Leading on from this morning’s news that Iron Man will be fighting the supervillain Firepower on his next solo outing, rumours are spreading that the completely brilliant Mads Mikkelsen could be facing off against Thor (Chris Hemsworth and his great big arms) in the Shakespearean Avenger’s second film.

Don’t worry, mewling quim fans – Tom Hiddleston’s Loki will still be causing trouble in Asgard come Thor 2, but he won’t be alone. If Mikkelsen signs up for the project he’ll be taking on the role of an as yet unnamed major villain, almost certainly one from Thor’s own backstory rather than an original character or crossover.

There’s no word at all as to which Marvel character Mikkelsen might be taking on, but we’re going to have a guess because we’re feisty like that; our money’s on Malekith the Accursed, the leader of the dark elves of Svartalfheim. Malekith is a powerful sorcerer who faces off against Thor on a semi-regular basis, and the introduction of a new plane would offer some interesting possibilities plot-wise. We really can’t see Thor 2 being too heavy on frost giants – they’ve sort of been done now – and it seems like a shame to cast someone with the sort of intricate, nuanced talent Mikkelsen brings to the party and then smother him in CGI so he can play some great bloody fire demon. A fire demon, in fact, like Surtur, Malekith’s unholy ally and long-term member of the Asgardian ‘Bastards List’. Could this be a very clever set-up for bringing in Surtur as the villain of Thor 3? We rather think it could…

Who do you think Mads will play? Let us know below!