After Idris Elba's stellar performance as Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, people around the world know Heimdall as Marvel's Guardian of the Bifrost. Heimdall, long depicted only as a supporting character, now has a renewed importance as one of Marvel's coolest Asgardians.

Heimdall is a character that has been around for a long time. Since his debut in the Silver Age, this guardian of Asgard has captivated readers with his mysterious aura. As an important figure in traditional Norse mythology, Heimdall's presence in the Marvel Universe is equally compelling, confirming his status as one of Thor's most reliable allies. Let's take a look at various surprising facts from Heimdall in the article below.

1. Protects Asgard

Much like in the movies, Heimdall's main job in the comics is to act as the Guardian of the Bifrost, the mystical Rainbow Bridge that connects Asgard to all other realms of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. As a guard, Heimdall is Asgard's first line of defense against attackers.

Heimdall's keen eyesight and hearing won him this position when he spotted the giant army advancing on Asgard, even though they were still days away. Asgard's victory over the giants led Odin to give Heimdall his trust. Since then, Heimdall's vigilant eyes have protected the walls of Asgard.

2. Equipped with Incredibly Sophisticated Equipment

As the city's protector, Heimdall needed to be equipped with everything he could possibly deal with. Besides his impressive giant helmet, Heimdall has two main objects to aid him in his quest: the Hofund, his mystical sword, and the Gjallerhorn, a powerful trumpet. Like Balder's sword Svraden, Heimdall's Hofund is an Uru sword enchanted by Odin.

Hofund also has the ability to project blue flames, change Heimdall's appearance to that of an ordinary human, and channel cosmic powers. The Gjallerhorn is a trumpet which is sometimes described as a normal sized instrument and sometimes as immovable. Despite its size, the purpose of the Gjallerhorn when it is blown is to mark the start of Ragnarök.

3. Great Power

Besides his epic gear, Heimdall has immense strength. Like all other Asgardians, Heimdall has endurance, speed, superhuman strength, and super dense tissue that protects him from easy injuries. However, Heimdall's most impressive power is his nearly omnipotent senses.

Heimdall is a "see-all," "hear-all," and even a "smell-all." He can see through the entire universe, even to the point of being able to see through space and time. He could sense creatures approaching him from hundreds of miles away, something vital to his protection of Asgard. He can also sense Asgardian life, being able to detect his friends throughout Yggdrasil.

4. One of the Most Trusted Asgardians

Between his status as the Guardian of the Bifrost and his immense strength, Heimdall is held in great esteem by nearly everyone in Asgard. Both heroes and villains acknowledge his status, shown by his place helping Odin, advising Balder, and freeing Ares from his madness during the Siege.

However, the greatest instance of Asgard giving their trust to their protector was when he was granted most of Odin's power after Asgard's patriarch entered Odin's sleep. However, friction with Sif, the loss of Thor, and the machinations of Loki and Karnilla resulted in the fall of the Heimdall government which has been doing pretty well so far.

5. Cousins with Sif

Of the many themes, one that stands out the most in the Thor franchise is family. Thor wars with his half-brothers and argues with his father, but still loves them at the end of the day. Heimdall also has strong family ties to Asgard: his sister is Lady Sif, Goddess of the Game and Harvest.

Both of them were Vanir, race gods from the World Tree realm, Vanaheim. After the Aesir and Vanir united, Heimdall quickly became one of the most important members of the newly called "Asgardians."

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6. Fought Against Thor

Just because Heimdall is a respected member of Asgard society doesn't mean he hasn't fought his comrades. In truth, Heimdall had fought the God of Thunder several times, generally on orders from Heimdall's master, Odin.

The first time the two fought was when Thor tried to return to Asgard after distracting Odin; next is when Thor tries to leave, because Odin doesn't want his son to see Jane Foster again. The two fight again when Loki gets a hold of Heimdall and causes him to fight Thor. Ironically, Loki did the same to Thor another time and caused him to fight Heimdall.

7. Heimdall and The Enchantress Was Together

Like several other prominent Asgardians, Heimdall lived a life full of drama. Besides battling trolls and preventing the end of the world, one of the greatest examples of drama in Heimdall's long life was when he became involved with Amora the Enchantress — a character who had become involved with Loki and the Masters of Evil.

Heimdall and Amora first became close after the Surtur War, when she comforted Heimdall about the Executioner's death. The two remained together for some time, with Amora assisting her lover during his reign over Asgard. However, Heimdall left Amora when he realized that he could not balance his duty with his love.

8. Has Died Many Times

Like other Marvel Asgardians, Heimdall is subject to the Ragnarök cycle of killing and regenerating the Norse Gods. However, Heimdall can also be killed in other, unforeseen ways, leading to several impactful deaths in the pages of Marvel Comics.

Heimdall's first major death in the comics was part of the aforementioned Twilight of the Gods. His reincarnated form is the first Asgardian god found by Thor. Together, the two men help rebuild Asgard. More recently, Heimdall was killed by Bullseye while searching for the Dragonfang sword with Jane Foster.

9. Heir

Whether due to death or paralysis, Heimdall was not always able to fulfill his duties and needed to be replaced. His little sister Sif has stepped in to help her brother, but Heimdall's most unexpected replacement has to be Daredevil, Marvel's Man Without Fear.

Heimdall passed the torch to Daredevil during the World War after he was blinded by Mangog. As Guardian of the Bifrost, Daredevil helps the heroes of Earth and Asgard defeat Malekith and his invading army. Shortly after, Daredevil returned his duties back to a healed Heimdall.

10. Present in Many Thor Adaptations

Like Odin, Sif, and the Warriors Three, Heimdall is an ally of Thor who is usually brought up in reinterpretations of the Thor myth. As his popularity grew thanks to the MCU, Heimdall continued to appear in comics, TV shows, video games, toys and movies involving Thor.

Particularly enjoyable are Heimdall's appearances in various Lego Marvel video games. The Heimdall minifigure nicely depicts the appearance of the MCU version of this character in a way that also brings out his comic coloring. Media aside, Heimdall is an important part of the Thor mythos.

So that's an interesting article about Heimdall from Marvel universe facts. Affordable top-ups and abundant benefits only on Dunia Games! You can also follow Dunia Games on Facebook and Instagram for news that is no less interesting.

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