Corvus Glaive

The character was created by Jonathan Hickman and Jim Cheung and first appeared in Infinity: Free Comic Book Day (May 2013).[1]

The character was described by Hickman as "Thanos' most favored. Corvus is cruel, arrogant and the most loyal of the Black Order. A warrior who betrayed his people and sold his soul to Thanos to pursue a different kind of glory".[2]

Editor Tom Breevort has said:

He was the one character among the generals who was designed by Jim, and he was designed by Jim specifically because this story was being done and Jim had to get to him first. In essence, this is no different than any other design challenge. Jonathan laid the particulars of the characters out on the table, Jim went to town and did a few designs — different roughs for the head and so forth. We selected from that and away he went. He's the most prominent of the five lieutenants. He's Thanos' second-in-command and the one who most readily speaks for him, and yet you want him to have a certain amount of visual contrast to Thanos. While Thanos is a fairly big, blocky character and really became that over the years, Corvus — he's not skinny, but he's more slender, more lithe, more wiry — sort of in reflection of the glaive weapon that he carries. He's like the physical personification of that in a sense.[2]

Corvus Glaive is a member of Thanos' Black Order. He was chosen for his mastery in combat and tactical abilities and thus was chosen to lead them. He is also the husband of fellow order member Proxima Midnight. His first order was attacking Earth to please his master.[3] He attacked the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, but was called away when Ebony Maw found Thanos' son Thane.[4] Corvus was obliterated by Hyperion while Thane overpowered the group and froze Thanos and Proxima in amber.[5] However, due to Corvus' powerful glaive, he was able to revive himself and returned to normal.[6][7]

Corvus meets up with Namor who frees Proxima and Thanos, and asks that they join his Cabal due to his own anger towards Earth.[8] However, Namor soon found himself hating the Cabal's tactics and vowed to work with the Illuminati to defeat them. Namor himself was betrayed and found himself and the Cabal stuck on an Earth that was to be destroyed. They all managed to escape into the Ultimate Marvel Universe and vowed to get their revenge.[9] They crafted a "life raft" and managed to live past the destruction of all universes.[10] The Cabal ended up on Battleworld where they proceeded to attack the locals. However, God Emperor Doom dispersed the group to the various corners of Battleworld[11] and Corvus and Proxima were imprisoned by Apocalypse.[12]

He managed to return to his own home when the Mainstream Marvel Universe was rebuilt,[13] and proceeded to make his own Black Order, slowly building his army all over the galaxy. However, Thanos returned and the two battled with Corvus' former master as the victor. Not wanting a horrific death by Thanos's cruel hand, Corvus took pieces of his destroyed glaive and killed himself.[14]

Corvus Glaive later returned from the dead when the Black Order was reformed by Challenger with the group also consisting of Black Swan, Ebony Maw, a psychic projection of Supergiant, and a revived Proxima Midnight and Black Dwarf. The group faced off against an alien version of the Lethal Legion formed by Grandmaster in a contest where Earth is the battlefield.[15] He is killed by Rogue, who is enraged by the death of the Human Torch.[16] After the contest is over, Corvus Glaive turns up alive as he and the rest of the Black Order regroup on the planet Angargal. They are approached by Grandmaster who had an offer for them.[17]

Corvus possessed the typical attributes of a super powered individual including super strength, speed, endurance, senses and some invulnerability. Corvus' immortality stems from his weapon, a glaive that when remaining in one piece allows him to survive anything, including being obliterated.[6][7] The glaive itself can slice through any known thing and person in the universe.[5] Corvus himself can recall his weapon to his hand whenever he throws it with a gesture.[18]

• Corvus Glaive at the Marvel Wiki