Odin

"I have sacrificed much to achieve peace. So, too, must a new generation sacrifice to maintain that peace. Responsibility, duty, honor. These are not merely virtues to which we must aspire. They are essential to every soldier and to every King."

- Odin

Odin Borson is the King of Asgard, Protector of the Nine Realms, the father of Thor, and the adoptive father of Loki. During the ancient times, he was worshiped as the god of wisdom by the inhabitants of Earth. Once the greatest warrior in all the Nine Realms, over the centuries he learned how to appreciate the peace. When Thor almost provoked a war with the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, Odin stripped him of his powers and exiled him to Earth. However, when Thor returned and saved the Frost Giants from extinction at the hands of Loki, Odin realized that Thor would be worthy enough to take the throne of Asgard one day.

Early life
Not much is known about Odin's early life, except that he was the son of Bor, the King of Asgard. He had several brothers, but they all died during many wars the Asgardians had to fight to keep the Nine Realms safe. When Bor also died in battle, Odin took the throne of Asgard, continuing with his father's policy.

As Allfather, Odin had battled great beasts, invaded foreign realms, destroyed demons and monsters, devastated whole worlds, and laid waste to mighty kingdoms. Eventually, with all his power, he needed a period of time that he could rest and regain his strength. This deep sleep became known as the Odinsleep.

For thousands of years Odin successfully led his kingdom, but when he felt that the burden of wearing the crown was too much for him alone, he married Frigga, because she was a strong partner and had a helpful ear. And with the birth of their son, Thor, Odin felt that one day he would be able to pass his crown to a worthy successor.

War with the Frost Giants
"From around the cold and darkness came the Frost Giants, threatening to plunge the mortal world into a new ice age. But humanity would not face this threat alone. Our armies drove the Frost Giants back into the heart of their own world."

- Odin

In 965 AD, Odin led his Asgardian army against Laufey and his horde of Frost Giants to defend Midgard in the Asgard/Jotunheim War. Odin lost his eye on Midgard, but the Asgardians were victorious.

After the battle, Odin stole the Casket of Ancient Winters from one of Laufey's temple. He found a baby Frost Giant, Loki, who was the son of Laufey. Loki was left to die because he was small for a Frost Giant. Odin made Loki look like an Asgardian. Odin and his wife, Frigga, already had a son, Thor, but they adopted Loki as Thor's brother. They kept the truth of Loki's birth from Thor and Loki.

Thor's delayed coronation
"Do you swear to guard the nine realms?" "I swear." "And do you swear to preserve the peace?" "I swear." "Do you swear to cast aside your selfish ambition and to pledge yourself only to the good of the realms?" "I swear!" "And on this day, I Odin, All-Father, will proclaim you..."

- Odin and Thor

In the Great Hall, Odin was about to coronate Thor as king when Frost Giants intruded in an attempt to retrieve the Casket of Winters. Odin releases the Destroyer and it quickly subdues the Frost Giants. Thor is angered by this attack and he with his friends, Sif, and the Warriors Three, and Loki, go to Jotunheim.

Banishing Thor
"Thor Odinson... you have betrayed the express command of your king. Through your arrogance and stupidity, you've opened these peaceful realms and innocent lives to the horror and desolation of war! You are unworthy of these realms, you're unworthy of your title, you're unworthy... of the loved ones you have betrayed! I now take from you your power! In the name of my father and his father before, I, Odin Allfather, cast you out!"

- Odin

Odin later rescues Thor and his friends from Jotunheim riding aboard Sleipnir, his eight-legged steed, after Thor went there seeking for answers regarding the intrusion. He banishes Thor to Earth and strips him of his powers for his arrogance. He places an enchantment on Mjolnir that allows only the worthy to wield. He then sends Mjolnir to Earth as well.

Telling Loki the truth
"You were knee-deep in Jotun blood. Why would you take me?" "You were an innocent child." "No. You took me for a purpose. What was it?... TELL ME!" "I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day. Bring about an alliance, bring about permanent peace... through you."

- Loki and Odin

Loki, witnessing his hand turning blue when he was at Jotunheim, confronts Odin about his origins. Odin reveals that he not only stole the Casket of Winters, but Laufey's son who was left there to die. Odin revealed that he wanted to gain peace between the two realms by having Loki ruling Jotunheim. Overwhelmed by Loki's furious accusations, he fell into the Odinsleep.

Losing Loki
"You'll be a wise King." "There will never be a wiser king than you. Or a better father. I have much to learn. I know that now. But some day, perhaps, I will make you proud." "You've already made me proud."

- Odin and Thor

While he slumbered, Loki took the throne for himself and Thor regained his powers. As Loki carries out his plans to destroy Jotunheim. They then battle and cause the destruction of the Bifrost Bridge. As they were falling off the bridge, Odin, awoken from his Odinsleep, grabbed their hands. Loki allowed himself to fall into an abyss created in the wake of the Bifrost Bridges's destruction. Asgard then have a mighty feast, where Odin tells Thor that he would make a fine leader someday.

Sending Thor back to Earth
"How much dark energy did the All-father have to muster to conjure you here?"

- Loki to Thor

With the Bifrost Bridge destroyed, the Asgardians couldn't maintain peace in the universe. A group of rag-tag invaders called the Marauders started to attack several of the Nine Realms. At the same time, Frigga discovered that Loki is alive and that he intends to conquer Earth.

Odin sent Thor down to Earth to retrieve Loki. He used dark magic to send Thor on Earth since the Bifrost Bridge was destroyed. However, there is an amount of time for Thor to get back to Asgard with Loki.

Odin watched Thor's confrontation with Loki through the eyes of his ravens, Hugin and Munin.

The Trial Of Loki
"Frigga is why you still live, but this was the last time you will ever see her again. Spend the rest of your wicked days in the dungeons...Loki Laufeyson."

- Odin to Loki

When Thor returned with Loki and the Tesseract, Odin decided to speak with the prisoner. Though Loki tried to justify his actions on Earth, Odin openly told him that he will spare his life only because of Frigga's love for him. Odin then condemned Loki to eternal imprisonment, and for the first time called him by his true name―Loki Laufeyson.

The War
"Some believe that before the universe, there was nothing. They're wrong. There was darkness... and it has survived."

- Odin

Approximately a year after Thor helped the mortals in saving Midgard from Loki and his army of the Chitauri, the Marauders were still pillaging the peaceful inhabitants of the Nine Realms, and Odin had to send Thor to lead the armies of Asgard against them. Once Thor had secured peace, Odin then discussed a pressing matter with his son; his infatuation with Jane Foster. Thor eventually brought Jane to Asgard, much to Odin's disapproval, but when it was discovered that Jane was carrying the Aether, Odin decided to keep her protected. But another threat soon arose. The Dark Elves, a race of vile creatures that was believed to be extinct for thousands of years, suddenly returned to plunge the entire universe into darkness. Led by Malekith the Accursed, they launched an attack on Asgard that ended with the death of Odin's wife, Frigga. Odin meanwhile had lead a troop to put down the rebellion in the dungeons. When he returned to the upper chambers, he found that Dark Elves had invaded the palace, dispatching a fleeing Dark Elf in the process.

Odin arranged for a ceremonial funeral for Frigga and those who died in the attack. Thor tried to cinvince his father to leave Asgard with Jane and draw Malekith away, but Odin declined, stating that he was powerful enough to defeat Malekith himself, and insisted they simply wait. Thor defied his orders and enlisted Heimdall in helping him, Jane and Loki escape Asgard. Heimdall then sent for Odin and confessed his disobedience. A slightly surprised Odin simply ordered his guards to stop Thor, but they were too late.

Later, an Asgardian guard approached Odin with news of Loki's death. The guard, however, was actually Loki himself in disguise.

After Malekith's defeat, Thor declines Odin's offer to take the throne and tells Odin of Loki's sacrifice. As Thor leaves, the image of Odin reverts to the true form of a grinning Loki, who had made it back to Asgard and usurped the throne after disguising himself as a warrior. Odin's current status and whereabouts are unknown.

Powers
The nature of Odin's powers are unknown but it is heavily implied the he is extremely magically powerful, having the ability to take away Thor's power and to put a strong spell on Mjolnir to enable the one who is worthy of it to wield it. Odin is by far the most powerful being yet revealed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, seemingly far more powerful than either Thor, Loki, or any other superhero or supervillain. Odin possesses all the conventional attributes of an Asgardian. However, as the King of the Asgardians, many of these attributes are significantly superior to those possessed by the majority of his race (with the exceptions of Thor, Heimdall and Loki).


 * Superhuman Strength: Despite his advanced age, Odin, as an Asgardian, possesses strength far greater than that of a normal human. He can overpower normal human beings and Frost Giants with ease. More than likely, he was just as strong, if not still slightly stronger, than both his sons, Thor and Loki.


 * Superhuman Agility: Odin's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are far superior to the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete.


 * Superhuman Reflexes: Odin's reflexes are superior to the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete, to a much greater extent than one would think.


 * Superhuman Stamina: Odin's musculature produces considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of a human, and most other Asgardians. As a result, he possesses superhuman stamina in all physical activities. He can exert himself at peak capacity for years before fatigue would begin to impair him.


 * Superhuman Durability: Odin's body is considerably more resistant to physical injury than the body of a human being or even most other Asgardians for that matter (with the exceptions of Thor, Loki and Heimdall). Odin's body is capable of withstanding great impact forces, exposure to temperature and pressure extremes, falls from great heights, and powerful energy blasts from cosmic level beings without sustaining injury; however, to what extent is unknown.


 * Regenerative Healing Factor: Despite his astounding resistance to injury, it is possible to injure Odin. However, it is shown that maybe because of his advanced age, it is not as powerful as it used to be in his youth. His right eye was lost during the Asgardian/Jotun War and has not been healed back since.


 * Extended Longevity: Odin, like all Asgardians, is extremely long-lived, maybe even immortal as some other god pantheons. Nonetheless, Odin still ages at a pace much slower than human beings. He is also immune to all known Earthly diseases and infections. He may very be anywhere from 1,500 to almost 3,000 years old, quite possibly much older.


 * Odin Force: Odin is capable of manipulating vast amounts of magical energy, referred to as the Odin Power, or the Odin Force, for a number of purposes. With this immense power, Odin is capable of feats such as reading minds from across even dimensions (as he was about to crown Thor king before he notices that Frost Giants were in his trophy room), projecting force blasts (mainly through either Gungnir or Mjolnir; it is unknown if he is physically capable of doing so without any of these items and even so, with his spear, he was able to destroy hordes of Frost Giants), and more. Odin is highly skilled in the use of his powers during combat situations, and was able to casually take down and kill Frost Giants with ease during the war. Odin's full power is thus considered at the least equal to that most every other "deity of Earth" (if they exist, which could be more than likely). Odin is also capable of placing multiple permanent enchantments on items, as he did for Mjolnir when he exiled Thor to Earth. He had to tapped into some form of dark energy to send Thor to Earth to stop Loki, although, it seems to frowned upon to used.

Abilities
As King of Asgard and recognized in mythology as the God of Wisdom, Odin possess vast knowledge of ancient and arcane wisdom, considered to be his most powerful weapon.


 * Leadership: Odin is the all-powerful ruler of Asgard and the guardian of the Nine Realms. As such, he is wise and honorable. He is dedicated using he power to keeping the peace between the Nine Realms. He believes in being responsible (in terms of being careful and responsible for your actions), duty (in terms of to the protection and keeping of peace between the Nine Realms) and honor (always being an man of your word). However, when angered or upset, he can be very stern to the point of ruthlessness when necessary. As Frigga stated, "everything he does, he does with an purpose." He loves Thor but when Thor went Jothunheim and can the problems he did, he exiled Thor to Earth, to teach what it means to a good warrior and hero.


 * Master Combatant: Odin is a master hand-to-hand combatant and close-quarters fighter.


 * Master Tactician: His thousands of years of experience resulted in him becoming a master tactician. He has led the Armies of Asgard into battle for countless years in wars over all the Nine Realms.

Weaknesses
While possessing the Odinforce that is inherently opposed to the need for outward sustenance, Odin must undertake the Odinsleep - a state of deep sleep lasting for an unknown period of time to keep his powers from waning. During this time Odin is guarded closely as he is vulnerable. Despite his limitations and weaknesses, such as the need for the Odinsleep annually, Odin is nonetheless the most powerful being in the Nine Realms.

Relationship

 * Bor - Father
 * Frigga - Wife
 * Thor - Son
 * Tyr - Son
 * Loki Adopted son turned enemy
 * Laufey - Enemy
 * Malekith the Accursed - Enemy

Behind the scenes

 * Odin was portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in Thor. Hopkins reprised his role in Thor: The Dark World. Tom Kane voiced Odin in the video game Thor: God of Thunder.