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Riley Draper
English W-130
Prof. Hopkins
10/11/2015
Women in Thor and Loki: The Tenth Realm
The image of women throughout Viking history commonly displays them as
powerful, influential figures that undoubtedly had an impact on their society. Even in
modern texts, such as the graphic novel Thor and Loki: The Tenth Realm the female
is displayed as a symbol of authority and vigor throughout multiple panels of the
comic. The novel seems to display the womans influential stature through what
Dawn Heinecken, author of The Women Warrior of Television, describes as the
postmodern theory (Heinecken 134). This view of women presents them with
emphasis on their sensual, objective, and personal attributes, which can be found
specifically through the group of female antagonists in the novel known as the
Angels. Even more specifically, the panels located on the bottom of page 26 and the
top of page 27 in Issue 2 display an image of the Queen of the Angels that
reinforces this notion of women in the Viking era. In Thor and Loki: The Tenth Realm
the power of femininity is characterized by the sexualized, violent, and selfindulgent image that the Angels flaunt throughout the story.
One of the most memorable aspects of any female character is their body,
and a common trend of impactful women in graphic novels is the sexualization of
their image. Heinecken states that the majority of female protagonists viewed
through a postmodern view are portrayed sensually, and that this representation

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of their bodies evokes a sense of fear to readers (Heinecken 137). This is due to the
incontinent abilities the female body possesses in the living process (such as birth,
the beginning of life itself) and the impact they hold. This representation of the
female body adds to the authority of their image, and this is shown in the panels of
the Queen of the Angels located at the bottom of page 26 and the top of page 27 in
Issue 2. Every member of the Angels is greatly sexualized by their armor, and this
tendency applies to the Queen as well. Her slim-fitting, revealing suit of armor that
highlights parts of her body such as her breasts and unarmored stomach
undoubtedly represents her in an intimate manner. Also, her hair flowing out of her
helmet on the image in page 26 as well as her impressively fit body physique add to
her sexual appeal as a character. Her informal posture and placement of her legs to
where they are fairly spread open contribute to her sensual representation as well.
This sexualization combined with the postmodern pre-conception of the woman
evoking fear due to their bodies impacts associates a definite sense of supremacy
with the Queens image and displays her power. In the top panel of page 27, the
messengers colorless presence in relation to the Queens vivid appearance is very
minimal and this is largely due to her confident, slightly amorous illustration as she
sits on her throne in a perfunctory manner. It shows how a postmodern
representation of a female figure where sexualization is heavily existent can create
a very influential image for a character, and that image can even apply to a group
of characters, which in the case of this graphic novel would be the Angels.
Another characteristic that adds to the influential presence of femininity in
Thor and Loki: The Tenth Realm is their violent and brutal nature that they display
throughout the comic. Heinecken states that certain women characters in the
postmodern era, rely on feminine stereotypes to justify their use of violence.

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(Heinecken 139) and this undoubtedly displayed by the Angels. In the story, The
Angels are almost immediately stereotyped as merely a sexual asset to men when
Thor contemplates trying to engage in intimate activities with the Angels upon
arrival without hesitation. Thors objectifying assumption of women in general
shows that he expects for them to engage in these activities with him, subtly
labeling them as the inferior sex, and thus causing a brutal retaliation from the
Angels as a result. The image on the bottom panel of Issue 2, page 26 definitely
characterizes the Queen of the Angels as a savage figure due to many details of her
presence and surroundings. The lighting of the image casts a dark, malicious
shadow on face, contrasted heavily by her white, soulless eyes. Her gloves also
highlight her talon-like nails, which are portrayed as a weapon and contribute to her
malevolent appearance. Her environment also contains scattered remains of her
cruel deeds by displaying multiple skulls placed atop her containers of wealth,
creating a somewhat eerie atmosphere around her. Thors actions, as explained
earlier, ignited this bloodthirsty retaliation from the Angels, and the fact that they
were already on bad terms with the Asgardians did not bode well for Thor and Loki
either. Numerous factors of these images do nothing but display the evil and cruel
persona the Angels portray throughout the graphic novel and the image
successfully characterizes the Queen as a leader to this group of mercenaries, a
force to not be threatened.
Quite possibly the most defining trait of the Angels and femininity as a
whole in this comic is the immoral, self-indulgent belief system they base the
majority of their decisions off of. Heinecken states that the woman in the
postmodern era, seeks to protect her body in an environment which seeks to
remove her self-determination. (Heinecken 140). In the case of the Angels, this

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sense of self-protection is shown through the selfish mentality they display
throughout Thor and Loki: The Tenth Realm, which is centered off the notion that
wealth should be the only motive behind any action. Members of the Angels
themselves clearly state their beliefs too, stating that the law of honor was the
equivalent to a law of nothingness and that the only thing that has any value in life
is money. The image in the top panel of page 27 in Issue 2 symbolizes the Angels
ethics through various details of their appearance and surroundings. The Queens
gold armor and the lighting that reflects off of it in the drawing emphasizes her
luxurious, self-concerned image. Also, one of the more obvious details in the
Queens environment is the prominent presence of the containers overflowing with
coins and jewelry, displaying her arrogant behavior that revolves around her wealth.
In addition to the abundance of wealth surrounding the Queen, the sparkling red
jewel (blood onyx, more specifically) in her hand portrays the Queens flaunting of
her wealth accurately as well. The jewel has a tremendous value, and the Queens
somewhat casual and careless hold on the precious item shows her confidence in
her wealth and that she has truly centered her life around the main goal of
acquiring currency. Luxuriance seems to act as a means of protection for the
females from, as Heinecken stated, their surroundings which try to diminish their
self-determination. They worship the idea of being rich and use it as a source of
power, thus basing nearly all of their beliefs off of it. The idea that wealth should be
considered the primary value in ones faith is what fuels the Angels powerful image
and hold an enormous influence on their actions through the graphic novel.
Out of all the various characteristics shown by women in Thor and Loki: The
Tenth Realm, there are numerous that abide by the common conceptions of the
female in the Viking era, as well as many subversions to the same portrayal. For

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example, the violence shown by women in this graphic novel was believed to be a
very typical trait of Viking women according to studies, but on the other hand the
over-sexualization of their image was unlikely a main quality they often displayed.
Specifics aside, this story portrays women characters as a much more authoritative
force than previously seen in Viking literature, and an excellent example of this is
Angelas ability to defeat the almighty Thor in battle. This representation of the
female sheds a new light on their capabilities, as well as their general role in a
typically male dominated genre such as Viking literature. The roles of gender in this
text seem to be equally important, rather than male dominated, and this trend is
likely to occur again in the future, representing females as more authoritative figure
than in past pieces of literature.

Works Cited
Aaron, Jason. Thor and Loki: The Tenth Realm. New York, NY: Marvel Entertainment,
2014. Print.
Heniecken, Dawn. The Warrior Women of Television. Peter Lang Academic
Publishers. June, 2003.