We weren't talking about dozens of casualties. Or hundreds. Or even thousands.
An invasion by a hostile alien civilization meant the death toll would likely start in the tens of thousands and rapidly spiral into the millions.
If an orbital mothership unleashed a single devastating energy beam and shattered the city infrastructure, ten million people could die in the blink of an eye. In a cosmic war, a casualty number like that wasn't considered a tragedy; it was just a statistic. It was barely worth mentioning.
But for the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents sitting in that room, the thought of ten million dead Americans sent a profound chill down their spines.
"If our deduction is correct... then Loki truly deserves to die," Hawkeye growled, clenching his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. "We already know he harbors ambitions against Earth. In that discarded timeline, he used Thor's accidental death as an excuse to unleash the full might of the Asgardian army on us. If Odin hadn't been suppressing him in the Sacred Timeline, he probably would have launched an invasion years ago!"
"In our timeline—the Sacred Timeline—the invading force will definitely not be the Asgardian army," Nick Fury stated definitively. "Thor is still alive. And from everything we know about him, Thor would absolutely never permit Asgard to launch an unprovoked attack on Earth. Even if Odin passed away and Loki somehow temporarily seized power, Thor is still the Crown Prince. He is the true heir. He would intervene."
"So," Fury continued, his single eye scanning the room, "while we don't know where Loki acquired this army, or which specific alien civilization he lured here, we can definitively rule out Asgard."
Like Tony Stark, Nick Fury maintained a high level of vigilance and paranoia regarding Thor's presence on Earth. However, his caution was born entirely from a geopolitical "trust no alien" mentality, not from any doubts about Thor's actual character.
It was purely a defensive protocol against the unknown future.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents collectively agreed. Based on their personal interactions with the God of Thunder and the glowing endorsements written in Lucas's diary, Thor was undeniably a top-tier member of the Avengers. He was one of the "Big Three." He was a genuine superhero.
As long as he didn't inexplicably turn evil or get corrupted, Thor was a reliable ally with an incredibly strong moral compass.
Therefore, it was politically impossible for Loki to borrow troops from Asgard for a planetary invasion.
"What if Loki went back to his own people?" Hawkeye theorized. "Could he have borrowed an army from the Frost Giants of Jotunheim to invade Earth?"
"Highly unlikely," Natasha shot down the theory immediately. "Did you forget what happened in the video? He literally orchestrated an assassination plot against his biological father, King Laufey, and then murdered him in front of Queen Frigga. It was the ultimate display of twisted filial piety. What right does a kingslayer have to demand the Frost Giants bow to him?"
The agents vividly remembered the chilling scene. In a desperate bid to prove his loyalty to the Asgardian throne, Loki had lured Laufey into the royal chambers, only to betray him at the last second, blasting him into dust to "save" his adoptive father.
To the Asgardians, it was a profound, tragic testament to Loki's twisted love for his family. They felt that raising him hadn't been a waste.
But to the Frost Giants? If they ever discovered the truth, they would be absolutely furious.
"Furthermore, Loki never grew up in Jotunheim. He has zero prestige or political capital there," Agent Hill added. "Even if he revealed his true heritage and tried to claim the throne, the Frost Giants would never accept him. Remember why he was abandoned in that temple in the first place? He was considered a runt. A weakling. They believed his incredibly small stature was an abomination to their bloodline."
Hill smirked slightly. "If Odin hadn't found him, he would have frozen to death. You can easily imagine what the average Frost Giant thinks of a frail magician like Loki. He doesn't look or act anything like them. I imagine the Jotunheim standard of beauty—and their baseline requirement for a king—is heavily skewed toward massive, brainless muscle-heads. You know, someone like Thor. Hahaha!"
The room erupted into laughter. The irony was palpable.
It wasn't just Jotunheim. Asgard operated on the exact same metric. They both worshipped the hyper-masculine, reckless warrior archetype that Thor perfectly embodied.
It was easy to see how living in an environment like that could crush Loki's spirit. By any objective, earthly standard, Loki was a spectacular prince. He was incredibly handsome, highly educated, elegantly spoken, and a master of complex illusion magic. Any human monarchy would kill to have an heir like him.
But in a realm of warrior-gods, he was treated like a fragile outcast.
"So, Loki can't borrow troops from Asgard, and he definitely can't borrow troops from Jotunheim. If he walked into the Frost Giant capital right now, they'd probably beat him to death on sight," Coulson chuckled.
"But realizing this isn't necessarily a good thing," Natasha sighed, her smile fading. "If Loki was leading the Asgardian army, we would have a tactical countermeasure. We could just deploy Thor to the battlefield. The moment the Crown Prince showed his face and issued an order, the Asgardian generals would likely stand down and withdraw."
"But if he's leading a completely unknown alien armada," she finished grimly, "Thor's authority means nothing. We won't be able to negotiate. We will have to fight them to the death."
The laughter in the room died instantly. Natasha was right. An unknown alien military meant they had zero diplomatic leverage.
"But that brings up a massive logical flaw..." Agent Hill said, her brow furrowing deeply. "You can't just requisition an entire civilization's military with a smooth speech."
Hill leaned over the table. "Launching an interstellar crusade requires an unfathomable amount of resources, logistical planning, and political capital. Why would an alien empire agree to cross the stars to attack Earth just because Loki asked them to? What's the incentive? It doesn't make any sense."
The agents realized the glaring hole in their theory.
Even on Earth, if a nation wanted to declare war on another country, they needed a massive, justifiable reason.
If the aliens were after natural resources, it was a fundamentally flawed premise. On a cosmic scale, standard resources were functionally infinite. The more technologically advanced a civilization became, the more efficiently they could harvest uninhabited asteroid belts and dead planets. Why waste an army invading an inhabited world for basic minerals?