Valkyrie was a member of the Vuvalini of Many Mothers. She was portrayed by Megan Gale in Mad Max: Fury Road and by Dylan Adonis as a child in the prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
Casting[]
Megan Gale was planned to play "Wonder Woman" in Miller's Justice League. As that project fell through, Miller remembered the Australian model/actress and specifically created a role for her in Fury Road.[1] The character of "The Valkyrie" was supposed to be one of the surviving Vuvalini at the very end but due to Gale's personal obligations the character had to be killed off quickly, so that Gale would return to Australia.[2]
Conception[]
Valkyrie, or "The Valkyrie," is obviously heavily inspired by the Valkyries of Norse mythology. According to the World History Encyclopedia a Valkyrie is described thusly:
"A Valkyrie is a figure in Norse mythology depicted as a warrior woman on horseback, a wolf or boar, and armed with a spear, who decides the fate of warriors in battle and carries the dead to Odin’s Valhalla. Valkyrie means 'chooser of the slain', and those chosen will fight beside Odin at Ragnarök."
Miller et al also sourced Norse myth for Immortan Joe and his War Boys, as the tyrant tells a warped version of the Valhalla story to the War Boys as motivation for unquestioned loyalty.
Valkyrie, and Furiosa for that matter, are the next evolution of strong, female fighters in the Mad Max mythos, taking after the original Warrior Woman.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga[]
Furiosa and Valkyrie picking peaches in the Green Place.
In the prequel movie centered around Furiosa, we see Valkryie as a child along with Furiosa. They were close childhood friends and Furiosa refers to her as "Valkyrie" in name, not title, as they harvest peaches.
Moments later, the two girls happen upon intruders to the Green Place. We learn that Furiosa was the dominant one as she instructs Valkryie to hide and stay quiet whilst Furiosa investigates. However, Furiosa gets caught by Toe Jam and his crew of thugs. As they attempt to snatch her, Furiosa blows a whistle to sound an alarm. It is Valkyrie who yells to the others, "They took Furiosa!"
Mad Max: Fury Road[]
Reunited friends.
In the third act of the film, the crew of the War Rig happens upon a steel tower which once was used for electrical lines. Inside a cage at the top of the tower is a naked woman whom Max remarks, "That's bait."
The crew disembarks the War Rig to investigate because Furiosa recognized the ploy. Furiosa announces herself, "I am one of the Vuvalini . . . of the Many Mothers. My initiate mother was KT Concannon. I am the daughter of Mary Jabassa. My clan was Swaddle Dog."
This elicits a special call from "the bait" who doesn't hesitate to come down from the tower once she realizes that the ploy is a failure, a friend returns, and she quickly dresses as she runs to greet the long-lost Furiosa -- this woman is Valkyrie, Furiosa's childhood friend.
Furiosa soon learns that the Green Place is lost, turned into an uninhabitable bog which they passed through the previous night. The Vuvalini of Many Mothers is all but wiped-out with just a small handful remaining, to include Valkyrie.
Valkyrie defends the War Rig.
Shortly thereafter, the enlarged group makes plans to head across the salt flats, But Max convinces them that their best chance at finding anything worth having is to go back to The Citadel. The group collectively agrees.
As they make their return, Valkyrie acts as a defender for the War Rig and is violently run down and killed by the People Eater.
References[]
- ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3099133/Megan-Gale-reveals-George-Miller-penned-Mad-Max-Fury-Road-character-exclusively-following-collapse-Justice-League.html
- ↑ Empire Magazine Australasia, November 2015 issue, p100 http://www.empireonline.com.au/