Wonder Woman villain: how would you fix him/her: Gundra the Valkyrie

[Fuzzy Mittens]

Another interesting bit from the golden age was establishing that Asgard and such existed on the Astral Plane, and that she was the daughter of Odin. It was an interesting set up in a later issue of the golden age that established that she still collects fallen warriors from the battlefield and that Valhalla had a large influx of WW2 veterans. Could use this as an opportunity to bring back some of DCs soldier characters. Were there any big villains for the war comics?

[marhawkman]

Another interesting bit from the golden age was establishing that Asgard and such existed on the Astral Plane, and that she was the daughter of Odin. It was an interesting set up in a later issue of the golden age that established that she still collects fallen warriors from the battlefield and that Valhalla had a large influx of WW2 veterans. Could use this as an opportunity to bring back some of DCs soldier characters. Were there any big villains for the war comics?

Hmm what is her motive for being a villain then?

[WonderScott]

Personally I don't think Von Gunther should even be connected to Nazis. To me, she's the villain who showcases Wonder Woman's capacity for forgiveness and redemption. So stuff that makes redemption a harder sell, like being a nazi, should be excised

I can buy that and would read/create the story with another host for Dark Angel. I'm just playing off the Byrne origin for Dark Angel, but I'm not devoted to it. Paula's redemption story doesn't get enough play and it should.

[Fuzzy Mittens]

Hmm what is her motive for being a villain then?

Well Gundra had two big appearances.
The first time was actually in Justice Society of America where the nazis summoned Gundra and swearing worship to the Norse gods, pleaded with Gundra to slay their foes. She was defeated by the JSA and ran off.

The second time was in Sensation Comics when Diana and Steve were escorting a caravan of refugees to safty when Steve...Dies. Gunned down by nazis. Gundra seeing this, swoops in, grabs the dead Steves soul and Diana (whose powers back then included being able to see ghosts and the like) pursues them into the Astral plane into Asgard to fight to get Steve back so she could somehow bring him back. (How he comes back to life isn't properly explained)

[marhawkman]

Well Gundra had two big appearances.
The first time was actually in Justice Society of America where the nazis summoned Gundra and swearing worship to the Norse gods, pleaded with Gundra to slay their foes. She was defeated by the JSA and ran off.

The second time was in Sensation Comics when Diana and Steve were escorting a caravan of refugees to safty when Steve...Dies. Gunned down by nazis. Gundra seeing this, swoops in, grabs the dead Steves soul and Diana (whose powers back then included being able to see ghosts and the like) pursues them into the Astral plane into Asgard to fight to get Steve back so she could somehow bring him back. (How he comes back to life isn't properly explained)

So both times she wasn't really evil, just acting contrary to Diana's goals.

Wait what if due to Dark Angle she was able to create Genidcode and Devastation? That she used the souls of her enemies and her died nazi soldiers to make them. Then she adds Wonder Woman's blood to make them powerful

Deva doesn't really work if she's NOT powered by the Titans. It's what made her a powerful threat.

IIRC the Byrne run linked Paula von Gunther and Dark Angel together, which I found kind of interesting. (I reject the stuff about Dark Angel being Donna Troy from another universe that comes later.) I could see Paula von Gunther and another woman in her cabal using an interest in the occult to forcibly empower themselves through Dark Angel and the Valkyrie respectively - kind of like how Thor used to have Donald Blake or Barbara Norriss/Valkyrie or Jane Foster is Thor today.

this kinda works with the idea on having Dark Angel be an evil Muse. Having Nazis summon a minor Titaness with some ritual is actually a decent idea. They call her "an evil spirit" because they don't know her proper name, and she doesn't feel the need to tell them.

[WonderScott]

If used judiciously, I'd like to see more of the Norse and Egyptian deities developed in the DCU. Obviously there's a story there for the Banas and possibly for Black Adam, Isis, Osiris, the Hawks, Doctor Fate, Nabu, etc.

I might play around with and change up the Valkyrie myth a bit and make them a hidden enclave of warrior women (paralleling the Amazons), that Odin once magically-empowered during his various campaigns to do their duty and choose the slain to go to Valhalla or Hel through combat with them. So they are consummate fighters. They're a bit "might means right" in their philosophy and survival of fittest, which comes in conflict with Amazon and other philosophies, but still is supported by other brutal people and regimes on the planet and in space. Odin may see Ragnorak coming and envokes the Valkyries again, so that only the "strongest, worthiest" humans survive. Gundra is their leader and fiercest warrior, but we meet other Valkyries in her "flight." (Haha...)

I might save that for a resolution story for her, because it's a big one, and first focus on her being used by Neo-Nazi or Alt Right-esque fictitious DCU groups alongside new interpretations of other "superiority" villainous characters from World War II. (Blitzkreig, Panzer, Captain Nazi, etc.)

[Fuzzy Mittens]

I think the most interesting opportunity for Gundra were if you were to bring back the 'Ares collects the souls of all who fall in battle be they warrior or victim' thing and use this as an opportunity to create conflict between the two opposing forces.

[WonderScott]

Definitely works marhawkman. Nazis have been in over heads when it comes to occultism even before Raiders of the Lost Ark.

[WonderScott]

Also, I'm dying to see an Amazon and Valkyrie thrown down during some conflict happening between mortals in Patriarch's World. Both swooping in to do their thing...

Also, in my recreated Wonder Woman continuity, I have Heracles as anti-hero and sometimes adversary to Diana. I can see my take on Heracles and Gundra having a little cross-pantheon love affair with one another.

[AmiMizuno]

I wonder agree with Gundra should be able to summon great warriors to help her fight. That maybe she and many other Valkyries instead of taking many warriors to paradise they use the souls for war. To help the Nazis or maybe some other purposes