Ymir

Origin

Ymir is the most powerful Frost Giant making him ruler of the Frost Giants. He rules over the land of Niffelheim in Asgard where he and his brethren reside. He is so old that he predates any of the gods with Surtur being the sole being in the Norse cosmos older then him.

Creation

Ymir is a character from Norse mythology. Accounts of the mythological Ymir stretch back to sources such as Poetic Edda, and Prose Edda, which are collections of older Norse stories and poems.

Major Story Arcs

Hyborian Age

Formerly, the tales of Conan were part of Marvel history. In these tales Ymir was worshiped as a god of war and storms by the peoples of the north before the current civilization of man rose to power. Due to legal reasons, it is unknown if these stories are still considered canon.

Marvel History

Ages ago Odin and his brothers slew Ymir and according to Norse myth created the world from his body.

Despite being killed Ymir has returned numerous times to plague Asgard. Each time he has been defeated with the result being either imprisonment or death, but he constantly returns. Several times he has been summoned to Earth by the Sons of Satannish and battled various superheroes such as the X-Men or Avengers before being returned to his native dimension. He is a sworn enemy of Odin due to their past history. He is also an enemy of the fire giant Surtur due to being opposing elements. The last known battle with him left him imprisoned in the Sea of Eternal Twilight.

He did not participate in the final Ragnarok and is presumed to have died with the rest of the Norse cosmos. Considering how difficult both him and Surtur have been to kill he is expected to return.

Powers and Abilities

Despite being a frost giant, Ymir has been at times referred to as an Elemental like Surtur. This makes him more akin to a force of nature than a god or giant allowing him to return more easily from death.

As such, Ymir is one of the most powerful beings known. He has all the abilities of other frost giants, but to a much greater degree. His size, strength, and resistance to injury are far greater then any other frost giant surpassing that of even the thunder god Thor. He can generate intense cold from his body. He can freeze nearly anything he touches. As an elemental, Ymir is so far immortal and immune to the effects of time. Should his body be shattered he can mentally reform it and even if he is completely destroyed he can regenerate his body.

In battle Ymir prefers brute force and to use a giant club made of ice. These abilities combined with his immortality make him one of the few beings capable of actually challenging Odin and Surtur in direct battle with a chance at winning.

Weakness

Like all frost giants, Ymir is vulnerable to intense heat, but his own ability to generate intense cold negates all but the strongest sources of heat allowing him to survive in environments where other giants would die.

Despite his vast age, unlike Odin or Surtur, Ymir has never taken the time to develop his mind or demonstrated any capability for strategy. This makes most of his attacks a straight forward affair relying on brute force and his thinking bent on outright destruction with little else.

Physical Characteristics

Height: 1000’0

Weight: Variable

Hair: None

Eyes: White

Alternate Realities

Earth 1610

Ymir appears in the Ultimate Marvel Universe reality and engages in a large battle between Asgardian creatures and the Ultimates, in Ultimates 2. He is defeated when the Ultimate incarnation of Thor summons a mighty Asgardian army.

Other Media

Videogames

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006)

Ymir makes an appearance in the 2006 video game, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. He acts as a mini-boss in Asgard after telling the heroes Loki and Doctor Doom have taken Odin. He is voiced by Paul Eiding and has a special conversation with Iceman if he is in the party.

Thor: God of Thunder (2011)

Ymir appears in this multi platform 2011 video game loosely based on the Thor movie. Ymir is voiced by Mitch Lewis

SMITE

Ymir appears as a playable character Hi-Rez studios’ SMITE.

Television

Spider-man and His Amazing Friends (1981)

In the animated series Spider-man and His Amazing Friends, Ymir appears in the episode “The Vengeance of Loki.” In the episode, Ymir has taken over a kingdom ruled by the Ice Giant Zerona. Aided by Iceman, they are able to remove him from the kingdom. He is voiced by John Stephenson.

The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (2010)

The powerful frost giant Ymir appears in the 2010 animated series The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. When the Masters of Evil plot sends all the Avengers to the various realms of Asgard, Ant-man ends up battling Frost Giants including Ymir. He is outnumbered and out powered due to Ymir having the Casket of Ancient Winters in his possession, until several Valkyrie warriors led by Lady Sif intervene and rescue him. Ymir is voiced by Rick D. Wasserman.