Who he is: Odin, King Of Asgard, a.k.a Odin Borson, a.k.a. The All-Father
His power: In addition to the superhuman physical characteristics (strength, durability, extremely long life) possessed by all Asgardians, Odin’s time as king has shown him to be extraordinarily intelligent and a master tactician. Additionally, he’s got some unique power all his own—the Odinforce, if you will—capable of unleashing enormously powerful energy blasts. He can also place curses and enchantments on objects, and has the ability to tap into various other energies to use his power, such as when he sent Thor to Earth during the events of The Avengers, an act that required the use of dark energies.
His story: At the beginning of Thor, Odin is set to hand over his reign to his son, Thor. But after a sneak attack by the Frost Giants, he retains control, and after Thor’s rash invasion of Jotunheim, Odin strips him of his powers and banishes him to Earth. He falls ill shortly thereafter, entering a temporary coma of sorts, creatively named the Odinsleep. He wakes up just in time to save Thor from plunging off the Bifrost alongside his duplicitous brother, Loki.
In Thor: The Dark World, Odin condemns Loki to eternal imprisonment for his actions, both in Asgard and on Earth (the events of The Avengers). Soon after, he agrees to protect Jane Foster after Thor brings her to Asgard infected with the Aether. He fights off the assault by the Dark Elves, but his wife Frigga is killed by Malekith and Kurse during the attack. Overcome by grief, he plans to fight, but Thor disobeys him (with the help of Heimdall and others), spiriting Jane and Loki away with him. Odin is then informed of Loki’s death, but it’s revealed by the film’s end that Loki has in fact taken the throne disguised as Odin, and the All-Father’s whereabouts are currently unknown. (Given how tough it is to kill the guy, it’ll be interesting to see what Loki did.)
Played by: Anthony Hopkins
Currently, Odin is: Mysteriously absent.
Where will we see him next? There’s a good chance he’ll turn up in Thor: Ragnarok, coming Nov. 3, 2017.