The Fenris Wolf is a fictional character appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

, based on the

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...

Fenrir Fenrir (Old Norse 'fen-dweller')Orchard (1997:42). or Fenrisúlfr (Old Norse "Fenrir's wolf", often translated "Fenris-wolf"),Simek (2007:81). also referred to as Hróðvitnir (Old Norse "fame-wolf")Simek (2007:160). and Vánagandr (Old Nors ...

from

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology, is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia as the Nordic folklore of the modern period. The ...

. Fenris makes her live-action debut in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

film, '' Thor: Ragnarok'' (2017). Alternate versions of Fenris appear in the animated series, '' What If... ?'' (2023).

Publication history

The Fenris Wolf first appeared in Marvel Comics in ''

Journey into Mystery ''Journey into Mystery'' is an American comic book series initially published by Atlas Comics, then by its successor, Marvel Comics. Initially a horror comics anthology, it changed to giant-monster and science fiction stories in the late 1950s ...

'' #114 (March 1965), and was adapted from Norse legends by

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

and

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...

. The character subsequently appeared in ''Thor'' #276-278 (October–December 1978) and ''Thor'' (vol. 2) #80-83 (August–October 2004) and 85 (December 2004). Fenris received an entry in the '' Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition'' #4.

Fictional character biography

The Fenris Wolf is a creature of Asgardian origin, said to be the product of a union between

Loki Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...

and the

giantess Giantesses are imaginary, gigantic women. They are widely believed to be mythological by the humans of modern-day, since the term "giantess" is so generic, it seems possible to describe female giants not native to Earth which fall under the very ...

Angrboda. The myths surrounding Fenris evolved into the story of ''

Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" () is a fairy tale by Charles Perrault about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th-century European Fable, folk tales. It was later retold in the 19th-century by the Broth ...

'', with the goddess Iduna confronting Fenris and banishing him to Varinheim while bringing golden apples to

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

. Just like Norse mythology, Odin had the Dwarfs forge the chain

Gleipnir In Norse mythology, Gleipnir (Old Norse "open one")Orchard (1997:58). is the binding that holds the mighty wolf Fenrir (as attested in chapter 34 of the ''Prose Edda'' book '' Gylfaginning''). Its name means "the entangled one" or "the deceiver" ...

, which they used to chain Fenris to a rock. A giant offspring of Fenris, named Hoarfen, once battled the

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

and his Pantheon allies.

True Ragnarok

later unchains Fenris to aid him,

Ulik Ulik is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He usually appears as an adversary of Thor. Ulik was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appears in ''Thor'' #137 (February 1967). Debuting in t ...

, and Hyrm in attacking Asgard, using weapons forged by Surtur. Ulik and Fenris attack Thor together, only for Thor to attack them using Mjolnir, creating a blast that removes

Sif In Norse mythology, Sif is a golden-haired goddess associated with earth. Sif is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturl ...

's arm. Hyrm joins up with Ulik and Fenris and manages to shatter Mjolnir. Fenris then attacks Thor,

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

, and

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...

when they are in Asgard. When Fenris is about to attack Thor, Captain America kicks Fenris in the stomach to reclaim his shield, then Thor defeats him, causing him to flee. Fenris assists in the attack on Vanaheim and faces Thor again in battle. Thor binds Fenris in chains and uses his body to knock down Durok to save Sif. With Durok slain, Fenris snaps his chains and fought Thor, only to be killed by

Beta Ray Bill Beta Ray Bill is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in the Bronze Age of Comic Books, the character was initially intended to be a surprise; an apparent monster who unexpectedly turns out ...

. Fenris returned to life and swallowed Asgard's sun and moon assisting to bring about Ragnarok. Asgard reforms and re-establishes itself over the state of Oklahoma. Fenris escapes from his prison, a place deep in the dimensional 'Hells' and steals a technological device that would slaughter innocents, humans and gods alike. The

Warriors Three The Warriors Three are a group of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters served as supporting cast members in ''Thor (Marvel Comics), Thor''. The Warriors Three are the Asgard (comics), As ...

defeat Fenris, after which he is imprisoned in an Asgardian courtyard.

In other media

Marvel Cinematic Universe

* Fenris appears in '' Thor: Ragnarok''. This version is a female Asgardian wolf and

Hela HeLa () is an immortalized cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest human cell line and one of the most commonly used. HeLa cells are durable and prolific, allowing for extensive applications in scientific study. The line is ...

's pet who was previously killed millennia prior before being resurrected in the present. She later battles the

and is tossed off Asgard into the void below. * Alternate universe variants of Fenris appear in the second season of '' What If...?''.

Film

Fenris appears in '' Thor: Tales of Asgard'', voiced by

Brian Drummond Brian Drummond (born August 10, 1969) is a Canadian voice actor. He formerly served on the board of directors for the New Westminster-based Urban Academy along with his wife, Laura Drummond, also a voice artist. Usually working in Vancouver, h ...

Television

* Fenris appears in '' The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'', with vocal effects provided by

Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...

. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. * Fenris appears in the ''

Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate Ma ...

'' episode "The Avenging Spider-Man" as one of several Asgardian creatures controlled by

Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

. * Fenris makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the '' Avengers Assemble'' episode "A Friend in Need".

Video games

* An assortment of Fenris Wolves serve as enemies in '' Marvel: Ultimate Alliance''. * Fenris appears in ''

Marvel Snap ''Marvel Snap'' is a digital collectible card game developed by Second Dinner and published by Nuverse for Android, iOS, and Windows. The game features a collection of different characters from the Marvel Universe. The game was released on Oct ...

''.

References

External links

* {{Stan Lee Characters created by Jack Kirby Characters created by Stan Lee Comics characters introduced in 1965 Fictional wolves Marvel Comics Asgardians Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics male supervillains Norse mythology in Marvel Comics Thor (Marvel Comics)