A mighty Asgardian with a love for life, food, and adventure. Larger than life and bombastic as can be, Volstagg is the party animal of the Warriors Three. The tank of Thor’s allies when it comes time to throw down. Who is Volstagg as a person, though? Let’s find out!
Long ago, when ancient Asgard was too young for a word such as ancient to be tied to it, Volstagg the Staggeringly Perfect was a great warrior. Many adventures and battles were won thanks to help. As time went on, Volstagg would find younger adventurers to keep up with, this was when he’d begin his friendship with Thor.
During a battle alongside Thor, Loki, and others, Volstagg and others were injured and barely made it out alive if not for Loki and Thor. Volstagg would return home and begin eating so much to help himself recover and took a liking to excessive eating and drinking. For a time, the Lion of Asgard became known as a bumbling oaf, his heroics were partially his own doing and part dumb luck. Volstagg the Staggeringly Perfect became Volstagg the Voluminous.
While older than his fellow warriors, he’d eventually regain his reputation as a protector, especially when it came to children. A family man, Volstagg had many children of his own and could not let a child in danger go unattended. Changing his perspective from just adventure but to seeing that their were many more lives on the lines than he and his fellow compatriots, Volstagg found worthy causes to fight for.
As the Asgardians began to return to Midland more and more in the modern era, Volstagg’s renewed perspective brought him into contact with the New Mutants, a team of young mutants. His own children would get along with the team and even pretend to be them to help solve a problem.
Volstagg’s caring nature would extend to many kinds of people, he’d assist Balder the Brave into recovering from his time in the land of the dead. Volstagg understood that there were many kinds of battles beyond those with blades. His favorite form of helping himself and others to heal was a good meal, good drink, and good friends.
While Volstagg is a capable warrior, he was still know for luck aiding him in fights by often taking out a good portion of enemies. Sadly, sometimes this luck would run out and during a battle with an enemy team, the U-Foes, Volstagg would destroy a sports stadium filled with thousands of humans within it to stop the U-Foes from destroying more lives. This tragedy was used to have Earth wage war against Asgard, which had been orchestrated by the villainous Norman Osborn. This would lead to Asgard, which at the time was hovering above a small Midwestern American town.
Time would have Asgard and its people recover to their full strength once more. Thor Odinson wold be deemed unworthy by his hammer Mjolnir. A new Thor would rise in Jane Foster. Reality itself was torn asunder and rebuilt from fragments of several dimensions. Along with this, another Mjolnir from another Thor would appear, Volstagg would be deemed worthy by this Mjolnir, granting him the title of War Thor. What will Volstagg do now as a wielder of Mjolnir is only just beginning.
There you have it! Volstagg has been a part of Thor’s comic adventures since early on. Starting as a bumbling oaf and turning into so much more, he’s gone through quite a bit of growth. He’s been animated, he’s been on the big screen, he tends to have a role in most stories with Thor from the last few decades along with his Warriors Three buddies. See you next time!
Suggested Reading
Journey Into Mystery #119
Thor
New Mutants #83-87
Siege
Siege: Embedded
Fear Itself
Mighty Thor, Vol. 5 #20
Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
