Avengers: Infinity War Theory - Did Odin Try To Gather The Infinity Stones?

2. The Soul Stone, Thanos, And Odin's Sacrifice

We know that The Soul Stone requires a sacrifice of someone you love to obtain it. We also know, as the Red Skull tells Thanos, that it offers a certain type of ‘wisdom’.

Now, taking a break from Odin for a second, let's examine the Soul Stone's effect on Thanos. After Thanos’ acquisition of the Stone, he seems a lot less viscous in battle than before, only killing Vision (which he had to do to get the Mind Stone) despite the fact that he could have, very easily, murdered everyone on Titian and Wakanda that stood in his way.

In fact, he seems to go out of his way not to kill anybody he doesn’t have to. Obviously, he’s still trying to wipe out half the universe, but he seems a lot less savage about it (remember how brutally he messed up the Guardians on Knowhere before he had the Soul Stone?)

The reason for this is evident: The wisdom the Soul Stone grants is empathy. Understanding of the people around you. Their feelings. Their hopes and emotions. In short, their souls. This is reinforced by Thanos’ consoling words to Scarlet Witch after killing Vision: saying he understands what she feels, ‘more than anyone’. Naturally, we assume that it’s Thanos empathising with Scarlet Witch’s loss after losing Gamora just hours before. But what if he truly understood her pain, more than anyone, as he was made to feel it by the Soul Stone?

Returning back to Odin, in order to obtain the Soul Stone, he would have needed to sacrifice someone he loved. Who, we might ask, could the tyranical conqueror possibly sacrifice to obtain the stone? The man who killed and tortured his way to rule over nine realms. Is there anyone we've seen in the MCU he loved enough at the time to sacrifice for the Stone?

In fact, the answer is yes. Odin sacrificed his first wife, Hela's mother. Remember, she and Thor are only half-siblings, and we never hear anything of Hela's mother across the films. Why? Because she was dead before the first Thor film took place.

And so we find Odin, invader and dictator, Hela by his side, poised to extend his rule across the universe. But, we know that's not how the story ends. So what happened after his acquisition of the Soul Stone?