Supervillain Origins: Malekith The Accursed

Supervillain Origins: Malekith The Accursed

This dark elf has it out for large hammer carrying demi-gods. Welcome to Watchmojo.com, and today we will explore the origins of Malekith the Accursed.

As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginings and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen to primarily follow the storyline that unfolded in 1984’s Thor #344.

In his first comic appearance, this dark elf was revealed when Balder, was sent by fellow Asgardian Odin to deliver a message to his son Loki, in order to request his help in facing a great evil. Captured by trolls and brought before the trickster, Loki introduced Balder to his latest acquaintance, Malekith the faerie king.

This two toned practitioner of Faerie magic had arrived in Asgard to join forces with Loki to help him conquer the realm.

With Balder tried to talk sense into Loki, he was gagged by the trolls and sentenced to death by Malekith. Freeing himself, he fought back, slayed the entire troll army, and attempted to kill Malekith. After the fairy vanished into the shadows, Balder begged Loki to read Odin’s letter.

Instead, Loki tossed it aside, revealing his new allegiance was to the very evil that Odin feared, Malekith’s master, the demon Surtur.

Soon after, Malekith appeared on Earth, looking for an ancient weapon capable of freezing entire realms called the Casket of Ancient Winters.

Tracking down the human guardian in possession of the Casket, Malekith called for re-enforcements by sounding his hunting horn, an instrument beyond human hearing. As Thor was on Earth and could hear the noise, he traced it to its source.

Thor arrived as Malekith’s army of hellhounds began to emerge from a portal. With the Casket’s human guardian in sight, Thor dropped down and engaged the enemy.

Fighting the never-ending stream of beasts with his hammer, Thor decided to use a beam of Iron from a nearby bridge to fight back, as it was the one element that could harm Faerie realm creatures. Injuring Malekith, the dark elf retreated.

While Thor introduced himself to Willis, the Casket’s guardian, Malekith traveled to capture Thor’s lover Melodi, putting an impostor in her place to deliver a message.

When Thor and Willis traveled to Melodi’s penthouse, the imposter revealed itself to be a tree brought to life by Faerie magic, and demanded the casket in exchange for the woman’s life.

Traveling to Malekith’s castle in England with Willis and the Casket, Thor broke in and went on the offensive, laying waste to Malekith’s forces.

Meanwhile, the elf held Melodi suspended over flesh hungry creatures. This enraged Thor, causing him to storm forward and to fall into a bottomless chasm.

Delighted, Malekith tossed the girl aside and claimed the Casket from Willis. With it finally in hand, he announced to his army that they now had the power to freeze the Earth, before his demon master could remake it in a darker image.

While still in free-fall, Thor summoned his hammer to come and save him. With it in hand, he flew up to continue the fight.

With Malekith busy torturing Willis, Thor used his hammer to shock the faerie, which also removed any shadow for him to escape into. Though Malekith used his powers to shape shift into a large creature, he was no match.

Desperate, Malekith grabbed Willis’ gun and attempted to shoot Thor. However, Willis hit the elf in the back, deflecting the bullet into the Casket of Ancient Winters.

In the aftermath, Thor took Malekith prisoner, and Odin took the fight to his master with the forces of Asgard.

In later comics, Malekith returned to cause more trouble for the people of Asgard and Earth.

A powerful foe, and ally of Loki, Malekith has since appeared in various media, including the cartoon series “Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”. In 2013, he made his live action debut as actor Christopher Eccleston brought him to life in “Thor: The Dark World”.

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