The Helicarrier was left in ruins after the battle.
Hulk and Thor had both fallen from the carrier, their fates unknown.
Barton had been knocked unconscious by Natasha and placed under guard.
Loki had escaped.
But the blow that hurt Director Nick Fury the most was the death of his most trusted agent—Phil Coulson.
Coulson was killed by Loki.
When Loki was about to throw Thor off the Helicarrier, Coulson appeared with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s newly developed weapon and stopped him. Coulson had believed that the threat of this unfamiliar weapon would make Loki hesitate.
He underestimated Loki's cunning.
Loki sent a phantom forward to face Coulson's weapon, while his real body slipped behind Coulson and drove the scepter straight through his heart.
Severely wounded, Coulson collapsed against the wall, helplessly watching as Thor was thrown into the void below.
"You've already lost," Coulson said weakly to Loki's retreating back.
"I've… lost?" Loki paused, almost amused.
"It's inevitable."
"Your heroes are divided. Your fortress is falling from the sky. What exactly should I be worried about?" Loki asked, curious where such confidence came from in a dying man.
"You have no faith."
The Destroyer-based weapon fired, unleashing a surge of blazing orange energy that blasted Loki straight through the air.
"So that's what it's for…" Coulson murmured, satisfied after witnessing the weapon's power—
unfortunately, it still wasn't enough to kill Loki.
High above the clouds, the massive turbine began spinning again under the brute force of Tony's armor. From afar, the flames from Tony's thrusters looked tiny—yet dazzling—against the sky.
Steve was nearly forced off the carrier by soldiers wielding machine guns.
Tony was almost shredded when the turbine dragged him downward, seconds from being torn into metal scraps.
All in all, it was a harrowing, life-or-death struggle.
A Quinjet vanished into the distant sky.
Next, Loki would return with his army—and seize the world.
…..
A bloodstained limited-edition Captain America trading card lay on the table.
It had been Coulson's most treasured possession.
Despite his age, Coulson had idolized Captain America like a child. When he learned he would be going on a mission with his childhood hero, he'd been so excited he could barely sleep for days. He'd brought his carefully collected cards with him, hoping for a chance to get Steve's autograph.
Now… there would be no autograph.
Director Fury's face was dark, the sharp light in his eyes dulled.
"I lost my best man," Fury said heavily. "Maybe this is karma. Yes—we did plan to use the Tesseract to develop weapons. But it was never my only plan. Stark knew this… The Avengers Initiative was meant to bring together the best people in the world. To see if they could work together. To stand against threats we cannot defeat alone."
He paused.
"Coulson believed in heroes… to the very end."
Tony suddenly stood and walked out.
The air was suffocating. Heavy. He couldn't breathe in that room.
…..
In a small compartment of the Helicarrier, Clint Barton struggled in silence—fighting to purge the foreign influence Loki had forced into his mind.
It felt like having his will shattered and rebuilt atop the ruins—excruciating beyond words.
"Natasha…" Barton whispered. "How many agents did I…?"
He knew what he'd done. And he was afraid—afraid to face the colleagues, the friends, the comrades who had died because of him.
"Don't think about it," Natasha said softly. "Don't add to your guilt. This was Loki's doing. They're… monsters. We were never trained to resist something like that."
While under control, Barton had followed the strictest code of an agent: obey orders, ask no questions.
Which meant he didn't know where Loki planned to open the Tesseract portal.
The Helicarrier's communications were down. The network was crippled.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had completely lost Loki's trail.
If they waited until the portal opened and the Chitauri army invaded Earth—it would already be too late.
…..
Tony stood on the deck bridge, his expression grim.
The vast open space ahead had once housed the glass containment cell. Now it was gone—along with Thor. At the base of the wall, a dark, dried pool of blood marked where Coulson had fallen.
"Was he married?" Steve asked quietly, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. For the first time, he felt he could speak calmly with his old friend's son.
"No," Tony replied. "He had a… girlfriend. A cellist."
"I'm sorry," Steve said. "He seemed like a good man."
"He was stupid," Tony snapped, pain leaking through his words. "What was he trying to prove? Faith? Belief? He went after Loki alone. He did his duty—but it was beyond his capability. He should've waited for backup!"
Watching someone you know die in front of you leaves scars.
Steve, hardened by war, remained composed.
Tony couldn't.
At his core, he was still just a man—one who feared death.
Tony and Steve decided not to wait for Fury's orders.
They would stop Loki themselves.
But first, they needed to know where Loki would open the portal.
Tony analyzed Loki through his personality. Loki wasn't the type to act quietly, hidden in the shadows. In many ways, Loki and Tony were alike—arrogant, theatrical, craving attention.
Both loved applause.
Loved their names shining bright for the world to see.
Then it hit him.
Stark Tower.
His newly completed tower—an icon of cutting-edge energy innovation. A place the world watched.
Exactly the kind of stage Loki would love.
"That bastard…"
Tony could already picture his tower reduced to rubble. Even knowing Loki's destination brought him no comfort.
Soon after, reports came in from the hangar:
Captain America had taken a jet with Natasha and Barton.
Iron Man had left the Helicarrier on his own.
Fury knew then—they were finally serious.
"Loki has been located," Fury ordered coldly. "Restore communications immediately. I want live updates—by any means necessary."
"Yes, sir."
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