Kurse

Real Name
Algrim
 
Occupation
Guardian of Asgard; (former) Servant of Malekith the Accursed

Citizenship
Svartalfheim

Place of Birth
Svartalfheim

Known Relatives
None

Group Affiliation
The Dark Elves of Svartalfheim

Education
Unrevealed

Height7'

Weight 
840lbs.

Eyes
Yellow

Hair
None

Powers
Though Algrim's strength level was greater than that of any of the other Dark Elves, it was less than that of Thor's. When his powers were enhanced by the Beyonder, Algrim became known as Kurse and was said to be twice as strong as Thor. Even later, the Beyonder further increased Kurse's strength, granting him almost immeasurable strength. Not only did the Beyonder increase Kurse's strength but also his resistance to injury. Kurse was now virtually invulnerable to harm--he to be able to walk on the ocean floor without injury, and did not need to eat or even breathe. His armor is a living part of his body, and if great enough force were set against it as to cause Kurse injury, the armor would "heal" at a rapid rate as if it were his living tissue. In addition, although not immortal, Kurse did age at a pace much more slowly when compared to human beings. Kurse was also immune to all known Earthly diseases and infections. 

Abilities
Kurse was a formidable hand-to-hand combatant, relying primarily on brawling techniques that allowed him to make full use of his vast strength.

Other Info 
Algrim the Strong was one of the Dark Elves of the Svartalfheim (one of the Nine Worlds of Asgard) who served their ruler: Malekith the Accursed. (Click the highlighted names above to learn about the places and/or character.)

At one point, Malekith captured the Asgardian Lorelei in order to gain control over the God of Thunder: Thor. Algrim was told that he had be chosen to defeat Thor; therefore, when Lorelei was eventually freed, Algrim--who stood in shadow wearing ebony armor--was waiting and ambushed the God of Thunder. During the ensuing battle, Malekith actually attempted to destroy both of them by plunging the two into a pit of molten magma. However, Thor summoned his magic hammer Mjolnir, which carried him to safety; however, Algrim plunged into the magma. (To learn more about the above highlighted character and/or object, click on their names. Note: Beware of the revealing outfit worn Lorelei's on her bio page.)

The tremendous heat from the magma almost killed Algrim. In fact, he would have been died except that his enchanted armor protected him from the magma's full effects. However, the shock of the intense pain from the magma caused Algrim to experience amnesia. Unable to remember the real reason why he fell into the lava, Algrim could only remember Thor was somehow to blame. His desire for vengeance on Thor gave him the will to live. This hatred of Thor was also sensed by the incredibly powerful Beyonder who had come to Earth to investigate. Intrigued by Algrim's hate, the Beyonder decided to create an experiment with Algrim. He restored the Dark Elf to health, gave him vastly greater strength, and altered his armor to be more resistant to damage and made it a living part of him that would grow and heal organically. Now as a new being known as "Kurse," Algrim was sent to hunt down Thor (the Beyonder wanted to see what Kurse could do to the God of Thunder now in his strengthened state). Kurse somehow sensed that Thor was in New York City and passed from Svartalfheim to Earth and began walking across the ocean bottom to get to New York. (Click on the highlighted name above to learn about the Beyonder.)

Once he arrived in New York City, Kurse mistook Beta Ray Bill for Thor and attacked him. Kurse was much stronger than Bill, and he was only able to escape death by reverting to his original, non-super-powered form, so he no longer resembled Thor. Continuing to be driven by insane hatred, Kurse wreaked havoc in Manhattan as he searched for the God of Thunder. (To learn about Beta Ray Bill, click on the highlighted name above.)

During Kurse's rampage though New York, he severely injured Margaret Power (mother of the superhuman children--Power Pack). In response, the Power Pack came after Kurse and succeeded in burying him alive by causing a building to collapse on top of him. However, Kurse was able to free himself by later that same day. When he escaped he tracked down Thor and attacked the Asgardian. Kurse was now stronger than Thor; therefore, Thor donned his Belt of Strength (which doubled Thor's strength). When the Beyonder observed this, he increased Kurse's strength even further so that he surpassed Thor's strength once again. However, soon after, Beta Ray Bill and the Power Pack arrived and joined the battle. Thor used his hammer, Mjolnir, to project intensive heat at Kurse. The result of the heat blast caused Kurse to remember the lava pit he had fallen into earlier. In addition, it reawakened his memories and the realization that it was not Thor, but Malekith who was responsible for his near-death experience. Therefore, Kurse's anger and hatred shifted from Thor to his old ruler, Malekith. However, on Thor's instructions, Energizer (a member of Power Pack) absorbed energy from both Thor's hammer (Mjolnir) and Beta Ray Bill's hammer (Stormbreaker) and then fired a tremendously powerful ball of energy at Kurse, which rendered him unconscious. After this, Thor suggested to the Beyonder that Kurse be transported to Hel (the realm ruled by the Asgardian death goddess Hela) to search for Malekith, who might be there (Thor also was hoping that Kurse would cause trouble for Hela while he was in her domain). The Beyonder agreed, and teleported Kurse to Hel. (Click on the above highlighted names to learn about the characters, team, and/or objects.)

Upon arrival in Hel, Kurse began wreaking havoc looking for Malekith--who was not there. Due to the massive mayhem he was causing, Hela had Kurse driven into Asgard itself. Once in Asgard, Kurse finally found Malekith, who had used his shape-changing powers to look like the Asgardian Balder. Kurse attacked Malekith and slew the Dark Elf. With his mission of vengeance finally fulfilled, Kurse became peaceful. (To learn about Balder, click on his highlighted name above.)

Later on, Kurse aided the real Balder in successfully defending Asgard from an attack by the Frost Giants. After the battle, Volstagg noted that "Kurse" was not a fitting name for an Asgardian; therefore, Algrim was renamed "Valgoth." As Valgoth, he served as a protector of Asgard's children. (To learn about the above highlighted race and/or character, just click on their names.)

More recently, during the events of Ragnarok, Valgoth sacrificed his life protecting Asgardian children. (To learn about the event above, just click on the highlighted name.)

To learn a tiny bit more about Kurse, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Kurse.