Malekith the Accursed

Malekith the Accursed
Malekith the Accursed escapes from his prison in Thor: God of Thunder #13 (2013)
Art by Ron Garney
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Thor #344 (June 1984)
Created by Walt Simonson
In-story information
Alter ego Malekith
Species Dark Elf
Team affiliations Dark Council
Partnerships Loki
Surtur
Notable aliases Angel, Master of the Hounds, Malcolm Keith, Dark Elf, Balder
Abilities Superhuman strength, speed, agility, stamina, reflexes, durability and intellect
Wields Dark Faerie magic
Ability to summon the Wild Hunt

Malekith the Accursed (/ˈmæləkɪθ/) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the ruler of the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim, and has come into conflict with Thor. He once wielded the Casket of Ancient Winters.

The character was portrayed by Christopher Eccleston in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor: The Dark World.

Publication history

Created by Walt Simonson, Malekith first appeared in Thor #344–349 (June–November 1984). He subsequently appeared in issues #363 (January 1986), 366-368 (April–June 1986), 485–487 (April–June 1995), and 489 (August 1995) of Thor.

He made guest appearances in X-Force and Cable Annual 1997 and Heroes for Hire #14 (August 1998) before again battling Thor in Thor vol. 2, #29-32 (November 2000 – February 2001). He later appeared in The Incredible Hercules #134 (November 2009) and #136 (December 2009).

In 2012, Jason Aaron revived him in the Thor: God of Thunder series and he became the main antagonist in the "All New, All Different" Thor volume 4.

Fictional character biography

Malekith grew up during a time of war in Svartalfheim. Twelve of his older brothers died during a war with the trolls. His mother eventually sold him for two sacks of snake livers and half a barrel of pickled toads. He worked as a body burner, who cremated bodies after a battle, until he was captured by trolls. In his prison he met a wizard, who helped him escape and took him as an apprentice. Eventually the Wizard wanted to combine their powers for peace, but Malekith refused because he felt that any peace would mean that the war which forged him would have been pointless, making his existence something which wasn't meant to be. He then killed the wizard, who before dying scarred his face, and then his mother, taking the dogs of the Wild Hunt.[1]

Later, Malekith struck an alliance with Loki on behalf of the fire demon Surtur.[2] He took control of a number of Earth humans using special food of the faerie provided by Hela. Malekith then killed Eric Willis, guardian of the Casket of Ancient Winters, after learning its location.[3] As Master of the Hounds, Malekith hunted down Roger Willis, Eric's son and new guardian of the Casket. Malekith battled Thor, and kidnapped Lorelei.[4] Using Lorelei as bait, Malekith forced Thor to battle Algrim the Strong, one of his Dark Elf followers, then attempted to destroy both combatants by plunging them into a pool of magma. He then captured the Casket of Ancient Winters from Roger Willis.[5] Malekith was ultimately defeated by Thor, but not before he destroyed the Casket of Ancient Winters, releasing magical frigid force all over the Earth.[6] Malekith was then brought as a captive by Thor to Asgard.[7]

Malekith later disguised Loki as himself to take his place in the dungeon, while he disguised himself as Balder, who was about to be crowned ruler of Asgard. Kurse, the being formerly known as Algrim, saw through Malekith's disguise when he reached Asgard City. Kurse then broke Malekith's neck, apparently slaying him.[8]

Years later, Malekith was revealed to be alive once again. Disguising himself as Balder again, he enlisted Hercules to attack Alflyse, the Dark Elf Queen of the Eastern Spires, while disguised as Thor. His scheme unraveled (partially due to the appearance of Thor disguised as Hercules), and he was easily defeated by Zeus.[9]

Malekith has resurfaced again intent on collecting Mandarin's rings.[10] The other ring-bearing hosts were later to meet their demise or mutilation at the hands of Malekith. In the storyline "Rings of the Mandarin", it is revealed that after reclaiming his kingdom Svartalfheim he was approached by a ring seeking a host, but bent its will to his rather than letting it control his mind. He has now begun a campaign to attack all other "Mandarins" and take their rings, desiring "the full set" before attacking Tony Stark. Though he is usually a foe of Thor and other magical beings, his opposition to Iron Man is rooted in Elves' traditional weakness towards iron.[11]

Malekith, who escaped from his prison in Niffleheim, rampages across the nine-realms in a path of revenge, targeting any Dark Elf who isn't loyal to him. Despite this fratricide, the dark elf council ends up electing him as his king, as Dark Elves respect those they fear. However, the opposition to Malekith had drawn together the other races of the realms, causing a new level of understanding and cooperation. The enemies of the realms made note of this and drew together as well.[12]

Malekith the Accursed later causes Thor to lose his left arm in combat after a woman (later revealed to be Jane Foster[13]) lifted Mjolnir and gained Thor's powers. Malekith's plans crossed over with the Minotaur of Roxxon's desires for more power sources.[14] Malekith and Minotaur came to a deal: Dario would give him the Skull of Laufey in exchange of the mineral rights of all realms Malekith conquers. Thor appeared in the roof of Roxxon Island to stop their deal, but she was attacked by the Serpent who was possessing the Destroyer Armor.[15] The Serpent threw Thor out of Roxxon Island and they continued battling in the oil fields below. After flying away, Malekith convinced Minotaur to celebrate their deal in the Dark Elf way and he teleported the two of them to Alfheim where they slaughtered various Light Elves.[16] Then Malekith and Minotaur went to Jotunheim. Using the blood of a hundred murdered Light Elves, Malekith performed a spell that resurrected King Laufey.[17]

As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel event, Malekith the Accursed appears as a member of the Dark Council alongside Minotaur, Ulik, Laufey, and some unnamed Fire Demons.[18] As before, Malekith is focusing on murdering Light Elves.

Powers and abilities

Malekith has all the normal attributes of a member of the race of dark elves, although his abilities are a result of above-average development. He possesses superhuman intellect, strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility and reflexes.

As a dark elf, Malekith also has the ability to manipulate the forces of magic for a variety of effects, including teleportation, energy projection, physical malleability, flight (by transforming into mist), illusion casting, and the ability to change the shape and appearance of other beings or objects.

Malekith, like all Dark Elves, has a vulnerability to iron, which disrupts or cancels his magical spells.

Other versions

Marvel Adventures

Malekith appeared in an issue of Marvel Adventures: The Avengers where he tries to take over Asgard with the help of the Frost Giants, but he was defeated with the combined efforts of the Avengers and Thor.

In other media

Character poster for the film Thor: The Dark World featuring Christopher Eccleston as Malekith.

Television

  • Malekith the Accursed appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes episode "The Casket of Ancient Winters", voiced by Quinton Flynn. Much like the comics version, he was in an alliance with Loki (though this time it was because Loki half-resurrected him) and was also after the Casket of Ancient Winters. Betraying Loki's trust by freezing Executioner and Amora the Enchantress, he was able to access its power and tried to cause an endless winter on Midgard for his Dark Elves, but was stopped by the combined forces of Thor, Iron Man, and Black Panther.
  • Malekith the Accursed appears in the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. episode "For Asgard", voiced by James C. Mathis III. In this version, they do not have a world, so he and his dark elves want to take over any world. They face Thor and the Three Warriors (Hogun, Fandral and Volstagg) in the Stonehenge monument to want to conquer the Earth, but with the arrival of Hulk, Red Hulk, A-Bomb, Skaar and She-Hulk, Malekith and their elves they retired. Soon after, Malekith returns with an army wanting to conquer Asgard, and bring down the nine kingdoms, which was part of Loki's plan. Hulk uses Odin's sword to defeat Malekith, causing his entire army to retreat again.

Film

  • Malekith the Accursed makes a brief appearance in the 2009 animated film, Hulk vs Thor.[19]
  • Malekith the Accursed appears in the 2013 live-action film Thor: The Dark World, played by Christopher Eccleston.[20] Malekith led his people in a War against the Asgardians, using an ancient weapon known as the Aether, but they were thought to have been destroyed thousands of years ago during a final battle against the Asgardian King Bor. Malekith had survived, however, and after going into hiding for thousands of years, he returned during the next Convergence and sought to retake the Aether and use its power to transform the universe by plunging it back into eternal darkness. Before his attempt could succeed, however, Malekith was defeated by Bor's grandson, Thor, in the Battle of Greenwich, resulting in his death.

Video games

References

  1. Thor: God of Thunder # 25
  2. Thor #344
  3. Thor #345
  4. Thor #346
  5. Thor #347
  6. Thor #348
  7. Thor #349
  8. Thor #367
  9. Incredible Hercules #132, 136
  10. Iron Man Vol. 5 #22, Kieron Gillen, 2014
  11. Iron Man Vol. 5 #23.NOW
  12. Thor: God Of Thunder #13 - #17 (2013 - 2014)
  13. Thor vol.4 #8
  14. Thor Vol. 4 #1-4
  15. Thor Vol 4 #6
  16. Thor Vol. 4 7
  17. Thor Vol. 4 #8
  18. Mighty Thor Vol. 2 #1 (2016)
  19. Hulk vs Thor
  20. Fleming, Mike (2012-08-01). "We Have A 'Thor 2′ Villain: Christopher Eccleston To Play Malekith The Accursed". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on 2012-08-02. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  21. Miller, Greg. "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Characters and Cast Revealed". IGN.
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