Reborn as the God-Emperor in Marvel

Solomon wasn't waiting for Thor, but for the uninvited guest—Loki. He wanted to assess Loki's abilities. Loki's magic had been taught by Frigga, the Queen of Asgard and its strongest known sorcerer. Given that, Loki's power couldn't be underestimated, and Solomon strongly suspected that even Kamar-Taj's "True Sight" spells might not be able to see through Loki's illusions.

In fact, even the future Sorcerer Supreme, Strange, had once been dethroned by Loki's illusions. Solomon had no intention of getting involved in trouble now. He knew he wasn't Loki's match at this moment. Instead, he wanted to see if there was a way to break through Loki's invisibility spells. After all, no one ever complained about having too much information on an opponent.

The mystic was certain that Odin, the Allfather, probably wished he could merge Thor and Loki into one. Both had glaring strengths and weaknesses, but together, Asgard might have a chance at resurgence. However, Odin's poor parenting hadn't given either of his heirs a clear direction about the throne, and Thor had been raised in a military camp, which led to the current situation. If things had been different, Thor could have become a king even stronger and wiser than Odin.

But Solomon preferred strength over wisdom in this case. A wise ruler in Asgard would be far too dangerous for Earth. No one could predict whether such a king might one day try to fully reclaim Midgard (Earth).

Solomon had a bit of a fondness for Loki, though it wasn't a case of two men sharing sympathy for being denied the throne. Instead, it was admiration for Loki's cunning. If the future Nine Realms were peaceful, Loki could be a capable and shrewd ruler, keeping Asgard prosperous. But alas, peace was not in the cards, and only someone like Thor, a revivalist king, could sit on Asgard's throne.

It was a pity, really. Loki wasn't disliked by Asgardians. He was known as the God of Mischief, not the God of Evil. While his title might pale in comparison to his brother's, many in Asgard viewed Loki as just a mischievous child who played tricks on others. If Odin suddenly announced that Loki would inherit the throne, few would oppose him, aside from Thor's comrades in the military. Kamar-Taj could then handle Asgard diplomatically, as they would with any politician, rather than worrying about Odin's unpredictable actions.

"Good evening, Nick Fury," Solomon greeted casually, sitting on an overturned tin popcorn bucket, munching on cheesy popcorn. Even while holding his phone between his ear and shoulder, he didn't stop eating. Cheap junk food from chain drugstores was one of his guilty pleasures.

"Where's Thor?!" Nick Fury asked hurriedly. His swift actions had placed three New Mexico Air Force bases on alert, yet Thor had still not shown up. Frustrated, he called Solomon to complain, as Solomon was currently his only source of intel on Thor.

"I've already been to the town's restaurant," Solomon replied nonchalantly. "The owner said a big blonde guy was spotted there. It's a prime spot for at least two strains of E. coli, so who knows which toilet the mighty god of thunder is holed up in."

"Stop joking, Solomon! This is important," Fury snapped, suppressing his anger. His deeply furrowed brow reflected his frustration. "Congress is already grilling me for mobilizing troops without explanation. If Thor doesn't show up soon, I'll be writing my resignation letter!"

"Relax, relax," Solomon said, crunching on his popcorn, which he had reheated for the perfect crispness. He couldn't let it go to waste. "Just look for thunderstorms, and you'll know when Thor gets close to his hammer."

"So he really is a 'God of Thunder,' not some alien like the Kree or Skrulls?" Fury asked, still skeptical. "Why would the Sorcerer Supreme allow such a dangerous being on Earth?"

"Asgard is our suzerain," Solomon said indifferently. "If you're unhappy, feel free to take it up with them. Go challenge Asgard to a fight."

"You seem awfully relaxed about all this," Fury commented as the sound of an approaching engine grew louder. "I haven't eaten junk food from a drugstore since I was twelve. Mostly because my family was poor back then."

"I knew you'd show up. You paranoid old fox," Solomon said, standing up in annoyance. He bent down to grab a bag of popcorn and tossed it to Fury. "This is my hobby, you snack-hating weirdo. If some evil villain ever decides to destroy all the world's popcorn, you let me know. I'll go to war for it, and nothing will stop me."

"Are you sure that villain wouldn't be doing the world a favor?" Fury asked as he tore open the snack bag. "The WHO would probably support him. America's adult obesity rate is through the roof."

"Not funny," Solomon said, shaking his head. "Tell me the Wi-Fi password for the research base."

"What for?" Fury looked both surprised and wary. "Hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database is illegal. You don't want to end up in jail with an ankle monitor. I can share the research report on Thor's hammer with you; no need to go to those lengths."

"You're overthinking it," Solomon sighed. "I just want to catch up on the latest anime episode."

---

By the time Fury confiscated Solomon's last bag of chocolate popcorn, using the excuse of "racial discrimination," their two main characters had finally arrived, albeit fashionably late. "Do you think we should let them know they've got spectators?" Solomon's voice was drowned out by the sudden thunderclap, while Fury, focused on the man and woman exiting a car in the distance, ignored him.

"Is that Thor?" Fury crouched down, peering at the figures. "He doesn't look like much."

"I still don't understand why the Aesir are humanoid," Solomon mused, sitting comfortably on his tin bucket, not even bothering to hide. "Given their bloodline, it wouldn't surprise me if they had a few tentacles."

"Bloodline?" Fury mentally highlighted the word, but he knew Solomon wouldn't reveal much more. Besides, the current situation was far more pressing. Checking his phone, he looked up again. "That woman is Jane Foster. Why is she with Thor? And why's he draping his coat over her? What's their relationship?"

"Exactly what you're imagining," Solomon responded, shaking his head.

"You didn't orchestrate this?" Fury narrowed his eyes at Solomon.

"I swear I didn't. I haven't even used that love potion yet," Solomon joked. "Maybe Jane's just been single for too long."

"Oh, he's running down there! Wait... is it raining?" Fury was filming Thor on his phone as he dashed down the slope. Looking up, he noticed dark clouds gathering overhead, followed by increasingly intense thunder and a downpour. Solomon, unfazed, remained seated, crossing his legs and conjuring a transparent barrier that deflected the rain. Fury, standing close enough, found himself conveniently sheltered from the storm as well.

"This is Thor's power?" Fury asked seriously, clearly impressed. Thor's abilities were far beyond anything he'd imagined. This wasn't something technology could replicate, nor a simple alien species. Fury had always believed in "seeing is believing," and this confirmed that his trip was worth it. "Are we about to witness his big moment? Is he going to pull the hammer out and put on a superhero show? He's already knocked out my agents!"

"Could be a tragicomedy," Solomon said, watching with interest as Thor charged into the base. Moments later, a roar of anguish echoed out, louder than the thunder and rain combined.

"Hurry, get the base's security feed on your phone! We might catch something interesting," Solomon urged.

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