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James Gouldsmith Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 31 December 2012 Posts: 96
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Posted: 05 July 2013 at 12:53pm | IP Logged | 1
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Doc Strange doesn't really have any power of his own, but rather borrows mystical power from a variety of beings from other, magic-based universes in a mood to loan it to him.
So, why doesn't he ever call upon Odin? I'm sure the real answer is that nobody that's ever written Strange thought of Odin in that manner, but its obvious that Odin grants his powers to Midgardian mortals willing to do good (hell, he's granted power to a frickin' frog!).
Is there any in-universe reason why Stephen hasn't or wouldn't ask Odin for help?
---EDITed to fix my ig'nint-ass grammar
Edited by James Gouldsmith on 05 July 2013 at 12:57pm
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Michael Penn Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 April 2006 Location: United States Posts: 12716
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Posted: 05 July 2013 at 2:23pm | IP Logged | 2
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I've only really read the Lee-Ditko era, beyond some short stretches in the 70s, so maybe my viewpoint is limited, but it seems to me Dr. Strange has mastered the particular skill of magic spells, the effective execution of which relies on specific words spoken, specific physical gestures made, and specific objects manipulated, all in specific ways. Dr. Strange has never had any "channel" to call on or draw from Odin that I've ever seen or heard of.
Has he?
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James Gouldsmith Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 31 December 2012 Posts: 96
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Posted: 05 July 2013 at 2:45pm | IP Logged | 3
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But all those spells are him calling upon various beings for power. 'By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth', 'By the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak', 'By the Vishanti', etc. Hoggoth, Cyttorak, and the Vishanti are other-dimensional beings granting him power to do his job as Sorcerer Supreme, according to whatever agreements they've made with him.
Since Odin has empowered his son, a non-human extraterrestrial (Beta Ray Bill), a non-human terrestrial (Throg), and two mortal humans (Erik and Kevin Masterson), I can't imagine a reason why he'd say no to Strange if asked.
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Tony Centofanti Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 August 2007 Location: United States Posts: 212
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Posted: 05 July 2013 at 2:46pm | IP Logged | 4
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Nah, Odin is too busy using his power to punish Thor for minor infractions and gaffes.
Odin gives power, but he doesn't make requests.
THE ALL FATHER HAS SPOKEN!
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Ronald Joseph Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 18 April 2011 Location: United States Posts: 1784
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Posted: 05 July 2013 at 2:58pm | IP Logged | 5
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I can't imagine a reason why he'd say no to Strange if asked.
Rumor has it he testified on behalf of Reed Richards once!
Seriously, though, if asked, I'd like to think he not only could, but would. There's no reason Dr. Strange shouldn't be able to tap into Runic magic.
Unless there's some dividing line somewhere in Marvel lore that says Dr. Strange's sorcery can't cross over into Odin's magic and enchantments.
Edited for typos.
Edited by Ronald Joseph on 05 July 2013 at 2:59pm
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Michael Penn Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 April 2006 Location: United States Posts: 12716
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Posted: 05 July 2013 at 3:03pm | IP Logged | 6
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Since Odin has empowered his son, a non-human extraterrestrial (Beta Ray Bill), a non-human terrestrial (Throg), and two mortal humans (Erik and Kevin Masterson), I can't imagine a reason why he'd say no to Strange if asked.
***
This is the nutshell of my problem discussing comicbooks released in the past 30 years -- I'm totally ignorant of them! I know of Beta Ray Bill, and I think that, while Walt Simonson was brilliant in so many ways, this character was a big mistake. All the rest, I am clueless about. So, maybe the Dr. Strange and Odin that I grew up with no longer exist, and I should probably bow out of any remaining discussion!
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Mike Norris Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004 Location: United States Posts: 4274
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Posted: 05 July 2013 at 6:39pm | IP Logged | 7
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Odin's a young god. Strange gets his powers from Elder Gods who are more powerful than some local skygod.
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John Young Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 22 August 2004 Location: United States Posts: 3152
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Posted: 05 July 2013 at 8:56pm | IP Logged | 8
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It's cool the speculate on this, but it gets to part of the problem with people who have written Doctor Strange in the past, try to add occult technicalities and other rituals, the story telling does not hold up well. Its like the question "how does Superman Shave?" Over thinking.
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Dave Kopperman Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 27 December 2004 Location: United States Posts: 3353
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Posted: 05 July 2013 at 9:29pm | IP Logged | 9
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I'm pretty sure it's because Odin signed away all his power to a recording industry lawyer in exchange for eternal care at a lovely nursing home.
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Brian Hague Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 14 November 2006 Posts: 8515
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Posted: 05 July 2013 at 9:50pm | IP Logged | 10
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A great deal of the appreciation for Bill comes from having read that first story. He's an alien warrior fighting to protect his fleeing people from a race of interstellar demons. He sacrificed his "humanity" ala' Rom to become their defender, and in the course of his ongoing battle chanced upon Thor. Recognizing that Thor was a mystical entity, he fought him, believing him to be some new form of demon and in so doing won the right to hold the hammer and possess the power of Thor. He's worthy. And visually arresting. And he has a sense of humor. What's not to love? Where the problem comes in is in depriving him of the mission that originally defined him as being worthy of the power of Thor. Without his commitment to his people's safety, he's not so interesting. He can occassionally be summoned to Asgard, per Odin's wishes, without great harm being done to his credibility (The King's shilling, the King's bidding...) but spending all his time with other Marvel heroes like the Guardians or Power Pack makes him simply the Bizarro Thor, and that isn't something the Marvel Universe really needed... The appeal of Beta Ray Bill is that he's a Marvel Hero, as worthy and as mighty as any other, but his mission is so very far from the usual Marvel neighborhoods that he is all but alone in his war. An alien Thor, forever fighting for the protection of innocents in an alien Valhalla, occassionally finding solace in battle alongside his fellow Thor or comfort in the company of the Lady Sif. Plus, it helps that Walt wrote him so well.
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Brian Hague Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 14 November 2006 Posts: 8515
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Posted: 05 July 2013 at 10:04pm | IP Logged | 11
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As for Dr. Strange, there are apparently compacts and arrangements made long, long ago involving the sharing of power when the names of certain, ancient powers are invoked. Raggadorr, Faltine, & the Seraphim showed up for the meetings. Odin apparently did not, else Strange would likely have called upon him before now. To suddenly have him begin doing so would smack of changing the rules midgame. Such changes are rarely if ever for the better. Odin bequeathes his power as he sees fit, be the recipient alien or amphibian. To date, he's not seen fit to do so for Midgardian practioners of the occult, especially those who've studied in the East where the Asgardians were never known. There's no explicit reason, I suppose, why he couldn't suddenly do so now, except that mixing Kirby and Ditko that recklessly doesn't seem like an especially good idea. Something about Strange's involvement with the Defenders strikes me the same way, as if we're attempting to mix pieces from different jigsaw puzzles into a coherent design. It helps a bit, I think, that an Everett character is in the mix to diffuse the effect.
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James Gouldsmith Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 31 December 2012 Posts: 96
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Posted: 06 July 2013 at 5:52am | IP Logged | 12
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I can see all that in-universe stuff, Brian; but surely Stephen would still know of Odin being a possible resource that I'd think he would have called upon before calling upon the evil powers that caused him to lose his status as Sorcerer Supreme a couple years back.
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