VALKYRIE
Real Name: RūnaIdentity/Class: Extradimensional (Asgard) goddess/Valkyrie
Occupation: Valkyrie/Chooser of the Slain, adventurer
Group Membership: Formerly Bor's Valkyrior (Aala, Alta, Hulda; others now the Dísir (Brün, Göndul, Hlökk, Kára + 7 unidentified; see comments)
Affiliations: Alta, Wilhelmina Anderson, Beta
Ray Bill, Bloodline (Brielle Brooks), Bor Burison, America Chavez, D-Dog, Disir, Dwarves of Nidavellir, Kat, Lisa Halloran, Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Hildegarde, Huginn, Ivanir, Karnilla, Kvasir, Laussa Odinsdotter, Leif, Loki Laufeyson, Managarmr/More, Michelle (dated), Mister
Horse, Muninn, Danielle Moonstar, Odin Borson, Sif, Thor Odinson, Valkyrie
(Brunnhilde), Valkyrie (Jane Foster), Volstagg, Wasp (Janet Van Dyne); unidentified friend who glowed pink after every Ostara Festival after having too many Xandarian oysters; unidentified human
triplets (who drank the milk of Audumbla, bathed in the Water of
Urdarbrunnr, and had hair from Valkyrie/Jane Foster and Loki Laufeyson
bound into the threads of their fates);
aided Hela against Fafnir of Nastrond;
part of loose confederation gathered by Beta Ray Bill against the Mangog-possessed/corrupted Mjolnir: Angela Odinsdotter, Freyja (and her giant cat steed), Captain
Marvel (Carol Danvers), Dr. Strange (Stephen Strange), Fantastic Four
(Human Torch/Johnny Storm, Invisible Woman/Sue Richards, Mr.
Fantastic/Reed Richards, Thing/Ben Grimm), Iron Man (Tony Stark),
Man-Thing (Ted Sallis), Pet Avengers (Lockheed, Lockjaw, Throg),
Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Volstagg, Wolverine (James Howlett/Logan));
at least formerly the people of Perdita;
possibly Tandra and Leonard (if they existed)
Enemies: Algrim the Strong, Dark Elves, Draugr, Dreamfresh, Dreamqueen, Fafnir of Nastrond, headless Celestial, Corvus Glaive, Grim Reaper (Eric Williams), Knull, Mangog-possessed/corrupted Mjolnir, Nidhogg, Oracle Adventures (including the "fox in snow" and Ologen), Thanos and his forces, Trolls (notably Ulik), Tyr Odinson, Vanlandi and his associates (including some rock
trolls); unidentified being(s) who slew Alta, impaled Rūna, and battled
the collective Valkyrior; "crazy ghost earthworm-thingies"; unidentified uru-consuming parasite;
indirectly Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom);
possibly formerly Leonard;
she seems to has an adversarial relationship with Hela, although they
have cooperated as the needs suited them;
formerly the dragon-transformed Kat
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Asgard, Valhalla, and Cleveland, Ohio;
formerly the headless Celestial
First Appearance: Return of the Valkyries#1 (March, 2021)
Powers/Abilities: As an Asgardian goddess, Rūna is
superhumanly strong (lifting over 45 tons) and durable, exceptionally
long-lived, and immune to most diseases.
As a Valkyrie, she can sense the
presence of imminent death and guide the spirits of the worthy fallen
to the realm of Valhalla.
She is a highly-skilled armed and
unarmed combatant, and is particularly talented in the art of
ax-throwing.
She is a skilled equestrian and starship pilot.
She wears durable Asgardian armor, and she wields the mystical uru ax Jarnbjorn,
whose blade, having been anointed with Thor’s blood, is capable
of cleaving through Celestial armor.
She also carries a sword.
For one month of her life,
after drinking a thimble of the Mead of Poetry, she could only speak in
iambic pentameter.
Height: 6'
Weight: 400 lbs. (based on previous notations of the increased
density of Asgardian flesh and bone, which has been called into
question)
Eyes: Brown (sometimes shown as green)
Hair: Black
History:
(Return
of the Valkyries#2 (fb) - BTS) - The dwarves of Nidavellir forged Jarnbjorn for Rūna (see comments).
(Return of the Valkyries#1 (fb) - BTS) - Rūna was the original nine Valkyrior, riding for Bor and the young Odin.
(Thor VI#30 (fb) - BTS) -
Suspicious that the Valkyrior had the power to control death and
decided who lived and died, Bor did not like that the Valkyries had
loyalties beyond him.
(Thor VI#29 (fb) - BTS / Thor VI#30 (fb) - BTS) - Rūna and the Valkyrior fought and were losing in a virtual slaughter in Bor's war against the forces of Thanos.
(Thor VI#29 (fb) - BTS / Thor
VI#30 (fb) - BTS) - Noting that the greenest and lushest fields grew
where a battle had been fought the year before, Bor's sorcerers
theorized that the soul could be pulled from dying bodies, broken apart
and harnessed into something new. Possessing the shell of the Galactus
Seed, Bor used it as the tinder, burning it in the deep, eternal flames
of a mountain.
(Thor VI#29 (fb) - BTS / Thor
VI#30 (fb) - BTS) - Witnessing a vision from the future, Rūna observed
as Bor chastised Brün when she told him that the Valkyrior would not
serve him if he used the weapon his sorcerers had created that they predicted would end
the war, end all wars and make Bor the god-king of the realms and of
life and death.
As Rūna was defending the western
front, she and her forces were recalled as Bor engaged Thanos directly.
However, before Rūna and her sisters reached the fight, Bor used his
sorcerers' weapon. However, it went "wrong," and there was an
explosion/eruption of magical force, wild and unpredictable.
Although
this ended the battle, the sorcerers could not stop the eruption; all
they could do was seal off the energies, creating a zone where no one
would venture, hiding it behind walls of enchantments and spells.
Anyone who stayed too long became contaminated.
(Thor VI#34 (fb) - BTS) - The energies of the spell actually created the infant who would grow up to be Hela.
(Thor VI#29 (fb) - BTS / Thor VI#30 (fb) - BTS) - Rūna
and the others tried to move their dead away from that location but
found that they cold not stay in that location for long.
While Rūna never went closer to
the mountain in which the energies had been sealed than the
battlefield, some of her Valkyrior sisters did. Göndul came back
addled, and was never the same. Hulda lost her shadow and then
progressively became less solid before fading away completely. Aala
began speaking to animals and then ran off to live in the forest.
Most...just never came back.
(Return of the Valkyries#1 (fb) - BTS) - Rūna raised a glass at the first feast in Valhalla.
(Return
of the Valkyries#1 (fb)) - While teaching axe-throwing, Alta noted that
Rūna smelled like a barfight and wondered if she had been day drinking
again, and Rūna noted that she was just trying to give Alta a fighting
chance.
When Rūna questioned the practicality of carrying around
multiple axes for axe-throwing on the battlefield, Alta turned and
kissed her (their first kiss), noting "Less talking, more axe-throwing."
(The
Mighty Valkyries#4 (fb) - BTS) - Rūna had a thimble of the Mead of
Poetry, after which she spoke in iambic pentameter for a month, which
she considered to be a nightmare.
(The
Mighty Valkyries#1 (fb) - BTS) - Many years and many wars ago, Rūna
traveled to Perdita, where she found a willful defiance in the
population. She found there to be an admirable brazenness, with the
population almost disregarding all facts and warning.
(The Mighty Valkyries#1 (fb) - BTS / The Mighty Valkyries#1 (fb) - BTS) - The Valkyries made a vow to recover the oracle Kvasir who had been
imprisoned somewhere (it's not 100% clear, but I don't think that they knew it was on the planet Perdita). This was Alta's last wish.
(Return
of the Valkyries#4 (fb) - BTS) - After their ship broke down in Kleth,
Rūna and Alta endured an endless wait for edible food, which Alta noted
tasted wet, like bandages.
Rūna and Alta subsequently huddled under a bridge from acid rain.
(Return
of the Valkyries#1 (fb)) - Injured in an unspecified battle, Rūna lost
her lover, Alta. At some point, Rūna apparently took a spear through
the chest.
(Return
of the Valkyries#2 (fb) - BTS) - While taking Alta back to Valhalla,
Rūna and Alta were both trapped within the headless Celestial.
(Return
of the Valkyries#2 (fb) - BTS) - The other Valkyries searched fruitlessly for Rūna, believing she had left them out of grief.
(Return
of the Valkyries#2 (fb) - BTS) - Alta became lost in the sea of souls,
while Rūna was only left with her memory of Alta, considering that she
had failed her.
(Return
of the Valkyries#3 (fb) - BTS) - After centuries of reliving scenarios from her past
within the headless Celestial, Rūna came to find that existence
comforting. Rūna
left herself messages, notes written in sand or carved in wood,
reminding herself to fight or flee in the hope that her future self
would be better or stronger: Many such warnings were not acted
upon.
(Return
of the Valkyries#3 (fb) - BTS) -
Within the headless Celestial, Rūna heard whispers and rumors from the
dead, including how Thor had used Jarnbjorn in her absence and that he
had blessed it with his own blood so that it could pierce the armor of
a Celestial.
(Return
of the Valkyries#1) - As the forces of Knull assaulted Earth and
numerous worlds, Rūna existed within a delusion?/pocket reality within
the headless Celestial, where she ordered a specially made drink (like
an Agalorian Sunset but with extra rum, extra ice, and no Gaco
juice).from a bartender named Tandra. After dispatching a would-be
attacker (Leonard?) with a baseball bat-like weapon, she saw a note on
the bar under her drink saying, "You're not dead. Trap! Fight this" Acknowledging that she knew this, Rūna considered that she would just have one more drink.
Later literally kicking Leonard out of the bar and receiving Tandra's
thanks, Rūna considered that this scenario was not real. She was
annoyed with Leonard's vapid words of "wisdom," until she was distacted
by a memory of her first kiss with Alta. Rūna realized it wasn't real
and she also heard a voice that convinced her that something nearby was
real.
Following that trail, Rūna found a golden chain (part of the
Valkyrie Jane Foster's Undrjarn, the All-Weapon), which she grabbed and
then used to pull Jane from some tendrils restraining her with the aid
of Jane's steed, Mister Horse. When Jane asked who she was, Rūna paused
before noting, "I'm no one."
(Return
of the Valkyries#2) - Jane brought Rūna back to Valhalla.
(Return
of the Valkyries#2) - Rūna watched longingly as at least a trio of
Valkyries played a sport on horseback, tossing back and forth the head
of a troll...or a traitor. Brunnhilde considered that they needed to
let her remember life before they could expect her to fight for it.
Rūna later explained the headless celestial was a prison for the dead,
existing in a void and feeding energy to the Necrosword and, in return,
feasting off the dead souls left in Knull's wake. When she considered
that Knull was not a god, as he was only worshipped by the creatures he
spawned, Jane earned her respect by noting, "Self-absorbed, single-minded, utterly insufferable...sounds like a god to me."
Seeking to sever the connection between Knull and the headless
celestial, Brunnhilde noted that they needed to recover Rūna's ax.
(Return
of the Valkyries#2 (fb) - BTS) - Brunnhilde told Rūna the location of her ax.
(Return
of the Valkyries#3 (fb) - BTS) - Knowing that the Thor's blood-blessed
Jarnbjorn could pierce Celestial armor, Rūna considered that getting
her
weapon back would strengthen her resolve.
(Return
of the Valkyries#2) - Brunnhilde told Rūna she was the best of the
Valkyrie, and Rūna clarified that she was the strongest, but never the
best. Rūna then departed aboard Mister Horse.
(Return
of the Valkyries#2 (fb) - BTS) - Rūna's approach was prophesized by
Vanlandi via haruspicy, examining the innards of a goat, after which
she began haunting his dreams: He learned that she was after his
recently acquired ax, Jarnbjorn, and he saw what she would do to him if
he refused her.
(Return
of the Valkyries#2) - Rūna
and Mister Horse traveled to the Fort of Gaardar in Vanaheim in search
of Vanlandi, king of thieves. There Rūna asked to land so that she
could feel the ground beneath her feet, and she enjoyed the real world
scent.
(Return
of the Valkyries#2 - BTS) - Vanlandi and his associates plotted to slay the approaching Valkyrie.
(Return
of the Valkyries#2) - As Rūna questioned details of Mister Horse's
story of having been captured by trolls whose arguing delayed things
until they were turned to stone by the rising sun, they were confronted
by a pair of Rock Trolls (actual rock), who wished to eat them. After
she partially decapitated both of them, she was confronted by Vanlandi
and his ilk, and Vanlandi warned her to leave this place. When she told
him she wanted her ax back, he challenged her to claim it, and she
smiled, noting, "I thought you'd never ask."
(Return
of the Valkyries#3) - After Rūna's sword shattered against Burt, "a
particularly sturdy graphite troll," she kicked off against another
troll's chest and slammed into the graphite troll headfirst, shattering
its form and knocking it over a cliff.
(Return
of the Valkyries#3 (fb) - BTS) - Rūna took out Vanlandi's forces and bound Vanlandi, leaving him hanging upside down.
(Return
of the Valkyries#3) - After greeting Jarnbjorn as her old friend, Rūna supped some wine (see comments)
and then discussed with Mr. Horse how she missed the ache of a
fight and felt like she could take on anything...except the forces of Knull.
As Vanlandi's green troll rushed in to attack her, Rūna casually
slashed his throat with Jarnbjorn as she continued her conversation.
She
further discussed how, having failed to convince herself to
fight/escape the headless celestial for centuries, she feared that if
she went back out there, she would find out that she was truly a
coward.
(Return
of the Valkyries#3 (fb) - BTS) - When Rūna discussed her hope that
recovering Jarnbjorn would strengthen her resolve -- or, failing that,
that alcohol would -- Mr. Horse advised her that only small men looked
for courage in big weapons and that looking for divinations in the
bottom of a glass of alcohol showed nothing, only black.
(Return
of the Valkyries#4 (fb) - BTS) - Mr. Horse helped convince Rūna to join the struggle despite her doubts and fears.
(Return
of the Valkyries#3 - BTS) - Jane
Foster and Danielle Moonstar performed the ritual of the needle in
proximity to the headless celestial.
Sensing how the needle had woven
through dimensions and ripped deep cuts in time and space, Dani
considered that Knull would feel it, too, and she assured Jane that
Hildegarde would be ready and encouraged Jane to throw the needle to
where Hildegarde would be.
(Return
of the Valkyries#3 - BTS) - The needle arrived in Hildegarde's hand,
and she threw it around Knull's sword but was lost to Knull's forces.
(Return
of the Valkyries#4) - As
Jane Foster used Undrjarn to from a shield against the headless
Celestial, Rūna (riding Mr. Horse), arrived and assaulted the
Necrosword with Jarnbjorn.
After Jane was pulled into the headless
Celestial, Rūna joined Mr. Horse in coming to her rescue. She was
pleased to see the arrival of the rest of the Valkyrior.
(Return
of the Valkyries#4) - Jane, Dani, and Ivanir completed the ritual of
the needle, severing the connection between the Necrosword and the
headless Celestial, freeing Hildegarde in the process.
Damage from Rūna's Jarnbjorn added to this process, causing the headless
Celestial to break apart and surrender its imprisoned souls.
Alta then appeared before Rūna, and as they reminisced about their
plight on Klueth, Rūna noted that that was the best day of her life,
until the next and then the day after that, and Alta acknowledged that
it was hers, too.
As Alta apparently
departed to take the headless Celestial to wherever dead Celestials
went, Rūna spoke with Jane about the death of a loved one, noting that
she had never found the meaning in it.
Jane suggested that Rūna that
she just move forward and let the good Alta left in her lead the way,
and Rūna considered the lessons in battle and love Alta had given her.
Dani then told Rūna and Jane they needed to join the fight against
Knull, and Rūna rode astride Mr. Horse, noting "What the Hel? It's
worth a shot."
(The
Mighty Valkyries#1 (fb) - BTS) - To fulfil a promise made to Alta (and
the Valkyries), Rūna stole a spaceship traveled to Perdita,
landing in "Parkinspace."
(The Mighty Valkyries#1) - She
was surprised to find the streets filled with the ones too poor to
leave or too rich to care.
When a mugger approached her from behind,
she turned and kneed him in the groin, advising that this wasn't the
way he wanted to die; she further chastised a bystander who was taking
pictures of the conflict, advising he reconsider both the photo and his
life choices.
Arriving at Oracle
Adventures, Rūna paid for the VIP package, hoping that of all the
soothsayers, etc., that this was the one she sought (Kvasir). Juna
led Rūna to the Oracle, imprisoned within a protective glass-like
sphere that also protected him from outside harm and kept the
"incorporeal noise" to a minimum. 
Rūna asked the Oracle what was her
name and why she was there. Asking more than one question alerted the
guards, but the Oracle confirmed that she was there because of a
promise made by the Valkyrior; that he was indeed Kvasir, the one she
sought; and that her name was Rūna. As the guards ordered her to stand
down, she asked if Jarnbjorn would break the magic dome imprisoning
him. Kvasir answered, "yes," and she then summoned Jarnbjorn and proved
him right.
(The
Mighty Valkyries#2) - As the dome shattered, the diguise that had
hidden and shielded Kvasir faded. Virtually blinded by this sudden
release, Kvasir was initially limited and vague in guiding his and
Rūna's egress.
As time progressed and she asked specific questions,
Kvasir provided more specific guidance, leading her to kick Ologen back
as she approached a set of doors, although Kvasir subsequently noted
that she had kicked him into irradiated waters and he would be dead in
hours. Regardless, they were subsequently confronted by Perdita/Oracle
security forces.
(The
Mighty Valkyries#3) - Evading and/or destroying Oracle security forces
in her ship and escaping a reactor explosion's radioactive fallout with
Kvasir's guidance, Rūna agreed to take Kvasir back to his home,
Vanaheim; he further told her that while he could not see clearly from
Perdita, he knew that something was threatening the realms (the 10
realms associated with Asgard). |
|
In Vanaheim, Rūna noted her frustration in the cosmic games and their
players, but when Kvasir told her that Managarmr (see comments) the wolf was loose on Midgard (Earth) and had sought out Jane Foster, Rūna departed to aid Jane.
(The
Mighty Valkyries#4 (fb) - BTS) - Rūna arrived in Jane Foster's apartment.
(The
Mighty Valkyries#4) - Rūna met and was intrigued with Jane's roommate,
Lisa Halloran, after which she and Jane discussed Managarmr. Rūna noted
that the bullet used by Kraven was Dwarfen-made steel and advised Jane
to tread carefully with Managarmr, despite their seeming benevolence.
She then departed for Asgard to meet with Thor. 
Arriving in Asgard, Rūna was greeted by the guard and welcomed by Sif,
after which she joined Thor and Volstagg at a tavern where they drank
heavily. Rūna questioned Thor's giving her permission to wield
Jarnbjorn, as it was hers originally, but further discussion was
interrupted by Volstagg's passing out, and Thor's cheers of triumph for
having outdrank him. Rūna and Thor then discussed Kvasir and the
threats he had noted, and she told him she needed to find the Cradle of
Life.
In the Library of Asgard, Rūna finally understood -- too late -- the significance of Kvasir's words.
(The
Mighty Valkyries#5) - In Hel, Rūna joined Jane Foster and Mister Horse
in assaulting the skeleton of Fafnir of Nastrond, which sought to
takeover Hel. Rūna further appreciated that the skeletons serving
Fafnir wanted the blood of gods, and she, Jane, and Mr. Horse fought
the skeletons. When the skeletons threatened to overwhelm them, Jane
slashed her own wrist to draw them after her so that Rūna could find
the triplets stolen in utero from a human mother.
As Rūna rescued the triplets, she tried to rescue the seemingly doomed
Karnilla, but then Managarmr/More devoured Fafnir and Nastrond, after
which they vomited up Hela and Karnilla.
(The
Mighty Valkyries#5 (fb) - BTS) - Rūna left the triplets in the care of Mr. Horse.
(The
Mighty Valkyries#5) - Rūna
then confronted Hela, noting that while they had unfinished business,
Hel needed its ruler and Karnilla needed her care. She subsequently
stood by Jane as Karnilla explained why she had taken the children.
Two weeks later, Rūna joined Jane in transporting the soul of World War
II nurse Wilhelmina Anderson to her afterlife.
(Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic#58 (fb) - BTS)
- Rūna has a friend who glowed pink after every Ostara Festival after
having too many Xandarian oysters.
(Thor
VI#22) - Rūna, alongside Valkyrie/Jane Foster, was one of many --
including Angela Odinsdotter, Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers), Dr.
Strange (Stephen Strange), Fantastic Four (Human Torch/Johnny Storm,
Invisible Woman/Sue Richards, Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards, Thing/Ben
Grimm), Freyja riding giant cat, Iron
Man (Tony Stark), Man-Thing (Ted Sallis), Pet Avengers (Lockheed,
Lockjaw, Throg), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Volstagg, Wolverine (James
Howlett/Logan) -- who heard Beta
Ray Bill's plea and joined the fight against the corrupt
Mangog-possessed Mjolnir.
(Marvel
Voices: Legacy#1/9 (fb) - BTS) - Stockholm's city council sought to
expand the subway, but digging came to a halt when they found an
ancient Asgardian sigil on the wall in an underground chamber. They
contacted Stockholm University's archeologist Kat and her associate Leif.
(Marvel Voices: Legacy#1/9 (fb) - BTS) - Kat
and Leif examined the sigil on the wall and ran some tests,
determining that it was over 1000 years old. They tried to translate
the runes on the Sigil -- which were from the Elder Flutark -- using
proto-Norse and then Old Norse, but the translations turned up only
gibberish. Leif glanced away for a second, and Kat had vanished.
(Marvel
Voices: Legacy#1/9 (fb) - BTS) - After Sif saw a sigil light up --
indicating "mortals in danger and a great beast mitherin' about a
statue of Thor" -- she requested Rūna check it out.
(Marvel
Voices: Legacy#1/9) - Mr. Horse brought Rūna to the relevent statue in
Stockholm, Sweden, where they met with Leif of Stockholm University's
archeology department, who led them into the underground chamber to
examine the sigil and hopefully recover Kat.
After Leif showed Rūna the runes, she noted them to be Asgardian and to
read, "Here lies the glowing heart of a dead star. Speak my name and
enter." Rūna further considered that one of the components created when
a star went supernova was gold. Her naming "gold" caused a door to
enter into an ancient temple. Rūna tried to send Leif back up to the
surface while she handled things, but as Kat was his friend, Leif
insisted on accompanying her.
They were
both impressed with the gold-covered floor of the chamber, but Rūna
appreciated that the skeleton of the king in the chamber did not
benefit too much from the treasure, and she suggested they examine it
further. They were immediately confronted by a dragon, which confronted
them, ignoring Rūna's queries of its intelligence, and as Rūna
attempted to distract it so Leif could escape, Leif transformed into a
dragon as well.
Realizing that the treasure
was cursed and that all curses had a source, Rūna identified the gold
box on the king's skeleton's lap as the source, and she evaded the
dragons long enough to shatter that box with Jarnbjorn. The released
energies dropped her, but also returned Leif and Kat (the other dragon)
to normal, as well as causing the gold in the chamber to vanish.
Rūna awakened and greeted Leif and Kat, and she voiced her assessment
that the curse was designed to test and punish anyone who came upon it,
while the treasure had been an illusion meant to lure people in; she
silently considered that it was likely a trick of Loki.
Before taking the golden box back to Asgard for safekeeping atop Mr.
Horse , Rūna responded to Leif's thanks by telling him that she was a
Valkyrie and that saving mortals was what they did.
(Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic#58 (fb) - BTS)
- Rūna got America Chavez and Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) out of a bind with
"these crazy ghost earthworm-thingies."
(Marvel
Voices: Pride II#1/8 "Over the Rainbow") - At a bar in New York City's
East Village, Rūna learned about (gay) Pride from a woman dressed in a
winged costume of what she thought a Valkyrie looked like.
Deciding that there should be a Pride Celebration in
Asgard, Rūna attempted to inform King Thor of this, but Loki
impersonated Thor and dismissed the idea. Loki convinced Rūna to throw
the party in his realm, Jotunheim, which was freezing and not much fun.
When Thor arrived, Rūna talked to him and realized Loki's duplicity.
Thor subsequently facilitated a much more festive
party on Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge. Adopting his female form, Loki
asked Rūna is she wanted to make out or something, and Rūna, making a
bit of a skeeved out face, told Loki to hand her another beer and they
would see.
(Jane Foster & the
Mighty Thor#1) - Rūna enjoyed a date with Michelle at the restaurant
Bake My Day in Ohio, until Mr. Horse -- sent to retrieve her by Jane
Foster after the bloody Mjolnir (thrown by Thor as he was transported
into Liveworld, the nightmare world of the Dreamqueen arrived in her
apartment, and after Algrim the Strong (an agent of Dreamqueen) led the
Dark Elves to assault Asgard -- appeared outside of the window.
Apologizing to Michelle, Rūna told her she had to go.
(Jane Foster & the
Mighty Thor#2) - Riding atop Mr. Horse, Rūna arrived in Asgard,
engaging the Dark Elves and shattering one of their ships. She invited
and was joined by Hildegarde and her unidentified winged horse to "deal with emo Legolas (referring the the Lord of the Rings elven character) and his sad bastard men."
Rūna subsequently met with Beta Ray Bill as Ulik and
the Rock Trolls (Also agents of the Dreamqueen) sought to break into
Asgard via the city's cellars. Perceiving that the trolls were
communicating via the cadence of their rock strikes and that they had a
target, Rūna and Mr. Horse departed to find it. However, she discovered
that the target was the tower too late to stop the trolls, as they
caused it collapse and then invaded Asgard through the shattered
foundation.
(Jane Foster & the Mighty Thor#3) - With Rūna having destroyed more than half of the Dark Elves' fleet, Algrim ordered an implosion/black
hole/whatever bombstrike on the ship on which she fought. As she was
pulled into the hole swallowing her world, Mr. Horse flew in and pulled
her back out. She was eventually struck in the upper back by an arrow
fired by the Dark Elves, and she fell off of Mr. Horse. Caught by
Hildegarde atop her horse, she pulled the arrow forward the rest of the
way through her, noting it to be "but a scratch." She then advised that
if they could get to the highest ship, they should be able to take out
the Dark Elves' fleet with their own weapons.
After reaching the ship, Rūna dropped to Algrim's
ship below, leaving Hildegarde, Volstagg and others to launch the bombs
at other ships, but Tyr instead fired an implosion/whatever bomb onto
the above ship, and Rūna watched in horror as Hildegarde, Volstagg and
others were pulled into the void, thinking "it should have been me."
(Jane Foster & the
Mighty Thor#4) - Rūna confronted Algrim, who identified her as one of
the "original nine" and questioned her motivations for leaving them,
but Rūna savagely attacked him, telling him not to speak of her sisters.
While battling Sif, Tyr summoned the Disir, but then Rūna leapt off of the ship, pulling Algrim with her.
(Jane Foster & the
Mighty Thor#5) - As Algrim charged her on a rocket cycle/personal
aircraft, Rūna smashed him off his vessel, and he fell into one of the
implosion bomb deals. As the Disir pursued her, Rūna had Sif send her
to Nidavellir, where she called in an owed favor from the elderly
female dwarf Asta. Binding a piece of Rūna's soul to Jarnbjorn,
when asked by Rūna if she had taken the best of her, Asta answered that
it was not for her to say. Rūna wondered if the soul could be depleted
and, if so, if she would feel it; although her resolve did not waver,
she was scared.
As the Disir confronted Sif, demanding she bring
back "the deserter," and Sif returned Rūna, who told her former
teammate Brün that she had not betrayed her. Although nothing since the
destruction of the sword Eir-gram had been able to control them, Brün
was shocked when Jarnbjorn deflected her blade.
Rūna advised Brün that she had left Bor when she learned what he had
done to her teammates and that she had only returned to the Valkyrior
once Odin became king. She assured Brün that she had never stopped
searching for a way to free the Disir from the curse.
The Disir recognized Rūna, which touched the places
where their hearts would have been. Rūna advised them that the best she
could do for now was to have them fight for her...or die. As the Disir
felt something akin to gratitude, Rūna told them to take down the Dark
Elf fleet. As the Disir shouted to slay them all, Rūna started to tell
them that that was not what she had asked, but she resolved that was
what they did, and she let them do it.
After Thor and Jane Foster finished off Ares, the war was called to a halt.
Along with Mr. Horse, Rūna had a cookout with Brün
(or another of the Disir), recalling how in their day they would dance
around the burning corpses of their enemies for three days on end.
(Thor VI#29) - On a date with Michelle at the Pourhouse
tavern in Cleveland, Ohio, when a man refused to let go of her arm,
Rūna tossed a shot of liquor on his beard and lit a lighter, which
convinced him to leave her alone. Michelle noted her enjoyment of the
whole Valkyrie thing, as she felt very safe with her and it was lending
a certain reckless abandon to the evening. At Rūna's query, Michelle
assured her that she was not weirded out at all, and she suggested that
she call in sick tomorrow, too. Rūna told Michelle to kiss her, and
Michelle told her to use her strength to make her, at which point they
headed back to Rūna's apartment, neglecting the food they had ordered.
As they kissed, however, they were interrupted by either Huginn or
Muninn, one of the Asgardian ravens, speaking for Thor as he was
trapped on the roof by the Disir, having traveled there to consult Rūna
on the involvement of Bor and the Black Infinity Stone.
Rūna banished the Disir back to the void to prevent
them from eating Thor, and when Thor showed her the map of Niffleheim
and asked what she knew about it, she advised him to stay away from
there and to burn the map and forget he ever saw it. However, after
Thor noted that his sister, Laussa Odinsdotter, had been kidnapped (by
Corvus Glaive) and taken somewhere in that location, Rūna resolved to
guide Thor there.
As they tracked Laussa in Niffleheim, Rūna told Thor
of the eruption of energies during Bor's war, and she told him that
they must go through the ice and then swim to the darkness. Doing so,
they arrived in the Land of Old Regrets, where the corpses from that
war remained. Following footsteps into the mountain, they were
assaulted by shadow versions of themselves -- that they were unable to
touch but could be touched by -- until Rūna advised Thor to generate
lightning to dispel the shadows, which it did.
As they continued their journey, they heard and then saw Bor announcing his plans from the ancient war.
(Thor VI#30) - After witnessing a vision of Bor
chastising Brün, Rūna and Thor encountered fish-like beings that were
memories, after which they battled the Draugr, the undead army of Hel,
who fed on the memories. After they defeated the Draugr, Rūna explained
how Bor's weapon had harvested the energies of the dyings' souls.
Rūna and Thor eventually reached Corvus Glaive, who
threatened to slay the infant Laussa. Thor instead inexplicably
summoned mystic energy wolves that attacked Glaive.
As Thor attacked Glaive, Rūna considered that she
had previously witnessed and not intervened in this battle. Ultimately,
Thor allowed the energy wolves to devour Glaive.
Although Rūna insisted that they needed to get out
of that place, Thor, who needed to know what his grandfather had hidden
behind the doors behind them, ordered Rūna to take Laussa and depart;
and so she did.
(Thor VI#34 (fb) - BTS) - Rūna broght Laussa to a tower in Broxton.
(Thor VI#34) - Mister Horse came to Broxton and informed
Rūna that Jane Foster was in Latveria and needed her help, and so Rūna
departed with him to Latveria.
(Thor VI#35) - Arriving in Latveria to find Hela
battling Nidhogg, Rūna jumped off Mr. Horse, telling him to find Jane.
She then summoned the Disir, who asked if they could kill Hela; telling
them that that was not what they were there for, she told them to
instead kill the beast. After Hela revealed how Doom had trapped the
souls of Hel and Valhalla but stated that she would handle Doom, Rūna
told her to do that while she went to join the fight against Nidhogg.
After Thor arrived, Rūna helped him finish off
Nidhogg, delivering a wound to its head with Jarnbjorn. Thor then told
Rūna that there was a book of ancient Asgardian spells in Doom's office
and that she was to bring it to Asgard and to destroy everything else.
Rūna and the Disir departed to do so.
(Avengers
Unlimited Infinity Comic#58 (fb) - BTS) - An unidentified uru-eating
parasite stole/consumed a chalice blessed by Odin and the Harvest
Scepter of Gefion.
The parasite subsequently
inhabited/possessed Thor. and took his hammer, Mjolnir, and an axe,
???, with him as it relocated to the cold, damp and dark Caves of Gjalp.
When Thor went missing as well, Rūna and the others
initially believed that Thor had chased after the thief, but when he
remained missing, they worried that something had happened to him.
Rūna invited Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) to Asgard to investigate.
(Avengers
Unlimited Infinity Comic#58) - Kate discovered a green glowing slime in
a chamber of Asgardian relics, after which she consulted Groot, who
suspected a space parasite that ate uru and prefrred the cold, damp and
dark.
Based on that description, Rūna led Kate the Caves
of Gjalp, noting that if the creature had consumed their sacred totems,
she intended to retrieve them from its bowels. As they descended the
caverns, they found the Dagger of Dainsleif, after which they heard
some growling before being being confronted by the parasite-possessed
Thor.
(Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic#59) - As the
possessed Thor prepared to consume Mjolnir, Kate shot an arrow into his
hand, forcing him to drop the hammer.
The parasite subsequently knocked both Rūna and Kate
into a pit, and Rūna apparently broke an arm in the fall. As she
wrapped a sling around her arm, Rūna sent Kate back up to stop the
creature before it consumed all of Asgard's uru and tore apart Thor.
(Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic#59 - BTS) -
Per advice from Thor, Kate used a torch to drive the parasite from his
body, after which he used a lightning bolt to slay the parasite. As it
crumbled, the uru items it had consumed were released.
(Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic#59) - After
Rūna reached the surface, Thor apologized, but she noted that she had
other things to worry about, like restoring Odin's sacred chalice.
Later, over drinks, Rūna and Thor both noted their
gratitude to Kate, and they both suggested she set up operations in
Asgard, as they would need her again.
(Marvel Unleashed#4) - Apparently alongside Brunnhilde
and Jane Foster, Rūna welcomed D-Dog into Valhalla. Rūna told D-Dog
that they were so happy to have her there, and D-Dog was proud to learn
that she there because she had died a hero.
(Avengers Academy: Marvel's Voices Infinity Comic#13 (fb) - BTS) - When
Janet Van Dyne (aka the Wasp) provided fashion consultation for the
Avengers Academy, she called in a favor to get something more personal
for Bloodline (Brielle Brooks (aka Bloodline).
(Avengers
Academy: Marvel's Voices Infinity Comic#13) - Alongside Mr. Horse, Rūna
traveled via the Bifrost to Van Dyne Designs Inc., greeting "Brielle
Daughter of Brooks." Telling Brielle that there was no charge more holy
than bringing peace to the Deathless Scourge (vampirism), Rūna gifted
her with a splinter of the World Tree -- "The Tusk of Ratatoskr" (see comments).
She further noted that its pommel was the Eye of Bellos, a Frost Giant
who sought blood to bring forth Ragnarok, and that what the Tusk and
Eye had made bleed once, it could find again. As she traveled back up
the Bifrost, Rūna advised Brielle "Use it wisely. Use it well. And Brooksdottir? I love the boots."
(Valkyrie: Jane Foster#5 - BTS / Vision and
Scarlet Witch III#2 (fb)) - Tortured by being "cursed" to eternal rest
in Valhalla, the Grim Reaper (Eric Williams) faced the Valkyries (see comments) and revealed an outstanding debt to the Great Old Ones (notably Lloigoroth), which could spark a war if not repaid.
Loath to challenge such beings, the Valkyries released the Reaper into the care of his dark creditors.
Comments: Created by Jason Aaron, Torunn Grønbekk, and Nina Valueva.
Torunn's last name should have a null symbol in place of the "o," but
my html program will transform that into a question mark, so I'm not
doing it.
Ditto for Rūna's name...it should have an "overscore."
Rūna's real name wasn't revealed until Mighty Valkyries, but it is a
lot more practical to refer to her by that name than to call her the
Valkyrie in a book full of Valkyries.
Valkyries is plural for Valkyrie, while Valkyrior would most correctly
refer to the collection of women who are Valkyries.
In Return of the Valkyries#3, Rūna and Mr. Horse both referred to her glass of ale, but she was
drinking from a wine goblet and there was a bottle of wine on the
ground next to her. She was probably drinking wine, but maybe she drank
the bottle of wine first and then poured some beer into the same cup.
Rūna was pictured in Marvel
Voices: Pride#1 during an introduction featuring the history of
homosexual, etc. characters in the Marvel Universe. However, there was
no new information.
In Avengers Academy:
Marvel's Voices Infinity Comic#13, Rūna identifes the splinter of the
World Tree as the Tusk of Ratatoskr. However, the World Tree is
Yggdrasil, while Ratatoskr
is the rodent that ran up and down the World Tree, communicating
between Nidhogg at its base and the eagle that lived above and fed on
its branch and leaves. However, perhaps Ratatoskr splintered off the
World Tree fragment and it was named after him?
In Vision and Scarlet Witch III#2,
a quartet of Valkyries is shown, the two on the left of the panel as we
view it look pretty clearly to be Brunnhilde and Jane Foster.
The woman to the far right is brown, like Rūna, but
she has more curly hair, unlike Rūna's braided hair...maybe she was
trying out a new look.
I did not recognize the dark-haired woman 2nd from
the right (or to Rūna's immediate right). The Marvel Database
identifies her as Mirage/Dani Moonstar, and while the shorter curly
hair seems off to me, she is definitely of a darker complexion than
Brunnhilde or Jane, which makes sense for Dani, who is Cheyenne.
This profile was posted to celebrate pride month 2026.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Rūna the Valkyrie should be distinguished from:
- VALKYRIE of
Reality-199999 (Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is called Earth-616 in
whatever system of designation they use; see the discussion here (after "Me Again")) - Valkyrie who was presumably the inspiration for Valkyrie-22681 and Rūna-616--Thor: Ragnarok
- VALKYRIE of Reality-22681 - Exiles member, created by Odin; possibly an alternate reality counterpart of Rūna--Exiles III#1,2
- VALKYRIE (Brunnhilde) - Reality-616 Asgardian heroine, Defenders member, former leader of Valkyrior--Defenders I#4
- VALKYRIE - a form briefly assumed by the Reality-616 Enchantress--Avengers I#83
- VALKYRIE - form used by Barbara Norriss--Incredible Hulk II#125
- VALKYRIE (Samantha
Parrington) - Reality-616 heroine given the form & powers of
Brunnhilde by Enchantress, Defenders member--Incredible Hulk II#142
- VALKYRIE - member of Earth-616's Calliope Carnival & Circus--Werewolf by Night I#6
- VALKYRIE - embodiment of Reality-616's Thor's madness, accidentally given form
by Moondragon when she tried to purge Thor's madness, eventually purged
by Thor with Odin's help--Thor I#460
- VALKYRIE - form briefly assumed by Reality-616's Lorelei--Defenders II#2
- VALKYRIE, VIKKI of Earth-9602/Amalgam - amalgamation of DC's Vikki Vale & Marvel's Valkyrie--Lobo the Duck#1
- VALKYRIOR - Reality-616 Asgardian choosers of the slain--Journey into Mystery I#92
- RUNE of Earth-93060 - barbarian thief, corrupted
by energy crystal which shattered into star stones--Sludge#1/2
- RUNESTAFF - lion-headed staff, taken on Rus by
Possessor (Kamo Tharnn) from Achernonian (whom Tharnn slew), used to return spirit of
Jane Foster, seemingly destroyed by Quasar (Wendell Vaugn). Absorb others into pocket dimension, great
powers, manipulate life force of others--Thor I#235
- RUNESTAFF dimension (minds absorbed by Runestaff) -
mystic realm, pocket universe in which souls of those whose
knowledge is absorbed by Runestaff are transported, souls trapped
there by Possessor were eventually freed by Thor and Sif--Thor I#335
- or any other "Valkyrie" or "Rune/a" characters
  unidentified being (slayer of Alta?)
We don't know anything about this being other than he/she was powerful enough to battle the collective Valkyries.
(Return
of the Valkyries#1 (fb)) - The Valkyries--possibly including or
otherwise working with Alta--battled an unidentified cloaked
being. Rūna took a spear through the chest, and Alta apparently died. --Return of the Valkyries#1
Note: I'm not even positive Alta died battling this character...it was fairly vague. |
images: (without ads)
Retailer incentive cover for King in Black: Return of the Valkyries#1 (main)
Return of the Valkyries#1, variant cover (Rūna standing in front of skull);
pg. 1, panel 1-2 (Valkyries battling unidentified being; being stepping on Jarnbjorn);
pg. 10, panel 6 (face);
pg. 15, panel 1-3 (Valkyries battling unidentified being);
#2, pg. 15, panel 1-2 (vs. rock trolls);
#3, pg. 16, panel 1 (reclining against Mr. Horse, with wine);
Black History Month variant
cover----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
#4, pg. 6, panel 1-2 (atop Mr. Horse, assault Necrosword and headless Celestial);
last page, last panel (atop Mr. Horse, with Moonstar and Jane Foster);
The Mighty Valkyries#1, pg. 22, panel 4 (hooded);
#2, pg. 8, panel 1-2 (leaping with ax and shattering Oracle's magic prison);
pg. 9, panel 3 (featuring Jarnbjorn);
#3, pg. 16, panel 1 (knees up);
panel 5 (face, angry/surprise);
#4 cover (skull image)
Marvel Voices: Pride II#1/8, pg. 5, panel 3 (skeeved face);
Jane Foster & the Mighty Thor#2, pg. 6, panel 2 (leaping down with axe)
Avengers Academy: Marvel's Voices Infinity Comic#13 (with "Tusk of Ratatoskr")
Vision and Scarlet Witch III#2, pg. 12, panel 1 (with other Valkyries meeting with the Grim Reaper)
Appearances:
Return of the Valkyries#1 (March, 2021) - Jason Aaron & Torunn Grønbekk (writers), Nina Vakueva (artist), Sarah Brunstad (associate editor), Wil Moss (editor)
Return of the Valkyries#2-3 (April, 2021) - Jason Aaron & Torunn Grønbekk (writers), Nina Vakueva (artist), Sarah Brunstad (associate editor), Wil Moss (editor)
Return of the Valkyries#4 (May, 2021) - Jason Aaron & Torunn Grønbekk (writers), Nina Vakueva (artist), Sarah Brunstad (associate editor), Wil Moss (editor)
The Mighty Valkyries#1-4: Rūna stories (June-September, 2021) - Torunn Grønbekk (writer), Erica D'Urso (artist), Wil Moss & Sarah Brunstad (editors)
Marvel Voices: Pride#1 (August, 2021) - Luciano Vecchio (writer/artist) with Mike O'Sullivan (research), Angelique Roche (consulting editor), Sarah Brunstad (editor)
The Mighty Valkyries#5 (November, 2021) - Jason Aaron & Torunn Grønbekk (writer), Mattia De Iulis (artist), Wil Moss & Sarah Brunstad (editors)
Thor VI#22 (April, 2022) - Donny Cates (writer), Nic Klein (artist), Kaitlyn Lindtvedt (assistant editor), Wil Moss & Alanna Smith (editors)
Marvel Voices: Legacy#1/9 (April, 2022) - Mariah Forhlich (story, pencils, & inks), Anita Okoye (assistant editor), Sarah Brunstad (editor)
Marvel Voices: Pride II#1/8 "Over the Rainbow" (August, 2022) - Ira Madison III (writer), Lorenzo Susi (artist), Anita Okoye (assistant editor), Angelique Roche (associate editor), Sarah Brunstad (editor)
Jane Foster & the Mighty Thor#1 (August, 2022) - Torunn Grønbekk (writer), Michael Dowling (artist), Kaitlyn Lindvedt & Michelle Marchese (assistant editors), Wil Moss with Alanna Smith (editors)
Jane Foster & the Mighty Thor#2-5 (September-December, 2022) - Torunn Grønbekk (writer), Michael Dowling (artist), Michelle Marchese (assistant editor), Wil Moss (editor)
Thor VI#29-30 (February-March, 2023) - Torunn Grønbekk (writer), Nic Klein (artist), Michelle Marchese (assistant editor), Wil Moss (editor)
Thor VI#34-35 (July-August, 2023) - Torunn Grønbekk (writer), Juan Gedeon with Sergio Davila (pencilers), Juan Gedon with Sean Parsons (inkers), Michelle Marchese (assistant editor), Wil Moss (editor)
Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic#58-59 (August, 2023) - Kalinda Vasquez (writer), Alba Glez (penciler), Walden Wong (inker), Martin Biro (assistant editor), Annalise Bissa (editor)
Marvel Unleashed#4 (January, 2024) - Kyle Starks (writer), Jesus Hervas (artist), Kaitlyn Lindvedt (assistant editor), Alanna Smith (editor)
Avengers Academy: Marvel's Voices Infinity Comic#13 (September, 2024) - Anthony Oliveira (writer), Alba Glez (penciler), Elisabetta D'amico (inker), Lindsey Cohick (assistant editor), Sarah Brunstad (editor)
Vision and Scarlet Witch III#2 (August, 2025) - Steve Orlando (writer), Lorenzo Tammetta (artist), Sidney Stubbs (assistant editor), Alanna Smith (editor)
First posted: 06/14/2026
Last updated: 06/14/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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