Odin

Publication history

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

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; later, Odin reveals that his brothers were killed by Surtur, but gave their power to Odin. Later Surtur was imprisoned inside the Earth. 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 Laufey is killed by Odin in battle: adopted in a deal with Bor's spirit, unaware of Bor's intention that the child would bring about Odin's downfall. Despite Odin's intentions, Thor and Loki become bitter enemies. Odin also was the father of Balder from Frigga.

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.

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); defeating Absorbing Man after he absorbs almost all of Asgard; banishing the monster Mangog; sacrificing his right eye to Mimir for the wisdom to stop Ragnarök (Twilight of the Gods); attempting to stop the Celestials in the armor of the Destroyer; engaging inter-dimensional tyrant Dormammu in a "cosmic chess" match as champions of Master Order and Lord Chaos respectively, and preventing Surtur from lighting the Sword of Doom, Twilight.

Odin has also died three times in defense of Asgard. On the first occasion, Odin is killed by Mangog, and later revived by Hela. 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.

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. 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.

Powers and abilities

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, hypnotizing humans; channelling lightning to Earth from Asgard, 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; stopping time; pulling the remains of distant planets down from outer space to crush his foes, compressing the population of an entire planet into a single being, the Mangog and then recreating the race and taking a soul away from the arch-demon Mephisto. The Odinforce makes Odin capable of destroying entire galaxies, allowing him to engage entities such as Galactus on their own terms. In some stories, Odin has been portrayed at a universal or even multiversal scale of power.

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.

Odin is also a master tactician and schemer, and has prevented Ragnarok, and planned for centuries for the coming of the Celestial Fourth Host. 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.

Equipment

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.

Reception

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

Other versions

Spider-Geddon

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

Ultimate Marvel

An alternate universe version 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. Odin is later killed by the Children of Tomorrow, but returns to assist Thor as a spirit.

Ultimate Universe

An alternate universe version of Odin appears in "Ultimate Invasion", where he is killed by the Maker and Loki during their conquest of Asgard.

In other media

Television

Odin appears in The Mighty Thor segment of The Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by Len Carlson.

Odin appears in the Robot Chicken episode "Dear Consumer", voiced by Greg Grunberg.

Odin appears in The Super Hero Squad Show, voiced by Jess Harnell.

Odin appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, voiced by Clancy Brown.

Odin makes a non-speaking appearance in the Ultimate Spider-Man episode "Field Trip".

Odin appears in Avengers Assemble, voiced by Frank Welker.

Odin appears in the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. episode "Days of Future Smash: Smashgard", voiced again by Frank Welker.

Odin appears in Guardians of the Galaxy, voiced again by Frank Welker.

Odin appears in the Marvel Future Avengers episode "Can You Believe in Loki", voiced by Bin Sasaki in the original Japanese version and by Fred Tatasciore in the English dub.

Odin is set to appear in Iron Man and His Awesome Friends.

Film

Odin, based on the Ultimate Marvel incarnation, appears in Ultimate Avengers 2, voiced by Dwight Schultz.

Odin appears in Hulk vs. Thor, voiced by French Tickner.

Odin appears in Thor: Tales of Asgard, voiced by Christopher Britton.

Odin, based on the MCU incarnation (see below), appears in The Good, the Bart, and the Loki, voiced by Maurice LaMarche.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Odin appears in media set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), portrayed by Anthony Hopkins. 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. Additionally, alternate timeline variants of Odin appear in the Disney+ animated series What If...?, voiced by Jeff Bergman voice-matching Hopkins.

Video games

Odin appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, voiced by Peter Renaday. He is targeted by Doctor Doom's Masters of Evil, who plot to steal his powers. After Doom is defeated, a rejuvenated Odin sends a thunderbolt that teleports Doom away, leaving only his mask behind. Additionally, a side mission in Castle Doom involves Odin being freed from imprisonment. If Odin is freed, his intervention will prevent Thanos from enslaving Earth in the near future. If not, Thanos will conquer Earth and rule for centuries before being overthrown.

Odin, based on the MCU incarnation, appears in Thor: God of Thunder, voiced by Tom Kane.

Odin appears as a DLC character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by John DiMaggio.

Odin appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel's Avengers, voiced again by Frank Welker.

Odin appears as a non-playable character in Marvel Avengers Alliance.

The MCU incarnation of Odin appears in the Thor: The Dark World tie-in game, voiced by Scottie Ray.

Odin appears as a playable character in Marvel Future Fight.

Odin appears as a playable character in Marvel Puzzle Quest.

Odin appears as an unlockable character in Marvel Avengers Academy, voiced again by Fred Tatasciore.

Odin appears as a non-playable character (NPC) in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, voiced again by Dwight Schultz.

Odin appears in Marvel Snap.

Miscellaneous

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