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    Malekith

    Character » Malekith appears in 220 issues.

    The ruler of the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim and a powerful practitioner of Dark Faerie Magic. He is a very powerful enemy of both the male Thor and female Thor (Jane Foster).

    Short summary describing this character.

    Malekith last edited by DA25AK02 on 11/05/20 08:06PM View full history

    Origin

    Centuries ago Malekith was born in the Dark Woods in miserable surroundings. From his birth on, he was different then his peers since his face was half light, half dark. His own mother had sold him to merchants for her own gain. Eventually, Malekith returned to his mother, now a grown Elf, and killed her. Malekith proved himself to be an enemy of both the humans of Earth and the gods of Asgard. Malekith's greatest weapon was the Casket of Ancient Winters, which contained mystical forces that could reproduce the overwhelming frigidity of another of the Nine Worlds, Niffleheim, the realm of ice. To prevent Malekith from releasing the contents of the casket, Eric Willis, a mortal man, stole the casket. Without the casket's power Malekith was unable to protect himself from the wrath of Odin, the All-Father, Ruler of Asgard. Odin banished Malekith to another dimension where he remained for centuries

    Creation

    Malekith the Accursed was created by Walkter Simnonson and first appeared in Thor Vol.1 issue 341 (1984).

    Major Story Arcs

    Against Asgard

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    Malekith was freed in recent times by the fire demon Surtur, ruler of Muspelheim, who became Malekith's master. Surtur's first command was for Malekith to regain the Casket of Ancient Winters so it could be used on Earth, to usher in the Invasion forces of Muspelheim. Odin dispatched his ravens Huginn and Muninn to spy on the forces of Muspelheim. Huginn was murdered by Surtur, and Muninn was injured. Malekith tried unsuccessfully to prevent Muninn from escaping. Shortly after this Malekith was ordered by Surtur to form an alliance with Loki. The alliance was meant to ensure that Loki would not aid the forces of Asgard. Knowing that Surtur intended to destroy Asgard Loki deceived Malekith and had no intention of watching Asgard fall. The magic from the Casket had preserved Eric Willis and he was still the same age as when he stole it.

    Malekith had his human agents harass Eric, in an attempt to regain the Casket, this eventually lead to his being murdered by Malekith himself. The Casket was recovered by Willis' son Roger. Tired of being denied his prize; Malekith summoned the Wild Hunt, a pack of demonic hounds, to track Roger Willis. But was eventually defeated and presumed dead after Kurse had broken his neck.

    Incredible Hercules

    However, Malekith only feigned his death would return years later,disguising himself as Balder, and tricked Hercules to attack Alflyse, the Dark Elf Queen of the Eastern Spires, while Hercules was dressed as Thor. His scheme unraveled (partially due to the appearance of Thor disguised as Hercules), and he was struck down by Zeus, beaten again, and seemingly imprisoned.

    War among the Realms

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    Many months later, a group of Dark Elves discovered the location of Malekith's prison, a cold dark pit in which he was held captive and barely alive. The group of Dark Elves freed Malekith, with their own death as a result. Malekith took this chance of newfound freedom to once more gain power among the Dark Elves and soon managed to unleash a civil war in the 9 realms, having to fight against Thor, Asgard and all it's allies. He lost this battle, but was not defeated.

    Months later, Malekith again found powerful allies in the form of the Roxxon oil-company from Earth and formed an alliance with the Frost-Giants. Malekith this time even managed to defeat Thor (whom at the time was no longer the wielder of Mjolnir the enchanted hammer), and cut of his arm. Together, Malekith and the Frost-Giants managed to do even greater evil, by gathering the remains of Laufey, King of the Frost-Giants and returning him to life. Malekith however found out later that, in the wake of Thor's defeat, a new female Thor had appeared that was determined to stop his evil plans.

    Powers

    Physically, the race of Dark Elves are typically more agile, and faster than the standard Asgardian. They also possess greater and sharper senses. While they are not quite as strong as the Asgardians, they still possess superhuman strength on the par of 15 to 25tons in lifting/carrying capacity. Malekith is a particularly strong member of the Dark Elves, but the limits of his strength remain undefined. In the movie, “Thor: The Dark World,” once Malekith absorbed the Ether (one of the Infinity Stones), his physical strength nearly matched Thor’s.

    Malekith is very adept in wielding the various magics of his people. He also has access to the advanced weaponry (both mystical and scientific) of his race, which rivals that of the Asgardians themselves. He is a highly adept fighter, but typically prefers to utilize his arsenal of arcane and technological artifacts in battle.

    Other Media

    Television

    Avengers: EMH
    Avengers: EMH
    • Malekith appears in the episode "The Casket of Ancient Winters" voiced by Quinton Flynn. He is shown to be working with Enchantress and Loki to obtain the Casket of Ancient Winters before betraying them in order to use the casket to resurrect his people, the Dark Elves, as well as bring about an endless winter on Earth. He is defeated through the combined efforts of Iron Man, Black Panther and Thor when Iron Man uses his metal suit as a superconductor to channel Thor's mystical lighting through the Dark Elf. It is presumed that Malekith perished in the ensuing battle, but given the undead nature of his character that remains to be seen.
    • Malekith appears in the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. episode "For Asgard," voiced by James C. Mathis III.

    Film

    Christopher Eccleston as Malekith
    Christopher Eccleston as Malekith
    • Malekith makes a cameo appearance in the Hulk Vs. Thor segment of the Hulk Vs. DVD.
    • In Thor: The Dark World, Malekith the Accursed is played by Christopher Eccleston. After countless years in a state of hibernation, Malekith awakes and leads the Dark Elves to war in order to obtain the Aether (one of the Infinity Stones) and return the universe to a state of darkness so his race may rule again. During his initial raid on Asgard, Malekith draws Thor's ire after killing Frigga. This results in Thor striking Malekith with a bolt of lightning, which burns his face and causes him to more closely resemble his comic book counterpart. He later attempts to extract the Aether from Jane Foster's body, but is outsmarted and eventually defeated by Loki and Thor. He is apparently killed after being crushed to death by one of his ships.

    Video Games

    Lego Avengers
    Lego Avengers
    • Malekith the Accursed appears as a boss in Marvel: Avengers Alliance. He is featured in the 14th Spec-Ops that revolves around the plot from Thor: The Dark World.
    • Malekith the Accursed appears in Marvel Heroes.
    • Malekith the Accursed appears in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by Stephen Stanton. In a bonus mission at Jotunheim, Malekith the Accursed has collaborated with Laufey where they have captured Heimdall causing Thor and Loki to rescue Heimdall. Thor and Loki are able to defeat Malekith and free Heimdall.
    • Malekith appears as a playable character in the mobile game Marvel: Future Fight.
    • Malekith appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel's Avengers.

    Merchandise

    Marvel Legends
    Marvel Legends
    • Malekith was featured in the HeroClix figure game in both his movie and comic incarnations.
    • The movie version of Malekith was featured in Diamond Select's Minimates line as part of a two-pack with Thor.
    • A lead figurine of the cinematic version of Malekith was featured in The Marvel Movie Collection from Eaglemoss Publications.
    • Malekith was featured in Hasbro's Marvel Legends line as part of the "Battle for Asgard" box set, a San Diego Comic-Con 2017 exclusive timed to coincide with the release of Thor: Ragnarok.
    • Malekith was featured in Hasbro's Marvel Legends line as part of the Cull Obsidian Build-a-Figure wave, which was timed to coincide with the release of Avengers: Infinity War.

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