Knorda (Mountain Giant; Thor, Avengers, & FF character)

Base of Operations: Currently unrevealed;
formerly Praxis HQ, high atop the Swiss Alps (electronically shielded from the world at large;
formerly Jotunheim, Asgard

Powers/Abilities: Though human-sized, Knorda is an Asgardian giantess, and possesses superhuman strength (perhaps Class 25) and durability, as well as being highly resistant to cold, aging, and conventional disease. Given her garment, one would speculate that she is an experienced warrior. She carried a battle axe.

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 467 lbs.
Eyes: Green (see comments)
Hair: Blonde

History:
(Domination Factor: Avengers#4.8 (fb) - BTS) - A human-sized giantess, Knorda was ordained at birth by her father to be betrothed to Uthorn, aged king of the Mountain Giants.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#4.8 (fb) - BTS) - Widowed before she could bear Uthorn a child, Knorda became queen of the Mountain Giants and vowed to never again suffer indignity at the hands of man.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#4.8 (fb) - BTS) - Knorda ruled with an iron fist, leading the Mountain Giants into countless successful battles.

(Journey into Mystery I#109/2 (fb) - BTS) - Knorda was long sought after by Arkin the Weak, cousin of Loki, though she spurned his advances.

(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#4.7 (fb) - BTS) - Knorda also figuratively captured the heart of the Asgardian trickster god Loki, who hoped that the two of them might rule together.

(Journey into Mystery I#109/2 (fb) - BTS) - The Mountain Giants went to war with the Asgardian gods.

(Journey into Mystery I#109/2) - Centuries ago, Odin banished Thor from the city of Asgard for fighting a duel against his wishes, Arkin treasonously rushed to Knorda and informed her that Thor would be passing on a mountain trail by himself, hoping that she would find him worthy of her love. Knorda acknowledged the information (realizing that eliminating Thor would mark the death knell for Asgard), but told Arkin that they would discuss their plans for each other after Thor had been dealt with.
Soon the Mountain Giants ambushed Thor, who fled into a narrow canyon pass into a walled-off valley then escaped through a a cave too small for the giants to fit. Thor followed the cave up through the top of the canyon and met with Odin and his army, revealing they had planned this to expose a suspected traitor. Arkin was thus exposed, while the Mountains Giants, including Knorda were trapped and forced to surrender. Ignoring Arkin's explanation that he didn't know of the trap, Knorda offered Odin her sword, asking him to be generous in victory.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#2.4) - Odin sent Thor to bring him Knorda (to favor her request) and Arkin (to punish him for his treason).

(Domination Factor: Avengers#3.6 (fb)) - Somehow betraying the Mountain Giants, Knorda earned Odin's mercy. He banished her to Midgard (Earth) as a mortal, but gave her one of Idunn's golden apples, cut into nine sections to represent the nine worlds of Asgard, though Knorda was now an outcast to all save one of these worlds. Knorda ate one of the slices, but kept the other eight to remind her of her folly in making war on Asgard; Odin transformed the other slices into pure gold so they would not be affected by time. Odin instructed her to try to rule on Earth with a velvet glove, rather than an iron gauntlet. Thanking Odin for his mercy, Knorda departed, hoping to one day be deemed worthy of returning to Asgard.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#4.8 (fb) - BTS) - Odin had imbued the Golden Apple with the mystical power to establish a new kingdom on Earth.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#4.8 (fb)) - After crossing the Rainbow Bridge to Midgard, Knorda was beset by brigands secretly serving Loki (who sought vengeance for the fate of his cousin Arkin, who had given himself up to Hela after being exposed as a traitor), who stole the Apple slices and then beat her and left her for dead.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#4.8 (fb) / Domination Factor: Avengers#3.6 (fb) - BTS) - Aging more slowly than humanity, Knorda had to move across the continent to disguise her secret, reappearing later as her own "daughter" to reclaim the wealth and stature she had left behind.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#4.8 (fb)) - After several centuries, as Nora Queen, Knorda established Praxis in Switzerland, devoting it to the new field of computing. Though courted by world leaders (such as Adolf Hitler), she refused to allow any man to compromise her goals. Praxis grew to be a dominant company.

(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#4.7 (fb) - BTS) - Knorda built Praxis into a powerful, multi-billion dollar company.

(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#1.1 (fb)) - For years, Nora Queen searched fruitlessly for the Golden Apple slices.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#4.8 (fb) - BTS) - On his many trips to Midgard, Loki learned of an aged crone searching for the Golden Apple. He was surprised to learn this crone was Norda, wrinkled and bent, but still alive. Intrigued, Loki posed as Lester to help Knorda locate the Golden Apple.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#1.2 (fb) - BTS) - The final segment of the Golden Apple was allegedly found in the wake of a receding Arctic iceflow.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#1.2 (fb) - BTS) - Nora hired "Lester" to work for Praxis. Initially Loki sought further revenge against Knorda, but this gave way to desire to have one such as her, whom no gold nor man could ever possess.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#1.2 (fb) - BTS) - "Lester" located the Golden Apple, now intact, in Norway. Nora insisted on sending Praxis agents to retrieve the Apple.

(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#1.1 - BTS) <Less than 1 month after Nora had hired "Lester"> - At an international political conference, a representative from Norway gave a golden apple to the President Of The United States (POTUS). On the return flight, US1 was attacked by jet-pack wearing energy weapon-toting Praxis agents.
Alongside her aide "Lester," Nora watched as Praxis agents assaulted US1 to obtain the Golden Apple, but the Human Torch unwittingly melted the apple while fighting off the Praxis agents. Furious, Nora swore to see the Fantastic Four and Iron Man (who had fought Praxis).
Loki then decided to locate past sections of the apple, before it had been destroyed, and to use the Avengers and Fantastic Four as pawns in this plot.

(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#1.1 / Domination Factor: Avengers#1.2) - Loki transported the wooden Mountain Giants, now immense in form, to New York City where they towered over the buildings.
The Fantastic Four and Avengers each encountered one of the giants, which attacked them, and they tried in vain to subdue the giants. Time then halted around across the Earth except for the giants, those battling them, and the inside of Praxis HQ.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#1.2) - Furious over failure to locate another golden apple (or similarly accomplish her goals, Nora threatened to fire the owner of one of her subsidiary companies, made a few stocks decisions, and then kicked everyone out to speak privately with "Lester," who told her that he had set into motion plans to retrieve the Apple. She asked him why he was helping her so, and he told her that it was in hope of the reward she could give him.

(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#1.1 - BTS / Domination Factor: Avengers#1.2 - BTS) - Taking the form of an astral projection of Dr. Strange, Loki then appeared separately to the FF and Avengers, identifying the giants as the Harbingers of Everlasting Winter, and telling them an as yet unidentified evil force was trying to travel into the past to suit its own dark plans. "Dr. Strange" told them that they must split up and travel into the past (inhabiting their younger selves) to locate slices of a golden apple. Feigning ignorance of the forces involved but stressing the urgency, Strange convinced the heroes to follow his instructions.

(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#2.3) - Nora ignored advice on how to corner the world's silver supply to query Lester on when he would have results. Lester assured her that their plans neared fruition and that her day would come.
(Domination Factor: Avengers#2.4) - Nora used her mobile life support unit to burst into Lester's quarters as he monitored his time-traveling pawns, but he used illusions to disguise his viewing sphere. Nonetheless, she warned him that she would reach beyond the grave to make his life Hell if he failed her, but he assured her that her future was secure.
(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#3.5) - As Nora's blood pressure continued to climb, she demanded results from Lester, who promised they'd both have what they wanted within the hour.

(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#1.1 / Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#2.3 - BTS / Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#3.5 - BTS) - The Thing was sent back to circa Fantastic Four I#94 to retrieve the Golden Apple slice from Agatha Harkness' mansion on Whisper Hill.
(Domination Factor: Avengers#1.2 - BTS / Domination Factor: Avengers#2.4 - BTS) - Iron Man (Tony Stark) was sent back to when he was an alcoholic living on the streets of the Bowery (circa Iron Man I#175 or thereabouts), eventually retrieving the Golden Apple slice from SHIELD, who had recovered it from Dredmund the Druid (circa Strange Tales I#145)
(Domination Factor: Avengers#1.2 - BTS / Domination Factor: Avengers#2.4 - BTS) - The Scarlet Witch was sent back to circa Avengers I#49 to retrieve the Golden Apple slice from Magneto's headquarters.
(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#2.3 - BTS / Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#3.5 - BTS) - The Human Torch (Johnny Storm) was sent back to circa Fantastic Four I#82 to retrieve the Golden Apple slice from Attilan's Royal Vault.
(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#2.3 - BTS / Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#3.5 - BTS) - Mr. Fantastic was sent back to circa Fantastic Four I#67 to retrieve the Golden Apple slice from the Enclave's Citadel of Science.
(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#2.3 - BTS / Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#3.5 - BTS) - The Invisible Woman was sent back to circa Fantastic Four I#67 to retrieve the Golden Apple slice from Atlantis.
(Domination Factor: Avengers#2.4 - BTS / Domination Factor: Avengers#3.6 - BTS) - Captain America (Steve Rogers) and the Vision (in the forms of their World War II selves -- the Vision inhabiting his precursor self, the android Human Torch) retrieved one of the Golden Apple slices from Nazi Germany
(Domination Factor: Avengers#2.4 - BTS) - Thor was sent back to circa Journey into Mystery I#109/2 to retrieve one of the Golden Apple slices. Following Knorda's request for mercy, Odin sent Thor to bring him Knorda (to favor her request) and Arkin (to punish him for his treason). As he did so, he was captured by Loki, who had been possessed by his own future self, who sought vengeance for Arkin's current lowly state and also sought to obtain the Golden Apple slices to restore Knorda and to re-write reality.
(Domination Factor: Avengers#3.6 (fb)) - Knorda was ambushed by a pair of vengeance-seeking Mountain Giants (apparently notified of her journey by Loki). Thor (at the time possessed by his future / modern era self) saved Knorda and directed her to the bridge to Midgard, but she dropped a piece of the golden apple in the struggle. Thor retrieved the slice, but as he did so his future self (along with the apple slice) was pulled out of the physical plane. Rendered vulnerable by the sudden de-possession, the young Thor fell victim to the assault of the Mountain Giants, who beat him furiously. Loki then appeared, transforming the two Mountain Giants into wood, while Hela arrived to claim Thor for her realm. Idunn appeared and tried to save Thor by feeding him a few seeds from her golden apples, but Hela claimed Thor's soul anyway, and Thor's body was instead bound into a tree that grew around it, depriving Odin of giving his son a warrior's funeral.
The death of Thor would become part of the new Reality-1000

(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#3.5 - BTS) - As the Fantastic Four returned with their Golden Apple slices, "Dr. Strange" drew them into a void outside of regular time, allegedly to protect them from the time-freezing spell that blanketed Earth. He collected their four Golden Apple slices and merged them into one half of the entire Golden Apple. After "Dr. Strange" departed, leaving them there, they tried to force their way back to reality, but were instead shifted to the altered Reality-1000.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#3.6) - As Nora Queen began to die, "Lester" disconnected her from life support and took her outside of the Praxis HQ, so that she was caught up within the temporal spell that had halted all time on Earth.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#3.6 - BTS) - Iron Man, the Scarlet Witch, Captain America, and the Vision brought the 5th - 7th Golden Apple slices to "Dr. Strange" in the void outside time, and he added them to what he already had.
Thor brought forward the final apple slice to "Dr. Strange" (actually Loki) before vanishing as the temporal disruption caused by the death of his past self caused him to cease to exist in the new Reality-1000. The other Avengers forced their way back to Eartth, only to find the new Reality-1000, dominated by Praxis, and as they encountered the Fantastic Four's astral selves, they soon found their memories of Thor fading.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#3.6) - "Lester" delivered the full apple to the aged Nora Queen, and as it had been blessed with the magic of Odin, it proved capable of restoring her to her youthful Knorda form and re-writing reality to that of Reality-1000. Lester then revealed himself to be Loki, though Knorda initially couldn't remember her past, and told her that she would now rule a world bereft of super heroes, especially Thor.

(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#4.7) - In Reality-1000, Loki explained his motivations to Knorda, and showed her that through Praxis she now ruled the whole world. Though excited by this knowledge, Knorda rightly suspected Loki pursued more than her heart, and he admitted that in this new reality Thor was long dead and that the Avengers and Fantastic Four existed only as hollow, astral exiles.

(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#4.7 - BTS) - The Avengers and Fantastic Four entered Reality-1000 and Captain America, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Scarlet Witch, and the Thing sought out their counterparts, possessing them, and the mystic energy of their astral selves imposed a genetic imprint of sorts on their counterparts, granting them the superhuman powers of their Reality-616 counterparts (though they had limited access to them).

(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#4.7) - Observing as the Avengers and Fantastic Four members gathered to oppose them, Knorda was surprised to learn that Loki knew his foes would attain physical form; but Loki simply told her that their efforts to restore their own reality would be their undoing.

(Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#4.7 - BTS) - Loki, as Dr. Strange, confronted the heroes and told them that they might still triumph, but Mr. Fantastic, having observed the non-powered Reality-1000's Stephen Strange, realized that this Strange was a fake and had been lying to them all along. Mr. Fantastic then correctly theorized that it was actually Loki who had been manipulating them.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#4.8 - BTS) - Lacking a counterpart in Reality-1000, the Vision's "astral self" attempted to interface with Praxis' mainframe, while the others split up and sought historical archives, access to a time machine Reed-1000 had designed, the Golden Apple, and Knorda herself.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#4.8) - Knorda angered Loki while holding Thor's former helmet as she recalled her past up to her defeat by Thor and Odin, but he then apologized, noting that her memories of her past reality would soon fade. When Loki tried to romance her, Knorda shoved him away, calling him a fool and telling him that he had misjudged her on matters of love. Knorda revealed her time on Earth, and Loki revealed his full motivations for helping her, but she cast him aside, naming Earth as her dominion and refusing to be pawed as one would some serving wench. Her rebuff served only to fan the flame in Loki's heart, but he realized that if he remained she would wrap him around her little finger. Telling her that when the goddess yearned for the company of a god, he would return to her, Loki vanished. Denying she would ever want him, Knorda still sensed Loki's stink clinging to her royal garments.
Sue & Johnny Storm (the Invisible Woman and Human Torch) and Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) soon arrived to meet with Knorda, who gave them Thor's helmet and told them their quest was hopeless. Preying on Knorda's pride, Sue asked how she could accept the ill-gotten gains from Loki and reminded her that their friend Thor had been wiped from existence. Naming Thor only as the enemy who had previously defeated her, Knorda declared the audience ended, and her roboid servants captured the visitors as she departed.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#4.8 - BTS) - The Vision briefly obtained control of the mainframe, sending temporal coordinate information to Tony Stark and Reed Richards before being cast out by Loki. The energies released in the struggle between Loki and the Vision overloaded and destroyed the roboid servants and some of hte computers. Loki then sent the Harbingers of Everlasting Winter to destroy Richards' trans-time vehicle, but Wanda had the others touch both the vehicle and Thor's helmet, and she used her chaos magic to channel Thor's essence. Despite Loki's interference, Thor took the form of another wooden giant (emerging from the ground presumably via the magic from Idunn's apple seeds) and took both of the Harbingers.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#4.8) - As Loki prepared to summon a plague of termites to devour Thor, Knorda arrived holding the Golden Apple, and she used it to blast Loki from existence. Knorda then boarded the trans-time vehicle and used the Apple to guide it to Asgard of Reality-616. There she merged with her own past self and told Odin of Loki's plot, after which she joined the Apple's power with Odin's and used it to banish Loki's future self and then transform Loki into a tree, telling him that he wouldn't be freed until someone shed a tear for him (noting that Loki would escape and be reinterred thusly many times before the lesson would be imparted on him).
As the Golden Apple disintegrated, Odin asked Knorda if she wished to have another. Her duty fulfilled, the future Knorda's astral self returned to its own time, and the younger Knorda, though she couldn't quite recall why, felt that Odin's gift had already served its purpose, so she declined receiving another one.
Passing Loki's astral self as she returned, Knorda told him she would gladly die a hundred mortal deaths than accept favor from man or god.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#4.8) <In Reality-616> - In recent years, despite the best efforts of her doctors, Nora Queen perished. As her spirit was accepted by Hela, she announced that at long last her penance on Earth was done. Hela told her that she was going not to Hel, but to Valhalla, where roam the spirits of noble Asgardians.

Loki acknowledged that this outcome had been foretold by the three fates long ago, but that he had still had to try, and in doing so had amused himself.

(Domination Factor: Avengers#4.8 (fb) - BTS) - At an international political conference, a representative from Norway gave a golden statue of Knorda to the President Of The United States (POTUS).

(Domination Factor: Avengers#4.8) - Tony Stark and Reed Richards discussed the statue of Queen Knorda, which seemed eerily familiar to them.

It's hard to sort out altered Realities, but the realities had a common past up to Knorda's defeat by Asgard and Odin sending Knorda to Earth.
In Reality-8921, Knorda obtained the Golden Apples and departed to Earth peacefully before Loki's brigands sacked her and stole the Apple.

On Earth-616 Knorda destroyed the Apple foiling Loki's plot and then traveled to Earth without the Apple.
On close inspection, it would appear that Realities-8921 and -616 are divergent versions, splitting off at the point after Knorda's acceptance of Odin's exile. Reality-1000 would be an altered reality, transformed from -8921 by Loki after he gained the Golden Apple.
Interestingly, though, when Knorda acted to reverse the changes Loki had made, she didn't just revert Reality-1000 back to -8921, but instead diverged -616 from -8921.
Presumably versions of Reality-8921 and -1000 still exist somewhere in the multiverse.

As these were altered and divergent realities, the heroes really shouldn't remember things, but they may hold onto fragments. The realities briefly overlapped.

I'm not sure what the current state of Valhalla is following the most recent Ragnarok. I guess we'll find out in the new Thor series at some point.

Knorda's eyes looked green in Journey into Mystery#109, but blue in the Domination Factor. Alternate dimensional variation? Colorist error? Who knows? I'm partially color blind, so maybe I'm just mistaken.

images: (without ads)
Journey into Mystery I#109/2, p2, panel 4 (full body)
        p3, panel 1 (face, in profile)
Domination Factor: Avengers#1.2, p10, panel 2 (aged Nora Queen)
Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#4.7, p2 (full body Knorda)
Domination Factor: Avengers#4.8, p9, panel 3 (various identities)
            panel 4 (with Hitler)
        p22, panel 3 (dying)
        p23, panel 3 (Knorda statue)

Appearances:
Journey into Mystery I#109/2 (October, 1964) - by Stan Lee (writer), Jack Kirby (penciler), and Vince Colletta (inker).
Domination Factor: Fantastic Four#1.1, 2.3, 3.5, 4.7 (November, 1999 - February, 2000) - by Dan Jurgens (script & layouts), Bob McLeod (finished inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Domination Factor: Avengers#1.2, 2.4, 3.6, 4.8 (November, 1999 - February, 2000) - by Jerry Ordway (writer/penciler), Dennis Janke (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)

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