Greed nodded. Thor's political acumen has always been quite high. When Odin was ruling, he acted like a fool, but that doesn't mean he was truly dumb. If he really lacked political intuition, even as the only possible heir, he wouldn't have been able to gain so much recognition from the Asgardians.
Not to mention, when Odin threw him to Earth, there was quite the turmoil on Asgard. Thor had quite a few supporters, showing his popularity.
And the point he raised about "emphasizing commonality" is indeed important. The film is being released on Earth to help humans better understand and trust Asgard. Emphasizing Asgard's power might make people fear their reputation; but only by letting humans know there is no fundamental difference between them and the God Clan, they might truly feel close to Asgard.
"But I don't want to make it into a pure propaganda film," Thor added, "like a story where humans are in trouble, and the God Clan comes to save them, or where Aesir and humans fall in love. This kind of plot is just…"
Thor didn't finish, but Greed understood his meaning. Filming it that way would be as plain as day; it's clearly an attempt at soft diplomacy. Though with the current relationship between the two sides, mutual promotion isn't a problem—after all, Earth once expanded into their territory, and Asgardians still regret losing the moon—but promoting Asgard like this wouldn't be much.
However, there's been too much of this type of genre filmed, and people can easily become fatigued. After watching the first minute, you'd know how the next half hour plays out, and the ratings might not meet expectations, failing to achieve the effect.
"I have an idea," Greed suggested, "Don't you think your initial period on Earth was quite interesting?"
Thor raised an eyebrow: "You mean when I was thrown to Earth?"
"Exactly. You lived like a human, working to support yourself, worrying about rent and food expenses…"
"Isn't that a bit too…" Thor hesitated, "Though it indeed could resonate with humans, if there's no difference, it wouldn't highlight that I am Asgardian."
"Ah, there's a solution," Greed said, "How about this: during the day you work on Earth, and at night you return to Asgard as emperor. How's that?"
"What kind of ridiculous plot is that?" Thor replied, "Why would an Asgardian emperor come to Earth to work?"
"That's simple," Greed said, "Once you were injured in battle, chased down, and hid on Earth. A kind-hearted girl saved you…"
"I'm married." Thor shook his head rapidly, "My wife is Sif, how can I fall in love with another woman?"
"It's just acting. And you don't even need to play the part yourself…"
"Still, that's not okay. Everyone knows I am the emperor of Asgard; this could easily be misconstrued as a real affair. Not to mention, if it gets back to Asgard, Odin and Frigga would break my legs. We care a lot about our reputation in this regard."
Greed thought for a moment; it seemed true enough. Despite the Nordic Mythology settings where Odin has more than one wife, in the Marvel setting, Odin and Frigga are indeed monogamous, with no others involved between them.
Furthermore, in other comics and films, when the God of Thunder arrives on Earth, he is amnesiac, which is why he falls in love with Jane Foster and abandons his original girlfriend Sif. But Thor in the Central Universe doesn't lose his memory, and he didn't meet Foster. The two still don't know each other, so upon returning to Asgard, he naturally married Sif, with no romantic history with humans.
If the TV series forcibly fabricated such an arc, it could easily be seen as a true story adaptation, impacting their marriage. Thor would definitely disagree.
"Then let's make it the brother," Greed said, "During a battle, your brother Loki was kidnapped and ambushed, gravely injured, and ended up on Earth. You had to stay and look after him, but at the same time couldn't neglect your responsibilities, so you had to run back and forth."
Thor furrowed his brow deeply: "If Loki were so easy to kidnap and ambush, we'd both likely be dead long ago. Many have tried to use him as leverage against me, but they were all played to death by Loki. Wouldn't that make him seem useless, quite insulting to him?"
"You know, he takes this seriously," Thor said somewhat troubled, "He spent half his life seeking validation, trying to appear extremely useful. If you write a TV show saying he dragged me down, he wouldn't agree."
"Then let's say he was faking it," Greed's flash of inspiration came again, "He was keeping you grounded on Earth to compete with you over the throne. It was all orchestrated by him."
"Then what's the final outcome?"
"Of course, you defeat him and become emperor of Asgard."
"That's unlikely." Thor shook his head again and said, "If he did such a thing for the throne, it shows he really wants it, then I would give it to him."
"You two are really hard to deal with." Greed couldn't help but say.
The biggest problem with the brothers of Asgard is this: all the conflicts between them aren't because they hate each other, but because they love each other too much. Loki desperately seeks a sense of presence in front of Thor, while Thor indulges him with no boundaries. Others can't stand this mode, along with their dislike for Loki, which makes Loki want to prove himself even more, leading to increasingly outrageous actions, eventually causing a lot of trouble.
Therefore, there's no way to portray them as two brothers who love each other dearly—one in trouble, the other takes meticulous care; nor can they be portrayed as two brothers killing each other—fighting unscrupulously for the throne.
"And I cannot let myself end up on Earth because of Loki." Thor emphasized again, "I've emphasized countless times to everyone that none of my encounters can be blamed on Loki, including my being thrown to Earth. I'm not making excuses for him, nor am I trying to express my magnanimity; it's truly what I believe. It has never been his fault."
"I was thrown to Earth by Odin because I caused trouble after drinking. Some people think Loki instigated me to drink, or that he said something bad behind my back, provoking me to cause trouble. But I'm not Loki's echo, nor am I a puppet controlled by him. If I didn't want to do it, he couldn't persuade me."
"And regarding those pranks and traps that many believe involve me, having followed Odin to battle for so many years, I wouldn't fail to see through such tricks. I walked into them because I wanted to, not because Loki wanted to harm me and I didn't realize it."
"Many people think I'm too foolish and always think Loki is too clever, assuming our mode of interaction is me being toyed around by him, believing whatever he says, and me being the pitiful victim. But in reality, I am the one who has been cultivated as the heir for hundreds of years, while Loki is always the overlooked one. This destined that he couldn't control me, and it was just me letting him be."
Greed admitted Thor's words indeed made some sense. But it's not hard to see; he has an eight-hundred-layer thick filter for Loki. In his eyes, Loki is a mischievous younger brother whose character has become a bit awkward because he is always ignored, and those provocations and pranks are just little jokes.
But is that really the case? Just look at the newly established anti-fraud task force of the interstellar security department. If one didn't know, they'd think Loki was born twenty thousand years ago. If the dinosaurs hadn't died early, they would've been tricked out of their underwear by Loki if they lived two more years.
Greed was too lazy to complain about this. He said, "If worse comes to worst, just film it according to reality. Just say you were thrown here by Odin and had to work for a living. On one hand, Loki wants to mock you, while on the other hand, he worries about you, so he came looking for you as well. The two of you end up on Sakaar, and after going through hardships, you ascend to the throne while he becomes a prince."
"That sounds good," Thor said, "But the biggest problem is, how do you plan to remove yourself from the story? Or do you want to get famous again?"
Greed quickly shook his head. He thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I haven't played any very important role in your relationship."
"Now you're being modest." Thor said, "I have to admit, since coming to Earth, Loki has indeed matured a lot. Before coming to Earth, his mental state was very bad. And the experiences of Loki in other universes also prove that if it weren't for your miraculous intervention, things would have taken an irreparable direction."
Thor recalled the situation at the time and then said, "I think the most important role you played in all this was making Loki gain very powerful strength. Whether it's the divine power and position he received from Odin or him becoming the Goddess of Glory, this gave him more confidence. When facing me, he was no longer always in a weak position, and even had the leisure to sympathize with me. Without the survival crisis, naturally, there was more room to talk about relationships with others. This is the most important reason for his transformation."
Greed sighed. There's a saying, "Poverty breeds cunning, wealth breeds conscience," which indeed sounds a bit like praising the high while denigrating the low, showing no sympathy for the bottom layer. But from the perspective of emotion, it is just right.
If a person finds it difficult to live, or he himself feels he is under great survival pressure, or his spirit is already exhausted, he cannot muster the extra emotion to love others. But if a person's life lacks pressure and his mood is inherently good, he can devote more emotion to loving others. Loki completed the transition from the former to the latter on Earth.
However, Greed does not agree with one point. He looked at Thor and said, "This power hasn't been given by me, nor has it been given by Odin. It was given by you."
Looking into Thor's eyes, Greed said, "I don't know exactly what happened. But you must have done something to make him believe that even in your most impoverished and desperate situation, you still loved him unconditionally. It was this that gave him security and strength. This is what he always wanted."
"Perhaps," Thor said, "But I don't remember very clearly. Because I've always been doing this—I'm his brother, after all."
"No problem, he must remember it vividly." Greed stood up and said, "If you agree with this, I'll go ask him about the details and then have the investors find a screenwriter. The TV series is shot very quickly, it might even be released before the movie."
"Alright then," Thor smiled and said, "If it becomes a big hit, I'll give you a house in Asgard, next to Loki's princely residence. You can be neighbors."
"Really?" Greed said with a bit of surprise, "The kind with a carriage?"
"Yes, a flying carriage. There are eight Pegasus horses."
Greed snapped his fingers: "Leave it to me."