Anthony Hopkins appeared to have a great time starring in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thor franchise, with the veteran acting legend relishing the opportunity to chew scenery as Odin. And while the God of Thunder’s first two solo outings may not be regarded as high points of the MCU, Taika Waititi’s Ragnarok reinvented Chris Hemsworth’s title character as one of the most popular superheroes in the entire shared mythology.
Hopkins also got to ham it up during the scene where Thor returns to Asgard in order to confront Loki, who’d been masquerading as their father ever since The Dark World. However, the Academy Award winner got to bring some pathos to the table as well when he gracefully bowed out before Hela showed up, in a scene that was originally going to be a lot darker than it ended up in the theatrical cut.
Given that he’s one of the most powerful beings in the universe, there wasn’t anything stopping Odin from ending his exile and heading back to Asgard to reclaim the throne, but a new theory has now explained why he decided to remain on Earth. And as well as providing a handy plot device to get Thor to the planet in the first place, which ended with him being banished to Sakaar, it also brings one of the first movie’s plot threads to a fitting full circle.
Odin exiled Thor to Earth in order to teach him humility and put his ego to one side, and by remaining on our planet during Ragnarok when he could have easily returned to Asgard, the Allfather lived out the rest of his days in the same place where his son learned how to become a truly worthy King.
As ScreenRant explains:
Of course, Odin could have returned to Asgard if he wanted to, or even go to any of the Nine Realms, but he chose to stay on Earth, for some reason. In terms of narrative, Odin had to be on Earth for Thor and Loki to return to it, meet Doctor Strange, and later use the Bifrost, which thanks to Hela’s intervention ended up sending them to Sakaar, kickstarting the rest of the events in the movie. An in-universe reason, however, could be the link between Thor and Earth, as Odin banished his son to Earth in Thor, in hopes that he would overcome his ego and arrogance and learn a powerful lesson on humility and what being a hero is truly about. After Odin’s passing, Thor would become king of Asgard, so staying on Earth and reuniting there with his sons was quite meaningful for Odin as that’s where Thor learned what his purpose and place truly were.
Tell us, though, does this theory work for you? Or was there another reason behind the decision? Let us know down below.
