Thor: Ragnarok is adding several key new players to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Hela (Cate Blanchett) and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson). But for fans of Marvel's classic Thor comics, no new character is more exciting than Karl Urban's Skurge. Better known as "the Executioner," Skurge was a recurring villain for many years, and the subject of one of the single greatest Thor comics ever published.
If you're not familiar with this Marvel character or just need a refresher on the Executioner, we can help. Here's everything you need to know about this influential Marvel villain.
Thor has been around a long time, so it makes sense that he's acquired a pretty huge rogues gallery over the centuries. For many years Skurge ranked among the most powerful and relentless of Thor's many enemies. In his very first appearance, Skurge established himself as a formidable threat by joining forces with the Enchantress, forming an almost unstoppable tag-team duo. Skurge also became a thorn in the side of the Avengers after joining Baron Zemo's Masters of Evil.
However, Skurge eventually proved himself to be a warrior every bit as valiant and brave as Thor himself. Skurge ultimately chose to sacrifice himself to save Thor, the God of Thunder's friend Balder and a group of mortal innocents from Hela's army of the dead, an act that earned him a permanent place among the all-time great Thor characters.
Skurge is half Storm Giant, making him stronger than most Asgardians and an equal of even the Mighty Thor himself. His combat skills are second to none, and Skurge shows equal prowess with traditional weapons like axes and blades or modern human weapons like assault rifles. Skurge also has superhumanly sharp vision, making him a peerless hunter.
Skurge's weapon of choice, however, is an enchanted doubled-bladed ax. This ax allows Skurge to cut through the very fabric of reality, travel between realms and control fire and ice.
Like many of the most enduring Thor villains, Skurge was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, debuting in 1964's Journey Into Mystery #103. Skurge quickly became a fixture in both Thor's solo comics and The Avengers. These early stories established Skurge as a brutish warrior motivated mainly by his love for the Enchantress. Sadly, she never showed the same level of affection for her faithful bodyguard.
Skurge also branched out to other comics,. He was one of many villains recruited by Doctor Doom to spoil the wedding of Reed Richards and Susan Storm in 1965's Fantastic Four Annual #3. A future version of Skurge even battled Hulk in the 25th Century in 1966's Tales to Astonish #76 and 77.
Skurge's defining moment came during Walt Simonson's Mighty Thor run (widely regarded to be the most influential Thor saga after the original Lee/Kirby run). In a 1985 storyline running from The Mighty Thor #360 through #362, Skurge accompanied Thor and Balder on a mission to Hel to liberate a group of mortal human souls stolen by Hela. Recognizing that his life had been wasted in devotion to the Enchantress and other villains who didn't respect him, Skurge chose to sacrifice his life in order to hold back Hela's army at the bridge of Gjallerbru and allow Thor and Balder to rescue the kidnapped souls. In the end, even Hela herself was awed by Skurge's bravery and skill in battle. Simonson paid tribute to the fallen Skurge with this now-iconic narration:
They sing no songs in Hel... nor do they celebrate heroes... for silent is that dismal realm and cheerless... but the story of the Gjallerbru and the god who defended it is whispered across the Nine Worlds. And when a new arrival asks about the one to whom even Hela bows her head... the answer is always the same... he stood alone at Gjallerbru... and that answer is enough.
Contrary to the usual trend in superhero comics, Skurge has remained dead ever since. He appears sporadically whenever Thor or his allies travel to the afterlife, but otherwise Marvel seems content to let the character enjoy Valhalla. Skurge's most significant post-death appearance in recent years came in 2008's Thor: God-Size Special #1, where Thor and his allies reflected on Skurge's sacrifice and stopped a grieving Enchantress (who only belatedly realized her own love for Skurge) from resurrecting the Executioner and threatening the Nine Realms.
While Skurge is finally making his live-action debut this year, he's been a regular presence in Marvel's animated projects. He first debuted in animated form in 1966's The Marvel Super Heroes, a series notable for re-purposing panels from the original comics to form crude animation. More recently, Skurge appeared in The Super Hero Squad Show and Ultimate Spider-Man (voiced in both cases by Travis Willingham) and had a silent role on Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Skurge has also appeared as a boss character in two video games to date - Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Marvel: Avengers Alliance. As for how Karl Urban's Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok will compare to his comics counterpart, it of course remains to be seen. But his wielding a machine gun in the trailer certainly seems to be a step in the right direction...
Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.
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