Apparently Asgard has oxygen, which is a good thing because whether Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) likes it or not, she’s going to meet the parents. Marvel Studios released the first trailer for Thor: The Dark World staging a widely different atmosphere than the first film directed by Kenneth Branagh. Dark Elves will test The Mighty Thor. Watch the trailer after the jump.

As the second film in Marvel Studios’ Phase 2 initiative, Thor: The Dark World brings us back to Asgard where we find Thor (Chris Hemsworth), god of thunder, engaging in many battles. Did the son of Odin cause a rift between the realms when he invaded the Ice Giants’ home world? Will he have to make amends and fix what he had started? And what of Loki? What has happened to the god of mischief since The Avengers? (Is it me or has Hemsworth grown heavily into this character. Re-watch the first trailer. You cannot deny he was a perfect casting choice.)

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This teaser trailer works on many levels. It brings back a a few familiar faces, asks many questions, but keeps us looking for answers. Much like the teaser for Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World gives fans a good look at what’s to come without spoiling any of the details. We’re introduced to the key players and are even shown a glimpse of the Christopher Eccleston who embodies the main villain, the Dark Elf Malekith. Watch the teaser trailer below:

I dig this trailer. At first I unaffected by it, but the more I view it, the more I’m excited to see how far Marvel will expand into the nine realms. There seems to be a lot of emphasis on sacrifice this year in movies. Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, and now Thor: The Dark World all embrace the theme of sacrifice. The darker tone of this teaser is inherently different compared to how the first film was marketed. Barely an ounce of comedy to be seen here. And what of Loki (Tom Hiddleston)? It was a huge pleasure to see him, he steals the show at the end. It will be good to see how much of a bigger part he has in this story in the next trailer.

Check out the official plot synopsis below:

Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

Odin (Anthony Hopkins) has a pretty nice speech in the beginning of this teaser. You have to wonder how much of this movie will tie into The Avengers since that film took place mostly on Earth while this movie seems to be all around different realms. They mentioned dark matter in The Avengers, will that play a big part with the Dark Elves?

The major players in this film, Thor, Loki, Malekith, Odin, and Jane are all present within this teaser, but many of the minor characters such as the Warriors Three and other Dark Elves are not. For now we’ll have to wait and see what the writers have planned for the other characters in The Dark World.

Thor: The Dark World, is directed by Alan Taylor, and will set foot in theaters November 8, 2013 in 2D, Digital 3D, and RealD 3D.

Source: Marvel Studios