Balder is the son of
Odin, the ruler of the Norse gods of
Asgard, and the half-brother of
Thor. He is companion to the
Warriors Three and often aids Thor against his foes, which include
Loki, their adopted brother, the
Executioner and
Enchantress, the
Enchanters Three, the
Wrecker and
Mangog. At the request of
Heimdall, Balder warns Thor when the Storm Giant Skagg and the fire demon
Surtur are released by Loki in a plot to kill Odin. Balder is also briefly named ruler of Asgard during Thor's quest to find a then-missing Odin. Balder is beloved by most who know him. When he is threatened with execution for ignoring the call of battle for the sake of a fallen bird, his men beg Odin to take one of their lives instead. As in mythology, the death of the Marvel version of Balder is the
catalyst for
Ragnarök and the destruction of Asgard. To prevent this, Odin casts a spell to make Balder vulnerable again. Ragnarok is nearly triggered when Loki has the blind god
Hoder accidentally kill Balder with a mistletoe arrow, but is averted by Odin, who creates a shield around Balder's pyre. Odin later restores Balder to life when the
Asgardians, after being slain in a battle with the
Celestials, are resurrected by Thor using portions of energy donated by other gods. On a second occasion, Balder is traumatized by a near-death experience as he sees the souls of those he has slain in battle. He then renounces killing.
Volstagg of the
Warriors Three takes it upon himself to become Balder's boon friend in an attempt to lift him out of his long depression. While Balder treasures the friendship, Volstagg's efforts do little to soothe him. Balder also has a love-hate relationship with
Karnilla, the Queen of the Norns, who aids both Loki and Asgard at times. whilst on another she joins forces with Asgard against Surtur at Balder's request. Her emotions are roused by Balder's deep depression as she feels Loki has ruined a unique member of the Asgardians. Karnilla's lust for Balder inadvertently causes the death of Balder's love, Nanna—an act that Balder does not forget. Balder later accepts his warrior aspect and saves Karnilla's people from a rogue giant's spell. Balder and the other Asgardians (with the exception of Thor) eventually perish during the final Ragnarok, though Balder is later found inhabiting the armor of the
Destroyer. Loki reveals that Balder is the son of Odin and
Frigga and the half-brother of Thor, making him a prince of Asgard. When Thor is forced to kill his reborn grandfather,
Bor, Loki coerces Balder—now a royal prince—to exile the Thunder God. Balder then assumes the throne of Asgard. When Loki has the Asgardians moved to
Latveria, he is shown at a banquet held by
Doctor Doom. Balder asks why they could not invite Thor since the Asgardians were now in Latveria. Loki calmed Balder down to prevent Doom from reacting to the comment. Balder later witnesses Bill's assault by Loki's henchmen due to Bill's discovery of the evil nature of Loki's scheme with Doctor Doom. After fending the henchmen off, Bill dies in Balder's arms after revealing Loki's plot and asking Balder to tell Kelda that he loves her. Balder and the other Asgardians retaliate even after Doom kills Kelda. Balder and the other Asgardians are forced to fight Endrik (who has been modified with technological implants) and many other mutilated Asgardians. Balder and the other Asgardians continue their fight with the mutilated Asgardians while Thor battles Doom. Balder kills the mutilated Asgardians to get to Kelda's heart. After Loki restores Kelda to life and Thor defeats Doom's Destroyer armor, Balder leads the Asgardians back to Broxton, Oklahoma. Back in Asgard, Balder is concerned about his foolishness over allowing what transpired in Latveria. Loki assures him he is a fine king. During the
Siege storyline, Loki warns Balder that Norman Osborn is rallying an army to invade Asgard following the incident with Volstagg and the
U-Foes at
Soldier Field. Balder is later informed about the situation with Volstagg by
Hogun and
Fandral. When
Captain America arrives with the New Avengers and the Secret Warriors, Balder is pleased that Thor's allies have joined the battle. Balder remains King of Asgard after the failed Siege but is stricken with great guilt, believing his rule has led to nothing but ruin. However, Thor persuades him to remain monarch and accept him as his new Chief Advisor. Balder attends the
Council of Godheads convened to counter the imminent universal threat of the
Chaos King and his impending
Chaos War to decide which mortal paragon they would choose to combat
Amatsu-Mikaboshi. Vali Halfling later appears to the Council and challenges them to disprove their impotence by stopping him before he attains godhood. Balder tells Anansi that Halfling was the son of Loki and banished to Midgard long ago. When the Chaos War eventually nears Earth, the Council summons
Hercules,
Amadeus Cho and
Delphyne Gorgon before them and commands them to bow before the Council's authority. In return, the newly restored and empowered Hercules fights and easily bests most of them, including Balder. After Amatsu-Mikaboshi overthrows the Underworld, and Hela and Pluto are overwhelmed by his devastating forces, Balder calls for the Council to fight alongside him against the Chaos King. The Japanese sun goddess
Amaterasu seals the throne room of the Celestial Axis, claiming that if he went now, Amatsu-Mikaboshi would be able to trace him back to the Axis and subsequently invade all their realms. However, Amatsu-Mikaboshi breaks into the Celestial Axis after Hercules pierces the veil shielding it and launches an assault on all of Earth's pantheons, seemingly slaying all of them with brutal ease and slaughtering many deities, although Balder is one of the survivors. ==Powers and abilities==