"Leo, are you sure you know that Coulson guy? He doesn't strike me as particularly sharp," Darcy remarked as she tossed a handful of popcorn into her mouth.
The group was piling back into the jeep, the adrenaline of the base infiltration finally beginning to wear off. Darcy leaned over the seat, grinning. "I mean, he didn't even blink at our fake IDs. Dr. Erik Selvig, PhD in Physics and... Jane's grumpy uncle? We basically walked him out of a government black site with a library card and a prayer."
Erik, however, was in no mood for jokes. He sat in the driver's seat, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel. He glanced at the rearview mirror, checking for any black SUVs following them. "Jane, Darcy, S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't an organization you 'fool.' They let us walk because they chose to, or because Leo has some leverage we don't understand. You two go back to the lab. I have a few things I need to settle with our... guest."
After dropping the women off at the cluttered RV that served as their home, Erik didn't head back to work. Instead, he drove Thor and Leo toward the neon glow of a local dive bar on the edge of town.
The interior was dim, smelling of stale hops and sawdust. Erik went straight to the bar and ordered two Jägerbombs, slamming the heavy glasses down in front of himself and Thor.
Leo walked up to join them, but his eyes immediately caught the faded, grease-stained sign taped to the mirror: 'No alcohol served to anyone under the age of 22.' He pouted, feeling a sudden surge of annoyance. Being trapped in the body of a child was a constant logistical nightmare.
However, in a town where the local economy was currently being propped up by mysterious government agents, money spoke louder than signs. Leo slid a crisp hundred-dollar bill across the sticky wood. The bartender didn't say a word; he just looked at the bill, looked at Leo's mask, and then "accidentally" placed a third, oversized Jägerbomb in front of the boy before moving to the other end of the bar.
Thor sat slumped on his stool, the picture of a fallen king. He stared into the dark liquid of his glass, his voice a hoarse whisper. "You know? I've managed to destroy everything. My home, my family, my future. I did every single thing wrong."
Erik took a long pull from his drink and looked at the giant man with a mix of pity and sternness. "Look, Thor—or whoever you are. Not knowing all the answers isn't a death sentence. It's only a problem if you stop asking the right questions."
"For the first time in my entire existence," Thor muttered, "I have no idea what my next step should be. I am a warrior without a weapon, a prince without a throne."
"You'll find your new purpose soon enough. Everyone starts at zero at some point," Leo said, his voice surprisingly mature as he took a sip of his drink. The burn of the alcohol didn't bother him; his modified physiology processed it almost instantly.
Erik turned his focus back to Thor, his tone turning protective. "Jane's father was a colleague of mine. A brilliant man, but stubborn as a mule. He never listened to a word of advice, always thought he knew best until the very end…"
Thor's eyes clouded with a fresh wave of memory. "My father tried to do the same. He tried to teach me through words, through patience, but I was too blinded by my own light to see the wisdom in his shadow. I was a fool."
Erik didn't care for the poetic metaphors. He leaned in close, his voice dropping to a low, threatening growl. "I don't know if you're a delusional patient who escaped a ward or some world-class con artist. Frankly, I don't care. I only care about Jane. I've seen the way she looks at you, and I won't have her heart broken by a man who thinks he's a god."
"I swear to you on my life," Thor said, meeting Erik's gaze with a sudden, startling clarity, "I have no intention of bringing her harm."
"Good. In that case, finish this drink, and then you leave this town tonight. For good."
Thor understood the subtext. He was a storm, and Jane was a delicate instrument he had already nearly broken. He nodded slowly, accepting the terms of his exile from her life. The two men toasted silently and downed the large Jägerbombs in one go.
Seconds later, Dr. Erik Selvig's eyes rolled back, and he slumped forward, passing out cold on the bar. Thor, however, wiped his mouth, looking completely unaffected.
Now only Leo and Thor remained.
Leo calmly set his empty glass down. "Want a few more? You don't seem like a man who's hit his limit yet."
"The flavor is interesting," Thor remarked, glancing at the unconscious Erik. "But it lacks the... 'bite' of Asgardian mead. It's like drinking honeyed water."
Leo pulled out another five hundred dollars, signaling the bartender to keep the rounds coming. Glass after glass disappeared. As the night wore on and the pile of empty shot glasses grew, Thor's initial suspicion of Leo began to dissolve into a strange, drunken camaraderie.
"Leo... tell me the truth. Do you really know who I am?"
"Thor Odinson," Leo said, leaning back. "The wielder of Mjolnir, Asgard's greatest warrior, and the crown prince of the Nine Realms. Though, looking at you now, you seem to have forgotten the man behind the title."
"Odinson?" Thor chuckled bitterly. "I killed my father with my arrogance. I can no longer lift the hammer that defined me. Am I still the God of Thunder if there is no thunder in my soul?"
"You really believe Odin is dead? Just because Loki told you so?" Leo asked, his voice sharp enough to pierce through Thor's alcoholic haze.
Thor sobered up instantly, his blue eyes narrowing. "How did you know Loki came to see me?"
"I saw him. I saw the way he looked at you—like a predator looking at a wounded animal. Loki lied to you, Thor. He's lied to you your entire life, and he lied to you in that interrogation room. Odin isn't dead. He is in the Odinsleep. It's a healing state, not a funeral."
Thor grabbed Leo's shoulder, his grip tightening. "My father is alive? Loki... he lied about my mother forbidding my return?"
Leo sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Yes! Use your head, Thor. Why would Loki tell you your father is dead?"
"The throne," Thor whispered, the realization hitting him like a physical blow. "The throne that should have been mine. He wanted me to give up. He wanted me to stay here, broken and forgotten."
Thor's anger flared for a moment, but then it died out, replaced by a hollow realization. "It doesn't matter. I can no longer lift Mjolnir. My powers are gone. I am just a man of flesh and bone now."
Leo glanced toward the bartender, who had been lingering a bit too close, listening to their "delusional" conversation. He patted Thor on the arm, signaling for him to pick up the snoring Dr. Erik.
On the dark walk back toward the RV, the desert wind howling around them, Leo spoke again. "Do you remember the exact words Odin spoke when he cast you out?"
The memory hit Thor with the force of a tidal wave. He saw his father's face, red with fury, felt the sting of his armor being stripped away.
'You are unworthy of your realm! You are unworthy of your title! You are unworthy of those you betrayed!'
Thor murmured the words into the night, the weight of them finally making sense.
"Then go and regain that approval," Leo said firmly. "Don't try to be the 'God of Thunder' again. Try to be a man who is worthy of the throne. Think about whether the person you were yesterday would have actually been a good king, or just a powerful tyrant."
As the sun began to peek over the horizon, Thor reached a silent understanding with himself. After dropping the unconscious Erik off, he found Jane. They spent the night by a small bonfire outside the RV, talking—really talking—for the first time.
Thor explained the World Tree, Yggdrasil, and the Nine Realms. He matured more in those few hours of quiet reflection than he had in the previous five centuries of battle.
But while Thor was finding his humanity, Asgard was falling into shadow.
Loki had returned from his secret meeting in Jotunheim. He had struck a deal with Laufey, King of the Frost Giants: he would let them into Asgard to assassinate the sleeping Odin, and in return, Loki would finally have the throne without the threat of his father ever waking up.
Heimdall, however, stood at the entrance of the Bifrost, his orange eyes seeing through the layers of Loki's deceit. Loki used the authority of Gungnir—the Allfather's spear—to demand Heimdall's absolute obedience, but the seeds of rebellion were sown.
Sif and the Warriors Three knew they couldn't stay silent. They made a pact to violate Loki's orders and find Thor on Midgard. They arrived at the Rainbow Bridge, where Heimdall stood like a golden statue.
"I will not open the bridge for anyone," Heimdall stated, his voice booming and majestic, fulfilling the letter of Loki's law.
He looked at Sif and the others. "You dare to defy the commands of King Loki? To betray your oaths as warriors and commit treason just to bring back the banished prince?"
"Yes," Sif said, her hand on her sword.
"Very well."
Heimdall turned and walked away toward the Golden Palace.
"Wait! Will you help us?" Sif called out.
"I must be loyal to the King," Heimdall replied without looking back. "Therefore, I cannot open the bridge for you."
The four warriors stood in confusion. "What now?" Hogun asked.
But Sif's eyes caught something. Heimdall had left Hofud—the great sword that acted as the key to the Bifrost—directly in the control pedestal. He hadn't 'opened' the bridge; he had simply left the door unlocked and walked away.
As the Bifrost fired, a brilliant beam of light shooting toward Earth, Loki stood on his balcony, watching the betrayal unfold. His face contorted with a mixture of grief and fury.
He strode into the Odin's treasure vault, Gungnir sparking with energy. He stopped before the most terrifying weapon in Asgard's arsenal.
"Ensure my brother never returns," Loki hissed at the towering, hollow suit of black steel. "Destroy everything."
The Destroyer's face plates shifted, a glowing orange fire igniting deep within its core.
Back at the Bifrost entrance, Heimdall had returned to his post. He stood with his sword drawn, staring at the approaching Loki.
"Tell me, Loki," Heimdall's voice was cold. "How did you bypass my gaze? How did you bring the Frost Giants into the heart of our city?"
Loki sneered, his grip tightening on the spear. "Do you think the Rainbow Bridge is the only way into this realm, gatekeeper? There are holes in the world, secret paths that even your 'all-seeing' eyes cannot find. But they are irrelevant now."
Loki raised Gungnir. "I am the King. And for the crime of treason, I strip you of your title. You are no longer the gatekeeper, nor are you a citizen of Asgard."
Heimdall didn't flinch. "Then I no longer need to obey you."
Heimdall swung his massive blade, aiming to end Loki's reign right there. But Loki was prepared. He flipped his hand, and the Casket of Ancient Winters appeared, radiating an ancient, absolute cold.
Loki unleashed the blast. The temperature dropped instantly.
Ice began to crawl up Heimdall's boots, freezing his golden armor. The gatekeeper struggled, his sword swing slowing as the frost numbed his legendary muscles. The tip of his blade stopped mere inches from Loki's eyes.
The relentless cold surged upward, encasing Heimdall in a massive, jagged block of sapphire ice. Loki watched with a cold smile as the guardian of the Nine Realms became a frozen statue.
With a flick of his wrist, the Casket vanished back into the void. Loki turned his gaze back toward the Bifrost. The endgame had begun.