Is Thanos the Mastermind Behind the Scenes?

"Alright, let's analyze the video we just watched."

After the analysis finished playing, everyone gradually withdrew their gaze. Nick Fury then turned to Iron Man and Black Widow and said:

Before either of them could respond, Nick Fury took the lead in summarizing:

"I think we've finally addressed a question that has concerned us all along—the motive behind Loki joining the Chitauri to invade Earth. At least, to some extent."

"Before Thor arrived on Earth, he believed Loki was already dead and that the Rainbow Bridge to Asgard was broken. From this, we can infer that a war must have erupted in Asgard."

"Loki definitely took part in that war."

"And since Loki keeps insisting he should be king, could this war have been a battle for the throne between Loki and Thor?"

"In that war, Loki was defeated. To 'satisfy his inferiority complex,' he decided to conquer Earth?"

Both Black Widow and Iron Man nodded. Based on the footage, this theory seemed quite plausible.

"Regardless, Loki's invasion of Earth is likely just a continuation of old grudges from Asgard," Black Widow concluded decisively.

"The only good news is, we can be certain about Thor's attitude towards Earth." Nick Fury shrugged, "Looks like this Thor guy really likes Earth."

"And… Thor seems much stronger than Loki," Black Widow added.

The battle scenes between Loki and Thor had been shown to everyone. Although Loki's moves seemed somewhat restrained, Thor's power left a deep impression on all of them.

His physical strength rivaled the Iron Man armor, he could fly, and control lightning—definitely fitting the godly image everyone expected.

Loki's performance, by comparison, was clearly weaker.

You could even see it from his failure to claim the throne.

"Probably a lot dumber, too," Iron Man casually commented, "Thor just looks like a big, simple guy—all brawn, no brains."

Nick Fury: "..."

Black Widow: "..."

How do you deal with them both thinking the same thing?

That big guy just looks like he's got muscles instead of brains.

In contrast, Loki's first impression was of a sneaky, cunning schemer—an old master of tricks and plots.

"Anyway, we can't control Asgard's grudges, so Loki's coming to Earth to stir trouble was bound to happen."

Nick Fury's expression grew serious, "What we can do now is prepare for Loki's arrival and try to avoid a repeat of the Battle of New York."

"One question," Iron Man said after a brief pause, suddenly speaking up, "Have you thought about whether there's more to this? Maybe… a bigger conspiracy behind the scenes?"

"Do you remember what Thor asked Loki? Who showed Loki the true power of the Tesseract? Who's the mastermind behind all this?"

When Iron Man said this, the faces of Nick Fury and Black Widow grew even more serious.

"If there really is a mastermind… what's their goal? Why show Loki the power of the Tesseract? Is Loki's invasion purely because of Asgard's grudges, or is he linked to this mastermind as well?"

Black Widow fired off more crucial questions, deepening the heavy atmosphere in the room.

If the mastermind simply showed Loki the Tesseract's power but didn't do anything else, and everything was Loki's own doing, that would be acceptable.

But if the mastermind truly stood behind Loki's invasion, things got a lot more complicated.

And a lot worse.

"We have too little information to analyze further, but if such a mastermind exists… someone who can use the prince of Asgard as a pawn—that's beyond anything we can imagine."

After a few seconds of thought, Nick Fury finally spoke in a low, serious voice.

"Fury, Phil Coulson must have told you about the Battle of the Endgame, right?" Iron Man suddenly looked up and asked.

"What are you trying to say, Stark?" Nick Fury asked, eyes flickering, focusing on Iron Man.

"During the Endgame battle, Thanos led an alien fleet to invade Earth, and among that fleet were the Chitauri!" Iron Man's expression turned unprecedentedly grave.

"Those 'big bug' ships were clearly there in Endgame."

"The mastermind behind all this… could it be Thanos?" Nick Fury furrowed his brow deeply, his face heavy with worry.

"Thanos? Who is Thanos? The mastermind behind the Endgame battle?"

Black Widow noticed that at the mention of this name, both Nick Fury and Iron Man changed their expressions. She couldn't help but ask.

"A cosmic overlord who invaded Earth. Yes, the mastermind behind Endgame," Iron Man nodded.

"So he is the mastermind of Endgame!" Black Widow raised her eyebrows.

"Just because the Chitauri fleet appeared in Endgame doesn't mean we can definitively say Thanos is behind Loki's invasion of New York, but it's definitely connected to him!"

After some thought, Nick Fury said solemnly.

Iron Man and Black Widow fell silent. They didn't yet know the full truth, but there was no doubt about Thanos' shadow lurking behind it.

"Also, the Tesseract is probably much more than we imagined. It's far more complicated than we thought." Iron Man added in a low voice.

Everyone had simply treated it as some alien artifact. That was it.

But now, seeing that even Loki and Thor didn't truly understand the Tesseract's power…

(End of chapter)