Summary. Odin's treatment of his sons, Thor and Loki, reveals his lack of morality and willingness to sacrifice familial ties for power and control. The introduction of Balder the Brave and Odin's omission of his existence suggests a darker side to Odin's character, as he seemingly erased his own son from memory.
Odin, the god of wisdom, death, battle magic, and more is neither entirely good nor is he fully evil in Norse mythology. Odin is a warmonger and as such a bringer of death on the battlefield. In contrast, Odin created the first humans from which all life came on Midgard (Earth).
While Odin is notorious for his bad parenting (and ruling sometimes), some might argue that he is misunderstood thanks to his unconventional parenting methods. He did, in a way, raise powerful gods that end up doing more good than Odin ever did.
Though Loki tried to justify his actions on Earth claiming that it was his birthright to be a king, Odin scornfully told him that his birthright was to die after his real father, Laufey, had abandoned him, utterly disappointed that the revelation of Loki's true parentage had led him down the wrong path.
Loki has changed role and aspect many times, but he is still mostly remembered as Thor's antithesis, his resentful adoptive brother who grew up to hate the God of Thunder. One of the reasons for Loki's bitterness is that Odin always favored his "real" son, Thor, during their childhood.
Now Odin did tell Thor he was stronger then him (Odin) which some interpret as Odin meaning Thor is stronger than Odin cause Thor now has his fathers power plus his own. But we have to remember two things. Odin himself said Mjølnir only channeled Thor's power, Thor just needed to learn to use it naturally.
In both the comics and the MCU movies, Asgardians likely get weaker when they get too old, same as us. Admittedly, it might be hard to notice because even the oldest and most out-of-sorts Asgardian can still take on a healthy number of highly-trained mortal warriors. Volstagg is commonly-stated to be past his prime.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), why did Odin love Loki more than Thor? In the end, Odin loved both his sons equally. And at the end (or so we thought), Loki finally acknowledged Odin as his father as well.
He sacrificed his eye in Mimir's well and he threw himself on his spear Gungnir in a kind of symbolic, ritual suicide. He then hanged himself in Yggdrasil, the tree of life, for nine days and nine nights in order to gain knowledge of other worlds and be able to understand the runes.
So while Zeus' best feat is defeating a mountain-sized monster, Odin's best feat is defeating a monster as big as nine worlds. Odin outclasses Zeus in intelligence, versatility, strength, and weapons. Zeus simply can't compete. The winner is Odin, All-Father of the Æsir.
During the three years, Odin became weary of Kratos' presence in Midgard, fearing that the Ghost of Sparta could challenge his control over the nine realms or ruin his plans.
Who would win in an MCU fight: Odin or Thanos? Without the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos stands little chance against Prime Odin. Odin is stated to be able to shatter the Earth.
As for the reason Odin didn't strike Thanos first, his last few years were plagued by tragedy. After an attack by the Dark Elves led to the murder of his wife, Frigga, he was placed under Loki's spell and sent to Earth, where he would spend his final days.
While the likes of Jane Foster and the Avengers have earned the All-Father's respect time and time again, Odin knows they are mortal, and even his relationship with the immortal Phoenix Force proved ultimately fleeting. Of course, this could all change in the near future.
While the Dionysus of Greek myth is certainly more formidable, the MCU's version of the character is decidedly weaker, coasting off of his father's success and living a soft life in Omnipotence City. The Greek god makes little display of power and wouldn't stand a chance if faced with a god of higher caliber.
Originally there was no restriction placed on the hammer for who can use it but after Thor's reckless behavior, Odin Borson placed an enchantment on it. This spell read "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." Only those deemed worthy to lift Mjolnir can.
The God of Thunder is normally one of the most beloved heroes in the Marvel universe, the protector of Earth and scourge of evil. At one time, however, he became a fearful force of destruction that trampled everything in his path, including his friends and allies.
As this transpired, Thor was fighting the Destroyer on Earth, which would culminate in his death. Odin, in the Odinsleep, would shed a tear and use his magic to end Thor's banishment, giving him the power to return to Asgard to confront his brother.
It's important to note that the rules around worthiness had been temporarily suspended to allow this to happen. As soon as the fight was over, Superman couldn't lift the hammer anymore. However, under normal circumstances, without any weird interference, Superman is worthy of Mjolnir.
Ages ago, Odin fought and defeated Laufey and the Frost Giants of Jotunheim in a great war. Abandoned and left for dead as a baby due to his diminutive size, Odin took Loki, son of Laufey, to Asgard to raise him as his son and a prince in order to one day unite the Frost Giants and the Asgards in peace.
