Asgard

Asgard was one of the Nine Realms and the former home of the Asgardians. Asgard was destroyed in 2017 during Ragnarök, when Thor ordered Loki to unleash Surtur in order to kill Hela. The surviving Asgardians eventually relocated to Earth, settling in Tønsberg, Norway, establishing the town as New Asgard.

## Contents

* History
* Bor's Reign
* Odin's Reign
* Loki's Reign
* Ragnarök
* Destroyed
* Alternate Universes
* Time Heist
* Sylvie's Childhood
* Thor's Party
* Age of Ultron
* Rulers
* New Asgard
* Inhabitants
* Alternate Universes
* Appearances
* References
* External Links

## History

Asgard is a small, planetary body that serves as home to the Asgardians, a race of beings recognized by humans on Earth as the deities of Norse mythology, such as Thor and Odin. It is not round like the Earth, does not spin on its axis, and does not revolve around a star. It is a flat, asteroid-like mass that has a top surface with a gravitational pull, similar to that of the Earth, in order to keep the citizens and their cities from floating into the void.

There are natural nexus portals that exist on Asgard, due to deposits of the wormhole-sensitive, crystal-like material used in the construction of the Bifrost Bridge. These portals are in direct contact with the roots of Yggdrasil, a tree-like cosmic grid that connects the Nine Realms. Heimdall operates and safeguards the Bifrost Bridge from Himinbjorg. The Asgardian government operates through a strict monarchy which separates the royal family from regular Asgardians.

### Bor's Reign

Asgardians have a reputation as peacekeepers throughout the Nine Realms. The first known instance of Asgard's maintenance of intergalactic peace was the First Dark Elf Conflict during the Convergence of the Realms. Asgard's king, Bor, fought to prevent the Dark Elves, led by their king Malekith, from using the Aether to revert the universe to its previous state of darkness. The Asgardian army successfully put a stop to Malekith's campaign, with the surviving Dark Elf army retreating into suspended animation for 5,000 years.

### Odin's Reign

Bor's son and successor, Odin, with his daughter and Executioner Hela at his side, led Asgard into a violent conquest of the Nine Realms, building a wealthy and indomitable empire. Hela's ambitions exceeded the realms of Yggdrasil, however, and she began plotting a wider and bloodier conquest of other worlds.

Odin, realizing at last the dangers posed by his warlike philosophy and, unable to reason with his daughter, banished her to Hel. Odin proceeded to strike all reference to his tyrannical daughter from Asgardian art and record, ensuring she was forgotten by history.

Following his daughter's banishment, Odin accepted that an enforced peace was the best way to keep order within the Realms, leading to a millennium of relative calm.

The next threat to order within the Realms was the war between the Asgardians and the Frost Giants over Midgard and the Casket of Ancient Winters during the 10th century A.D. The Tesseract was also left on Earth by Odin hundreds of years ago. However centuries later, the reckless actions of Odin's son Thor nearly disrupted the peace between the Asgardians and the Frost Giants, almost causing another war by attacking Jotunheim, home to the Frost Giants.

The city of Asgard is now a collection of elaborate buildings and intricate spires. Seemingly built into the rock, large structures with sweeping terraces top many of the cliffs; gleaming pyramids, statues, and columns surround Odin's palace - Valhalla, a many-tiered structure resembling a towering pipe organ - at the center of the city. Another notable feature in Asgard is the Bifrost Bridge, which provides passage to all the Nine Realms, but can only be opened if permitted by its guardian, Heimdall. It also includes Odin's Vault which contains many powerful and ancient artifacts, including the Casket of Ancient Winters, which was nearly in possession of the Frost Giants again with the help of Loki. Additionally, it is where the Hall of Asgard, where all important public events take place presided over by Odin, is located; colorful ceremonial banners of the Nine Realms adorn the vast chamber during celebrations, in which the hall is crowded with Aesir and representatives from across Yggdrasil. This was also where Thor's coronation took place. It was severely damaged by the latest Dark Elf attack in 2013.

### Loki's Reign

After the Sacking of Asgard, Loki deceitfully replaced Odin as the king of Asgard, by casting illusions that made Loki look identical to his father Odin. Asgard hence temporarily stooped to a time of corruption in which Loki abused his powers as king, indulging in his individual entertainment and pleasure. Upon arriving at Asgard two years later, Thor could see straight through Loki's guise as Odin. He quickly publicly exposed Loki's trickery and deception to the wider Asgard.

### Ragnarök

#### Destroyed

Thor and Loki's abrupt capture and absence from Asgard left it without a leader and thus defenseless. This gap in leadership was quickly filled by Hela, who stormed Asgard and forcibly took the throne. Asgardian civilization soon began to fall apart under her reign. Hela alone slew Asgard's entire army, killing Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun. Hela defiled the city by resurrecting soldiers buried deep within Asgard, who terrorized and killed dissenting civilians. However, her occupation came to an abrupt end when Thor, Valkyrie, and Hulk came to reclaim Asgard, with Loki helping Heimdall safely relocate the Asgardian people.

This climactic fight over Asgard was unwinnable, as Hela was just too powerful. Thor subsequently ordered Loki to release Surtur, as it was the only way to ensure Hela's demise. Fully aware that releasing Surtur would also ensure the desolation of Asgard, Thor watched Asgard burn and particulate into the void.

### Alternate Universes

#### Time Heist

In 2023, the Avengers initiated a Time Heist, where they used time travel to acquire all six Infinity Stones from different points in time in order to resurrect the victims of Thanos' Snap. Arriving in Asgard of an alternate 2013, Thor and Rocket Raccoon are assigned with extracting the Aether from Jane Foster during her brief stay at the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf.

While Thor conversed with Frigga, Rocket used a device to extract the Aether from Foster's body. The two then used the Quantum Realm to return to their timeline, with Thor bringing with him the 2013 version of Mjølnir. After the Battle of Earth, Steve Rogers journeyed to the alternate 2013 to return the Reality Stone in its solidified state along with Mjølnir back to Asgard.

#### Thor's Party

The entirety of Asgard (including Asgardians living throughout the galaxy) was invited to Thor's Party on Midgard.

#### Age of Ultron

In an alternate 2015, Asgard was targeted by Ultron, an android who was created to for peace but went rogue and deemed life itself to be the ultimate threat to peace itself. Using the newly acquired Infinity Stones, Ultron used the Power Stone to obliterate Asgard and kill all of its’ population.

## Inhabitants

* Bor
* Odin
* Hela
* Fenris
* Frigga
* Thor
* Loki
* Sif
* Volstagg
* Fandral
* Skurge
* Eir
* Tyr

### Alternate Universes

* Loki
* Sylvie Laufeydottir
* Classic Loki
* Kid Loki
* Boastful Loki
* Thor
* Loki
* Thor
* Odin
* Thor
* Heimdall
* Brunnhilde
* Skurge
* Volstagg
* Fandral
* Hogun
* Thor

## References

The Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Asgard.

1. ↑ Jump up to:1.0 1.1 1.2 *Thor: The Dark World*
2. ↑ Jump up to:2.0 2.1 2.2 *Thor: Ragnarok*
3. ↑ *Thor*
4. ↑ *Avengers: Endgame*
5. ↑ *What If...?: 1.07: What If... Thor Were an Only Child?*
6. ↑ *What If...?: 1.08: What If... Ultron Won?*

## External Links

* Asgard on Marvel Database
* Asgard on Wikipedia