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Odin (Marvel Comics)

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This article is about the Marvel Comics character. For other uses, see Odin (disambiguation).

Odin Borson, the All-Father is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. First mentioned in Journey into Mystery #85 (Oct. 1962), the character first appears in Journey into Mystery #86 (Nov. 1962), and was adapted from the Odin of Norse mythology by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.[1] The character is depicted as the father of Thor and, traditionally, as the king of Asgard.

Odin
Odin as appeared on the cover of Journey Into Mystery #122 (November 1962).
Art by Jack Kirby.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceJourney into Mystery #86 (November 1962)
Created by
In-story information
Full nameOdin Borson
SpeciesAsgardian
Team affiliations
Notable aliasesThe All-Father
Gagnraðr
Grímnir
Atum-Re
The Wanderer
Orrin
Infinity
Abilities

Sir Anthony Hopkins portrayed the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Ragnarok (2017).

Publication history

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Odin featured on the cover of Thor #294
(April 1980). Art by Keith Pollard.

Although Odin was first mentioned in Journey into Mystery #85 (Oct. 1962), his first actual appearance was in Journey into Mystery #86 (November 1962). He was created for Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Fictional character biography

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According to Norse mythology, Odin is the son of Bor (father, one of the first Asgardians) and Bestla (mother, a frost giantess), and the full brother of Vili and Ve. With the aid of his brothers, a young Odin defeats the fire demon Surtur;[2] later, Odin reveals that his brothers were killed by Surtur, but gave their power to Odin. Later Surtur was imprisoned inside the Earth.[3] Odin thereafter became ruler of Asgard, where he received the epithet of All-Father, and eventually fell in love with the elder goddess, Gaea, by whom he is the father of Thor. After Thor's birth, Odin returns to Asgard, where his wife, Frigga, acts as Thor's mother. Odin is also the adoptive father of Loki, a child of Giant ancestry whose father King Laufey is killed by Odin in battle:[4] adopted in a deal with Bor's spirit, unaware of Bor's intention that the child would bring about Odin's downfall.[5] Despite Odin's intentions, Thor and Loki become bitter enemies. Odin also was the father of Balder from Frigga.[6]

Thor's preoccupation with Midgard (Earth) is a constant annoyance to Odin who, as punishment, has deprived Thor of his powers on at least three occasions. Each time, Thor's willingness to atone for his transgressions, his continued noble intentions, and his bravery, eventually convince Odin to restore his original powers and identity.[7][8][9]

As ruler and protector of the Asgardian people, Odin has been involved in a number of crises that have threatened Asgard and, on occasion, Earth. Notable examples included stopping Loki, the Storm Giant Skagg, and Surtur (with the aid of Thor and Balder);[10] defeating the Absorbing Man after he absorbs almost all of Asgard;[11] banishing the monster Mangog;[12] sacrificing his right eye to Mimir for the wisdom to stop Ragnarök (Twilight of the Gods);[13] attempting to stop the Celestials in the armor of the Destroyer;[14] engaging inter-dimensional tyrant Dormammu in a "cosmic chess" match as champions of Master Order and Lord Chaos respectively,[15] and preventing Surtur from lighting the Sword of Doom, Twilight.[16]

Odin has also died three times in defense of Asgard. On the first occasion, Odin is killed by Mangog, and later revived by Hela.[17] On the second occasion, the Celestials melt the Destroyer, and thus stifle all Asgardians except Thor, who collects a portion of energy from each pantheon and uses it to revive Odin, who in turn resurrects the Asgardians.[14]

The final occasion involves a massive battle against Surtur on Earth, with Odin apparently dying once and for all, when the Odin Force—the source of Odin's power—migrates to his son, Thor.[18] As Thor eventually destroys the Loom of Fates and stops Asgard from perpetuating Ragnarok—which ends the entire Norse pantheon and Asgard itself—Thor believes Odin may be dead permanently. The Odin Force appears to him in humanoid form and says that this was Odin's plan all along.[19]

When Thor returns from hibernation in the void,[20] he begins to find the lost Asgardians,[21] but does not search for his father. During his Odinsleep, Thor finds Odin in a limbo wherein every day he does battle with Surtur. Odin declines Thor's offer of taking his place—noting that just Thor's offer has broken Bor's curse that he would be abandoned as Bor was—and states that Thor must lead the Asgardians, while Odin continues in a state approximating the Asgardian equivalent of heaven, to prevent Surtur from reentering the world.[5] Loki assuages Doctor Doom's fears about Odin's potential wrath if the Asgardians move to Latveria, assuring him that "Old One-Eye is yesterday's god" and "a relic".[22] Later, Odin's absence from the Nine Worlds leads his revived father Bor to wage battle against Thor after Loki and Hela revive him. When Bor is killed, Loki and Balder have Thor exiled for regicide.[23]

During the "Siege" storyline, Norman Osborn sends the Thunderbolts to steal Odin's spear Gungnir from the Asgardian weaponry.[24] Loki calls on Odin to return the Norn Stones to him so he can empower the heroes to defeat the Void.[25]

Odin returns from the dead after Asgard is invaded by the World-Eaters.[26]

During the "Fear Itself" storyline, Odin senses the return of his elder brother, the fear god Cul. After a brief monologue with Uatu the Watcher, Odin commands his people to return to the Asgardian plane against the protests of Thor,[27] and Asgard rebuilds into a war engine with which he intends to raze Earth completely, to destroy the Serpent. Thor convinces Odin to send him back to Earth instead,[28] and Iron Man travels to Asgard-space for an audience with Odin,[29] wherein Iron Man asks Odin if he can use one of Asgard's workshops to make weapons,[30] and Odin allows him to use the Workshops of Svartalfheim, to stop the Serpent before his shadow falls on the World Tree.[31] Captain America and the Avengers bring an unconscious Thor to Broxton so that Odin can heal Thor. As he tends to his son, Odin confesses that he has always tried to prevent Thor's prophesied death by the Serpent, not to prevent Ragnarok, but because he loves his son and does not want to see him perish.[volume & issue needed] Odin prepares Thor by giving him the armor and helmet that he himself wore the last time he cast out the Serpent and gives Thor the Odinsword, named Ragnarok (which was forged to end all things).[32] While Thor kills the Serpent at the cost of his own life, Odin frees those affected by the Hammers of the Worthy, and returns to Asgard with the corpse of the Serpent sealing off Asgard from Hermod and a number of other Asgardians left on Earth.[33]

In the "Original Sin" storyline, it is revealed to Thor that Angela is the daughter of Odin and Frigga; "killed" as an infant during Asgard's war with the Angels of the Tenth Realm, whereupon Odin severed the tenth realm from the other nine as "punishment".[34] Odin was later freed from his self-exile by Loki as he is set to return to Asgard.[35] The fight between Thor and Angela is interrupted when Odin recognizes Angela as his daughter and reveals Angela's true history, wherein an Angel raised her as one of the Angels under the name of Angela. Due to her services for the Angels, the Queen pardoned Angela her life, but exiled her from Heaven for her lineage. After leaving Heaven, Odin tells Thor, Loki, and Angela that he still loves his children.[36]

Angered that someone else is wielding Mjolnir, Odin sends the Destroyer after the new female Thor, appointing Cul Borson as his new 'Minister of Justice' to enforce his new decrees and operate the Destroyer, but Odinson and Freyja assemble an army of female superheroes to aid her,[37] forcing Odin to stand down.[38]

In Secret Wars, Odin dreams of the end of all existence in an event greater than Ragnarok. He additionally battles King Loki, an evil alternate timeline variant of Loki who threatens to destroy Asgard.[39]

In All-New, All-Different Marvel, Odin has become a tyrant ruling Asgard with an iron fist ever since Thor's disappearance. He makes use of the Thunder Guard and the Destroyer Armor to protect his kingdom and even went so far as to imprison Frigga and anyone who gets in his way. His reason for imprisoning Frigga is because she assisted the female Thor against the Destroyer.[40] Odin fought the female Thor when she interrupted Frigga's trial.[41] After the battle is halted when Loki used a poisoned dagger on Frigga, Odin took Frigga's body to his Odinsleep chamber where he placed some of his powers into her.[42]

In Generations, Odin reminisces with the Phoenix Force about their previous love affair.[43] He is revealed to have been part of a past incarnation of the Avengers in 1,000,000 BC alongside Agamotto, Black Panther, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Phoenix, and Star Brand.[44]

During the "Death of Thor" arc, Odin faces the return of Mangog and is unable to defeat it.[45] Jane Foster sacrifices herself to stop Mangog before Odin and Thor resurrect her.[46][47]

In The War of the Realms, Malekith attempts to kill Odin. However, he survives and appoints Thor as his successor.[48]

Powers and abilities

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As King of the Norse Gods, Odin possesses vast strength, stamina and durability far greater than that of a normal Asgardian, along with resistance to all Earthly diseases and toxins, incredible resistance to magic and, as a courtesy of the Golden Apples of Idunn, a greatly extended lifespan. Odin has all the abilities of his son Thor, but to a much greater degree. Odin is capable of manipulating the Odinforce—a powerful source of energy—for a number of purposes, including energy projection; creation of illusions and force fields; levitation; molecular manipulation, communicating telepathically with other Asgardians even if they are on Earth and he is in Asgard,[49] hypnotizing humans;[10] channelling lightning to Earth from Asgard,[49] controlling the lifeforces of all Asgardians, and teleportation. The character has also used the Odinforce for greater feats such as transporting the entire human race to an alternate dimension;[10] stopping time;[10] pulling the remains of distant planets down from outer space to crush his foes,[2] compressing the population of an entire planet into a single being, the Mangog and then recreating the race[50] and taking a soul away from the arch-demon Mephisto.[51] The Odinforce makes Odin capable of destroying entire galaxies,[52][53] allowing him to engage entities such as Galactus on their own terms.[54] In some stories, Odin has been portrayed at a universal or even multiversal scale of power.[55][56][57]

In battles against opponents of similar power, Odin carries the magical spear Gungnir ("The Spear of Heaven"), an artifact made of the metal uru, that can be used to channel the Odinforce. Even without the Odinforce it can still match Thor's hammer in battle. Once a year, during the Asgardian winter, Odin must undertake the Odinsleep for 24 hours to regenerate (and is closely guarded as he is vulnerable during this period), although he can be weakened by potent spells, such as those of Karnilla.[58]

Odin is also a master tactician and schemer, and has prevented Ragnarok,[59] and planned for centuries for the coming of the Celestial Fourth Host.[60][61] The character also on occasion uses the eight-legged steed Sleipnir and the enchanted ship Skipbladnir, which can navigate the "sea of space" and shrink to the size of a toy.

Reception

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  • In 2020, CBR.com ranked Odin 3rd in their "10 Marvel Gods With The Highest Kill Count" list.[62]

Other versions

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Spider-Geddon

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In Spider-Punk's universe, Odin is the source of Eric Masters' powers.[63]

Ultimate Marvel

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An alternate universe variant of Odin from Earth-1610 appears in the Ultimate Marvel universe. This version is the embodiment of Asgard and the source of power for Mjolnir and the Norn Stones. He is killed by the Children of Tomorrow, but returns to assist Thor as a spirit.[64][65][66][67]

In other media

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Television

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Film

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Marvel Cinematic Universe

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Character poster for the film Thor featuring Anthony Hopkins as Odin.
See also: Odin (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Odin appears in media set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), portrayed by Anthony Hopkins.[71] He first appears in the live-action film Thor before making further appearances in the live-action films Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok.[72][73] Additionally, alternate timeline variants of Odin appear in the Disney+ animated series What If...?, voiced by Jeff Bergman.[68]

Video games

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Miscellaneous

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Odin appears in Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers, voiced by Joe Teiger.[68]

References

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  1. ^ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 261. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
  2. ^ a b Journey Into Mystery #99 (December 1963). Marvel Comics.
  3. ^ Thor #349 (November 1984). Marvel Comics.
  4. ^ Journey into Mystery #112 (January 1965). Marvel Comics.
  5. ^ a b Thor vol. 3 #7–8 (May–June 2008). Marvel Comics.
  6. ^ Thor vol. 3 #9 (July 2008). Marvel Comics.
  7. ^ Journey Into Mystery #101–102 (February – March 1964). Marvel Comics.
  8. ^ Thor #126–127 (March–April 1966). Marvel Comics.
  9. ^ Thor #145–151 (October 1967–April 1968). Marvel Comics.
  10. ^ a b c d Journey Into Mystery #104 (May 1964). Marvel Comics.
  11. ^ Journey Into Mystery #122–123 (November–December 1965). Marvel Comics.
  12. ^ Thor #157 (October 1968). Marvel Comics.
  13. ^ Thor #274 (August 1978). Marvel Comics.
  14. ^ a b Thor #300–301 (October – November 1980). Marvel Comics.
  15. ^ Thor Annual #9 (November 1981). Marvel Comics.
  16. ^ Thor #353 (March 1985). Marvel Comics.
  17. ^ Thor #198–201 (April–July 1972). Marvel Comics.
  18. ^ Thor vol. 2 #40 (October 2001). Marvel Comics.
  19. ^ Thor vol. 2 #85 (December 2004). Marvel Comics.
  20. ^ Thor vol. 3 #1 (Sept. 2007). Marvel Comics.
  21. ^ Thor vol. 3 #3-5 (November 2007–January 2008). Marvel Comics.
  22. ^ Dark Reign: The Cabal #1 (June 2009). Marvel Comics.
  23. ^ Thor #600 (April 2009). Marvel Comics.
  24. ^ Thunderbolts #141 (April 2010). Marvel Comics.
  25. ^ Siege #4 (June 2010). Marvel Comics.
  26. ^ Thor #618 (February 2011). Marvel Comics.
  27. ^ Matt Fraction (w), Stuart Immonen (p), Stuart Immonen (i). "The Serpent" Fear Itself, no. 1 (June 2011). Marvel Comics.
  28. ^ Fear Itself #3. Marvel Comics.
  29. ^ Fear Itself #4. Marvel Comics.
  30. ^ Fear Itself #5. Marvel Comics.
  31. ^ Invincible Iron Man #506. Marvel Comics.
  32. ^ Fear Itself #6. Marvel Comics.
  33. ^ Fear Itself #7. Marvel Comics.
  34. ^ Original Sin #5.1. Marvel Comics.
  35. ^ Original Sin #5.4. Marvel Comics.
  36. ^ Original Sin #5.5. Marvel Comics.
  37. ^ Thor vol. 3 #7. Marvel Comics.
  38. ^ Thor vol. 3 #8. Marvel Comics.
  39. ^ Loki: Agent of Asgard #14. Marvel Comics.
  40. ^ The Mighty Thor vol. 2 #1-2. Marvel Comics.
  41. ^ The Mighty Thor vol. 2 #4. Marvel Comics.
  42. ^ The Mighty Thor vol. 2 #5-9. Marvel Comics.
  43. ^ Aaron, Jason (w), Asrar, Mahmud (a), Bellaire, Jordie (col), Sabino, Joe (let), Moss, Wil (ed). Generations: The Thunder, no. 1 (August 2017). Marvel Comics.
  44. ^ Marvel Legacy #1. Marvel Comics.
  45. ^ Thor #703. Marvel Comics.
  46. ^ Thor #705. Marvel Comics.
  47. ^ Thor #706. Marvel Comics.
  48. ^ War of the Realms #1 - #6. Marvel Comics.
  49. ^ a b Journey into Mystery #89 (February 1963)
  50. ^ Thor #154-157 (July–October 1968). Marvel Comics.
  51. ^ Thunderstrike #15 (December 1994). Marvel Comics.
  52. ^ Thor #185-186 (February–May 1971). Marvel Comics.
  53. ^ Journey into Mystery 513 (October 1997). Marvel Comics.
  54. ^ The Mighty Thor #5 (October 2011). Marvel Comics.
  55. ^ Thor Annual #9 (November 1981). Marvel Comics.
  56. ^ Thor #348 (October 1984) to #353 (March 1985). Marvel Comics.
  57. ^ The Mighty Thor #21 (December 2012). Marvel Comics.
  58. ^ Journey Into Mystery #118 (July 1965). Marvel Comics.
  59. ^ Thor #273-278 (July–December 1978). Marvel Comics.
  60. ^ Thor Annual #7 (September 1978). Marvel Comics.
  61. ^ Thor #283-301 (May 1979–November 1980). Marvel Comics.
  62. ^ England, Matthew (2020-06-28). "10 Marvel Gods With The Highest Kill Count, Ranked". CBR. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  63. ^ Edge of Spider-Geddon #1. Marvel Comics.
  64. ^ Ultimates #1-13. Marvel Comics.
  65. ^ The Ultimates 2 #1-13. Marvel Comics.
  66. ^ Ultimate Comics: Thor #1-4. Marvel Comics.
  67. ^ Ultimate Comics: The Ultimates #2-3. Marvel Comics.
  68. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Odin Voices (Thor)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 15, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  69. ^ Mel Valentin (January 28, 2009). "Movie Review - Hulk Vs". efilmcritic.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  70. ^ Weiss, Josh (2021-07-06). "The Simpsons boss Al Jean on bringing the MCU to Springfield in new short 'The Good, The Bart, and the Loki'". SYFY Official Site. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  71. ^ Micheal Flemming (30 October 2009). "Anthony Hopkins cast in 'Thor'". Variety. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
  72. ^ Fleming, Mike (2012-05-24). "Anthony Hopkins Up For 'Red 2' Villain; Can 'Thor' Sequel Dates Work?". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2012-05-26. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
  73. ^ Strom, Marc (May 20, 2016). "Marvel Studios Confirms Stellar New Cast Members of the Highly Anticipated 'Thor: Ragnarok'". Marvel.com. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  74. ^ "Odin - Marvel Snap Card Database - marvelsnap.io". MarvelSnap. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
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