• Amazonian Beauty: Perfectly on part for the Psychopomps of the most famous Warrior Heaven of Marvel 616, all of them have warrior builds, notable defined powerful musculature, and are utterly at ease in the battlefield. All of them are also drawn to be quite the stunning beauties, as well.
• Amazon Brigade: And they have a rivalry with the actual Amazons.
• Cool Horse: They ride Asgardian steeds that can fly.
• Psychopomp: Like in the original myths, it is their duty to escort the souls of the deceased to Valhalla or their respective afterlives. Without them Jane Foster ends up having to do it alone.
• Redeeming Replacement: Odin's Valkyries were preceded by Bor's Disir, who became lustful, scavenging parasites who he had to banish from the nine-ten realms...and left him with a less than positive opinion of women, as well as by the Doom Maiden's, Odin's first group of honored dead gathers meant to give Asgard the edge when Ragnarok arrived. The Doom Maidens instead decided they were going to destroy the world themselves and bypass the Ragnarok problem.
• Sadly Mythtaken
  • In Marvel Comics they're far more focused on defending those who live on Asgard and Midgard than collecting the souls of those who die honorably. Justified after the cycle of Ragnarok is broken, which reduces the priority of collecting souls, and for the first time gives the gods hope the nine worlds can actually be preserved, kept in relative peace with each other, even!
  • "Cycles of Ragnarok" also explain why groups like the Disir as distinct from Odin's Valkyries and the Doom Maidens can exist while Freya's Valkyries do not. Things were sometimes more like the recorded myths in previous cycles, and sometimes even less, with solar Valkyries!
• We Hardly Knew Ye: They are massacred by Malekith during the opening stages of the War of the Realms.

Rūna (Earth-616)

First Appearance: King in Black: Return of the Valkyries #1

Another version of the character — inspired by Tessa Thompson's portrayal — was introduced in King in Black: Return of the Valkyries #1 (dated December 2020), created by Jason Aaron, Torunn Grønbekk, and Nina Vakueva.

Rūna's backstory mirrors that of the Earth-22681 Valkyrie, mainly in that she was also one of the very first Valkyries of Asgard, but in this case she's in fact a rookie Disir, a group who predates Odin's Valkyries, and her characterization is more in line with Thompson's Valkyrie than the former. Lost to time as a prisoner in the body of a dead Celestial, Jane Foster uncovers her during the battle against Knull, frees the captive, and convinces the Disir to help fight off his forces. Because of her long absence, she is shown to have forgotten her past and even her name, prompting her to embark on a personal odyssey to fill in the gaps of her history. She is also revealed to be the original owner of the Jarnbjorn axe that later became an important part of Thor's personal arsenal.

• Canon Immigrant: Of the version of Valkyrie from the MCU.
• Cowardly Lion: After having been ambushed before her training was completed, and imprisoned for eons, Rūna reluctantly admits that she's become afraid of fighting to Jane Foster. Rūna proves to be quite good at fighting, all things considered, despite not having the drive for it typical of those from Asgard
• The Alcoholic: She drinks heavily, partially out of enjoyment and cultural expectation, largely out of frustration with lost memories, shame for defeat, and self disgust for her own fears
• The Older Immortal: Rather than one of Odin's Valkyries, she was originally one of Bor's Disir from the prior generation. Thus while she's an Incompletely Trained rookie among the Disir she's older than most of the Valkyries.
• Token Heroic Orc: Unlike the other uncovered Disir, she simply joins the ranks of the Valkyries and continues on as usual, reflective journeys to find herself aside, having never become a corrupted scavenger or predator like Bor's other choosers of the slain

Alter Ego: Lost Valkyrie of Söl, Goddess Söl, Jara Rivensky

First Appearance: Avengers Academy: Marvel's Voices Infinity Comic #15

A solar deity who once collected the souls of the honored dead, she was already old when the sun was new. Jara departed from Asgard during a previous iteration of the Ragnarok cycle, before said cycle was broken by Thor. She claims she needed to get away and gain a new perspective on life, working humble jobs among mortals. In truth she's safe guarding the tainted artifact of a corrupted Elder God, where few will recognize, much less be capable of interacting with it.

• Almighty Janitor: Jara, a sun goddess older than any sun in the nine-ten worlds, with strength at least comparable to Captain Marvel, runs quiet, honest pursuits, keeping a general eye on things while maintaining a low profile, her latest venture being an ice cream parlor.
• Art Evolution: Her eyes were originally blue dots, then gained pupils, then her irises became brown, then green
• Artifact of Doom: She is the guardian of the Gorath Stone, an artifact crafted on old Atlantis by worshipers of Nyarla-Gorath who wished to channel the power of the corrupted elder god
• Counter Spell: She can counter most types of magical spells with the Gorath Stone, but doesn't like using it on account of it being a tainted artifact connected to a corrupted god. While Jara can use it without fear of losing her mind or physical form, doing so tends to attract unwanted attention
• Damsel in Distress: Not even ancient sun goddess Valkyries are immune to being kidnapped in Marvel 616
• Front Line General: When she commanded the Valkyries in battle, Jara did so as part of the vanguard
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: After Carol Danvers sets up a second Avengers Academy across the street from Jara's ice cream parlor, the kids become regular customers and Carol politely questions Jara on her otherworldly nature. Jara finds herself trying to assist them when trouble comes, her efforts often bringing Jara misfortune
• Remember the New Guy?: She's a legend among residents of Asgard, and she in turn knows many residents of Asgard from previous cycles of Ragnarok. She hadn't truly met anyone who lives on current Asgard, however, though she talked to Amora like she knew her, once Jara realized she was serving coffee to an Amora
• Somebody Else's Problem: If malicious interlopers into the mortal realm, wicked spell casters, or mundane criminals insist on intruding on Jara's territory or performing wicked deeds within her line of sight, she will feel compelled to act. Otherwise she tries to maintain the appearance of a blissfully unaware merchant, shopkeeper or vendor while letting the world sort itself out.
• Timey-Wimey Ball: Her being on Earth after a previous Ragnarok cycle turns out to be the result of a lot of people, some mistakenly, some maliciously, time traveling. Some of the fault lay with Jara herself, for using the Gorath Stone to free the Avengers Academy from the hexes of Amora the Enchantress, not realizing the school building housed a fragment of the M'kraan Crystal, which should have been galaxies' worth of light years away in the Shi'Ar Empire and just so happens to interact negatively with the Gorath Stone.

Hildegarde

Alter Ego: Hilda, Svanhild

First Appearance: Journey into Mystery #91

Hildegarde was an Asgardian Valkyrie, gifted with extraordinary strength and great skills with the sword. She sometimes becomes a Valkyrie again, but is generally up for whatever Odin wants done.

• Ascended Extra: She debuted early in Thor's comic history, but didn't play a major role until the new Thor, Jane Foster, took Odinson's role.
• Big Beautiful Woman: She's heavier-set than Sif and Brunnhilde, but as an Asgardian, she's certainly not ugly.
• Braids of Action: Just like Brunhilde, her hair is in twin braids and she's a former Valkyrie.
• Brawn Hilda: Her name really is a variant of Hilda, but she's more of an Amazonian Beauty combined with Big Beautiful Woman.
• Chubby Chaser: She's attracted to rotund men, albeit strong rotund men
• Cool Helmet: Like other Asgardians, she has a nice helmet, hers having a crescent moon design.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: She knocks out Sif with a single strike when Odin tasks Hildegarde with protecting Sif in Thor #295, and carries Sif's unconscious form away. As seen when Sif wakes up and fights off the Knights of Darkworld trying to abduct her, Sif hasn't lost a step, Hildegarde is just much further ahead, with Hildegard instructing Sif on how to become a better fighter from there
• Formerly Fit: He earliest unnamed appearances depict her as being abnormally skinny for the Proud Warrior Race rather than being stocky. Granted, stocky Hildegarde still has visible musculature along with her fat, and doesn't have the stamina issues that plague Volstagg
• Last of Its Kind: Although she wasn't a member at the time, she was the only Valkyrie that survived the attack of Malekith's forces during War of the Realms, thanks to being away. This means she's the last of the original Valkyries, but she has other duties and can't help Jane at the moment.
• Lovely Angels: Teams extensively with Sif to fight battles during the War of the Realms.
• Original Generation: Hildegarde is a fairly standard German name not shared with any named Valkyries in recorded myths. She is the first named Valkyrie to have an on panel appearance in a Marvel Thor story, however, if only because she was retconned into a story that originally featured a nameless Valkyrie
• Sibling Team: Her younger sister Krista served alongside her as one of the Valkyries.
• Stealth Mentor: She teaches Sif howto fight better while acting as Sif's bodyguard
• Stout Strength: She's stronger than the already super strong Sif and Mist, and stouter than them as well

Brunnhilde

Odin's original Valkyrie, Brunnhilde, Marvel's take on was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, first appearing (or so it seemed) in The Avengers #83 (dated December 1970). This Valkyrie would be revealed as an impostor in her debut issue, with the actual Brunnhilde first appearing in The Defenders #4, dated February 1973. Later, an unnamed Valkyrie who appeared in Thor #133 of August, 1966, was revealed to have been Brunnhilde.

Brunnhilde is an Asgardian warrior chosen by King Odin to lead the Valkyrior — a group of warrior goddesses tasked with deeming slain souls worthy of Valhalla.

She held this role for many, many years, until she fell in league with the villainous Amora the Enchantress. Upon learning Enchantress' true nature, Valkyrie decided to part ways with the vixen, which resulted in Amora keeping her soul hostage and even assuming her identity for a bit.

When Brunnhilde's essence eventually escaped Amora's snare, she began possessing the body of a human woman — with all her memories and powers intact — and joined The Defenders, becoming a stalwart member of the team. Brunnhilde would eventually return to her original body years later, and serve as a founding member of the Secret Avengers. During this time, she also teamed up with Misty Knight and Dani Moonstar to form the all-female Fearless Defenders.

Brunnhilde provides examples of:

• Amazonian Beauty: She is of a more battle-oriented beauty than the Enchantress, but no less of a Ms. Fanservice. Its par for the course for female Asgardians.
• Back from the Dead: Was resurrected along with other Asgardians after Thor broke the cycle of Ragnarok.
• Berserk Button: She really doesn't like people controlling her mind after what the Enchantress did previously to her. When Emma Frost psychically attacked her in Fear Itself, Valkyrie declared that no one will control her mind ever again and smashed her with a hammer. She might have killed Emma if she hadn't turned to her diamond form.
• Body Surf: Brunnhilde rarely has the dignity of her own physical body, usually existing as a spirit who needs to inhabit those of others
• Braids of Action: As seen in her picture, she wears Norse-styled braids.
• Chainmail Bikini: Her original outfit not only exposed her shapely legs, but also had two circular metal plates that always draw attention to her rack. Even after she received some pants, the plates remained in the same place.
• Composite Character: There are multiple different versions of Brunnhilde in folklore, ranging from divine Valkyrie to mortal warrior princess to mortal shield maiden. Marvel's version is a mortal warrior shield maiden who became a princess who became a Valkyrie
• Cool Sword: Brunnhilde wields a magical sword called Dragonfang, which is made out of a dragon's fang.
• De-power: Odin once stripped Brunnhilde of her powers after she disobeyed his orders.
• Deity of Human Origin: In Secret Avengers, her backstory reveals that Brunnhilde was a princess from Midgard, who was elevated by Odin as his Chooser of the Slain.
• Died in Your Arms Tonight: During Ragnarok, she died in Sif's arms.
• Distaff Counterpart: Of Thor, more than most at first, as she was a deity who was forced into a human form as punishment. Marvel Brunnhilde becomes less like Marvel Thor, as it is revealed she was originally a human being before being turned into one of the Aesir by Odin, and still has a human soul despite her new As body.
• Ms. Fanservice: While she is no seductress like Amora, Valkyrie tends to be one of the most scantily-clad females in Asgard, with her outfit baring her legs and showing off her fit build.
• Off with His Head!: Decapitated by Malekith with a magic-forged sword in War of the Realms #2 after his forces had annihilated the entire Valkyrie host.
• Pro-Human Transhuman: She was retconned to have once been human, and while no longer biologically so, she's still so in soul, literally in the metaphysical sense, and in still caring for the human world
• Psychopomp: Her job was to guide the souls of the brave and worthy dead to Valhalla, before Odin put an stop to it after making a pact with other pantheons and the Celestials to not interfere with humanity.
• Queer Establishing Moment: For most of her history, she was attracted to men, but established herself as bisexual when she kissed lesbian Annabelle Riggs, to shut Riggs up.
• Reincarnation Romance: She was in a relationship with Siegfried, as follows the Nibelungen tale from Norse myth. Siegfried was later reborn as Thor, though she was unaware of this.
• Sharing a Body:
  • Enchantress once bestowed the Valkyrie's power upon a socialite named Samantha Parrington in an attempt to get revenge on the Hulk.
  • She would later share a body with Annabelle Riggs, switching places whenever they needed.
• Spirit Advisor: After her death, Jane occasionally visits Valhalla and ask for her advice.
• Straw Feminist: Brunnhilde was occasionally characterized this way in her 20th-century appearances. Fortunately, the character seems to have permanently shed this trope.
• That Man Is Dead: During the whole "Barbara Norris" thing, she tried to repeatedly get through to Jack Norris that she wasn't Barbara at all. He refused to acknowledge this.
• Warrior Princess: Before becoming Valkyrie, Brunnhilde was a Norse princess who would spar with her lover Sigmund. When Sigmund was killed by Odin in combat, Brunnhilde refused to abandon his body and stood up against Odin, who was so impressed by her bravery that he made her an Asgardian and charged her with guiding the dead to Valhalla.

First Appearance: Thor #133

"The first among equals", Hecara is revered by many younger Valkyries who turn to her for leadership when Brunnhilde is indisposed, which is fairly often.

• Quest Giver: When she shows up it's usually to tell another Valkyrie what to do
• Stout Strength: She is often drawn even stouter than Hildegarde, and while not stated to be as abnormally strong as Hildegarde, Hecara is still one of the stronger Valkyries
• The Stoic: She's more stern and less emotional than Brunnhilde and Hildegarde

Aliases Svava

• Cool Helmet: A winged helmet.

Alter Ego: Mist

First Appearance: Thor #217

A young Valkyrie living in the shadow of her older sister Hildegarde. She was kidnapped by Pluto in an attempt to provoke Asgard into starting a war with Olympus. After being rescued by Thor, she would pay the good deed forward, defending Asgard from outside threats and fighting criminals within it.

• Ascended Extra: She mainly existed to show that Pluto had a penchant for screwing with the afterlives of other pantheons, and trying to undermine his brother Zeus, as well as the fact that Thor could make good use of the medical skills he acquired as Donald Blake. Mist got a lot more to do once she was tied to New Mutants character Danielle Moonstar
• Early-Installment Weirdness: Her conflict with the other Valkyries over whether or not to accept a mortal into their ranks clashes with later revealed information that one of Odin's original nine Valkyries was originally a mortal. Dani of course isn't fully converted, maintaining her (mutated)human biology in spite of the addition of Asgardian Valkyrie powers.
• It Runs in the Family: Her sister Hildegarde is also a trainer of warriors and heroes, although Mist is a far kinder teacher
• The Cavalry: She defeats an Asgardian raiding party who nearly killed Dani Moonstar. She also comes to Dani's aid against Hela, and a Cheyenne god who wants to drag Dani out of Asgard
• The Mentor: She saves the life of, advocates for and trains Danielle Moonstar in the ways of a Valkyrie
• Tough Love: Mist isn't afraid of roughing up Moonstar a little, for her own good. Unlike Hildegarde and Sif, Mist isn't dismissive of Dani's feelings, doesn't smack around Danielle as a first resort, and makes her intentions clear

First Appearance: Thor #321

The Goddess of Love, War, Death, Fertility, and Beauty, she is the object of worship by a cult on the Isle of Love. Freya also semi actively serves as a Valkyrie

• Demoted to Extra: One of the most important figures in Norse Mythology, her Marvel Comics counterpart is mostly a footnote, not unlike her equally important brother Frey being similarly reduced
• Sadly Mythtaken: In the recorded myths, Freya was originally from Vanheim, not Asgard, only coming to the latter during a prisoner exchange to end a war, and she was not a Valkyrie, she lead her own group of Valkyries who claimed half of the honored dead Odin's did not, taking them to Folkvang instead of Valhalla. It is eventually explained that there was a Freya like this who existed in the Marvel Universe, during a previous Ragnarok cycle, but she came out very differently this time around.
• Walking the Earth: She spends most of her time searching for her lost husband Odur, occasionally actually doing her job by collecting the souls of honored dead
• Worthless Yellow Rocks: She's highly sought after due to the fact her tears become gold, which she freely discards in her fruitless search for her husband

• See here

Gruenhilda

Alter Ego: Hilda Grune

First Appearance: Thunderstrike Vol 2 #1

Gruenhilda is a member of the Valkyrior. Assigned by her queen, the Lady Sif, to teach young Kevin Masterson the skills of a warrior and the uses of the enchanted mace, Thunderstrike, she travels to Earth to fulfill her duty.

• Badass Teacher: Like all Valkyries, she's a trained warrior, and she was sent to teach Kevin Masterson how to use Thunderstrike.
• Cleavage Window: She is drawn with one solely to sell more comic books, as she never years anything with one on panel, only on covers
• Covers Always Lie: Her garb on panel isn't as stripperiffic as what she wears on the cover of the second comic book she appears in.
• Fiery Redhead: A Valkyrie with red hair and a strong temper.
• Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: She originally wears a helmet, but after she saves the life of Kevin's stepfather by throwing it at a mercenary trying to shoot him, Gruenhilda never puts it back on
• Hot Teacher: She’s attractive and was sent to teach Kevin Masterson to be a warrior.
• Implacable Man: She will scour entire mountains for comparatively tiny objects that may be hidden on or in them, with her student on her back, and climbing up to the peak and back again will not tire her
• Sci-Fi Bob Haircut: She sports one. Marvel Asgard used to use as much super science as it did magic, but the science fantasy angle had been significantly toned down by the time Guenhilda showed up. The story she is in still features many science fiction elements, even if she and the other Asgardians aren't the source of them.
• Sheathe Your Sword: She knows better than to provoke Mangog while Mangog is docile. Unfortunately, Mangog can never be kept docile for long, even when not met with aggression
• Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: When her irises are actually colored, they're most commonly colored green, and she's the reason Kevin Matterson lives long enough to join the Asgardians of the Galaxy, and the reason he can meaningfully contribute to the group. Every now and then her irises will be blue for a few panels, however
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Kevin instantly starts off on the wrong foot with her when he calls her "Gunny" and refuses to stop, with her calling him "Mort" in retaliation. She frequently expresses her exasperation with his incompetence and lack of love for battle, and claims to regret ever saving his life, but privately she actually does express affection for Kevin, and worry about his safety, only openly showing it when she believes he's actually died.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: She hasn't reappeared since her initial debut in 2011, being completely missing from all subsequent stories involving the Thunderstrike or Valkyries, like Fearless Defenders, Asgardians of the Galaxy and War of the Realms, leaving her fate after Malekith's slaughter of the Valkyrior ambiguous.
• With Cat Like Tread: The one thing Kevin Matterson is better than Gruenhilda at is stealth, not because she lacks the necessary physical gifts but because she really doesn't understand the concepts of "quiet" and "unseen".

Jane Foster

After the deaths of the entire Valkyrior in War of the Realms, Jane Foster — who harnessed the power of Thor when her predecessor was deemed unworthy— assumed the role of Valkyrie, despite her still being in remission from cancer. Spinning off from the aforementioned crossover, it was soon revealed that Jane would be headlining the first-ever Valkyrie ongoing series. For more tropes about Jane, refer to her own page.

"Val" (Earth-22681)

Inspired by Tessa Thompson's portrayal of the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Earth-22681 version of Valkyrie was introduced by Saladin Ahmed and Javier Rodriguez in Exiles #2 (dated April 2018).

Hailing from an alternate universe, this version of Valkyrie is recruited by Blink to join her latest team of reality hoppers. While with them, she begins a courtship with Sgt. Becky Barnes after meeting the Peggy Carter of a reality where the latter became Captain America, and even assumed the role of Ali Baba of folklore.

This Valkyrie's backstory is slightly different from Brunnhilde's. Whereas Brunnhilde was chosen by Odin to lead the Valkyrior, "Val" ^note she is not identified with a specific birth name was born from a thunderbolt alongside six other girls, and she earned her spot as the only Valkyrie of Asgard.

Val's personality is also quite different from Brunnhilde's. Whereas the former is regal and feminine, Val is boisterous and has some "masculine" traits, not unlike Thor. In fact, it's not been confirmed if her universe even has a Thor, and it could be argued this version of the character is a composite of himself and Brunnhilde, as Val is technically the Allfather's daughter.

After the conclusion of Exiles, Marvel would eventually introduce a 616 version of the character in King in Black: Return of the Valkyries, who also resembles Thompson's portrayal.

Val provides examples of:

• Composite Character: In some ways, she's this between Brunnhilde and Thor, as she's technically the daughter of Odin as well as being a Valkyrie.
• The Lad-ette: She loves to drink and have a good time.
• Race Lift: This version of the character is black, unlike the Nordic blonde original.