MALEKITH

bio-malekith.jpg (44361 bytes)First Appearance:  Thor #344
Origin Issue:  not yet revealed

Real Name:  Malekith
Aliases:  Angel, Master of the Hounds, Dark Elf, Balder

Height:  6' 9"
Weight:  185lbs
Eyes:  (left eye) no pupil or iris visible, (right eye) Blue
Hair:  Blonde-white
Distinguishing Features:  None

Occupation:  Ruler of the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim
Citizenship:  Svartalfheim, Asgard
Place of Creation/Birth:  Svartalfheim
Place of Death:  Asgard City, Asgard
Cause of Death:  Neck broken by Kurse

Known Relatives:  None
Known Allies:  Surtur, Hela, Loki
Known Enemies:  Odin, Thor, Gods of Asgard, Eric Willis (deceased), Roger Willis, Kurse

Intelligence:  Gifted (6/10)
Strength:  Superhuman Class 10, (magically enhanced larger form) Superhuman Class 90 (6/12), (10/12)
Speed:  Superhuman (6/10)
Stamina:  Superhuman (6/10)
Durability:  Superhuman (7/14)
Agility:  Superhuman (6/7)
Reflexes:  Superhuman (6/7)
Fighting Skills:  Moderate proficiency at hand to hand combat
Special Skills/Abilities:  Unrevealed
Superhuman physical powers:  Ability to manipulate magical forces for a variety of effects, including teleportation, energy projection, physical malleability, flight (by transforming into mist) and the ability to change the shape and appearance of other beings or objects
Superhuman Mental Powers:  Illusion casting
Special Limitations:  Vulnerability to iron (disrupts or cancels his magical spells)
Source of Superhuman Powers:  Above average development of the normal attributes of the race of elves, manipulation of the forces of magic
Personal Weaponry:  None
Other Accessories: None

History:
    Malekith is known as the Accused by Asgardians (just as Thor is probably known as the Accursed in Jotunheim), because of unrevealed misdeeds in ages past.  Malekith is one of Asgard's most bitter and evil enemies.  He enjoys deception and corrupting the reputations of worthy Asgardians (such as Baler), as well as playing with mortals.  While Malekith is supposedly dead, as Loki says:  "the first thing a sorcerer of quality does is make oneself as difficult to kill as possible."  It is quite likely Malekith found some way to escape death.  Malekith is a mortal enemy of Kurse
    Malekith the Accursed was the ruler of the Dark Elves, one of the Nine Worlds of Asgardian cosmology.  The Dark Elves are also known as the Faerie of Celtic mythology and of Arthurian legend.  The principal nexus between Earth and Svartalfheim lies beneath a palace (that is now in ruins) in the Cotswolds of Britain.
    Centuries ago, Malekith proved himself to be an enemy of both the human beings 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 casket's contents, a mortal human being who was later known as Eric Willis stole and hid the Casket.  Without the magic of the Casket, Malekith was unable to conceal himself from the wrathful Odin, monarch of Asgard.  Odin banished Malekith into an other-dimension "black limbo" where the Dark Elf remained until recent times.
    Malekith was released from his exile by the fire demon Surtur, master of Muspelheim, whom Malekith then served.  Surtur ordered Malekith to regain the Casket of Ancient Winters and to used its power to create chaos on Earth that would prepare the way for its invasion by the legions of Muspelheim.
    Odin dispatched his ravens Hugin and Munin to investigate events in the distant "burning galaxy," where Surtur was active.  Surtur slew Hugin, and Malekith unsuccessfully pursued the injured Munin.  Surtur also had Malekith go to Loki, the foster son of Odin, and gain Loki's pledge to withhold his support from Asgard's forces when Surtur attacked them.  Loki, however, deceived Malekith, knowing that Surtur intended to destroy Asgard.
    Due to the magic of the Casket of Ancient Winters, Eric Willis had remained alive and young ever since he had stolen it.  Willis, who lived in New York, was menaced by Malekith's human agents and was finally killed by Malekith himself, who used his shape-shifting ability to take the form of a beautiful woman named Angel.  Willis's son, Roger, found the Casket.
    Now, however, Malekith launched the Wild Hunt to track Roger Willis and the Casket down.  Willis was attacked on a bridge by Malekith, in his guise as the Master of the Hounds, and a horde of demonic dogs.  Odin's son, the thunder god Thor, arrived, and together he and Willis slew a number of the hounds and force the Dark Elf to retreat.
    Subsequently, Malekith captured the Asgardian goddess Lorelei, who had been attempting to get the unsuspecting Thor to drink a potion that would force him to fall in love with her.  Malekith used his sorcery to trick Thor into drinking the potion.  Then Malekith revealed to Thor that he held the true Lorelei prisoner and demanded the Casket in exchange for her release.
    Filled with passion for Lorelei, Thor went to the Dark Elves' palace into the Cotswolds, accompanied by Willis, who brought along the Casket, although they intended to rescue Lorelei without surrendering it.  The two allies then passed through the nexus into the Realm of Faerie itself (presumably Svartalfheim).
    Thor next fought Malekith himself, who took the form of a gigantic, armored warrior, but the thunder god quickly defeated him.  Thor scattered the rest of the Dark Elves and rescued Lorelei, but Malekith, recovering, seized Willis's gun and hurled it at the Casket.  The impact shattered the Casket, releasing its magical force, which spread frigid temperatures and blizzards over the Earth.  Thor struck Malekith down and then took him to Asgard, where Odin sentenced the Dark Elf to imprisonment in the Dungeon of No Escape.
    There followed the war between the forces of Asgard and those of Muspelheim.  In a confrontation with Odin, Surtur drew the magical forces of the Casket away from Earth, thereby restoring its normal weather, in order to use its forces to imprison Odin within ice.  But while Odin had been battling Surtur in Asgard, Willis had been reassembling the broken Casket.  As soon as Willis finished his task and closed the Casket's lid, the Casket's enchantments returned and Odin disappeared.
    Malekith later escaped from his prison and went to the palace of Loki, claiming to want to be his ally.  When Balder was about to be crowned as the missing Odin's successor as ruler of Asgard, Malekith tricked Lorelei into giving Loki a drugged drink.  Malekith magically gave Loki Malekith's own appearance.  Loki, as Malekith, was captured and Thor, unaware of who the prisoner really was, had him placed in the Dungeon of No Escape.  The true Malekith had taken the form of Balder to become the new ruler of Asgard himself.
    However, the otherdimensional entity known as the Beyonder had transformed a Dark Elf named Algrim into the vastly powerful being called Kurse.  Kurse was obsessed with taking vengeance on Malekith, who was responsible for his near death in a pool of molten lava.  Kurse saw through Malekith's magical disguise as Balder, leapt upon Malekith and broke his neck, killing him.  An observer, Agnar, touched the supposed Balder's corpse with his sword and the corpse of Malekith reverted to its true appearance.

Significant Issues: 

Appearances
Heroes For Hire #14
Thor #344-349, 366-368, 485-489

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