BARBARA NORRISS

Real Name: Barbara Denton Norriss

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: None;

formerly bartender, cult-member

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Ronnie Brown, Chondu the Mystic, Defenders (Doctor Stephen Strange, Hellcat, Hulk, Nighthawk, Silver Surfer, Sub-Mariner, Valkyrie/Brunnhilde), Duke, Junk-Food Junkies (Alex, Cody, Isaac, Paulie), Love, Rose of Purity;
formerly Casiolena, Ollerus the Unmerciful, Poppo the Cunning, Undying Ones

Enemies: Casiolena, D'Spayre, Enchantress, Executioner (Skurge), Fragon, Hela, Night-Crawler, Undying Ones, Van Nyborg;
formerly Defenders (Doctor Stephen Strange, Hellcat, Hulk, Nighthawk, Silver Surfer, Sub-Mariner, Valkyrie (Brunnhilde), Harokin

Known Relatives: Alvin Denton (father, deceased), Celestia Denton (mother, deceased), Jack Norriss (ex-husband)

Aliases: Valkyrie

Base of Operations: None;
   formerly Asgard;
   formerly Cobblers Roost, Vermont, USA

First Appearance: Incredible Hulk II#125 (March, 1970)

Powers/Abilities: Barbara Norriss possessed, at least briefly, the powers of the Valkyrie (see Valkyrie's profile for more information). She was also briefly in a union with the Undying Ones, which granted her various temporary powers (see Undying Ones' profile for more information).

History:

(Defenders I#21 (fb) - BTS) - Barbara Denton was born to Alvin and Celestia Denton in a town called Flatbrush. At age four, she owned a dog, Duke. At age 5, on summer vacation with her dad in Vermont, she caught a fish. At age ten, Barbara played baseball with her friend Ronnie Brown at Franklin Square in Long Island.

(Defenders I#20 (fb) - BTS) - At age ten, Barbara's family began spending their summers at a vacation home in Cobblers Roost, Vermont.

(Defenders I#21 (fb) - BTS) - At age 16, she graduated from Stafford Prep. At age 19, she married Jack Norriss, a man she'd met at her family's vacation home in Cobblers Roost

(Defenders I#32 (fb) - BTS) - Barbara went to the Vermont State Fair on her first date with Jack Norriss, and saw the performer Chondu the Mystic. On their way home, they got a flat tire. Alvin was very upset with Jack over them getting home so late.

(Defenders I#20 (fb) - BTS) - Celestia was soon killed in a car accident. However, her soul was rescued by the other-dimensional Undying Ones and bonded to a mystical artifact, the Celestia harmonica. Celestia agreed to sacrifice her daughter in order to regain her youth and beauty, and worked to bring the Undying Ones to Earth. Joining with a cultist, Van Nyborg, Celestia put together a complex plot regarding Barbara's fate.

(Incredible Hulk II#126 (fb) - BTS) - Barbara and Jack joined Van Nyborg's cult and swore oaths, even taking lead in some of the rights, and agreed to work towards bringing the Undying Ones to Earth. They heard about the Hulk in their vicinity on the night they were working to bring the Undying Ones to Earth.

(Incredible Hulk II#125 - BTS) - Members of Van Nyborg's cult witnessed the Hulk collapse in his Bruce Banner form.

(Incredible Hulk II#126) - Barbara and Jack transported Banner to Van Nyborg, who prepared to send Banner into the dimension of  Night-Crawler, an entity who opposed the Undying Ones. Despite Barbara's reservations, Van Nyborg cast Banner into Night-Crawler's world, then cast Barbara in as well when she protested. Barbara fell between Banner, who quickly turned into the Hulk, and Night-Crawler, and watched them battle. Night-Crawler's staff was broken when Barbara hurled a rock at it. Night-Crawler transported them into the dimension of the Undying Ones when his dimension started self-destructing. The saw the sorcerer Dr. Strange held captive there, and Barbara willingly took Strange's place as the Undying Ones' captive in order to free Strange. Strange and Hulk, with no choice, departed, leaving Barbara there.

(Defenders I#3 (fb) - BTS) - After months of loneliness, Barbara agreed to know companionship by becoming the mate of the Undying Ones, and her form merged with theirs, giving them a third head, though she could still go back to her own body.

(Defenders I#3) - Dr. Strange returned to the dimension of the Undying Ones with his allies Sub-Mariner, Hulk, and Silver Surfer. They sought Barbara, who appeared relieved to have human contact, but she soon merged with the monster again. The heroes fought and freed her, returning her to Earth, but Barbara was driven mad as a result. She sat in shock, screaming incessantly.

(Defenders I#4) - Barbara was captured alongside the heroes by the sorceress Casiolena and her allies, Fragon and the Executioner. The Asgardian Enchantress magically bonded the soul and form of Brunnhilde the Valkyrie onto Barbara, and Barbara's memories were submerged as the Valkyrie began acting as a hero.

BTS - Barbara's soul remained completely submerged within her own body most of the time. (see comments)

(Defenders I#8) - Under the Red Ghost's control the Defenders attacked Atlantis, but when Barbara's mad soul somehow partially regained control over her body, Valkyrie was incapacitated. Strange and Silver Surfer found Valkyrie and calmed her, leaving Barbara submerged once again.

(Marvel Two-In-One I#7) - Valkyrie was briefly separated from Barbara's form, though Barbara was still utterly mad.

(Defenders I#66) – When Valkyrie’s memories awakened and she returned to Asgard for a battle, Poppo the Cunning, Casiolena, and Ollerus the Unmerciful led her into a trap. She saw her true body, the one the Enchantress had pulled her soul from, and touched it, causing Barbara's soul to switch into the Valkyrie's true body while Valkyrie, still in Barbara's mortal body, was rendered unconscious.

(Defenders I#67) – Barbara agreed to act as Ollerus' Valkyrie, and recruited the souls of Defenders Hulk, Hellcat, and Nighthawk, and many humans, to Valhalla to fight on Ollerus' side. The souls gathered before Ollerus, who claimed Hela was responsible for their demises, and Ollerus prepared to lead them against Hela’s forces.

(Defenders I#68) – Ollerus further convinced the Defenders to fight for him, giving them leadership of his army. Wielding Dragonfang and riding a winged horse Casiolena had created for her, Barbara came across the real Valkyrie, astride Aragorn, and worked to convince the Defenders that Barbara herself was the true Valkyrie, a ploy that worked when the Hulk knocked Valkyrie off her horse with a boulder. However, when Ollerus' forces neared victory, Barbara boasted and the Defenders realized she was not the true Valkyrie. The Defenders fought with Hela’s forces and they gained the upper-hand, so Ollerus used his mountain as a weapon, crushing the heroic army, until Hulk smashed the mountain. Ollerus vowed that if he was banished to Niffleheim, that he would marshal his forces and attack anew, so Hela conceded control of Valhalla to Harokin and banished herself, Ollerus, and Barbara (still in Valkyrie's body) to Niffleheim.

(Defenders I#108 (fb)) – Enchantress retrieved Valkyrie’s body (with Barbara’s soul), from Niffleheim and kept it imprisoned with harpies to guard it.

(Defenders I#107) – Barbara’s true body was slain and Valkyrie’s soul set adrift. Enchantress trapped Valkyrie's soul in the sword Dragonfang.

(Defenders I#108) – Enchantress manipulated the Defenders into retrieving the Rose of Purity so that Enchantress could remain with the embodiment of Love she had fallen for. In return for their aid, Enchantress promised to return Valkyrie’s true form to her, an act which would set Barbara’s mind to drift eternally bodiless in Limbo. However, Love soon chose to return to the cosmos and he took Barbara’s soul with him, granting her peace and love for eternity.

(Valkyrie#1 (fb) – BTS) – A woman named Barbara Norriss committed suicide and her soul was fed upon by the demonic D’Spayre. Soon, Valkyrie woke in Barbara’s bed with no memory of her former life. She found friendships Barbara had had with members of the band the Junk-Food Junkies, including Paulie, Isaac, Cody, and Alice. She began being plagued by dreams of Asgard, Aragorn, and the Valkyrior, losing all sense of identity. She also began seeing death-auras around those that would soon die. Barbara worked as a bartender at ‘The Gates of Hell.’

(Valkyrie#1) – ‘Barbara’ awoke after another intense dream and made her way down to Paulie’s diner, the Pierogi Restaurant, for some pancakes and coffee, seeing a death-aura around a homeless woman on the way. Paulie sensed that ‘Barbara’ was struggling and they talked, passing the homeless woman, who had passed away. ‘Barbara’ was overcome with a feeling, and, with a glowing light, released the woman’s soul into the next life. They soon arrived at the rehearsal of the Junk-Food Junkies, and Alice was strung out on drugs again. ‘Barbara’ was shocked when a death-aura appeared over Paulie and Alice, and she rushed away in shock. While despairing in an alley, she met a stranger who briefly taunted her. The next morning, she’d had the same bad dream, then a winged horse she called Aragorn appeared outside her window. She jumped on his back, feeling free, until she was dislodged and discovered she had enhanced strength as she fell to the ground. While at work, ruffian Bruno was being a jerk and tried to attack her, but she knocked him aside. Alice arrived, high, and ‘Barbara’ convinced Alice to confide in her and work to give up drugs. Later, the mysterious stranger returned and showed ‘Barbara’ a newspaper article stating that her suicide killed her. The stranger revealed himself as the demonic D’Spayre, and he wanted to claim Alice’s soul. ‘Barbara’ found Alice collapsed in the bathroom, having taken another hit, and D’Spayre tried to convince ‘Barbara’ that she was mad. Somehow this freed her inner psyche, and Barbara, in a colorful flash, transformed into the sword-wielding Valkyrie. She fought D’Spayre and saved Alice’s soul, then rushed Alice to the hospital aboard Aragorn, Paulie riding along with them. Valkyrie told Paulie of her Asgardian connections, and then realized that he had AIDS. Wanting him to feel true peace, then took him on an inspiring flight in the sky.

Comments: Created by Steve Gerber (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler) and Vince Colletta (inker).

While Barbara Norriss could technically be considered behind the scenes in many of Valkyrie's appearances, please refer to Brunnhilde's profile for more information there. After all, Barbara's soul was completely submerged at the time. Barbara's resurgence in Valkyrie#1 is completely unexplained. It may have been a ruse by Odin? The Valkyrie has reappeared since then, in more than one form, yet Barbara Norriss has not shown up again.

To be precise Barbara was behind the scenes in all of Valkyrie's appearances between February, 1973 to December, 1978. She only regained some control over her body twice during that time as far as I know.
--Markus Raymond

Profile by Chadman.

Barbara Norriss has no known connections to

Duke

(Defenders I#21 (fb) ) - Duke was Barbara Norris's childhood pet.

--Defenders I#21 (Defenders I#21 (fb)

 

 

 

 

 

Ronnie Brown

(Defenders I#21 (fb) ) - Ronnie Brown played baseball with his friend Barbara Norris on Long Island.

--Defenders I#21 (Defenders I#21 (fb)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

images:
Valkyrie#1, p15, pan3 (main)
Incredible Hulk II#126, p8, pan3 (part of cult)
Defenders I#21, p3, pan3 (in family photo)
Defenders I#21, p2, pan3 (Duke)
Defenders I#21, p3, pan3 (Ronnie Brown)

Appearances:
Incredible Hulk II#125-126 (March, April, 1970) - Roy Thomas (writer), Herb Trimpe (penciler/inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Defenders I#3 (December, 1972) - Steve Englehart (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Jim Mooney (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Defenders I#4 (February, 1973) - Steve Englehart (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Frank McLaughlin (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Defenders I#8 (September, 1973) - Steve Englehart (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Frank McLaughlin (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Marvel Two-In-One#7 (January, 1975) - Steve Gerber (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Mike Esposito (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Defenders I#20 (February, 1975) – Steve Gerber (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Vince Colletta (inker), Len Wein (editor)
Defenders I#21 (March, 1975) -  Steve Gerber (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Sal Trapani (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Defenders I#22 (April, 1975) - Steve Gerber (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Mike Esposito (penciler/inker), Len Wein (editor)
Defenders I#32 (February, 1976) - Steve Gerber (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Jim Mooney (penciler/inker), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Defenders I#66 (December, 1978) - David Kraft (writer), Ed Hannigan (penciler/inker), Bob Hall (editor)
Defenders I#67 (January, 1979) - David Kraft (writer), Ed Hannigan (writer/penciler), Bruce Patterson (inker), Al Milgrom (editor)
Defenders I#68 (February, 1979) - David Kraft & Ed Hannigan (writers), Herb Trimpe (penciler), Pablo Marcos (inker), Al Milgrom (editor)
Defenders I#107-108 (July, August, 1982) - JM DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Sam Trapani, Rick Magyar, Jack Abel (inkers), Al Milgrom (inker/editor)
Valkyrie#1 (1997) - JM DeMatteis & Len Wein (writers), Pablo Raimondi (penciler), Manny Clark (penciler/inker), Joe Rubinstein, Al Milgrom (inkers), Terry Kavanagh (editor)

First Posted: 04/20/2007
Last updated: 03/31/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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