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Executioner (character)

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The Executioner
Skurge, the original Executioner, as depicted in Hulk #10 (August 1978).
Art by Bob Layton.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceJourney into Mystery #103 (April 1964)
Created byStan Lee (writer)
Jack Kirby (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoSkurge
SpeciesAsgardian Half-giant
Team affiliationsMasters of Evil
Mandarin's Minions
Legion of the Unliving
Einherjar (warriors of Valhalla)
Lethal Legion
PartnershipsLoki
Enchantress
Notable aliasesHans Grubervelt, The Evil One
AbilitiesSuperhuman strength, stamina, durability, and visual acuity
Extended lifespan
Use of enchanted axe

The Executioner is the name of different fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Skurge, an Asgardian, is originally depicted as a supervillain who wields a magic double-bladed battle axe. Skurge falls in love with the Enchantress and is frequently used in schemes by her and the trickster god Loki.[1] He is a long-time antagonist of Thor and other heroes of the Marvel universe and is a member of the original Masters of Evil.[2] Eventually, he joins the heroes of Asgard in a mission to Hel, where he sacrifices his axe to destroy Naglfar, the ship of the dead, and delays Ragnarok, sacrificing his life to hold the bridge at Gjallarbrú so the heroes can escape Hel. After a time trapped in Hel, he joins the honored dead in Valhalla.

The name was later used by two other characters: an axe-wielding android member of the Crazy Gang and a vigilante named Daniel DuBois, the son of Princess Python.

Skurge has made several appearances in media, such as animated television series, video games, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor: Ragnarok (2017), in which he was portrayed by Karl Urban.

Publication history

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The Executioner first appeared in Journey into Mystery #103 (April 1964), and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.[3]

Fictional character biography

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Skurge

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Skurge was born in Jotunheim; he is the son of an unnamed Storm Giant and an unnamed Skornheim goddess, making him a half-giant. He later becomes a warrior, gaining the name Executioner after fighting in a war against the Storm Giants. Skurge has always had feelings for Amora, the Enchantress, and regularly aids her in various evil schemes to gain control of Asgard. However, the Enchantress only manipulates him, using her charms to keep Skurge under her thrall. Loki, the trickster god, also has used Skurge many times.

In his first appearance, the Executioner teams with the Enchantress to battle Thor at the behest of Loki. He exiles Jane Foster to another dimension and tries to get Thor to surrender his hammer to him in exchange for Jane. Thor agrees to this, but when the Enchantress turns Skurge to a tree for bringing Foster back he releases Thor from the bargain, whereupon Thor returns the two to Asgard.[4] The Executioner and the Enchantress are exiled to Earth by Odin, where they learn of Zemo from a newspaper. They become members of Baron Heinrich Zemo's original Masters of Evil and fight the Avengers. The Executioner disguises himself as a former aide of Zemo, and lures Captain America to Zemo's kingdom, while the Enchantress uses her powers to turn Thor against the Avengers. Later the Executioner helps Zemo escape from Captain America by knocking out Cap.[5] Skurge remained with Baron Zemo's Masters of Evil for some time. The Masters of Evil created Wonder Man, who was meant to trick and destroy the Avengers. When the Executioner was defeated by Wonder Man testing his power, he worried about controlling him, though Zemo revealed Wonder Man would die within a week unless given an antidote. The gloating Skurge was derided by Wonder Man, who did not like the need for trickery and deceit. The group's plan to kill the Avengers was thwarted by Wonder Man, and Skurge and his allies were defeated.[6]

The Executioner menaced Jane Foster, and fought Balder as any ally of Loki.[7] He was later among the villains assembled by Doctor Doom to destroy the Fantastic Four using a mind-control machine, but due to Mister Fantastic the villains all had their memory of this event erased.[8]

Apart from the Enchantress, Skurge attempted to establish an empire by the conquest of an alternate future Earth. He battled the Hulk after he was accidentally transported there.[9]

He was reunited with the Enchantress, and joined the Mandarin's attempted world conquest with four other villains after being taken to his base by teleportation technology. He attacked the Asian sub-continent with an army of trolls due to the valuable diamonds that were there, and fought Hercules in another dimension he had transported them to with his axe, but was beaten and thrown at a giant the Enchantress had created to defeat the Scarlet Witch, destroying it.[10]

He next led a Troll invasion of Asgard.[11] Odin banished him to the realm of Casiolena. Skurge abandoned the Enchantress to become Casiolena's co-ruler.[12] He led Casiolena's forces against the Defenders, and resumed his alliance with the Enchantress.[13]

Skurge attacked Doctor Strange alongside Enchantress, but they were defeated.[14] He later battled the Defenders and the Thing as the Enchantress's ally.[15]

Skurge led an assault on Asgard, and fought Balder again.[16] With the Enchantress, he serves as Loki's lieutenant during his brief rule of Asgard.[17] With the Enchantress, he joined with the forces of Asgard against Surtur.[18]

Once Amora the Enchantress set her sights on Heimdall as a potential lover, Skurge sought to ease the wounds of his heart in battle, joining Thor, Balder, and the Einherjar on a rescue mission in Hel. A group of souls belonging to living humans had been trapped there by Malekith the Accursed, and Hela had refused to permit them to return to Midgard (Earth).[19] Despite initial misgivings, Thor permitted Skurge to accompany the group. Skurge is tempted by Amora, who claims Heimdall had slain her. This was not Amora, but Mordonna, a shapeshifting sorceress in the employ of Hela. The disguise is revealed when Skurge decides to trust Balder more than the desires of his own heart. Hela whisks Mordonna away before Skurge can gain revenge.

Naglfar, the ship of the dead, is nearing ready to sail, and Hela promises Skurge a place of honor beside her on it at the battle of Ragnarok. Enraged at being manipulated, Skurge destroys the ship with his axe. The group is pursued out of Hel, with Skurge sacrificing himself to protect them from Hela.[20]

Skurge has remained dead since, with his spirit residing in Hel. In "The War of the Realms", he helps battle Malekith and is transported to Valhalla.[21]

Brute Benhurst

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After Skurge's death, Amora gave his Bloodaxe to a mortal called Brute Benhurst, making him a replacement Executioner. Thor initially thought the new villain might be Skurge returned from the dead, as he wore a mask. Thor tried not to fight him until the Executioner hit Kevin Masterson (son of Eric Masterson). Thor recognized hitting a kid as an ignoble thing which Skurge would never do, and defeated the new Executioner.[22]

Crazy Gang

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The Executioner is a silent android swathed in a long robe and hood and armed with an axe. It follows the commands of the Red Queen and seems to lack any real intelligence. It was destroyed under unknown circumstances,[23] but it had been destroyed and repaired before.[volume & issue needed]

Daniel DuBois

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A character named The Executioner (Daniel DuBois) appears in Dark Reign: Young Avengers. He is described as "a rich and organized urban vigilante who hunts and kills criminal scum. And likes to hurt pets."[24][25] It is later revealed that this Executioner is the son of Princess Python,[26] and knows Kate Bishop from school, and is aware of her secret identity, knowledge that he uses to try to blackmail his way onto the team.[27]

Executioner is not aware of his mother's identity as Princess Python until it is actually pointed out to him. However, it may be that he was simply in denial about this matter, as Norman Osborn comments that if his mother was Princess Python, then he would like to think he would know and Kate Bishop immediately realizes who she is upon meeting her.[27]

Powers and abilities

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Skurge possessed the superhuman abilities of a typical male Asgardian. Due to his unique hybrid physiology, with a half Storm-Giant and half Skornheimian pedigree, Skurge's physical strength, stamina and durability were considerably greater than those of the average Asgardian male. He also possessed superhuman visual acuity. Skurge was extremely long-lived, aging at a much slower pace than human beings, though not truly immortal. His body was highly resistant to physical damage, and he was immune to terrestrial diseases, toxins, and some magic. In the event of injury, Skurge's godly life force would allow him to recover with a superhuman rate. Skurge had proficiency at hand-to-hand combat, and mastery of most Asgardian weapons. He would often fight wielding his large, enchanted, double-bladed battle axe that allowed him a number of abilities including cutting rifts into other dimensions and control over fire and ice that he could project at his enemies. Skurge also sometimes wore an enchanted impregnable horned helmet that completely covered his head. In his first appearance, Skurge demonstrated a 'super-human falcon hunting vision', that enabled him to find Jane Foster in a crowd.[4]

The second Executioner is a vigilante with no super powers.

Other versions

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In other media

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Television

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Film

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Skurge the Executioner appears in Hulk vs. Thor.[29]

Marvel Cinematic Universe

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Karl Urban as Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok
See also: Skurge (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Skurge appears in media set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, portrayed by Karl Urban.[31]

Video games

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References

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  1. ^ Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. pp. 100–101. ISBN 978-1465455505.
  2. ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains. New York: Facts on File. p. 125-126. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[1]
  3. ^ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  4. ^ a b Journey into Mystery #103. Marvel Comics.
  5. ^ The Avengers #7. Marvel Comics.
  6. ^ The Avengers #9. Marvel Comics.
  7. ^ Journey into Mystery #116-117. Marvel Comics.
  8. ^ Fantastic Four Annual #3. Marvel Comics.
  9. ^ Tales to Astonish #76–77. Marvel Comics.
  10. ^ The Avengers Annual #1. Marvel Comics.
  11. ^ Hulk #102
  12. ^ The Avengers #83. Marvel Comics.
  13. ^ The Defenders #4. Marvel Comics.
  14. ^ Marvel Two-In-One #6,7. Marvel Comics.
  15. ^ The Defenders #20. Marvel Comics.
  16. ^ Thor #258-261. Marvel Comics.
  17. ^ Thor #263-264. Marvel Comics.
  18. ^ Thor #350. Marvel Comics.
  19. ^ Thor #360. Marvel Comics.
  20. ^ Thor #362 (December 1985)
  21. ^ Asgardians of the Galaxy #10 (August 2019)
  22. ^ Thor #403. Marvel Comics.
  23. ^ Excalibur #4. Marvel Comics.
  24. ^ NYCC: Cornell Talks “Dark Reign: Young Avengers”, Comic Book Resources, February 7, 2009
  25. ^ Mark Brooks: Designing the Young Masters, Newsarama, February 20, 2009
  26. ^ Dark Reign: Young Avengers #2. Marvel Comics.
  27. ^ a b Dark Reign: Young Avengers #3. Marvel Comics.
  28. ^ Marvel Super-Heroes (UK) #377 (September 1981). Marvel Comics.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g "Skurge the Executioner Voices (Thor)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 24, 2019. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  30. ^ "Comics Continuum: Marvel Super Hero Squad". Comics Continuum. July 28, 2009. Archived from the original on July 31, 2009. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  31. ^ Strom, Marc (May 20, 2016). "Marvel Studios Confirms Stellar New Cast Members of the Highly Anticipated 'Thor: Ragnarok'". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  32. ^ Elvy, Craig (September 22, 2021). "Every MCU Easter Egg In What If? Episode 7". ScreenRant. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  33. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-10-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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