The Defenders #4
The Defenders #4 (February 1973) delivers one of the most consequential team-roster additions in Bronze Age Marvel: the first full appearance of Valkyrie as a genuine Asgardian presence inhabiting the body of mortal woman Barbara Norriss, rather than a mere Enchantress disguise or a briefly empowered proxy. By anchoring Brunnhilde's consciousness to a sympathetic human host — one who had already appeared in the series and carried her own tragic backstory — writer Steve Englehart gave the Defenders their most distinctive long-term member and planted the seeds for a decades-long identity mystery that later writers would continue to explore. The issue also effectively inaugurates the Defenders' rotating, deliberately non-hierarchical roster model: Valkyrie simply declares she is joining "whether they like it or not," a moment that captures the team's irreverent, anti-establishment spirit perfectly. Its MCU connection — Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie in the Thor films traces her lineage directly to this issue — has made it a touchstone far beyond its original Bronze Age readership.
In "The New Defender!", the Defenders face a surreal threat as the Enchantress reshapes Barbara into the mythic Valkyrie, wielding ancient power against her will. With the Black Knight frozen in stone and the fate of the team hanging on a dwindling countdown, the battle for control of Omegatron reaches a critical 89 hundredths of a second. Written by Steve Englehart and brought to life by Sal Buscema’s dynamic art, with Frank McLaughlin’s inks and Petra Goldberg’s colors, this 1973 Marvel classic features a striking cover by John Buscema and Jim Starlin, inks by Frank Giacoia.
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The Defenders had only just graduated from their Marvel Feature tryout to their own ongoing title when Englehart and penciller Sal Buscema reached issue #4; Roy Thomas, who had shepherded the team's creation, moved into the editor's chair for the series. Englehart has publicly stated that his motivation for adding Valkyrie was straightforward: he wanted 'to provide some texture to the group,' which at that point was an all-male trio of loners. The character herself had a tangled pre-history — Roy Thomas and John Buscema had introduced a Valkyrie guise for the Enchantress in Avengers #83 (1970), and Thomas had later placed the Valkyrie's power into a second mortal, Samantha Parrington, in Incredible Hulk #142 (1971) — so Englehart was essentially the first writer to establish a stable, recurring Valkyrie persona with her own ongoing narrative. The cover's production history is unusually layered even by 1970s Marvel standards: Jim Starlin produced the rough layout, John Buscema executed the finished pencils, and Frank Giacoia inked — a creative chain that wasn't fully documented until researchers confirmed it in 2005.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First full appearance of Valkyrie (Brunnhilde) in her own identity: the Enchantress uses her magic to transfer Brunnhilde's consciousness, appearance, and powers into the body of Barbara Norriss, and — crucially — does not reverse the spell after the battle ends.
- Written by Steve Englehart, pencilled (interior) by Sal Buscema, inked by Frank McLaughlin, colored by Petra Goldberg, lettered by Artie Simek; edited by Roy Thomas. Cover pencils by John Buscema from a layout by Jim Starlin, inked by Frank Giacoia.
- Interior story title is 'The New Defender!'; the cover feature logo reads 'The Dynamic Defenders!' — the cover itself is sometimes called 'Valkyrie Rides Again!' in index databases.
- Black Knight (Dane Whitman) is turned to stone by the Enchantress after she reveals he was only a pawn; Valkyrie claims his winged horse Aragorn, beginning her long association with the steed.
- Barbara Norriss's consciousness is simultaneously trapped in Brunnhilde's Asgardian body, establishing the dual-identity mystery that would not be fully addressed until Defenders #66–68 (1978–79) under David Anthony Kraft and Ed Hannigan.
- The issue also advances the ongoing Omegatron subplot — the doomsday device's countdown ticks down to 89 hundredths of a second — threading a multi-issue threat through the early run.
- Valkyrie's MCU counterpart, portrayed by Tessa Thompson, debuted in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and has appeared in subsequent Marvel Cinematic Universe films; the comics version from this issue is her direct source character.
- The story has been reprinted multiple times: in Marvel Treasury Edition #16 (1978), the Australian Yaffa/Page Defenders #2 (1978), Essential Defenders Vol. 1 (2005), Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders Vol. 1 (2008), and a Spanish-language Panini edition (2012).
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Reprinted in Etranges Aventures #41 (1975), The Defenders #2 (1978), Marvel Treasury Edition #16 (1978), Essential Defenders #1 (2005), Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders #1 (2008), Marvel Gold. Los Defensores: Cuatro Contra Los Dioses #[nn] (2012), Marvel. Официальная коллекция комиксов #82 (2016), The Defenders Omnibus #1 (2021), Defenders Epic Collection #1 (2023), Gli Albi dei Super-Eroi #28, Rampage #5
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