Volstagg

"Do not mistake my appetite for apathy!"

- Volstagg to Fandral

Volstagg was an Asgardian warrior and a member of the Warriors Three. He was a good friend of Thor, Sif, and fellow members Hogun and Fandral. Alongside all his fellow warriors, Volstagg took part in a poorly considered strike against all the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, which soon resulted in King Odin deciding to directly punish Thor by banishing him to the Earth without his powers. When Loki then took the throne of Asgard during Thor's banishment, Volstagg and his allies played a key role saving Thor from the Destroyer before bringing him back to Asgard where he successfully stopped Loki from stealing the throne of Asgard and restoring the peace.

Once they had quelled the Marauders rebellion, Volstagg and his allies believed they had brought peace to the Nine Realms before they were forced to join the War against the Dark Elf Malekith. As Thor and Odin's views had clashed, Volstagg assisted his friend in finding his own way to defeat the Dark Elves, before being tasked with removing the Aether along with Lady Sif. However, Volstagg's long service to Asgard came to its end upon Hela's arrival through the Bifrost Bridge, where she then slaughtered both Fandral and Volstagg before then attempting to rule over all of Asgard.

Following Thor
"Volstagg, who introduced you to delicacies so succulent you thought you'd died and gone to Valhalla?" "You did."

- Thor and Volstagg

Volstagg is a seasoned and highly respected Asgardian adventurer and a good friend of the Asgardian princes, Thor and Loki. Thor eventually got Volstagg to meet his other two friends, Hogun and Fandral. The three soon became good friends and formed the Warriors Three, protecting the people of Asgard from whatever threat came their way. Volstagg also became good friends with fellow warrior Lady Sif, who would often join them on their adventures.

War with the Frost Giants
"Thor, this is madness." "Madness? What sort of madness?"

- Loki and Volstagg

Volstagg attended the ceremony of Thor's coronation to support his friend, along with most of Asgard's citizens and, before the ceremony began, Volstagg looked at his reflection to ensure his beard looked good enough. Volstagg then noticed several Asgardians walking by his with plates of food. Although he was not fast enough to take food from the plates, Volstagg managed to find a grape hidden within his beard, much to his delight as he swiftly ate the grape. Volstagg then joined the other Warriors Three along side Lady Sif as they awaited Thor's arrival. Volstagg complained about still being hungry, which Fandral teased him about, with Volstagg then jokingly threatening to hit Fandral as a result of his mockery. Volstagg then listened with amusement as Fandral teased Hogun by insisting that he consider smiling at least once for the event while Lady Sif then challenged him to keep his mouth shut during the ceremony. During the ceremony, three Frost Giants broke inside Odin's Vault to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters. Luckily they are stopped and killed by the Destroyer before they could escape, however by this time they had already killed several Guards, as a result of the attack, Odin decided not to retaliate against King Laufey or make Thor King of Asgard. Thor became so enraged by the interruption to becoming king that he stormed into the dinning hall and overthrew a table. The Warriors Three and Sif came in to discover the destruction and found Loki trying to comfort his brother. Thor recommended that they attack the Frost Giants in revenge for the their invasion and discover how they had gotten into Asgard, reminding each of his friends of their many adventures together. Volstagg was the first of Thor's own friends who readily agreed to accompany him to Jotunheim to exact retribution for the Jotuns' aggression against their people.

Attack on Jotunheim
"If your return threatens the safety of Asgard, my gate will remain shut and you will be left to perish on the cold waste of Jotunheim." "Couldn't you just keep the bridge open for us?"

- Heimdall and Volstagg

Volstagg and the Warriors Three, together with Thor, Lady Sif, and Loki, decided to journey towards Jotunheim where Thor intended to challenge Laufey, the Jotuns' ruler, over the incident in Asgard. The team went to see Asgard's Gate-Keeper Heimdall, although Loki attempted to fool Heimdall, the wise gate-keeper told them he knew of their plan and would allow them to go so they could discover how the Frost Giants had made their way in Asgard. Upon arriving into Jotunheim, Hogun then immediately expressed his concern that they should have never come, while Thor led them on. While Thor and Sif discussed where all their enemies were, Volstagg kept a close watch to ensure that their group were not ambushed. Eventually they found and confronted Laufey, who, revealing that he had strength in numbers and mindful of an ancient truce between the two peoples, dismissed the Asgardian group from his realm. As Laufey warned that Asgard was full of traitors, Loki attempted to convince Thor that they were outnumbered while Volstagg readied himself for a fight. As they turned to leave however, Thor was baited by the heckling of a nearby Jotun named Hailstrum, plunging them all into mortal combat as Volstagg used his battle axe to cut down the Frost Giants as they charged into battle against them, attempting to use their vast numbers to overpower the Asgardian warriors. During the battle, one of the Frost Giants grabbed Volstagg's onto unarmored arm, causing serious burns as Volstagg warned the other warriors not to allow the Frost Giants to touch them. As the Frost Giants' forces had begun to overwhelm them, Fandral was grievously injured in the fight as both Volstagg and Hogun had to help carry him clear, demanding that Thor escape with them as they turned and ran for their lives while Thor continued fighting the Frost Giants. As the Warriors ran from the battle, with Volstagg carrying Fandral on his back, Laufey sent a Jotunheim Beast after them, which eventually cornered them only for Thor to come to their aid and slay the Beast. While the Frost Giants cornered them however, the Asgardians were saved by the timely arrival of Odin on Sleipnir, who intervened and tried to make peace with Laufey, only to fail as he them quickly drew them back to Asgard where they would be safe for now.

Thor's Banishment
"If I may, beg the indulgence of your Majesty, to perhaps reconsider..." "We're done!"

- Volstagg and Loki

They used the Bifrost Bridge to return home and Volstagg carried Fandral to the healing room. As punishment for causing a second war between Asgard and Jotunheim, Odin banished Thor to Earth without his powers or hammer. While Volstagg and Fandral had their injuries treated, they discussed Thor's banishment, with Fandral noting that at least Thor was only banished and not dead while Volstagg questioned how Odin could have discovered their plans. Just as Volstagg was questioning how the Einherjar guard had known of all their plans before telling Odin, Loki then revealed that it was he who had informed the Einherjar guard of their scheme, which was directly resulted in Thor's banishment. While Volstagg confronted him over this, Loki argued that Thor was too reckless to be their King. Once Loki had left, Sif and the Warriors Three discussed whether or not he was a spy for Laufey which had unnerved them all. Seeking to return Thor onto Asgard, the Warriors Three and Lady Sif went to speak to Odin, however when they arrived they discovered Loki had taken the throne as his father had fallen into the Odinsleep. When they demanded to instead speak with Frigga about the matter, Loki informed them that she had refused to leave Odin's bedside and therefore demanded that they could bring their urgent matter to him, announcing himself as King and demanding they bow to him. Accepting their new king with suspicion, they requested that he end Thor's banishment which Loki refused as he claimed to be unable to contradict his father's final orders as King, making their group more suspicious while Loki claimed that the Asgardians still needed some continuity before they were to return to War against Jotunheim. When Volstagg had tried to politely get Loki to reconsider his decision, Loki refused and ordered them to leave, much to their frustration.

Disobeying the King
"To hell with treason. It’s suicide." "Thor would do the same for us." "Shush! Heimdall might be watching."

- Volstagg and Sif

Concerned over what Loki's true motivations for taking up the throne of Asgard, the Warriors Three and Lady Sif discussed what should be done next, with Volstagg then being accused by Fandral of not caring enough about their situation and having more of a focus on food. Hogun suggested that the next step would have to be to disobey their king's demands and bring Thor find Thor on Earth, despite knowing this would likely be viewed as treason by King Loki. As they discussed this, Volstagg then warned that Heimdall might be listening to their conversation, just as an Einherjar guard entered the room and informed them that Heimdall was demanding to see them, with Volstagg nervously noting that they were doomed. Much to their surprise however, Heimdall was also apposing King Loki's rule over Asgard and therefore allowed them to use the Bifrost Bridge to go to Earth and rescue Thor, hoping to overthrow Loki as a result. They arrived at Thor's last known location within Puente Antiguo and searched for their lost friend. As they walked through the town they attracted odd looks from the locals due to their armor and weapons. At one stage Volstagg helped a girl find her ball before knocking out two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who were spying on them. Eventually they found Thor with his new friends Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis and Erik Selvig, as they all delighted to see one another again. Although he had expressed his delight and seeing his dearest friends once again, Thor told them that they should not have come for him. When Volstagg informed Thor that they were there to take him home, Thor told him that Loki had claimed that Odin was dead, meaning that he could not return to Asgard as they had desired. However Sif revealed to Thor that his father was still alive and they realised that Loki had lied to them all, before Thor agreed to come home.

Battle of Puente Antiguo
"Thor's going to fight with us!" "My friends, I am just a man. I'd only get in your way or worse get one of you killed. But you can help me gain time and get everyone to safety."

- Volstagg and Thor

While they were still in Puente Antiguo, they faced an unexpected threat when Loki dispatched the Destroyer to kill Thor and all of his friends. Although Volstagg delighted in the idea that he and Thor could fight side by side once more, Thor revealed that he was powerless and could only help to get the innocent civilians of the town to safety while Sif and the Warriors Three battled the attacker. While Thor and his friends evacuated the Humans, Volstagg attacked the Destroyer by having Hogun and Fandral throw him towards it as he swung his Axe, however he was knocked backwards into a car. While it was distracted, preparing to blast Volstagg, the Destroyer was stabbed by Sif with her double-edged sword through its throat. Volstagg was relieved to have not been destroyed, but this barely slowed the Destroyer down however and the battle continued. They proved to be no match for the construct, and it battered them without much effort, firing its beams of pure energy at the Asgardians as they were soon separated and Volstagg ended up being thrown inside Isabel's Diner. Just as Volstagg had gotten back onto his feet however, the Destroyer caught sight of him once again and fired yet another beam of energy at him, launching Volstagg across the street and seriously injuring him as the other came to his aid. Eventually Thor ordered them to leave, assuring them that he had a plan on how to handle the Destroyer while Volstagg was carried away by Fandral and Hogun. However instead of charging into battle, Thor calmly walked over to the Destroyer without any weapons to defend himself and spoke directly to Loki, allowing the Destroyer to kill him in exchange for it leaving the innocent people alone, Volstagg then watched helplessly as his friend died in Jane Foster's arms. However, Thor's self-sacrifice had in fact proved him to be worthy of his former power as Mjølnir launched into his hands and restored his power back, allowing him to finally defeat The Destroyer as Volstagg and the others watched on. The team returned back to Asgard and discovered Loki had nearly killed Heimdall with the Casket of Ancient Winters, while the Warriors took Heimdall to the Healing Room, Thor went to confront his brother and remove him from the throne. Thor and Loki battled across Asgard, leading to the destruction of the Bifrost Bridge and Loki's apparent death when he fell into a black hole. With Odin having awoken from his Odinsleep and reclaimed the throne of Asgard, the Warriors Three and Lady Sif gathered together at a banquet to celebrate the return of Thor and the return to peace. Volstagg entertained the guests with the tales of his battles with the Frost Giants and the Destroyer, delighting in the reactions.

Battle of Vanaheim
"The most vile criminals the Nine Realms have ever produced. To our left savage beasts with fangs like knives! To our right, soldiers of fortune, their blades dripping with blood!"

- Volstagg

Volstagg, along with Lady Sif and the rest of the Warriors Three, was a member of Odin's retinue when Thor brought Loki back to Asgard after trying to conquer Earth. In the wake of the Destruction of the Rainbow Bridge, Volstagg had witnessed the Marauders attacking the Nine Realms due to the Asgardians now being unable to travel. Volstagg then stood with the Warriors and Einherjar as Thor gave a speech before they went to battle the Marauders. In their final battle against the Marauders in Vanaheim, Volstagg was valiantly fighting against all of their latest foes alongside Lady Sif as well as Hogun and Fandral. Volstagg managed to furiously hold back the Marauders, using his own Battle Axe as his main weapon until he briefly became overwhelmed. Volstagg however was saved as Thor arrived and used Mjølnir to knock back Volstagg's attacker, allowing him to get back to his feet and rejoin the ongoing battle. At the conclusion of the battle, Thor was challenged to single combat by the Kronan Marauder who Thor proceeded to completely destroy with a single blow with Mjølnir, ending the battle as the Marauders lay down their weapons. With the battle over, all the surviving Marauders were captured and taken back to the Asgardian Dungeons personally by the Warriors Three. Volstagg and Sif took charge of the transport of the Marauders, as Volstagg watched while eating an apple.

Celebration
"Now, I don't mind telling you, I feared for Thor's life. But with steely courage, intrepid spirit and an axe, victory was ours!" "Truly a tale for the ages."

- Volstagg and Thor

Volstagg returned to Asgard to celebrate the victory with his friends and family. Alongside Fandral, Thor and Lady Sif, Volstagg went to a local inn to drink and brought his children along, telling them of all of their recent adventures and their successful victory during the Marauders' War. Taking great delight in the Asgardians reactions, Volstagg had begun greatly exaggerating his stories, claiming that their enemies were soldiers of fortune, armed with fanged beasts. As Volstagg continued talking, he noted how the Warriors Three, also noting Hogun's part during the battle, they were all eventually able to overcome all the armies of Marauders in Vanaheim as they had finally claimed victory. Once Volstagg finished his drink, he threw his glass over his shoulder and demanded another, causing everyone around him to roar with laughter. Seemingly distracted however, Thor left the celebrations and said his goodnights to all of his friends. With some small bands of Marauders still remaining at large across the Nine Realms, Fandral and Volstagg were tasked with collecting them and locking them up in the Asgardian Dungeons. Once they had collected the small unit of Marauders who had been on the run, which also included Algrim who had disguised himself, the pair then returned to Heimdall's Observatory through the Bifrost Bridge and took the rebels into the Dungeons with the other prisoners.

Return of the Dark Elves
"It's as if they resent being imprisoned." "There's no pleasing some creatures."

- Fandral and Volstagg

As it turned out, Algrim one of the Marauder prisoners who had been brought into the Asgardian Dungeons to begin his sentence, was in reality the lieutenant of Malekith. Algrim used his position within the Dungeons to lead a Prison Break, breaking free and releasing all the other prisoners while the Dark Elves began attacking Asgard. In response, Volstagg and Fandral came to quell the riot before it could get out of hand. Volstagg and Fandral fought the escapees alongside the Einherjar, with Fandral jokingly questioning if the rebels were resenting being imprisoned by them. The pair eventually gained help with the battle upon Thor's arrival who helped overpower the Marauders, still not realizing the escape was a distraction. While the warriors fought the rioters, Malekith had broken inside the Asgardian Palace in order to kidnap Jane Foster, the Aether's host, who was kept there. Although Volstagg and Fandral were able to quell the riot within the Dungeons before Malekith and his soldiers were forced to retreat back to the safety of the Ark, during the chaos of the ensuing battle, Odin's beloved wife Frigga was killed by the Dark Elves. Volstagg and the Asgardians then attended Frigga's funeral to show respect to their late queen, with Volstagg standing by Fandral as Frigga's body became one with the Nine Realms in her final send off.

Retaliation Planning
"Assuming you can get Loki's help, and you can free this mortal, what good would it do? We’d all be dead the minute we step one foot outside the palace." "That, my friend, is where we won’t be leaving by foot."

- Volstagg and Thor

The following day, Volstagg and Fandral had informed Odin that the Shields of Asgard were still not repaired and Asgard was defenseless if Malekith attacked again. Thor arrived to discuss his own battle plans with Odin in private, intending to take the battle to Malekith by bringing the Aether to him and killing him there; however, Odin refused to accept this plan and vowed to kill every Dark Elf. Fearing that Odin was blinded by his grief and enraged following the recent death of Frigga at the hands of the Dark Elves, Volstagg had agreed to meet with Thor in secret to discuss his plan to sneak away from Asgard with Jane Foster to get onto Svartalfheim where they would confront Malekith. At the meeting with Fandral, Heimdall and Lady Sif, Volstagg listened closely while Thor then discussed his plan to escape from Asgard without being discovered by Odin. When Thor revealed that his attention was to use Loki's knowledge of hidden passages to transport them all off Asgard, Volstagg was utterly horrified, assuring Thor that his brother would undoubtedly betray him. Volstagg questioned how, even if they were successfully in getting Loki out of the Asgardian Dungeons and free Foster, how they would get away from Asgard without the Einherjar discovering and killing them, although Thor had still remained confident.

Freeing Loki
"If you even THINK about betraying him..." "You'll kill me? Evidently there will be a line."

- Volstagg and Loki

As their plan had soon gone ahead, Thor freed Loki from his own cell inside the Asgardian Dungeons; before Volstagg had greeted the pair as well as Jane Foster outside of the crashed Dark Elf Harrow which Thor intended to use to escape. As they boarded the ship to head to Svartalfheim, Volstagg stopped Loki in his tracks and assured him that if he even considered betraying Thor at any point, he would personally kill him. Loki however was unbothered by Volstagg's death threat, admitting that Lady Sif had already threatened him, walking away to rejoin his brother while Volstagg armed himself with his Battle Axe, ready to defend the Harrow to ensure Thor was able to get away. As a squad of the Einherjar charged forward to take Thor and Loki into custody, Volstagg still held them off as best he could, using his Axe against his fellow Asgardian warriors without causing any fatal injuries. While Thor struggled with the controls, Volstagg fought the Einherjar in order to give them time to escape. Eventually Volstagg became overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the guards and was pinned to the floor. However he was successful and laughed as Thor escaped with his companions. While Volstagg, Fandral and Sif were arrested for their treason, they were released as Thor's plan was successful, leading to Malekith's demise and the capture of the Aether.

Transfer of the Aether
"But if I may ask, why not keep it secure, in your own vault?" "The Tesseract is already on Asgard. It is not wise to keep two Infinity Stones so close together."

- Collector and Volstagg

Following all of the recent events of the Convergence as well as the defeat of the Dark Elves, Volstagg and Lady Sif were then both sent into Knowhere to give the Aether to the Collector for safekeeping. Upon their arrival, Volstagg and Sif then taken onto the Collector by Carina where he was waiting inside the Collector's Museum. Greeting them, the Collector expressed his delight at having two nobel Asgardians come all the way to Knowhere to speak with him. Upon handing over the Aether to him, they were then asked by the Collector why they did not store it in Odin's Vault, to which Volstagg explained that since the Tesseract was already located on Asgard, it would be deemed unwise to keep two Infinity Stones in the same place at the same time. Once they had been assured that the Aether would be kept as safe as possible within his Collection, Volstagg and Sif left the Collector's Museum and returned to Asgard.

Killed by Hela
"Who are you? What have you done with Thor?"

- Volstagg to Hela

Following the successful war against the Dark Elves, Volstagg was unaware that Loki had begun impersonating Odin. One of his orders banished Heimdall from his role as guardian of the Bifrost Bridge, and Skurge was appointed to the position. After Skurge proved less than reliable, and Loki's deceit was revealed, Volstagg was appointed the new guardian.

When the Goddess of Death, Hela, returned to Asgard, she arrived at the Bifrost. Volstagg and Fandral were supervising Skurge's clean-up of the observatory, due to the remains of a Fire Dragon which had been decapitated through the bridge. When Volstagg refused to submit to her, Hela used her Necroswords to kill him and Fandral in quick succession.

Personality
"I hope this goes quickly, I'm famished." "No?" "Are you attached to that pretty face of yours? Because one more word and you won't be!" "My, we are hungry aren't we."

- Volstagg and Fandral

Volstagg was very bright and carefree. He was loyal and good friend to Thor. Volstagg is very strong-willed and brave warrior. He loved eating, drinking and celebrating. But when he comes to fight he takes it seriously. He is even ready to sacrifice himself.

Powers and Abilities
As an Asgardian, Volstagg possesses superhuman physical attributes such as strength, stamina, speed and reflexes, and he is one of Asgard's greatest warriors.

Volstagg possesses all of the various superhuman attributes common among the Asgardians. Volstagg possesses superhuman strength, speed, agility, reflexes, durability, and is extremely long-lived.

Powers
Volstagg possessed all of the various superhuman attributes common among the Asgardians, including superhuman strength, speed, agility, reflexes, durability, and is extremely long-lived.
 * Asgardian Physiology: As an Asgardian, Volstagg has superhuman abilities.
 * Superhuman Strength: Like all Asgardians, Volstagg has immense superhuman strength, more so than the average Asgardian male, but not quite on par with that of Thor. He is able to swing a heavy battleaxe with minimal effort, and hold his own against Frost Giants and Marauders, in addition to easily lifting a car.
 * Superhuman Durability: Volstagg's body is much more resistant to physical harm than the body of a human being. He is capable of sustaining a punch from a Frost Giant and being smacked into a car by the Destroyer without any signs of injury. However, he was injured by a Frost Giant's freezing touch.
 * Superhuman Speed: Volstagg can move at high speeds. He managed to outrun a Jotunheim Beast while carrying an injured Fandral on his back.
 * Regenerative Healing Factor: Despite his body's resistance, Volstagg can be injured like any other Asgardian. However, his metabolism enables him to rapidly regenerate damaged bodily tissue with greater speed and efficiency than a human being is capable of. He was able to heal from a frostbite caused by a Frost Giant within days. His metabolism is so great, he managed to consume four wild boar, six pheasant, a side of beef, and two casks of ale without effort, according to Fandral, following Thor's banishment and Loki's coup.
 * Longevity: Like all Asgardians, Volstagg ages at a rate that is much slower than that of a human being. Even though he is over one thousand years old, he still looks like a middle-aged man by Earth standards.

Abilities
Volstagg is one of Asgard's finest warriors. He is also a highly skilled axeman.
 * Expert Combatant: Volstagg is one of Asgard's finest warriors with centuries of hand-to-hand combat knowledge and experience. He has fought in multiple battles against highly trained combatants such as Frost Giants, Marauders, and Einherjar with relative ease.
 * Axe Mastery: Volstagg is highly skilled at using his axe in battle. He used it to kill multiple Frost Giants with relativ ease.

Weapons

 * Axe: In combat, Volstagg usually used a battle axe, applying his brute strength in battle.
 * Hofund: Upon learning that Skurge had been secretly working for Loki, Volstagg and Fandral were put in charge of Heimdall's Observatory, with Volstagg using the sword to open the Bifrost Bridge to transport Thor and Loki across the Nine Realms, until Volstagg inadvertently allowed Hela to return and kill him.

Other

 * Armor
 * First Set: Volstagg’s first armor was made of a brown and gold tunic and pants. Over his chest he wore a two part metal vest. The top part had various swirling designs and the bottom was made of overlapping gold plates that made room for Volstagg’s considerable stomach. He wore simple brown boots.
 * Second Set: Volstagg’s second armor was made of overlapping, bronze, plates. He wears black side-shoulder pads with gold accents. His sleeves are chainmail with leather arm-bracers at the end. He wears a chainmail and leather skirt over brown leather pants and boots.

Family

 * Hildegund - Wife
 * Children

Allies

 * Warriors Three - Teammates
 * Fandral †
 * Hogun †
 * Sif †
 * Thor
 * Odin † - Former King
 * Frigga † - Former Queen
 * Heimdall †
 * Tyr
 * Jane Foster
 * Erik Selvig
 * Darcy Lewis
 * Collector
 * Carina †

Enemies

 * Frost Giants
 * Laufey † - Attempted Killer
 * Loki † - Ally and Former King turned Enemy
 * Hailstrum †
 * Raze †
 * Grundroth †
 * Marauders
 * Kronan Marauder †
 * Horned Marauder † - Victim
 * Dark Elves
 * Malekith †
 * Algrim/Kurse †
 * Skurge † - Former Enemy
 * Hela † - Killer

Trivia

 * In Thor: The Dark World, Volstagg celebrates with his family after returning home from a battle in Vanaheim. One of the children present resembles his daughter Gunnhild.
 * In recent comics, using Ultimate Thor's hammer, Volstagg has become another Thor, dubbing himself as "The War Thor"

Behind the Scenes

 * Rob Mars was a stunt double for Ray Stevenson in the role of Volstagg.
 * Dan D.W. McCann was a body double for Ray Stevenson in the role of Volstagg.