Odin was undoubtedly the most powerful character in the MCU until Doctor Strange introduced the Ancient One, but who's actually the strongest one? Phase 1 of the MCU opened up a literal universe full of superpowered beings, and the first Thor movie revealed that the Norse gods of ancient myth have been real all along. Back then, Odin was about to pass the throne on to his oldest son, Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Of course, the plans of the Asgardian family suffered drastic changes, and even stronger forces rose out of obscurity.
One of these mystical forces is The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), a master of the mystic arts who leads all of the hidden magic-wielding sorcerers in the world. As "Sorcerer Supreme", she's the wisest and most powerful of them, and several centuries of experience drawn from dark practices also add to her occult skills. Along with Odin and Ego the Living Planet (Kurt Russell), The Ancient One is one of the universe's most formidable protectors, capable of fending off threats from this dimension and from other infinite different realities in the multiverse.
Her influence on the supernatural is impressive, but the Ancient One never came close to achieving a fraction of Odin's historical feats. With the help of his daughter Hela (Cate Blanchett), Odin kept a considerable part of the universe under his jurisdiction through brute force, his Asgardian army, and various kinds of ancient magic spells. After that, he single-handedly defeated King Laufey and his army of Frost Giants, banished Hela (who almost defeats Hulk, Loki, Thor in Thor: Ragnarok), and vanquished the giant fire demon Surtur, thus preventing the end of Asgard all by himself.
The Ancient One wouldn't have been able to go toe-to-toe against Odin in his prime. She even failed to beat her former student and dark dimension rookie Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) in physical combat. However, her extensive knowledge of complex sorcery and her ability to hop between dimensions would give Odin a run for his money. Contrary to Odin, the Ancient One is able to see the future, as evidenced by how she knew Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) would become the greatest Sorcerer Supreme in history before he even knew what that meant. It would have been extremely difficult for her to go past Odin's eight-legged horse Sleipnir or his mighty staff Gungnir, but if the Ancient One managed to push Odin's astral form out of his body or reshape the ground beneath him, he would find himself in serious trouble.
Doctor Strange's minor appearance in Thor: Ragnarok revealed that a sorcerer can easily trap a magic-adept Norse god in a portal, as Loki laments, "for thirty minutes!". Asgardians tend to be more prideful when it comes to their potential, but the Ancient One's secret past may be filled with even greater feats of power than Odin has ever imagined. It's just that her skills encompass the mystic arts rather than Odin's more traditional militaristic power.
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September 08, 2020 at 05:33AM
