Valkyrie (Marvel Comics)
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Valkyrie is a fictional character and Marvel Comics superheroine. An Asgardian demi-goddess by birth, her real name is Brunnhilde. Among her other aliases are Barbara Denton-Norriss, Samantha Parrington and Sian Bowen who all were host bodies to the spirit of Brunnhilde. Her first appearance was in The Avengers vol. 1 #83. For much of her history she was a mainstay of superhero team known as the Defenders. Samantha Parrington, a previous host to Brunnhilde, later received the Valkyrie powers herself and became a member of the Defenders as Valkyrie.
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[edit] Valkyrie (Brunnhilde)
| Valkyrie | |
 Valkyrie Art by Pablo Raimondi |
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| Publication information | |
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| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Avengers vol. 1 #083 (December, 1970) |
| Created by | Roy Thomas (writer), John Buscema (artist) |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Brunnhilde of Asgard |
| Team affiliations | none, Odin, Asgardian, The Valkyrior, Defenders |
| Notable aliases | Barbara Denton-Norris Sian Bowen |
| Abilities |
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[edit] Fictional character biography
Valkyrie is the strongest of all Valkyrior. Like all her people, her tissue and bone are several times as dense as the mortal equivalent. Though she is not immortal, she ages far more slowly than humans. Valkyrie is immune to all terrestrial diseases and is resistant to most forms of injury. Her Asgardian physiology grants her superhuman levels of stamina. Valkyrie can perceive the approach of death, in the form of a "deathglow" surrounding a person's body. She doesn't know how death will come but she can tell that it is imminent. Valkyrie can transport herself and a dying or dead body to and from the realm of the dead by willing it. Valkyrie has had extensive training in sword fighting as well as unarmed combat and horseback riding. Her natural fighting ability is among the best of all Asgardian females, matched only by Sif.
Brunnhilde was selected by Odin, King of the Gods of the realm of Asgard, to lead the Valkyrior (the Choosers of the Slain), a group of warrior goddesses who would appear over the battlefields of mortal worshippers of the Asgardian gods and choose which of the fallen were worthy to be taken to Valhalla, the land of the honored dead. Brunnhilde served capably in this capacity for centuries.
According to a sentient, disembodied eye that claimed to once belonged to Odin, the Asgardian monarch once gave his son Thor the mortal identity of the warrior Siegmund. Circumstances forced Odin to decree that Siegmund must be slain. Brunnhilde, recognizing that Odin was acting against his true wishes, sought to protect Siegmund, but Odin himself then caused Siegmund's death. Brunnhilde helped Siegmund's pregnant lover, Sieglinde get to safety. As punishment for her defiance, Odin removed Brunnhilde's asgard powers and immortality and cast her into a trance. She was eventually awakened by Siegfried, the son of Siegmund and Sieglinde and another mortal incarnation of Thor.
Brunnhilde and Siegfried became lovers. However, Siegfried fell under the influence of magic and betrayed her. He was later murdered, and Brunnhilde, still in love with him, leapt into his blazing funeral pyre. (This part of her background was based on the Volsunga saga.) Odin restored both of them to life, restoring their asgard roles and powers,, but removing their memories of their earthly lives. (It is unclear how much truth, if any, there is to this account by the eye.)
Brunnhilde and her fellow Valkyries continued to gather heroic mortal warriors for Valhalla until roughly a millennium ago, when Odin was forced to cease virtually all intercourse with the Earth in accordance with a pact that he and the leaders of Earth's other pantheons of gods made with extraterrestrial Celestials. From then onward, the Valkyries could only choose slain heroes from among fallen Asgardian warriors. Brunnhilde was bitter over being barred from choosing warriors on Earth and roamed Asgard in pursuit of something meaningful to do.
In a tavern on the outskirts of Marmoragard, Brunnhilde encountered Amora the Enchantress, who offered her a life of adventure. For several weeks Brunnhilde accompanied the Enchantress on her conquests. Brunnhilde soon discovered Amora's immoral nature and tried to end their partnership. In response the Enchantress trapped Brunnhilde within a mystic crystal of souls. While Brunnhilde's body remained in suspended animation, her immortal soul became Amora's plaything. Over the centuries the Enchantress used Brunnhilde's spiritual essence to give the Valkyrie’s powers to herself or to her pawns. The Enchantress usually used her magic to alter the recipient's appearance to resemble Brunnhilde herself.
Specific instances of Amora's exploitation of the Valkyrie before recent years are not yet known. The first time the Enchantress assumed the Valkyrie's physical aspect in recent years was in a plot to lead a handful of female superhumans against the male Avengers as the Lady Liberators. Her true identity was discovered, however, and her plan thwarted. Months later, the Enchantress bestowed the Valkyrie's power upon a socialite named Samantha Parrington in an attempt to get revenge on the Hulk.
Finally, a woman driven mad by being trapped in another mystical dimension, Barbara Norriss, was given the Valkyrie's power and consciousness by the Enchantress to help her then-allies, the group of superhumans called the Defenders, escape from the clutches of the sorceress Casiolena. Amora did not undo her spell on Norriss after Casiolena's defeat. As a result, Norriss's body now possessed Brunnhilda's consciousness, appearance, and powers, while Norriss's own mental essence was trapped in Brunnhilde's real body in Asgard. However, thanks to partial amnesia induced by the Enchantress, Brunnhilde was unaware that she was not in possession of her real body and full memory. Indeed, while trapped in Norriss's body Brunnhilde personality lacked much of its usual strength of will.
It was not until a minor Asgardian warrior named Ollerus attempted to take over Valhalla that the Valkyrie’s two mixed aspects met for the first time. Brunnhilde’s mental essence trapped in Norriss’s transformed body, fought Norriss’s mental essence trapped in Brunnhilde’s real body. At the end of that encounter, the Valkyrie’s body, still possessed by Norriss’s mind was consigned to Niffleheim, the realm inhabited by the spirits of the non-heroic Asgardian dead, while Brunnhilde’s mind in Norriss’s transformed body accompanied the Defenders, who had made the other dimensional journey with her, back to Earth.
For reasons yet unknown, Brunnhilde was not concerned at this time about reuniting her mind with her true body. It was not until Barbara Norriss’s body was murdered that the Valkyries spirit and mind were inadvertently freed from their mortal host. With the help of Doctor Strange's magic, Brunnhilde regained her true body, which was rescued from Niffleheim by the Enchantress. Back in her real body, Brunnhilde regained her full memory and normal warrior personality as well. Brunnhilde then battled Amora and banished her to the crystal of souls. Feeling estranged from Asgard in general and Odin in particular for their neglect of her centuries-long plight, Brunnhilde chose to return to Earth with the Defenders. She had remained with them for several years.
Odin placed the dangerously powerful self-styled goddess Moondragon into Brunnhilde's charge. Brunnhilde was to teach Moondragon humility, and Moondragon served alongside Brunnhilde in the Defenders. Brunnhilde was to take action against Moondragon should she again become a menace. Eventually Moondragon reformed, but later she fell once again under the malevolent influence of the alien entity called the Dragon of the Moon. Moondragon attacked the Defenders, but Brunnhilde, given temporary additional powers by Odin for this occasion, including the power to grow to gigantic stature, opposed her. Brunnhilde summoned other Valkyries to her aid and together with two other Defenders, the Angel and Cloud, they defeated Moondragon but failed to capture her, however.
Months later Moondragon returned to attack the Defenders. During this encounter, her power was vastly augmented by the alien Beyonder. In order to defeat the Dragon, Brunnhilde and the Eternal called Interloper projected their immortal life forces against it. They were joined by Defenders member Andromeda and the Defenders's former foe Manslaughter, for it was necessary that Brunnhilde's and Interloper's life forces pass through "mortal instruments" in order that Moondragon be defeated as well. Joining hands, the four allies hurled the tremendous power of their combined life forces at the Dragon, Moondragon, and the Gargoyle, whose body was now under the Dragon's control. Three other Defenders went to rescue endangered innocents, and when they returned, Brunnhilde, Interloper, Andromeda, Manslaughter, Moondragon and Gargoyle had all seemingly been transformed into statues of ashes and dust, and the Dragon of the Moon was apparently gone.[1]
When Doctor Strange was on the brink of death, he was drawn (in his astral form) toward a realm of the afterlife. There he saw Brunnhilda, who had come to escort him into the hereafter. Strange, however, refused, and after considerable effort, returned to life in the mortal world. It’s unclear whether Brunnhilde herself was dead and appeared to Strange in her astral form, or whether she still lives in physical form. It’s clear, however, that she once more serves to escort the spirits of dead heroes into the hereafter. From Marvel Directory.com
Brunnhilde was restored to life by Doctor Strange, now in the host body of a woman known as Sian Bowen. The other Defenders, Interloper, Andromeda and Manslaughter were restored to life as well and they formed the Dragon Circle to battle the Dragon of the Moon. After the Dragon of the Moon was defeated, Brunnhilde returned to Asgard.[2]
[edit] Valkyrie (Samantha Parrington)
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2006) |
| Valkyrie II | |
 Valkyrie (Samantha Parrington) by Carlos Pacheco |
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| Publication information | |
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| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Incredible Hulk volume II #142 (August, 1971) |
| Created by | Roy Thomas (writer), Herb Trimpe (artist) |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Samantha Parrington |
| Team affiliations | None, The Defenders |
| Abilities |
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[edit] Fictional character biography
Brunnhilde was killed in battle just before Loki's destruction of Asgard[3], but Samantha Parrington still lives.
On Earth, Pluto and Lorelei restored the Valkyrie's powers within Samantha Parrington. Pluto tricked Lorelei though, erasing her memory, draining her powers and turning her into a duplicate of Valkyrie. While Samantha was used by Pluto to turn Earth into a realm of the dead, Lorelei was found by the Defender Nighthawk, who believed she was the real Valkyrie and made her a Defender, though she never spoke. When the Defenders tried to stop Pluto, Lorelei battled Samantha and was restored to her former self. Samantha was freed from Pluto's control and she became part of the Defenders again as Valkyrie. Much to Parrington's chagrin, her parents are proud of her and turned their mansion into the Defenders base.
After Civil War, Parrington is recruited as part of the Initiative and training at the Stamford, Connecticut facility amongst the other trainees.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Samantha Parrington can change from her mortal form into a copy of Brunnhilda's with all the latter's powers and skills.
[edit] Weapons and equipment
Valkyrie carries two weapons of choice.
- An enchanted sword named Dragonfang. An Oriental wizard named Kahji-Da was said to have carved the sword from a tooth of an extra-dimensional dragon. The sword eventually passed into the possession of the Ancient One, who in turn gave it to his disciple Doctor Strange. Strange awarded it to the Valkyrie after she had returned the Black Knight's Ebony Blade, which she had been using, to its rightful owner. The sword is virtually indestructible.
- An unnamed iron spear (presumably magical).
Valkyrie rides a winged horse by the name of Aragorn. Aragorn was given to her by the current Black Knight.[4]
[edit] Other versions
[edit] Ultimate Valkyrie
Ultimate Valkyrie is a 19-year-old girl who aspires to play the public role of super hero, despite having no actual powers or skills (she describes herself as a female Thor, only without the hammer, strength or weather-powers). She is a member of the Ultimate version of the Defenders, a group of similarly delusional, somewhat farcical individuals. To date, her closest encounter with any sort of superhero or villain was her brief affair with Hank Pym, Giant Man/Ant Man. She also has a superhero fetish, asking Pym to dress up as Captain America.
In Ultimate Saga, when Tony Stark is looking through S.H.I.E.L.D files he sees a picture of the Defenders and Valkyrie. He says that he has to keep an eye on her for more than one reason.
A "Valkyrie" next appears in Ultimates 3 #1, now riding a black Pegasus and wielding a large sword that she uses to cleave Venom nearly in two. She is in a romantic live-in relationship with Thor. If she is the same girl as the previous Ultimate Valkyrie or a different individual altogether is unknown; likewise her superhuman attributes and abilities remain unexplained. She speaks with a distinct valley girl accent, and makes references to having lived a quiet normal human life. However, she suggests she is more akin to Thor than it may seem.
[edit] In other media
[edit] Video games
Valkyrie appears as an NPC in the video game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. She has a special dialogue with Deadpool and expresses an attraction to him due to his connection with Death and his sense of humor. She seems disgusted by Weasel, Deadpool's friend who won't stop staring at her. Deadpool informs her that Weasel always reacts to attractive women that way, which is why he hasn't had a date since his cousin took him to the prom. In the game, there is an optional mission to find Valkyrie's sword Dragon Fang somewhere in the god's graveyard near Bifrost Bridge. If the player finds her sword, Asgard will be easily freed with her aid, Loki will be imprisoned in chains, and Ragnarok never comes to pass. If the player doesn't find her sword, Valkyrie and Balder fall in the battle against Ragnarok and the people of Asgard are forbidden to contacting Earth for a century. On a side note, she will recall Odin to Asgard to recover if he's freed from his dark magic confinement in Castle Doom.
[edit] Notes
- As stated above, Brunnhilde, the Valkyrie is based on the character of the same name in the Nibelungenlied (a story of the Poetic Edda). The story however had many incarnations; Richard Wagner's opera version of it (Der Ring des Nibelungen) shows a Brunnhilde the character's creators most likely have used for the conception of the Marvel persona (and, in fact, Marvel's free adaptation of Wagner's opera in Thor #~296 features Marvel's Brunnhilde in that role, with Marvel's Thor as Siegmund).
- When Thor went insane with warrior madness, his insanity manifested as a woman, also called the Valkyrie. This Valkyrie had no relation to the regular Valkyries and had a different appearance.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- MarvelDirectory.com Reference
- Classic Marvel Website
- Underworld Website
- Immortal Thor Website
- Comics.Org
- The Women of Marvel Comics Valkyrie Page
- Her profile in the Appendix to the Marvel Handbook
- http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/valkyrieparrington.htm
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