There’s nothing better for one’s physique than becoming an einherji. When Magnus Chase was a homeless sixteen-year-old living on the streets of Boston, he was a scrawny, scabby-skinned urchin with haunted gray eyes and long, ragged, dirty blond hair parted in the middle. After he died and went to Valhalla, however…well, he still had long ragged dirty blond hair parted in the middle and haunted gray eyes, but his body was suddenly muscular and toned, and his skin was free from scars and rashes. Instead of filthy street clothes, he had a clean pair of jeans, a green Property of Hotel Valhalla T-shirt, and a standard-issue sword and shield.

His hair was eventually cut so the strands could be used to defeat a giant named Tiny (long story). More importantly, his standard-issue sword was almost immediately replaced by Sumarbrander, the Sword of Summer, better known as Jack, the talking, flying, slicing disco sword. Jack transforms into a white stone pendant etched with the rune of Frey, the symbol of Magnus’s father, which Magnus attaches to a chain and wears around his neck.

As the son of Frey, god of peace, summer, and sunshine, Magnus is usually immune to extreme temperatures. He can generate a powerful energy burst known as the peace of Frey, which disarms combatants, and he can heal with a touch. If the injury is severe, he glows like warm yellow sunshine from the effort of healing it.

While not a skilled fighter or swordsman—Jack typically handles combat situations on his own—Magnus wouldn’t hesitate to put himself in harm’s way if it meant saving someone he cared about. He’s quick-witted enough to take on Loki, the trickster god, and street-smart enough to wriggle out of more than one trap. He’s not religious, but he respects his friend Samirah al-Abbas’s dedication to her Muslim religion. And while he might not have much experience with romance, he’s willing to learn when the right person comes along (just ask Alex Fierro).