Dark Elves (Marvel)
Dark Elves are a species that feature in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
History
The Dark Elves were a race of beings that inhabited the realm of Svartalfheim which were one of the Ten Realms alongside Asgard that existed on the World Tree.
They were considered ancient when magic was new and had built their dominion in the hidden places of Earth where they dwelt in the shadows beyond the peripheral vision of their mortal cousins. Few had disturbed them and it was held that no enemy had ever breached the gates of faerie. (Thor v1 #377)
A cult of Dark Elves came to worship Llan the Sorcerer where he recruited them to his dark cause and they sacrificed in his name so that they could be summoned to join his dark armies. (Alpha Flight v1 #82)
At some point, the female Dark Elf Queen Alfyse came to power and served as ruler of Svartalfheim. Her Drow armies then gathered for an invasion of Midgard where she enslaved a number of Trolls to serve her. Hercules was dispatched to stop her attack and did so under the guise of Thor. Instead, he courted her and deceived him into becoming her consort where she intended to use this as a pretext for invading Earth. Despite her ambitions, Asgard sought to keep her in power as she was deemed a much more manageable ruler than Malekith the Accursed. (Incredible Hercules v1 #134)
A group of Dark Elves under Scumtongue then travelled into the frozen land of Hel known as Niffleheim. Once there, they braved through its various dangers in order to enter into the Hall of Nastrond where they battled the various creatures that guarded it so that they could reach the pit of woe. It was there they found Malekith the Accursed and freed him where he led them back into their realm of Svartalfheim. At first, Malekith believed his people would welcome his return but grew disgusted at how weak they had become since his imprisonment as they had appeased the Asgardians. This led to him gathering followers under his banner whilst murdering villages that did not march alongside him with him murdering many during this time. (Thor: God of Thunder v1 #13)
While Malekith slaughtered at least one more village, Alflyse came to the Skornheim Mountains of Nidavellir, escorted by Lord Swarmsuckle, to be protected by the Dwarf King. In exchange, she promised mining right to Svartalfheim's eastern spires. Meanwhile, Sir Wormsong, the greatest swordsman in Svartalfheim was sent to challenge Malekith at his camp at the Bloodmuch Swamp. Malekith accepted the challenge as he refused to being a shameful act but, bested, managed to defeat Wormsong using magic. Lady Waziria joined the League of Realms in order to avenge her tribe despite all the members' defiance and disapproval. The League was sent to Nidavellir as Alflyse had informed the Congress of her position and requested protection. Malekith tracked down Alfyse hiding in Nidavellir with the Dwarves and killed her, turning the Dark Elves into a state of civil war and chaos. Afterwards, Malekith's men hunted and killed Dark Elves refugees in all Realms leading to them being opposed by the League of Realms. (Thor: God of Thunder v1 #14) The Council of the Unhallowed, the Dark Elf tribal council, went into hiding in Midgard, and were asked by Thor at some point to debate his proposal of uniting behind an unique leader. (Thor: God of Thunder v1 #16) He then showed up on Earth where the Council of the Unhallowed gathered, and after a fight, the council declared that they had decided to unite their people with Malekith as their ruler. Scumtongue was appointed senator in the congress of worlds. (Thor: God of Thunder v1 #17)
During the start of the War of the Realms, Dark Elf assassins were dispatched to eliminate key Asgardians whilst they along their allies began the invasion of Midgard which was to be the final realm to fall before the dark cabal. (War of the Realms v1 #1)
In the aftermath, Svartalfheim fell into in-fighting as successors formed to make claims to ruling the realm. These included groups that were pro-Malekith and others that were anti-Malekith with some having even holding both stances. (Strikeforce v1 #8) After the destruction of the Black Bifrost, spores of the Vridai race fell from Svartalfaheim where they grew in Midgard allowing for the Serpent Prince Count Ophidian to emerge in the land of mortals where he sought to take over Earth. (Strikeforce v1 #1)
After Malekith's defeat, the Dark Elf clans went about choosing warriors to partake in the hunt to claim one of the Nyazen pups. The hunters during this hunt came to be killed by the Carnage Symbiote. (Carnage v3 #5)
Overview
In appearance, the Dark Elves were a blue-skinned elves that inhabited the Nine Realms. (Thor v1 #345) It was said that their race was ancient when magic was new. (Thor v1 #377)
Thus, iron was considered a terrible bane to their kind with Asgardian steel considered the most dangerous to them. (Thor v1 #377) Some had claimed them to be frail warriors before Asgardians. (Thor v1 #347)
One form of Elf were Smoke Elves who operated as assassins and could transform into smoke at will. (Invincible Iron Man v1 #508) Their realm was also home to the Vridai who were known as the Twisting Fey of Svartalfheim where they grew in dark caves with being formless creatures away from light that learnt to take any feature they wanted making them shapeshifters who grew from spores. It was said that they were akin to a virus of thought who could only take the shape of those that they had captured. (Strikeforce v1 #1) A group of noted spellcasters among the Dark Elves were the War Witches. (Mighty Thor v2 #5)
They were noted to play a form of three-storied Elvish chess as a game of wit. (Incredible Hercules v1 #134) Among their kind, an old Elvish sport was that of the Changelings which had been done for thousands of years. This involved them stealing children from Midgard supposedly to be replaced with an Elf who acted as a spy among humans though according to one account it was actually because the Dark Elves ate the child. (Iron Man v5 #24)
Dark Elves were known to conduct raids into other countries where they abducted unwary travellers to be sacrifices to their strange gods. (Alpha Flight v1 #82)
A tribal body of Dark Elf leaders was the Council of the Unhallowed. (Thor: God of Thunder v1 #16)
It was said that the Dark Elves worshipped strange gods. (Alpha Flight v1 #82)
Every sixteen cycles, the wolf goddess Nyaz having chased the moon in the sky then came to the mortal world of Svartalfheim to have her litter. For one night, she suckles her pups in a cave only to abandon them the next morning as she continued her endless chase. It was on that night the Dark Elves gathered six of their chosen to go forth and same a Nyazen pup with it expected that only a single survivor return. (Carnage v3 #4)
The Dark Elves were able to call forth the Wild Hunt that was summoned by the blowing of the hunting horn of faerie. This called forth the Hounds of the Hunter that could journey through the sky and sought out their quarry with them led by the Master of the Hounds who rode one of the large canines. If slain, the bodies of the hounds melted away during the dawn and their corpses were claimed by the realm of faerie. (Thor v1 #345) One artefact of their kind was the Mirror of Finvarra whose silvery form could be used to pierce the veil to see the mortal world and show visions of danger to them. (Thor v1 #377)
An item of Dark Elf creation were the Thoughtfeeders that were barrels that contained a creature with jet-black tentacles. It attached itself to a living being and probed their minds for information useful to its masters. (Strikeforce v1 #8) A rare and highly-prized item to the Dark Elves were the black-coated gems known as Dreamstones. They gave life to dreams, desires and fears with them capable of being attuned to certain purposes such as creating weapons. (Venom v5 #13)
It was shown that they made use of Water Elementals to serve as guards. (Thor v1 #347)
Their magics allowed them to work the Dolmens that were gateways between realms. (Alpha Flight v1 #82)
They built their dominion in the hidden places of the earth and dwelt in the shadows beyond the peripheral vision of their mortal cousins. (Thor v1 #377) Svartalfheim was said to be an evil place full of dire magic and creatures from the Twisted Realms. (Alpha Flight v1 #82)
The way of faerie was a blending of fantasy and reality. Despite this, it was said that the power of the Dark Elves was real and deadly. Entry into the realm primeval was through the Great Gates of Faerie. (Thor v1 #347)
One location within the realm was the Library of Sins that contained numerous scrolls and tomes about various spells. (Iron Man v5 #25)
Members
- Malekith :
- Algrim : Algrim the Strong
- Grendell : a one armed male whose mother weaved magics to prevent his death until the end of days with him developing a fearsome reputation that other Dark Elves came to fear him with him able to withstand the effects of iron. (Thor v1 #377)
- Wormwood : (Thor v1 #377)
- Bitterhand :
- Alfyse : female Dark Elf Queen of the Eastern Spires (Incredible Hercules v1 #123)
- Wormsong :
- Xan : a male Dark Elf, Painted Xan was called a philosopher warrior who learnt how hard to laugh as one pressed pins into the eyes of a Dwarf saint with him being a trusted hunter for Malekith. (Iron Man v5 #24)
- Snaggi : a female Dark Elf who was the daughter of a Giant, Snaggi the White was noted to had killed her father thus demonstrating supreme skill whereupon she fashioned his remains into her weapons with her becoming a trusted hunter for Malekith. (Iron Man v5 #24)
- Terrana : a female Dark Elf, Terrana of the Smoke was noted for her stealth and ability to hide with her being a trusted hunter for Malekith. (Iron Man v5 #24)
- Scumtongue :
- Mirka :
- Kraw :
- Varuen : a male Dark Elf blade-guard of Etor Dera and a victor of the lord's trials and a warrior of the Black Bile clan. (Carnage v3 #4)
- Kilereth : a male Dark Elf who was an acolyte of Kortain and a wizard of the Black Bile clan. (Carnage v3 #4)
- Morveita : a female Dark Elf who was a huntress of the Black Bile clan. (Carnage v3 #4)
- Xetien : a male Dark Elf who was a spearman of the Black Bile clan. (Carnage v3 #4)
- Y'Dreis : a female Dark Elf witch-crow. (Carnage v3 #4)
- Zeiste :
Notes
- The Dark Elves were created by Walt Simonson where they made their first appearance in Thor v1 #344 (June, 1984).
In other media
Television
- In Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Dark Elves were revealed to had died off with Malekith the Accursed being sent to Helheim as a result. However, under the direction of Loki, the Enchantress had Malekith resurrected as a half-dead being and tasked him with retrieving the Casket of Ancient Winters. Upon retrieving the relic, he betrayed the Enchantress and unleashed the Casket where he intended to bring about the rebirth of the Dark Elves from the ice during the attempt to freeze Midgard. He was ultimately defeated by Thor and Iron Man thus ending his plan. When the Avenger's were distributed around the Nine Realms, Black Panther was shown to had been deposited on the dead world of Svarltheim where the shadowy Dark Elves attack him until he managed to escape.
- In Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., they were antagonists in the episode "For Asgard" where they resembled the designs from Thor: The Dark World. It was said that they were a race of shadow magic users led by Malekith who destroyed their own world. They would go around the worlds to claim dark-energy for their needs whilst seeking a new home planet for themselves leading to conflicts with the Asgardians. Attempts to claim Midgard failed due to the intervention of Asgardians until Skaar removed the Odinsword sending a wave of dark energy that allowed the Dark Elves to invade Asgard until they were defeated by Thor with the help of the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
Film
- In Hulk Vs. Thor, the Dark Elves were briefly mentioned as among the many threats that faced Asgard during the time of the Odinsleep.
- In Thor: Tales of Asgard, the Dark Elves were one of the inhabitants of the Nine Realms until they were exterminated by the Frost Giants leaving only Algrim as the only survivor. The Asgardians managed to maintain a delicate peace with these inhabitants of Jotunheim with this being threatened when the young Prince Thor intended to travel to that land in search for Elderstahl which was the Lost Sword of Surter.
- In Thor: The Dark World, it was shown that the Dark Elves were a ruthless race that plagued the Nine Realms long ago. Their leader was shown to be Malekith who intended to end existence and bring about eternal darkness across the universe by releasing the Aether. This brought the wrath of the Asgardians led by Bor who stole the Aether and fought the Dark Elves in a fierce war. With his plan thwarted, Malekith sacrificed the majority of his people to kill the Asgardians whilst he fled with a small cadre into space. They remained asleep for thousands of years until the modern age when the convergence of the Nine Realms came to pass. Jane Foster accidently uncovered the Aether where it escaped into her body and this act awakened the Dark Elves from their slumber. They would besiege Asgard to recover her and ultimately acquire the Aether where Malekith attempted to spread it on Midgard during the convergence but they were all defeated by Thor and his allies.
- In Guardians of the Galaxy, a Dark Elf had a cameo appearance in the setting of the live-action film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Elf was shown as being a captive of the Collector who was kept in his collection on Knowhere.
Video games
- In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Dark Elves appeared as antagonists in the setting of the video game.
- In Marvel: Avengers Alliance, Dark Elves appeared as antagonists in the video game with enemy types including Cannoneers and Duskguards. When Asgard was cut from Midgard, the Dark Elves were shown to had invaded London on Earth.
- In Marvel Heroes, the Dark Elves appeared as antagonists in the MMORPG video game where they allied with Loki to invade the realms.
- In Marvel: Future Fight, the Dark Elves appeared as antagonists in the setting of the mobile video game.
Appearances
- Thor v1: (1984)
- Incredible Hercules v1:
- Mighty Thor v1:
- Iron Man v5:
- War of the Realms v1:
- Venom v5:
- Strikeforce v1:
- Carnage v3: (2022)
External Links
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