Sif is a shieldmaiden of Asgard. She is a fierce warrior and loyal friend (and lover) to Thor Odinsson. Sif is much more than that, though. Who is she? Read on to find out!
Background
Sif is the sister of Heimdall (Asgardian in charge of the Rainbow Bridge), and has been the best friend of both Thor and Balder since they were all children. From the beginning, Sif had exceptional talent as a warrior, and put those skills on display often while defending Asgard (alongside Thor) from some of its biggest threats. When Thor is banished to Earth, he and Sif become separated until Thor returns to Asgard to wed Jane Foster. When Odin banishes Jane back to Earth, Sif and Thor reunite while fighting the monster Unknown, and the fall in love again. After this reunion, the pair fight off some of Asgard’s biggest threats including Ulik, the Enchanters Three, the Circus of Crime, Wrecker, Mangog, and Surtur.
Sif would later discover that Thor still had feelings for Jane when she found him next to Jane’s hospital bed after she had been critically injured. Despite this discovery, Sif does help save Jane’s life by merging her life force with Jane’s, which will also give her some insight into why Thor has such a strong attraction and affection for mortals. When Thor ascends to the throne after the death of his father Odin, he exiles Sif from Asgard when she opposes his tyrannical rule. Thor does some time travelling, though, and resets the timeline, which allows Loki to cause Ragnarok. Sif survives the first wave of attacks by Surtur’s forces, but loses an arm. Brunnhilde rescues her but is then killed by Durok the Demolisher. To honor Brunnhilde, Sif leads the Valkyrior in the final battle against Surtur’s forces, where she is killed.
Thor does arrive in time to defeat Surtur and resurrect all of the fallen Asgardians and fully believing that Sif was reborn in Jane Foster, and would therefore never return. Sif had, however, been reborn into the body of an elderly woman named Mrs. Chambers, who was in the hospital suffering from terminal cancer. Loki tells Thor what happened to Sif, and Thor arrives in time to restore Sif from Mrs. Chambers’s body. She joins Thor while he is in exile in Oklahoma, and later aids in the defense of Asgard during Norman Osborn’s invasion.
Publication History/MCU History
Sif was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and made her first appearance in Journey Into Mystery #102 in 1964. She is an exceptionally gifted warrior and has supernatural strength. For most of her publication life, she has been a supporting character for Thor, though she has appeared in a self-titled one-shot in 2010, and was the focus of Journey Into Mystery starting in issue #646 (November 2012) until the series was canceled with issue #655. In the MCU, Sif has appeared in Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Love and Thunder, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and What If…? all portrayed or voiced by Jaimie Alexander.
Recommended Runs
-Journey Into Mystery #646-655: This is the only series where Sif is the main focus of the story, and as such it is a highly recommended read.
-Any of the MCU Portrayals: Alexander does a great job of portraying the the ferocity and warrior ethos of the character and commands the scenes she is present in.
Does the Model Miss the Mark?
When the Asgardian box was announced, it felt initially like 4-threat Sif was being ignored for the other, higher-threat models included in the box. However, since it has been released, I think that Sif has found her place as an incredibly durable and consistent piece for a plethora of affiliations outside of Asgard. She has 6 stamina on both sides of her card, as well as Damage Reduction with her Battle-Tested ability, which allows her to stick around longer than the math says she should. Additionally, she has a Charge and the ability to re-roll ANY of her attack or defense dice thanks to her Master Swordswoman ability. They are both power cost 2, which she gets every turn because of her innate Asgardian ability. Her builder attack Warrior Born also has a push and rapid-fire built-in with dice triggers, which become more likely because of her re-roll. Her spender, Warrior Forged, has a mandatory size-3 or less throw built-in with a trigger, too. Overall, no, she doesn’t have abilities or attacks that just jump off the page, but the character doesn’t have those in the comics, either. Instead, Sif is an incredibly reliable Range 2 brawler that will stick around and do what you need her to do, which is perfectly in-line with her character in the comics. Did I get it right? Completely wrong? Let me know in the comments below!
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