Valkyrie (Marvel Comics)

Valkyrie
Cover of the Valkyrie one-shot (January 1997). Art by Pablo Raimondi.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	The Avengers #83 (December 1970)
Created by	Roy Thomas (writer) John Buscema (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Brunnhilde
Team affiliations	Asgardians Valkyrior Defenders Secret Avengers
Notable aliases	Barbara Denton-Norris, Sian Bowen, Brunnhilde of Asgard
Abilities	Superhuman strength, endurance, and longevity Ability to convey spirits of the dead

Valkyrie is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, based on the Norse mythological figure Brynhildr. The character first appeared in The Avengers #83 (December 1970) and has become a mainstay of the superhero team known as the Defenders. An Asgardian by birth, Valkyrie, also known by her real name, Brunnhilde, was selected by Odin to lead the Valkyrior. Among her other aliases are Barbara Denton-Norriss, Samantha Parrington, Sian Bowen, and Annabelle Riggs who were all host bodies to the spirit of Brunnhilde. Samantha Parrington, a previous host of Brunnhilde, later received Valkyrie's powers and became a member of the Defenders herself. An ally and one-time love interest of Thor, she was ranked 30th in IGN's list of "The Top 50 Avengers", and 65th in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.

Valkyrie will make her cinematic debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Thor: Ragnarok, where she will be played by actress Tessa Thompson.

The Valkyrie first appeared as a guise of the Enchantress in The Avengers #83 (December 1970) and was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema. Thomas used another iteration of the character when the Valkyrie persona was placed into a mortal woman named Samantha Parrington as an adversary for the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk #142 (August 1971). Writer Steve Englehart and artist Sal Buscema put the Valkyrie's essence into another mortal woman, Barbara Norriss, in The Defenders #4 and had the character join the group as a longtime member. Englehart has stated that he added the Valkyrie to the Defenders "to provide some texture to the group".Steve Gerber introduced Jack Norriss as the estranged husband of Barbara but the Valkyrie persona had no memory of him. Writers David Anthony Kraft and Ed Hannigan explained some of the Valykrie's backstory in The Defenders #66-68 (Dec. 1978-Feb. 1979). Three years later, writers J. M. DeMatteis and Mark Gruenwald wrote a follow-up story in The Defenders #107-109 (May–July 1982) which resolved remaining plot points from the Kraft and Hannigan story. The Valkyrie remained a member of the Defenders through most of the series' run and was apparently killed when the series ended with issue #152 (Feb. 1986). The character was restored to life in a Doctor Strange storyline in 1988 and made only a few appearance in the 1990s.