Asgard

Asgard is one of the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil. It is home to a species called Asgardians who unlocked personal divinity through their technology some time in the distant past. Asgard acts as a peacekeeping force in conflicts between the Nine Realms.

History
Asgard is a natural nexus point for semi-stable wormholes that follow the roots of Yggdrasil, between the Nine Realms. Asgard initially used their knowledge of these naturally occurring portals to conquer their neighbor Realms, raiding the weaker civilizations for their technology. Asgardian hordes also regularly fought each other.

One warlord rose above the rest. Buri united all of Asgard for the first time, and became the first king. Under the new regime, Buri and his son Bor restructured the culture into the great protectors they would later be known as. Under Buri's more stable environment, Asgardian scientists were able to reverse engineer all the technologies they had stolen from the other Realms, creating such wonders as the Bifrost.

Near the end of Buri's reign, the key to divinity was discovered. The Asgardians became literal gods, and ruled several of the Realms as such, including Midgard. During Bor's reign as king, the Dark Elves attempted to use the Aether in conjunction with Harmonic Convergence to destroy the Nine Realms. They were stopped, and the Aether was buried.

Under Odin's reign, the Asgardian rule over other Realms was loosened. He altered their role once again, from rulers to simple peacemakers. However, some of the Realms misused their newfound freedom. The Frost Giants used the Casket of Ancient Winters to conquer several other Realms. Odin eventually fought them back in Midgard, on earth. And he adopted their leader's son in an attempt to one day unite the Realms and heal the wounds of war.

In the year 2011, after a reckless and warmongering act of rebellion, Odin banished his son Thor to live a mortal life in Midgard. He was devastated when he later learned Thor had vanished completely, and fell deep into the Odinsleep. His adopted son Loki took the throne in his absence.

Asgardians
The native species of Asgard is humanoid, externally near-identical to humans or xandarians. They naturally live approximately five thousand years. But few Asgardians live to die of old age, due to their cultural emphasis on combat and conflict. Despite this, Asgardians are one of the most physically durable species in the universe, exceeding even Kryptonians.

Since becoming divine, some Asgardians have learned how to unlock assorted inherent powers that they refer to as magic. However, these powers aren't magic. They're a manifestation of their divine presence on reality. As such, the nature of the ability depends on the individual.

See Also:
Asgard, on Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki

Asgardians, on Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki