- "The Bifrost gives me access to everything the Nine Realms has to offer."
- ―Skurge[src]
The Bifrost Bridge, commonly referred to as simply the Bifrost, is a dimensional energy which allows instantaneous travel within the Nine Realms. It was used primarily by the Asgardians, who were able to use a Rainbow Bridge to harness the energy and access the Bifrost in order to travel to and protect those realms. The Bifrost was also able to be called upon using dark magic and was also imbued into Stormbreaker, allowing its wielder to access the bridge at any time. The immense dimensional energy, given enough concentration, could also be used to destroy planets. Whenever it is used, it leaves a pattern-like marking.
History[]
Key to Eternity[]
The Bifrost shown to open the Gates of Eternity
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To be added[1]
Guardian Heimdall[]
Attack on Jotunheim[]
- "If your return threatens the safety of Asgard, Bifrost will remain closed to you. And you'll be left to die in the cold waste of Jotunheim."
"Couldn't you just leave the bridge open for us?"
"To leave the bridge open would unleash the full power of the Bifrost and destroy Jotunheim, and with you upon it." - ―Heimdall and Volstagg[src]
The Bifrost Bridge
Thor, Loki, Sif, and the Warriors Three decided to use the Bifrost to reach Jotunheim and attack the Frost Giants by surprise following an unexpected breach of Odin's Vault. Loki prepared to deceive Heimdall, however the Bridge's guardian, knowing their intent and curious as to how the Jotuns had slipped by him, allowed them into Himinbjorg. After activating the Bridge, Heimdall informed them that if their return threatened Asgard, he would keep the Bifrost closed to them, and informed Volstagg that the Bifrost's energy would eventually destroy Jotunheim if left open when the rotund warrior suggested that he leave it open for them.
As they fled from the Frost Giants, Loki, Sif, and the Warriors Three returned to the Bifrost site, asking Heimdall to open the Bridge to allow their way, although to no response. Only when they and Thor were completely surrounded did the Bifrost open, allowing Odin, riding Sleipnir, to arrive. After Laufey refused the Allfather's request to excuse his son's and friends' incursion, Odin signaled for the bridge's activation, and the Asgardians were pulled back to their home realm.[2]
Banished to New Mexico[]
Upon their return to Asgard, Heimdall was dismissed from his post by Odin as he and Thor argued. Odin proceeded to use Gungnir to activate the Bifrost, stripping Thor of Mjølnir, his armor and his power and banishing him to New Mexico on Earth, to be found by Jane Foster and her colleagues.[2]
Loki's Campaign[]
Defying Orders[]
Later, in order to prove himself worthy of the throne of Asgard and distance himself from his Frost Giant heritage, Loki decided to use the Bifrost to completely destroy Jotunheim. Loki used the Bifrost to travel to Jotunheim so that he could forge a false alliance himself with Laufey, offering him access to Asgard through the Bifrost rather than one of his secret pathways.
Heimdall was suspicious of Loki's disguised actions while away, having been unable to see him with his omni-sense, and in response Loki ordered him to keep the Bifrost closed until he had dealt with the issues caused by Thor.
Knowing that Loki was acting out of his own selfish interests, Heimdall's omni-sense allowed him to learn that Sif and the Warriors Three wanted to use the Bifrost to reach Earth to rescue Thor and bring him back to Asgard after his banishment. Skirting Loki's order to not allow any through the Bifrost, Heimdall instead left Hofund behind for them to use.[2]
Used as a Weapon[]
Having seen the Bifrost being activated, Loki decided to send the Destroyer to New Mexico to eliminate Thor and his allies to ensure his rule. After confronting Heimdall, Loki declared that he was relieved of duty and then froze him using the Casket of Ancient Winters. Using Gungnir, Loki activated the Bifrost to send the Destroyer to Earth, and after it was defeated, opening the Bifrost to Jotunheim, welcoming Laufey and a few of his men to Asgard.
Once Heimdall was able to break free of the ice, he opened the Bifrost to allow Thor and the others to return. After Thor confronted him in Odin's bedchamber, Loki returned to Himinbjorg to activate the bridge once again, intending to use Laufey's infiltration of Asgard as justification for the Frost Giants' destruction. Once the Bifrost was opened to Jotunheim, Loki used the Casket to freeze the energy, so that its power would continue to build until Jotunheim was destroyed.[2]
The Bifrost is deactivated
As Loki and Thor dueled on the Rainbow Bridge, the Bifrost continued to launch its full power at Jotunheim, the effects of which began to be visible on other worlds in the Nine Realms. Unable to get close enough Himinbjorg in order to shut it down, Thor realized he had to destroy the Rainbow Bridge, bringing Mjølnir down with full force and shattering it. After it was destroyed, the Bifrost could no longer be harnessed, preventing the annihilation of the Frost Giants, and creating a temporary wormhole[3] which Loki allowed himself to fall through after Odin condemned Loki's actions.[2]
Out of Action[]
With the Rainbow Bridge destroyed, preventing Asgard from harnessing the Bifrost and leaving them cut off from the rest of the Nine Realms, several Marauders began attacking the more peaceful of the unprotected realms.[4]
Due to the Rainbow Bridge's destruction, Odin was forced to use dark magic to harness the Bifrost, at the cost of both of their health, to send Thor to Earth in order to retrieve Loki, who was attempting to use the Tesseract to conquer Earth.[5][6]
Reactivation[]
Protecting the Nine Realms[]
Once Thor returned to Asgard with Loki and the Tesseract, the Asgardians were able to regenerate the Rainbow Bridge using the energy obtained from the cube, thus granting them access to the Bifrost once more. The Tesseract was then placed under the care of Heimdall, who resumed his position as gatekeeper of the bridge.
Thor and his friends used the Bifrost multiple times to pacify the Nine Realms, the last campaign of which sent them and several Einherjar to Vanaheim. Thor arrived after the battle had already begun, launching Mjølnir at a Marauder while the bridge was still open.
Once the Marauders were defeated, Volstagg, Fandral and the Einherjar began transporting their prisoners back to Asgard through the Bifrost for imprisonment, transporting dozens at a time. In order to infiltrate Asgard, the Dark Elf Algrim disguised himself as a Marauder so that he was transported amongst their prisoners.[4]
Temporary Shut Down[]
In 2013, Odin ordered the Bifrost shut down to prevent anyone from leaving Asgard, forcing Thor to ally with Loki in order to find another way to leave the planet. However, after the Second Dark Elf Conflict subsided, the Bifrost was reactivated, and Thor used it to return to Earth and reunite with Jane Foster.[4]
Loki's Disguised Reign[]
Continued Use[]
- "She escaped when the Dark Elves invaded Asgard and came here using one of Loki's secret pathways between worlds."
"Do we know where she is now?"
"All I know is the Bifrost delivered me to her last known location." - ―Sif and Grant Ward[src]
Sif used the Bifrost to come to Earth when she was chasing the criminal Lorelei. After her capture, the duo used the bridge to return to Asgard.[7] A year later, she used the Bifrost to transport the Kree agent Vin-Tak from Earth.[8]
Thor's Return to Space[]
Thor uses the Bifrost to return to space
In 2015, Thor used the Bifrost to leave the Avengers Compound and return to space to research the Infinity Stones. After Thor left, Tony Stark disdainfully commented on how the Bifrost made a mark on the Facility's grounds.[9]
Ragnarök[]
Thor's Return to Asgard[]
By 2017, Loki had charged Heimdall with treason and employed Skurge to take Heimdall's place as Guardian of the Bifrost. During his time as Gatekeeper, Skurge repeatedly used the Bifrost to travel to the Nine Realms to procure items, even visiting Texas and acquiring two assault rifles. While stuck in Muspelheim, Thor called out to Heimdall to use the Bifrost to transport him to Asgard, unaware that Heimdall was no longer in duty. Skurge, who was distracted, was eventually made aware of the request and activated the Bifrost, transporting Thor, as well as the head of a Fire Dragon, back to Asgard.[10]
Hela's Return[]
Thor and Loki used the Bifrost to travel to Earth to New York City in order to find their father. After his death, Hela was released, and Loki called for the Bifrost to take him and Thor from Norway to Asgard.
When the Bifrost reached them, Hela managed to also enter, which ensued a skirmish between her, Loki, and Thor. She manifested blades while inside the Bifrost, quickly thrusting Loki into the void, and then Thor, inadvertently causing them to land on Sakaar. As Hela took over Asgard, Heimdall infiltrated Himinbjorg and stole Hofund in order to prevent the Bifrost from being used to assist Hela's plans. He then attempted to use the Bifrost to evacuate the Asgardians, but their path was blocked by Hela's Berserker Army and Fenris. When Thor arrived, he realized that they had to allow Ragnarök to occur in order to defeat Hela. After Surtur was restored and granted his full power, he destroyed Asgard, as well as the Rainbow Bridge, causing the Bifrost to be defunct.[10]
Infinity War[]
Heimdall's Last Bridge[]
- "In a narrow escape from THANOS, the Bifrost transported BRUCE BANNER home to Earth. He warned the fractured AVENGERS of the Mad Titan's impending assault."
- ―Watchers Report[src]
In 2018, after Thanos knocked out Hulk, Heimdall used his final strength to muster enough dark magic to summon the Bifrost, which transported Hulk to the New York Sanctum.[11]
Thor Arrives in Wakanda[]
Through the power of his newly forged weapon, Stormbreaker, Thor was able to summon the Bifrost again. He used the Bifrost to transport himself, Rocket, and Groot from Nidavellir to Wakanda, arriving during the Battle of Wakanda.[11]
Gorr's Quest[]
Thor's Rescue Mission[]
To be added[1]
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Returning to New Asgard[]
To be added[1]
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Gateway to Eternity[]
To be added[1]
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Evacuating Children[]
To be added[1]
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Alternate Universes[]
Asgardian Invasion[]
- "Director, sensors are reporting a massive energy surge. Seems like it came out of nowhere."
"What are you seeing, Coulson?"
"A meteorological phenomenon of some kind." - ―S.H.I.E.L.D. Technician, Nick Fury and Phil Coulson[src]
In an alternate 2010, Loki, along with Sif, the Warriors Three, the Destroyer, and a number of Asgardian soldiers appeared via Bifrost Bridge in front of the S.H.I.E.L.D perimeter base in New Mexico to take revenge over the death of his brother.[12]
Zombie Apocalypse[]
- "Dr. Bruce Banner, the human hiding within the Hulk, fell from the stars to warn humanity of imminent danger. But the world he found was not one he recognized."
- ―The Watcher[src]
In an alternate 2018, Thanos attacked the Statesman and defeated the Hulk. This prompted an injured Heimdall to ask for the dark magic to flow through him one last time, allowing him to open the Bifrost Bridge to send Hulk to Earth. The Bridge carried Hulk through space to Earth, crashing into the New York Sanctum.[13]
Thor's Party[]
To be added[14]
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Capabilities[]
The Bifrost Bridge is a transit system used by Asgardians to travel to the various realms among the Nine Realms and numerous other planets. The Bifrost uses a powerful, rainbow-like energy drawn/ from the center of Asgard to create wormhole-like portals that can instantaneously transport people and objects between realms, over millions of light-years of distance. On other realms, the Bifrost appears as a brilliant beam of white light that shines down on its surface, often leaving behind a rune-like pattern burned into the ground.
The Bifrost is composed of two physical structures in Asgard; Himinbjorg and the Rainbow Bridge, which act as two components of a large machine that channels energy from Asgard to create the portals that allow for transportation. The Rainbow Bridge draws energy from the center of Asgard to Himinbjorg where it is directed to its destination allowing transportation that is precise and accurate. The Bifrost also behaves like a tractor beam, drawing people and objects bathed in its light back to Himinbjorg, such as people wishing to reach Asgard or pulling the Aether from Svartalfheim to prevent Malekith from using it.[4] The beam of energy projected by the Bifrost is powerful enough to destroy a realm/planet if it is allowed to remain open long enough, as Loki tried to do to Jotunheim.[2]
Appearances[]
Notes[]
- Not to be confused with the Rainbow Bridge, the Bifrost is the portal generated from Himinbjorg that allows for transport between the Nine Realms.[15]
- However, Thor once described the Bifrost as a "rainbow bridge," due to the prismatic energy of the Bifrost resembling a rainbow.
- In the book Myths and Ledgends from Around the World is depicted as a mix of both.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Thor: Love and Thunder
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Thor
- ↑ Official Marvel Website MCU description for Loki
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Thor: The Dark World
- ↑ Thor: The Dark World Prelude
- ↑ The Avengers
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 1.15: Yes Men
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 2.12: Who You Really Are
- ↑ Avengers: Age of Ultron
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Thor: Ragnarok
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Avengers: Infinity War
- ↑ What If...?: 1.03: What If... The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?
- ↑ What If...?: 1:05: What If... Zombies?!
- ↑ What If…?: 1.07: What If… Thor Were an Only Child?
- ↑ The Art of Thor
