The Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is not the same as the one that fans of Marvel Comics know. Both characters are from the same place, former warriors from Asgard who moved on to operate on Earth. However, their origin is very different and their appearance is even more drastically changed.
Unlike the Valkyrie in the MCU, a former member of an Asgardian army of women, the one from comics was more like Thor. Valkyrie was an Asgardian who shared a body with a mortal. She was a member of The Defenders and more recently bonded with another major Marvel character from the movies.
Updated on June 30th, 2022, by Shawn S. Lealos: Thor: Love and Thunder will bring Valkyrie back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as that version of the character will aid Thor in his battle with Gorr the God Butcher. What is interesting is that she will team up with Jane Foster, who has taken on the role of Earth’s Thor – and in the comics is herself Valkyrie. With the new movie showing Valkyrie possessing powers that she had never revealed in her previous appearances, it is interesting that at least one of the new powers is one that Marvel Comics fans know that Valkyrie possesses in the comics, whether with Jane, Runa, or the original Valkyrie, Brunnhilde.
Valkyrie Can Fly With Artificial Wings
When most people think of Valkyrie, they remember the original version – Brunnhilde, as she rode the winged horse Aragorn. Even in the tales of the original Valkyrie, both the comics and the movies showed them traveling on winged stallions into battle, as well as when they led the dead to the afterlife.
However, the truth is that a Valkyrie can fly without a horse. Jane Foster’s version of Valkyrie has developed a way to use Undrajuarn the All-Weapon in many ways. One of these includes turning it into wings so she can fly when needed.
Valkyrie Led The Dead Into Valhalla
In the comics, Odin led an attack of Earth and one of the soldiers who stood up to him, Sigmund, died. Believing that warriors like Sigmund deserved a paradise after dying, he handpicked Sigmund’s lover, Brunnhilde, to become the Valkyrie.
She led a new force of Valkyrior as warrior goddesses and Valkyrie led the dead into Asgard’s version of Heaven, Valhalla. Brunnhilde served Odin in this role for centuries. However, after Odin later declared only Asgardian warriors could go to Valhalla, Brunnhilde became disenchanted with her role.
Valkyrie Can Sense The Coming Of Death
Valkyrie’s main duty is to escort the dead Asgardians to Valhalla. However, on top of this duty, she can actually sense the coming of death to ensure that she is there at the right time to take the warriors to the other side. This was shown in great detail when New Mutants member Dani Moonstar gained the ability to sense death after she became a Valkyrie.
This is actually a trait that will play out in Thor: Love and Thunder. In an interview, Tessa Thompson said her Valkyrie will have weird skills and said that she “can sense when someone is close to death, and she takes them into Valhalla.”
Valkyrie Can Talk To The Dead
One of the key traits to taking the dead into Valhalla is the fact that Valkyrie can talk to the dead, and help them move on peacefully into the afterlife.
She can also spark to them even if they are from a different team because all Valkyrie have the Asgardian ability of Allspeak, meaning they can communicate in all languages and dialects in the Nine Realms.
Valkyrie Can Teleport To Any Dimension
Since Valkyrie has the power to take warriors into Valhalla, she obviously needs to be able to travel to distant locations in the blink of an eye. That brings up the power of teleportation for the Asgardian hero. Since an Asgardian warrior could die in any of the Nine Realms, Valkyrie received the power to teleport to any dimension.
She not only can teleport alone, but she can take anyone with her, which is how she gets the warriors to Valhalla, to begin with. There is no trick either, as she can teleport through just the force of her will.
Her Main Enemy Was Enchantress
The Enchantress has always been one of the most devious and manipulative women in Asgard. At one point, Enchantress and Valkyrie went on adventures together but when Brunnhilde figured out that Amora was evil, she tried to break away.
However, Enchantress trapped her soul and used Valkyrie’s powers to help her against her enemies. She used the powers for years for both herself and her pawns, but that all changed when she met The Defenders.
Valkyrie Was Bonded With Barbara Norriss
Barbara Norriss was a human woman who became friends with the Hulk. She appeared mostly in the pages of The Defenders and was a troubled woman who spent time in the Dark Dimension and had trouble coping. She ended up swept back in time and that is when Enchantress discovered her.
Enchantress then sent Brunnhilde into Barbara’s body and the Valkyrie controlled the woman and returned with The Defenders to the present-day where she joined the team.
Valkyrie Had A Steed Named Aragorn
Valkyrie has a winged horse named Aragorn that used to belong to Dane Whitman, the Black Knight. When Barbara Norriss was sent into the past and ended up possessed by Brunnhilde, an American named Dane Whitman was also sent back. This man would later become the Black Knight in the Avengers.
However, at this time he chose to stay in the 12th Century A.D., but he gave Valkyrie a gift. He had her take Aragorn into her care and she rode the flying horse into battle for years until she passed her on to her replacement.
Valkyrie Was A Long-Time Member Of The Defenders
Valkyrie was a long-time member of The Defenders and was the first new member to join the team. The original members were Doctor Strange, Hulk, Namor, and Silver Surfer, and they were less a team and more just allies there to help each other.
Valkyrie was the first person to join as a team member and this is when the group changed into an actual group. She remained with Doctor Strange when others left the team, and newcomers like Nighthawk and Hellstrom joined on.
Barbara Had To Die For Valkyrie To Be Free
Barbara Norriss soon became aware of Brunnhilde and the two shared the body for a time. However, this was uncomfortable for both, as Brunnhilde had no access to her true body and Barbara felt she had lost herself. The only way for this to end was with Barbara’s death.
While Barbara died, Brunnhilde’s spirit was still alive. Doctor Strange used his magic to finally help her regain her actual body, where her memories returned for the first time and she set chose to remain on Earth, as she felt Odin never tried to save her.
Valkyrie Has A Sword Called Dragonfang
Valkyrie has a mythical weapon, a sword known as Dragonfang. This was carved from the tusk of an interdimensional dragon and is nearly indestructible. Doctor Strange gave the sword to her after he received it from the Ancient One.
The sword can absorb magic forces when it contacts blood. It also shatters mystical wards and shields, enhances the fighting skills of those who use it, and whoever controls it can summon it to their hands.
Brunnhilde Died In War Of The Realms
The original Valkyrie, Brunnhilde, died in War of the Realms, a Marvel crossover series in 2019. This even saw Malekith, the Dark Elf, conquer all of the realms and then set his sights on the final one, Earth. Valkyrie, at this time, was a member of the Asgardians of the Galaxy and they arrived to help.
Brunnhilde went into battle with the entire army of Valkyrie warriors, and they all fell and died with her as the final one standing, facing Malekith. At this moment, Malekith killed Valkyrie and that was the end of her story.
Jane Foster Became The New Valkyrie
Jane Foster, the long-time love interest of Thor, took over his role when he found himself unworthy to lift Mjolnir. For a long time, no one knew that Jane was the new female Thor, but she fought alongside the Avengers and became a hero in her own right.
Jane eventually gave up the role, with Thor reclaiming it. During War of the Realms, Jane Foster was with all the dead Valkyries in the morgue and the spirit of Brunnhilde arrived and asked Jane if she could become a Valkyrie to help usher those warriors to Valhalla and she agreed.
A New Valkyrie Appeared In 2021
The Valkyrie in the MCU might have a Marvel Comics counterpart now. In the series The Mighty Valkyries, the MCU Valkyrie showed up for the first time in comics and her name is Runa. This is important because Valkyrie is not a name, but a warrior class.
The long-standing Valkyrie was Brunnhilde. This new Valkyrie was a member of the original nine Valkyries, but she was never killed and was instead trapped in the body of a dead Celestial, where she was forgotten. Now, Jane Foster and Runa share the role of Valkyrie in the Marvel Comics Universe.
Knull Entrapped Runa For Centuries
The story of Runa was told in The Mighty Valkyries and it turned out she dealt with one of Marvel Comics’ most powerful enemies. Knull is a god of darkness, the being that created the symbiotes. In the King in Black crossover event, he almost conquered Earth, defeated almost all the heroes, and only fell when Venom got some divine help.
Knull also has a history with Runa, the new Valkyrie in Marvel Comics that is based on Tessa Thompson’s character from the Thor movies. When Jane Foster’s Valkyrie tried to assemble a team to fight Knull, Runa wanted nothing to do with it. This is because Runa was transferring her lover Alta’s soul through the Realm Between when Knull attacked and trapped Runa inside an undead Celestial for untold millennia, so long that she forgot who she was.
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