While Thor and Odin sat in silence, contemplating the fall of their civilization, back on Earth, in a Malibu mansion...
Tony Stark was buried in his basement lab, obsessively studying the metal composition of the Destroyer armor wreckage.
"This is a completely new element. We've never seen anything like this on Earth. Its hardness far exceeds any known terrestrial metal. The only thing that might compare is Vibranium," Tony muttered, dictating notes to J.A.R.V.I.S.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., scan all the runic patterns on this armor fragment. Then run high-temperature stress tests. I want to see its melting point. Also, record any energy fluctuations in the runes during the test."
"Diary update?" Tony asked without looking up. "Don't tell me it's another boring entry about 'Sunny today in Asgard' or 'Rain tomorrow'."
"No, Sir. It appears to be significant content," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.
Tony had set a filter: notify him only for important updates. Weather reports were to be ignored.
"Let me see. Project it."
A holographic screen appeared in front of him.
[Asgard really lives up to its reputation... magic books... The Asgardians are hospitable too. It's a shame that all this beauty is about to be destroyed!]
"Magic books... so he really went to Asgard to study," Tony mused.
Lucas had mentioned this intention before, but now it was confirmed. He was in a massive magical library.
"Obviously, he's shoring up his weakness against magic," Tony analyzed.
Unlike Odin and Thor, who panicked about the destruction part, Tony focused on Lucas's growth.
"It implies that there is, or will be, a magical threat so dangerous that even Superman feels the need to learn magic to counter it. Some supervillain, perhaps?" Tony theorized.
From Lucas's tone, it was clear he was preparing for something specific. But who?
"If he's boosting his magic defense, we need to keep up," Tony decided. "J.A.R.V.I.S., create a new file on 'Runic Technology'. Cross-reference all findings from the Destroyer wreckage."
Through Lucas's actions, Tony sensed a looming magical threat. Mastering these runes was now a priority.
His research over the past few days had confirmed one thing: these runes were incredible. They operated on principles completely different from science, yet the results were undeniable.
"Yes, Sir. File created," J.A.R.V.I.S. confirmed.
"Asgard... destroyed?" Tony finally focused on the last sentence. He recalled his recent research on Norse mythology. "In the myths, isn't there a specific doomsday prophecy for Asgard? What was it called... Twilight of the Gods?"
"Yes, Sir. Ragnarok," J.A.R.V.I.S. supplied. "According to the myths, Asgard will be destroyed by the Fire Giant Surtur. Odin, Thor, Tyr, and other gods are destined to die in the battle."
"That's strange," Tony frowned. "Real Asgard is so different from the myths. I didn't think they'd actually stick to the Ragnarok script."
If true, it was fascinating.
He never thought he'd live to see an actual mythological apocalypse.
"That would be quite a show," Tony muttered. "If I could, I'd bring a camera. Imagine the footage."
Meanwhile, at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ in New York.
Nick Fury stared at the diary entry, his face darker than usual.
"If Asgard is destroyed, Earth loses a shield," he said grimly.
He currently viewed Asgard as an ally. As long as Thor was in charge (or influential), Asgard wouldn't be an enemy.
This was crucial.
Even if Thor might develop ambitions later, Earth needed time to prepare. Losing Asgard now would leave them exposed to the rest of the hostile universe.
"That would be... bad news for Earth," Maria Hill stated the obvious.
"But it doesn't explicitly say destroyed," Hawkeye argued, trying to be optimistic. "He says 'beauty will be destroyed.' Maybe it's just a massive war, and they rebuild? They could survive."
"A war that destroys 'all this beauty' is pretty definitive," Black Widow countered. "Remember what Lucas wrote earlier? Thor is a 'Lone Star of Misfortune'. Parents, siblings, lover—all dead. Now combine that with this entry. Doesn't it sound exactly like the Norse myth? Ragnarok?"
Everyone fell silent.
Natasha had a point. Most mythologies had creation stories, but only one was famous for prophesying its own inevitable, total destruction.
"It's possible," Coulson chimed in. "Lucas said our world is a story written by Hollywood writers outside the Fourth Wall. Those writers use myths as background material. Even if our Asgard is different, the writers wouldn't skip the biggest event in Norse mythology. Ragnarok is too good a plot point to waste."
"Thor's 'Lone Star' fate likely stems from this event," Coulson concluded. "Ragnarok kills everyone he loves."
Fury nodded slowly. The pieces fit.
If Ragnarok was real, and it was coming... Earth needed to be ready for the fallout.