Aragorn (Marvel Comics)
| Aragorn | |
|---|---|
| File:ValkyrieDefenders4.jpg | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Avengers #48 (Jan 1968) |
| Created by | Roy Thomas and George Tuska |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Aragorn |
| Partnerships | Ally of the Black Knight and the Valkyrie |
Aragorn was a fictional winged horse that has served as a mount for various characters in Marvel Comics.
Fictional character biography
Professor Nathan Garrett, the criminal Black Knight, developed genetic engineering techniques capable of granting a horse wings. He uses it to create a mount to ride during his criminal adventures.[1] After Garrett's final defeat by Iron Man, this horse escapes, was further mutated, and fell into the possession of the Dreadknight who named it Hellhorse.[2]
As Garrett was dying, he persuades his nephew Dane Whitman to take his scientific discoveries and use them for good. Whitman thus became a new, heroic Black Knight, and used his uncle's techniques to create another flying horse. This one he names Aragorn and uses as his mount.[3] Aragorn helped the Black Knight and the Avengers battle the Masters of Evil;[4] carried the Black Knight into battle against Le Sabre;[5] helped the Black Knight and Doctor Strange battle Tiboro;[6] carried the Black Knight alongside Doctor Strange, and the Avengers as they battled Ymir and Surtur;[7] carried the Black Knight to Olympus to battle Ares and the Enchantress,[8] among numerous other adventures together.
When the Black Knight was turned into stone by the Enchantress, Aragorn was placed in the custody of his fellow Defender, the Valkyrie.[9] Aragorn carried the Valkyrie and Namorita into battle against the Omegatron.[10] When Whitman left his own time to stay for a while in the 12th Century AD, he entrusted Aragorn to the care of the Valkyrie, who became his permanent companion.[11] He came to live at the Richmond Riding Academy.[12] He accompanied the Valkyrie to Asgard and Valhalla, and helped Valkyrie, Harokin, and the Defenders battle Ollerus and Casiolena.[13] With Valkyrie, Aragorn helped form the New Defenders.[14]
When Kraven the Hunter's son Alyosha Kravinoff began collecting a zoo of animal themed superbeings, Aragorn is clearly seen in one of the cages. However, after disobeying Kraven, Aragorn was killed to set an example to his other captives and then served up as food. [15] It was revealed in the Marvel Pets Handbook that the Aragorn killed by Alyosha Kravinoff was in fact the namesake horse used by the Vatican Black Knight.[16]
The real Aragorn is still in the company of Valkyrie.[17]
Powers and abilities
Aragorn was a normal horse until Dane Whitman used Nathan Garrett's techniques to give him large, fully feathered wings that allow him to fly via natural winged flight. He is an experienced battle steed on land and aloft. Aragorn's enhanced intelligence gives him an excellent rapport with both the Valkyrie and Dane Whitman, enabling him to understand and obey complex commands.
In other media
Aragorn appears in a few scenes in the direct-to-video animated film Hulk Vs, during the "Hulk vs Thor" segment. As in the comics, he appears as Valkyrie's steed, who leads the Asgardian warriors to protect Odin from the Hulk's rampage.
References
- ^ Avengers vol 1 #48
- ^ Tales of Suspense vol. 1 #73
- ^ Avengers #48
- ^ Avengers #55
- ^ Marvel Super-Heroes Vol. 2 #17
- ^ Doctor Strange Vol. 1 #178
- ^ Avengers #61
- ^ Avengers #100
- ^ Defenders #4
- ^ Defenders #5
- ^ Defenders #11
- ^ Defenders #17
- ^ Defenders #66-68
- ^ Defenders #126
- ^ Punisher War Journal Vol. 2 #13-14
- ^ Marvel Pets Handbook
- ^ Hulk #7, She-Hulk #34
