Alexis Denisof

Alexis Denisof explains his role in the ’Avengers’ universe: ’I’m certainly on the villain team’

Being a member of the Whedon-verse certainly has its perks — just ask Angel alumnus Alexis Denisof, who stopped by EW’s Comic-Con suite to chat about his latest Joss Whedon project, upcoming (partially musical!) Shakespeare adaptation Much Ado About Nothing, which also stars Amy Acker, Clark Gregg, and Nathan Fillion.

Since we had Denisof sitting on our couch, we just had to ask him about his role in another Joss Whedon-directed film: The Avengers. What, you didn’t know that Alexis Denisof was in The Avengers? Don’t feel too bad — he was shrouded in shadows and under a few layers of prosthetic make up.

Denisof, who is credited as “The Other,” appears in the film three separate times — he addresses Loki at the very beginning of the film, then argues with him at the halfway point. But at the very end of The Avengers, during the bonus post-credits scene, Denisof’s character speaks with a new baddie: the death-obsessed alien overlord Thanos, whom Darren Franich has already explained more effectively than I will attempt here.

Mind you, Denisof is not Thanos — he made that clear himself — instead, he’s the figure addressing Thanos. For now, we simply know him as “The Other.”

So who is this mysterious “Other?” Well, that’s tough to say, but here’s what we know: According to Denisof, he’s “certainly on the villain team” and “report[s] to Thanos.” As he explains, “Loki and The Other have a relationship. We’ve struck a deal, but the deal doesn’t deliver, so there are ramifications.” Listen to the whole conversation below:

Now that you’ve heard him speak — let’s start wildly theorizing! (I’ll start.)

Back in May, Marvel’s studio head Kevin Feige told Empire that Thor 2, due in November 2013, would feature “a major, major new antagonist” and that it would not be Thanos. At that point, Mads Mikkelsen was in the running to play this villain, but he recently had to drop out of the project. Given Denisof’s revelation that “there’s a lot of talking right now about where [his character is] going to go,” and the fact that The Other shares close ties with Loki, does this mean that we could possibly be looking at the new villain of Thor 2? We’ve been told that the sequel will take us to the side of Thor’s home planet, Asgard, that’s “not all polished and golden.” Perhaps that’s a result of the aforementioned “ramifications?” Then again, perhaps not — some speculation points to the new villain being Surge, and basic logic suggests that The Other isn’t technically new.

Nonetheless, let’s get even more speculative for a second! Some fans have already theorized that The Other is actually a character named Annihilus, who not only attacked Asgard and fought Thor, but later allied himself with Thanos on a quest to destroy the universe. (Check out the Wikipedia page for a not-so-brief history.) Yep, I’m saying there’s a chance that Denisof’s “Other” may be Annihilus and that there’s a chance that he may be the villain in Thor 2.

But, in the end, that’s simply a guess. All we can say for sure is that we haven’t seen the last of Denisof in the Avengers universe, and his presence in the superhero blockbuster wasn’t simply a fun cameo. There’s more to come. And whether he shows up in The Avengers 2, Thor 2, or some other marvel outlet, the news makes us pretty happy.

Sound off with your theories in the comments below!