Sorcerer in the Marvel Universe

Nick Fury couldn’t accept Evenson’s conclusion.

Thinking too much?

To him, the Council’s decision looked like the opposite.

Suppose they got lucky and the Tesseract wasn’t destabilized by the nuclear blast. New York would still have been annihilated.

The United States government would never have let that slide.

The World Security Council wasn’t some independent world government. The United States occupied only one seat, but it funded nearly two-thirds of the organization’s budget. If Washington decided to pull that support, the Council could collapse almost overnight.

Worse, authorizing a nuclear strike against a city of millions would invite universal condemnation. Governments around the world would demand answers. Public outrage would be overwhelming. The Council’s legitimacy might not survive it.

No matter how he looked at it, the decision seemed catastrophically stupid.

So how could Evenson call it overthinking?

Evenson seemed to read the question on his face.

"During the Battle of New York," he said, "there weren’t just two sides."

"There was Earth."

"There were the Chitauri."

"And there was a third party everyone conveniently forgot."

Fury answered almost immediately.

"Thor. Lady Sif... Asgard."

Because they had fought beside humanity, he’d instinctively counted them as allies.

But Evenson was right.

They had been fighting for Earth.

They weren’t of Earth.

"And don’t forget Loki," Evenson added.

He rose from the couch and began pacing slowly.

"Odin is old. By Asgardian standards, he doesn’t have forever."

He stopped and held up two fingers.

"And unlike plenty of Earth’s monarchs, he doesn’t have a sprawling royal family."

"He has exactly two sons."

"Thor."

"And his adopted son, Loki."

"Under normal circumstances, Thor inherits the throne. He’s Odin’s blood heir. Loki serves as... insurance."

Evenson stopped directly in front of Fury.

"Now imagine that missile hits."

"Both sons die."

"Odin’s bloodline ends."

Cold sweat broke across Fury’s forehead.

A dynasty without heirs was more than a family tragedy.

It threatened the entire succession of Asgard’s throne and, by extension, its rule over the Nine Realms.

"If Loki dies while invading Earth," Evenson continued, "Odin has no reason to blame humanity."

"If Thor dies defending Earth against the Chitauri, that’s also understandable."

He returned to his seat.

"But if Odin learns that both of his sons were killed because humans stabbed them in the back with a nuclear missile..."

His voice trailed off.

"What do you think the Allfather does then?"

Fury answered with a single grim word.

"...War."

It was difficult to imagine any father accepting such a thing.

Odin had sent Thor to protect Earth.

Instead, humanity would have repaid that trust by vaporizing both of his sons.

If even the Allfather tolerated that, he wouldn’t deserve the throne of Asgard.

Fury slammed his fist onto the table.

"What the hell were those people thinking?"

"Have they completely lost their minds?"

The more he followed Evenson’s reasoning, the more horrifying the Council’s decision became.

If this interpretation was even partially correct, they hadn’t simply made a mistake.

They had stacked one catastrophe on top of another.

Evenson smiled faintly.

"Maybe they were thinking about exactly that war."

Fury’s head snapped up.

"What?"

"The World Security Council is one of the highest authorities on Earth."

Evenson emphasized the final words.

"One of."

"It still answers to governments. Other institutions can restrain it."

"But if humanity suddenly found itself locked in a massive war against an outside power..."

He spread his hands.

"...those restraints disappear."

"Wartime emergency powers."

"Expanded authority."

"Greater control over military resources."

"And once the war ends..."

He shrugged.

"Power has a habit of staying where it settled during the crisis."

Fury immediately shook his head.

"No."

"That’s impossible."

"If they really wanted more authority, why provoke Asgard?"

"They could’ve just let the Chitauri win."

"The Chitauri came to conquer," Evenson replied calmly. "They would’ve enslaved humanity."

"That’s far too dangerous."

"But Asgard..."

A knowing smile crossed his face.

"Ever since Thor first came to Earth, the Council has been collecting every scrap of intelligence it could find."

"I’ve personally submitted three reports about Asgard."

Fury nodded.

He’d forwarded every one of them himself.

"And Lady Sif spent plenty of time under SHIELD’s protection."

"I’m sure the Council questioned her whenever they had the opportunity."

"They’ve probably built a fairly complete psychological profile of Odin."

Evenson tapped the side of his head.

"They likely concluded that Odin would absolutely declare war if his sons were murdered."

"But they also concluded that he’s a rational ruler."

"He wouldn’t exterminate humanity."

"He’d fight a limited war."

"That’s the outcome they were probably counting on."

Fury frowned.

"Would he?"

Could a father who had lost both sons really remain rational?

"I wouldn’t bet my life on it," Evenson admitted.

"But that’s beside the point."

"If they believed it would be a limited conflict, then eventually both sides would reach a stalemate."

"And once that happens?"

He smiled without humor.

"Negotiations."

"Compromises."

"Secret agreements."

"Political bargains."

"Ending wars through conference tables instead of battlefields."

He looked directly at Fury.

"That’s the game bureaucrats know best."

Fury rubbed his temples.

The theory sounded outrageous.

Some parts rested on assumptions.

Others lacked hard evidence.

And yet...

It wasn’t impossible.

The complete absence of U.S. military intervention during the battle suddenly looked suspicious.

Perhaps those delays hadn’t been bureaucratic incompetence at all.

Perhaps they had been arranged.

Even the nuclear strike...

Who was to say certain people inside the U.S. government hadn’t already reached an understanding with the Council?

Maybe promises had been exchanged behind closed doors.

Support us now.

Ignore the missile.

When we’re stronger after the war, everyone involved gets rewarded.

The possibility was enough to make Fury’s stomach tighten.

He looked at Evenson.

"Do you really think a war between Earth and Asgard would settle into a stalemate?"

"No."

The answer came instantly.

"Not even close."

"The stalemate exists only in the Council’s imagination."

"They may have judged Odin’s character correctly."

He leaned forward.

"But if they truly believed Earth could fight Asgard to a draw..."

A cold smile spread across his face.

"...then they’ve made the worst miscalculation of all."

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