Warriors Three

The Warriors Three are a group of fictional characters who served as supporting cast members in Thor, published by Marvel Comics. The Warriors Three is made up of the Asgardians Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg. Though the characters are gods of Asgard, they are original creations of Marvel Comics and not based on characters from Norse mythology.

Fictional biography

The Warriors Three have played a supporting role in Marvel's Thor title since the late 1960s.

For some time, Volstagg was the coward of the group, succeeding more with luck than skill. He gained courage over time and is now more than ever, likely to be found on the front lines of battle. They first appeared when going on a quest with Thor and other Asgardians to prevent Ragnarok.

The trio have multiple adventures with their friend Thor, such as when they battled the Thermal Man.^[1] For a time, they quest with him in outer space; one of their adventures involved saving an alien world from a naive tentacled beast.^[2]

In the limited series Thor: Blood Oath (published in 2005, but chronologically set much earlier), Thor and the Warriors Three are sent on a quest as penance for accidentally killing an enemy giant during a time of peace. Although they fail in their quest, through the use of each warrior's unique capabilities, the adventure eventually comes to a good end.

The group is allied with the earth-bound group the New Mutants. During the mutants' first trip to Asgard, they drank and celebrated with Roberto da Costa (Sunspot). During the group's second visit, the Three encounter new members of the group and do not find their story of Hela's plan to kill to Odin believable. Volstagg's children do and free the group, helping them on their way. Boom Boom, Warlock and the New Mutant ally, the wolf-prince Hrimhari, rescue the Three from the fatal attentions of Queen Ula and her hive. Hrimhari's honor is enough to convince the Three and Queen Ula to join in on the attempt to defeat Hela. Other Asgardians join in on the fight and soon, Odin is saved.^[3]

When Bragi, the god of poetry, had become lost in the wilds of Asgard, just a little bit before he was due to entertain at All-Father Odin's Mid-Summer celebration, the Warriors Three braved multiple problems in order to rescue the poet and bring him home.^[4]

Another Fanfare issue focused on the wife of Ulik The Troll. Despite the many attacks by Ulik against Asgardians, his wife feels she has nowhere else to go when she thinks her husband is in trouble. Hogun wants nothing to do with her, but Volstagg convinces him to at least consult with Fandral. The conclusion of the story has Ulik yet again attacking.

Ragnarok

When Thor's misunderstood brother Loki brought Ragnarök down upon Asgard, two of the warriors (Fandral and Hogun) were killed off-panel by an arrow storm launched from the deck of the flying ship Naglfar. The third, Volstagg, survived and was discovered by Thor hiding inside a statue, only now being emaciated and frail. Nevertheless, he would fight on with the army Thor has raised, which included Sif and Beta Ray Bill^[5]

Ragnarok seemingly destroyed all of Asgard and all the people residing there, which would leave all three members of The Warriors Three deceased.^[6]

Rebirth

Thor has resurfaced in the Midwest of the United States of America and has vowed to find Odin and all other Asgardians, who are hidden in human form across Earth. After finding Heimdall, Thor discovers the Warriors Three inhabiting the bodies of three volunteer guards for the Umeme Mungu Refugee Camp in Africa. The trio are restored to their true forms.^[7]

In Secret Invasion, the Warriors Three are vital to the Asgardian victory over the Skrulls.^[8] They are part of the defense effort when Norman Osborn leads a villain army against Asgard.^[9][10]

After Loki's machinations to banish Thor come to fruition, the Warriors Three voluntarily leave Asgard to live in the mortal world, heading back to Broxton, Oklahoma to take over the local diner abandoned by Bill.^[11] Along with many other heroes and gods, they attend the wake of Hercules, who had fallen in battle. This meeting takes place in Athena's temple in Greece.^[12]

The trio are featured in their own limited series. In issue three, they encounter the Fenris Wolf.^[13]

In other media

Television

• The Warriors Three appear in The Super Hero Squad Show with Fandral voiced by Tom Kenny, Volstagg voiced by Ted Biaselli, and Hogun having no dialogue. In "Oh Brother," they are seen fighting against Loki's army and the villains lent to him by Doctor Doom. In "Mental Organism Designed Only for Kissing," they appear in a band with Thor in Enchantress' flashback. In "Invader from the Dark Dimension," they are seen in the same flashback, but one experienced by Valkyrie.

• The Warriors Three appear in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes with Fandral voiced by Chris Cox, Volstagg voiced by Fred Tatasciore, and Hogun having no dialogue. In "Thor the Mighty," they are seen when the Frost Giants attack Asgard. In "The Fall of Asgard", they come to the Hulk when he stops a slave caravan. In "A Day Unlike Any Other," they were present when the Avengers fought Loki.

• The Warriors Three appear in the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. episode "For Asgard" with Fandral voiced by Benjamin Diskin, Hogun voiced by Clancy Brown, and Volstagg voiced again by Fred Tatasciore. The Warriors Three were seen helping Thor fight the Dark Elves when the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. arrived. When the Dark Elves attack Asgard, the Warriors Three help to prevent the Dark Elves from taking over Asgard.

Film

• The Warriors Three were seen in Hulk Vs Thor. They were easily defeated by the Hulk himself while controlled by Loki. Fandral is voiced by Jonathan Holmes, Hogun is voiced by Paul Dobson, and Volstagg is voiced by Jay Brazeau.^[14]

• They appear in the 2011 direct-to-video Thor: Tales of Asgard. Fandral is voiced by Alistair Abell, Hogun is voiced by Paul Dobson and Volstagg is voiced by Brent Chapman.^[15]

Tadanobu Asano, Joshua Dallas and Ray Stevenson as the Warriors Three; Hogun, Fandral and Volstagg in the Marvel Studios film, Thor.

• The Warriors Three appeared in the live-action film, Thor. Fandral was played by Joshua Dallas, Hogun was played by Tadanobu Asano and Volstagg was played by Ray Stevenson.^[16][17]

• The Warriors Three again appear in Thor: The Dark World, with Stevenson^[18] and Asano^[19] reprising their roles while Zachary Levi replaces Dallas as Fandral.^[20]

Video games

• The Warriors Three appear in Lego Marvel Super Heroes with Fandral voiced by Troy Baker, Hogun voiced by Andrew Kishino, and Volstagg voiced by Fred Tatasciore. They are featured in the Asgard downloadable content.^[21]
• Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg appear as playable characters in the Facebook game Marvel: Avengers Alliance.

Film-based comics

• In a tale based on the continuity of the films, the Warriors Three turn against Thor due to a spell; for example Volstagg foolishly believes Thor wishes to take his dinner and tries to kill him in return.^[22]

Collected edition

• Thor: The Warriors Three collects Marvel Spotlight (1971) #30 and Marvel Fanfare (1982) #13, 34–37
• Warriors Three: Dog Day Afternoon collects Warriors Three #1–4, Tales to Astonish #101 and Incredible Hulk #102

References