Teutonic Valkyrie
Marvel’s Valkyrie
I get a huge kick out of this: in Wikipedia’s entry on Marvel Comics’ The Valkyrie, under “Abilities,” they not only list “Superhuman strength and durability,” and “Centuries of combat experience,” but also the rather unusual “Ability to convey spirits of the dead.” Sure- sure, that counts as a super-power; let other superheroes wield magic rings, and run at super speed, and live under water all they want: when it comes to some serious conveying Spirits of the Dead, it’s the Valkyrie you’re going to need. Thinking about the matter from a comic book producer’s viewpoint: if you’re looking for a serious, throw-down, battle-hardend femme to introduce- the Valkyries of Germanic/ Nordic legend are going to be so obvious, you aren’t even going to bother switching the concept up somehow. The Valkyrie first appeared in an early ’70s Avengers, as an enigmatic Warrior-Woman urging Marvel Super-Heroines to remove themselves from their male Heroes, to form an all-Women’s Super-Heroine team called “the Lady Liberators.” (Oh, by the way, for being the early ’70s, this was the Age of Women’s Lib.) Well, it turned out that she was an enchanted disguise of a major Marvel Super-Villainess- but the character proved so dynamic, that she was quickly reintroduced as a notable member of The Defenders. All in all, this representative of the Teutonic Valkyries has demonstrated herself the most potent martial female in comic books since Wonder Woman.