15
Chapter Fifteen: True—The Butterfly Effect
"Ah ah ah ah ah--"
Flight has been humanity's dream since ancient times, and countless people have aspired to it throughout history. But being pulled and passively lifted into the sky is another matter entirely.
In an instant, Maya Hansen found herself at several thousand meters in altitude, with the howling wind deafening her ears. Her mind went blank as she clung tightly to Thor like a drowning person.
Thor, slightly distracted by the embrace, had little time to think about it. Just as he soared into the sky, the system's notification chimed.
"Beep! Mission Accomplished - Iron Man Forever! Reward: Improved Extremis Formula."
Thor: ??
He was still contemplating how to proceed with the next task when this unexpected system prompt left him bewildered.
What's happening? I haven't done anything yet, and the task is marked as complete?
The completion of the mission implies that Iron Man's death in 2023 has been averted. Yet, the only change Thor had made was holding Maya Hansen in his arms like a koala...
This butterfly effect is astonishing!
Through communication with the system, Thor understood the cause and effect.
During the task, aside from the basic mission introduction, no hints were given, leaving everything to be understood and discovered on one's own.
However, once the task was complete, the system had no qualms about clarifying any doubts and providing relevant information.
According to the original plot, Killian would make his move 17 years later, and Maya Hansen, as the creator of Extremis, was his partner.
Unfortunately, Maya Hansen's descent into darkness was not complete.
When she saw that Killian was testing the unfinished Extremis on ordinary people, her scientific integrity and humanitarianism clashed with Killian's methods. This led to her breaking away from him and ultimately being killed by him.
The saying holds true: the villain rarely ends well. Just look at Loki, the god of mischief...
In fact, there was an additional scene that had not yet aired at this point—after Killian left, Maya Hansen, despite her dying state, managed to get up, transfer the Extremis data to Tony Stark, and said, "Destroy it, then recreate it. Begin anew." She ended her life in the most honorable way.
Later, Pepper Potts was injected with Extremis. To better understand the virus and find a solution, Tony Stark also injected himself with it and eventually developed an improved formula.
Tony Stark became a superhero through his armor, not through physical enhancement, so the improvements were not apparent.
In the final battle, it was Extremis's powerful regeneration abilities that allowed Tony to withstand the effects of the Infinity Stones and end the war with a snap of his fingers.
"I am—Iron Man."
Without Extremis, Iron Man would have been unable to snap his fingers, possibly sustaining severe injuries or dying the moment he donned the gloves. However, apart from the irreversible snap, such injuries could be healed using the Time Stone. In a sense, death was avoided.
This meant that the final snap had to be carried out by someone else. Who would it be? Carol? A legendary hero? Banner with one arm left? Or even Thor himself?
Forget it; there's no point in dwelling on it. Thor would never let the crucial event go awry.
Stark, Stark, I've done enough for you—I saved your life without even meaning to!
…
The improved formula requires the use of the incomplete Extremis. Extremis would have been successfully developed in four years, but with Asgard's resources and technical support, it would certainly be released ahead of schedule.
With the mission complete, there was no need for Thor to remain on Earth any longer. After saying his goodbyes to S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury, and Natasha Romanoff, he used the Bifrost to leave Earth.