Vanlandi (Asgardian; Runa the Valkyrie foe)

vanlandi-asgard-jarnbjorn vanlandi-asgard-upper VANLANDI

Real Name: Vanlandi

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Asgard/Vanaheim) Vanir god

Occupation: Thief

Group Membership: Vanir, led an unidentified band of rogues (including Burt the graphite troll, other rock trolls, an ogre (or some other kind of troll), unidentified blond-haired messenger/whatever)

Affiliations: His band of rogues/thieves;
beings to whom he sells his stolen goods

Enemies: Brunnhilde the Valkyrie, Mister Horse, Runa the Valkyrie

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: King of Thieves

Base of Operations: Fort of Gaardar, Vanaheim, Asgardian landmass, Asgardian dimension

First Appearance: Return of the Valkyries#2 (April, 2021)

Powers/Abilities: As an Asgardian/Vanir god, Vanlandi would likely possess some degree of superhuman strength, durability and longevity (being long-lived).

However, he did not demonstrate any particular abilities, preferring instead to send his agents to fight for him. He certainly was no match for Runa, even when he wielded the ax Jarnbjorn and she had just shattered her sword.

He is apparently a highly-skilled thief and

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6'2")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 400-600 lbs. if Asgardian flesh and bone are 2-3x as dense as human; approximately 200 lbs. if human flesh and blood density)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown (including mustache and full beard)

History:
(Return of the Valkyries#2 (fb) - BTS) <Relatively recently relative to the main story> - Under unspecified circumstances, Vanlandi obtained Jarnbjorn, the axe forged by the dwarves of Nidavellir for Runa of Bor's Valkyrior, whose wielder had been long lost within a headless Celestial.

Seeking to sell Jarnbjorn, Vanlandi found a buyer willing to pay his messenger's weight in gold. vanlandi-asgard-fullishtiny

(Return of the Valkyries#2 (fb) - BTS) - Runa's approach was prophesied by Vanlandi via haruspicy, examining the innards of a goat, after which she began haunting his dreams: He learned that she was after Jarnbjorn, and he saw what she would do to him if he refused her.

(Return of the Valkyries#1 - BTS) - Jane Foster freed Runa from the headless Celestial and brought her back to Asgard.

(Return of the Valkyries#2) - Seeking to sever the connection between Knull and the headless celestial, Brunnhilde noted that they needed to recover Runa's ax.

(Return of the Valkyries#2 (fb) - BTS) - Brunnhilde told Runa the location of her ax.

(Return of the Valkyries#2 - BTS) - Runa departed aboard Mister Horse.

(Return of the Valkyries#2 - BTS) - Runa and Mister Horse traveled to the Fort of Gaardar in Vanaheim, where Mister Horse confirmed that they would find Vanlandi, king of thieves.

(Return of the Valkyries#2) - One of Vanlandi's agents advised him that a woman, black of hair and quick of flight, just like in his visions, had landed nearby in a flying horse.

    Appreciating that she was coming for Jarnbjorn, Vanlandi nonetheless considered the gold promised for the axe, and he insisted that he would not yield the weapon to one little girl because of some nightmares. He instructed his agent (and the ogre who had overheard the discussion) to gather everyone and protect the castle at all costs.

(Return of the Valkyries#2 - BTS) - The agent considered that they would have horse steaks for dinner, and the ogre replied, "Yrumm!"

(Return of the Valkyries#2 - BTS) - Runa and Mister Horse were confronted by a pair of Rock Trolls (actual rock), who wished to eat them.

(Return of the Valkyries#2) - After Runa partially decapitated both rock trolls, she was confronted by Vanlandi and his rogues, and Vanlandi warned her to leave this place.

    Runa questioned his identify, and told him that he had something of hers. Vanlandi replied that if it were hers, it would be in her hands, not his. Runa advised him that she did not care where or how he got it but that it was her ax: "The smelly, grumpy Dwarves of Nidavellir forged it for me, and I will have it back."

    When Vanlandi asked why she didn't come and claim it, Runa smiled, noting, "I thought you'd never ask." vanlandi-asgard-bound

(Return of the Valkyries#3 (fb) - BTS) - Runa brutally took out Vanlandi's forces, although Mr. Horse kicked down at least one of them.

(Return of the Valkyries#3) - There was a sliver of hope in Vanlandi's heart when Runa's sword shattered against Burt, "a particularly sturdy graphite troll," but then she kicked off against the ogre'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) - Runa took out Vanlandi's forces and bound Vanlandi, leaving him hanging upside down.

(Return of the Valkyries#3) - Vanlandi only sighed and then remained silent as Runa greeted Jarnbjorn as her old friend. As Vanlandi's green troll or ogre rushed in to attack her, Runa casually slashed his throat with Jarnbjorn as she continued her conversation Mr. Horse.

(Return of the Valkyries#4 (fb) - BTS) - Mister Horse brought Runa back to join the other Valkyries against the Headless Celestial.

Vanlandi's fate is unrevealed.

Comments: Created by Jason Aaron, Torunn Gronbekk, Nina Vakueva

Runa's real name wasn't revealed until the later Mighty Valkyries series, 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.

This profile was completed 06/14/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25^th anniversary 's celebratory event to represent Brunnhilde the Valkyrie's characters and stories (while I previously had Runa the Valkyrie set for this spot, I chose to post Runa for Pride Month; Brunnhilde did tell Runa where to find Jarnbjorn, so she's peripherally associated with him, and that's good enough for me).

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Verlandi should be distinguished from:

VERDANDI - see ATROPOS of the Fates/Norns--Tales to Astonish I#33, Journey into Mystery I#102/2
other "Verlandi" characters, groups, items, events, races or places...

castle /
Fort of Gaardar

Vanlandi lived in a castle in Vanir's Fort of Gaardar (or maybe the castle was the Fort of Gardar), in which his various warriors, rogues, thieves, etc. also dwelled

--Return of the Valkyries#2 (3 vanlandi-asgard-castle-exterior

Burt

Burt was "a particularly sturdy graphite troll," durable enough that Asgardian steel shattered against his rocky frame.

However, he was as durable as Runa's skull.

vanlandi-asgard-burt-shattered

(Return of the Valkyries#3) - There was a sliver of hope in Vanlandi's heart when Runa's sword shattered against Burt, but then she kicked off against the ogre or troll's chest and slammed into the graphite troll headfirst, shattering its form and knocking it over a cliff.

--Return of the Valkyries#3

rogues

vanlandi-asgard-rotv2-p15pan1-2-vrocktrolls

(Return of the Valkyries#2 - BTS) - Runa and Mister Horse were confronted by a pair of Rock Trolls (actual rock), who wished to eat them.

(Return of the Valkyries#2) - After Runa partially decapitated both rock trolls...

...she was confronted by Vanlandi and his rogues, and Vanlandi warned her to leave this place.

    Runa questioned his identify, and told him that he had something of hers. Vanlandi replied that if it were hers, it would be in her hands, not his.

    Runa advised him that she did not care where or how he got it but that it was her ax: "The smelly, grumpy Dwarves of Nidavellir forged it for me, and I will have it back."

    When Vanlandi asked why she didn't come and claim it, Runa smiled, noting, "I thought you'd never ask."

(Return of the Valkyries#3 (fb) - BTS) - Runa brutally took out Vanlandi's forces, although Mr. Horse kicked down at least one of them.

(Return of the Valkyries#3 (fb) - BTS) - Runa took out Vanlandi's forces and bound Vanlandi, leaving him hanging upside down. vanlandi-asgard-greenslashed

(Return of the Valkyries#3) - Vanlandi only sighed and then remained silent as Runa greeted Jarnbjorn as her old friend.

As Vanlandi's green troll or ogre rushed in to attack her, Runa casually slashed his throat with Jarnbjorn as she continued her conversation Mr. Horse.

--Return of the Valkyries#2 (3

images: (without ads)
Return of the Valkyries#2, pg. 12, panel 1 (castle);
             panel 4 (upper);
             panel 5 (ogre & messenger);
       pg. 14, panel 2 (rock trolls, fullish);
       pg. 15, panel 1-2 (slicing apart rock trolls);
          panel 4 (Vanlandi's band of rogues, front);
       pg. 18, panel 1 (Vanlandi - full/tiny; rogues - profile);
    #3, pg. 5, panel 2-4 (Runa breaking sword against Burt, ramming Burt with her head; fragmented Burt falling from cliff);
       pg. 7, panel 1-2 (green ogre/troll charging Runa, throat slashed);
          panel 3 (Vanlandi hanging upside down)

Appearances:
Return of the Valkyries#2-3 (April, 2021) - Jason Aaron & Torunn Gronbekk (writers), Nina Vakueva (artist), Sarah Brunstad (associate editor), Wil Moss (editor)

First posted: 09/30/2026
Last updated: 06/14/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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