“In the first “Thor” Asgard had this tremendous peace among the 9 realms. They were riding at the heights. Everything is working and looking as it should be. In this one, the realms are being whipped up into various rebellions. There is a darker malignant force out there and we are in the process of engaging in long protracted skirmishes and battles. The luster and shine of the city has been taken off and it all leads to a huge assault, an attack at the heart of Asgard. It could be completely wiped out, the stakes are a lot higher.”
Stevenson also indicates that we’ll be seeing Volstagg in combat more than we did in the first film.
“He’s great on a battlefield. He is one of the warriors three and doing what they do, their time is spent fighting on many different fronts. They’re not always fighting together. Volstagg is struggling, he has a brood, they are fighting for hearth and home as much as for the idea of Asgard itself. That’s where he has trouble. He’s all too aware of how potentially threatening this new enemy is on both the home front and the battlefield.”
Directed by Alan Taylor, Thor: The Dark World stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano, Jaimie Alexander, Rene Russo, and Anthony Hopkins.
