HEIMDALL
Real Name: Rig-Heimdall
Occupation: Sentry of Asgard
Legal Status: Citizen of Asgard
Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Heimdall except as a mythological character.
Other Aliases: God of Light, The Shining God, The White God, Donald Velez
Place of Birth: Hlesey (modern Laeso Island, Denmark)
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives:
Odin (father),
Alti (mother),
Sif (sister),
Gialp, Greip, Egiea, Augeia, Ulfrun,
Aurgiafa, Sindor, Jarnsaxa (aunts/foster-mothers), Hoenir, Lodur (uncles), Buri,
Aegir (grandfathers),
Bestla,
Ran (grandmothers),
Thor,
Balder,
Hermod,
Hoder,
Bragi,
Tyr, Vali (half-brothers),
Loki
(foster-brother),
Brynhilda,
Mista and the
Valkyrior (half-sisters),
Sigyn,
Idunn,
Lofn, Synn, (sisters-in-law),
Nanna (sister-in-law,
deceased)
Group Affiliations:
The Gods of Asgard
Base of Operations: Himinibjorg, Asgard
First Appearance: Journey into Mystery #85
History: Heimdall is the son of Odin, Ruler of the Gods of Asgard, and Alti, daughter of
the ancient sea-god, Aegir. Aegir was of a generation of gods older than the
Aesir and the Vanir. While Odin was visiting Aegir, he encountered the
daughters of Aegir asleep on the beach at Hlesey and stayed the night with them.
falling in love with each of them, he married each of them, and from among them,
two children were born, Heimdall and Sif. The nine wave maidens were reported as
nurturing Heimdall and Sif on the strength of the earth, the moisture of the sea
and the heat of the sun. As an added attribute to this mystical up-bringing,
Heimdall grew to be tall and handsome with a dazzling smile of sunshine and
inherited incredible senses above that of any other Asgardian. Both Heimdall and
Sif thrived so well on this diet that they headed to Asgard to be counted among
the gods. The thunder-god, Thor, accepted Sif as his bride, and Heimdall was
entrusted with his incredible senses to standing sentry at Bifrost, the rainbow
bridge connecting Asgard to Earth.
Since accepting the noble task of guarding and protecting Asgard, Heimdall has never left his post at Bifrost. He also proved to be the most clever of the gods. He came up with the means for Thor to retrieve his stolen hammer from the giant Thrym who had taken it and even pursued Loki, matching him for each animal form he became while trying to escape, after the theft of Freia's necklace. However, prophecies eventually became known connecting Ragnarok, The Twilight of the Gods, to the death of the god Balder, the most beloved among the gods of Asgard. Loki masterminded these prophecies to come to pass and Balder died as a result. Heimdall faced off against Loki at Ragnarok where they slew each other in combat.
Heimdall as well as the Asgardian gods were restored to life sometime later in what is now believed to be repeating cycles of Ragnarok for the Asgardians. In this new incarnation, Heimdall seems to have no memories of Odin as his father except for the knowledge of Sif as his sister. Odin sent him to earth to investigate if the children of Ask and Embla still survived. Ask and Embla were two mortals who survived the Asgardians' war with the Giants of Jotunheim millennia before. On Earth, Heimdall disguised himself as a mortal man and encountered separately three sets of couples; each of whom treated him with extreme hospitality and courtesy. Each couple had a child nine months after Heimdall's stay who grew up to exhibit the greatest qualities of their families. To one of these children, Heimdall showed the secrets of the runes and wisdom over good and evil so that mortals could become aware of their own destinies.
Returning to his duties at Bifrost, Heimdall
has exhibited extreme diligence in his responsibilities to Asgard even to
proving to be almost a match against Thor at times although he has also proved
extremely loyal in his responsibilities to Odin, Thor and even Frigga. After the
Third Host of the Celestial, Heimdall participated with the goddesses of earth
to seek out twelve individuals as close to genetic potential to serve as
example of human potential. These individuals became known as the Young Gods.
Heimdall also showed great compassion toward Amora the Enchantress after the
death of her lover, Skurge the Executioner, and she fell in love with him in
return. Heimdall, however, was slain during war against the Egyptian god Seth
invading Asgard and Amora showed great remorse upon his death. Heimdall was eventually
restored to life by Odin but the ordeal with Seth had left him greatly weakened.
He chose Heimdall to behold the Odin-Force in his absence as he withdrew to his
needed Odin-sleep. One of Heimdall's first tasks was to restore the shattered
Rainbow Bridge Bifrost broken by Seth.
Seth eventually returned to mastermind
another Ragnarok by tampering with Yggdrasil, but Odin disguised the Asgardians
as mortals to conceal them from this fate. Heimdall became a mortal recording
artist in New York City named Donald Velez, and joined forces with Sif as
policewoman Ericka Velez and more of the disguised Asgardians to battle their
way back to Asgard and their true forms. The ordeal left them vulnerable to the
Dark Gods who imprisoned Heimdall deep with Asgard along with the other
surviving Asgardians. Freed from the pocket universe he had since been sent to,
Thor with the help of Hercules and the Destroyer freed Heimdall and the
Asgardians and laid siege against the Dark Gods, eventually forcing them from
Asgard.
Odin, however, soon sacrificed himself on Earth in a renewed battle with Surtur, and Thor finally accepted the throne of Asgard in the view of his apparent demise. Loki now set out a revised version of Ragnarok using the recovered forges that had created Mjolnir. Heimdall joined in the defense of Asgard, but Thor meanwhile learned that the recurring incarnations of Asgardians had been set in motion by mysterious beings known only as "Those Who Sit Above In Shadow." In order to put a end to the recurring cycles of Asgard, Thor slew Loki attacking Asgard and then carried his still conscious head on his belt as he opened Asgard to the forces of Surtur. Asgard was destroyed in the aftermath, and Heimdall and the Asgardians were lost except for Thor who disappeared into a deep sleep. In this destruction, "Those Who Sit Above in Shadow" followed them in death and were unable to revive them.
Sometime later, Thor eventually woke and reappeared on Earth soon thereafter and was able to reclaim his godhood and the still present Odin-force, which he required to restore Heimdall and the Asgardians to life. He located Heimdall living in New Orleans and with his help sought out locating the other Asgardians who were found living in Latveria, the home of Doctor Doom at Loki's insistence. Restored to godhood, Heimdall and the Asgardians went to live in New Asgard which Thor had created near Broxton, Oklahoma. By now, Loki had joined the Cabal, the antithesis to the Illuminati, in order to use Norman Osborn as his lackey and foil in creating as much strife and disorder among the heroes of Earth. From behind the scenes, Loki soon began impersonating the Scarlet Witch among the Avengers in order to keeping Osborn's own plans for power from interrupting her own plans to return to its proper place in the Nine Realms. Unfortunately, Osborn sent HAMMER into attacking Asgard, eliminating Heimdall as its first line of defense. Heimdall recovered quickly and joined the other Asgardians to prevent the destruction of Asgard.
Heimdall's activities since are unrevealed.
Height: 7' 2"
Weight: 575 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
Strength Level: Heimdall possesses superhuman strength enabling him to lift (press)
50 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers:
Heimdall possesses the conventional physical attributes of the Asgardian gods. Like all
Asgardians, he is extremely long-lived, but not immortal like the Olympian
gods.
He has not aged since reaching adulthood and cannot die by any conventional
means. He is immune to all Earthly diseases and is resistant to conventional
injury. If he were somehow wounded, his godly life force would enable him to
recover with superhuman speed. It would take an injury of such magnitude that it
dispersed a major portion of his bodily molecules to cause him a physical death.
Even then, it might be possible for a god of significant power, such as Odin or for a number of
Asgardian gods working together to revive him. Heimdall also possesses superhuman strength and
his Asgardian metabolism provides him with
far greater than human endurance in all physical activities. (Asgardian flesh and
bone is about three times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the
superhuman strength and weight of the Asgardian gods.)
Heimdall has extra-ordinary senses ranging on
the clairvoyant. his eyesight is sharp enough to see for one hundred miles in
all directions, and he even has a certain form of "second sight"
enabling him to see precognitive events from the future. all his senses have
been increased so far that he can "hear" the footfalls of a caterpillar,
and the breath of a fish. It was also said he could hear grass pushing up from
the earth and wool growing on a sheep's back. Because of his senses, he is an extraordinary
tracker and hunter.
Heimdall also possesses superhuman resolve
and endurance. He requires very little sleep and can stand at his post at
Bifrost for years with unbroken attention. His strength and stamina is powerful
enough that he has proven to be a near match for Thor in physical combat.
Abilities: Heimdall has shown great mastery with a sword. He is also a very beneficent,
devoted and charismatic individual capable of great compassion.
Weapons: Heimdall carries an enchanted unbreakable sword called Hofung.
Paraphernalia: Heimdall owns an enchanted horn called Gjallarhorn (also spelled
Giallargorn) whose blast can be heard throughout the Nine Worlds in the Asgardian cosmology.
Transportation/Pets: Heimdall rides a great steed called Gulltop ("Golden Tuft"). He has also used an enchanted longboat which can float through the
air as well as between dimensions.
Comments: This bio describes Heimdall as he has appeared in the Marvel Universe; it is
unrevealed if he has appeared in DC Comics.
Clarifications: Heimdall is not to be
confused with:
Last updated: 02/12/12