I've been browsing the internet and I noticed a train of thought. There tends to be general dislike towards the fictional character Odin Borson from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (He appears in the movies Thor, and Thor 2: The Dark World)
First off, from what we can tell Odin has been ruling, guiding, and protecting his kingdom of Asgard, and keeping the peace in 8 other realms, some of which are filled with baddies who'd love to topple his government and order. He's been doing this, not for a couple decades, but for THOUSANDS OF YEARS. At the beginning of the first Thor movie, it's shown that Odin intervened on Earth's behalf to save them from a force of Frost Giants who would have surely wiped out humanity with ease. It was only through great loss personally and to his nation, that Odin was able to push the Frost Giants back into their home planet and lock them away from interstellar travel. Then, as we see in the beginning of Thor 2: The Dark World, Odin's father Bor was involved in a massive war against the Dark Elves, who even in defeat managed to inflict a mighty blow upon the Asgardian forces, crippling them.
Where does this leave us? Well, it leaves us with the setting that before the movie Thor unfolds, Odin was born into, and lived in, a universe that was constantly trying to undo everything he and his father had strived to build. This is a heavy responsibility. It is up to Odin to make decisions that will not only preserve his own people, but also the innocents of the Nine Realms. That is REALLY hard for one person to carry, and Odin isn't just carrying this for two 4 year terms, no he's carrying it for thousands of years!
Then we get to Loki, as revealed in the first Thor movie, Loki was abandoned by his Frost Giant father for being weak and small, Loki was left to die. But as he was laying in the cold to starve to death, Odin found Loki and took pity on him and saved him. Now, from what we know of Odin's dad, Bor wasn't to focused on teaching Odin how to be a quality husband, father, or man. No, Bor was teaching Odin how to be a warrior, how to be a king. Odin was taught how to slay monsters and armies on his own, Odin was taught how to make hard decisions to preserve his people, Odin was taught how to enforce law and order, Oden was not taught how to love and value a son, much less an adopted son of a hated enemy. Odin tries his best, as you see in the scene when Thor and Loki are children, Odin tries to teach Thor not to blindly hate Loki's species, and tries to validate both his sons' value the only way he knows, by saying they could be king.
Young Thor: When I am king, I'll hunt the monsters down and slay them all! Just like you did, Father!
Odin: A wise king never seeks out war. But he must always be ready for it.
[Walks off, his sons run after him]
Young Thor: I'm with you, Father!
Young Loki: So am I!
Odin: Only one of you can ascend to the throne. But BOTH of you were born to be kings!
Odin is clearly trying, in his lack of teaching, to build mature sons who know he values them. Of course he's not great at it! No one taught him how to be a good dad! But at least he's trying!
Then, in Thor 2:The Dark World, Loki has been arrested and brought before Odin to stand trial for his crimes (The near annihilation of the Frost Giants and his attempted invasion of Earth) Odin now has a very very hard task before him. His son, the one he saved from dying alone in the cold, has betrayed him, attacked his own kingdom, and the people Odin has sworn to protect. Loki is no longer his son, he is now an enemy of the state. In this challenging time, Odin resorts to what he knows, the lessons his father taught him to be warrior and king. As the King of Asgard Odin sees before him a traitor, a terrorist, and a dictator. One that must be dealt with for the protection of Odin's realm and people. Odin makes that hard choice, Odin does what he knows, to set aside his loved ones and protect the realm he has sworn to protect.
Odin: All this because Loki desires a throne.
Loki: It is my birthright!
Odin: Your Birthright was to die as a child! Cast out on a frozen rock! If I had not taken you in, you would not be here now to hate me!
I don't know where I was going with all this, I just want to present the idea that maybe Odin isn't the horrible person some make him out to be, maybe he tried his hardest, and is a real quality king trying his hardest to look out for his people.
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