WARNING: The following contains Valkyrie: Jane Foster #5 by Al Ewing, Jason Aaron, Cafu, Jesus Aburtov and VC's Joe Sabino, on sale now.
Everyone sees themself as the hero of their own story. Regardless of what they’ve done to others, they can justify it to themselves if given the chance. That applies to superheroes and supervillains as well, even the most demented and dark of them. One such case was just at the center of Valkyrie: Jane Foster #5, with the titular hero using the classic Avengers villain Grim Reaper’s own beliefs about himself to thwart his plans… by taking him to the Asgardian equivalent of heaven.
Named the new Valkyrie in the aftermath of the War of the Realms storyline, Jane Foster has been learning to adjust to her new position. Formerly a Thor, she was previously committed to the bombastic battles and heroic efforts that came with being the God of Thunder and the protector of Midgard. But ever since relinquishing that role, she’s adjusted to serving more as the one to usher beings into the afterlife. She’s forced to fully dive into these abilities during a high-speed chase against the long-time Avengers villain, Grim Reaper. Conscripted by Mephisto to deliver him the stolen soul of Doctor Strange, Valkyrie has been doing her best to catch Grim Reaper before he can reach hell and Mephisto.
All of her attempts to stop the resurrected villain fail, but Jane realizes it’s because she’s still thinking like Thor. So instead, she starts thinking like a Valkyrie. She’s able to catch up to him before he reaches the portal to Mephisto and tackles him through space and time. The pair (along with the soul of Doctor Strange) end up instead in the Halls of Valhalla, last resting place for warriors and heroes. Reasoning that Grim Reaper sees himself as a hero, he’s indeed welcomed into the halls of the dead by Skurge, the former Executioner – despite the misgivings of Brunnhilde, the former Valkyrie.
Eric Williams aka the Grim Reaper is a long-time villain of the Avengers. The birth brother of Simon Williams (known more commonly as Wonder Man), he became a dedicated enemy of the superhero team when Simon was killed during a conflict with the superheroes. Turning to the tinkerer, Eric received a scythe that could shoot energy blasts as a weapon to try and enact his revenge on the heroes in revenge. His hate only grew when he learned Simon had been restored in an ionic form, claiming that the figure before him was no longer his brother. Grim Reaper also has a particular hatred for Vision, whose mental faculties were somewhat based on the brain patterns of Simon. While Vision and Simon have come to see each other as brothers, Grim Reaper has never accepted that.
He’s been killed multiple times over the years, most recently when he attacked Vision and his newly built robotic family in the suburbs. His attempt to kill the family was ended swiftly by Vision’s wife Virginia, who beat him to death and attempted to hide his body. It makes sense then why Grim Reaper would see himself as a hero, even if his actions (and, let’s be honest, a costume with a giant skull and scythe) have painted him otherwise over the years. This may even be the last time he’s restored, as he didn’t end up in the hellscape of Mephisto's design but instead in the warrior paradise that is Valhalla. He’s even seen surrendering his scythe, suggesting that he’s lain down his weapons for the final time.
This is all well and good and allows for Jane to be able to save Doctor Strange from falling into Mephisto’s hands. However, this also means that Jane has officially drawn the ire of Mephisto, who has a habit of creating terrible futures for the heroes he targets. In giving Grim Reaper a peaceful afterlife, Valkyrie may have just made a very powerful enemy.
Valkyrie #6 hits shelves Dec. 11 from Marvel Comics.