Fury absolutely refused to believe it ended here.
This was Thor.
Forget the multiverse or alternate timelines for a second—in the main continuity, in the core story, Thor was the undisputed protagonist. Lucas had even leaked the movie title: Thor.
You don't name a movie after a guy who dies in the first act.
"It's not over," Fury muttered. "Hollywood studios aren't stupid enough to kill their franchise lead in his debut film."
"Exactly," Tony chimed in, catching on. "He's the main character. The Chosen One. You know what kind of plot armor that comes with?"
Sure enough, the video hadn't stopped.
On screen, back at the S.H.I.E.L.D. crater site, Mjolnir suddenly reacted. The hammer shuddered, then blasted out of the lab, trailing lightning as it shrieked across the sky toward the dying prince.
A moment later, blinding thunder erupted.
Thor caught the hammer.
Instantly, divine power flooded his broken body. The mortal wounds—fatal to anyone else—vanished as godhood returned. He was no longer a dying man in the dirt. He was the God of Thunder once more.
Armor materialized around him, replacing his street clothes. He rose into the air, summoning a tornado that lifted the Destroyer off its feet and hurled it into the sky.
The battle that followed was a blur of lightning and metal.
BOOM!
With a final, deafening collision, Thor smashed through the Destroyer, shattering the invincible armor into scrap.
The video ended.
Everyone in the room let out a breath they didn't know they were holding.
"So that's how I get my power back," Thor said, staring at the blank screen, awe in his voice.
"Do you have to die first?" Hawkeye asked, half-serious.
"Obviously not," Fury interjected quickly. "I think I understand what your father's test really was. He wanted you to realize that a king doesn't fight for the sake of fighting. If you use power just for conquest, you become a tyrant. True power is for protection."
Fury gestured at the screen. "In the video, you chose to sacrifice yourself to save others. You were willing to die for innocent people. That selfless act satisfied the condition your father set. That's why the hammer returned to you."
It also happened to align perfectly with Hollywood's moral compass: violence is only justified when used for defense. Fury knew how these narratives worked. Western storytelling—and political philosophy—deeply distrusted unchecked power. A ruler who used force without a protective mandate was a villain, not a hero.
Thor nodded slowly. The pieces were falling into place.
It wasn't about death. He was willing to die for Asgard any day of the week—he'd always been brave.
But Odin hadn't stripped his power to teach him bravery. He'd done it to teach him responsibility.
The difference between a king and a tyrant wasn't strength. It was how that strength was applied.
"I understand now," Thor said, his expression grave. "It's not about who sits on the throne—me or Loki. It's about who understands what the throne means."
He clenched his fists.
"Loki doesn't understand. He thinks being king is about rule and conquest. If he takes the throne, he won't be a ruler—he'll be a tyrant. That's why I have to go back. Not for my own glory, but to stop him from ruining everything."
Thor finally grasped why Odin had hesitated. Loki being a Frost Giant was only part of the issue. The real problem was that Loki, like the old Thor, was emotionally unfit to lead.
One brother was a hothead who thought a hammer solved every problem. The other was a schemer who thought tricks solved every problem.
Odin must have been exhausted dealing with both of them.
"That's the right mindset," Fury said, nodding approval.
This was exactly where he wanted Thor to be. A wise, protective King of Asgard was in Earth's best interest. A chaotic, insecure Loki on the throne? That was a recipe for disaster. Loki could invade Earth on a whim just to prove a point.
"I won't lose my way again," Thor vowed. "I will use my power to protect the people of Asgard, not to terrorize them."
He felt a shift within himself. A clarity he'd never possessed before.
Then the diary updated again.
[Thor worships his father a little too much. He wants to be just like Odin—conquering the Nine Realms, forcing everyone to kneel at his feet through sheer force.
But he's missing a key detail: Odin conquered the Nine Realms because he was literally the strongest being in the universe at the time. Prime Odin was a Skyfather-level entity. In the current cosmic hierarchy, you can count beings like that on two hands.
Thor? He struggles to beat the Hulk. At best, he's just a "God of Hammers."
If he tries to conquer the Nine Realms with his current power level? He's not going to be a king.
He's going to end up hanging from a lamppost like Mussolini.]