| Heimdall | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Art byOlivier Coipel | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Journey into Mystery #85 (October 1962) |
| Created by | Stan Lee (writer) Larry Lieber (writer) Jack Kirby (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Asgardian |
| Place of origin | Asgard |
| Notable aliases | Donald Velez, Ezra |
| Abilities |
|
Heimdall (/ˈheɪmdɑːl/)[1] is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The character is based on theNorsedeityHeimdall. Heimdall is described as all-seeing and all-hearing and is the sole protector of theBifröst inAsgard.
Idris Elba portrayed the character in theMarvel Cinematic Universe filmsThor (2011),[2]Thor: The Dark World (2013),Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015),[3]Thor: Ragnarok (2017),Avengers: Infinity War (2018), andThor: Love and Thunder (2022).[4]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(December 2012) |
Heimdall first appeared in a comic inJourney into Mystery #85 (October 1962) and was created byStan Lee,Larry Lieber andJack Kirby.
Heimdall is the brother of the warriorSif.[5] He is the all-seeing and all-hearing guardian sentry ofAsgard who stands on the rainbow bridgeBifröst to watch for any attacks to Asgard. He partly won the role through using his eyesight to see an army of giants several days' march from Asgard, allowing them to be defeated before they reached Asgard, and making their king a prisoner.[6] For ages, he stood as the guardian of Asgard, defending the city's gates from any intruders, and was one of the most trusted servants ofOdin.
Later still, Heimdall battled Thor atLoki's command.[7] In the prophecy of Ragnarok, he severed the Bifröst and soundedGjallarhorn.[8] He traveled to Earth with Kamorr the dwarf to search for human candidates for godhood.[9] He gathered three such human beings, and arranged for them to be exposed toEgo-Prime's energies and become the first threeYoung Gods.[10]
When Asgard was invaded by the fire demonSurtur, Heimdall attempted to defend the gates, but was overcome, and the Bifröst was shattered.[11] No longer needing to be stationary, Heimdall spent more time in Asgard. Heimdall is given the Great Scepter of Odin to guard by Loki.[12]
When Odin returned to Asgard after Surtur's defeat, he gave a portion of his power to Heimdall to restore the Bifröst, and Heimdall resumed his duties.[13]
Shortly afterwards, when Odin was about to enter his Odinsleep, he gave the Odinpower to Heimdall so he could rule Asgard until he awoke.[volume & issue needed] Heimdall had to deal with a major crisis in the life of Thor, as Thor had been banished into the subconscious of the mortalEric Masterson, who had assumed Thor's responsibilities.[volume & issue needed] Sif was determined to find the real Thor, and her determination drove a wedge between her and Heimdall.[volume & issue needed] WhenKarnilla conspired withLoki to rule Asgard by having Odin awaken with Loki's soul possessing him, Heimdall was branded a traitor and banished to the Dream Dimension, ruled by the demonNightmare.[volume & issue needed] During this incident, his mind had been altered, leaving him little more than being able to follow directions.[volume & issue needed] The Enchantress battles Nightmare in order to save him, ultimately rescuing them both.[volume & issue needed] Eric Masterson helped restore Odin whose body had been taken over by Loki withMephisto's help and later Thor as well from the soul shroud.[14]
When Odin cast the Asgardians into the guises of mortals to protect them from a false Ragnarok, Heimdall became Donald Velez.[15] He joined the other "Lost Gods" in attempting to rediscover who they were and battling the Egyptian death-god Seth.[volume & issue needed] Heimdall and the others regained their true forms and defeated Seth as Asgard was attacked by the Dark Gods, and they were all taken prisoner.[volume & issue needed] They were finally rescued by Thor.[volume & issue needed]
Asgard is struck by another Ragnarok, caused by Loki making weapons like Mjolnir for his army and enlisting the aid of Surtur, one from which there was no seeming reversal. Heimdall perishes in battle defending his people.[volume & issue needed] Many Asgardians, Heimdall included, reform as Earthly beings.
After Thor ends the cycle of Ragnarok, Thor restores Asgard inBroxton, Oklahoma. Heimdall, along with the other Asgardians, are reborn on Earth in bodies of mortal beings, and he is the first Asgardian to be found. Thor locates Heimdall inNew Orleans in the body of a man on a bridge and restores him to his Asgardian form. Upon his return to Asgard, Heimdall uses his near-omniscient power to locate the scattered souls of the other Asgardians with the notable exception of his sister Sif, due to Loki's interference.[16]
InSiege, Heimdall is one of the first targets to be taken out byNorman Osborn and his forces. Loki transports his bedchamber beneath Asgard so he cannot warn them of the attack.[17] However Heimdall partially recovers, joins his comrades in battle and assists in defeating the invaders.[18][19] Heimdall's duties and status are touched upon in the 'Avengers Prime' miniseries which takes place in the days following 'Siege'. At the conclusion, he is entrusted with the Twilight Sword, a weapon that could destroy the known worlds.[20]
The rebuilding of Asgard comes with a new ruler, the All-MotherFrigga. She asks Heimdall to look into the future, where he sees unknown assassins attempting to kill her. He also manages to note something is wrong with the God of Thunder, Tanarus. Tanarus severely injures Heimdall, leaving him unable to protect the All-Mother and warn others of the mystery of his attacker.[21]
Odin returns, and yet another carries Mjolnir,Jane Foster. When Odin sends theSerpent to bring down Jane on Bifröst itself, Heimdall fights back, knowing this would end with him imprisoned, as the former All-Mother is imprisoned under Odin's orders.[22]
WhenMangog attacked Asgard, his latest assault left Heimdall blind when the monster took Heimdall's sword and used it to gouge out his eyes.[23] Heimdall was treated in time to save his life, but when the War of the Realms began, he was still blinded, with the result thatDaredevil took over his duties for a brief period as he was better equipped to 'see' while blind,[24] until his eyes recovered.[25]
With his eyesight restored, Heimdall traveled to Midgard to help Jane Foster - the new Valkyrie - find the lost sword Dragonfang before being stabbed in the chest byBullseye. Although his wounds proved fatal, Heimdall helped Jane accept that she had to be her own kind of Valkyrie rather than hold on to their legacy. She subsequently takes Heimdall on a 'tour' of the multiversal afterlife rather than taking him straight toValhalla so that he could experience something truly new.[26]
Heimdall possesses thepowers of a typical Asgardian, including superhuman strength, stamina, speed, agility and durability. However, he is generally stronger and more durable than all but a few Asgardians, such as Odin and Thor. Like all Asgardians his body is denser than a human's, contributing partly to his superhuman strength and weight.
Heimdall possesses acute senses, most notably his vision and hearing. His senses are said to be so acute that he can hear sap running through trees and plants growing,[6] and see and hear anything occurring in Asgard or on Earth.[6] Heimdall is able to sense the life essences of Asgardian gods throughout the Nine Worlds of Asgard, and has the ability to focus on certain sensory information or block it out of his consciousness as he chooses, being so alert that he requires no sleep at all.[27] Certain magical spells can block his sensory powers. Additionally, his powers of sight are limited if even one of his eyes cannot see; apparently his eyes are capable of sustaining physical injury and require a long time to naturally heal, if ever.[18] At least once, Heimdall has shown the ability to project an avatar (as an enlarged image of his face) to others from just outside Broxton to Manhattan, as he did with Thor, though he claims that he cannot maintain it for long, as his power has diminished with the fall of Asgard.[28]
Heimdall also briefly possessed the Odinpower, which granted him the ability to channel vast magical energies for various purposes, such as repairing the Bifröst.
Heimdall is an experienced warrior and a fierce hand-to-hand combatant. He has proficiency and great experience with edged weapons and wields a variety of swords, shields and spears and he wears a suit of armor. Heimdall bore the Gjallerhorn ("Yelling Horn"), which he would sound to alert all of Asgard to dangers threatening the city's gates, functioning even on Midgard and capable of being heard by any and all Asgardians on the planet when sounded. While in the mortal form of Donald Velez he wore enchanted glasses which granted him super-enhanced vision. He possesses the golden-maned steed named Golltoppr ("Golden Top").
Heimdall is armed with an enchanteduru sword that has, on at least one occasion, allowed him to disguise himself as a human while on Earth.[9][29] It is said by Heimdall to contain "all the cosmic force of the universe"[30] has also been shown capable of projecting "the blue flame from countless cosmic suns",[31] used both times to battle Thor, and enabled Heimdall to directly best the Thunder God the first time when the latter's strength was halved.[30] Heimdall has also at least once wielded the powerful Sabre of Sorcery, which projected blasts of mystic energy and fire, against theHulk when the latter was invading Asgard, but was unable to prevent him from entering the Realm Eternal.[32]
An alternate universe variant of Heimdall from Earth-9997 appears inEarth X. This version is an alien who theCelestials manipulated into believing that he was a god.[33]
An alternate universe variant of Heimdall from Earth-691 appears inGuardians of the Galaxy.[34]
An alternate universe variant of Heimdall from Earth-10091 appears inThor: The Mighty Avenger #6.[35]
An alternate universe variant of Heimdall fromEarth-1610 appears inUltimate Thor #2, where he is killed byLoki.[36]
In theUltimate Universe imprint, Heimdall appears as a member of Thor and Sif's Asgardian Revolution.[37]
{{cite web}}:Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|website= (help){{cite web}}:Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|website= (help)
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Marvel Comics |
|
|---|---|
| DC Comics |
|
| Other |
|
| Television work | |
| Related articles | |
