Thor: How Loki Was Able To Trick Odin (Despite Him Being More Powerful)

Odin (Anthony Hopkins) was one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so how was Loki (Tom Hiddleston) able to trick him and usurp the throne of Asgard in Thor: The Dark World? After banishing his adoptive father, the God of Mischief posed as Odin and ruled Asgard for about four years before Thor (Chris Hemsworth) exposed Loki in Thor: Ragnarok.

As the Allfather, Odin Borson lorded over Asgard for thousands of years. In 965 A.D., Odin led the Asgardians to victory in a war with the Frost Giants and he found baby Loki abandoned in a temple. Odin brought Loki back to Asgard and raised him as his son alongside Thor. But Loki yearned for the throne that was intended for his brother. In Thor, Loki learned he was really a Frost Giant; Loki took advantage of Odin banishing Thor to Earth and the Allfather succumbing to the Odinsleep to rule Asgard. But Thor returned and exposed Loki’s treachery, and then helped defeat Loki’s attempt to conquer Earth in The Avengers. In Thor: The Dark World, Loki faked his death and tricked Odin while Thor was busy stopping Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) and the Dark Elves.

In order to regain the throne of Asgard, Loki somehow enchanted Odin and sent him to Earth despite the Norse god-king being far more powerful. Odin lost his memory and Loki left him at the Shady Acres Care Home in New York City while the God of Mischief posed as the Allfather and commissioned whimsical plays in Loki’s honor. When Thor returned to Asgard in Ragnarok, he forced Loki to take him to Odin on Earth, but they found the retirement home destroyed and Odin missing. Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who was keeping tabs on Odin, sent the brothers to Norway, where Odin was waiting to say farewell to his sons before he surrendered his life force and entered Valhalla. While the exact circumstances of how Loki was able to manipulate Odin to begin with aren’t spelled out, there are numerous clues that Odin was already diminished and nearing the end of his life in Thor: The Dark World.

Thor begins with Odin ready to crown the God of Thunder as the new King of Asgard; if Odin was still at the height of his abilities, he wouldn’t have been looking to pass the throne to his son, especially since Thor clearly lacked humility and judgment to be king at that point. Soon after, Odin fell into the Odinsleep, which should have recharged his powers fully — and perhaps it did — but Odin, due to his age, would still never be what he was in his youth. Odin even scolded Loki in The Dark World that, “We are not god! We’re born, we live, we die, just as humans do!”  So, as powerful as Odin may have been, the one-eyed patriarch was undeniably in decline and musing over his own mortality.

Consider also that after thousands of years of Asgard being peaceful and inviolate, the crown jewel of the Nine Realms suffered multiple incursions and disasters in just 6 years’ time. The Frost Giants invaded and stole the Casket of Ancient Winters in Thor, the Dark Elves attacked and murdered Frigga in The Dark World, and Hela conquered Asgard only for Surtur (Clancy Brown) to destroy the planet in Ragnarok. It’s unlikely these events would have occurred if Odin was at his full power. The Frost Giants and Dark Elves rampaging in Asgard point to Odin no longer being at the peak of his abilities as King, which was the perfect time for Loki to make his power play in The Dark World.

Finally, Thor even noted that Odin was filled with grief and rage after Frigga was killed by Malekith. Consumed by his failures and the loss of his beloved queen, the Allfather was at his lowest ebb — which Loki was obviously aware of and took full advantage of. At that point, it didn’t matter how powerful Odin may have been compared to Loki, he was emotionally vulnerable and easy prey for the God of Mischief. And, maybe on some deeper level, Odin wanted to remain in exile. Regardless, when Odin came to his senses and realized Loki had tricked him, he must also have realized that his time as Allfather really was over and Odin was ready to let Thor be the King he was born to be.