DC Endless Winter Theory: The Frost King Will Be The Next Viking Prince

Over the course of almost ninety years, DC Comics has created or acquired dozens of lesser-known heroes and villains to bolster its already impressive roster of costumed characters. These unheralded personalities, with their obscure backgrounds and unique costumes, lend a level of depth to any story they appear in. One such underappreciated do-gooder recently resurfaced in the pages of the nine-issue Endless Winter crossover event. The storied Viking Prince fought valiantly but was killed before readers could truly get reacquainted with the Norse warrior. Thankfully, DC Comics may have set the stage for the legacy of Viking Prince to continue in Future State and beyond.

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The mystery of Jon Haraldson’s origins has elicited much conjecture. In the sixth part of the Endless Winter event, Aquaman #66, Jon confirms which of the many legends tells of his true beginnings. Somewhere between the 8th and 10th centuries, Jon Haraldson was a fearsome and respected Norse royal. After nearly dying in battle, the Viking Prince was mistakenly taken to Valhalla by a beautiful Valkyrie. On the way, the two fell in love. When the great god Odin discovered that a mortal man was having a forbidden affair with a Valkyrie, he placed a curse upon Jon Haraldson. Jon may only enter Valhalla and marry his true love if he dies a hero’s death. Until that day, the Viking Prince is immortal.

DC’s Endless Winter crossover event is set in 10th century Greenland as a Norse family man named Edwald Olafsson discovers he can create and manipulate ice. The untrained metahuman is quickly overwhelmed by his cryokinetic powers and transformed into the dangerous Frost King. Immortal heroes Viking Prince, Swamp Thing, Black Adam and Hippolyta, the mother of Wonder Woman, join forces to battle the fearsome ice monster. The Viking Prince earns his heroic demise when he throws himself and the Frost King into a deep chasm and allows Black Adam to seal the pit behind them. However, Jon Haraldson’s eternity in Valhalla is cut short 11,000 years later when Stagg Industries digs up Edwald Olafsson’s frozen family and again incites the wrath of the Frost King.

The Viking Prince first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #1 in 1955, and was created by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert. The character’s definitive origin story would be told ten years later when the same creative duo paired the Viking Prince with Sgt. Rock in Our Army at War #162 – 163. The recently-concluded Endless Winter storyline was written by Andy Lanning and Ron Marz. Several illustrators collaborated on the nine-issue arc, including Howard Porter, Clayton Henry, Phil Hester, Ande Parks, Miguel Mendonca, Xermanico, Jesus Merino, Amancay Nahuelpan, Brandon Peterson, Carmine Di Giandomenico, and Marco Santucci.

In the pages of Justice League: Endless Winter #2, Jon Haraldson’s soul returns from Valhalla to present-day Greenland. He inhabits the corpse of Swamp Thing and uses their combined powers to help Superman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of Earth’s heroes take down the Frost King with non-lethal force. In the story’s denouement, Edwald Olafsson comes to his senses and is voluntarily placed in cryogenic stasis alongside his family. Jon Haraldson’s soul returns to Valhalla. Perhaps Future State or another subsequent title will see the revival of the former Frost King, Edwald Olafsson, so he can don the mantle of his legendary Norse predecessor, the Viking Prince.

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