Marvel Fans Honor Idris Elba’s Heimdall, the Unsung Hero of Avengers: Infinity War

When it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are scores of stars playing heroes and most of them got a chance to shine in Avengers: Infinity War and/or Avengers: Endgame. One important character from the films managed to complete one last important act before dying at the beginning of Infinity War, and Marvel fans on Reddit want to give him his due. Heimdall was first portrayed by Idris Elba in Thor in 2011 and he continued to play the part in Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok, and Avengers: Infinity War. Before being killed by Thanos, Heimdall's final act was sending Hulk back to Earth via the Bifrost. Here's why u/cgcs20 on the r/MarvelStudios subreddit thinks the character doesn't get enough credit:

"In one swift use of the Bifrost, Heimdall saves the life of Hulk/Banner, the one who would undo Thanos' snap and gets Doctor Strange, the one who would set up an unlikely victory for the Avengers, involved in the war. The first thing they do is find Tony, the one who would finish Thanos off for good and get him involved as well. All of that was only possible because of Heimdall, and he did what he did knowing that he would probably die as a result. Thanos was right when he said that was a mistake... RIP Heimdall, a forgotten hero," they wrote.

Many people responded to the post, but this point made by u/oneOB was especially convincing when it comes to Heimdall deserving better: "This one is funny to me because, Heimdall, and therefore, Idris Elba, is the first casualty of the Infinity War. His role is brief yet pivotal. Next, we lose Loki ('No resurrections this time.') Gamora bites the bullet, and so does Vision. In Endgame, Black Widow is unceremoniously sacrificed. Of all the characters, each one has returned in one form or another. Black Widow is getting her own solo film. Vision will reappear in WandaVision. Gamora is somewhere in the universe following the events of Endgame. Loki will also headline his own series. And yet, no one gives a flying f**k about Heimdall, one of the handful of black characters in the MCU." You can view the full post and comments here.

While there's no official word on whether or not we'll be seeing Heimdall again, Elba said last year during an appearance on ABC Radio that he'd like to return to the role.

"Of course," he said of his desire to come back. "Listen, Heimdall is essentially part of the god family. So you know, he essentially could be alive. I'm just saying! I'm just putting it out there. The Heimdall character goes way back into, you know, the Thor mythology, And I'm sure there will be an interesting way to bring that alive. Of course I would. Yes."

Would you like to see Heimdall return to the MCU? Tell us in the comments!

Upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1st, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in the Fall, The Eternals on November 6th, WandaVision in December, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, Spider-Man 3 on July 16, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022. Marvel Studios Disney+ series without release dates include Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk.