“Time. Space. Reality. There are countless stories throughout this Multiverse of Marvels. And countless choices as well. A choice made on one world in one universe can have multiple ramifications. And I have observed them all for I am The Watcher. Case in point: Thor Odinson.
The facts are these…After Thor leads an unsanctioned invasion of Jottunheim and risks plunging Asgard into a war with the Frost Giants, the All-Father Odin strips his son of his powers and his enchanted hammer, Mjolnir. Odin then banishes his now mortal son to Earth until Thor can prove himself worthy of his birthright and return to Asgard. Odin also sends Mjolnir to Earth to wait till Thor is worthy enough to lift his hammer. Many humans, after finding Mjolnir embedded in a rock, try to lift it but they, of course, are not worthy. This only serves to bring the organization S.H.I.E.L.D. to the area and they soon erect a site around Mjolnir as though they are expecting something. Or someone…
Thor, learning of his hammer’s whereabouts, convinces new found friends Jane Foster, Eric Selvig and Marcy to take him to the S.H.I.E.L.D. site to be reunited with his weapon. After sneaking into the facility under cover of darkness, Thor grabs hold of Mjolnir and…nothing. Thor has yet to prove his worthiness to lift the hammer.
The facts are these: Having made his way to Mjolnir, Thor was unaware of the highly trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Clint Barton who was perched high above the hammer and had Thor in the cross-hairs of his bow and arrows. Awaiting word whether to fire, the man known as Hawkeye was ultimately called off. But in another corner of the Multiverse a vastly different scene played out. General Thaddeus Ross, who had arrived at the S.H.I.E.L.D. encampment earlier, watches Phil Coulson hesitate and in that moment yells at Hawkeye “Fire you damn fool!”. Hawkeye fires his razor-sharp tungsten carbide arrow which rips through the former Thunder God’s throat. Clutching his neck as the blood spurts out, Thor falls to the ground and dies.
The facts are these: After banishing his son to Midgard, the All-Father retired to his “Odin-Sleep” and with Thor no longer in Asgard, the throne passed to Odin’s adopted son, Loki. At last, the God of Mischief had the power he had coveted for so long. The horrific scene on Earth does not go unnoticed by the watchful eyes of Heimdall and he passes the knowledge to Loki. But when Loki refuses to awaken Odin, Heimdall goes to Odin’s Queen and mother of his sons, Frigga. She is beside herself in grief and pulls Odin out of his rest. None could predict Odin’s reaction. He is filled with unparalleled rage and calls for all the warriors of Asgard to assemble and along with the Valkyries they are dispatched to Earth to avenge the death of Odin’s beloved son. Odin rides his eight-legged horse Sleipner to the S.H.I.E.L.D. encampment and personally slays all of the personnel within, including General Ross and Phil Coulson. He then turns his ire to Hawkeye and before the hero can speak Odin decapitates him.
Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury and Tony Stark initiate the Avengers Protocol, bringing together Steve Rogers aka Captain America, Natasha Romanov The Black Widow, Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, and Bruce Banner and his mean green alter ego The Hulk. They also call out of retirement Hank and Janet Pym who assume their former aliases as Ant Man and The Wasp. The heroes valiantly fight the armies of Asgard which only serves to further anger the enraged Odin.
Back in Asgard, Loki is initially amused by the chaos and carnage on Earth. But the brutality of Odin’s attack begins to sink in. What good is the throne of Asgard if there are no Asgardians left? Loki decides he must put an end to this war before there is nothing left. He travels to Midgard to confront Odin. He uses his illusionary powers to appear to his adoptive father as the slain Thor. He tries to talk Odin down from his rage, telling him that he does not want the people of Earth to suffer any further. Just when it seems that Loki’s ploy has worked, Odin comes to realize that this is indeed Loki which infuriates him even more. He turns his formidable power on the trickster, killing him. But as this played out, the Wasp takes advantage of the chaotic situation and flies into Odin’s ear, deep inside his head. Her Wasp Sting which would fell an ordinary human has no effect on Odin and, in an act of desperation, Janet decides to return to normal size while still in Odin’s head.
With the throne now passing to Balder The Brave who is leading the Asgardian forces, Valkyrie arrives on her winged stallion bringing with her a passenger: Thor from Valhalla. Thor pleads with Balder to bring an end to this senseless war. The good natured Balder agrees that enough blood has been shed and returns to Asgard with all of the warriors who still stood. The war that has decimated Earth has taken its toll on Asgard as well. If a silver lining is to be found it is in Thanos losing 2 of the Infinity Stones in the rubble that is now Earth. He retreats to make plans for another day. As the Earth rebuilds, a monument is erected in honor of the lives lost which include Captain America, Black Widow, War Machine, Black Panther, Hawkeye, and Thor.
