A Surprising MCU God Just Found a New Afterlife

Immortal Thor is pulling something of a no-brainer when it comes to Thor stories. The Thor comics have always had their share of dipping into actual Norse mythology, but usually used a sensationalized version of it, one that gets the basics right (sometimes) but goes its own direction. Immortal Thor, by Al Ewing and Jan Bazaluda, is going in a different direction, telling a story that uses Norse myths to tell the story of the death of Thor, a story which Immortal Thor #22 continues.

Thor and Skurge have teamed up to enter Utgard, a dark shadow realm of gods that mimic that of the Norse Pantheon. Thor has already defeated Toranos, the Utgard Thor, but Utgard Loki is proving a bit more of a problem, his powerful magic fueling tricks unlike anything Thor has encountered before. This leads them into a trap, an endless city maze known as Nrgl where they find Hermod, one of Thor’s brothers who had disappeared earlier in the series.



Hermod gives them some news about a god who has been missing for a while — Heimdall, played in the MCU by Idris Elba.Heimdall has gained a measure of popularity in the current day because of Elba’s performance. Heimdall has played an important role in the history of Marvel’s Asgard, guarding the Rainbow Bridge against all who would trespass against it.

However, Heimdall’s fate has converged with that of his MCU version, leading him to a new afterlife for the Asgardians.Heimdall Decided to go On a Different JourneyHeimdall’s stewardship of the Bifrost defined his years of service to both Odin and Thor. While lesser gods like Baldur got a chance to sit on the throne of Odin, Heimdall was mostly content to hold his station on the Bifrost, Asgard’s first line of defense.

Heimdall was a valorous warrior and fought the enemies of Asgard with glee. That was basically all there was to Heimdall, and he fulfilled his role well. After Ragnarok, he was the first god that Thor found and took up the role of watchman of Asgard.

He foresaw Norman Osborn’s attack on Asgard, but Loki stopped him from warning anyone. Heimdall would fight bravely for the realm of Odin and Thor for years, and was instrumental in revealing the truth about Toranus, who took Thor’s place after one of his deaths. Heimdall fought against Mangog, and during “War of the Realms” went to help retrieve the original Valkyrie’s sword with Jane Foster.

Heimdall was stabbed with the sword by Bullseye, but stayed alive long enough to convince Jane to destroy the sword, which let her defeat Bullseye. Heimdall decided to not go to Valhalla, instead traveling out to the Far Shore.RELATED: Thor’s Idea of Death Is the MCU’s Greatest VillainThis somehow led him out to Utgard and Nrgl.

Utgard was a creation of Utgard Loki during the wars between the Elder Gods. It was meant to serve as the home of those who escaped the Demogorge — Utgard Loki, Toranos, Nrgl, Kemur, and Mejed. It is also home to the mysterious Those Who Sit Above In Shadow.

Heimdall finding Utgard out in the greater cosmos, something no one has been done before while searching the afterlife makes it seem like a much scarier place than it was before. It’s always been a dark mirror realm, where the forces of the ancient universe plotted their revenge, but the fact that the dead can end up there adds a new factor to what Utgard Loki and the rest of Utgard’s gods can do the lands of the living.Utgard Keeps Getting ScarierHeimdall had spent his long existence seeing time and space in unique ways as guardian of the Bifrost.

It makes sense that someone like Heimdall would want to explore beyond the Ten Realms of Asgard, a place that had been his area of responsibility for untold millennia. Heimdall traveling further than anyone else was a fitting fate for the god who had protected Asgard and his people for so long. However, falling into the black hole of Utgard definitely wasn’t something that Heimdall figured would ever happen to him.

Utgard’s place in the cosmos is uncertain, at best. It’s not one of the Ten Realms, but it’s also not part of any other cosmic fief out there, like Death’s Realm. For Heimdall to find it out beyond the Far Shore, a massive hole in the fabric of all things, takes a realm of evil and makes it into something else.

Utgard is a cosmic predator, one that took its cue from the dark beings who call it home.Immortal Thor #22 is on sale now.The post A Surprising MCU God Just Found a New Afterlife appeared first on ComicBook.

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