Gods In Marvel Universe – The Asgardians And The Olympians

Norse Gods and Greek Gods in the Marvel Universe are both immensely powerful beings. From time to time, they have assisted the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

By Mohit Srivastava
July 17,2022
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Norse Gods and Greek Gods in the Marvel Universe are both immensely powerful beings. From time to time, they have assisted the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in their various battles against powerful enemies. Together they make the Council of Godheads. The leaders of the council are Zeus, Odin, and Vishnu. The most noticeable among them are – Odin, Thor, and Loki from Asgard Realm, while Zeus, and Hercules from Olympus Realm.

Let’s dive into a brief Marvel lore of these godly beings.

1. Asgardians

Asgard
Asgard Realm in MCU

Asgardians are the inhabitants of Asgard (based on Norse mythology). They are similar in appearance to humans and possess highly advanced forms of technology and magic. They were ruled by the all-powerful Odin for millennia.

Their purpose is to keep peace among the Nine Realms under their rule (namely- Midgard, Alfheim, Asgard, Vanaheim, Niflheim, Muspelheim, Helheim, Svartalfheim, and Jotunheim). The peace was brought among these realms by Odin’s father Bor.  Although Asgardians are not immortal, they have an extremely long life.

  • Odin, All-father

Odin
Odin of MCU, played by Sir Anthony Hopkins

Odin or Odin Borson was the King of Asgard and protector of all the realms under Asgardian rule. He is considered the wisest and the most powerful of the Asgardians. He is the son of Bor and BestlaTof Frigga, and the father of Mighty Thor. In order to bring peace to the Jotunheim realm, he adopted the son of their leader Laufey and named him Loki.

Odin is capable of manipulating vast amounts of magical energy referred to as the Odin Force, for a number of purposes. Odin’s chief weapon is Gungnir (or, The Spear of Heaven). As a symbol of his rule, Odin bears the mace Thrudstok (“Scepter of Supremacy”), wears the Odinring upon his finger, and wields various swords (including Ravenseye) that can channel his power.

  • Thor, God of Thunder

Thor
Thor of MCU, played by Chris Hemsworth

Thor or Thor Odinson is the son of Odin and Frigga of Asgard. He has an immense amount of strength, endurance, and stamina, and possesses long life. He wields his mighty weapon Mjolnir made out of the strongest metal in the universe, Uru. Thor can all down lightning and thunder at will and bend and shape them into weapons.

Raised as brothers, Thor and Loki know each other better than anyone, yet have been continually at odds, sometimes to notably extreme degrees. His other companions include – Heimdall, Lady Sif, Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun. He is also one of the founding members of the Avengers.

  • Loki, God of Mischief

Loki
Loki of MCU, played by Tom Hiddleston

Loki or Loki Laufeyson is also referred to as the God of Mischief. He is the son of Laufey of Jotunheim and was adopted and raised by Odin. Since Odin always preferred Thor over him, hence he grew on to be jealous of his step-brother. He has an impending lust to rule Asgard which has led him to cause chaos in Asgard several times.

His magical abilities include astral projection, shape-shifting, hypnosis, molecular rearrangement, cryokinesis, telekinesis, and teleportation. He is also an expert in combat and wields a scepter, called Loki’s Sceptre, gifted to him by Thanos.

2. Olympians

Olympus
Olympus in MCU

Olympians hail from Olympus Realm, a pocket dimension adjacent to Earth. Humanoid extra-dimensional beings, Olympians are immortal in nature and have body density three times denser than normal human beings, contributing to their superhuman strength and weight.

Olympians cease to age upon reaching adulthood and cannot die by conventional means. Olympians can manipulate energy at their will and have regenerative healing ability. Every Olympian possess specific skills associated with their area of expertise.

  • Zeus, God of Lightning

Zeus
Zeus of MCU, played by Russel Crowe

Zeus is the supreme monarch of the Olympians. He is the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea. Zeus married the goddess Hera, but he engaged in many affairs with goddesses, titans, nymphs, and mortal women and produced various famous offspring.

Zeus possesses the ability to manipulate vast amounts of cosmic and mystical energy for a variety of purposes, including temporary augmentation of his superhuman physical abilities, firing powerful bolts of electrical force energy, and changing his shape and size at will. He can also control the mystical life energies of other Olympian gods and has removed and restored much of his son Hercules’ divine attributes several times in the past.

Regarded as the sender of thunder and lightning, rain, and winds, Zeus wields his traditional weapon called the Thunderbolt.

  • Hercules, God of Strength

Hercules in Marvel comics
Hercules in Marvel comics

First appearing in the comics Journey into Mystery Annual #1 (1965), Hercules was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, Alcmena. Hercules possesses immense strength and agility as a result of being breastfed by the divine milk from his stepmother and aunt, Hera. He also possesses skills like superhuman speed, agility, and reflexes, and is immune to almost all the toxins in the world.

Often a good friend of Thor and the Avengers in comics, he has fought beside them in many wars and battles. Hercules wields a special weapon called the Golden Mace made of Adamantine.