THOR: THE DARK WORLD Character Posters

Two new character posters for Thor: The Dark World, directed by Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones) and featuring Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) have come online.

Thor: The Dark World picks up after the events of The Avengers. Thor has returned home to Asgard, but a new force threatens both the god's home world and Earth. As it's revealed near the end of the trailer, Thor must turn to his brother and rival Loki for assistance when trying to save the Nine Realms from the dark elves.

Natalie Portman makes a welcome return to the Marvel universe as Jane Foster, Thor's Earth-bound love, who finds herself in Asgard shortly after the start of the preview. A menacing voice over from the film's main baddie, the dark elf Malekith, played by Christopher Eccleston (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra), suggests that Jane may stand directly in harm's way with only Thor to protect her.

Idris Elba, Anthony Hopkins, Zachary Levi, Ray Stevenson and Stellan Skarsgård are also featured in the movie.

Marvel's first Thor, released in 2010, earned a solid $181 million at the domestic box office and $449 million worldwide, which was slightly ahead of Captain America's $176 million and $378 mil worldwide come but not exactly Iron Man figures.

Thor: The Dark World will square up against a pair of Lionsgate heavy hitters come Thanksgiving. Bowing November 8, 2013, Thor will be preceded by sci-fi actioner Ender's Game on November 1st and The Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire, on November 22nd.