I'll Think It Over

After receiving word from his subordinates that the third prince had arrived at Hydra's base in Svartalfheim, Russell immediately abandoned Strange, told Ding Yi to keep an eye on him, and hurried over himself.

He was a little excited. Of Odin's three children, two were already trapped in the Dark Dimension. Add Loki, and he could catch them all in one sweep.

When the time came, the three siblings would be neatly reunited. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

At first, when he learned Loki was coming, Russell guessed that Odin missed his son and feared Thor would never return, leaving no one to inherit the family business after a century.

That concern was understandable. Time did not matter in the Dark Dimension, but on Earth's timeline, Thor had already been missing for over a year.

During the first half of that year, Russell often watched Thor get beaten up in the Dark Dimension, but eventually he got tired of it.

Then Strange was discharged from the hospital, leaving him stretched too thin. He only checked in occasionally to make sure Thor was still struggling.

Such touching father-son devotion!

Russell had always been tolerant of dutiful children and kindly fathers, such as Earth's "Spider-Man," Peter Parker.

Going by the movie's plot, this guy had clearly been born several years early. In the multiverse, that was standard procedure.

As everyone knew, Russell thirsted for talent, especially superheroes. He loved recruiting them into Hydra and having them shout slogans like "Hail Hydra."

Originally, Little Spider would have received the same treatment. But when Russell considered how deeply he and Tony cared for each other like father and son, he could not bear to make him stab Tony in the back.

After thinking it over, he decided to hold off for now. Tony was undercover