Isn't Odin much stronger than Thor?

[KurtW95]

I'm sure Thor has better vision.

[superchick]

Odin, frankly, is a bit of an asshole.

All that needs to be said here.

[Van Custo]

Stronger and more powerful are two different things.

in the old days, they used to list Odin as class 70 to Thor's 100. BUT, I believe they stated Odin could amp himself to incalculable levels. Which I think he has shown, especially when matching size with Surtur.

As to power, there is NO comparison between father and son.

And Odin is too busy on the grand scale to settle with handling Earth-based affairs.

Now, if the Phoenix Force starts to threaten Asgard....

This.

Thor is physically the strongest Asgardian by birth. However Odin is far more powerful overall as he wields the Odinforce, and through it he can amp his own physical strength far beyond his normal levels.

Odin generaly tries not to interfere in Thor's battles unless there is something large at stake for Asgard. Thor is unique in his love for Earth; the other Gods don't have this problem. Odin is a pure God and he doesn't have as much of a "human" side as Thor does. As for being an asshole -- I don't think so. Well not in the Stan Lee and Simonson days. Under Fraction he's definitely an asshole. But so is Thor.

[Lord Bravery]

Unfortunately, the Simonson days are long gone. *weeps single tear*

[seekquaze]

Odin, frankly, is a bit of an asshole.

This is true to a degree, but in some ways it is warranted. Odin had to keep some semblance of order among the nine worlds. That requires being a bit of an asshole the same way Nick Fury had to be at times to get things done. Odin cannot really tolerate having people challenge his authority let alone his own son. He has the good of Asgard to look after. Imagine the pressure he must be under since Asgard has so many enemies. Odin is also a god and unlike a lot of other gods has taken his lumps through his sacrifices to earn his position. He is in many ways superior to mortals and even most gods. He is stronger, wise, longer lived, greater knowledge of the universe, etc. He has lived for thousands if not millions of years who has seen civilizations rise and fall. How brief is a mortal life to someone like him? Given all this, why should Odin respect most mortals? Humans don't treat what we consider lower lifeforms as equals?

Odin all in all is a fair and just ruler. There is usually a good reason for the jerkass things he does. When he makes a mistake he is usually god enough to admit it and try and make amends. He does feel a certain noble obligation to protect Earth from the evils of the nine worlds which he overall has done a good job of. Most of the time when there is a matter of justice between a mortal and a god he will side with the mortal if the mortal is in the right.

Now, compare that to Zeus. Zeus is usually not shown as evil, but is a much bigger asshole than Odin on his worse day. Zeus often does not give mortal or god a chance to explain themselves (unlike Odin) before passing sentence. He generally treats mortals worse than Odin. Only regrets something if he is practically forced to. And unlike Odin, does not have nearly the excuse of a lot of it being for the good of Olympus.

And, no offense but given the intelligence of evil Loki and the overall sort of stupidity of the other gods I can see why Odin would be vexed by having to constantly clean up their messes.

[Sighphi]

Unfortunately, the Simonson days are long gone. *weeps single tear*

Yeah, in the older Thor books he does help once in a while. Usually when there is stuff that is really too much for Thor to handle.
And yes Odin is more powerful than Thor because of his Magics.

[wayfarejourneyman]

Yeah, in the older Thor books he does help once in a while. Usually when there is stuff that is really too much for Thor to handle.
And yes Odin is more powerful than Thor because of his Magics.

The Odinpower is typically the gamebreaker between the two -- it moves Odin above most gods but below the celestials in terms of power. Most of teh really powerful gods have things that buff them to that degree. I think it is safe to say that Thor is more powerful than most gods who lack that sort of buffing. Go back to the ragnarok cycle and you'll see that Thor actually surpasses Odin when he gains the Odinpower and the rune lore -- thats why thor is capable of ending the cycle and Odin never could.

Most of the Asgardian and Olympian gods are actually mid-tier characters in terms of power -- certainly below Iron Man, Carol Danvers, Current Doctor Stange, and Vision in terms of power. Heck, most are on par with Luke Cage in terms of Strength, but vastly inferior in terms of Durability and fashion sense

As to why he doesn't fight for earth -- traditionally, its not his fight. Unless an enemy of asgard is going to tear it up there, Odin won't get involved. Even then, his plans are to Protect Asgard, and earth is just a convenient place to keep the battle away from asgard. Think of it this way -- if you fight your enemy at you gates you are at a disadvantage. If you fight your enemy a world away, thats two armies thaey have to fight before they even get to your gates.

[Ian Pressman]

Unfortunately, the Simonson days are long gone. *weeps single tear*

JMS wrote a pretty cool Odin too. Giving dying and being reborn each day to give his people a chance at a life outside of the cycle of Ragnarök. I read that and exclaimed: "Coolest Dad ever!"

As for why Odin doesn't get involved more (aside from being a dick): You don't swat gnats with a hydrogen bomb. Odin is the king of the æsir. When he moves in, he doesn't hold back. Bor nearly cracked the planet in half in about ten minutes of fighting.

[JimRaynor55]

I think Loki had a line where he said that without the Bifrost (which was destroyed at the end of Thor), Odin must have used up a large amount of his own energy to send Thor back to Earth again.

[Aaric Rivad]

Odin is as powerful as the writer needs him to be. Need someone to smack Thor around? Odin. Need someone to go toe-to-toe with Galactus? Odin. There's no rhyme or reason to his power levels, especially since Fraction took over.

I personally always liked the idea that Thor could take him in a purely physical brawl, but Odin could draw upon the Odinforce for the victory. I don't know anymore, and I don't really care. The Asgardians in general, and Odin in particular, have become such a boring mass of suck.

[superchick]

This.

Thor is physically the strongest Asgardian by birth. However Odin is far more powerful overall as he wields the Odinforce, and through it he can amp his own physical strength far beyond his normal levels.

Odin generaly tries not to interfere in Thor's battles unless there is something large at stake for Asgard. Thor is unique in his love for Earth; the other Gods don't have this problem. Odin is a pure God and he doesn't have as much of a "human" side as Thor does. As for being an asshole -- I don't think so. Well not in the Stan Lee and Simonson days. Under Fraction he's definitely an asshole. But so is Thor.

Stan Lee portrayed Odin as downright villainous sometimes. Blinded by power and prejudice.

[USERNAME TAKEN]

I wonder why Thor is so weak compared to Odin. He is the son of a skyfather and of an elder godess, but compared to his father he is as weak as a kitten.

My thoughts exactly.

It never really made sense to me as Thor is half sky father, half elder goddess, he should be as bad ass powerful as they come.

[Malevolent1]

My understanding regarding Odin and his level of power: he is a galaxy buster in terms of being able to unleash concussive bolts of energy from his person. In terms of raw, brute strength, Thor is much stronger, in terms of baseline strength. However, the Odin Force is an almost "endless well of power from which to draw, both mystical and cosmic in nature...". Odin, therefore, can augment his own natural strength to indeterminate levels, evidently, surpassing Thor.

In terms of his character, Odin can be a real douchebag when it comes to Thor's feelings regarding Midgard. Very short on empathy for Thor's love of the big blue marble.

Personally, I can't wait to see the old man kick off, so Thor can re-acquire the Odin Force.

Just my blue collar opinion.

[Van Custo]

I think Loki had a line where he said that without the Bifrost (which was destroyed at the end of Thor), Odin must have used up a large amount of his own energy to send Thor back to Earth again.

In the comics, Thor could just teleport himself. The movie version seems to be missing this ability. So far.

[Van Custo]

My thoughts exactly.

It never really made sense to me as Thor is half sky father, half elder goddess, he should be as bad ass powerful as they come.

Thor is physically the strongest precisely because his mother is an elder Goddess. He is naturally stronger than Odin, or any other Asgardian (or any other hero for that matter. Over time though, he was portrayed weaker and weaker, until finally guys like Hulk had a clear edge in physical strength over him). But Odin is more powerful because of the Odinforce, magic and experience.

Thor DID surpass Odin in power after he stopped Ragnarok, but upon his return in the JMS run, Marvel just ignored all of that and pretended it never existed.

So I'd say Thor is potentially the most powerful God, but he just hasn't gotten there yet, and most likely never will in 616 continuity because that would change too many things. We saw what he turned into in The Reigning, and he undid all of that. Marvel is too scared of any big permanent changes.

My understanding regarding Odin and his level of power: he is a galaxy buster in terms of being able to unleash concussive bolts of energy from his person. In terms of raw, brute strength, Thor is much stronger, in terms of baseline strength. However, the Odin Force is an almost "endless well of power from which to draw, both mystical and cosmic in nature...". Odin, therefore, can augment his own natural strength to indeterminate levels, evidently, surpassing Thor.

In terms of his character, Odin can be a real douchebag when it comes to Thor's feelings regarding Midgard. Very short on empathy for Thor's love of the big blue marble.

Personally, I can't wait to see the old man kick off, so Thor can re-acquire the Odin Force.

Just my blue collar opinion.

Yup. That's exactly it.

Stan Lee portrayed Odin as downright villainous sometimes. Blinded by power and prejudice.

Can you give an example please? Because I honestly can't think of any where he acts "villainous". He did look down on humans often, but who in his position wouldn't?