He Stood Alone At Gjallabru

 

Karl Urban has been cast in the role of Skurge the Executioner, a long time villain from the Thor comics. He was the henchman of the Enchantress, another major Thor adversary. Usually he got his ass kicked by Thor even though he had a mythical Axe that is the equal of Mjolnir, Thor's enchanted hammer. In one of the greatest story arcs, a wounded Thor and the army of Asgardians and human soldiers try to rescue thousands of human souls from Hela's realm where all the dead go in Norse mythology. After using his enchanted Axe to destroy Hela's giant ship, an action that cost him his beloved Axe, he makes the ultimate sacrifice. 

 

 

As the heroes tried to escape across the Bridge of Gjallabru, the last post before freedom, Thor volunteered to stay behind and hold the bridge for as long as he could, giving time for the good guys to escape from the army of demons pursuing them. In that moment Skurge knocks out Thor from behind and says that HE will take Thor's place. It was one of the best last stands in comic book history and I will squee like a little girl when they replicate that scene in the movie which is the only reason to include the character in the first place. His heroic sacrifice will have them all crying in the aisles. Yes their are automatic weapons involved but trust me, it all WORKS in the context of the story. It was the crowning moment of Walt Simonson's classic run.

 

 

 

Skurge, an Asgardian was originally depicted as a supervillain that wielded a magic double-bladed battle axe. Skurge fell in love with the Enchantress and was frequently used in schemes by her and the trickster god Loki. He was a long-time antagonist of Thor and other heroes of the Marvel universe and was a member of the original Masters of Evil. Eventually, he joined the heroes of Asgard in a mission to Hel, where he sacrificed his axe to destroy Naglfar, the ship of the dead, and delay Ragnarok, and sacrificed his life to hold the bridge at Gjallarbrú so the heroes could escape the forces of Hel. After a time trapped in Hel, he joined the honored dead in Valhalla