S.H.I.E.L.D. activated its global surveillance network, linking together every accessible camera, smartphone, laptop—anything capable of connecting to the internet. The entire world was, quite literally, under their watchful eyes.
And yet, while S.H.I.E.L.D. was exhausting enormous resources searching for Loki, the God of Mischief had no intention of hiding.
Instead, he appeared openly in Stuttgart, Germany—Hanover District 28, blatantly announcing to S.H.I.E.L.D.: I'm right here.
Hanover lies along the Leine River, the capital of Lower Saxony, positioned at the crossroads of northern and central Germany. It serves as a major transportation hub, linking north–south and east–west rail lines while also connecting to the Mittelland Canal. A prosperous, elegant city.
A city where high-society banquets and private elite gatherings were common.
Among the well-dressed politicians and aristocrats, Loki's noble bearing and unhurried grace didn't stand out at all—if anything, he fit right in.
Using his scepter, Loki entered the gala hall without an invitation and proceeded to turn a gathering of elites into absolute chaos.
At Barton's direction, Loki used a remote 3D micro-printer to scan and reconstruct the retinal structure of the general who possessed the iridium. At the same time, Barton led his men in a surprise assault on a government weapons facility, using the retinal projection Loki provided to open the vault that contained the iridium.
With what he came for secured, Loki still didn't leave.
Instead, he herded everyone into the central plaza.
As his illusion magic faded, Loki stood revealed in gleaming golden armor, massive antlered horns crowning his head like those of a demonic king.
"Kneel."
The panicked crowd—those fleeing from the hall mixed with confused pedestrians—buzzed in chaos. No one heard him.
"I said—kneel."
Loki's countless projections surrounded the crowd. Under the scepter's mental pressure, each strike of its shaft felt like a hammer pounding directly into their hearts. Fear surged uncontrollably.
One by one, people dropped to their knees.
Loki smiled in satisfaction.
"Isn't this simpler? Isn't this what you were born for? This is the truth humanity refuses to admit. The illusion of freedom has robbed you of clarity. You are meant to submit. You will always kneel before your rulers."
As Loki preached from his self-made throne, a weathered old man with graying hair stood up from the crowd.
"But not to men like you."
"I am unique," Loki said coolly.
"There are plenty of shameless men like you," the old man replied, his eyes filled with scorn.
The smile vanished from Loki's face.
Humiliated by a mere human, Loki raised his scepter, ready to make an example.
"Watch closely," Loki announced. "He will show you what defiance earns."
Blue light surged from the scepter—the old man's life hanging by a thread.
A vibranium shield slammed down from above, deflecting the blast and sending it rebounding straight back at Loki.
Captain America had arrived.
Steve Rogers engaged Loki head-on. In pure hand-to-hand combat, they were evenly matched—but Loki's magic made him dangerously unpredictable.
From the Quinjet, Natasha Romanoff watched tensely. Loki was deliberately positioning himself so Steve blocked her firing angle—using the Captain as a shield.
Then the Quinjet's systems suddenly malfunctioned.
🎵 Back in Black blasted through the comms.
With the roar of thrusters, Iron Man streaked in from the sky and blasted Loki with a repulsor shot.
"Move again, Reindeer Games."
Faced with Iron Man's cannons, Loki chose to surrender.
The Quinjet carried Loki, Iron Man, and Captain America back toward the Helicarrier. Once aboard, Loki fell silent, refusing to answer any questions.
"This doesn't feel right," Steve said quietly. "He gave up too easily. He's far stronger than that."
"For a senior citizen, your observational skills are decent," Tony said dryly. "What's your secret?"
"What?" Steve blinked. He hadn't expected that.
Thunder cracked across a clear, moonlit sky.
Lightning.
Loki stiffened. He knew exactly what that meant.
Thor is coming.
A sudden jolt shook the Quinjet. Something heavy landed on its roof.
Tony sealed his helmet and moved to investigate—only for Thor to crash through the opening, slam Tony aside with Mjolnir, grab Loki, and leap back out of the aircraft.
Less than a minute.
That was all it took.
Tony Stark instantly hated the God of Thunder.
He stood up and launched after them.
"Stark! We need a plan!" Steve called after him. Fury's files had made it clear—Thor wasn't Earth's enemy. Escalation now would be disastrous.
"My plan is… combat."
And Tony was gone.
Steve sighed. Tony Stark was nothing like Howard Stark—stubborn, reckless, impossible to rein in.
Natasha strapped Steve into a parachute pack.
"I can't control him."
"I don't want to," Steve replied. "But I won't let him wreck this."
"They're gods," Natasha warned.
"There's only one God," Steve said firmly. "And He doesn't dress like that."
Steve jumped from thousands of meters in the air.
—
Thor hurled Loki onto a cliff's edge, struggling to decide how to face his brother.
He had mourned Loki. Truly mourned him.
Blood didn't matter. Loki was family.
And now Loki was alive.
That should have been joyous.
Instead, Loki had come to Earth, stolen the Tesseract, and meddled with a power even Odin feared.
It infuriated Thor.
"Where is the Tesseract?" Thor demanded.
Loki ignored the urgency, smiling faintly.
"Brother. It's been a long time."
Exile had hardened Loki. Wandering the cosmos, he had suffered, endured hunger, loneliness, and despair. In his darkest moments, he had missed Asgard—his mother, his father… Thor.
And now Thor's first words were about the Tesseract.
Loki resolved then—Thor would never take it back to Asgard.
Thor knew Loki too well. This was defiance, not ignorance.
"Listen to me, Loki—"
BOOM!
Iron Man slammed Thor off the cliff.
"I'm listening," Loki said calmly, settling onto the cliff's edge.
Below, thunder roared as Thor and Iron Man collided—god and machine locked in violent combat.
Loki watched serenely.
Not running.
Not resisting.
Waiting.
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