Who Are the Asgardians of the Galaxy?

Marvel Comics is showcasing some of the lesser-known heroes and anti-heroes from Thor’s world in a new series debuting this week: Asgardians of the Galaxy. While it also functions as a pun-tastic placeholder for the Guardians of the Galaxy before they return in 2019, this new adventure set between the myths of Asgard and expansive Marvel cosmos provides a great opportunity for fans to discover some new favorite characters. Writer Cullen Bunn and artist Matteo Lolli are well suited for the task as well. They have previously teamed up on both Deadpool Killustrated and Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars, showing a penchant for obscure Marvel history both together and apart.

Since this is a team primarily composed of B- and C-list characters, we’ve prepared a brief primer for new readers looking to get their feet wet. All of the Asgardians of the Galaxy and their first big foe are listed here to catch you up to speed on who they are and where they’re coming from in this moment. After all, this series simply looks like too much fun to miss out due to a lack of familiarity.

One last thing, there are potential SPOILERS ahead. If you haven’t already heard about the cliffhanger that ends Asgardians of the Galaxy #1, then stop when you reach the entry on Nebula. This article includes a mention of one unannounced character’s return at its end.

Angela

Created by Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane

First Appearance: Spawn #9

Angela began her career in Spawn at Image Comics, but has left quite an impression on Marvel Comics since arriving in 2013. She has been reimagined as the lost sister of both Thor and Loki, a daughter to Thor and Freyja who died as an infant and was raised in a tenth realm called “Heven.” She possesses incredible power which led to her role as an elite assassin of ethereal beings and even her temporary place as ruler of Hel. However, Angela most recently seems to have chosen a more peaceful life far beyond the constant fighting of Asgard, Heven, and Hel with her lover Sera.

Valkyrie

Created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema

First Appearance: The Avengers (vol. 1) #83

Valkyrie, also known as Brunnhilde, is one of the most renowned warriors to emerge from the many stories surrounding Asgard. She has been a valiant member of many superhero teams and fought an incredible array of enemies. Most recently she was leading a group of superheroines known as the Valkyrior to battle Morgan Le Fay. It was in this team that she met the scientist Annabelle Riggs and began a romantic relationship. Riggs spirit is currently bound to Valkyrie after sacrificing herself to save the Valkyrior.

Skurge the Executioner

Created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee

First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery (vol. 1) #83

Skurge is one of Thor’s oldest foes, beginning his career as a powerful warrior who battled Storm Giants before falling under the thrall of Amora the Enchantress. If was at her side that he became part of many schemes to assassinate Thor or seize control of Asgard. After finally accepting that Amora held no interest in him, Skurge nobly sacrificed himself to save hundreds of mortal and Asgardian souls from Hel. When Amora attempted to return him to life, after he was accepted in Valhalla, she was stopped and told that this would dishonor his memory, making his return here all the more interesting.

Throg

Created by Chris Eliopoulos and Ig Guara

First Appearance: Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #1

One of the most fondly remembered stories from Walter Simonson’s run on Thor is an adventure where Thor is transformed into a frog who uses a shrunken Mjolnir to lead a collection of frogs in Central Park to victory over predatory rats. One of those frogs named Puddlegulp, also cheekily referred to as Simon Walterson, would use a sliver of Mjolnir to prove himself also worthy and continue to protect all frog-kind. Throg has not made many appearances in mainstream Marvel comics, but has proven to be a cult favorite amongst fans of Thor.

Thunderstrike

Created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz

First Appearance: Thor (vol. 1) #392

Kevin Masterson is the son of the original Thunderstrike, a temporary host of Thor who later sacrificed himself to defeat the villain Bloodaxe. His son has recently emerged as an inheritor of the Thunderstrike role and a powerful mace by the same name. While he is not quite as powerful as Thor, he possesses many similar abilities. Thunderstrike has been most recently seen in events like Fear Itself and as a member of the Avengers Academy fighting alongside other teenage superheroes.

The Destroyer

Created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee

First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery (vol. 1) #118

The Destroyer armor is not a who so much as a what. It is a super powerful suit of armor powered by the life force of other beings, nearly indestructible and capable of delivering incredible damage. It has been used by many different beings across the years, including many different Asgardians for both good and evil purposes. The biggest question surrounding the appearance of The Destroyer in Asgardians of the Galaxy is: Who is powering it now?

Nebula

Created by John Buscema and Roger Stern

First Appearance: The Avengers (vol. 1) #257

Nebula was first introduced as a vengeful and devious space pirate who also claimed to be the granddaughter of Thanos. It was this connection that brought her into a very prominent role in The Infinity Gauntlet where she briefly seized control over all existence, stopping Thanos from achieving his goals. Nebula has remained a powerful foe and someone obsessed with power, most recently battling Ronan the Accuser and suffering grievous wounds in the process.

SPOILER WARNING: The next and final entry in this article is a spoiler for Asgardians of the Galaxy #1.

Kid Loki

Created by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and Larry Lieber (original) / Matt Fraction and Pasqual Ferry (as Kid Loki)

First Appearance: Thor (vol. 1) #617

It was revealed just before the release of Asgardians of the Galaxy #1 that the character occupying The Destroyer armor was none other than Kid Loki. This is not the same Loki that many fans are familiar with and who has existed since the introduction of Thor in Journey Into Mystery. After Loki was killed in Siege he was reborn as a child with a unique personality and drive to make his older brother Thor proud and rewrite his legacy. He succeeded in saving both Asgard and Earth on multiple occasions, but was later trapped by the ghost of his old self into dying and relinquishing his form to the prior, devilish spirit of Loki in order to save the world one last time. The most significant part of this bargain was that Kid Loki would cease to exist altogether and no one besides Loki would ever know about this. His return poses a lot of big questions and only future issues of Asgardians of the Galaxy can explain how he returned.