Twilight of the Last Avenger
Cold.
It was cold.
The kind of cold that he had thought only the dead would be subjected to in the deepest pits of hell.
It was strange. Just a few hours ago, he had contemplated how hot and humid it seemed here, wishing for a little breeze.
But, he was so cold now.
'Heh,' Thor Odinson, God of Thunder, silently mused to himself while holding his bleeding sides, trying to stem the blood loss. 'I shouldn't be surprised. I've always been told dying is cold and unpleasant, and seeing that both friend and foe told me so, it must be true to some extent.'
Thor looked around to reorient himself. The first thing he saw was Mjolnir, his ever-loyal companion, lying next to him. The second thing he noticed was that he was currently kneeling in a crater, miles wide and dozens of metres deep, on a barren moon made out of nothing but rock, many lightyears away from either Earth or Asgard.
Not far away, in the same crater, lied the broken husk of a Celestial, one of the Space Gods whose purpose was nothing less than the total destruction of the current universe. It had just been killed, by Thor, and normally, the boisterous Asgardian would be loudly celebrating his victory over his hated enemy.
The fact that he was currently dying too put a damper on the celebration though. It was hard to celebrate when one had a massive hole in their torso, and thus had only minutes left to live.
He probably should have been disturbed by that, protesting, sad, in denial, anything. But he wasn't. He was…
…almost content.
Now, dying contently was absolutely not what one would normally associate with Thor. He was someone who enjoyed life, who was boisterous and energetic, and who seemed like one of those people who would live forever.
But the fact remained that he was dying now, and contrary to expectations, that prospect was not even that unpleasant to him.
His life had ceased to have much meaning centuries ago after all.
Once, the mighty flames of justice and righteousness had burned perpetually in his chest, fuelling his drive to protect the innocent and punish wrongdoers, but little more than smouldering embers remained now.
For the universe was at peace. There were no galaxy-spanning wars anymore, all the great monsters and villains had been eradicated, and all disasters foretold by the Norns had been prevented.
Naturally, there was still strife among mortals. As long as they existed with their free will intact, that would never end. Those conflicts however were not something a god should get involved with, leaving Thor without anything to do.
To put it simply, he was no longer necessary.
He had done his part. He had fulfilled his duties and left behind a proud legacy. There was no reason for him to fight the inevitable anymore, and the prospect of resting sounded pretty good to his ears right now.
Furthermore, he wouldn't really be leaving anyone behind. His friends had passed many years ago, as had his brothers and sisters. The passage of time had been merciless, and had taken from him until he had nothing left to give.
His mischievous brother, the Man of Iron, the noble Captain, the strong Hulk, the crafty Archer, the sly Widow, the mighty Sorcerer, the one-eyed spy, and all the others. Over the centuries, Thor had laid them all to rest, and every time, a piece of his heart had died with them.
None of them had died a bad death though, let that be clear. Quite the opposite in fact, all had died satisfied, with their goals achieved. Tony and Pepper had gotten married and had a daughter, Steve had settled down, Bruce and Natasha had found each other, and Clint's family had prospered beyond what anyone had thought possible.
Thor remembered nearly crying in joy when his friends, his family, had received their well-deserved and hard-fought happy endings. Sometimes expected, for he knew everyone had seen it coming that Peter Quill would ask for Gamora's hand, and sometimes not at all. Who could have predicted Doctor Strange would marry the Princess of the Dark Dimension? He did not, that was certain.
The Man of Spiders had even seduced Felicia, Gwen, and Michelle, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say they had seduced him. Thor distinctly remembered buying young Parker a drink for that. There had been shocked reactions by some, but Thor himself cared not. Having Loki as a brother meant that one had to be accustomed to... things.
Of course, next to the highs, there had been some downs as well. The Civil War could have ruined many a good thing, Thanos had succeeded, although temporarily, at wiping out half of the universe, Galactus had been a foe beyond them all, and the threats that had followed after the Planeteater had somehow only grown direr.
But in the end, every foe had been laid low and every obstacle overcome, by the might of the Avengers Assembled.
The memory of the great Captain's catchphrase drew a chuckle from Thor, though he immediately regretted it. As said before, there was a ruddy great hole in his torso, and that made producing any kind of sound a fair bit more difficult than usual.
The fact that he was still alive at all spoke to his power as a Royal Asgardian and Skyfather, as did the fact that he might be able to do something about that hole if he really tried.
But he shouldn't. Not when his role in the Universe was finally over, now that all the major threats had been dispelled and vanquished.
Galactus had found an inexhaustible energy-source in the Infinity Stones at first, and he had become Life-Bringer Galactus not long after, Mephisto and Dormammu had been permanently locked away and were close to death, or whatever equivalent awaited them. The Celestials were gone, the one he just killed being the last of its wretched kind, at least as far as he knew. The Empires of Man and Alien knew peace as far as peace was possible. Asgard thrived and Loki's son would take Thor's place as king upon his death.
Even the little pests, such as the Chitauri, the Zombies, and the beasts of the Negative Zone, had met their end at the hands of the Universe's protectors, the fierce and might Avengers.
He truly was no longer necessary, and quietly accepting his death was probably the best thing he could do.
But not before he'd done one last thing.
Though he might have made peace with dying, that didn't mean he was alright with letting all of his accumulated and hard-earned power go to waste. At the very least, he wanted to appoint a worthy successor.
So Thor looked sideways again, to his loyal and powerful hammer; Mjolnir.
Truly a weapon meant for the highest of beings, having almost no limit to the amount of power that could be channelled through it, manifesting that power in many different forms, of which Celestial Lightning was only the most basic.
Forged by the Elder Dwarves, beings that embodied Creation itself, using the mass of a dying star, Mjolnir was a weapon unimaginable.
Giving its chosen wielder the power to control the elements to a godly level, create portals to almost every place in the known universe, master every type of magic, and so much more, Mjolnir was rightly considered one of the greatest weapons in the Universe.
Being so powerful, Mjolnir was not a weapon for just any man to wield. Its very nature prohibited any unworthy being from lifting or even budging it, and it had taken a banishing and thorough humbling before even Thor had been able to unleash its full potential.
Wielding it was a great honour, and a great responsibility.
So great in fact, that even the One-Above-All had taken an interest in its existence and its wielder.
The One-Above-All was the creator of the Universe and thus its most powerful being. Known by many names, of which 'God' was undoubtedly the simplest, it held the ultimate authority over all universes in existence.
And Thor had once had the unfathomable honour of meeting this being face-to-face, long ago, when he had still been but a boy, freshly returned from his banishment to Earth.
Thor walked across the Bifrost, Mjolnir in hand. He had returned to Asgard as a true prince, a soon to be king, rather than as the young brat he had been. His banishment to Earth was only just over. It was only eight days ago that he had saved Jotunheim, and thus eight days since he had lost his brother in the process. His treacherous brother, Loki.
Thor knew, intellectually, that his little brother hadn't been evil while committing his crimes, but merely in a state of confusion and pain. Even so, his treachery stabbed at Thor's heart like a knife sharper than any that Loki had ever wielded against him.
There had been true hate in Loki's face and voice during their confrontation, and Thor knew, as sure as he'd ever known anything before, that sooner or later, his little brother would be back to continue their fight.
The prospect of having to fight Loki again pressed hard on Thor's mood, and he quickly sunk into sombre contemplation, taking advantage of the fact that he was alone.
But even though he was contemplating deeply, he did not miss how an unknown figure suddenly approached him from behind.
Not in the mood to be disturbed, Thor turned around, a dismissal on his lips, before frowning when he laid eyes on the newcomer.
It was an old man, with black hair, sunken eyes, and terrible scarring all over the lower part of his face. His clothes were filthy and faded, his shoes awfully worn down, and his gloves only a few threads away from falling apart completely.
No Asgardian would ever walk around looking like that, and Thor gave the man a hard stare, demanding an explanation.
"Who are you?" He asked gruffly. "And what are you doing here?"
With the Bifrost destroyed, no one from outside Asgard should be able to get inside, and Thor was fully prepared to throw this man off the edge of the world should he prove to be a threat.
"Heh." The old man let out a short bark of laughter, before grinning at Thor. "Already forgotten me, have you?"
"Have we met before?" Thor was rather certain that he would remember someone like this, but then again, he had never been particularly bright. "When?"
"On several occasions, though I have never properly introduced myself to you." The man replied, before smiling slightly. "Allow me to do so now, boy."
Then, faster than Thor could follow, the old man approached and touched his arm.
Then, in a flash, it was revealed.
Unfathomable power.
A vast, infinite mind.
And a life-span greater than the universe itself.
This could be none other, than the One-Above-All.
"My lord." Not hesitating for a moment, Thor fell on one knee, as was proper when facing the Creator.
"Yes." The man, The-One-Above-All, confirmed, making it known that It was indeed the Supreme Being of all of existence. "Rise."
Thor rose promptly.
"Why are you here, my lord?" He then asked, wracking his brain for any reason that this being, which hadn't been seen in millions of years in Asgard, was suddenly standing before him.
"I am here with advice and orders." The One-Above-All replied, before Its expression softened. "In part about your brother."
Shock, confusion, and concern warred for dominance in Thor's heart at that declaration. While he would appreciate information about Loki, it did not promise anything good that the Creator Itself was here to relay that information.
Was… Was Loki going to destroy the universe or something?!
"No." The One-Above-All replied curtly, giving him a bemused look, having apparently read his thoughts. "While his actions in the future will be troublesome, in particular for you, they will not have such massive consequences."
"Ah." Thor let out a small sigh of relief at that, before giving the Creator a nervous look. "But then, why are you here, if not for that?"
"To talk with you, young Thor."
"Talk?" The simple answer did not make the situation any clearer. In fact, it only made it more complicated. Why would this being want to talk to him?
"Yes, talk." The Creator nodded. "I do that sometimes."
"I-Indeed?"
"You find yourself in a difficult situation right now, my boy." The One-Above-All spoke slowly, looking him over, apparently not minding Thor's confusion. "And doubt has been trying to enter your heart. I merely wish to tell you that you should not let it in. You have all the makings of a great king, someone who will become greater than all his forebears, and although your brother has troubled you, you will rise above it soon."
"R-Right." Hearing that from such a being was reassuring as well as flattering, but it still confused Thor quite a bit.
"I will not deny that your brother will be troublesome, and that many other obstacles will find their way onto your path, but with faith and understanding, you will avail." The Creator continued. "But not alone. You will need allies and friends to help you."
Thor nodded in agreement. The Warrior's Three, lady Sif, and even the humans had been crucial in his most recent victory. He now knew better than to try to handle everything on his own.
"You will become powerful, more powerful than you could possibly dream of." The One-Above-All informed him, before Its expression twisted into something resembling pity. "But ultimately, you will die. That is a fact. For all the power that you have, you are not eternal. Nothing is eternal, except maybe me. I have seen your end."
"Hm." The news of his death did not impress Thor. He had always known that he was mortal after all, despite his power, and as long as his death was glorious and meaningful, he found it nothing to fear.
"But although you will die, your power must not." The Creator decreed, and Thor found himself wanting to obey without a second thought. "You have enormous potential to develop nigh-unlimited might, and I have deemed it a great waste for that power to die with you. I will strengthen the Worthiness-enchantment on your hammer, so that none but those truly worthy can wield it, and I want you, Thor Odinson, God of Thunder and Strength, to pass on Mjolnir, along with your power and abilities, after your demise, to the next worthy wielder, so that they may take your place as defender of the universe."
For a moment, Thor could do nothing but stare, dumbfounded by the Being's request.
It was not that he was unwilling to do what it had suggested, as he found the suggestion a good one. He simply hadn't known that such a thing was possible.
To transfer all of one's power through a weapon, even one such as Mjolnir…
"I assure you, it will be quite possible for you, when you've gotten a bit older." The Creator assured him. "Mjolnir will help you."
"To pass my power on after my death…" Thor contemplated it for a while, and with every passing second, he began liking the idea more. "They will be my successor."
"Yes, my boy, yes." The One-Above-All nodded in confirmation, Its lips turning upwards in a small smile. "Naturally, only the worthiest of beings will ever be allowed to inherit. I already have several candidates in mind. Though only for after your death of course."
"That is... very reassuring." Thor grumbled, in good humour of course.
"Now then." The Creator held out a hand, and Thor, after a short moment of contemplation, handed over Mjolnir.
The One-Above-All fixed a solemn stare at the hammer, and Mjolnir began glowing gold, reality shifting to meet the wishes of its Creator. Thor knew not what was happening, but he didn't need to know the details to be in awe of what he was seeing.
When the Being was done, It offered the hammer back.
"Only the worthiest may lift it now." It declared solemnly.
Thor immediately took the weapon out of its hand, and then felt relief wash over him at the fact he could still hold it. That he was still worthy enough.
Mjolnir, having perhaps sensed his fear, thrummed a bit, as if to reassure him.
Thor then made to thank the Creator, for his advice and the Enchantment, only to find It had already disappeared.
Only Its words, the order It had given, remained for a few seconds more, and then they too disappeared.
But Thor remembered.
And so, the years had passed. Thor had found Loki again, amidst a war his younger brother himself had instigated on Earth. Loki had been even angrier than before, driven to near madness by the poisonous words of the Mad Titan, and it had pained Thor immensely to see his brother like that, to fight him once again and to see those hate-filled eyes be fixed upon him.
It was not all bad though. He had also met his best friends during Loki's tantrum: The Avengers, who would stick with him for the rest of their lives.
Eventually, Loki had returned to the fold too, during the events of Ragnarok, when they had worked together to repel Hela, Sutr, and Heidi, chasing them off and locking them away without too much trouble, aided by their many allies.
In the following centuries, Thor had expanded Asgard's reach far beyond the Nine Realms, bringing peace and prosperity to countless other planets. He had vanquished thousands of threats, up to and including Gor the God-Butcher, and brought about an age of prosperity.
Life had been good to him.
And now it was almost over. His mortality had caught up to him, exactly as predicted by the One-Above-All, and Thor prepared to carry out the orders that had been given to him by the Universe's greatest being.
Calling upon the last vestiges of his rapidly fading consciousness, Thor gathered his remaining power and all the determination that was left in his failing body. He took all his strength, his magic, his bond to his mother Gaia, even his heritage as a royal Asgardian and Skyfather, and pushed it all into Mjolnir, so it could be transferred to its next wielder.
It was a difficult, complicated process, but Thor possessed both the knowledge and the skill to pull it off. It would definitely cost him his life, but that was no longer an issue. He was measuring his remaining time in minutes now anyway.
By the time he had completed the transfer, he felt like a wrung-out washcloth, though he smiled at his success all the same. He held on, for just a few more moments, wishing to send Mjolnir off with grace and to possibly catch a glimpse of his successor.
His power and Mjolnir's enchantment would ensure his hammer found the right person. They would be bestowed with his power, and then rise to become a Skyfather themselves.
Of course, the Hammer would not give its next wielder all the power at once, as that would destroy all but the most powerful of beings. The power would come gradually to them, step by step.
The God of Thunder took a deep breath, and spoke once more the enchantment that was carved into Mjolnir's side:
"Whosoever lifts this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the Power of Thor."
With those words, words that shook Reality, Thor drew back his arm, took one last wheezing breath, and then threw his weapon away into the void, for the very last time, making it shoot off at several times the speed of light. It was a perfect throw, for Thor would accept nothing less in his goodbye to his faithful companion.
It was with sad eyes that Thor saw it fly off, to new adventures without him. But beneath that sadness, there was satisfaction as well, with a life well lived and the knowledge that his legacy would live on in someone as worthy as he.
As Mjolnir progressed through Universes, Dimensions and Realms, Thor watched with great attention, going as far as to hold his breath.
Wait, no, his lungs had just given out on him. He couldn't breathe at all anymore.
Nevertheless, he watched as Mjolnir set course for one planet in particular. It was hardly surprising for Thor that it was a version of Earth. Everything seemed to be centred on that planet. Maybe that was the reason it had been named Midgard by the Earliest Asgardians, for it surely found itself in the midst of things more often than not.
Mjolnir descended further and further, to the point where Thor could see the country it was fixed upon. A country he hadn't visited often, nor had had many dealings with.
As Mjolnir came within miles of its intended destination however, Thor's eyes widened in both shock and understanding. And as the hammer came down in front of the worthy person, Thor smiled for the very last time, and managed a final whisper of approval.
"Now I understand. Mjolnir, my old friend, that is truly an excellent choice."
With those words said, Thor Odinson, last of The Avengers, died.
Thor's death did not go unnoticed. Everywhere in the Omniverse, his passing was felt by those powerful enough, the sudden distinct lack of the Odinson glaringly visible on the picture of reality.
Among them was one of the most powerful beings in existence. He was second only to the One-Above-All, whom he called his boss, and shared that second position with just one other being. At the moment, he was in the form of a young human male, with slightly tanned skin, a completely white outfit, short black curly hair and a seemingly perpetual grin on his face.
Said grin disappeared though, when he felt Thor's passing. He had expected it, known of it, but it still hurt to have it happen so suddenly. Thor had been a good friend for the many thousands of years he had lived, but it seemed it was over now.
The being had lost more friends over in its life than anyone could possibly imagine, yet every death still hurt, especially when it was from particularly interesting people. Thor had been among the most fascinating beings it had ever met, and it couldn't help but mourn his passing.
Now the being was one friend short.
…
Maybe Thor's successor could be a friend as well? To fill up the gap that had been left?
It was worth a try at least.
His gaze followed Mjolnir's journey though the Verses, right until it arrived at its final destination, and, just like Thor, he watched in understanding as the hammer descended.
"Interesting choice, Mjolnir." He murmured, a smile pulling at the edges of his lips despite his grief. "Yes, that one has potential, I look forward to seeing what will come of this."
The being quickly made his way over to that Earth, located in the so-called 'Nasuverse.' It was called such, because it was named after the Watcher in charge of observing and cataloguing all information about said Verse; The young Nasu.
For now, the young man in the white suit did not approach Thor's successor. The time was not right. It did want to help however, for it knew that many powerful existences would soon come knocking, hoping to claim the Power of Thor for themselves.
To prevent this, he immediately put both a shield and a warning over Mjolnir's new wielder. The shield was there to hide Thor's successor, while the warning made it clear that said successor was under his protection now.
"If anyone wants to claim Mjolnir and the power of Thor, they can come now and fight me!" He declared to the Omniverse at large, in a voice that was not sound, but pure intent projected everywhere. Right after, he felt all threats retreat as fast as they could, as was wise of them to do. He was not one to be trifled with after all.
In fact, only the boss could possibly seriously threaten him, though perhaps his brother had a chance as well. He could only hope said brother hadn't noticed his little stunt-
'BROTHER!"
The being flinched at the sudden call that resounded through reality itself. It seemed his brother had in fact noticed his actions. No doubt that grouch wanted an explanation now.
Seeing there was no reason to put it off, he decided to go indulge his brother.
"This is going to be fun to explain." He sighed sarcastically, before disappearing, not leaving a single trace behind.
Author's note:
Well, my first chapter of my first fanfic. That was really fun to write, and I hope it is fun to read as well. I am aware that it was a bit rushed and fast-paced, but I wanted to wrap up Thor's death and everything around it within one reasonably short chapter, so there.
Mjolnir has been sent off, containing both its own power and Thor's. Its new owner will as such not only have access to Mjolnir's power, but also to the powers and abilities of Comic-Thor. This will be one powerful individual, whom I haven't even named yet (As if you all don't know who it is because of the summary).
As you might have noticed, both Thor and Mjolnir received quite the buff and power boost in my story. This was on purpose, and every bit of power mentioned and more is going to the main character of this fic. Not right away of course, that would make for a boring story. It will slowly develop over the course of the plotline.
I warn you here and now that I am no fan of drama or tragedy, if that's what you are looking for, either turn back or abandon all hope when ye enter here.
Minor note, Thor is the son of Odin and Fjord (Gaia) in this fic. Hence, he has a strong connection with the Earth, a connection he has now passed on.
Alright, that was it. Thanks for reading and until next time.
Edited later for better flow and better choice of words.