Marvel Studios is starting to get better with their sequels. Looking ahead, Winter Soldier looks to be the best of the bunch. The same couldn't be said of Thor: The Dark World, something I blame on a very dull and ill-explained villain (Malekith). A majority of the best comic book villains have at least an once of personality to them, giving them depth. Loki and The Winter Soldier are the types of villains that Marvel should be trying to replicate. A strong backstory with our heroes, and personal struggles/arcs along their way.
One character that has been looming around the Thor franchise since day-one is Amora The Enchantress. Easily, the second most recognizable Thor villain (next to Loki) and one of the more complex ones as well. Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth have been pushing for the characters to be included, so it's likely they'll get their wish. Amora has played friend and foe, to both Thor and Loki. Her intentions are always questionable along with her feelings, having affections for both brothers. While mostly interested in her own personal gain and power status. She is someone that Marvel needs to put into play in Phase Three, and could be a valuable character in MCU.
We have had one "main" female villain in the entire run of these movies (Nebula in Guardians), it's a very odd and uneven track record. Considering that we've seen Marvel "talk-up" a Black Widow film, and a Ms Marvel one being developed behind-the-scenes. We're living in the era of Game of Thrones, when every female villain is more devilish and evil than their male counterparts. It comes down to good writing and treating your female characters like actual people, within the world you are creating.
Moving past the need to include Amora, who should eventually play her?
That answer might be more on-the-nose than you think. We've heard names like Charlize Theron and Alice Eve mentioned for the role, which are excellent suggestions. They might be too busy with their respected franchises, Eve with Star Trek 3 and Theron with future Mad Mad sequels/spin-offs. One actress has been making it her mission to tackle comic book films. That lady would be French actress Eva Green, who at the moment hasn't signed-up for a million projects. It's at least possible for her to be open to the idea of signing one of Marvel's lengthly contracts.
North American audiences were first introduced to this talented lady, in Martin Campbell's Bond reboot Casino Royale (while taking a rather large role in the mostly panned Kingdom of Heaven). Oddly enough, Eva played a character that seeming had a few characteristics of Amora in the film. Winning over Bond's confidence and trust, only to stab him in the back. It sort of reminded me of her back-and-forth with Thor and Loki.
She'll also be taking on another similar part in Robert Rodriguez's Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. While that performance's quality is currently unknown to us, another upcoming one is. Green plays the main villain in 300: Rise of An Empire. There was a recently press screening, which seemed to have everyone buzzing about one performance. That would be Eva as the battle hardened and blood thirsty Artemisia. A dark streak that does run within Amora at times, similar to Loki.
Another similarity to Tom Hiddleston is that the two actors are currently the same age. Having them paired up wouldn't be much of a stretch, something that could be an issue if Amora candidates are too young for the role. Plus, Green has played witches (Enchantress just happens to also dapple in magic) before in Dark Shadows and the series Camelot, it's also alluded to in trailers that Artemisia could be a witch as well. It's hard to imagine the pair not perfectly working-off each other.
It doesn't hurt this lady can do comedy, drama, love stories and action roles, as good if not better than her peers (male or female). I believe that Green should at least be considered for the role of The Enchantress, and she clearly at this point is the strongest name suggested. Having an excellent history of playing villains, being the right age, having an open schedule for the foreseeable future and will likely gain the traction Marvel zeroes-in on post-Rise of An Empire.
No comments:
Post a Comment