Phase Zero
Characters

Heimdall

Guardian of the Bifrost

ThorEarth-616

The man who guards the bridge between worlds and can see all of them at once, which makes him the loneliest job in Asgard.

Heimdall is the sentry, and the character the Thor films use whenever they need somebody to be right early. He sees across all Nine Realms, hears everything in them, and is therefore the first to know when something is wrong and the last to be listened to about it.

Idris Elba plays him in six films across seven years, mostly in short scenes. The best of them is in Ragnarok, where the guardian of the bridge is a fugitive leading refugees through tunnels, which is the same job with the grandeur taken off.

Played by
Idris Elba
Role
Sentry of the Bifrost
Affiliation
Asgard
What they can do
Sees and hears across the Nine Realms, and controls the bridge that connects them.

The journey

What happens to this person, title by title.

  1. Thor2011

    Lets Thor and his friends leave against orders, which is treason done on purpose and in the open.

  2. Thor: The Dark World2013

    Brings down a Dark Elf ship on foot.

  3. Avengers: Age of Ultron2015

    In the vision Wanda gives Thor, where Asgard is already lost.

  4. Thor: Ragnarok2017

    Hides the Asgardians from Hela and steals the sword that runs the bridge, which is the only thing keeping them alive.

  5. Avengers: Infinity War2018

    Uses the last of what he has to send somebody else somewhere safe.

  6. Thor: Love and Thunder2022

    A cameo after the credits, in a place the film has been arguing about.

Appears in

  1. Thor2011
  2. Thor: The Dark World2013
  3. Avengers: Age of Ultron2015
  4. Thor: Ragnarok2017
  5. Avengers: Infinity War2018
  6. Thor: Love and Thunder2022

Sources

Facts last checked on Sep 10, 2026