Samantha Parrington

Origin

Samantha Parrington is the heiress to a wealthy and eccentric family who often adopts strange philanthropic causes. At one point, Sam’s parents decided to take in the Hulk, and although reluctant about the idea at first, Sam actually managed to bond with the beast after she helped to calm him down, halting his rampage through New York. However, her father took most of the credit for this act which only caused Sam’s relationship with her parents to be further strained. Sam eventually led a feminist rally against patriarchal ideals through New York City mainly due to her fathers previous actions. This protest caught the attention of Amora the Enchantress who used Samantha as a pawn in order to attack the Hulk, when she turned her into a super powered femizon version of Brunnhilde the Valkyrie.

Creation

Samantha Parrington first appeared in The Incredible Hulk issue 142 (1971) as she was transformed into the Valkyrie. Samantha’s appearance as the Valkyrie predates that of the true Asgardian Valkyrie in The Defenders issue 4 (1973).

Major Story Arcs

Return as the Valkyrie and with the Defenders

After her battle with the Hulk, the spell wore off and Sam returned to her normal life until Pluto and Lorelei restored the Valkyrie’s powers within her for their own malicious schemes. Samantha, in the form of Valkyrie, was forced to serve the two deities until being rescued by the Defenders. It was at this time that Brunnhilde’s essence was restored to its own Asgardian body and since she had long grown tired of life on Midgard, she was more than happy to allow Samantha to continue serving as the Valkyrie of Earth. Samantha stayed with the Defenders until they disbanded, and although she vehemently disliked her parents involvement, they often professed how proud they were of her and attempted to offer money to the team on more than one occasion.

Lady Liberators

Recently, Samantha has returned to the scene as the Valkyrie and was a member of the Initiative and helped to train future recruits after joining the Pro-registration side of the super hero Civil War. Later, she joined up with the recent incarnation of the Lady Liberators, led by the She-Hulk, who had been tracking down the Red Hulk.

Powers & Abilities

Samantha has the ability to transform into a version of Brunnhilde the Valkyrie at will, giving her all of the abilities of the aforementioned Asgardion, including: superhuman strength, able to lift c. 45 tons., immunity to diseases, high resistance to injury, as well as having agility, stamina and endurance enhanced to the point that it is better than the average Asgardian. Like the other Valkyries, Sam is also able to sense the “deathglow”, or the coming of death, for nearby individuals who are close to dying. Also, because of her access to the Valkyrie power, Sam has access to years of training in armed and unarmed combat, making her a formidable opponent.

While in the form of the Valkyrie, Sam also has access to a version of the Dragonfang, the enchanted sword of the Brunnhilde, as well as the winged steed of the Valkyrie, Aragorn.

Characteristics

Real Name: Samantha Parrington

Hair: Blonde

Eyes: Blue

Height: 6’3″ (as Valkyrie); 5’7″ (as Samantha)

Weight: 475 lbs. (as Valkyrie); 130 lbs. (as Samantha)

Status

Known Relatives: Reginald Parrington (father), Malicia Parrington (mother)

Identity: Secret

Citizenship: U.S.A

Place of Birth: Unrevealed

Marital Status: Single

Occupation: Heiress, adventurer

Education: College

Creators: Samantha Parrington was originally created in1971 by Roy Thomas and Herb Trimpe.