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| Malekith the Accursed | |
|---|---|
 Malekith as depicted inThor: God of Thunder #13 (2013) Art byRon 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 |
| Place of origin | Svartalfheim |
| Team affiliations | Dark Council |
| Notable aliases | Angel, Master of the Hounds, Malcolm Keith, Dark Elf,Balder the Brave,The Butcher of Thor |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, speed, agility, stamina, reflexes, durability and intellect Wields Dark Faerie magic Ability to summon theWild Hunt |
Malekith the Accursed (/ˈmæləkɪθ/) is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. He is the ruler of theDark Elves ofSvartalfheim and has come into conflict withThor. Malekith has often wielded theCasket of Ancient Winters, which enables him to generate endless amounts of ice.
Christopher Eccleston portrayed the character in theMarvel Cinematic Universe filmThor: The Dark World (2013). Additionally,Quinton Flynn andJames C. Mathis III voiced Malekith in guest appearances inThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes andHulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. respectively.
Created byWalt Simonson, Malekith first appeared inThor #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) ofThor.
He made guest appearances inX-Force andCable Annual 1997 andHeroes for Hire #14 (August 1998) before again battling Thor inThor vol. 2 #29-32 (November 2000–February 2001). He later appeared inThe Incredible Hercules #134 (November 2009) and #136 (December 2009).
In 2012,Jason Aaron revived him in theThor: God of Thunder series and he became the main antagonist in the "All New, All Different"Thor volume 4 and the crossover eventThe War of the Realms.
Malekith is aDark Elf who grew up during a time of war inSvartalfheim. Twelve of his older brothers died during a war with trolls. His mother eventually sold him as a slave for two sacks of snake livers and half a barrel of pickled toads. He worked as a body burner destroying the bodies of fallen elves until he was captured by trolls. In 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 it was not meant to be. He kills the wizard, who before dying scarred his face. Malekith then kills his mother, taking the dogs of theWild Hunt for his own uses.[1]
Later, Malekith allies withLoki on behalf of the fire demonSurtur. He takes control of a number of Earth humans using special food of the faerie provided byHela. Malekith then kills Eric Willis, guardian of theCasket of Ancient Winters, after learning of its location. As Master of the Hounds, Malekith hunts Roger Willis, Eric's son. UsingLorelei as bait, Malekith forced Thor to battleAlgrim, one of his Dark Elf followers, and attempts to destroy both combatants by plunging them into magma. He then takes the Casket from Roger Willis. Malekith is defeated by Thor, but destroys the Casket, releasing its icy magic on Earth.[2]
Malekith later disguises Loki as himself to take his place in the dungeon, while he disguises himself asBalder the Brave, who is about to be crowned ruler ofAsgard. Algrim sees through Malekith's disguise and breaks his neck, apparently killing him.[3]
Years later, Malekith is revealed to be alive. Disguising himself as Balder, he enlistsHercules to attack Alflyse, the Dark Elf Queen of the Eastern Spires, while disguised as Thor. His scheme is unraveled (partially due to the appearance of Thor disguised as Hercules), and he is easily defeated byZeus.[4][5]
Malekith, who escaped from his prison inNiflheim, rampages across the Nine Realms in a path of revenge, targeting any Dark Elf not loyal to him. Despite this fratricide, the Dark Elf Council elect him their 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.[6]
During the "War of the Realms" storyline, Malekith invadesMidgard by posing as Loki and tricking Thor into heading toJotunheim. Malekith lays destruction over Europe and plans to killBlack Knight,Union Jack, andSpitfire with the Ebony Blade, whenCaptain Marvel arrives withDeadpool,Weapon H,Winter Soldier,Captain Britain,Sif, andVenom) to fight against Malekith. As the War Avengers fight the Dark Elves, the Venom Symbiote tries to attack Malekith only to be absorbed into his sword.[7] Malekith tortures the Venom symbiote and uses a dagger of living abyss to reshape it intoAll-Black the Necrosword, a weapon designed to kill Asgardians.[8] Malekith summons the Wild Hunt, only for the Wild Hunt hounds and theSvartálfheim Bog Tiger to turn on him and dismember him.[9]
Afterwards, Malekith finds himself inNiflheim, where Hela andKarnilla greet him and reveal that his Wild Hunt hounds and the Svartalheim Bog Tiger died soon after devouring him, having been poisoned by the black magic he had used to bend Venom to his will. Karnilla explains that, when she and Hela reassembled the pieces of his soul they had drawn out of the beasts' stomachs, they found the last fragment of his true self—the little boy who had suffered through his childhood as a victim of war. Hela and Karnilla tell a horrified Malekith that his punishment will be to witness his younger self spend eternity with the hounds and the Svartalheim Bog Tiger. He is then chained to a rock with his eyes sewn open by Karnilla. As Malekith begs for mercy, the Wild Hunt hounds and the Svartalheim Bog Tiger are sent through a portal toValhalla, where they are transformed into puppies and a tiger cub respectively. They are then seen happily playing with the young Malekith. As the young Malekith has finally found peace and happiness, Malekith screams at the torment of having to watch for all eternity.[10]
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 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.
During the "One World Under Doom" storyline,Doctor Doom hasKristoff Vernard use the Time Platform to summon several superheroes from a possible future designated as Chrono Signature Anno Doom +128. One of these heroes is a version of Malekith, who joins Doom's Superior Avengers.Ava Starr states that Malekith was reborn from the draining ofAll-Black the Necrosword and Undrjarn the All-Weapon after Doom razed Asgard. During his fight withAnnihilus, Doom transforms Malekith's body into a sword and war hammer, with Vernard taking the weapons for himself.[11]
Malekith appears inMarvel Adventures: The Avengers #15.[12]
Malekith the Accursed makes a cameo appearance inHulk vs Thor.[citation needed]
Malekith appears in media set in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU):
Malekith appears in the motion comicWar of the Realms: Marvel Ultimate Comics, voiced byMackenzie Gray.[13]
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