Odin, the All-Father and king of the Aesir, is one of the various antagonist arrayed against Kratos in the video games. He’s manipulative and cunning and cruel, and more than a little paranoid. Patinkin is a terrific choice for the role, though I certainly never considered him in any of my fantasy cast musings.

Dr. Mathias Nordvig, a professor of Norse mythology, sits down with WIRED to compare and contrast Marvel's interpretations of Norse gods. Dr. Nordvig goes into great detail about everything from Thor's hammer to Odin's eye and Loki's shapeshifting.

In Norse mythology, Odin is the leader of the gods. He is basically the Norse equivalent of Zeus, but if you take away Zeus’ constant complaining and pure rage. Odin has his moments, but Odin is all-seeing, all-knowing, and, more importantly, all-powerful.