Reborn as the God-Emperor in Marvel

Darcy had always irritated Jane Foster since the day they met. Darcy constantly asked silly questions and nagged her about trivial things, but despite that, she was still Jane's good friend. Although Darcy was a social sciences major and knew nothing about astrophysics, she had followed Jane to this small, isolated town, relying on a meager budget to rent a place in the abandoned Smith's garage. It wasn't just about earning credits.

Well, maybe earning credits was the biggest part of it, but the free meals and reimbursed nail polish didn't hurt either.

Jane valued their friendship, but that didn't stop her from getting angry at Darcy, and Darcy didn't mind stirring her up. After Jane had stopped Darcy from stealing Vicodin from the hospital's pharmacy, Darcy had made it a point to find little ways to annoy her mentor. Jane, flustered and exasperated, told Darcy to shut up, though she still felt parched and a little nervous. At that moment, Jane seemed less like a scientist and more like a regular person.

Especially when she awkwardly tore off the tag on the T-shirt that read "Dr. Donald Blake."

After Thor changed into some clean clothes, he started wandering around the lab. Jane's eyes followed him as he examined the diagrams and data pinned to the wall and the charts on the drafting board, along with the photos Darcy had just put up, which captured Thor amidst the storm.

"What were you doing in there?" Jane walked over, pointing at the picture. Her scientific curiosity momentarily overpowered her stray thoughts as she sought answers.

"What do you think? Standing on the Bifrost." Thor shrugged indifferently. Bifrost? Jane quickly jotted the term down in her notebook. She had so many questions: Why was he there? Who exactly was he? While these things seemed impossible and went against everything scientific, she felt that the man before her might have the answers.

Oh, come on! Asking a homeless guy for astrophysical insights? Sure, he had a handsome face, a strong build, and didn't reek of sweat or substance abuse, but he was still just a drifter. Jane began to think she had truly gone mad for even entertaining the idea.

"My mortal body has grown weak," Thor muttered. He was hungry, though nobody else understood what he meant. However, the loud rumbling of his stomach made his meaning quite clear. Suddenly, Thor spun around, sensing a familiar presence, almost like Loki standing behind him.

"What is it?" Jane followed his gaze but saw nothing.

"No," Thor muttered, turning back. "It's nothing."

As Jane prepared to take Thor to the town's only restaurant, Solomon appeared through a swirling spark of magic. He had been lurking in the Hell dimension, hoping to eavesdrop on Jane's conversation and find out where Thor had been hospitalized, but he had learned nothing. Worse, Thor's sharp intuition had nearly caught him. Although Thor's powers were sealed, his mental attributes like intelligence, charisma, and perception remained intact. Without his godly power dulling his senses, Thor's abilities had started to function at full capacity again. Given Thor's familiarity with magic, sensing its presence was only natural.

Solomon decided to go to the hospital himself to track down Thor's blood samples. This was a tricky task. The small town had few people, and there weren't many patients in the hospital, but Solomon didn't know which room Thor had been in, or how many blood tests the doctors had run. This was important because he didn't want Thor's blood to fall into the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D., even if Hydra wasn't involved. After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. had a reputation for causing trouble.

"A hammer," Nick Fury said over the phone. "The meteorite we detected was just a hammer?"

"Yes, sir," Coulson replied. "As unbelievable as it sounds, that's exactly what it is. And no one can lift it. One spectator even tried towing it with a vehicle but failed. We also detected significant electromagnetic emissions from the hammer, and it might interfere with civilian aircraft. Coincidentally, there's an astrophysicist in the nearby town who might have recorded the events of that night."

"Proceed according to standard protocol," Fury said after a pause. "I'll give you further instructions later."

"Yes, sir." Coulson hung up, and Fury leaned back on his couch, deep in thought. Solomon had already informed him that this event was tied to aliens and magic, but Solomon hadn't shared many details. Fury suddenly remembered Solomon mentioning the coronation of an alien prince. His instincts told him the two events were connected. As a spy, he didn't need evidence—just a gut feeling, something crucial to a long career in espionage.

Fury dialed Solomon's number, and when the mystic answered, Fury wasted no time getting to the point. Solomon admitted it outright. Although he didn't divulge much, Fury quickly connected the dots between the two events.

"This is a bloody power struggle for the throne," Solomon said, one hand holding his phone while the other flipped through patient records at the hospital. "But it's not something you can interfere with."

"What exactly do you know?" Fury's tone was stern. "Didn't you say Earth was the Sorcerer Supreme's domain? Why is this connected to that? You need to explain the relationship—I need to know if this will affect Earth."

"Earth is just one of the Sorcerer Supreme's territories. In fact, the entire solar system is hers. The whole solar system can be considered a single domain, though the other planets are mostly barren," Solomon said, stealing an access card from a doctor's pocket using Mage Hand. "But the universe consists of more than one domain. We live in one of the Nine Realms connected by the World Tree, and Midgard is a vassal state of Asgard."

Fury fell silent. Solomon wasn't sure if it was because Fury was grappling with Earth's vassal status or because he was looking up information, but either way, Fury didn't respond for a while. By now, Solomon had entered the examination room, skillfully dodging samples from the town's drug addicts.

"Midgard, Asgard? Are you telling me that the gods are real?" Fury finally spoke, his voice serious.

"If magic exists, why wouldn't gods?" Solomon replied. "Last time I invited you to check out Hell, but you took that as a threat. The pantheons you've heard about are real—they're just no longer on Earth. But I can't explain the details about their current state. Some things I know, some I don't. Some things I can't tell you, and some you shouldn't know."

"What can you tell me? Stop dancing around the issue, Solomon. You know this situation is dangerous. I need to understand how these gods feel about humanity. And why is Thor's hammer on Earth?" Fury demanded. "I skimmed through Norse mythology in a few minutes, but those stories are full of discrepancies. I suspect ancient tribes mistook these aliens for gods when they're really just highly advanced beings."

"Think what you want," Solomon said, "but I'm telling you that magic is very real. Asgardians may not be true gods, but their technology and magic are among the most advanced in the universe. Their civilians live for five thousand years, and the All-Father has been alive for hundreds of thousands of years." Solomon pulled on disposable gloves and began checking blood sample numbers. "I can also tell you why the hammer fell to Earth. I was there when it happened. Thor, the God of Thunder, fell with it. He won't stray far from his hammer."

"Where is he? And why is he on Earth?"

"He made a mistake, rashly starting a war between Asgard and Jotunheim. As punishment, he was banished from Asgard by the All-Father," Solomon explained. "Thor's godly powers have been sealed, and his body weakened to that of a mortal. Which means any human with a knife could commit deicide right now."

Fury's breathing grew heavier, and Solomon knew what he was thinking. Whether Asgardians were gods or aliens, Thor was an invaluable research target. But Fury wasn't a rash politician—he was a spy. He quickly calmed down, recalling Asgard's prominent status in the universe and the hidden threat in Solomon's words.

"Banished?" Fury asked. "Does that mean Thor is no longer the heir? Who's the current successor? Tyr? Balder? And how long will this banishment last? What's Odin's stance on Thor? Can we—"

"This is just a family lesson," Solomon cut him off. "Thor is the sole heir to the throne. There are no other possibilities. Odin believes Thor is the heir, and that's that—no one can change it."

"So you're saying this is just a little adventure Odin arranged for Thor?" Fury pressed. "But what does that mean for Earth?"

"The friendship of the God of Thunder," Solomon said. "If he survives."

"And if he dies?"

"If he dies at the hands of Asgardians, even Odin couldn't complain," Solomon replied. "But if he's killed by humans… well, I doubt the Sorcerer Supreme would stop Odin's wrath."

"Tell me where Thor is!" Fury shouted. "And tell me more about Asgard's military!"

"They're stronger than the Kree Empire," Solomon answered. "Asgard has the Bifrost—the fastest military deployment in the universe. You still want to play dumb, Nick Fury? I'm sure you know how powerful the Kree are. Carol Danvers, that brute, must have told you."

___________________

Read Ahead

[email protected]/Mutter