The moment the Destroyer Armor descended and began its assault on the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Carl appeared.
He looked up at the towering construct before him and gave a faint, amused smile.
『Carl』: "Looks like quite a fine piece of work…"
This was the Destroyer — the ultimate weapon forged by Odin, King of the Gods.
It could act autonomously or be controlled by another.
In the original tale of Thor, it was destroyed by Thor himself, but that didn't mean it was weak. Far from it.
The Destroyer was an incredibly powerful weapon.
Even Tony's Iron Man suits, Sentry robots, Ultron, or even Vision might not surpass it in strength.
Forged from divine materials and imbued with the combined power of several gods, the Destroyer was designed by Odin for one purpose — to combat the Celestials.
When wielding the Destroyer, Odin had once faced an entire host of Celestials single-handedly.
Although it was eventually destroyed, the fact that Odin managed to fight them at all proved just how terrifyingly strong the weapon was.
『Carl』: "If it's one-on-one, maybe he'd even stand a chance…"
So yes — Odin's Destroyer was an ultimate weapon among gods.
As for why it was destroyed by Thor in the movie, Carl wasn't sure.
『Carl』: "Maybe because Loki was the one controlling it that time?"
In truth, Carl had noticed the disturbance in New Mexico long ago — ever since Thor's hammer fell from the sky.
He'd sensed it immediately but chose not to interfere.
After all, the "Thor arc" was a short one — just a few days of exile, self-reflection, and redemption.
A small story about a god learning humility.
No real threat… just the Destroyer and Loki.
Thor could handle that much on his own.
So Carl had simply sat back, watching from afar — drink in hand, enjoying the show.
But when he saw the Destroyer suddenly fire upon a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent — the man about to die in the blinding light — Carl couldn't just sit still.
Despite his friction with S.H.I.E.L.D. (and the fact he'd taken down Hawkeye over their attitude), Carl knew that most of the agents were just doing their jobs.
They weren't his enemies.
And Carl wasn't about to watch an innocent man die before his eyes.
So he stepped in.
The terrified agent froze when Carl appeared in front of him.
『S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent』: "Y–You're…?"
He had already accepted death — that searing orange beam could melt a car in seconds — and yet, someone had suddenly appeared before him, shielding him from the blast.
『S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent』: "A-Are you okay?! Thank you for saving me—are you hurt?"
『Carl』: "No need to thank me," Carl replied calmly, turning slightly toward him.
『Carl』: "I'm fine."
!!!
『S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent』: "W–Wait… you're… Superman?!"
The agent froze completely.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence network was second to none, and after the recent tensions between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Carl, every agent had been briefed on his appearance.
The man who had just saved him — the black-haired, sharp-eyed figure floating before the blazing wreckage — was unmistakably the legendary Superman.
『S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 2』: "Superman?! It really is him!"
More agents turned, eyes widening in disbelief.
Not only because of his presence — but because of what it meant.
Superman and S.H.I.E.L.D. weren't exactly on good terms.
Nick Fury himself had officially listed him as a "potential hostile entity."
So why was he here — saving them?
『Agent 3』: "Why would Superman be helping us?"
『Agent 4』: "Didn't Director Fury say not to provoke him?!"
Before they could make sense of it, Coulson's voice cut through the noise.
『Coulson』: "Superman! Look out!"
The Destroyer's eyes flared once again, unleashing a volley of blinding orange beams.
Two of them streaked straight toward Carl.
Even Coulson — ever the professional — couldn't help but shout in alarm.
Yes, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Superman had their differences… but Coulson had always admired heroes.
And Carl had just saved his man.
『Carl』: "Don't worry."
He cast Coulson a brief glance, then casually raised a hand.
BOOM!
The beams shattered midair, dissipating like sparks against an invisible wall.
Before Carl could retaliate, a sharp whoosh echoed overhead.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several missiles streaked through the sky, slamming into the Destroyer with deafening explosions.
BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!!
The ground quaked. Dust and smoke billowed upward, swallowing the mechanical god in a cloud of flame.
Carl paused, choosing instead to teleport the nearby agents to safety.
Then he looked up.
A streak of red and gold was cutting through the clouds, descending rapidly.
『Carl』: "So it's him…"
Coulson and the agents noticed it too, though it was still distant.
Carl, with his enhanced sight, recognized it immediately — the sleek red-and-gold armor, the glowing chest core.
『Carl』: "Iron Man… Tony Stark."
The missiles earlier had been his doing, naturally.
Carl blinked, a little amused.
In the original Thor timeline, Tony hadn't shown up at all.
Then he realized why.
Back then, Tony had been dealing with palladium poisoning from his arc reactor, working to synthesize a new element.
That process wasn't supposed to be quick — it should've taken days.
Meanwhile, Thor's "banishment episode" only lasted a few days itself.
Coulson had even left Tony's side midway, coming here to investigate the hammer's arrival.
Their timelines overlapped perfectly.
『Carl』: "Guess this time Tony finished his new reactor early."
And now, apparently, he'd come to join the party.
The red-and-gold suit landed with a heavy thud.
『Tony Stark』: "Hey!"
The faceplate lifted, revealing Tony's smirk.
『Tony Stark』: "Didn't expect to see you here, Superman."
『Carl』: "And yet, here I am."
『Tony Stark』: "Internet's been buzzing about some weird stuff going down here. I checked it out — didn't look right, so I figured I'd swing by."
『Tony Stark』: "After all, I'm Iron Man."
『Carl』: "True enough."
『Carl』: "This one's all yours, Iron Man. Go for it."
『Tony Stark』: "Don't worry, Superman. Sit back and enjoy the show."
『Carl』: "No problem."
Tony grinned, lowering his faceplate once more.
WHOOSH!
The jets roared, and Iron Man rocketed toward the smoldering crater where the Destroyer waited.