The character Ymir first appears in Journey into Mystery, and considers all other forms of life — with the exception of his kin the Frost Giants of Niffelheim — to be aberrations that must be destroyed. He was among the first Asgardian creatures to be created and spawned the Asgardian gods. The next story depicts an early battle with and subsequent imprisonment by being lured into a trap and imprisoned in a ring of magical fire by Odin, King of the Norse gods while attempting to bring eternal winter to Asgard with the other giants.[5]
Ymir reappears in a two-part storyline in Avengers and Doctor Strange being summoned to Earth with the fire demon Surtur by the Sons of Satannish. The pair are defeated and banished when the heroes trick the two into fighting one another due to Strange.[7] Ymir and Surtur reappear in Thor, and invade Asgard. Both characters, however, are defeated when Thor banishes them to the other-dimensional Sea of Eternal Night.[8] Ymir reappears in the publication Marvel Super-Heroes, where he and the Frost and Storm Giants attack Asgard before being stopped by Thor and his half-brother Vidar.[9]
Ymir appears in the limited seriesX-Men: First Class, which is set during the early days of the Marvel universe. The original X-Men encounter a group called the "Sons of the Vanir" who summon Ymir to Earth. After a brief battle, Thor returns Ymir to Niffelheim.[10]
Ymir makes another return in the pages of A+X. He has created a replica of the Casket of Ancient Winters and plans to freeze the world before being defeated by Iceman.[11]
Powers and abilities
Ymir is a large frost giant over 1,000 feet (300 m) tall with physical attributes far greater than most others.[12] He possesses superhuman strength and durability.[13] He is able to project intense and deadly cold.[14][15] Ymir can regenerate from as little as an ice particle.[16] He is also considered to be immortal.[17] Additionally, he wields an enormous icicle that functions as a club for destruction or battle.
Reception
Critical response
Marc Buxton of Den of Geek included Ymir in their "Thor 4: The Marvel Villains We Want to See" list, writing, "Ymir is one of Kirby’s most grandiose creations, a walking, angry glacier fueled by hatred of the Asgardians. The final battle between Frost Giants and Asgard is just an epic waiting to be told, and Ymir could be Thor’s greatest challenge if this conflict comes to fruition."[18]
Impact
Philip Etemesi of Screen Rant asserted, "It's largely through him that the concept of regeneration is popularized in the Golden Era of comic books. The villain gets killed many times during battles with Asgardians only for his body to regenerate."[19]
Other versions
Ymir appears in Free Comic Book Day 2009 Avengers.[20]
^ abcdefghi"Ymir Voices (Thor)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved January 14, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
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