1) While I agree that a Zelda game like you're describing could work, there doesn't need to be everything you're saying. Entire scenes that show the killing of thousands of people and destruction of towns and villages isn't for the kind of series like Zelda. Like it or not, Zelda is a family-friendly series, and focusing a game around things like that would make it a stereotypical modern-day game. Little children play this series, too, and having that stuff in them wouldn't be that pleasing. Zelda benefits from having dark aspects in them, but not an all-out onslaught of dark and horrendous events.
2) With the exception of Ghirahim, who had legit reasons for not doing this, every Zelda villain has not hesitated to destroy anything in his/her path to obtain power. Ganondorf pretty much destroyed Castle Town in Ocarina of Time and was ready to kill Link to obtain the Triforce. Demise relentlessly murdered countless people in with his ambitions and rightfully treated Link like nothing. I mean, Link is a teenager. Demise had every reason to think Link stood no chance. I wouldn't think a teenager stood a chance if I were an eternal being with limitless powers. That'd be like going up against an ant. You have to look at things like that through the villain's eyes, not ours. We know Link can win. Demise didn't. It's totally fair for him to underestimate Link.Again, going up against a teenager. However, he was less cocky than Demise was. He knew Link wouldn't be a gimme victory, but he definitely didn't expect to lose. But, honestly, did we? We knew we could beat Ganondorf without question. Sure, we probably weren't as cocky as Ganondorf, but we in no way thought we would lose to him. Again, it's all about perspective, and you're viewing this from the outside looking in rather than viewing it from the eyes of the villain in-game.
3)Ghirahim was also not a pawn. He was the main villain in Skyward Sword and was the reason for Demise's revival. Without Ghirahim, Demise had no chance of coming back. He would have never returned to the world to threaten it again. Zant, on the other hand, was used as a tool. Ghirahim worked on his own, making him more than useful to his master. Demise owes everything to Ghirahim for returning.
4) Skyward Sword was a good example of what you want. Ghirahim had plenty of events that caused Link trouble, and even caused quite an event to happen: the resurrection of the world's greatest threat, Demise. You expect a little too much maturity from Zelda, and that's where your logic is somewhat faulty. Once again, Zelda is family-friendly, and the closest to the things you are suggesting should be small events like that in Majora's Mask. Zelda isn't The Elder Scrolls or Halo, nor should it be. Not anything close to it. (And, FYI, Zelda already has amazing villains. Ganon, Majora, Veran, Onox, Vaati, and Ghirahim.)
1) I know, I was going overboard. I just mean that Zelda needs to touch upon darker themes. Twilight Princess, I felt, was totally undeserving of that T rating. Sure, it
looked dark, but it didn't feel dark. The violence featured in the game never felt...violent, as the ESRB rating tried to brand it. Maybe it's just the way I am looking at it, I don't know. TP didn't feel dark, however MM definitely did.
2) 'cept Demise isn't eternal, nor does he have limitless power. We mortally wounded him, something impossible were he as strong as people make him out to be. He had to take a knee because of the damage we dealt to him, a god could never be so much as subdued by a human. Even with a blade of evil's bane, it wouldn't be possible in the hands of a human. This is really just me looking at it from an outside perspective, you hit it on the head, but even then...Demise was lacking as a villain. He has all the reason to doubt and scoff at Link's seemingly futile attempts at victory, but why didn't he just go on and rid himself of the gadfly? Achieve your goal that is but steps away, rather than allow even the most unlikely of people to defeat you. That's common sense, as a villain. Do anything and everything you can to achieve your goal, that's what a powerhungry
fool villain would and SHOULD do. Demise and Ganondorf? Nope, they all but failed at their goal, which makes them look like sorry excuses for villains in my eyes. Ghirahim, as you noted, had actual reasons (and quite comical ones at that) for not destroying Link. Without Link, Ghirahim likely wouldn't have known about the second Door of TIme, and therefore wouldn't achieve his own goal of resurrecting his master. However, we all know that Ghirahim *could have* beaten Link. We know that he showed the scamp a little bit of mercy. I can see Ghirahim's reasoning, however Demise and Ganondorf were jokes.
3) Ghirahim was a pawn though, he outright told us "I need the girl to revive my master!". That's his purpose – work to revive your master, or in otherwords, serve as the pawn that he rightfully is. The difference between Ghirahim and Zant though, is that while Ghirahim knew and accepted that he was lower in the hierarchy of power than Demise, Zant tried to show himself as the true bigshot when it was Ganondorf all along.
4)Yes, again it's just me going a bit overboard with my wants and 'needs'. Still, the Zelda series is a bit too lighthearted. Sure, we don't need ongoing wars and people being killed outright, however I do feel that the hero shouldn't always be on top. The hero should have to feel pain and suffering. Not temporary pain, as was the case with Zelda's kidnapping in SS, but permanent pain, such as how Termina was destroyed and the people nowhere to be found. What I'm saying is, Link needs to lose. Just one more time; MM showed us what Nintendo could do with dark themes and overall insanity, now take that a step further.
