Tony was flying over a remote village, shooting at several armed individuals who tried to stop him. He quickly disarmed most of them and knocked them out. With his armor, there was no way a low-level group like that could defeat him. Once everything was under control, he approached a hidden spot on the outskirts of the village, where he found Thor and Jane.
Tony had invited Thor to show him something. As for Jane...well, that girl insisted on coming the moment she found out Tony was taking Thor to an unknown place.
"Tony, although the technology and power of Midgard are no match for Asgard, I must say your armor is amazing. It's a shame I don't have my powers—otherwise, I would have helped you fight those wrongdoers,"
Said Thor with excitement.
After witnessing such a battle, he was eager to join in.
"Alright, Thor, come with me. Do you know what this place is?"
He asked as they entered a house in the village. Without waiting for an answer, he continued
"This was a village where some residents joined an extremist group and attacked a powerful criminal organization. In retaliation, they sent a missile that destroyed the entire village."
Tony's voice grew serious, and a trace of remorse crossed his face as he mentioned the missile.
"I see... Men who choose to fight must face death when it comes for them. There is nothing to regret in their deaths,"
Said Thor firmly.
"Yes… Some chose to fight. But only some"
Tony replied, sorrow in his voice.
"What do you mean?" asked Thor. He had never stopped to consider the enemies he fought, he only knew they died as warriors on the battlefield they chose.
"Look at the rooms in this house. In the large one lived Hameed Gul and his wife Sakina Bibi. In the small ones, their young children: a boy and a girl."
"Hameed was one of the first to join the extremist group. He convinced many others to follow."
"You know, his daughter Zahra had been accepted into a prestigious scholarship program at a foreign university… but she never made it."
Thor frowned as he listened to Tony's account.
"His neighbor Jamal was just a florist. Further down lived Haroon, who dreamed of helping his village grow, he was studying to do so. Across the street, Fariha, just an ordinary girl. Next to her, Laila, beloved by everyone. They said she was like an angel."
"And not just them. The whole village. All their families. Innocent people. Innocent children. All dead."
"You say you feel guilty for your father's death, right? What makes you think it was the first death you caused? Your father cast you out because he wanted you to learn. War is not the goal. A king must not only know how to fight—he must protect. War is just a means to achieve something greater: peace."
"In war, it's not just the ones who choose to fight who die, Thor. Innocent people suffer and die too. If you don't even understand the consequences of war and how to protect your people… then you're not ready to be king."
Thor said nothing, deep in thought. He had never considered the cost of war. He was strong; he could defend himself. But not everyone could. There were people who only suffered.
"Let's go back"
Tony said, turning around and walking away.
As Thor passed through the village on the way out, he couldn't help but imagine what it had been like before the ruins, the people, the children playing, just living their lives in peace. The thought made him clench his fists in frustration.
"Thor..."
Jane quickly stepped in to support him when she saw the look on his face.
---
New Mexico. Tony and Thor had just returned when a rainbow beam fell from the sky in front of them.
"Thor!"
They all exclaimed at once.
"Thor, we need your help! Loki has taken the throne by force after Odin fell into the Odinsleep!"
Thor, who was glad to see the Warriors Three and Sif, his closest friends in Asgard, immediately grew serious upon hearing the news.
"Loki took the throne? Father isn't dead?"
"Of course not. He's just resting. But Loki is the real danger. He wants to prove he's superior to you, and to do that, he's willing to go to extremes. He wants Asgard to rule everything, and he'll use the Bifrost as a weapon. He'll attack the Nine Realms to show his strength. Who knows what madness he'll unleash? Asgard could end up in a war it might not win."
The Warriors quickly voiced their concerns, hoping to convince him to return.
Hearing them, Thor thought of something he never had before. Once, he would have been eager for war, but now...
"Tell me something, Sif. In Asgard, what percentage of the population are warriors?"
Sif, surprised by the question, quickly replied:
"Your Highness, in Asgard around 30% are warriors."
Thor was surprised by that number.
"So the majority are civilians? What about the rest of the Nine Realms?"
The Warriors responded at once, thinking they understood where his thoughts were headed:
"Don't worry, Your Highness. Except for Jotunheim and Svartalfheim, in the rest of the realms the percentage of fighters doesn't exceed 20%. If we went to war separately, it wouldn't be a problem. The real risk is if they unite… in that case, I'm not sure we could win that kind of war."
After hearing that, Thor responded with renewed resolve:
"No. We don't need to win this war. We need to stop it from happening."
With that, Thor decided to return to Asgard immediately. Even without his strength, he would try to convince Loki not to start a war. Powers or not, he was the prince of Asgard. It was his duty to protect his people.
However, while thinking this, he noticed two things. First, he saw his father's armor: the Destroyer. It had arrived on Earth and seemed to be heading toward him. But Thor didn't feel fear. That was because of the second thing he noticed: a connection, one that had always been there. It was Mjolnir. He could feel it. He could control it. He extended his hand, and the hammer flew to him at incredible speed.
Elsewhere, Loki was controlling Odin's armor. He had learned the Warriors Three had gone to find Thor, and he couldn't let him return, it would ruin everything. Luckily, Thor no longer had his powers. Dealing with him on Midgard should have been easy.
But as he charged toward him, hoping to end the fight in one blow, something felt off. Thor didn't look afraid...he looked confident.
When Thor extended his hand, Loki recognized the gesture immediately, and a chill ran through his heart.
'Impossible. Father stripped him of the hammer. He shouldn't be able to control it. Yes, it must be a trick.'
Trying to convince himself it was just a bluff, Loki continued his charge.
But when he was just a meter away, he heard a sound that shook him to the core.
Thunder.
Before he could retreat, he felt his control over the Destroyer slip away. The armor had taken a direct hit with all the power of Mjolnir. The hammer from one side, the lightning from the other, it was too much. The Destroyer's head was torn from its body. Even if Loki tried to control it now, he could only manage the head.
Thor, on the other hand, was elated to have his power back.
"Yes! This is it! The power of the God of Thunder has returned, and stronger than ever!"
He shouted proudly but quickly calmed himself and called out:
"Heimdall, bring us back!"
Before the rainbow beam fell, Thor approached Tony and thanked him:
"Thank you, Stark, for helping me understand what it means to be a god. For teaching me that my power is meant to protect, not just to fight."
"Don't worry, Sparkles. We all have our sins. The point is learning how to deal with them."
Tony responded with a dismissive tone, playing it down, but Thor could see that Tony also had his own internal battles to face. So he turned to Jane Foster.
"I have to go. I must deal with Loki. But I'll return, Jane."
"I'll come back for you."
"And how will I know when?"
"You'll know,"
Thor replied with a smile.
He then shook Erik Selvig's hand and disappeared in a rainbow light.