Grendell (Dark Elf) (Earth-616)

Grendell
Name	Grendell
Aliases	Grendel, Mankind's enemy, Guardian of Evil, Terror-Monger, Shadow-Stalker
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	Svartalfheim's Dark Elves, Cain's Clan
Relatives	Ancestors: Cain (alleged ancestor) Siblings: Unnamed brother
Marital Status	Single
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	13′ (3.96 m)
Weight	6389 lbs (2.9 ton)
Unusual Features	Grendell has only one arm, his left arm having been ripped off by Beowulf, and no visible iris.
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Half-Dark Elf
Living Status	Alive
Reality	Earth-616
Personal Information
Identity	No Dual
Occupation	Marauder
Base of Operations	Svartalfheim
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Walter Simonson, Sal Buscema
First	Thor #377 (December, 1986)
First	Thor #377 (December, 1986)

History

Origin

Giant half-elven Grendell - also known as "Grendel" - and his alleged mother, a draconic entity known only as "Grendel's Mother", were purportedly members of Cain's Clan. Said to be half-dragon, Grendell was reputed as being the most-powerful dark elf to ever live.

6th century

Taking up residence in the marshlands surrounding Heorot Hall in Denmark in the 6th century AD, Grendell and his mother were aggravated by the nightly feasts. Grendell began vengefully attacking the mead hall, killing and eating numerous warriors. When tales of Grendell's attacks reached the Geats of Sweden, Prince Beowulf came to the aid of King Hrothgar, to whom he owed a debt on behalf of his father Ecgtheow. Beowulf mortally wounded Grendell by ripping off his left arm, but Grendel's Mother used magic to save his life.

Modern days

Recovering from his injuries, Grendell made his way to Svartalfheim and took up residence in an underground lair - becoming feared as an immortal or undead monstrosity by the other dark elves.

When Thor was cursed by Hela and began working on an enchanted suit of armor to defend himself, Grendell attacked him alongside an army of dark elves and was impaled by a metal bar. Despite being badly wounded, Grendell nearly killed Thor - who was rescued by Loki.

Years later, Malekith sent Grendell to kill Thor and Hercules, but he was knocked unconscious by Zeus's thunderbolt.

Attributes

Power Grid

Powers

Grendell is large for Dark Elf standards, almost as tall as an average Jotun, and has upper class 100 level of strength. He has nearly killed Thor in physical combat, and proved to be capable to challenge both Thor and Hercules simultaneously (albeit while both were weakened of a previous battle with each other), making Grendell one of the strongest beings in the universe.

Like all Dark Elves, Grendell has a weakness to iron, but Big Mother's spells allow him to handle it without fatally burning himself and preventing blades from injuring him.

Paraphernalia

Weapons

Grendell wields a war club made of an unidentified metal that can resist a blow from Mjolnir. Like all Dark Elves, Grendell has a weakness to iron, but Big Mother's spells allow him to handle it without fatally burning himself, and further prevent blades from injuring him.

Notes

• Venom (Vol. 4) and Scream: Curse of Carnage frame the narrative of Beowulf as a work of fiction invented by Anglo-Saxons, based on Thor vanquishing a pair of Symbiote Dragons that had been marauding the Danes, but this is contradicted by Beowulf and Grendell existing. King in Black Handbook #1 puts forth the explanation that Thor was mistaken for Beowulf, the black symbiote-dragon dubbed Grendel was mistaken for the dark elf Grendell, and the red symbiote dragon was mistaken for Grendell's mother.

Trivia

• While initially stated to be Grendell's mother, "Big Mother" was revealed to be a Symbiote Dragon created by Knull, and as a result Grendell has no relation to her.

See Also

• 3 appearance(s) of Grendell (Dark Elf) (Earth-616)
• 1 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Grendell (Dark Elf) (Earth-616)
• 4 mention(s) of Grendell (Dark Elf) (Earth-616)
• 3 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Grendell (Dark Elf) (Earth-616)
• 3 image(s) of Grendell (Dark Elf) (Earth-616)

Links and References

• Grendel at Wikipedia
• http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/grendellthor.htm