MC2 Untold: Valkyrie

 

Today I’m going to try something a little different and talk about something we didn’t see in the MC2. This will be the first in an occasional series looking at some of the Untold Tales of the MC2: costumes, concepts, story ideas and characters that never saw the printed page. For our inaugural instalment, let’s look at Valkyrie.  

 

As per Thunderstrike and A-Next co-creator, artist extraordinaire and all-around nice guy Ron Frenz’s own facebook:

When The Time Is Right!

Below left is an incomplete sketch of a character I intended to introduce in the MC2 title A-NEXT had the book continued.

Obviously, an Asgardian Valkyrie, she would have been charged by Thor, now the ruler of Asgard to train and watch over the MC2 version of Kevin Masterson as Thunderstrike.

As I said, the title was dis-continued and the idea stored away.

Next to that sketch is an early conceptual drawing of Gruenhilda, an Asgardian Valkyrie charged by the Lady Sif to train and watch over the 616 version of Kevin Masterson as Thunderstrike in the 2011 THUNDERSTRIKE mini-series.

Weird.

So there you have it, the MC2’s Kevin Masterson aka Thunderstrike could have had a similar arc with an Asgardian Valkyrie mentor and trainer. Seeing this story concept and character adapted to the Main Marvel Universe does at least mean the idea eventually saw print in some form. For anyone wondering, the name Gruenhilda is a nod to dearly missed writer and protector of Marvel Comics continuity Mark Gruenwald.



An interesting foil to the story regarding the published appearance of Gruenhilda, also directly from Mr Frenz’s facebook:



That Was Weird!

Back in 1994 in an issue of THUNDERSTRIKE I had The Lady Sif wearing a variant of a Kirby design which showed a bit more skin.

(Sue me, it was the '90s!)

Nobody blinked.

In the 2010 THUNDERSTRIKE mini-series we introduced an Asgardian Valkyrie character and I thought it would be consistent (and cool!) to repeat elements of the same design to demonstrate their common origins.

Skin included.

The original colors for the character Gruenhilda were shown in the solicitation for the issue.

But at the eleventh hour Editorial blinked big time and re-colored the cover and eliminated the exposed epidermis.

Anyway,1994 nobody blinked.

2010, blink!

That was weird!

Anyway, there you have it, we nearly had a Gruenhilda -or similarly designed- Asgardian Valkyrie character in the MC2, but she did eventually see the light of day thanks to the 2011 Thunderstrike mini-series set in the Main Marvel Universe.

Until I stop stalking Ron Frenz’s facebook for content, I remain

 

frogoat

The Masterson Family Tree

I honestly thought this one would be harder to research, but it turns out I had most of the necessary information rattling around in my noggin. Here is a look at the family Thunderstrike itself, the Masterson Family Tree.

Eric Masterson first appeared in Thor #391 during the wonderful Tom Defalco and Ron Frenz's run on the title. Eric later became bonded to the Asgardian, transforming into the thunder God for a time. Eventually, Eric would gain his own heroic identity as Thunderstrike before eventually dying in Thunderstrike #24. Eric's young son, Kevin, would grow up and eventually take on his father's moniker as the second Thunderstrike in A-Next #1.

As a child Kevin found himself caught between his divorced parents as a rather painful custody battle played out. Kevin's mother, Marcy re-married football celebrity, Robert 'Bobby' Steele. Kevin's relationship with his step-father remained strained even as Kevin reached adulthood, as mentioned in A-Next #5. Kevin's paternal grandparents appear (unnamed) in Thunderstrike #2.

Hopefully I've done the Masterson's justice here, and I hope if I've made any errors that Messers Defalco and Frenz won't go to hard on me.

Until I find time to tackle the massive family trees I know everyone wants to see, I remain

frogoat