won’t be the sole antagonist in Thor: The Dark World , with Malekith the Accursed also set to be introduced to proceedings.

Played by Christopher Eccleston, Malekith is another malcontent with designs on absolute power, and is hatching a wicked plan to throw the Nine Realms into chaos. And according to Hiddleston, Eccleston pulls it off brilliantly.

“Christopher Eccleston is one of Britain’s greatest actors,” says Hiddleston to Red Carpet News TV (via ComicBookMovie ). “He brings a degree of commitment, intelligence, conviction and complexity to everything he does. I think he really got his teeth into this thing. Christopher has enormous presence, which is very distinguishable on stage as well as film.

“It’s one of those things you can’t really define, you just can’t stop watching him when he’s on screen. I think he’ll be absolutely magnetic. Malekith has his own ambition. Whether or not Loki can coincide with or contradict, subvert or enhance that ambition remains to be seen.”

Speaking of Loki, Hiddleston goes on to explain that he’ll be following an interesting arc of his own, with the character continually teasing a potential for redemption.

“Loki is constantly dancing on that tightrope between yielding entirely to his darker instinct and redemption,” says the star. “The hope that one day he can be brought back and be recruited to the side of good.”

Directed by Alan Taylor and co-starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins, Thor: The Dark World will open in the UK on 30 October 2013.

George Wales

George was once GamesRadar's resident movie news person, based out of London. He understands that all men must die, but he'd rather not think about it. But now he's working at Stylist Magazine.