Warning: SPOILERS for Valkyrie: Jane Foster #6
Jane Foster is becoming the next Thor in the MCU, but her comic book counterpart has taken up a new mantle as the reborn Valkyrie, a magical warrior goddess who ferries the souls of those who have fallen in battle to Valhalla, the land of the honored dead. But the death of Death herself is a problem even she isn’t prepared to handle.
For those Thor fans who missed her promotion, Jane traded in the mighty Mjolnir for Undrjarn the All-Weapon – no longer wielding thunder, but life and death. So it seems nothing less than appropriate that a reanimated corpse awakens and warns her that even Death may die. The thought of a world without death is a terrifying one, with no consequences for any of the most villainous actions. After all, what is life without death?
Jane is working as a morgue assistant after suffering a demotion due to her unexplained absences from the hospital where she worked. While assisting Dr. Rudy Gillespie with an autopsy, the body springs awake, and attacks the doctor, yelling “…Even…Death…May….Die!” Jane is able to quickly disable the corpse with her All-weapon, and determines it is not out to hurt anyone – it just wants to get their attention. The corpse then continues “Death sickens…Death is diseased…Dying…” Just as the body slumps to the floor, it pleads to Jane: “Heal…Her.” But how can death be sick?
Healing Death, seems like the perfect job for Jane the Valkyrie – but she unfortunately doesn’t know Death as a humanoid form. So she travels to see Doctor Strange, to call in a favor. Doctor Strange gives her a crash course in Lady Death 101. Death herself, the last enemy. But why does Death wear illusions of a humanoid form?
As Strange describes, it could be a parallel to why humanity searches in the dark – as sentient beings the universe over try to understand the fundamental forces that rule them, those same fundamental forces also seek to understand us. So death takes suitors and lovers – like Thanos and Deadpool. She has friends and foes, brothers and sisters. Servants and warriors – like the Valkyrie. So, if Death is a humanoid, or at least trying to be one, these ties to humanity would make her vulnerable – human form, human weaknesses. An immune system that could become compromised.
How do the good doctors plan to help poor Lady Death? Well, the fundamental being that is attempting to understand humanity will surely have a house – so they decide to make a house call. But to reach the house of Death while they are alive they would need to assemble a team of doctors to help diagnose Death before they to travel to the plane where Death resides.
When the team finally makes their way to Death’s door, they seem just how grim their journey is, as above the house is a grim reaper appearing to be waiting for Death to take her last breath of life.
Valkyrie: Jane Foster #6 is available now at your local comic book store, or direct from Marvel Comics.
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