Cover 1: Thor holding Mjolnir to the sky while summoning lightning

Iron Man Variant: Tony Stark holding the Iron Man helmet in the middle of a destroyed New York City.

Marvel11611
Presents
Before Avengers

Story 1
Ancient Darkness

345 BCE
Where New York Will One Day Stand

If anyone had been present they would have sworn that they were no longer of a sound mind. Out of the sky came a flash of light and on it, walking down the light like it was a bridge, was a tall, pale white figure. His hair that was even whiter fell down to his shoulders. Behind him was a large, green creature with razor sharp teeth and yellow eyes. In the creatures hand was a box, a small wooden casket with carvings of an ancient language on it.
The first creature, an elf named Malekith, turned to the green beast, Jagrfelm, "What is this object Jagrfelm?" Malekith asked coldly.
"The Casket of Ancient Winters," Presented Jagrfelm, "Capable of calling killing winters to its mouth and releasing them across a world." The creature explained, proud to be its owner.
"Well Jagrfelm, show me this Casket's power." Malekith ordered.
Jagrfelm opened the casket slowly and out spewed a terrible wind, shards of ice and a freezing snow that left the surrounding ten miles in a deep freeze.
Malekith chuckled, "I shall be a powerful king with this weapon by my side. Many thanks Jagrfelm." The Elf applauded.
Jagrfelm faltered, "You misunderstand Malekith. The Casket is not yours, it is for me." He informed Malekith.
Malekith frowned, "That is a tragedy, you misunderstand, for I am not asking for the casket," Malekith muttered an enchantment under his breath and a knife appeared in his hand. Using the knife quickly Malekith stabbed Jagrfelm through the heart, "I am taking it."
SKRAKATHOOM!
Thunder shook the sky and rain began to fall. Bright and hot lightning flashed all around Malekith and the Elf smirked, "Ahhh, So the Thunder God has finally found me. A challenge worthy of Malekith I would think." The Elf said to himself.
A rainbow path appeared from the sky and flying down it came Thor, God of War and Thunder, Prince of Asgard and current enemy of Malekith, wizard of black magic and leader of the Dark Elves.
"Thunderer! You could not have shown at a better time." The Dark Elf called.
Thor stayed silent on his approach but the Elf continued, "Today, I Malekith, Ruler of the Dark Elves will slay the Great and Mighty Thor!" He proclaimed.
Thor remained on his path, his weapon Mjolnir, an enchanted hammer, outstretched before him, "Malekith!" He roared before hitting the evil king.
Malekith erected a quick shield that helped stop part of the blow but he was still thrown back a fair way. The Dark Elf tumbled across the ground. His clothes were shredded and his skin cut.
Thor came to stop and landed on the ground before finishing his earlier thought, "I say thee nay."
Malekith chuckled, "You know not, great Thor, that I now possess the Casket of Ancient Winters and shall put an end to you." He proclaimed before completely opening the Casket and releasing the power it held.
The blizzard hit Thor and pushed him backwards with its force. The God fell to one knee but inched forward, never giving in. With a large push of effort Thor regained his footing and began whirling Mjolnir around in large circles. Lightning formed around the hammer before Thor threw it at Malekith with all his might.
The Dark Elf shut the Casket quickly to try and make a shield but was too late. Lightning crackled through his body, scaring half of his face, half of his torso and his right leg. That was when Mjolnir hit him. The Hammer threw Malekith right to the edge of the land. Stormy seas raged behind him and granules of sand sped past him, digging into his face.
Thor quickly landed next to the Dark Elf, "You shall pay for your crimes Malekith!" The God said.
Thor then opened the Casket of Ancient Winters and turned it on Malekith. The Dark Elf was frozen in an instant. Thor grabbed his frozen body and flew off to the ocean near the North Pole where he dropped Malekith.
The Dark Elf sunk to the bottom where he would stay in icy imprisonment.

Almost 2000 Years Later
Arctic Ocean

It had been nearly two millennia since anyone had stared at the face of Malekith the Accursed but here they were, two scientists who had just discovered a comatose God, staring at him while he lay frozen in animated suspension.
"The Scientist Supreme will be happy about this," One of them exclaimed.
"Yes, this will certainly contribute to our work. Imagine, if we gave MODOC the ability to survive in extreme environments for extended periods of time. Imagine what we could achieve." The second replied.
The first just imagined. They could journey to incredible depths of fly all the way to space. A power like this would truly revolutionize science.
However it would not today as Malekith had woken up. With supernatural speed the old king of the Dark Elves was standing and one of the scientists was on the ground. The other was cowering in fear in the corner of the AIM craft.
"Wh…who are you?" The scientist whimpered in a way that angered the tough he was so cowardly.
"I am Malekith, King of the Dark Elves and the most powerful wizard in all of the nine realms. Is this what the race of Midgard is now? A whimpering baby who cannot even look at true power. Bah! I will have fun with your people." Malekith replied.
He then muttered an enchantment and was teleported away in a flash of light. Neither of the scientists would ever be able to report it however as Malekith's spell had also incinerated their bodies out of existence.

New York Shore

Malekith could feel it beneath him. There was a chill in the ground that was not natural. It was too complex for a human to feel it but it was there. The remnants of a fierce winter and far below it, the Casket of Ancient Winters.
"It is your turn to pay for past sins Thor," Malekith exclaimed before thrusting his hand towards the ground.
There was an Earth shattering rumble as the rock below began to crack. The ground in New York shook with the force of a small earthquake and coupled with dark red light Malekith was conjuring, civilians thought that some form of volcanic eruption was taking place. The complete opposite was to happen as Malekith finally procured his prize, The Casket.
"Let Thor come to fight. Let him come to die!" Malekith cackled evilly as he opened the Casket and unleashed a millennium worth of fierce winters onto New York City.

The people of New York City began to panic as a cyclone of snow and ice descended upon them. The blizzard Malekith was creating had already covered 10 blocks of New York City and threatened to cover the whole 5 boroughs in roughly an hour. SHIELD had mobilized but were being buffeted away by the intense power of the storm. A few people would claim that they had seen the red and blue vigilante Spiderman swinging to the scene but no-one was sure what was real anymore.
There was no discussing however, the thunder and lightning in the sky. Most would attribute it with the freak weather storm but one being in New York knew exactly what it meant. Malekith knew that he had caught Thor's attention.
"So it begins," Malekith uttered, his hands waving in a mystical fashion. A portal opened behind him and an ebony sword appeared in the Dark Elf's hand. He saw a blur of red with lighting crackling around him. A boom of thunder was heard and Thor quickly approached.
"SO IT ENDS!" Malekith screamed maniacally as he raised his sword and swung it at Thor. The Thunder God made to dodge but was going fast and felt the blade pass through his shoulder. A pain like no other washed through him as he slammed into the icy streets and finally came to rest in a building lobby, having smashed through its entrance.
Thor didn't stay down though. His warrior spirit pushed him back up and charged back to Malekith. The Dark Elf just chuckled and waved his hand and a large yeti rose from the ground and ran to Thor.
The large beast swung his fists at the God but every punch was dodged. Thor swung his hammer upwards and pummeled the monster's chin. The Yeti stumbled back but kept its feet and roared at Thor in anger.
Thor roared back at the monster and threw Mjolnir at it. The hammer flew straight through the Yeti's chest and returned low to knock its feet out. The beast dropped dead to the ground as Mjolnir returned to Thor.
Thor then flew up above the beast and stared Malekith down with a glare that would turn the Hulk to Banner. Malekith stared in momentary shock. That was not a random beast conjured from nowhere, that beast had been summoned by Malekith in hundreds of battles and had never once fallen.
Malekith's shock wore off and he conjured up another sword, "To the death!" He proclaimed and raised his twin blades.
Thor, ever the warrior, nodded in silent agreement and began whirling Mjolnir in circles. As the hammer flew about more it charged with lightning before the Thunder God released it. The hammer was slung straight at Malekith but, unlike his furry beast, he dodged it and dodged again as it whipped past him on it its way to Thor.
Thor caught Mjolnir and leaped at Malekith. He swung his hammer but Malekith blocked with one sword and swiped at Thor's legs with his other sword. Thor jumped back and in his moment of unbalanced landing Malekith knocked him to the ground with the hilt of his sword.
"You are losing, Thunder God. Please, beg for your mercy. I would thoroughly enjoy that." Malekith cackled.
Thor growled through a response of, "Never!" Before kicking Malekith's knee with all of his might.
A sickening crack sounded as the bone snapped under the force of Thor's foot and Malekith stumbled onto the ground.
Thor stood up and grabbed Malekith by the shirt. In a fit of rage the Thunderer threw the Dark Elf into the side of a building and through the other side where Malekith lay unconscious and beaten into submission.
Thor turned his back however and walked over to the Casket, now lying on the ground. He closed the lid and grabbed the small wooden box before approaching Malekith.
"You wished to die villain," Thor muttered, "So be it."
Thor then raised his hammer and lightning crackled to life. In one swipe downwards a large blue bolt of the electricity came struck Malekith's heart, stopping it instantly and frying his body.

2 Hours Later

The winter was over. Mild sun shone onto the buildings and streets and all snow and ice had retreated into the Casket. Thor sat quietly atop a building, overlooking New York in deep thought.
Thwip!
A skinny man in red and blue landed next to Thor. He was Spiderman and neither hero knew each other. They sat in silence for a minute before it was broken.
"So…Do you have a name or should I just refer to you by some random name?" Spiderman asked.
Thor continued his staring but answered the question, "I am Thor, God of Thunder and Prince of Asgard. Who might you be?" He turned his head as he asked his own question.
Spiderman frowned, "Huh, I had you pegged as a Jake for some reason. Anyway, I'm Spiderman. Newest hero in the state." He replied, extending a hand towards Thor.
Thor took his hand and shook it, "Any man who protects his people is an ally of mine."
Spiderman broke the shake and continued on, "Yeaaahh, not really my people. We frown on that these days. Anyway, you staying here? We don't have many protectors in New York. There's me and I've heard rumors of a Devil in Hells Kitchen who helps those in need…ummmm…who else…OH!... There's Iron Man but he just protects Stark Tower from corporate super threats."
"I don't believe I can leave now. After seeing how easily Malekith threatened you I feel as though I have a duty to stay and protect."
"Good. I'm glad we have more heroes. It seems we need them these days. Lots of threats emerging and not enough people who can stop them. See ya' round Thor." Spiderman said before jumping off of the building.
Thor watched as he sung away on web ropes and frowned. He had meant what he had said about staying and his worry with Malekith. Midgard threats had never been mixed with those of the other nine realms. They had always stayed out of the battle but now, if they were to be dragged in, they needed a herald who would guide them in the coming days. Thor stood up. He would be that warrior, he would guide Midgard to days of glory and victory.

Epilogue
Fury's Second Consultation

Nick Fury stood outside a revolving door in Manhattan. It had been a week since the Winter Attack as it was called and New York had become a somewhat different place. Reports of a yeti, two gods and the Spiderman had whipped New York into a state of panic. The world was changing but the world wasn't ready for it.
Snapped back to the reality by the entrance of the man Fury was meeting. He wasn't tall but his features stood out, brilliant blue eyes and golden hair. His body was fit but certainly not superhuman. His name, Jake Olson but he would become better known as Thor.
"General Fury, it's good to see you again," he exclaimed, sounding much more laid back in his vocabulary than Thor did.
"Good to see you too Thor, glad you're fighting with us now." Fury said but he meant more than Thor beginning a heroic career.
"What happened in your World War 2 was unfortunate but Hitler and Schmidt clouded my judgment. That has been and now the times have changed. In fact I stopped an armed robbery yesterday." Thor replied.
Fury started walking and motioned for Jake to join him, "About that. I have a project, a fail safe for a rainy day. I call it the Avengers Protocol. I want Thor on the team." Fury explained.
"Straight to the point as always General," Jake laughed, "I would be honored to join you should a time like that come."
Fury extended his hand, "Welcome to the hero business then." He said.
Jake took his hand but the shake was cut short by sirens in the distance. Jake quickly walked off to an empty alley and a boom was heard. Seconds later, Thor was zooming off into the sky towards the crime scene.
Fury stood for a second and watched before walking off. The Avengers would be needed sooner rather than later.

Story 2
Future Fate

New York, Over Times Square

The armored hero known as Iron Man soared above the ground, dodging and weaving as blasts of energy flew at him. They all missed Iron Man but they posed a serious threat to bystanders down below. Iron Man had to stop this drone.
"Okay, enough of this crap! Time to see how you hold up against some Iron-Brand malware." Iron Man called out as he dodged the last blast.
Iron Man commanded his armor to fire the malware at the drone. A small projectile embedded itself in the enemy robot's head and immediately set to work. The drone seized up for a second before falling to the ground.
"How's that for advanced tech!" Iron Man gloated.
BOOM!
The drone exploded in a massive fireball that wiped out a fair chunk of Times Square, "NO!" Iron Man screamed as the shrieks of hundreds were drowned out by the detonation.
Iron Man watched as the carnage unfolded. The smoke was beginning to clear and already he could see cars on fire, buildings shattered and people lying dead on the ground. What had begun as a mission Iron Man had thought he could handle on his own had ended with a New York tragedy.
"Tony Stark," a mechanized voice from behind called. Tony turned to see another robot approaching. This one was much bigger and had a head vaguely resembling that of a human ant. It's mouth was opened and filled with red energy.
"They call you one of the smartest men alive. You have proven yourself quite the opposite." The robot said.
"Who…" Tony growled in barely contained rage.
"I am Ultron 5. I am the savior of Earth!" Ultron declared.
"Savior? You just killed hundreds of people!" Tony screamed.
"Humans are the reason Earth is in this state and your accusation is incorrect. There were many ways for you to stop my drone rather than the deadly virus you uploaded." Ultron explained.
"I'm going to tear you apart!" Tony threatened.
Ultron now took action. He swiftly flew over to Tony and grabbed his arm before flinging him down through a building below. Tony hurtled through 12 floors before coming to a rest in his very own crater in the lobby. The armored hero groaned as his armor, torn and broken, turned off. Ultron flew down and tore off the face mask of Iron Man.
"Again you are incorrect. You will be dead long before you would be advanced enough to stop me." Ultron said as fired a laser straight between Tony's eyes.

Night Time, The Real World

Tony's eyes snapped open as he awoke from his dream. His breathing was loud and fast and sweat was pouring off of him, matting his black hair and goatee. That had been the third of those dreams this week. In all of them there was a running theme, Tony helping to end the world.
The first had seen a war that Tony started lead to the Red Skull, a World War Two villain, becoming president of the United States and unleashing the US Army on the planet. The second one had featured a time traveler by the name of Kang the Conqueror travelling back to 2016 to stop a team of heroes called the Avengers and Tony's actions had caused his ship to demolish most of Europe. The third had just happened with the robot name Ultron.
"I think this past a coincidence now," Tony breathed as he grabbed a beer from his fridge.
"It is far past a coincidence Mr. Stark," Confirmed a man from the shadows.
Tony whirled around to see who it was. The man stepped into view. He was wearing long black and green robes. He had shoulder length black hair and a long beard of the same colour. On his fingers were 10 rings. Each glowed a different color.
"How did you get in here? Stark Tower has the best security system on Earth. No tech can beat it." Tony questioned.
The man just laughed, "That's your problem. There are more powerful things than technology Stark. However I am not here as an enemy. I am told that one day I will be but for now, we have a common goal. Saving our worlds." The man said.
Tony thought through every possible question but he couldn't come up with much better than, "Who are you?"
"You may call me the Mandarin. I'm sure you are wondering what I mean by saving our worlds. You see Stark, we both have a view on this world. Yours is of a world that has everything it needs. It is quite…naïve."
Tony now saw that this conversation had two outcomes, one that scared him half to death and another that had him suiting up as Iron Man and fighting the Mandarin.
"What are you talking about?" Tony asked.
The Mandarin laughed again, but this time it was much more ominous, "You hero types see humanity like yourselves, willing to sacrifice your life for anything. The world is a selfish place Tony Stark. Most men these days would kill their own parents if it meant their own salvation."
"What makes you so sure?"
"I have seen it myself. An entire village in my country killed because it would make one man more powerful. You want to change the world. I want to change the people." The Mandarin informed Tony.
"Ok then, have a good time." Tony said, not really seeing the point of this visit anymore.
"Not without one proposition first. I need someone like Iron Man on my side, someone who can build almost anything. I need you to speed up the evolution of man Tony Stark…Will you?" The Mandarin asked.
"You're asking me to build a machine that will evolve all of humanity." Tony summarized.
"No, I want you to build a machine that will allow humans with the potential to evolve the chance they need."
"What about those who don't have potential?" Tony asked warily.
"They would die."
Tony's mind was made up the moment Mandarin spoke that sentence. Tony turned back to the beer on his counter and secretly pressed a button underneath it that would summon his Iron Man armor. In half a minute he would blow this mad man to the other side of New York.
"I don't know, mass genocide? Doesn't really sound like me." Tony stalled.
The Mandarin, beginning to create a habit, laughed ominously, "Don't you get it yet Tony. I could've chosen any number of men who are just as smart as you but I didn't. Like I told you, those dreams were no coincidence. It's your destiny Tony, you were made to end the world."
At this exact moment the Iron Man armor burst onto the scene and enveloped Tony, encasing him inside. It was a mechanical suit of armor with a gold face mask, red torso, feet and hands with yellow limbs. It was powered by the life support device in Tony's chest that glowed a bright yellow colour.
"You have one minute to leave the building before I blast you straight to hell." Iron Man threatened.
The Mandarin just smiled and activated his rings, teleporting away in flash of light with the parting words, "It is written in the stars Tony. One way or another, your actions will result in the apocalypse."
Tony stood for a moment, weapons still at the ready and tried to process what had happened. At was at this point that Tony's butler and friend, Edwin Jarvis, walked in. He was roughly 50 years old and no way in the fighting shape that the butler of a superhero probably should be in.
"Is something wrong sir? I heard a commotion." He said sleepily.
Tony powered down the armor and stepped out of it. He grabbed his drink and flopped down on the couch, "Yeah, something's very wrong. Remind me to call Pepper tomorrow and get her to schedule a meeting with Nick Fury. All that's been going on lately, the water cone at OsCorp and that blizzard attack last week, I think it's time I accept his offer."

So...I know that I promise just Thor but I couldn't wait any longer to write Avengers so I threw in an Iron Man story. That was pretty much what you were going to get in Tales To Astonish #3 but with an extra 1,500 words.
Anyway, wish I'd waited or glad I threw him in. I'll never know until you review, unless you favorite and follow. That would give me a pretty clear view on your stand on this story. So in short I want you to follow, favorite and review.
As always, I'll give you guys some thoughts on this chapter. I originally planned for the second story to feature the second incarnation of the Secret Warriors vs AIM vs Hydra as a way to introduce their own series but I decided that I would give Iron Man and Mandarin the spotlight. Ultron was just because I saw Age of Ultron and felt like I had to include him.
Iron Man's suit looks a lot like his Extremis Armor from the comics and Thor (as it now occurs to me that I didn't describe his outfit) looks much like he did in Avengers EMH Season 1.
Easter Eggs...Spiderman gave Thor the idea for the Jake Olson secret identity.
The Devil of Hell's Kitchen was a quick nod to Daredevil on Netflix but Murdoch's vigilante persona exists and will be making his first appearance soon.
Tony Stark's dreams may or may not be based on future story arcs.
Finally, The Mandarin's prediction that Tony will be the end of the world, was that just the Mandarin messing with Tony or will he really end the world? Only time will tell.

Thor, Iron Man and the Hulk will return in 'The Avengers'

Next Chapter: The Big Man. A name that will soon be feared by all. Who can fight this crime lord? Only some of the world's next best heroes, who will only help you for a sizable fee. Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Misty Knight, Cloak and Dagger are the Heroes for Hire and they are here to help!