List of Marvel Comics characters: K

• Karn appears as a boss character in the video game Spider-Man Unlimited,[10][11] voiced by Matthew Mercer.[12]
• Karn appears in Marvel: Avengers Alliance as a boss character.[13]
• Karn's name can be seen in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse on Miles Morales's phone.

Kirigi as portrayed in Elektra

Kirigi appears in the 2005 film Elektra as the main antagonist, portrayed by Will Yun Lee. In addition to being a master swordsman, Kirigi is able to move and attack at superhuman speed. Elektra challenged Kirigi in a final battle on who should get the Treasure, which was a girl named Abby. They fought but Kirigi got the upper hand, beating Elektra around until she realized he killed her mother when she was a child. Kirigi then ran up to her, but Elektra impaled him in the chest with a sai and flipping him into a well, where he disintegrated while falling.

Kirigi was considered to be used for season one of the live-action series Daredevil, but gets replaced with Nobu Yoshioka (portrayed by Peter Shinkoda).[16]

Kirigi is a boss in the Daredevil video game. He believes that Daredevil was working for the Kingpin and he has sent the Daredevil to kill him, since the Hand was at war with the Kingpin's gang. Kirigi is seemingly killed by Daredevil after he is defeated.

Kirigi appears as a villain in the MMO Marvel Heroes.

The first Kraken made multiple appearances in Marvel continuity, including The Avengers #27 (April 1966, Marvel Comics),[25] Tales to Astonish #93 and Sub-Mariner #27 (July 1970),[26] before returning years later in the second issue of the limited series Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America (#1 - 5, June-Aug. 2007).,[27] and in The New Invaders #4 from April 2014.

A Kraken appeared in the short story "When Strikes The Kraken!" in Kull The Destroyer #17 (Oct. 1976),[28] and was reprinted in Chronicles of Kull 2: The Hell Beneath Atlantis and Other Stories.[29] Another Kraken (a gigantic squid) debuted in the black and white Bizarre Adventures #26 (May 1981).[30][31]

A creature called The Black Kraken debuted in the short story "Red Shadows and Black Kraken!" (based on the 1968 fantasy novel Conan of the Isles written by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter featuring Robert E. Howard's hero Conan the Barbarian. The story is republished in the graphic novel Conan of the Isles.[32]) in Conan The Barbarian Annual #7 (1982).[33]

Another version of the Kraken (four-armed and reptilian in appearance) debuted in Marvel Comics Presents #121 (Jan. 1993). It returned in Marvel Action Hour featuring the Fantastic Four #2-4 (Dec. 1994-Feb. 1995) and in the one shot title Namora #1 (Aug. 2010); it would later be featured in the video game Marvel Ultimate Alliance.[34] A Kraken (a horned squid creature) appeared in the 2009 one-shot comic Sub-Mariner Comics: 70th Anniversary Special.,[35] while another (a house sized crab/octopus hybrid) appeared in Fantomex Max issues #2 and #3.[36] This Kraken was modified into a remote controlled cyborg to protect an underwater base of a brilliant scientist.

Two additional versions possessed ties to Greek mythology. The first served the Olympian Gods and debuted in the one shot Chaos War: God Squad #1 (Feb. 2011)[37] before returning in Incredible Hulk #622 (April 2011).[38] The second Kraken appeared in the four-part limited series Wolverine/Hercules: Myths, Monsters & Mutants. Spirited away by the god Poseidon after a defeat by Greek hero Perseus, the creature is revived in modern times by King Eurystheus to battle the heroes Hercules and Wolverine.[39]

A new Kraken is seen when the new Madame Hydra is collecting members for her HYDRA High Councel to assist Captain America, who's history had been altered by Red Skull's clone using the powers of Kobik to include him always being a member of HYDRA. It is implied this person is someone Steve Rogers knows and believes to be dead.[40]

• Daniel Whitehall appeared in the live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe television series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., portrayed by Reed Diamond.
• The sea creature version of Kraken appeared in the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series episode "Return to the Spider-Verse" Pt. 2. This version is a giant squid that resides in a cartoon pirate-themed alternate reality. Following a mutiny against their captain Web Beard, pirate versions of Howard the Duck, Rocket Raccoon, and Cosmo the Spacedog attempt to force their former captain as well as Spider-Man and Kid Arachnid to walk the plank and feed them to the Kraken. After the monster gets hit with debris and attacks their ship, the Groot, Spider-Man and Kid Arachnid persuade Web Beard and the mutineers to settle their differences and help to fight the Kraken.
• The sea creature version of Kraken appears in the video game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Loki disguised as the Mandarin released it to attack the heroes.

There have been several spawns of Krakoa:

The first known spore was Vega Superior, who took control of an island, later christened Wagner's isle, whose inhabitants began to worship him. When Nightcrawler crashed his plane there, he found Vega-Superior in the caves under the island, who had inherited his father's memories of the X-Men's genetic code, including that of Nightcrawler. He tries to choke Nightcrawler, but the latter manages to escape. He makes versions of the X-Men which Vega-Superior dubs the Vega-Men, out of natural materials, such as a Colossus made of stone, a Wolverine of ice, an Angel made of leaves and vines, a Nightcrawler made of mud and a Cyclops that shoots lava. However, they are much weaker than the original X-Men, and Nightcrawler easily defeats them all. Vega-Superior then chases him into the ocean before realizing he cannot swim.[48]

Another spore of Krakoa took control of a construction site on a tropical island, and was discovered and defeated by the Young X-Men when they were investigating the disappearance of 56 construction workers.[49]

Another spawn of Krakoa would be fabricated by the anti-mutant tech genius Kaga, creating his own hybrid out of Brood DNA to attack the X-Men at a later date. Eventually, the creature was cut down in the dawn of its conception by Cyclops in one shot.[50]

Later when Wolverine and some of the X-Men splintered away from Cyclops' group, it is discovered that Beast has built the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning on top of a "male" spawn of Krakoa.[51] After Quentin Quire manages to reason with him, the Krakoa spawn contacts Rachel Summers who ends up translating for him when Rachel tells Wolverine that the Hellfire Club made Krakoa attack them and that he is a mutant like the X-Men. Rachel discovered that this Krakoa was grown by Hellfire Club member Maximillian von Katzenelnbogen (a descendant of Victor Frankenstein) in his artificial supergarden. When Rachel mentions that Krakoa keeps apologizing and wants to join the X-Men, Wolverine ends up letting Krakoa stay as a part of the school.[52] Not soon after the school began having money difficulties, it is Krakoa who solves the school's financial problems by growing great quantities of giant diamonds on the trees he produces.[53] Krakoa's school grounds, the Bamfs, and Doop were able to prevent Swarm from invading the Jean Grey School.[54] After the Terrigen Mists were released into the Earth's atmosphere and began causing the M-Pox plague which was deadly to mutants worldwide, the X-Mansion was moved to the dimension of Limbo where it acted as X-Haven. Krakoa was not part of the displacement and moved his bio-matter offshore to function as an independent island in the Pacific Ocean.[55] After Kid Omega, whom was his only companion for a time, returned to the Xavier School on Thor's suggestion. Krakoa came back to New York searching for him as the son of the living island missed his friend.[56]

Mister Sinister had also obtained a few Krakoa Spores and like Maximillian von Frankenstein, was able to mass-produce the Krakoa consciousness, Essex even turned one into a mobile castle in his underground city. It was however burned down by the Phoenix Five.[57]

Soon afterward it was revealed that Maximillian von Frankenstein had been able to mass-produce Krakoa's consciousness and created several volcanic Krakoas to act in defense of the Hellfire Academy,[58] but were all killed in battle against the X-Men.[59]

During the "House of X and Powers of X" stories, Krakoa somehow was returned to Earth and has blossomed and grown, apparently by absorbing its spawns. It is revealed that Professor X approached Krakoa and took his time and efforts to apparently bring forth the true entity of the island as he reveals to Cypher that he eventually made a telepathic connection with Krakoa to the point that the relationship of mutant island and mutant man has only grown. More so, when Cypher communed with Krakoa at Xavier's urging, Krakoa related its past. According to Doug Ramsey, long ago, in ancient times, there was a single larger landmass called Okkara, which was attacked by an enemy that came from its core wielding a mystical blade known as the Twilight Sword. During the attack, Okkara was broken up and its conscious divided into two islands, Krakoa and Arakko (Arakko is Okkara in reverse and Krakoa an anagram), that seemingly acted as a yin and a yang which created some sort of a portal to a Hellish dimension known as Ameth, and demons poured out into the world. Fortunately, Apocalypse arrived with his First Horsemen and were able to thwart the attack by sealing of the chasm and isolating Arrako from Krakoa. The horsemen were sealed alongside Arakko on the other side of the chasm, to the sorrow of both Krakoa and Apocalypse.[60] As time passed, a mournful and lonely Krakoa eventually became inert until being reawakened in early 1945 due to testing from the Americans nuclear bomb drop.[61] Years later, Krakoa would be later transformed into a sovereign nation state for mutants led by Professor X and would produce flowers with the ability to grow in mere hours, full "Habitat" structures which are self-sustaining environments that are a part of the interconnected consciousness of Krakoa, that served as embassies around several countries on Earth, the Blue Area of the Moon, the Green Area on Mars and beyond the solar system, all the while remaining connected to its hive mind via Gateways, which provided ways to instantly travel from one part of Krakoa to another. The gateways can only be access by mutants but if a mutant brings a human with them voluntarily, that human must ask for permission from Krakoa to use the gateway. The flowers also create No-Place, a habitat that exists outside the collective consciousness of Krakoa and where Moira MacTaggert has been hiding herself. Even Krakoa does not know this place exists. Krakoa is also the only place in the world to have special pills that extend human life by five years, a "universal" antibiotic and a cure for "disease of the mind, in humans". Additionally, while Krakoa's main body lies in the Pacific Ocean not far from Australia, another large landmass of it exists in the Atlantic Ocean which is also connected in the same way as the "habitats" to the hive mind.

The government of Krakoa is headed by the Quiet Council, composed of Charles Xavier, Magneto, Apocalypse, Exodus, Mister Sinister, Mystique, Emma Frost, Sebastian Shaw, Katherine Pryde, Jean Grey, Storm, Nightcrawler, the living island Krakoa and Cypher; and an organization called the Great Captains led by Cyclops and consisting of Magik, Bishop and Gorgon. Thanks to telepathic manipulation by Emma Frost, the vast majority of the world recognized Krakoa and established diplomatic/trade ties, with the exceptions of Wakanda, Atlantis, Azania, Canaan, Kenya, Honduras, Brazil, Santo Marco, Terra Verde, Venezuela, Iran, Madripoor, North Korea, Latveria, and Russia, for political and ideological reasons and/or because they belong in the Wakandan Economic Protectorate.[62]

More so, Emma Frost was allowed to carve out a piece of Krakoa so she could be given a private kingdom for herself outside the coast of the bay-area. Likewise, Bar Sinister, though not part of Krakoa, was added to its landmass with Flowers of Krakoa that modify the former secret base of Mister Sinister into a Krakoan Habitat, a diplomatic biome interconnected with the island nation's collective consciousness.

Cypher also developed their own mutant language – Krakoan – which is psychically implanted when mutants come to the island and created an entire system to manage the traffic of the Krakoan network which is overseen by Sage. Since the island itself is sentient, Black Tom's plant-manipulating abilities gave him a unique bond that connected him to the island and all of its surrounding plant life. The subsequent connection meant an expansion of his field of awareness to include the plankton and kelp in the surrounding sea and the bacteria and spores floating in the air itself. In total, Black Tom's plant-based awareness gives him a 25-mile radius of acute sensitivity to all that enters and exits the island nation.

However, Krakoa's current achievements come at a steep price. To sustain itself, Krakoa must consume two mutants a year or take in other forms of mutant energy through a more sustainable workaround. Since Krakoa became home base for an ever-growing number of mutants, the island can sustain itself by taking a minimal, theoretically harmless amount of psychic energy from every mutant on its shores. That process is tightly monitored by two mutant "psychic vampires", Selene and Emplate.

However, even with the island's considerable defenses, it seems Krakoa is still vulnerable. The first major attack on Krakoan soil is made by a shadowy anti-mutant group who were able to easily bypass Krakoa's defenses by capturing Domino and faking her bio signature, and while Black Tom's connection to Krakoa and its defense systems proves to be so advanced that Tom becomes alerted to the invasion before even the resident psychics Jean Grey and Charles Xavier himself, the attack nevertheless causes the death of several mutants.[63]

Another attack was made by a small band of eco-terrorists known as Hordeculture, who proved capable of disrupting Krakoa's ecosystem by hacking Krakoa's biology and access its gates, which started taking a toll on the island's residents. Beyond some unusually aggressive wildlife and a minuscule decrease in landmass, Jean Grey, Emma Frost and the other telepaths on the island have already noticed that Krakoa is taking more psychic energy than normal.[64]

Later, another strange and mysterious island with a large volcano suddenly appeared off the coast of Krakoa making the island to change course and head towards it. With Doug Ramsey off-world, communication with Krakoa is difficult, if not impossible, so Cyclops enlisted Cable and Prestige, to investigate the new landmass. On arrival, they discover the large volcano contains glowing rainbow tentacles popping out of it and encounter thick jungle akin to the Savage Land and populated with otherworldly creatures and an equally other-worldy white, childlike being who identifies himself as a "High Summoner of Arakko", nameless beings that are capable of drawing forth extra-dimensional beings between the dimension where the lost land of Arakko is located and the land beyond the wild borders of Otherworld. After a misunderstanding with Cable, Prestige is able to give the High Summoner knowledge of Krakoan, enabling communication. The Summoner explains that Krakoa and this island are in love, implying that the mysterious landmass appears to be a sliver of Arakko. As Krakoa approaches the strange island, the two islands reach out their floral tendrils and merged into a single much larger island which is now divided between the lush of Krakoa and the forbidden alien terrain of the mysterious island which is named Arak Coral. The Volcano of Arak Coral is revealed to contain a portal to the dimension where Arakko is, which is not currently open.[65]

After creating the External Gate to reach the dimension where Arakko is located, Apocalypse sent Summoner with Banshee and Unus the Untouchable to herald his arrival. When Summoner reemerged with a wounded and dying Banshee, he pleaded for help and the issue of the External Gate was brought before the Quiet Council. Although the majority of the Quiet Council voted to destroy the External Gate due to its security risk, they were overruled by Krakoa who demanded that the Gate remain open.

After the Krakoan mutants defeated the Swordbearers of Arakko, Krakoa was final able to reunite with Arakko, however, as it turns out, they have no interest in unification because they’ve evolved from what they originally were, with their personalities becoming radically different over the incredibly long period of time that they’ve been apart, even needing Doug to translate for both of them.[66]

In the Ultimate Marvel reality, Krakoa is featured in issues of Ultimate X-Men. Krakoa Island is south of Genosha (which in this reality is vastly anti-mutant under the reign of Lord Scheele) and the filming location for Mojo Adams' reality TV shows for executing mutants, such as Scheele's killer Arthur Centino aka Longshot.[67]

In What If?: Deadly Genesis, Vulcan's trip to Krakoa saw him kill the rest of the X-Men by accident before the island itself was jettisoned into deep space. Years later, it is discovered by the Silver Surfer, and analysis of the cavern with Sway's powers reveals what really happened to the original team.

• Simon Krieger was originally slated to appear in the 2013 live-action film Iron Man 3, but was replaced by Aldrich Killian (portrayed by Guy Pearce).[70][71][72]
• Simon Krieger appears in the 2020 video game Spider-Man: Miles Morales,[73] voiced by Troy Baker.[74] This depiction is Roxxon's head of R&D, and similar to Donald Roxxon. He sought to have Roxxon Plaza, the company's headquarters, powered by Nuform despite having killed its developer Rick Mason for trying to expose Nuform's deadly properties and took credit for its creation. With the Rhino and the Prowler as enforcers, Krieger attempted to capture Spider-Man and the Tinkerer, and exploit the two to use Nuform's unstable properties to destroy Harlem and convert into Roxxon City. However, these ambitions were foiled and Krieger is eventually arrested.

• On May 1, 2019, it was announced that a television series based on Kurios' child Daimon Hellstrom will premiere on Hulu in 2020. Titled Helstrom was announced to be produced by Marvel Television and ABC Signature Studios. Per initial reports, Daimon is the son of a serial killer (Kurios) and has a sibling name Ana. "The siblings have a complicated dynamic as they track down the terrorizing worst of humanity, each with their attitude and skills." The show runner and executive producer is Paul Zbyszewski.[78]

Kurse was originally the most powerful of a race of Dark Elves and known as Algrim the Strong[79] He is coerced by the Dark Elf ruler Malekith the Accursed to fight the Asgardian God of Thunder and superhero, Thor. Malekith, however, betrays Algrim while he is fighting Thor, and in a bid to destroy the Thunder God orders that a pitfall beneath the two be opened. Thor saves himself courtesy of his mystical hammer Mjolnir, while Algrim falls into lava. Algrim's enchanted armor saves his life, but he is critically injured and develops amnesia from the shock, and is left with an obsessive desire for revenge.[80]

Algrim is later healed by the cosmic entity the Beyonder, who transforms him into the much more powerful being called Kurse. The Beyonder transports Kurse to Earth to battle Thor, but Kurse mistakes Thor's ally Beta Ray Bill for Thor and battles him.[81] Kurse then battles the juvenile superhero team Power Pack.[82] Thor dons his magical belt of strength to double his strength and confronts Kurse, but the Beyonder doubles Kurse's strength as well. With the assistance of Power Pack, Thor and Bill are able to overcome Kurse, and Thor helps him remember that it was Malekith, not Thor, who is to blame for his suffering.[83] The Beyonder then transports Kurse to Hel at Thor's suggestion, to frustrate Hela, the Goddess of Death.[84]

Kurse later confronts and severely beats Loki, who had been disguised as Malekith. Drawing off, he leaves Loki injured and finds someone who seems to be Balder the Brave, surrounded by legions of Asgardians. He barrels through them and slays his target, who turns out to be the true Malekith. After repenting, he is granted citizenship among the Asgardians.[85]

He is designated as the guardian of the children of Asgard after helping to protect Volstagg's daughter and adopted sons during a plague,[86] and loyally serves Asgard until the time of Ragnarok. At the time of Ragnarok, all the Asgardians apparently perish, with the exception of Thor.[87]

Kurse is later captured by Malekith, who strips him of the armor. Algrim is sent to Nastrond Prison where he is forced to serve out the rest of the sentence of Wazaria, a former member of the League of Realms. Malekith forces Wazaria to don the armor, transforming her into the new Kurse. Before he is imprisoned, Algrim encourages his successor to kill herself the first chance she gets.[88]

Waziria is a Dark Elf witch of the Dove Gut Tribe in Svartalfheim.[89]

When Malekith escaped from his imprisonment and attacked his village, he cut off Waziria's left arm when using her as a hostage when Thor and his fellow Asgardians arrived.[90] After recuperating, Waziria joined up with the League of Realms to hunt down Malekith.[91]

When the League of Realms split, only Waziria remained with Thor. During a meeting with the Dark Elf ruling council called the Council of the Unhallowed, Thor accused Waziria of being the traitor and that she gave Malekith the information to stay one step ahead of him, only for both to learn that it was Thor himself who had been bugged. Malekith then makes himself known.[89] Before Malekith can kill Thor, the League of Realms showed up to help fight Malekith. The Council of the Unhallowed made the decision to side with Malekith. When the Congress of the Worlds planned to have Malekith rule Svartalfheim after he is done with his life sentence in Nastrond Prison, Malekith made Waziria his proxy while Malekith named Scumtongue his senator for the Congress of the Worlds.[92]

After stripping Algrim of his armor, Malekith transformed Waziria into the new Kurse while Algrim takes Waziria's place in Nastrond Prison.[88]

During the "War of the Realms" storyline, Kurse was present with Malekith as he begins his invasion on Midgard.[93] She and Enchantress fight She-Hulk and Ghost Rider until Jane Foster slams Skidbladnir into Enchantress.[94] After the Queen of Angels has no knowledge on why her soldier Fernande sided with Spider-Man and the League of Realms, Malekith states that he is leaving Kurse to assist her.[95] In London, Volstagg controls the Destroyer Armor to defeat Kurse.[96]

• Algrim appears in the animated direct-to-video film Thor: Tales of Asgard, voiced by Ron Halder.[97] His race was killed by Frost Giants after they were forced to ally with Surtur because Odin would not help them. He later steals Surtur's sword, which corrupts him. Algrim then tries to take revenge on Asgard. Ultimately, Algrim is killed by Loki in a fit of rage.
• Algrim appears in the live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor: The Dark World, portrayed by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje.[98] This version is a close subordinate of Malekith the Accursed who becomes the last of the Dark Elves' monstrous Kursed soldiers, gaining significantly augmented strength and fused with the armor he wore at the time. He is much stronger than Thor and has little difficulty in overpowering him in Svartálfaheimr, though he was killed by Loki via a Dark Elf grenade.

• Kurse appears as a mini-boss in the video game, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, voiced by Tom Kane.[99]
• Kurse appeared as a group boss in Marvel: Avengers Alliance. He was featured in the 14th Spec-Ops.[100]
• Kurse appears in Marvel Heroes.[101]
• Kurse appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes,[102] voiced by Andrew Kishino.
• Kurse appears in the iOS tie-in game Thor: The Dark World, voiced by Dennis T. Carnegie.[99]