Yes, there are figures in Norse Mythology with these names though that doesn't really mean much of anything with regards to the graphic novel, as you shall soon see.
Skadi is the goddess of skiers and winter. Ran is a sea goddess who is like the Norse equivalent of the Greek god Poseidon and the Roman god Neptune. She is thought to be cold and cruel. Var is a goddess that is associated or linked with oaths and agreements.
These 3 goddesses aren't really linked to each other in Norse Mythology. They're also not that well-known as compared to the other goddesses out there like Frigg and Freya. Skadi could be said to be more recognizable than both Ran and Var, but that's not really saying much.
You can say that the only thing they share are their names and the fact that they're all portrayed as women.
While that is the case, that's not really what's wrong with the RoA. It's perfectly fine even if they're nothing like their mythological counterparts, because, after all, the comic is only loosely based on Norse Mythology.
The problem is really with the characters themselves. But what exactly is the problem? What's wrong with the RoA?
Let's start with how these 3 were first introduced to us. To put it mildly, they seemed to have come from out of nowhere because their appearance was so abrupt. It's like they just showed up without rhyme or reason.
Are we really supposed to believe that they've been hiding inside those barrels the entire time? Why would they even do that? Upon seeing these 3 new characters, so many questions are brought forth, but none are satisfactorily answered.
For instance, we want to know who those three are, but all we get are their names and the fact that they're apparently collectively called the Rangers of Asgard. But what does that mean to us? We've never even heard of the term before, so how could we care about these 3?
What reason did they have to appear now as opposed to making an entrance some other time?
With the way these 3 are acting, it's really like they're just here for comic relief purposes, which is completely unnecessary since we already have Iris Irine and Lidia for that.
Because of how they're acting, it's difficult to take them seriously or even perceive them as a credible threat. They also seem very clueless and oblivious, which might not be all that bad, but, coupled with their arrogant smugness and overconfident nature, they just ended up coming across as extremely unlikable.
They seemed way too sure of themselves and their powers such as when they thought that their enemies were running away from them, being too impressed with their perceived greatness, and yet they don't even realize that they're actually destroying the air ship they're on.
If even the protagonists themselves are laughing at their supposed opponents, then how can this be relevant or of use to the plot? The introduction of the RoA does not appear to further the story's plot in any way, shape or form.
Nothing seems interesting or compelling about these characters and we don't even get to know much about them before we find that they're already leaving.
Seriously, what's the point of introducing these weird characters to us? If they didn't show up, will we have missed anything? Can the story go on even without these three? It certainly seems that way.
After all, Arkana was already there to cause trouble for the heroes. She brought weird creatures with her to attack the main characters. She and those creatures should have been more than enough to destroy the air ship and split up the group, which seemed to be the entire point of the air ship scene.
If the appearance of the RoA was abrupt, then their departure was even more so. It's like they only showed up to cause mayhem and destruction before leaving. This just exacerbates the apparent fact that their introduction was completely pointless and useless. So, what do you think of the Rangers of Asgard? Should they have been introduced now or would it have been better if they made an appearance some other time?
*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki (CC:BY-SA) based on the image by jm08191998, CC:BY-SA from deviantArt
- Image is meant to represent the 3 women that make up the Rangers of Asgard
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget
