Valkyrie (Vehicle)

The Valkyrie was an advanced bomber plane used by HYDRA during World War II.
== History ==
: "As you can see, production of the Valkyrie is progressing on schedule, even with components of this size."
: ―Arnim Zola to Johann Schmidt[src]
Johann Schmidt's plan for world domination culminated with the construction of the first of many super bombers, the Valkyrie, a plane that adapted characteristics of both prop planes and stealth bombers, equipped to launch suicide drone bombs which doubled as auxiliary propellers. Its main propulsion was a pair of jet engines, located on the sides of the main console and hangar area.
Johann Schmidt had to board the Valkyrie sooner than expected when Captain America and the United States Army attacked his Headquarters, setting its course to the United States. Steve Rogers pursued the accelerating bomber on takeoff, and managed to board it via one of the landing gear wells just before it cleared the runway.
Rogers immediately found the HYDRA Parasits destined to detonate over heavily populated American cities such as New York City and Chicago, and he successfully ambushed the group of HYDRA pilots for these bombers. However, one of them managed to board a Parasit, and Rogers willingly fell out of the Valkyrie on the Parasit while fighting a HYDRA soldier.
Rogers evaded the soldier attacking him long enough for the soldier to fall into the Parasit's propeller, and expelled the pilot of the plane to take his place and return to the Valkyrie. Schmidt attacked him with the plane's weapons, but Rogers successfully entered the plane again through an open area in the plane's hangar section.
Schmidt tried to ambush Rogers inside the bridge of the plane, and they exchanged blows, damaging the controls of the Valkyrie during the fight. Schmidt managed to engage the auto-pilot, and began to shoot Rogers with his sidearm.
Rogers' eventually punched Schmidt into the machine containing the Cosmic Cube that was harnessing its energy to power the plane's systems, damaging the machine and apparently dimming the Cube in the process. Schmidt grabbed the now-exposed Cosmic Cube with his own hands, prompting the object to open a portal and seemingly launch Schmidt to his death. The Cube, superheated from this action, fell to the floor of the plane and melted through it entirely, landing in the ocean below.
Rogers, now piloting the Valkyrie, sent a transmission received in the captured HYDRA Headquarters. He informed Peggy Carter of Schmidt's apparent death and the status of the plane, headed to New York City in order to destroy it. Rogers immediately became aware of the fact that he would be unable to operate the plane or understand its systems in order to turn away from its destination in time to save countless civilian lives. Rogers decided to sink the plane in the ocean, exchanging tragic last words with Carter before losing contact upon impact. Rather than crashing into the ocean, however, the Valkyrie impacted an ice field, where the heat of the engines melted the surrounding ice, causing the plane to sink into the ice before it refroze.
== Trivia ==
* The Valkyrie is partially based on the Horten H.XVIII design.
* The Valkyrie is named after the Valkyrie, which are a group of strong Asgardian warriors.
Category:Vehicles
Category:Captain America Vehicles
Category:Comics vehicles
Category:HYDRA Equipment