Sif (character)

Sif is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #102 (March 1964). She is based on the Norse goddess Sif. As an Asgardian warrior and lover of Thor, Sif often accompanies him into battle. She has also battled alongside Balder, who has developed an unrequited attraction to her, as she never shows affection for anyone but Thor and certain individuals who have proved worthy to wield his hammer, Mjolnir, such as the noble alien warrior Beta Ray Bill, and the mortal Eric Masterson.

Sif has appeared in various media adaptations of Thor. Jaimie Alexander portrays Lady Sif in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), as well as the first and second seasons of the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and one episode of the first season of the television series Loki. Additionally, alternate timeline versions of Sif appear in two episodes of the Disney+ animated series What If...?.

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Sif first appeared in Journey into Mystery #102 (March 1964). As a supporting character of Thor, she was featured predominantly in the pages of The Mighty Thor, beginning with issue #136 (January 1967). The character went on to make guest appearances in several series including The Avengers, Fantastic Four, The New Mutants, Silver Surfer and Thunderstrike.

In June 2010, Sif starred in a self-titled one-shot by writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Ryan Stegman. The issue deals with the aftermath of Loki having taken control of her body and her consciousness being forced into the frame of a dying elderly woman. DeConnick said, "Well, this is pretty much the story of how she deals with that. She was a bit cowed at first and, for a woman as fierce and proud as Sif, that's insult added to injury. This is the story of how she comes to own that fury and rises to her full stature once again."

Beginning with issue #646 (November 2012), Journey into Mystery by Kathryn Immonen and Valerio Schiti shifted focus from Loki to Sif. Editor Lauren Sankovitch said, "We had it Loki-centric... going forward with #646 we wanted to mix it up a little bit. Sif's been in the thick of it, she's a born warrior, she's got a lot of fight and verve and fire to her! We talked at length about what this story could be and what her story could be, and it all came down to ... one single question: what does she want? I think Sif, above all, wants to be a better warrior." The series was cancelled in August 2013 with issue #655. About the cancellation, Immonen said

We are done with 655. But seeing as we were basically cooked right out of the gate, I'm going to call hanging in for nearly a year a success. To be truthful, the real challenge that we inherited with this book was living up to the beautiful work that Kieron [Gillen] et al. had done previously and the amazing reader energy that had been generated. If all that had happened with our ten issues was to extend the influence of the astonishing Valerio Schiti, that would have been enough. As it is, I'm so proud of what Valerio, Jordie [Bellaire], Clayton [Cowles], Pepe and I put on the page under Lauren [Sankovitch] and Jake's fearless leadership. I'm also thrilled to have been able to write Sif as a fierce warrior and a lovable dork. I hope she finds a new home somewhere with a lot of things to say and a lot of things to kill.

Sif, Heimdall's sister, has been Thor and Balder's constant companion since childhood. Like most Asgardians, Sif was born with golden hair. Hers was turned black after Loki cut it and replaced it with enchanted hair made by dwarves. At an early age she showed great prowess as a warrior and was considered the best female warrior in all of Asgard, matched only by Brunnhilde. At one point a giant gave her to the death goddess Hela in exchange for immortality, but Thor saved her by offering himself in her place. Hela was so impressed that she let them both go.

Sif was originally said to be Balder's sister rather than Heimdall's in her first appearance.