First Appearance: Avengers #87VALKYRIE
note: Bio taken from Marvel Universe Handbook vol 1 (1983)
First Appearance: Avengers #87
Real Name: Brunnhilda
Alias: Barbara Norriss, Enchantress, Samantha
Parrington
Height: 6' 3"
Weight: 475 lbs
Eyes: Blonde
Hair: Blue
Occupation: Adventurer, (former)
Chooser of the Slain
Place of Creation/Birth: Asgard
Known Relatives: none
Powers: The Valkyrie possesses the conventional
attributes of an Asgardian woman ("goddess"). Like all Asgardians, she is
extremely long-lived (although not immortal like the Olympians), superhumanly strong (the
average Asgardian female can lift about 25 tons; the Valkyrie can lift 45 tons), immune to
all diseases, and resistant to conventional injury, (Asgardian flesh and bone is about 3
times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to all Asgardians' superhuman
strength and weight. The Valkyrie's Asgardian metabolism gives her far greater than
human endurance at all physical activities) She can exert peak strength for an hour
before fatigue impairs her ability level. The Valkyrie has had extensive training in
unarmed combat, swordplay, and horseback riding. Her natural fighting ability is
unsurpassed among Asgardian women.
Personal Weaponry: The Valkyrie employs two weapons,
the enchanted sword, Dragonfang, and un unnamed iron
spear.
Origin: Brunnhilda was a goddess of Asgard of unknown parentage who was selected by Odin at an early age to lead the Valkyrior ("Choosers of the Slain"), a group of nine Asgardian warrior-goddesses who would appear over the battlefields of mortal Viking warriors and choose which of the fallen were worthy to be taken to Valhalla, the land of honored dead in the dimension of Asgard. Brunnhilda served Asgard capably in this capacity for several centuries (approximately 600 to 1000 AD) until Odin was force to cease virtually all intercourse with the Earth in accordance with a pact he and his fellow godheads made with the extraterrestrial Celestials. Barred from Earth, Odin was forced to disband the Valkyrior. The nine goddesses went their separate ways reluctantly, finding other employment and diversion in Asgard. Brunnhilda, however, took the dismissal bitterly and roamed Asgard in pursuit of something meaningful to do. In a tavern in the outskirts of Marmoragard, Brunnhilda met Amora the Enchantress who offered her a life of adventure. For several weeks Brunnhilda accompanied the Enchantress on her conquests. Brunnhilda soon realized Amora's inclination toward immorality and tried to save their partnership. Amora expected Brunnhilda's betrayal, however, and used her magic to entrap the warrior goddesses within a mystic crystal of souls. While Brunnhilda's body remained in suspended animation, her immortal soul became Amora's plaything. Over the centuries, the Enchantress used the Valkyrie's essence to give the Valkyrie's powers to herself or to her pawns. The Enchantress usually used her magic to alter the recipient's appearance to resemble Brunnhilda herself. Specific accounts of Amora's exploitation of the Valkyrie before recent years are not yet known. The first time Amora assumed the Valkyrie's aspect in recent years was in a plot to lead a handful of female superhumans against the male Avengers. Her true identity wad discovered, however, and her plan thwarted. Months later, the Enchantress bestowed the Valkyrie's power upon a socialite named Samantha Parrington in an attempt to get revenge on the Hulk. Finally, a woman driven mad be being trapped in another dimension, Barbara Norriss, was given the Valkyrie's power and consciousness by Amora in order to help the Enchantress and her erstwhile allies the Defenders escape from the clutches of the sorcerous Casiolena. Amora did not undo her spell on Norriss after Casiolena's defeat. As a result Norriss's body now possessed Brunnhilda's consciousness, appearance and powers, while Norriss's own mental essence was trapped in Brunnhilda's real body in Asgard. However, thanks to partial amnesia induced by the Enchantress, Brunnhilda was unaware that she was not in possession of her real body and memory. It was not until a minor Asgardian warrior named Ollerus attempted to take over Valhalla that the Valkyrie's two mixed aspects met for the first time. Brunnhilda's mental essence in Norriss's transformed body fought Norriss's mental essence trapped in Brunnhilda's real body. At the end of the encounter, the Valkyrie's body with Norriss's mind still within was consigned to the fiery pits of Niffleheim, the Asgardian land of the non-heroic dead, while Valkyrie's mind in Norriss's body accompanied the Defenders back to Earth. For reasons yet unknown, the Valkyrie was not concerned about reuniting her mind and body at that time despite this tantalizing opportunity. It was not until after Barbara Norriss's body was murdered that the Valkyrie's spirit and mind were inadvertently freed from its mortal host. With the help of Doctor Strange's magic, Brunnhilda regained her true form (which was rescued from Niffleheim by the Enchantress). Barbara Norriss's spirit was taken into custody by the embodiment of Love itself. In her own immortal body after a millenium of separation, Brunnhilda battled Amora and banished her into the crystal of souls in which she had been trapped. Feeling estranged from Asgard in general and Odin in particular for their neglect of her centuries-long plight, the Valkyrie chose to return to Earth with her mortal friends, the Defenders, rather than to remain in Asgard. The Valkyrie has remained a staunch member of the Defenders.
