Malekith the Accursed(/ˈmæləkɪθ/) is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic bookspublished byMarvel Comics.He is the ruler of theDark ElvesofSvartalfheim,and has come into conflict withThor.He once wielded the Casket of Ancient Winters.
| 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 Butcher of Thor |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, speed, agility, stamina, reflexes, durability and intellect Wields Dark Faerie magic Ability to summon theWild Hunt |
Christopher Ecclestonportrayed the character in theMarvel Cinematic UniversefilmThor: The Dark World(2013).
Publication history
editCreated 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-ForceandCable Annual1997 andHeroes for Hire#14 (August 1998) before again battling Thor inThorvol. 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 Thunderseries and he became the main antagonist in the "All New, All Different"Thorvolume 4 and the crossover eventWar on the Realms.
Fictional character biography
editMalekith is aDark Elfwho grew up during a time of war inSvartalfheim.After being sold into slavery and captured by trolls, he met a wizard who helped him escape and took him as an apprentice. After the wizard attempts to use his magic to bring peace to the realm, Malekith kills him and then his mother, taking the dogs of the Wild Hunt for his own uses.[1]
Later, Malekith allied withLokion behalf of the fire demonSurtur.[2]He took control of a number of Earth humans using special food of the faerie provided byHela.Malekith then killed Eric Willis, guardian of theCasket of Ancient Winters,after learning of its location.[3]As Master of the Hounds, Malekith hunts Roger Willis, Eric's son and new guardian of the Casket. Malekith battled Thor, and kidnapsLorelei.[4]Using Lorelei as bait, Malekith forced Thor to battleAlgrim,one of his Dark Elf followers, and attempts to destroy both combatants by plunging them intomagma.He then took the Casket from Roger Willis.[5]Malekith was ultimately defeated by Thor, but not before he destroyed the Casket, releasing the magical frigid force it contained all over Earth.[6]Malekith was then brought as a captive by Thor toAsgard.[7]
Malekith later disguised Loki as himself to take his place in the dungeon, while he disguised himself asBalder,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 enlistedHerculesto 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 byZeus.[9]
Malekith has resurfaced again intent on collectingMandarin'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 attackingTony 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 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.[12]
Malekith later works withDario Agger / Minotaur,the CEO ofRoxxon,who gives himLaufey's skull in exchange for the mineral rights of all realms Malekith conquers.Thorappears to stop them, but is attacked by theSerpent,who was possessing theDestroyer Armor.[13][14][15]Amidst this, Malekith and the Minotaur escape toJotunheimand resurrect Laufey.[16][14]
InAll-New, All-Different Marvel,Malekith appears as a member of the Dark Council alongside Minotaur,Ulik,Laufey, and the Fire Demons.[17]
InThe War of the Realms,Malekith invades Midgard, controls the Venom symbiote into serving him, and becomes the self-proclaimed "Butcher of Thors". However, he is ultimately killed by the Wild Hunt Hounds and the Svartlheim Bog Tiger.[18][19][20][21][22][23]
Afterwards, Malekith is transported to Niflheim, where Hela andKarnillareveal that the Hounds and the Tiger died after being poisoned by his black magic. They then punish him by forcing him to witness his younger self have a peaceful life with the Hounds and Tiger.[24]
Powers and abilities
editMalekith 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
editMalekith appears inMarvel Adventures: The Avengers#15.[25]
In other media
editTelevision
edit- Malekith the Accursed appears inThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroesepisode "The Casket of Ancient Winters", voiced byQuinton Flynn.[26]After being partially resurrected byLoki,Malekith allies with him to seek out the titular casket before betraying him to access its power in an attempt to create an endless winter in Midgard, only to be stopped byThor,Iron Man,and theBlack Panther.
- Malekith the Accursed appears in theHulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.episode "For Asgard", voiced byJames C. Mathis III.[26]This version of Malekith and his Dark Elves were inspired to conquer other worlds due to lacking a homeworld of their own.
Film
edit
- Malekith the Accursed makes a cameo appearance inHulk vs Thor.[citation needed]
- Malekith appears inThor: The Dark World,portrayed byChristopher Eccleston.[27]Millennia prior, this version led the Dark Elves in a war against the Asgardians using theAether,but were defeated and presumed dead following a final battle against KingBor,who sealed the Aether. Having gone into hiding, the Dark Elves resurface in the present amidst a convergence event whenJane Fosterinadvertently becomes infected with the Aether. In their quest to reclaim the Aether and plunge the universe in eternal darkness, they lay siege to Asgard, killingFrigga.Despite being scarred by Bor's grandsonThor,Malekith eventually succeeds in extracting the Aether from Foster and fusing with it, only to be defeated and killed by Thor via a teleportation deviceErik Selvigbuilt.
Video games
edit- Malekith the Accursed appears as a Boss inMarvel: Avengers Alliance.[citation needed]
- Malekith the Accursed appears inMarvel Heroes.[citation needed]
- Malekith the Accursed appears inLego Marvel Super Heroes,[28]voiced byStephen Stanton.
- Malekith, based on theThor: The Dark Worldincarnation, appears inThor: The Dark World: The Official Game,voiced byMarc Thompson.[26]
- Malekith appears as a playable character inMarvel: Future Fight.[citation needed]
- TheThor: The Dark Worldincarnation of Malekith appears inLego Marvel's Avengers.[citation needed]
- Malekith appears as a Boss inMarvel Future Revolution,voiced byJason Spisak.[29]
Miscellaneous
editMalekith appears in the motion comicWar of the Realms: Marvel Ultimate Comics,voiced byMackenzie Gray.[26]
References
edit- ^Thor: God of Thunder#25. Marvel Comics.
- ^Thor#344. Marvel Comics.
- ^Thor#345. Marvel Comics.
- ^Thor#346. Marvel Comics.
- ^Thor#347. Marvel Comics.
- ^Thor#348. Marvel Comics.
- ^Thor#349. Marvel Comics.
- ^Thor#367. Marvel Comics.
- ^The Incredible Hercules#132, 136. Marvel Comics.
- ^Iron Manvol. 5 #22, Kieron Gillen, 2014. Marvel Comics.
- ^Iron Manvol. 5 #23.NOW. Marvel Comics.
- ^Thor: God of Thunder#13–#17 (2013–2014). Marvel Comics.
- ^Thorvol. 4 #1–4. Marvel Comics.
- ^abThorvol. 4 #8. Marvel Comics.
- ^Thorvol. 4 #6. Marvel Comics.
- ^Thorvol. 4 #7. Marvel Comics.
- ^The Mighty Thorvol. 2 #1 (2016). Marvel Comics.
- ^War of the Realms#1. Marvel Comics.
- ^War of the Realms#2. Marvel Comics.
- ^War of the Realms#3. Marvel Comics.
- ^War of the Realms#4. Marvel Comics.
- ^War of the Realms#5. Marvel Comics.
- ^War of the Realms#6. Marvel Comics.
- ^Thorvol. 5 #15. Marvel Comics.
- ^Marvel Adventures: The Avengers#15 (October, 2007). Marvel Comics.
- ^abcd"Malekith Voices (Thor)".Behind The Voice Actors.RetrievedDecember 23,2019.A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
- ^Fleming, Mike (August 1, 2012)."We Have A 'Thor 2' Villain: Christopher Eccleston To Play Malekith The Accursed".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on August 3, 2012.RetrievedAugust 1,2012.
- ^Mahardy, Mike (December 23, 2013)."LEGO Marvel Asgard Character Pack Available Now".Archivedfrom the original on July 24, 2023.RetrievedMay 8,2024.
- ^@MarvelFutureRev (July 7, 2021).""This is starting to bore me. Shall we end this." Malekith sets his cruelty upon Midgardia in #MARVELFutureRevolution "(Tweet).RetrievedJune 6,2022– viaTwitter.