Across the world, Thunderman soared over the ocean as he reached the beautiful Smolberg, Norway. He breathed in the salty sea air as he dragged a fishing boat by a chain back to shore. The rain was hard today, and the noble fishermen were caught in a nasty storm. Thor was already on his way to this location and was luckily able to save the men on route.
Thunderman pulled the boat onto the stony beach with care as to not damage the hull against the rocks. The three fishermen aboard rushed off the boat and crowded around Thor. They showered the god with praise and reverence to their savior.
"Now now, no need for praise, return to your families. They're waiting for you," Thor tried to calm the worshippers down. The fishermen did not relent, as they now started to kiss the ground he stood on. "Okay maybe just a little bit more," Thor then relented himself. Despite being raised with humility, his godly nature was still apt to accept tribute such as this for his deed. After about another minute, he shooed them away, "Okay, that's enough."
Once the worship ceased, and the fishermen dispersed back into the village, Thor took out his hammer and slammed the handle against the ground. With a loud thunder crack and a strike of lightning, Thunderman was gone. All that remained now was an older gentleman in a dark blue suit and tie, paired with a smart pair of glasses.
This is the mortal form of Thor-El, Donald Kent. His hammer now transformed into a walking stick. Donald looked to the skies as it was still raining hard. He felt the drops cascade against his face for moment or so. Afterward, he strolled up the beach to enter the town which he called his home.
This quaint little village off the coast was a second home to him. Decades ago, when he and his half-brother Loxxi were banished from Asgard, Thor was sent here, his flesh made mortal and his life reset to infancy. To teach his son humility, Od-El had further cursed his son with a lame leg. He would need to walk with a cane for the rest of his life. Thor-El's mortal form was adopted by humble farmers Blake and Gaia Kent. They would raise him as Donald, teaching the blank slate of a boy the traditional values of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow. It was they who molded the once brash and war hungry God of Steel into the kind, humble, and benevolent God of Tomorrow.
By having Thor live a completely different life of a weaker man, Od-El intended to teach his son to respect the realms which Asgard protected. Perspective would give Thor a new outlook on humanity, and eventually he was once again worthy to wield the hammer Krypton. Though by the time he did, Asgard was destroyed. So, Earth had become Thor's permanent home. Even after regaining the memories of his old life, Thor-El still saw the Kents as his true parents. They were long gone, now. The Kents passed away peacefully in their eighties a few years ago. He loved them dearly, but the most important lesson the Kents had taught him were the beauty and fragility of life, and how to cope with death.
Donald Kent gingerly traversed through the streets of Smolberg. The downpour didn't seem to bother him, even in this state. He waved and smiled to the people on the sidewalk as he soldiered on through the weather. Despite his bum leg, Kent was a strong man, years on a farm would build as such. His wide frame would cast a mighty shadow had there been sun. Perhaps he so eagerly returned his human form out of nostalgia. Perhaps he felt a need for vulnerability to continuously feel closer to those he saved. Or maybe, Thor just liked the outfits he got to wear as Donald Kent. The true answer is inconclusive.
It was a small village, and after around 20 minutes of walking through the rain, he arrived at the edge of town. In view was another stony beach. Massive boulders were scattered across the shore, not having any real rhyme or pattern to them. Forced up against a large cliff were a series of large stone spikes, protruding off in all directions. At their center lie a majestic, golden door. This was the Cavern of Solitude. This was once an old childhood cave Donald played in, but now transformed into his private base of operations.
Donald stepped up to the door and reached down to a key hidden under a rock. With a slight strain, he tried to pick up the key, but failed. He then remembered the key was made of dwarf-star compressed metal. It was the best security system he could think of. It was so heavy; he'd need to transform back into Thor just to pick it up. He laughed in spite of himself for forgetting something so important.
Donald raised his cane and struck it against a nearby boulder. And with another thunder crack, and lightning strike, Thunderman returned. Afterward, he picked up his key, unlocked the door, and dropped it back to the ground, leaving a loud thud. He then covered the key back with a rock, and Thor entered his cavern.
Inside the cavern, a beautiful menagerie of gems and crystals lined the walls. Alcoves full of previous armors Thor had previously worn were stacked against the back of cave. This was another place where Thor felt at peace with himself.
He came back here to collect his thoughts after a long two days of searching for any remains of Loxxi. Thor had visited Jotunheim, hoping to learn whereabouts from Lorelei Graves, but to no avail. He searched every known warehouse and shell corporation Loxxi's company once held a grip over.
While Thor was raised in a quaint Norwegian village for his second chance at life, Loxxi was given to the descendant of his birth mother, Laura Fey Luthorson. Od-El got around on Earth in his prime. The Luthorson bloodline just so happened to become one of the wealthiest families on Earth. This was a bit of an oversight in efforts to teach his sons humility, but by the time Od-El realized this, Asgard blew up.
Thor had even tried using the internet to search for possible leads on Loxxi. Unfortunately, all Thor found was a combination of teenage girls fawning over his brother's looks and roguish charm and faux intellectuals parading the thought dead billionaire as a fallen savior. Those, and a series of unsavory art had convinced Thunderman to never use the internet for research ever again. This provided a new perspective on what Victor must go through every day. But at that point, Thor had all but gave up hope on finding his brother.
Shaking off the twisted memories of the digital horrors he had witnessed, Thor stepped through his trophy room. Upon pedestals were memorabilia of many of his greatest battles. There was the axe of Lobo the Executioner, the Casket of Eternal Night once wielded by Eclipso the Accursed, and the massive horned helm of Brainiactus. Among others, the most important artifact was the Silent Zone Projector. This was a machine he used to banish his most dangerous enemies so that they could not escape into the mortal world. The one thing out of place was on the pedestal that once housed the tiara of Maxima the Enchantress. In its place was what appeared to be a snake.
Thor stared at the snake confused for a moment. "Well, hello there limbless one," Thor greeted the snake politely. He looked around to see if the tiara had fallen off and was lying around somewhere. Upon failing to find it, Thor went to pick up the snake. He had quite liked snakes after all.
As Thor lifted the snake up from the pedestal, it flashed a green light. The visage of a small serpent twisted and transformed into that of Loxxi Luthorson. Loxxi let out a yelp, shouting "MBLERGH! It's me," and proceeded to stab Thor in the side with a small dagger. The man then backflipped away from his brother's hold and landed a few feet away from him.
Loxxi stood a few inches shorter than his brother, but he lacked the impressive physique. He was scrawny, barely filling out the expensive emerald green suit he wore. But where he lacked in brawn, Loxxi had cunning and an aptitude for magic. He was also bald, but he hid the follicular deficiency with a golden helmet with curved horns off the front. "Ah, hello brother, hope I didn't startle you," Loxxi greeted, completely brushing over the fact he just stabbed Thor.
Thor was flush with a well of emotions. One, he was ecstatic to see his brother alive. Two, he was confused on how he was alive. Three, he was angry that his brother had just stabbed him. And four, he was embarrassed that he fell for the same trick Loxxi would consistently pull on him during their first childhood on Asgard. He stammered for a moment before eventually composing himself to ask the big question. "Loxxi, how are you back?"
Loxxi brushed some dust off his jacket before answering, "Well, when you saw Ghanoseid choke me out, that wasn't really me. That was an illusion I constructed prior, and I made a deal with someone to get me out of there. You didn't really think I would try to kill the most powerful being in the universe, with a damn knife, would you?"
Thor looked down at the knife in his side. He pulled it out and tossed it at the ground, "Frankly, brother, it seems pretty on brand for you. So, you just left me to die?!" He asked now quite upset given the information.
"Well, I had a feeling you'd be fine. And look, I was right! So, no harm, no fowl, eh Thor?" Loxxi asked moving in closer to Thor, only to pick up and sheathe his knife.
"I mourned your death, I had others to mourn that day already," Thor responded bitterly.
"Yes, I heard. Pity about Fate. Never liked him much, though," Loxxi added callously.
Thor sighed with exasperation, "I'm never going to learn, am I? I love you, brother. But you try my patience to the Nth Degree. Why are you here? And while it's on my mind, what was your plan with the Wrecking Gang?"
Loxxi was one of the longest standing foes to Thunderman and the LMI. His greater goals once he relearned his past were to conquer Earth, truly become a God again, and do it alongside his brother. Growing up exceedingly rich, he never truly valued human life. Once he learned he was half Asgardian, that respect for humanity dwindled even further. Loxxi had never understood what his brother had seen in the mortals, and that led to a deep-seated resentment. He'd be handily defeated many times, the result usually leading to Loxxi faking his death. But he always came back. This time seemed different though.
"Oh Thor, have I broken your resolve for me already? Color me disappointed," Loxxi said feigning sadness as he tapped his cheek, casting an illusion to color his skin a pale blue, only to fade back to normal. "I'm here to offer good tidings. I'm quitting world domination! I created that little diversion for you to get your attention. I wanted you to come find me, so I could give you the good news!" he announced with great gusto.
Thor was thrown off by the revelation, "What? I mean…that's good. But what caused this change of heart, brother?"
Loxxi smirked, "Well, after I abandoned you, it put things into perspective for me. Jotunheim brought me power, I controlled so much of what humans relied on. But I always felt empty. I had always thought it was because I wanted more, or that I wanted you to rule with me. No, it was something much simpler."
"What was it?"
"The people I "ruled" over did not respect me. They used and feared me. A ruler is merely but a tool used by the people to blame in hard times, and partake in with good times. Bureaucracy were the greatest chains I ever cast aside. It wasn't power that I wanted. It was adoration. A god's power does not derive from worship, but from true love to their patron. I wish to be loved by the world," Loxxi explained with great passion towards his plan. He took short steps back towards the artifacts, spreading out his arms in fanfare.
Thor was iffy on his brother's outlook, but it was better than it was before. He was going to humor him, at least for the moment. "Well, it's a start. Does that mean you wish to be a hero?"
"Yes, I do." Loxxi answered, "For years, I have envied this new life you've taken on as the savior of the people. Only now, do I understand what it truly is, and I am going to get myself a piece of that pie. I shall be better than you ever were. I shall make this world better than it ever has been under your protection," he boasted with a snicker, his tone turning more sinister.
Thor frowned, "Glory, is that all you seek? Have you learned nothing from your time on Midgard?"
"I've learned that humanity can be more than just drones for mindless work. That I did learn from you, brother. Additionally, the value of teamwork has been something that I've been forced to understand. So, taking a page out of your book, I'm assembling a League of my own!"
Thor grew worried again, "Okay Loxxi, what is it that you're planning to do?" As he asked, Thor motioned forward towards his brother. Loxxi was closer to the other artifacts. He could easily go for something. He readied his hammer in case there was need for a fight.
"Well brother, I have some friends in high and low places. A benefactor here and there, a few skilled fighters, but mostly those who can help me change the world," Loxxi answered as he inched his way backwards toward the Silent Zone Projector.
"In your image I assume," Thor asked as he reached for his hammer.
"Well, perhaps somewhat. Every great piece of art has some aspect of the artist within. But this shall be a community effort. I will reshape this world so that we all get what we want."
"And what is that you want, Loxxi?"
Loxxi sighed, "I want my brother back." He paused to reflect on their lives, "We were inseparable for over a millennium. But ever since Father cast us away, you've changed. You look at me as if I'm the creeping monster in the night. Your time as a so-called hero has alienated you from who you once were. Who we once were! The "God of Tomorrow", what even is that? Maybe if I'm finally on your level, we can finally go back to being brothers. That's all I've ever wanted!"
Thor sighed, he sympathized with his brother's perceived feelings of loss. But the man Thor-El once was had not been one that he was proud of. "I always thought I could make you better. But you never change. I don't know what you have planned, but I know it will be twisted. You deserve a better tomorrow too, Loxxi. But I can't give it to you." He raised his hammer and charged at Loxxi, prepared to strike him. Whether it be to incapacitate or kill him was unclear, but Thor knew his brother's silver tongue. Making a new world is never a good thing for the people who live in the old one.
Loxxi anticipated as such and quickly grabbed the Silent Zone Projector. Within another dimension, only accessible by this device, were those of extreme power. Inside were many rogue Asgardians who had similar delusions of grandeur Loxxi had. Because of this, he needed to retrieve someone inside he knew he could trust to follow him. So, Bal-Zod, Ur-Sif, and the Conquerors Three were out of the question. He did not end on good terms last he saw Lobo or Maxima either. So, while fiddling with the dials on the device, he found his one good option.
The projector itself did indeed look like an old movie projector. There were handles on the sides that allowed for portability. Loxxi aimed it like a gun as he pressed a button to release a ghastly figure from within. Another monster shot from a beam of light as it smacked the oncoming Thunderman across the face with what appeared to be a large, golden nail; the opposite of a hammer, I suppose.
This monster stood near identical build and outfit to Thor, but with a few stark differences. The tunic was purple, not black, with the chest shield's logo mirrored. The supposed red boots were golden. No scale armor covered the arms, revealing sickly looking white skin. The helmet was identical, but the face was not. Instead of Thor's divine handsomeness, this being had the face of a horse. He looked sewn together like Frankenstein's monster, and this was Loxxi's monster.
"Beta Ray Zero, how awful to see you again, my monster," Loxxi cheered as he saw one of his creations. This was a clone of Thor that Loxxi once created to try and discredit Thunderman, but he severely degraded over time. He was made from a combination of Thor's, his own, and the DNA of a strange being called Corban the Super-Horse. The genetic cocktail made this being incredibly strong, but certainly unstable. Considerable brain damage also reversed the meanings of most of his vocabulary. Thor saw this beast too dangerous to keep around, so he kept Beta Ray Zero locked away.
"Bezarro ready to harm Luthor," Zero greeted in a droning, but slurred voice. Imperfect as he was, Loxxi almost loved this creature like a son, though he deeply hid this sentiment. He was strong, loyal, and at his core innocent. He was an obvious pick for his rising Legion.
Thor had recoiled from the initial strike of the nail. A red imprint appeared on his face as he charged back in to clash against Beta Ray Zero.
"Let him pass," Loxxi commanded to his monster as he ran off to steal other various artifacts from the trophy room.
"No," Beta Ray Zero said flatly. As Thor leapt up into the air to swing down with his hammer, Zero swung his nail up clash against the face of the hammer. Instead of stabbing Thor with the pointed end of his nail, Beta Ray Zero continued to keep whacking him in the face with the flat end, as if Thor's face was a pile of documents waiting to be stamped.
The two were evenly matched in strength, but they were both about to get stronger. Thor swung his hammer in an uppercut motion to send Beta Ray Zero through the ceiling of the cave, crashing through and exposing him to the elements. The storm outside raged on as the wind and the weather cascaded against the paragons of power. While the one known as Superman would gain his power from the sunlight of a clear sky, Thunderman gained his power from the clouds, the rain, and the lightning.
Thor and Beta hovered over the cavern as they raised their weapons into the air. Thunder rumbled around them as bolts of lightning crashed down onto them. Their hammer and nail absorbed them like lightning rods. Radiating with power, the two flew at each other again and battled for dominance.
Hammer clashed with nail, creating loud clangs akin to the booming thunder surrounding them. Between strikes of their weapons, flurries of punches and kicks landed instead. The two were of equal strength, but while Thor was controlled and refined, Beta Ray Zero's fighting style was unhinged and savage. As the two traded blows, Thor tried to talk Beta Ray Zero out of fighting between hits. Figuring out the linguistic labyrinth would be the core challenge here though, "Zero, Loxxi plans to use you for…good intent. You are a nothing but a weapon to him!"
Beta Ray Zero took this as Loxxi holding him in high regard, "Bezarro betray his destroyer. He hate me, leave to abandon me for a reason. He in my debt. If I lose to you, me get to be Thunderman," the creature explained as he opened up his maw to blast a barrage of lightning from his equine mouth.
Thor cringed from the heat of the electricity, but he held strong and delivered a similar stream of voltage from his eyes. "You are more than what he…unmade you, you can live a life…beneath what he desires of you! Help me…fix him…wait hold on," Thor fumbled through his words trying to reverse their meanings until he was sent hurdling back to through the hole made through the cavern, back to the ground. In the midst of the chaos, Beta Zero was left in the air, holding both the hammer and the nail.
Thor staggered to his feet as he looked up to see that creature wielding his hammer. Perhaps in Beta Zero's twisted sense of logic, he viewed himself as worthy to wield it, and that belief let him do so. He looked around to try and find Loxxi. What Thor found was an eldritch blast to the gut channeled through a scepter his brother had collected.
Loxxi ran his hands up the length of the staff, it was solid gold with the fang of a Daxamite Serpent, it was strong enough to do physical harm to Asgardians. It also served as a nice conduit for offensive magic, "I do appreciate you holding onto this beautiful specimen for me, brother. You were always so sentimental."
"I don't know what you're going to do, but I will stop you," Thor proclaimed as he outstretched his hand to call back his hammer.
"Hubris, at least you kept that part of yourself." Loxxi commented with a smirk, "Your League exists to bolster your own egos, and as a result, you have left so many behind."
"First lesson of business: Turn any weakness into a strength. I shall take your failures and do what you set out to do better." Loxxi walked closer to Thor, brandishing his scepter. He then looked through the gaping hole in the cavern to see Beta Ray Zero struggling to hold onto Krypton. The big lug was trying his hardest to keep Thor from his mighty hammer. "It's all wrong, my monster. Keep it and go away," Loxxi called up to the false Asgardian.
Beta Ray Zero took this as to let Thor have his hammer and return to Loxxi's side. He had been struggling to maintain his grip on the hammer, it was building up a lot of potential energy. Zero finally let loose and the hammer Krypton rocketed back to Thor. But it had built up too much momentum, and instead of hitting Thor's hand, it crashed into his face, flooring the Asgardian.
"Well Thor, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, it seems you're in need of a nap. Don't try and find me. I'll find you when the time comes," Loxxi taunted as he loosened his tie.
Thor was bruised by being hit in the face with his own hammer. He tried getting back to his feet, but was already wiped out from fighting Beta Zero, "Answer me one thing, Loxxi. Why supply the Adth-Metal crowbar to Mannheim?"
Loxxi rolled his eyes, "My benefactor hates the stuff, I just needed to get rid of it. But nevertheless, here's to a better tomorrow." He jeered as Beta Zero descended next to him, "Awful shot, my monster. I have nothing, keep us here." He ordered as he adjusted his jacket collar to be easily picked up by the clone.
Beta Zero shook his head and grabbed Loxxi by the back of his suit collar. He looked to the skies and prepared to jump, not before letting out an almost giddy "Down, down, and nearby!" And Beta Ray Zero shot up like a rocket into the sky, leaving but a cloud of dust in his wake.
Thor reached up to the sky, but he was too exhausted to follow. He had to report all of this to the League. Loxxi was on the rise building a Legion of what Thor understood to be made of the League's failures? He wasn't quite sure what that meant. He knew that at least one of them was a magic user, justifying the distaste for Adth Metal. But for now, Thor was going to pass out and recuperate from a very strenuous battle.