I am Thor

Everyone was affected by Wanda's scream—everyone except Thor, that is, including Wanda herself. Ordinarily, she wouldn't have been affected by her own magic, but the uncontrolled mental attack was blocked by Thor's spiritual barrier, which resulted in a backlash.

Baron Strucker's luck had run out. Originally, if he'd let Wanda and Quicksilver hold Thor off while he escaped, he might have stood a chance. But he'd put his faith in two superpowered rookies and a band of HYDRA soldiers wielding Chitauri weapons. By the time he realized they couldn't handle Thor, it was already too late. Wanda's scream had taken him down, and as an ordinary person, he'd be unconscious even longer than the Avengers.

Thor held a trembling Wanda in his arms, sighing softly. Poor girl. She's probably reliving the trauma of losing her loved ones again.

"It's okay now. It's over." He gently patted her head.

Wanda, sensitive to others' intentions through her psychic powers, could sense that Thor held no malice toward her, and this calmed her. She looked up at him with a complex expression and then blushed.

"Hey, Thor, I see you've found a new… friend?" Tony's voice sounded from nearby.

Wanda, who had just begun to relax, suddenly tensed again. The sight of Tony in his red and gold armor brought back horrible memories. With a sudden cry, she lashed out instinctively, and Tony's world spun as he was flung to the ground.

"Warning! Warning! High energy reaction detected; unknown attacker engaged!" J.A.R.V.I.S's alerts flooded the display.

"Alright, Wanda, let him go. We can discuss it later," Thor said soothingly, patting her shoulder. Wanda gave a small nod, and the red energy binding Stark dissipated, freeing him.

Strange, Thor thought. Why is she suddenly so obedient?

Tony rose, brushing himself off. "Hey, are you really going to take her side? She just attacked me, and you want me to explain?"

Thor shot him a look. "Her parents were killed by a missile manufactured by Stark Industries. Don't you think an explanation is warranted?"

Tony's expression turned serious. "Is that true?"

"It's definitely true! You blood-soaked warmonger!" Pietro, who had regained consciousness, stood up, seething with anger as he hurled accusations at Stark.

"That's impossible. I shut down the weapons division ages ago. And Stark Industries only sold weapons to the U.S. military." Stark's reasoning was solid; as a defense contractor, his company's high-tech arms were strictly regulated.

Thor interjected, "Obadiah."

Tony's eyes widened. He immediately asked J.A.R.V.I.S. to confirm, and the AI delivered the bitter truth. Obadiah Stane had secretly sold Stark Industries weapons to various groups, including the terrorist organization responsible for destroying Wanda's home.

A shadow crossed Tony's face as he absorbed the information. In a low voice, he said, "I'm sorry. I apologize for what happened to your family."

Though it hadn't been his direct doing, the weapons had still come from his company. And if he hadn't been so wrapped up in his own life, he might have noticed Obadiah's betrayals sooner. Stark, normally proud, was sincere in his apology.

Wanda stood in silence, unsure how to respond.

"What good is your apology?" Pietro snapped, tears in his eyes. "Will saying sorry bring our parents back?"

Thor suddenly interrupted. "In the past, it was never the blacksmith's fault when someone was killed by a sword—it was the person wielding it. Obadiah betrayed Stark Industries, and Tony himself took him down years ago. As for the terrorists, Stark has hunted them down since he became Iron Man."

He looked pointedly at the siblings. "Don't seek revenge against the wrong person—or align yourself with the wrong allies. Your family's tragedy was caused by terrorists, and HYDRA is the real root of this chaos."

He led them down to the basement and showed them the grim reality—dozens of bodies, all casualties of HYDRA's experiments.

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