Loki's actions should have been dealt with immediately, but the unexpected turn of events failed to provoke the vigilance and counterattack it deserved.
It was not that no one had noticed. Rather, the forces capable of responding effectively had already fallen apart.
At Triskelion Headquarters, the atmosphere in Nick Fury's office was oppressive to the extreme.
Fury's single eye practically breathed fire. He had just ended a disastrous video conference with the World Security Council and military representatives.
"Motherfucker! You're all a bunch of idiots!" Fury growled at the screen, now reduced to static, his chest heaving violently.
He had furiously condemned the military's insane decision to launch a nuclear missile. It was not merely an infringement on his authority, but an attempt to wipe out Earth's primary defensive forces altogether.
Yet what he received was not reflection or accountability, but a cold dismissal order.
He had been removed from his position as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., under the lofty-sounding pretext that he had "committed major errors in responding to unknown extraterrestrial threats and in internal management, and must undergo a full investigation."
What chilled him even more was that the Council and military had seized the opportunity to demand strict control over the Avengers, who had just displayed immense power yet remained fiercely independent. They wanted them placed directly under government command.
That demand became the final straw.
Already on the verge of collapse because of ideological divisions within the team, the Avengers disbanded on the spot almost without hesitation after learning of Fury's dismissal and the government's intentions.
Thor was undoubtedly the most disheartened.
The destruction of Mjolnir was not merely the loss of a weapon to him. It marked the collapse of his faith and identity.
The strength he had taken such pride in had proven utterly insignificant