Three months later, word came from Asgard—Hela was back.
But her revival wasn't about settling scores with Thor or Ronan.
She had to come back.
Simple reason: an enemy showed up.
Thanos's army dropped into Asgard like a silent storm. The mighty defenses Asgard prided itself on crumpled like paper under Thanos's barrage.
One round of bombardment, and Asgard's whole defense grid was toast.
As Thanos's forces tore through Asgard unchecked, Hela—who'd been biding her time—finally stepped out.
She put her beef with Thor on hold, and the siblings teamed up against Thanos.
For her, it was because her power stemmed from Asgard—if it went down, she'd lose everything.
Thor's reason was simpler: he was just doing what a king's supposed to do.
That's how, together, Asgard's soldiers and Hela's undead army held off Thanos's first wave.
But Asgard paid a brutal price.
Over half the soldiers got wiped out by Thanos's crew, and plenty of civilians caught the fallout.
Even Thor, the heaviest hitter, took some serious damage.
To prep for the next wave—or waves—Thor reached out to Ronan, asking him to move Asgard's remaining civilians to Earth.
"So that's what you've been through lately?"
Inside Asgard's palace, Ronan lounged in a chair, eyebrow quirked.
The fierce fighting had left the once-grand palace pocked with damage.
The air reeked of medkits.
"Yup. That Ragnarok prophecy? Looks like it's really kicking off."
Thor nodded, his face all business.
Ronan slid his gaze over to Hela nearby.
They say enemies meeting makes sparks fly, but—surprise—Hela didn't make a move this time.
Just stared at Ronan with an icy glare.
Like she was trying to kill him with her eyes!
Ronan tugged at the corner of his mouth, shifting his attention to the throne off to the side.
Whether it was unspoken vibes or a pre-set deal, neither Thor nor Hela had claimed that seat.
Guess they were serious about handling the outside threat first.
Even aliens know "secure the home front before fighting abroad" is a dumb move. Tch.
"Alright, got it."
Ronan nodded, glancing at Wong beside him.
Wong caught the hint, turned, and headed out.
Soon enough, golden portals started popping up across the plaza outside the hall.
On the other side? The second home Odin had picked out for them way back.
In that moment, Asgardians had to pack up their lives—hundreds, thousands of years in one place—and go.
Nobody wanted to ditch their homeland, but at this point, they had no choice.
Right as the civilians were pulling out, though, Thanos's fleet rolled back into Asgard's turf.
A shrill alarm blared.
The once-orderly evacuation turned visibly chaotic.
Thor shot up from his chair, reflexively stretching out his right hand.
But his hammer didn't show.
Instead, a giant axe he'd never seen before landed in his grip!
Yup, Stormbreaker!
When that axe hit Thor's hand, his eyes went wide.
It felt weirdly familiar.
But he was dead sure he'd never used—or even seen—this thing before!
Before Thor could figure it out, portals flared up on either side of Ronan.
From the left one, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, and a few others stepped through.
Then, from the right, more familiar faces rolled in.
Another Tony Stark, Banner-Hulk, and Falcon—rocking a shield—strolled out.
Thor's jaw dropped. He had no clue what was happening.
Two Tony Starks?
And since when did Falcon suit up as Captain America?
He glanced at the crew behind Ronan, catching nothing but grins.
Right then, a figure Thor knew all too well appeared.
Blinding lightning crashed down into Asgard's hall.
Another Thor—looking damn near identical but with a totally different vibe—materialized in the room.
When this older Thor scoped out the hall, his eyes were dripping with nostalgia.
Soon enough, he locked onto the other Thor.
"Looks like he knows you too."
"Thanks for lending me your hammer back in the day—now, how about I let you borrow this axe?"
Mature Thor cracked a small smile.
Meanwhile, axe-wielding Thor stared blankly at the crowd, finally landing on Ronan.
Blurted out without thinking: "Who the hell are these guys?"
Ronan grinned, glancing back at the teams on either side.
Both crews flashed matching smirks.
"Avengers."
"Avengers."
Under Thor's gobsmacked stare, Ronan's smile faded slow, his eyes drifting to the door.
In that moment, his gaze seemed to pierce through the hall, the plaza, even the whole planet.
He saw Thanos stepping off his ship, Conqueror Kang trailing behind.
At the sight, Ronan's grin crept back.
He rose from the chair slow, hands spreading light.
His Kamar-Taj sorcerer gear swapped in, ditching the casual threads in a flash.
"Avengers…"
Ronan said soft.
Every eye in the room snapped to him.
"Assemble!"