WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Valkyrie: Jane Foster #1 by Jason Aaron, Al Ewing, Cafu, Jesus Aburtov and Joe Sabino, in stores now.
Marvel's War of the Realms event ended by making some massive changes to the Asgardian side of the Marvel Universe. Thor became the new All-Father, Loki took the throne of Jotunheim as king of the Frost Giants and Jane Foster became the new (and only) Valkyrie. Equipped with Undrjarn the All-Weapon, Jane now has a new purpose and new responsibilities.
As she settles into her new role in Valkryie: Jane Foster #1, Jane breaks out her new powers to stop a crime directly tied to the fallout from War of the Realms. A band of thieves called the Fast Five have stolen all kinds of Dark Elf and Asgardian weapons, and Jane moves in to stop them. However, one of the thieves evades Jane and runs away.
Unfortunately, this is one mistake that ends up costing a whole lot, because it directly leads to the death of the All-Seeing god, Heimdall.
Swords and Flying Horses
When the Fast Five member called Gold Rush escapes Jane Foster, he manages to abscond with Dragonfang, the sword of the previous Valkyrie Brunnhilde. Unfortunately for him, his success is incredibly short-lived. Once he turns in an alley, he is interrupted by Bullseye, who wastes no time in killing the thief and taking the sword for himself.
However, this is no mere blade that the Daredevil villain is now equipped with. Dragonfang also imbues its wielder with magical properties. As we learn later in the issue, the enchanted sword allows he who wields it the ability to hide from the sight of the gods themselves. What's more, it also heightens their fighting skills, and it can even summon one of the Valkyrior's prized, flying horses.
Considering Bullseye is already one of the deadliest villains in the Marvel Universe with any object he can get his hands on, a magical sword that increases his skill has probably just made him the most dangerous villain on the planet. Worse still, he can now hide from anyone, and he's got a flying horse at his command.
Feeling the loss of Brunnhilde's sword weighing heavily on her, Jane Foster recruits Heimdall to help her. After all, if the sword hides one from god-sight, then perhaps the All-Seeing Asgardian will have better luck. Unfortunately, the sword allows Bullseye to sneak up right behind Heimdall completely unnoticed, and he proceeds to stab the god right through the chest.
We don't yet know why Bullseye is after Heimdall and Jane, but it appears the assassin was simply hired to do a job. The nature of that job remains a mystery for now, as does the identity of his employer. Was Heimdall the intended target, or was he simply standing in the way of Bullseye's real goal: the new Valkyrie?
Whatever the answers to those questions are, Bullseye has just started a war with Jane Foster. But with the Daredevil villain mixed up in Asgardian business, we can't help but wonder if the Man Without Fear himself will join the fight. Heimdall and Matt Murdock developed a bond during the War of the Realms, and Matt may not take the news of his new friend's death lightly. Plus, Heimdall recently gifted Daredevil with new Asgardian billy clubs, weapons that could sure come handy right about now. No one is better qualified to take on Bullseye, especially with his Asgardian enhancements, than the hero who's been fighting him for most of his adult life.