Rūna is an ancient Asgardian Valkyrie from All-Father Bor’s age and the original wielder of Jarnbjorn. After being trapped for ages inside the Headless Celestial, she was freed during Knull’s attack on Midgard and returned to battle beside Jane Foster. (More Marvel Characters in Profile)
Rūna is an Asgardian Valkyrie from the age of All-Father Bor, when nine Valkyries protected the gods and carried worthy dead to Valhalla. She was the original wielder of Jarnbjorn, a Dwarven-forged battle axe strong enough to cut Celestial armor. While escorting Alta’s soul through the space between realms, Rūna encountered a headless Celestial bound to Knull by All-Black. She and Alta were trapped inside it for millennia, and Rūna eventually lost even the memory of her own name.
During Knull’s attack on Midgard, Jane Foster found Rūna while trying to save Sentry’s soul from the Headless Celestial. Rūna was brought to Valhalla, helped Jane understand the threat, then went to Vanaheim to reclaim Jarnbjorn from Vanlandi. After returning to battle, she helped destroy the Headless Celestial’s body and free the souls trapped inside it. Alta passed on to Valhalla, and Rūna returned to Midgard with Jane to continue the fight against Knull.
Appearance:
Valkyrie has brown skin. She has brown colored eyes. She has a slender, muscular, athletic build with defined arms. Her long dark brown hair is styled in numerous thin dreadlock braids that extend down past her shoulders. She wears a large flowing cape attached to her left shoulder that features a teal exterior and a purple interior lining.
She wears a sculpted silver metallic breastplate that curves around her torso, featuring a scaled texture across the upper chest section and smooth plates below that highlight the contours of her chest. A small silver pauldron armor piece covers her left shoulder. Her right arm is wrapped in a long purple fabric sleeve extending from her wrist up to her bicep. Below the breastplate, she wears a blue tunic fabric over a purple under-layer, which is secured at her hips by a thick, dark brown leather belt with a silver metallic buckle.
She wears loose greyish-purple trousers that extend down her legs. A dark leather strap is fastened around her right thigh, holding a scabbard that contains a small dagger with a silver hilt. On her feet, she wears calf-high purple leather boots. She holds a long sword featuring a glowing light blue blade, a curved silver crossguard, and a wrapped grip.
Personality:
Rūna is a weary, battle-tested Valkyrie who carries deep guilt over failing to save Alta. After being trapped for ages and losing her own name, she returns with broken memories and fear beneath her warrior pride. She can be reluctant to take up duty again, shown when she stalls after reclaiming Jarnbjorn, but she still answers the call when pushed back toward her purpose. Once committed, she is loyal and direct, with little patience for the damage caused by gods treating the realms as their playground.
Alta is Rūna’s most important personal bond, her fellow Valkyrie and lover, whose death and trapped soul haunt much of Rūna’s return. Jane Foster becomes her main living ally after freeing her from the Headless Celestial, and the two fight together to release the souls held inside it. Mr. Horse also matters because he helps push Rūna out of fear when she tries to avoid the battle after recovering her axe. Rūna has older ties to the Valkyrior through Brunnhilde and All-Father Bor’s age, while Vanlandi is tied to her story as the thief-king who ended up with Jarnbjorn before she reclaimed it.
Rūna has Asgardian strength, durability, and long life, with the battle training of an ancient Valkyrie. She is an expert armed fighter, especially with axes, and her Valkyrie nature lets her sense approaching death and guide worthy souls to Valhalla. She also has Allspeak, allowing her words to be understood across languages.
Her main weapon is Jarnbjorn, the Dwarven-forged battle axe she originally wielded. The axe is made from Asgardian steel, blessed with Thor’s blood, and sharp enough to cut Celestial armor. Rūna reclaimed it from Vanlandi after returning from her imprisonment inside the Headless Celestial.
