Zeiste (Earth-616)

Zeiste was a dark elf born to the Black Bile Clan under the reign of Malekith the Accursed. Born with a crooked spine, at some point he lost his left hand and came to be looked down upon by the other members of the social darwinist clan. Determined to prove himself, Zeiste redoubled his efforts until he was just as capable as his able-bodied clan-mates, but was still unable to earn their respect.^[1]

Embittered, Zeiste volunteered to capture one of the cubs of the wolf-goddess Nyaz, despite being warned that only one warrior could return. En route to Nyaz's den, Zeiste found himself being hunted by the symbiote Carnage and ambushed Ken Neely, a one-handed human who was assisting Carnage.^[2] Enchanting a dagger to enable himself and Neely to understand one another, Zeiste -- coming to empathize with Neely after learning that he had idolized Carnage only to be abused and intimidated by it -- offered to help him escape Carnage's thrall or die trying. While tempted by Zeiste's offer, Neely betrayed the dark elf's trust, slitting his throat with the dagger and posing his corpse.^[1]

Initially a loyal member of the Black Bile Clan, Zeiste desired to prove himself equal to his able-bodied clan-mates and pushed himself to excel. Failure to win their respect left Zeiste embittered,^[1] to the point he volunteered himself to capture one of the cubs of the wolf-goddess Nyaz despite being reminded that only one participant could return alive.^[2]

Upon encountering Ken Neely, Zeiste was initially curious as to why the human was hunting him, and came to see him as a kindred spirit after learning how he was being threatened by Carnage. Zeiste attempted to persuade Neely to free himself from his mental shackles, but Neely was too afraid of Carnage's retribution and killed Zeiste instead.^[1]

Dark Elf Physiology: Zeiste possesses various superhuman attributes common to his species. While somewhat hindered by his missing hand and crooked spine, Zeiste trained himself to match -- if not surpass -- his able-bodied clanmates.^[1]

• Superhuman Strength
• Superhuman Speed
• Superhuman Stamina
• Superhuman Durability
• Superhuman Agility
• Superhuman Reflexes
• Extended Longevity
• Regenerative Healing Factor
• Magic: While not a particularly-skilled sorcerer, Zeiste was able to perform a translation spell to enable himself and Ken Neely to understand each other.^[2]

• Daggers: Zeiste's weapon of choice was a dagger, and he carried several throwing knives on his belt.^[2]