With Loki (Tom Hiddleston) imprisoned for crimes committed in Midgard and peace and order restored to the Nine Realms, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) returns to Asgard triumphant. His father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), sees in his son a worthy successor; his mother, Frigga (Rene Russo), a boy who's finally become a man; and his companions -- Lady Sif (Jamie Alexander), Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Zachary Levi) and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano) -- a noble warrior, tireless friend and honorable prince. But peace is once again threatened when Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) is possessed by a sinister energy weapon called the Aether, a vindictive Dark Elf named Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) is roused from deep space hibernation, attacks the Asgardian capital and leaves nothing but death and heartache in his wake. Determined to save Jane from the Aether and stop Malekith at all costs, Thor elicits the help of Sif, the Warriors Three and Bifrost guardian Heimdall (Idris Elba), recruits and frees his disgraced brother Loki, and gives chase. Elsewhere, on Earth, Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) and feisty intern Darcy (Kat Dennings) begin to notice an alarming increase in strange phenomena as they near an event dubbed the Convergence; a once-in-a-millennia alignment of the Nine Realms Malekith plans to exploit to annihilate everything in existence.