Rowan's diary stated that Thor was one of the three giants of the Avengers Alliance—the super strength behind the team's might.
Although Rowan never explicitly said that all three giants were incredibly powerful, it didn't stop Nick Fury from letting his imagination run wild. If anything, it made him even more eager to see Thor regain his full power.
And the more he thought about it, the more he realized just how closely Thor's situation mirrored what Rowan had written. Thor, the exiled prince, stranded on Earth, stripped of his right to the throne… and yet destined to become one of the Avengers' main combat forces.
From a Hollywood screenwriter's point of view, it all made sense.
A prince of high status falls into hardship. Along the way, he faces countless trials, discovers his true heart, becomes enlightened, and ultimately walks the path of a superhero.
It followed the same structure as Tony Stark's arc.
Tony went from an ordinary man to a genius inventor who built his own armor and became a superhero.
Thor, on the other hand, started off with extraordinary abilities—but then lost them. Now he needed to go through a trial, a period of tempering, to reclaim that power and develop a mindset worthy of wielding it.
No more of that brash, impulsive "husky" mindset.
So what's missing from the formula now?
A villain.
Nick Fury mused on the classic structure. Tony Stark eventually became Iron Man by defeating his nemesis, Obadiah Stane. Sure, Rowan was the one who actually defeated Obadiah in this reality, but the narrative structure still held.
So by that logic, Thor's journey was reaching its third phase.
Phase One: The hero's fall.
Phase Two: The hero's struggle.
Phase Three: The hero regains his power.
Phase Four: The hero defeats the villain.
As silly as it might sound, the structure held up surprisingly well.
And it gave Fury a useful framework.
Why bother with this mental storytelling exercise?
Because he needed a model to predict what might happen next. Even a loose forecast was better than flying blind.
Thor was currently in the second stage and about to enter the third. That meant the fourth—facing a villain—was right around the corner.
So who would that villain be?
The obvious answer was Loki.
But judging from Thor's earlier words, the relationship between the two seemed fairly cordial right now. That lowered the likelihood of Loki stepping into the villain role just yet.
Earlier that day, Fury had also spoken with Thor and gained a clearer understanding of Asgard's situation. It was similar to Norse mythology—but not a direct copy.
In the myths, Odin had more than two sons. There were gods of light, darkness, war, and more.
But in reality, Odin had only two children. Many of the deities from the legends were simply absent. Thor had inherited not just the title of thunder god, but also the mantle of a warrior god.
And Loki? In the myths, he was Odin's brother. Here, he was Odin's son.
The changes were… significant.
It had taken Fury a while to accept all that.
Still, if not Loki, then who would be Thor's "villain" in this stage of the journey?
As Nick Fury puzzled over it, Thor was having thoughts of his own.
What Fury said made sense. If his father had truly left this test behind with the hope that Thor would rise again—then he must rise.
He had disappointed Odin so many times in the past. He couldn't do it again. Not now.
Even if Odin was gone, maybe—just maybe—his mother could still witness his growth. Maybe she could still be proud.
"You're right. I will get back up and pass this test!" Thor said, his eyes resolute. "My brother Loki has just become king of Asgard. But you may not know—Asgard's throne comes with dominion over the entire Nine Realms."
"In other words, when the king of Asgard changes, so too does the balance across all Nine Realms."
"And those realms... the dark elves, the flame giants, the frost titans—they won't easily accept Loki's rule. A rebellion is almost certain."
"Asgard needs me. I must regain my power."
Thor's voice brimmed with energy, blood boiling with conviction.
Nick Fury frowned slightly. He was tempted to ask, Aren't you being a bit too dramatic?
But he held his tongue.
Then he remembered Rowan's diary and silently hoped that this time, Rowan might include some actual commentary instead of just reporting sunny or cloudy weather again.
Meanwhile, across town…
Rowan had just returned home after tutoring Gwen with her homework.
Thanks to his consistent help, Gwen's grades had improved dramatically, earning him the friendship and appreciation of the entire Stacy family.
Back in his previous life in China, there had always been people preaching that Americans didn't care about grades and focused solely on their children's happiness.
But that was laughable—almost an insult to basic intelligence.
Any parent with a functioning brain knew better.
The original idea behind "happy education" was to make the learning process more enjoyable—not to toss academics out the window entirely.
Sure, over time, many people forgot that… and only the "happy" part remained.
But the upper-middle-class elites in America? They knew the truth.
They understood how important academics were—especially for the middle class, who didn't have other resources or connections to fall back on. For them, education was often the only path to upward mobility.
Of course they cared.
Rowan, who could significantly boost Gwen's grades, was naturally very well-liked by the Stacy family.
For him, it was simple.
He had inherited Superman's physique—and that included a super brain. If he wanted to master something academic, it was as easy as breathing.
Back at home, Rowan flipped on the TV out of habit. He didn't necessarily plan to watch anything—he just liked having background noise.
Most of the time, the news didn't interest him.
It was all small matters or endless reports about political elections.
In America, people had grown accustomed to swapping out bad candidates every four years—hoping, blindly, that the next wave might be better.
No one took them seriously.
Just empty promises, one after another.
And even if they did mess up—what did it matter?
"I'm stepping down anyway. What are you gonna do? Make me accountable?" was the unspoken attitude.
But then one particular segment caught his attention.
"According to reports, a large hammer recently fell from the sky in a small town in New Mexico. An expert team is currently investigating the object!"
Rowan's eyes narrowed.
Here we go.
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