Marvel’s New Thor Story Hints Odin Would’ve Become An MCU Phase 4 Villain If He Hadn’t Died

Warning: This article contains spoilers for What If…? season 2.

Marvel Studios’ What If…? season 2 revealed that Odin would have posed a major threat to one of the newest heroes in the MCU, had he survived the events of Thor: Ragnarok. Legendary actor Anthony Hopkins brought Odin to life in 2011’s Thor, introduced as the King of Asgard and father to Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. Odin was shown to be the benevolent ruler of Asgard, but he wasn’t always this way, as he had previously led a conquest alongside his daughter Hela to extend Asgard’s empire and subjugate the Nine Realms under his rule. This brutality could have made Odin a powerful villain in the MCU.

Anthony Hopkins made several appearances as the MCU’s Odin, debuting in Thor, but returning in 2013’s Thor: The Dark World and 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. Ragnarok marked the end of his live-action MCU journey, however, as the former King of Asgard passed away after speaking to his sons in Norway, and while this allowed the terrifying Hela to break free from her exile, Odin’s death rid the MCU of a much stronger character. Odin’s death in Thor: Ragnarok perhaps lost the Avengers a powerful ally in the battle against the Mad Titan Thanos only moments later, but also potentially meant Marvel Studios lost a formidable villain in the MCU’s Phase 4.

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What If…? Season 2 Revealed Odin Knew About The Ten Rings

Jeff Bergman voiced Odin during What If…? season 2, episode 7, “What If… Hela Found the Ten Rings?” The episode focused on Hela, the Asgardian Goddess of Death, with Cate Blanchett reprising her role from Thor: Ragnarok. In a similar style to the opening of 2011’s Thor, Odin banished Hela to Earth, in What If…? season 2, where she would meet Feodor Chin’s Xu Wenwu. Hela and Wenwu built a strong connection, particularly after Hela received martial arts training in Ta Lo. This led to a battle against Odin, where the Allfather expressed his anger at a human wielding the powerful Ten Rings, confirming he knew of these ancient relics.

Why Odin’s Stance On The Ten Rings Could’ve Easily Made Him A Phase 4 Villain

While the Odin of What If…? season 2, episode 7, was younger and less peaceful than Anthony Hopkins’ live-action iteration, the fact he knew of the Ten Rings’ existence suggests the MCU’s original Odin also did. What If…?‘s Odin’s anger at a human wielding the Ten Rings implies that Hopkins’ Odin also would have protested Xu Wenwu using the relics in the live-action MCU, which could have set him up as a major villain in the MCU’s Phase 4, had he survived the events of Thor: Ragnarok. It’s likely that Odin would have deemed Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi unworthy of wielding the Ten Rings, especially since he knows little about them.

Odin may have been killed off in Thor: Ragnarok to rid Earth’s Mightiest Heroes of a powerful ally in Infinity War’s battle against Thanos, but Marvel Studios may have also removed Odin to avoid this impending conflict. Had Odin crossed paths with Shang-Chi, his distaste for humans harboring the power of the Ten Rings would have surely brought the Norse god to odds with the new MCU hero. Shang-Chi is expected to be a major player in the MCU’s upcoming adventures, but What If…? may have suggested that Odin would have battled the new hero for ownership of the Ten Rings, which could have taken Shang-Chi off the board.