Marvel Comics: The Sentinel(Sentry)

At noon the next day, four Asgardians dressed in bizarre attire strode into the town of Old Bridge...

Their archaic armor, axes, swords, and shields (reminiscent of medieval warriors) drew curious stares from passersby, as if they had just wandered off the set of The Lord of the Rings.

The townsfolk watched the strange group with amusement, wondering if some Renaissance fair was about to take place.

Unfazed, the Asgardian warriors (Lady Sif and the Warriors Three) paid no mind to the attention. To them, the humans of this backward world were simply ignorant, never having witnessed the glory of extraterrestrial warriors.

In the eyes of these Asgardians, their impression of Earth remained frozen in an ancient, barbaric era, when humans lived in primitive hunter-gatherer societies, far removed from modern technology.

After all, Asgard saw itself as the protector of the Nine Realms, believing that peace across the cosmos was maintained solely by their might.

"Given that Mjolnir landed here, Thor must be nearby. Should we find some Midgardians to guide us?" suggested Fandral, the swashbuckling swordsman.

His tone carried an air of condescension, as though bestowing some great honor upon the locals. He stood tall, and much like a wealthy man inadvertently stepping into a slum, he exuded an unconscious sense of superiority.

"Loki sits on Asgard's throne, but Thor is the true heir! I refuse to bow to a schemer!" declared Lady Sif, her voice fierce with conviction.

To her, only the mighty Thunder god was worthy of ruling Asgard.

"But where do we even begin looking?" rumbled Volstagg, the burly warrior wielding a massive axe.

With his wild red-gold mane and rugged features, he looked like a character straight out of a fantasy epic.

Having risked treason by defying Loki, the four Asgardians paused in uncertainty. They had traveled through the Bifrost, seeking their exiled prince in this remote, underdeveloped world.

As they hesitated, the crowd around them grew, some even snapping photos with their phones. The flashing lights made the Asgardians tense, mistaking them for some form of magic or weaponry.

Fortunately, language was no barrier. Lady Sif stepped forward, addressing a bystander with regal authority:

"People of Midgard, we come from Asgard in search of Odin's son, the mighty and noble Thor!"

The grandiose introduction only earned laughter from the crowd, who assumed they were just eccentric cosplayers indulging in Norse mythology...

...

"Command, we've got Xena, Robin Hood, and a couple of knights here."

Two Shield agents, munching on burgers, radioed in with amusement as they observed the Asgardian quartet.

Meanwhile, twenty minutes earlier, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s temporary command center had detected a massive energy surge (brief but intense) emanating from a site fifteen miles northwest of town.

Coulson immediately mobilized a team to investigate, arriving only to find an intricate, ancient symbol scorched into the earth.

"Get a linguist in here," Coulson ordered Agent Sitwell, the bald, bespectacled operative beside him.

Based on Jane's data, S.H.I.E.L.D. theorized that the atmospheric anomalies were caused by a massive spatial energy discharge, possibly the result of clandestine experiments.

But their suspicions were soon overturned.

The clear skies darkened abruptly as a funnel-shaped vortex churned above, forming a colossal pillar of swirling dust.

As the maelstrom dissipated, Coulson, who was peering from behind a car, saw it...

A towering suit of silver armor, gleaming like a metallic giant, standing motionless on the barren earth.

"Did Stark build this?" Coulson muttered as dread crept in.

The armor (The Destroyer) suddenly lurched to life, its heavy footfalls shaking the ground as it advanced toward town.

S.H.I.E.L.D. agents opened fire, but their bullets bounced harmlessly off its impervious surface. The Destroyer's faceplate slid open like liquid metal, gathering energy before unleashing a devastating beam of white-hot fire.

Explosions rocked the area, drawing the attention of the entire town. The distant thunder soon revealed its source... a gleaming, unstoppable titan of destruction.

...

"The Destroyer!"

Thor, now reunited with his Asgardian comrades, paled.

He recognized the armor instantly... a weapon forged by Odin himself to combat the darkest threats of the Nine Realms. It was invulnerable and relentless.

"I must regain my power, or we cannot stop it!"

For the first time, the Thunder god felt the bitter sting of helplessness.

He ordered the Warriors Three and Sif to delay the Destroyer while he (now mortal) evacuated the townsfolk.

"Get Darcy and the others to safety," Sean told Harry, clapping him on the shoulder.

As the young Osborn hurried off, Sean smiled faintly.

Golden light swirled around him, coalescing into the form of the Sentinel armor... though this time, it stood empty, its hollow eyes radiating an eerie, lifeless aura.

Powered by an Arc Reactor and controlled by Skynet, the suit was merely a shell, it was capable of no more than thirty minutes of combat.

If Sean intervened directly, S.H.I.E.L.D. would take notice. It was better to let the AI-piloted Sentinel test its might against Odin's creation.

Amid the chaos, Sean had another objective... Mjolnir. The hammer that could only be lifted by the worthy...

"Skynet," Sean commanded, "let the Allfather see which is greater, the armor of gods, or the creations of man."

With that, the Sentinel shot forward like a golden comet as it streaked toward the battlefield...