Kurse

: "Let my life be sacrificed. It is no less than what our people did. Or you have done.""You will become darkness, cursed to this existence until it consumes you."
: ―Algrim and Malekith[src]
Algrim the Strong (Shiväisith: Älgrim) was a lieutenant of the Dark Elves' leader Malekith. Loyally serving his master in the war against the Asgardians, he was one of the few Dark Elves who survived the war that almost wiped out their race and cost them the Aether. 5,000 years later, Algrim did not hesitate to sacrifice his own life to be transformed into the last of the Kursed to gain their revenge on Asgard. Kurse then helped Malekith to unleash the Sacking of Asgard, and killed Frigga. Once Malekith obtained the Aether, Kurse attempted to kill Thor, only to be challenged by Loki whom he then (seemingly) fatally wounded. In his "final" moments, Loki activated one of Kurse's Black Hole Grenades on his belt and destroyed the Kursed monster's body once and for all.
== Biography ==
=== War with Asgard ===
==== Defeated by King Bor ====
: "Malekith, the Asgardians attack.""Send in the Kursed!"
: ―Algrim and Malekith[src]
Algrim served his race as Malekith's most loyal Lieutenant. When the Dark Elves attempted to unleash the power of the Aether on the Nine Realms during the Convergence, they were confronted by the Asgardians under the command of their king, Bor. Sensing Bor's arrival, Algrim interrupted Malekith's attempt to use the Aether by informing him that the battle had begun. Under Malekith's orders, Algrim led the Dark Elf forces, sending out legions of Kursed soldiers using Kurse Stones to gain strength.
The battle quickly turned against the Dark Elves, with the Asgardians' claiming the Aether from Malekith before he could use its destructive power. In a last ditch attack, Malekith dropped the Dark Elf air fleet onto both armies, causing numerous causalities on both sides. Malekith, Algrim, and several dozen Dark Elf warriors escaped on the last ship, entering a protracted hibernation until the time of the next Convergence.
=== The Last of the Kursed ===
==== Soldier for the Dark Elves ====
: "You will be the last of Kursed.""Let my life be sacrificed. It is no less than our people did, or you have done."
: ―Malekith and Algrim[src]
Remaining in their hibernation cells for five thousand years, the time of the Convergence finally came and Jane Foster of Earth unintentionally discovered and absorbed the Aether, becoming a host body to its power. The Dark Elves sensed the Aether and awoke from their slumber. Malekith awakened his soldiers, including Algrim and told them of the Aether's return before returning to Svartalfheim. Upon locating the Aether, Malekith found out it was gone. Algrim asked how that could be. Malekith explained that it was taken, he then told him army that it was time to kill the Asgardians.
Horrified at seeing the remains of their homeworld, Algrim comforted Malekith. Discovering the Aether host was on Asgard, Malekith set his sights for revenge before turning to Algrim for his loyalty. Algrim readily agreed to make the ultimate sacrifice for the Dark Elves and volunteered to become the last of the Kursed, a type of Dark Elf super soldier created from pure darkness. Malekith stabbed Algrim in his stomach with the Dark Matter Dagger, and inserted a Kurse Stone within him.
Departing from the Ark, Algrim disguised himself as a member of the Marauders, hiding his face beneath a horned, beastial mask helmet. Falling into ranks with a group of Marauders, Algrim allowed himself to be captured by the Asgardians. Alongside other Marauders, Algrim was taken by Fandral and Volstagg into Asgard via the Bifrost Bridge where he was marched past Heimdall and taken to the Asgardian Dungeons.
==== Sacking of Asgard ====
: "You might want to take the stairs on the left."
: ―Loki to Kurse[src]
Inside the Asgardian Dungeons, Algrim removed the Kurse Stone from his stomach and crushed it with his fist. The stone melted into lava and was absorbed into Algrim's entire body, merging his clothes and helmet into his skin, turning him into a giant beast. The other prisoners in his cell began banging on the cell's walls and calling upon the Einherjar for help, horrified by the sight, before Kurse unleashed an explosion within the cell which knocked them all to the ground.
Using a terrified Marauder, Kurse, now full of new and immense power, smashed his way out the cell using his victim's face. Using his newfound strength, Kurse let loose the rest of the imprisoned Marauders on the Asgardian guards. Kurse grabbed two guards by the throats, whose swords were unable to penetrate his body, and burn the skin off their faces with his new power. Kurse then freed the other prisoners, including Lorelei, to begin a riot.
Before leaving the dungeons with the battle between the Marauders and the Guards in full force as the Warriors Three and Thor came to assist to subdue the rioters, Kurse encountered the smiling Loki still locked in his cell. Believing that Loki was of no benefit to him during this skirmish due to his lack of physical strength, Kurse decided to leave Loki inside his cell, who went on to give Kurse directions as to find what he was looking for within Asgard.
Taking Loki's advice, Kurse soon located the Asgardian Shield Generator, which was guarded by many highly trained Einherjar guards. Using his new powers, Kurse burned away all Asgardian Guards he crossed, despite their best efforts to stop him. Kurse then approached the Generator and destroyed it, allowing the rest of the Dark Elves to invade Asgard onboard their Dark Elf Harrows, which crash-landed inside the palace.
With the invasion of Asgard going ahead, Kurse then went on to search for Malekith, finding him in mid-duel with the Queen Frigga. Disarming her and holding her hostage under his powerful arms, Kurse watched as Malekith attempted to take the Aether from Jane Foster, who was revealed to be an illusion created by Frigga. Knowing she would not reveal Foster's location, Kurse stabbed her in the back with her own sword, killing her.
Witnessing the death of his mother, Thor, the Asgardian Prince, rushed to the scene and fired a bolt of lightning at Malekith from Mjølnir, burning his face. Kurse grabbed his master and ran for the balcony, while Thor threw his hammer at Kurse, only for it to knock the duo over the balcony and onto the Ark. Escaping from Asgard, Kurse had Malekith put into hibernation to recover from his wounds and regain his strength.
==== Regaining the Aether ====
: "We must attack now.""No. Asgard is not important anymore. The Aether has returned."
: ―Kurse and Malekith[src]
Returning to Svartalfheim as they remained within the Ark, they awaited their chance to attack again. Malekith awoke from his sleep, and Kurse advised him to recovery quickly as they were ready to attack Asgard once again to regain their prize. However, Malekith informed them that Asgard was now meaningless as he sensed that the Aether was now on their own home planet again.
Kurse joined his master's side as they left their ship and sighted Thor, Loki, and Jane Foster standing on a hilltop. Out of the blue, Loki then betrayed Thor, stabbing him and kicking him down the hill, before chopping off his hand. Grabbing Foster as his prisoner, Loki revealed that he originated from Jotunheim and wanted to see Asgard's demise. Kurse confirmed this to Malekith, stating that he was a prisoner in the Asgardian Dungeons.
Malekith accepted Loki's aid and mocked the Asgardian Prince for his failure to stop him, before he began to draw the Aether out of Foster's body, while Kurse looked on. Loki, however, revealed his betrayal as a trick at the very moment Foster's body was cleared of the Aether's power. Loki returned Thor's hand who summoned his hammer, Mjølnir, and struck the Aether with lightning, shattering it into a thousand pieces across the wasteland planet.
==== Fighting Asgardians ====
: "See you in Hel, monster!"
: ―Loki to Kurse[src]
Fortunately for the Dark Elves, Malekith revealed the Aether was too strong to be destroyed so easily and absorbed it into himself, becoming all powerful while Thor looked on in horror. Leaving with his master for the Ark, Kurse threw a Black Hole Grenade at Loki, only for Thor to save him before he could be killed. Staying behind as the ship left, Kurse challenged Thor to a final fight to the death, throwing him around Svartalfheim with his vastly superior strength.
Proving himself stronger, Kurse threw a huge boulder at the Asgardian prince and even deflected Thor's hammer before he began savagely beating him on the ground, in an attempt to beat him to death. Before he could kill Thor, Loki suddenly stabbed Kurse through the chest with a sword, only for the unaffected Kurse to grab him and force him against his body, pushing the blade straight through Loki before throwing his bleeding body to the ground.
As Kurse prepared to finish off the God of Mischief, Loki managed to gain the last laugh against the Dark Elf. Loki had used the opportunity to activate Kurse's Black Hole Grenades attached to the monster's belt, telling Kurse he would see him in Hel. Seeing the deception too late, Kurse attempted to save himself but he was unable to remove the grenade in time, Kurse was sucked into the black hole and ultimately killed as his body was crushed from the inside.
== Personality ==
Algrim's most defined trait was his undying loyalty. Like the other Dark Elves, Algrim held great respect for his leader, Malekith, even willing to go through a painful transformation through the Kurse Stone willingly. In the Kursed form, Algrim had become a monstrous brute who easily scored of Asgardians with ease, and being a formidable opponent for Thor during their battle.
== Powers and Abilities ==
=== Powers ===
: "You will become darkness, cursed to this existence until it consumes you. Until then, no power our enemies possess can stop you."
: ―Malekith to Algrim[src]
* Dark Elf Physiology/Kurse Stone Enhancement: Algrim possessed various superhuman attributes, some of which are common to the Dark Elf race. As a Kursed, Algrim became one of the most physically powerful beings in the Nine Realms, surpassing even Thor's immense strength.
** Superhuman Strength: Algrim's original level of strength as a Dark Elf was increased to tremendously superhuman levels thanks to the Kurse Stone. Kurse proved able to easily smash Asgardian architecture, punch right through nigh-impenetrable Asgardian force fields, send Thor flying, and knock him down with a single blow, completely overpowering the mighty Asgardian in a brutal fight, to the point that the otherwise nigh-invulnerable Thor sustained injuries and was unable to effectively fight back. Kurse was unfazed by blows from Mjølnir, and was able deflect the hammer in full flight with a blow, despite it being one of the most powerful weapons in existence.
** Superhuman Durability: After becoming Kursed, Algrim's body became extremely durable and resistant to physical injury. He was able to withstand Asgardian blades, a direct blast from the Asgardian Shield generator, and direct blows from Thor and Mjølnir with no apparent injury or effect. A Black Hole Grenade was one of the few things powerful enough to destroy Kurse completely.
** Superhuman Stamina: Kurse was able to sustain a high performance for an extended amount of time. He easily made his way to the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf. He also battled Thor and Loki for a long time on Svartalfheim before his death.
** Superhuman Reflexes: Kurse had tremendous reflexes, being able to take out many Einherjar soldiers while not being able to touch Kurse. However, he could not dodge Loki's finishing stab that killed him.
** Regenerative Healing Factor: Despite his superhuman durability, Algrim could be injured. However, Algrim's Dark Elf physiology, along with his Kursed enhancement, allowed him to regenerate at a rapid rate.
** Longevity: Algrim had been alive for more than 5,000 years, not visibly aging in the span between the first Convergence and the second. For comparison, Bor, king of Asgard at the time of the first Convergence, was long dead by the second, with his son and heir Odin being very old even by Asgardian standards.
** Heat Generation: When consuming the Kurse Stone for the first time, Kurse's body started getting very hot, which he used to break out of the prison. Using the heat generation, he could kill anybody at his touch. He did this by seemingly draining their life, turning them into scorched corpses. He used it against several Einherjar who attempted to stop him as he fought his way through the prison and headed for the Asgardian Shield Generator.
=== Abilities ===
: "I will tear down their defenses and ensure your return to a universe reborn."
: ―Algrim to Malekith[src]
* Master Combatant: As a Kursed, Algrim became a formidable hand-to-hand combatant, relying primarily on brawling techniques that allowed him to make full use of his tremendous strength, enabling him to overpower Thor himself without much effort, despite the latter's great strength and possession of one of the most powerful weapons in existence.
* Multilingualism: Algrim was fluent in his native Shiväisith, the language of the Dark Elves, and also understood English, though he did not speak the latter when conversing with Malekith.
== Equipment ==
=== Weapons ===
* Black Hole Grenade: A weapon primarily used by the Dark Elves capable of creating miniature gravitational singularities. These were one of the few weapons capable of killing him after using the Kurse Stone.
=== Other Equipment ===
* Kurse Stone: A mystical artifact given to him by Malekith to transform him into the last of the Kursed, granting him vast levels of strength and durability at the cost of certain death some time after using it.
=== Vehicles ===
* Ark: Algrim and the rest of the Dark Elves were banished on the Ark until they were awakened by the Convergence.
== Facilities ==
* Asgardian Dungeons: Kurse purposely got imprisoned so he could break everyone out causing a divergence.
== Relationships ==
=== Allies ===
* Dark Elves
** Malekith † - Leader
* Marauders - Situational Allies
** Duhg †
* Lorelei	
=== Enemies ===
* Asgardians
** Bor †
** Odin †
** Freyja † - Victim
** Thor - Attempted Victim
** Heimdall †
** Einherjar
* Jane Foster †
* Loki - Attempted Victim and Killer
== Trivia ==
* In the comics, Algrim was the largest and strongest of the Dark Elves, who becomes Kurse after being defeated by Thor. He eventually reformed and was given the name Valgoth. He died defending Asgard and its children during Ragnarök.
** The mask that Algrim wears right before becoming a Kursed is a nod to his original appearance in the comics.
* A different version of Algrim, this one called Kurse, appears in the non-canon comic Captain America & Thor: Avengers!. When Thor, Volstagg, and Hogun broke into the Citadel of Spires, Kurse was summoned to fight against them.
* Algrim is mentioned as the Kurse, when in fact he became a Kursed. The Kursed are any Dark Elves who are altered by the Kursed Stone.
* According to Craig Kyle, Algrim likely would be content with a planet on which the Dark Elves would live in peace, but chose to follow Malekith in his destructive quest to bring back the eternal night.
== References ==
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Kurse.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki has a collection of quotes related to Kurse.
# ↑ Jump up to:1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Thor: The Dark World
# ↑ Erik Selvig release papers on "14/11/13"
# ↑ Thor: The Dark World Deleted Scene
# ↑ The Art of Thor: The Dark World, page 87.
== External Links ==
* Kurse on Marvel Database
* Kurse on Wikipedia