Rūna (Character)

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Created by: Jason Aaron, Torunn Grønbekk, Nina Vakueva

1st appearance: King in Black: Return of the Valkyries #1 (January, 2021)

Alias: Chooser of the Slain, Valkyrie

Nationality: Asgardian

Team Affiliations: The Valkyries

Legal Status: unknown

Height:6’0″                  Weight:160 lbs

Eyes: Brown                   Hair: Black

Relatives: Unknown

Skills and Abilities: One of the most skilled warriors in creation.

Weapons

Jarnbjorn: Rūna is the original wielder of the divine battle-ax Jarnbjorn, which was forged for her by the Dwarves of Nidavellir. Learning the ax had come into the possession of King Vanlandi of Vanaheim, Rūna reclaimed it from him

Forged by Dwarves, Jarnbjorn is naturally sharper than almost any Earthly weapon, and can cut virtually anything. In addition, Jarnbjorn has a charm placed on it that makes it indestructible, and it can be used to defend against any attack, even bursts of energy like Apocalypse’s optic beam. Thanks to Thor’s own enchantment, Jarnbjorn can pierce the armor of Celestials or armor created using Celestial technology.

Biography

Rūna is one of the original nine Valkyries and the original wielder of Jarnbjorn. A vassal of All-Father Bor, she entered into a romantic relationship with her comrade Alta. One of the few survivors of a battle against a dark god, Rūna was escorting Alta’s soul through the Realm Between when they were attacked and trapped inside an undead Celestial bound to Knull by All-Black.

For untold milennia, Rūna was trapped within a loop of memories to the point that she forgot even her own name. During Knull’s attack on Midgard, Rūna was freed when Jane Foster, the latest Valkyrie, accidentally found her while trying to save the Sentry’s soul from being absorbed by the Headless Celestial.

Taken to Valhalla, Rūna helped Brunnhilde explain the nature of the Headless Celestial to Jane and begrudgingly agreed to help Jane Foster vanquish the Headless Celestial. Partnered with Mr. Horse, Jane’s winged horse, Rūna set off to Vanaheim to reclaim her ax – which had come into the possession of Vanlandi, the self-proclaimed King of Thieves. Fighting her way through Vanlandi’s minions, Rūna reclaimed Jarnbjorn but reneged on helping Jane in order to revel in being alive again by raiding Vanlandi’s pantry. Drunk, Rūna admitted the real reason she was stalling was that she was afraid, but Mr. Horse managed to guilt-trip her into rejoining the battle and helping destroy the Headless Celestial’s body – freeing the souls trapped within. After a brief reunion with Alta, who departed to Valhalla, Rūna accompanied Jane back to Midgard to take the fight to Knull.

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