The Valkyrior is a fictional organization 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

Valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ( or ; from ) is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become ('single fighters' or 'once fighters').Orchard (1997:36) and Li ...

s of

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 ...

, the group, created 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 ...

, first appeared in ''

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

'' #133 (October 1966). Within the context of Marvel's

shared universe A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where one or more writers (or other artists) independently contribute works that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, charact ...

, the Valkyrior is a group of female warriors led by Brunnhilde / Valkyrie that was originally designated by

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 ...

to bring the souls of slain heroes to

Valhalla In Norse mythology, Valhalla ( , ; , )Orchard (1997:171–172) is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. There were five possible realms the soul could travel to after death. The first was Fólkvang ...

. In 2013, the team became the subject of the short-lived series, ''

The Fearless Defenders ''The Fearless Defenders'' was an ongoing series, ongoing comic book series published by Marvel Comics that debuted in February 2013 as part of the company's Marvel NOW! initiative. The series, written by Cullen Bunn with artwork by Will Sliney, ce ...

''.

Publication history

The Valkyrior, created by

and

, first appeared in ''

'' #133 (October 1966). The team, led by

and

Misty Knight Mercedes "Misty" Knight is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jenny Blake Isabella and Arvell Jones, the character was first mentioned in '' Marvel Premiere'' #20 (January 1975) and first appear ...

is the subject of the 2013 series, ''

'' by

Cullen Bunn Cullen Bunn is an American comics writer, novelist, and short story writer, best known for his work on comic books such as ''Uncanny X-Men'', '' X-Men: Blue'', ''Magneto'' and various '' Deadpool'' miniseries for Marvel Comics, and his creator-own ...

and Will Sliney. Bun said about his book: "The basic idea of the book is that Valkyrie is choosing a new team of Valkyrior, and she's been asked to choose all these women from the heroes of Midgard, instead of from Asgard. She has completely failed in this task. Valkyrie has been unable to choose anyone that she feels is worthy to be one of the hosts of the shield maidens. So she just hasn't done it. She's dropped the ball. Because she's not done what she said she would do, nature—or supernature, as it is—abhors a vacuum. The absence of the Valkyrior has opened the door to something terrible. Something awful is waking, and Valkyrie finds that it's really her fault that she's put everything at risk".

Fictional history

The Valkyrior are warrior goddesses of

Asgard In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr''; "Garden of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in several Old Norse sagas and mythological texts, including the Eddas, however it has also been suggested to be refe ...

who ride winged horses. Originally, under the leadership of Brunnhilde, they took mortally wounded human heroes from German and Scandinavian battlegrounds and brought them to Valhalla, an area of the Asgardian dimension where the astral forms of the dead Asgardians and human heroes eternally feast and compete in friendly battles. The Valkyries were no longer able to perform this task when

, ruler of Asgard, vowed to the

Celestials The Celestials are fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Depicted as cosmic beings, they debuted in the Bronze Age of Comic Books and have reappeared on numerous occasions. They also appeared in the ...

a millennium ago that he would restrict Asgardian contact with Earth. In later years, Brunnhilde became a member of Earth's

Defenders Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to: * Defense (military) * Defense (sports) ** Defender (association football) Arts and entertainment Film, television, and theatre Film * ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary * ''The D ...

. The other Valkyries all died when Odin 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 ...

went to war over who would rule Valhalla. Odin restored the Valkyries to life after he regained possession of Valhalla, but these Valkyries only have physical form within Valhalla; outside it, they exist only in astral form. Valtrauta has taken Brunnhilde's place as ruler of the Valkyrior, and

Hildegarde Hildegarde Loretta Sell, known as Hildegarde (February 1, 1906 – July 29, 2005) was an American cabaret singer, who was well known for the song " Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup". Early life She was born Hildegarde Loretta Sell in Adell, Wis ...

's sister Krista (aka Mist) has filled the role of the ninth Valkyrie, left open since Brunnhilde's departure. During the "

War of the Realms War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

" storyline, Brunnhilde and the rest of the Valkyrior, save

Mirage A mirage is a naturally-occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French ''(se) mirer'', from the Latin ''mirari'', mean ...

, are massacred by Malekith and his forces invading New York. During the battle, Brunnhilde is beheaded by Malekith. Afterwards,

Jane Foster Jane Foster is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Journey into Mystery'' #84 (September 1962). Jane Foster ...

then takes up the mantle of Valkyrie.

Members

Asgard Valkyrior

* Axe – a member of the Valkyrior * Brunnhilde – leader * Danielle Moonstar / Mirage – an original member of the

New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teenaged junior class at the Xavier Institute, sub ...

, she joined the Valkyrior * Freya – the Goddess of Fertility who used to work as a former Valkyrie * Gerda – a member of the Valkyrior * Grimgerta – a member of the Valkyrior * Gruenhilda''Thunderstrike'' (vol. 2) #1. Marvel Comics – a member of the Valkyrior * Hercara – a member of the Valkyrior * Fatal Sisters – a trio of Valkyries ** Hilda – a member of the Valkyrior ** Mista – a member of the Valkyrior ** Sangrida – a member of the Valkyrior *

– a gifted Asgardian Valkyrie with extraordinary strength and great skills with the sword * Krista – a member of the Valkyrior and sister of Hildegarde, she was kidnapped by

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of Trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Su ...

so the Asgardians would go to war against the

Olympians Olympian or Olympians may refer to: Religion * Twelve Olympians, the principal gods and goddesses in ancient Greek religion * Olympian spirits, spirits mentioned in books of ceremonial magic Fiction * ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'', fiction ...

, but thankfully she was saved by Thor and

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

* Leita''Thor'' #133. Marvel Comics – a member of the Valkyrior * Mist – a member of the Valkyrior, she invited Danielle to join them * Rossveissa – also known as Svava, she is a member of the Valkyrior, but forced to serve

* Sygnet – a member of the Valkyrior * Valtrauta – a member of the Valkyrior *

– first of a new generation of Valkyrior, she wields Undrajarn the All-Weapon, a weapon that can change its shape and be whatever she needs, such as a sword, mace, or wings *Rūna – Rūna is one of the original nine Valkyries and the original wielder of Jarnbjorn.

Defenders Valkyrior

* Brunnhilde – leader *

– leader *

Elsa Bloodstone Elsa Bloodstone is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, and Michael Lopez, the character first appeared in ''Bloodstone'' #1 (December 2001). Elsa Bloodstone is the daug ...

– a member of the Valkyrior *

Clea Clea is a female given name. Clea may refer to: People with the given name * Clea DuVall (born 1977), actress * Clea Hoyte (born 1981), West Indies cricketer * Clea Koff (born 1972), British-born American forensic anthropologist and author * ...

– a member of the Valkyrior * Danielle Moonstar – a former member of the Valkyrior *

Nova A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...

– a member of the Valkyrior * Ren Kimura – an

Inhuman Inhuman may refer to: Comics *Inhumans, a fictional race in Marvel Comics ** ''Inhuman'' (comics), a comic book series focusing on Inhumans ** ''Inhumans'' (TV series), a television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Music *InHuman ...

member of the Valkyrior, girlfriend of Annabelle *

Annabelle Riggs Valkyrie, also known by her Asgard (comics), Asgardian name Brunnhilde, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema, the character first appeared in ''The Defenders ...

– a member of the Valkyrior, girlfriend of Ren *

Hippolyta In Greek mythology, Hippolyta, or Hippolyte (; ''Hippolytē''), was a daughter of Ares and Otrera,Hyginus, ''Fabulae'', 30 queen of the Amazons, and a sister of Antiope and Melanippe. She wore her father Ares' ''zoster'', the Greek word foun ...

– a member of the Valkyrior, girlfriend of Ren

Disir

* Brün''Thor'' #611. Marvel Comics – leader of the Disir, she was the first one to be cursed by

Bor Bor may refer to: Places Populated places * Bor (Tachov District), a town in Plzeň Region, Czech Republic * Bor, Petnjica, Montenegro * Bor, Russia, the name of many inhabited localities in Russia * Bor District, a district in Serbia ** Bor, Se ...

due to their rebellion when working with Sigurd * Göndul''Thor'' #612. Marvel Comics – a member of the Disir, she is a coward and a fool * Hlökk – a member of the Disir * Kára – a member of the Disir

In other media

The Valkyrior appear in the 2017 live-action film '' Thor: Ragnarok''.

sent them to Hel to prevent

from escaping. However, the attack turned into a massacre, as Hela killed every Valkyrie with the exception of Valkyrie / Scrapper 142. The trauma of the massacre led Valkyrie to abandon Asgard and settle on

Sakaar The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features. Places Certain places fe ...

References

External links

* * {{Jack Kirby Female characters in comics Fictional matriarchies Fictional secret societies Marvel Comics superhero teams