I've been gone for a while. Soon I'll say a little about what I've been up to and share some observations about developments in the key comic market since I last posted, but I wanted to bang this out after having seen Thor:Ragnarok the other day.
I have long, long wanted to write a column about Valkyrie, specifically, about Incredible Hulk #142. A few years back, I did some research on this character and her various incarnations, and decided at that time that Hulk #142 would come to be the key book associated with the character. Why? Reason being, in short, is that it is the first appearance of the first version of Valkyrie that wasn't just an illusion of the Enchantress. What follows is a post I made on the Lyria Exchange Forums on Jan. 17th, 2014:
"On the topic of Valkyrie, I've come to think the market will settle on Incredible Hulk #142 as her first appearance. Valkyrie is three things: the 1) spirit of Brunnhilde, 2) a mortal female host, and 3) a costume. When the Enchantress took on her form in Avengers #83, you have only one of these things, the costume. I do not think Amora was possessed by Brunnhilde, I believe it was just a magical illusion. (This may have been retroactively changed in some later story, I don't know). Hulk 142 is the first time a mortal (Samantha Parrington) is possessed by Brunnhilde, and I was shocked that it guides for only $38, much less than Avengers #83 or Defenders #4 (in which Barbara Norris becomes possessed by Brunnhilde). What convinced me about Hulk #142 was when I read that Samantha Parrington came to host Valkyrie once again after that first time... What is for sure is that any of the candidate issues are undervalued, and the market will eventually settle on one choice, just as they did with Adam Warlock / Thor #165. "
Like many people, I was in the dark about Marvel's plans for the version of Valkyrie in Thor:Ragnarok when Tessa Thompson was cast. Avengers #83 seemed to take off in value, but I did not place much stock in it (grading and selling my own long-owned copy as a CGC 9.4 shortly after the character was announced in 2016). Today, I was reading the plot summary in Wikipedia, and realized that the character is called "Scrapper 142," which appears to be a reference to the Hulk appearance. (I see that others have also picked up on this Easter egg over the past couple of days).
Although Ragnarok is the third and apparently final Thor film, this Deadline article asserts Thompson will appear in other Marvel films, and I think we will learn she is Samantha Parrington, although in the film she is said to be Asgardian. The fact the original #142 story portrays her as a strong, Equal Rights Amendment-era feminist character would be very appropriate in today's Hollywood climate. I think they may also play with different versions of the character. We could also never come to know her mortal name, if she is indeed mortal. This may be a minor Easter egg and nothing more.
Here's a timeline of the character:
Apr-63 (Journey Into Mystery #91): Odin's Valkyries introduced in the Marvel Universe:
Mar-70 (Incredible Hulk #125): First appearance of Barbara Norriss. You can just barely see her head in on panel on page 19, and then again perhaps on the last page. It could be any blonde girl since there was a group of people in the background of the story, although it's generally accepted to be her.
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| Incredible Hulk #125 page 19 |
Apr-70 (Incredible Hulk #126): First full appearance of Barbara Norriss. She plays an important role in the story, eventually going mad and having to be saved by Dr. Strange.
Dec-70 (Avengers #83): A woman calling herself Valkyrie rallies some female superheroes together. She tells them her origin story, which turns out later to be a lie when she is revealed to be Amora the Enchantress in a magical disguise. These events are later retconned (?) to say that Amora was magically "borrowing" the power and spirit of the Valkyrie Brunnhilde, whom she had imprisoned in a crystal.
Aug-71 (Incredible Hulk #142): 1st appearance of the Samantha Parrington Valkyrie, who battles the Hulk in this issue. Oddly, the story is inspired by Tom Wolfe's "Radical Chic.".
Feb-73: Barbara Norriss becomes Valkyrie II, and joins the Defenders (Defenders #4)
2002: Samantha Parrington became the Valkyrie again in one of the issues of The Order 1-6
(P.S.: This older, different Valkyrie is way cool too. I was so psyched when I bought this copy!)
