FADE IN: EXT. ASGARD -- DAY Establishing shot. It is a land of great beauty. DONALD BLAKE (V.O.) I am Thor, son of Odin. I was born in Asgard, over a thousand years ago. I have become the greatest warrior in Asgard or Midgaard. With my hammer Mjolnir, I control the thunder itself. No man may command me, and no man will stand in my way. The wrath of a God is not to be tempted lightly. I give you one chance to avoid it. Return to me my property, and release me so that I might do what must be done. CUT TO: INT. POLICE STATION - CELLS -- DAY DONALD BLAKE, a thin and not very impressive man is at one of the cells, yelling out. DONALD BLAKE Release me! POLICE OFFICER #1 You say you're Thor? I've been on my feet all day! The police officer laughs and starts walking down the hall. Donald continues to scream. INT. POLICE STATION -- DAY Blake's yells can be heard, even at the desk where JANE FOSTER sits, waiting to be interviewed by DOCTOR SIMONSON, a psychologist called in by the police department. The detective returns with a cup of coffee, listening in. DOCTOR SIMONSON Has Mr. Blake shown any signs of instability in the last few days? JANE FOSTER Doctor. It's Doctor Blake. And to answer your question, no. He's probably the most grounded man I know. I'm having trouble believing he'd do something like this. DOCTOR SIMONSON Are you and Dr. Blake close? (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. JANE FOSTER We work together. I'm a nurse at Bellevue Hospital. He's a surgeon. DOCTOR SIMONSON And that's it? You're just coworkers? Nothing... more? JANE FOSTER What exactly are you implying? DOCTOR SIMONSON Well, you are listed as his contact number. JANE FOSTER Dr. Blake doesn't have any family. I suppose we've become friends. DOCTOR SIMONSON Maybe a little more than friends? JANE FOSTER That would be against hospital rules. DOCTOR SIMONSON You must know it happens all the time. So, you wouldn't be willing to... cover for him? JANE FOSTER I don't understand. Cover for him for what? DOCTOR SIMONSON You work into a hospital together. So, he would have access to any number of drugs which might have led to a psychotic break such as this one. JANE FOSTER We are very careful with that. I can assure you, Doctor Blake is not on drugs. Except... he takes painkillers, sometimes. For his leg. But they're prescription. DOCTOR SIMONSON We know about those. I just want to make sure you're honest with me. As a medical professional you should know the more we know about his case, the more likely we'll be able to help him. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. JANE FOSTER I know. But I'd stake my reputation on it, Doctor Blake isn't the type to take drugs. DOCTOR SIMONSON Has he been under any unusual stress lately? Maybe the death of a patient? JANE FOSTER If he was, he didn't show any sign of it. He seemed perfectly normal, and then... this. Questions continue to be asked, but the voices fade away as the camera takes us back towards where Blake is being held, and there's the sound of an increasing ruckus and more unidentifiable shouting. INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY -- DAY Blake has grabbed hold of a door handle and is using it to halt his progress. DONALD BLAKE Thou shalt rue the day you dishonored Thor. My business is vital, and mortals must not stop me. The guards pull. ORDERLY #1 Cripes, he's holding on tight. DONALD BLAKE I give thee one last warning. Get in my way again, and I shall use my godly strength and break your limbs. ORDERLY #2 We're going to have to sedate him. DONALD BLAKE Thine choice is made. Blake lets go of the door and, with a mighty yell, hurls a punch at the closest orderly. It makes contact, knocking the man down. He turns to the other. His attacks are forceful but not very stylistic, and, after a few dodges, ORDERLY #2 knocks him to the ground with a leg sweep. In a moment, the much larger orderly is on him, holding him down, and Orderly #1 rises to help too. ADMITTING DOCTOR Hold him steady. The admitting doctor prepares an injection. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. ORDERLY #2 All right, 'Thor', meet Thorazine. The injection is made. Blake continues to struggle until he finally goes slack and relaxes. His eyes loll back in his head. OPENING CREDITS INT. SIMONSON'S OFFICE -- DAY Blake sits in an interview room, waiting. Doctor Simonson enters. DOCTOR SIMONSON Hello, Doctor Blake. They tell me you're feeling more yourself today. My name is Doctor Simonson. We met earlier, but I'm not sure if you remember... DONALD BLAKE I remember. DOCTOR SIMONSON So you remember all of what went on while you were in a delusional state. DONALD BLAKE Most of it. I remember going to the museum, trying to break into the display... fighting the security guards. They tell me they're all okay? DOCTOR SIMONSON Yes, that's correct. One of them has a broken nose. Nobody's pressing criminal charges, but you might have a civil suit coming. DONALD BLAKE I'm sorry I hurt anyone. DOCTOR SIMONSON So you remember what you did. Do you remember why? DONALD BLAKE Yes. DOCTOR SIMONSON Would you like to tell me? Blake is quiet for a few moments. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. DONALD BLAKE I was sure that if I found my hammer, I'd get back my true form. DOCTOR SIMONSON Your true form? DONALD BLAKE What I thought was my true form. Thor, god of Thunder. DOCTOR SIMONSON From Norse mythology. DONALD BLAKE Yes. Believe me, I realize now that it's completely insane. I mean, I'm a doctor. I can't understand how this happened to me. DOCTOR SIMONSON You said it yourself, you're a doctor. That's a pretty stressful job, and stress sometimes has unexpected effects on the human mind. DONALD BLAKE I didn't feel particularly stressed. DOCTOR SIMONSON Well, we've ruled out drugs as a cause. You have no history of mental illness. DONALD BLAKE There's a history of cancer in my family. I was worried it might be a tumor. DOCTOR SIMONSON We'll certainly look into that, once you're out of here. You seem much more lucid now. Do you think whatever this is has passed? Blake doesn't reply. There's something he's holding back, something he's not sure he should say. DOCTOR SIMONSON (CONT'D) Donald? DONALD BLAKE No. It hasn't. DOCTOR SIMONSON What makes you say that? (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. DONALD BLAKE I don't feel like I am Thor. Not anymore. Like I said, intellectually I realize how crazy it all is. DOCTOR SIMONSON But? DONALD BLAKE I still have all the memories. DOCTOR SIMONSON I'm not sure I understand. Just because you remember your delusion... DONALD BLAKE No, I remember more than the delusion. I remember being Thor. Not just for the time I was trying to steal the hammer. I remember a whole lifetime. DOCTOR SIMONSON You remember a life as Thor. In addition to your life as Donald Blake? DONALD BLAKE Yes. I don't know how this could be. They feel the same as all my other memories, except they don't make sense together. DOCTOR SIMONSON I'm glad you felt free to admit that. It must have been difficult for you. DONALD BLAKE My fear is... while I still have these memories, how do I know I'm better? What if this isn't just a one time thing, brought on by stress. What if I suddenly think I'm Thor the next time I'm on the subway, or god forbid, with a patient? DOCTOR SIMONSON That's a perfectly understandable, perfectly reasonable fear. DONALD BLAKE Do you have any idea what might cause something like this? DOCTOR SIMONSON Cause? Not specifically. But I have heard of similar cases. You're a doctor, have you ever heard of The Jerusalem Syndrome? (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. DONALD BLAKE That's where tourists to Jerusalem have a sudden religious experience, right? DOCTOR SIMONSON Exactly. Some of them feel compelled to go out and preach the word. Others identify themselves with a paticular character in the Bible, like, say, John the Baptist. DONALD BLAKE And what happens to these people? DOCTOR SIMONSON Most of them recover shortly after leaving the area, and some of these are people who had no known mental illness before or since. DONALD BLAKE You think this is what I have? DOCTOR SIMONSON Not quite. There are enough differences that it might be worth calling it something different. Say, the Asgard Syndrome, after the land of the Norse Gods. Still, it seems to fit. Your file says you were recently in Norway on vacation. DONALD BLAKE It was a medical conference. DOCTOR SIMONSON Right. And your symptoms started when you learned about the hammer Mjolnir, and all that inspired you to go to a museum exhibit about Norse culture. DONALD BLAKE Mjolnir. DOCTOR SIMONSON Excuse me? DONALD BLAKE It's pronounced Mjolnir. DOCTOR SIMONSON My apologies. Still, you see, it follows some of the same pattern as the Jerusalem syndrome. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. DOCTOR SIMONSON (CONT'D) What I'd like to do, before we try drugs, is talk to you about your memories. They won't be logically consistent, or if they are we'll find they came from some book you read long ago, and you'll be able to see how they can't possibly be real. DONALD BLAKE I know they can't be real. DOCTOR SIMONSON You know it up here (taps his head) But not yet here. (taps his heart) At least not completely. Right? DONALD BLAKE So where do you want me to start? DOCTOR SIMONSON We were talking about the hammer, so let's start there. Tell me about the hammer. DONALD BLAKE Well, it was created by Thor's father, Odin when he was young. He... DOCTOR SIMONSON Let me stop you there for a moment. These memories. Do you remember them as though they're happening to you, or are they impersonal, like you're watching a film. DONALD BLAKE They feel like they happened to me. DOCTOR SIMONSON Then, at least to start with, I'd like you to talk in that way, as though you're relating a memory. Also, really listen to yourself. DONALD BLAKE All right. (takes a deep breath) My father created the hammer when I was young. It was made of a rare metal, Uru, by the finest dwarven craftsmen. While it was intended for me, it was not a gift. It could be won by anyone. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. DONALD BLAKE (CONT'D) Father placed many enchantments on the hammer, giving it the power to call down thunder and lightning, to return to the hand of whoever throws it, among others. DOCTOR SIMONSON So you, as Thor, God of Thunder, couldn't do these things yourself? DONALD BLAKE No, I only became God of Thunder once I mastered Mjolnir. Asgardians don't really mean the word God in the same way you do. It's more a term of nobility, and a position. Asgardians are stronger than the men of Earth, and never age, but beyond that we are fundamentally the same, except where magical tools or knowledge set us apart. DOCTOR SIMONSON So anyone who held the hammer could become God of Thunder? DONALD BLAKE If they mastered it, perhaps. But the most important enchantment on it was that only one who was worthy could lift the hammer Mjolnir. DOCTOR SIMONSON What makes one 'worthy'? DONALD BLAKE Many things. Bravery. Nobility of spirit. Holding true to your oaths. Things that would make my father proud, although ultimately the magic of the hammer looks into your soul and decides whether you're worthy to bear it. DOCTOR SIMONSON And you were worthy. DONALD BLAKE No, not for many years. My father placed it near to his throne. I tried to lift it that first day. So did my brother Loki. Neither of us could budge it. DOCTOR SIMONSON How did you become finally claim it? (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. DONALD BLAKE Years after the hammer was created, when I was a young man, we were riding out in the countryside. EXT. ASGARD FOREST -- DAY We see for the first time, THOR, LOKI, and BALDER. They ride horses in a vast wilderness. The camera follows them, riding purposefully, in multiple shots that slowly transition towards night, as Blake continues to speak. DONALD BLAKE (V.O.) That is, Loki, Balder, and I. Odin had charged us with negotiating a weregild between two noble families. There had been a fight between two young men over a woman, and one accidentally slew the other. We finished early, as Balder and Loki was able to convince the families to agree. I was mostly there in case it broke out into violence. When we were done, I was eager to return home, so we rode until darkness fell, and then we made camp. FADE TO: EXT. ASGARD CAMP -- NIGHT There is a fire lit. Thor sits in front of it, staring into the low flames. Balder sleeps, fitfully. Loki is nowhere to be seen. Balder suddenly sits up, waking from a nightmare. THOR Easy, Balder. There are no foes to fight this night. BALDER I had a dream. THOR Yes. Go back to sleep, and there'll be another. May the next one be filled with mead and maidens. BALDER No, this was... where is thy brother Loki? THOR Who knows? Who cares? (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. THOR (CONT'D) No doubt out in the woods, practicing potions and spells. (beat) What was thy dream? BALDER I dreamed of mine own death. THOR Death must come even to immortals like us. All of us will fall in Ragnarok, if not before. BALDER Yes, but we both heard the same prophecy. My death is what helps unleash Ragnarok. THOR Then thou hast less to worry than most men. My father wishes to delay Ragnarok as long as he is able. He will find a way to make thee safe. BALDER Perhaps. THOR Art thou a coward, Balder? Would thee run from battle, to preserve thy own life? BALDER Never. THOR I thought not. Rest easy. Only cowards need fear death. When we fall, we shall share drinks in Valhalla till the stars burn no more. There is a rustling sound, causing Thor and Balder to come to alert. Loki bursts through woods, out of breath. THOR (CONT'D) (muttered) Speaking of cowards. (aloud) Ho, Loki. Wherefore dost thee run? Has one of thy potions finally earned thee the amorous attention of some she-wolf? CUT TO: (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12. INT. SIMONSON'S OFFICE -- DAY DOCTOR SIMONSON I'm going to stop you there for a moment. When does this take place? DONALD BLAKE Well, we were still young. This was before my mother laid enchantments protecting Balder from all harm, for instance. We knew that, according to prophecy, one of Loki's children would be a gigantic wolf, and we made a lot of jokes about that. DOCTOR SIMONSON No, I meant more along the lines of what year. DONALD BLAKE I can't pin it down to an exact year, but it was before we Asgardians stopped coming to Earth regularly, so... over a thousand years ago. DOCTOR SIMONSON Yet you're all speaking English. DONALD BLAKE Oh, no. We spoke in the Old Tongue, then. I'm just translating into modern Asgardian. DOCTOR SIMONSON Modern Asgardian. I have to say, Modern Asgardian sounds a lot like old fashioned English. DONALD BLAKE Yeah, I know it sounds strange. There's actually a really good explanation for that. DOCTOR SIMONSON No doubt. I'm eager to hear it. DONALD BLAKE Hundreds of years ago, Odin ordered the Bifrost Bridge closed, and for us to cease our interference with Midgaard... with Earth, I mean. However, he continued to watch the Earth, and sometimes he would open a gate in the heavens to allow us to witness fierce battles on Earth, or great works of art. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13. DONALD BLAKE (CONT'D) One play so enamored the faerie folk of Asgard, that they wove a spell over all the land, replacing our language with that of the play's author. DOCTOR SIMONSON What play was that? DONALD BLAKE A Midsummer Nights Dream. Shakespeare. DOCTOR SIMONSON Of course. So you talk with thees and thous and thines. DONALD BLAKE The first few years we all spoke entirely in rhyming couplets, but that part of the spell wore off. The rest of the language stayed with us, though. Many can still speak the old tongue, but it requires a deliberate effort. DOCTOR SIMONSON That's a very convenient answer. Let's put it aside for now and come back to it later. What happened when Loki returned? INT. ASGARD CAMP -- NIGHT THOR Has one of thy potions finally earned you the amorous attentions of some she-wolf? LOKI This is not the time to mock me, brother, or you'll not know what I've discovered. BALDER What is it, Loki? LOKI I've seen a troll. BALDER Thou hast gone into the caves? LOKI No, it was here, on the surface. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14. THOR Impossible. Odin has decreed the trolls not leave their underground kingdom. LOKI One has broken our father's law, it seems. He will want to deal with this. THOR Or we could handle the problem for him. BALDER Art thou sure that wise? THOR Wiser to solve a problem early than to wait. There's only one of them? LOKI I only saw one, brother. THOR Are we men or are we boys? If we three cannot defeat one troll, we should flee Asgard in shame. BALDER Very well. Lead on, Loki. They investigate, and come upon a troll in the woods. The troll has grey skin and an ugly face, but is small for a troll, only slightly larger than Thor himself. The troll is eating some sort of animal, and is unaware of Thor and his group. They are hiding in the bushes as they discuss the situation. THOR Fah. This one's not even a challenge. BALDER Prudence would still be in order. THOR Fine, be prudent. I'll handle this one on my own. Don't come to my aid unless I call thee, Balder. LOKI Brother, I think... THOR Worry not, Loki. No one will think less of thee if thee hides in the woods. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15. LOKI But, Brother... THOR Let the warriors handle it. If I cannot defeat it, thou should run. LOKI Brother... THOR What is it, Loki? Thou nag worse than a mother. Loki finally gives up and smiles icily. LOKI I merely wanted to wish thee luck, Brother. Thor claps Loki on the shoulder, then gets to his feet. He circles around to the Troll. THOR Troll. Thou art breaking Odin's law. I give thee one chance to return on your own legs, else I shall smite thee down and drag thee there myself. The troll begins to laugh, finds a broken tree branch on the ground, and raises it as a club. Taking that as a cue that diplomacy has failed, Thor charges into battle. Thor is clearly the superior warrior, not only faster than the troll, but smarter as well. He dodges many attacks, and eventually lands a blow on the creature's legs. It lets out a howl and goes into a stagger. Thor moves in, more confident and cocky, and his cockiness is almost his undoing as the troll swings a fist out and knocks him from his feet. SMALL TROLL ULIK! Asgardian! Thor regains a standing posture and picks up his hammer. THOR Not just any Asgardian. Thou faces Thor, son of Odin. Behind Thor, more trolls appear. Larger ones. One of them is ULIK, the leader of this band of rock Trolls. ULIK Soon to be Thor, dead son of Odin whose bones will decorate my crown. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16. THOR Ah, more of you. Good. I prefer a fair fight. You have broken Odin's law, and shall be punished. Thor's last words are heard only quietly, as we cut to Balder and Loki in the bushes, speaking in quiet tones. BALDER Thou said thee only saw one. LOKI I did. (beat) But the troll I saw was not the one Thor went to fight. I think it was that big one, there. BALDER (rising to his feet) Yet thee let him charge in all the same. LOKI He seemed so eager. I couldn't bear to stop him. BALDER We'd better help him. LOKI We? May fortune favor thee, Balder, and I'll drink a toast to you both, but this is not my fight. Loki gets up and gets ready to go. BALDER If Thor falls because of your mischief, Loki, Odin will not be pleased with you. LOKI scowls, but turns back to the fight. He walks slowly behind as Balder rushes in. The next few minutes are an extended action sequence. Balder joins Thor, and they stand back to back as they face the oncoming trolls, separating now and then to fight one. Ulik allows the other trolls to do most of the fighting at this point. The rest of the trolls are dumb combatants, and although they are somewhat stronger than the Asgardians, their skill in battle is lacking. Balder redirects one charging into him into striking another. Thor jumps on one's back and holds on to his neck, twisting until it cracks with a loud noise. Another knocks Thor to his feet immediately after the dead troll falls, and comes very close to killing him. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17. It's at then we see Loki deciding to intervene at last. LOKI (mutters in an ancient language, possibly old Norse) Yorn desh born, der ritt de gitt der gue, orn desh, dee born desh, de umn bork bork bork! With this, the trees themselves begin to come alive, and wrap themselves around the trolls. Loki looks satisfied, and not particularly interested in joining in the physical confrontation. Although most of the trolls are captured in this way, it is done over about thirty seconds, during which the fight continues. One of the trolls knocks Balder roughly to the ground, at the feet of Ulik, who is angry at the suddenly attacking trees. Ulik grabs Balder by the throat and lifts him into the air. Thor's attention is immediately on the danger his friend is in. ULIK Cease this sorcery, or I shall snap his neck. THOR Harm him, and thou will be able to count the remaining beats of thy heart on thy fingers. ULIK Bold words. You men of Asgard are very bold, very arrogant. You presume to make laws for trolls. But we are stronger than you, and your deaths will be but the first. The trees still hold my brothers. Ulik squeezes Balder's throat. THOR Wait. Loki, stop your magic. From his hiding spot, Loki waves a hand, and the tree limbs squeeze more tightly. He's ignored Thor's advice, deciding that a threat would work better than an agreement. LOKI I should cause the river to change its course, and swallow you all. Let him go. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18. ULIK This Loki must not care much for your friend. In this we agree. I tire of him. (he flexes ready to squeeze again) THOR Wait. Thou thinkest trolls are better than men? ULIK I know it. THOR Then I give thee the opportunity to prove it. I challenge thee under the ancient codes, to single combat, until death or one of us yields. ULIK (amused) Thou darest challenge me? THOR If thou wins, I shall be thy prisoner. Thou will release my friends to tell my father Odin. He will pay any ransom. ULIK I think I would enjoy keeping the son of Odin as a slave. THOR Only if thou wins. If I win, thou and thy band shall return to the troll kingdoms, and remain there for no less than a thousand years. ULIK No weapons. THOR (hesitating only a moment) Agreed. Thor drops his hammer, and gets into a crouch. It's clear he's outmatched here. Ulik is nearly twice his size, stronger than any of the other trolls. Thor gets in a good first shot, kicking at the troll's kneecap and sending him down on one knee, and then landing several blows before Ulik catches him by the hand and flinging him into the woods. This begins a round where Thor is being hurt most. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19. Now that the fight is a formal challenge, the rest of the trolls, released from the trees, stand watching. Loki moves to help up Balder to his feet. LOKI He has no hope. It would be wise for us to leave now. The sooner we reach home, the sooner father might ransom him. BALDER Do not discount thy brother yet. The fight continues. Thor is now taking a cagier approach. He's still striking where he can, but is relying more on feints and trying to dodge any of Ulik's serious blows. ULIK Yield, son of Odin. Thou hast fought well, but even the most stubborn- minded must acknowledge I am superior. Thor spits out blood. THOR Thou art superior to no man. Ulik kicks Thor, who rolls with it and then rests on his hands and knees. ULIK Yield. Thou shalt never defeat me. THOR (very softly) I don't have to. ULIK What's that? Did thee yield? THOR (louder) I said I don't have to defeat thee. Ulik is amused and suspicious all at once, enough to stop approaching for the moment. ULIK No? Pray tell, why not? THOR My father's laws enforce themselves. Any troll struck by rays from Asgard's sun shall turn to stone. I need not defeat thee. I need but to hold the line until sunrise. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20. Ulik becomes enraged, approaching again. ULIK YIELD! THOR I say thee nay, Ulik. Ulik rushes Thor, desperate to finish the fight before sunrise. This makes him sloppier, and Thor is able to stumble out of the way, and, with renewed strength, trip him. He launches attacks while Ulik is down. Ulik pushes Thor back while getting to his feet again. There are a few more blows traded. Both combatants are nearing the end of their strengths, but Thor manages to wrap an arm against Ulik's neck. He's too large to snap it directly, but he does his best to block his airway. THOR (CONT'D) Dost thou see the sky, troll? See how light it is? Dawn appraoches fast. Ulik roars. THOR (CONT'D) Yield, Ulik. Yield, and there may yet be time to return to thy caves. Ulik bends down suddenly, tossing Thor to the ground in front of him. Thor groans, and rolls out of the way of Ulik's follow-up punch to the ground. He's still lying on the ground, on his back, but when Ulik approaches next time, Thor kicks him in the groin. Ulik slumps to the ground, giving Thor time to reach his feet. Thor approaches menacingly, and stops only when Ulik cries out. ULIK I yield! Thor stops, shoulders slump. THOR Good. Go, Ulik. I have thy oath. One thousand years. Now run. I hear even trolls reawakened from stone lose their memories of the last year. I'd hate for thee to forget I triumphed over thee. Ulik growls, gets to his feet, and waves to his troll allies. They begin to run through the woods. Balder runs up and claps Thor on the shoulder. This last blow is too much for him, and he falls to the ground. BALDER Loki. Help me with thy brother. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21. Loki rolls his eyes. INT. ASGARD - ODIN'S HALL -- DAY Thor still moves stiffly, covered with bruises, but he is happy. DONALD BLAKE (V.O.) We returned home to tell Odin of what we did, but it seemed he already knew. ODIN Thou hast done well, my son. Come, I have arranged a feast in thy honor. Thor responds politely, but his eyes are drawn elsewhere. THOR Thank you, father. Odin follows Thor's gaze, and we see Mjolnir, the mighty hammer that Thor will become famous for. It is larger than the one he normally carries, and made of a stone-like metal. ODIN Dost thou think thou art worthy? THOR I would like to try, father. Loki steps forward. LOKI Wait. I defeated far more trolls than thee, Thor. I contained nearly the whole band, and could have killed them if not for Balder. I should be allowed to try first. THOR Thou used magic, brother. Being clever does not make thee worthy. LOKI Magic is no less noble than hitting someone. Or being hit and being too stubborn to fall. ODIN True, Loki. However, it is the way one's talents are used that determines worth. Do you think what thou didst reflects well upon thee? Loki considers, but knows in his heart that it did not. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22. ODIN (CONT'D) Try, Loki. Try to lift the hammer. LOKI No father. Let Thor try first. ODIN Loki, I say try. Loki hesitantly moves towards the raised slab with the hammer upon it. He reaches down and, with both hands, using all his strength, tries to lift it. It doesn't even budge. He quickly gives up, humiliated but too proud to show it. LOKI I want it not. Of what use would a hammer be to me? It is a fool's weapon, no subtlety at all. ODIN Thou hast great potential within thee, Loki. However, it remains up to thee whether to use that potential for the good of Asgard, or for selfishness. THOR Make way, and allow me my turn. Odin holds up a hand to stop him. ODIN Be warned, Thor. One act rarely makes a man worthy or unworthy. If the hammer is too heavy for thee this day, do not be discouraged, and continue to act as I expect from both of my sons. Loki makes another annoyed face. Thor simply nods, and grabs the hammer with one hand. At first he strains with all his might, and nothing happens. Loki is pleased, and is on the verge of saying something mean when, very slowly, the hammer begins to raise from the floor. It seems to take all of Thor's strength, but he's done it. Thor is triumphant, Loki is once again dismayed. DONALD BLAKE (V.O.) It was heavy at first, but it soon felt like it belonged in my hand, like it had always been there. THOR May I keep it, father? (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23. ODIN Thou hast lifted it, my son. Mjolnir is thine, and so long as thou canst weild it, not even I shall take it from thee. DONALD BLAKE (V.O.) My father was so proud, that he sent word throughout Asgard. I was no longer simply Thor, son of Odin. I had taken my first steps to becoming Thor, God of Thunder. INT. SIMONSON'S OFFICE -- DAY DOCTOR SIMONSON Wasn't it always certain you'd become the God of Thunder? DONALD BLAKE What do you mean? DOCTOR SIMONSON You talked about how Balder's death brings forth Ragnarok, and both of you knew this. The gods of Asgard were bound by fate. So wouldn't you... wouldn't Thor have known he'd always become the God of Thunder? So why be so proud of it? For that matter, how could he be brotherly with Loki, knowing what is to come. DONALD BLAKE It's not as simple as that. We never knew the whole story, only some of the details, and the details themselves were sometimes misleading. Yes, my brother might become my enemy, but he's still my brother. If I treated him differently because of it, that might very well be the cause of our conflict. (beat) We had an eye on the future, but we also lived very much in the moment, because we expect to be alive for hundreds, if not thousands of years before our destinies play out in Ragnarok. It's like... you know you're going to die. But you still live every day on its own, most of the time without focusing on what is to come. What other choice do you have? (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24. DOCTOR SIMONSON I see. I think that's enough for the moment. I think in order to help you, I'm going to need to do a little more research on the Norse stories. It's almost time for lunch, get something to eat. Blake stands. At the window, a raven lands, and caws. INT. BELLEVUE CAFETERIA -- DAY A clean room for ambulatory patients to get together and eat. Donald Blake holds a tray of food, and looks around. The patients here are mentally ill, and more than a few of them show it. Blake is out of his element, and a bit afraid that he really belongs here. He limps around and finds an empty place, next to two patients, BETA-RAY BILL, and LEE KIRBY. Bill is an older man in glasses, reminiscent of Stan Lee (maybe played by him in cameo). DONALD BLAKE Mind if I sit here? LEE KIRBY Go ahead. You're new here? DONALD BLAKE Yes. LEE KIRBY My name's Lee Kirby. DONALD BLAKE Donald Blake. BETA-RAY BILL William Lawrence Leiber, but everyone calls me Bill. LEE KIRBY Actually, everyone calls him Beta- Ray Bill. DONALD BLAKE Beta-Ray Bill? BETA-RAY BILL The government uses Beta-Rays to keep us ignorant of their mind control techniques. I built a machine that lets me see through Beta-Ray fields. It also detects Skrulls. There aren't any of those here, though. DONALD BLAKE Skrulls? (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25. LEE KIRBY Don't even get him started. What's wrong with your leg? BETA-RAY BILL There's nothing wrong with his leg, it's all in his head. DONALD BLAKE No, it isn't. BETA-RAY BILL Yes, it is. That's why you're here, isn't it? DONALD BLAKE No, it isn't. (to Kirby) It's just a childhood injury. LEE KIRBY So if you're not here about the leg, what are you here for? DONALD BLAKE Pardon? LEE KIRBY You're not in Bellevue Psychiatric for the scenery. DONALD BLAKE I had some kind of breakdown... tried to break into a museum. They've got me here to make sure I'm okay. What about you? LEE KIRBY Different kind of break down. (raises his wrists to show scars) Depression. I'm getting better, under treatment, but I don't think I'm ready to go out there yet. DONALD BLAKE I'm sorry. LEE KIRBY You've got nothing to be sorry about. BETA-RAY BILL They say I suffer from paranoid schizophrenia, so they forced me in here to shut me up and discredit my work. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26. BETA-RAY BILL (CONT'D) Actually, this is the safest place for me right now, since I can see any assassin coming and freak out until the orderlies send them away. (takes a bite) Yes, I know that that sounds like just what a paranoid schizophrenic would come up with. Sometimes the best lies are the the most obvious ones. DONALD BLAKE You sound like my brother. (gets flustered) I mean... I don't have a brother. I don't even know why I said that. LEE KIRBY Hey, don't worry about it. There's no shame here. The sooner you confront your problems, the sooner you deal with them. In the background, we see Jane Foster talking to an orderly, who points in Blake's direction. As it's behind Blake, he doesn't see this. BETA-RAY BILL Looks like you have a visitor. LEE KIRBY How do you know she's not here to see me? BETA-RAY BILL She's too pretty to be here for you. If she was here to see you, you wouldn't be depressed. Blake sees who it is, stands up. DONALD BLAKE She's a friend of mine. Excuse me for a moment. Blake walks to meet her halfway. Jane holds up a wooden cane. JANE FOSTER I thought you might want to have this. They said it was okay to bring it in. DONALD BLAKE Thank you so much. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27. DONALD BLAKE (CONT'D) The one they gave me's just a little too short to be comfortable. You didn't have to come out of your way just to bring this, though. JANE FOSTER Well, I wanted to see how you're doing. You're seeming... DONALD BLAKE Less crazy? JANE FOSTER I was going to go with better. How are you? DONALD BLAKE I feel more or less like myself. I don't know what happened to me. JANE FOSTER So do you think you'll be getting out soon? DONALD BLAKE They're holding me for the full 72 hours, just to be safe, but even if they would let me go today... I need to know what's happening to me. I don't feel like I should be practicing medicine until I can be sure this won't happen again. That is, if I'll still have my job at all after this. I'm probably the laughing stock of the hospital now. Went straight from surgery to behavioral. JANE FOSTER I didn't say anything but... word does get around. DONALD BLAKE Yeah. JANE FOSTER I'm sure they'll understand, it's just stress. DONALD BLAKE I wish I could blame it on stress. To be honest, I'm scared there's something seriously wrong with me. JANE FOSTER No, it's just stress. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28. JANE FOSTER (CONT'D) I'm sure that's all it is. But I want you to know, no matter what, if you need a friend, I'm here for you. DONALD BLAKE Thanks. (beat) Hey, aren't you supposed to be on- call? JANE FOSTER I switched shifts. But I can't stay very long. In fact, I really should get going. DONALD BLAKE I understand. Thank you for coming. Jane stands, and Donald does likewise. JANE FOSTER You have my number. When they let you out, if you need a ride or anything. DONALD BLAKE Thanks. Impulsively, she hugs Donald, surprising him. There are tears in her eyes. JANE FOSTER Get better. She walks off. Shortly after, Beta-Ray Bill and Other Patient come back. BETA-RAY BILL That your girlfriend? DONALD BLAKE No... no, she's just a friend. A co- worker, actually. She brought me this. Donald shows off his cane. BETA-RAY BILL Is it heavy? It looks heavy. DONALD BLAKE No, not that heavy. Sturdy though. BETA-RAY BILL It made of some kind of stone? Or is it metal? (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29. DONALD BLAKE (puzzled) No, just plain wood. LEE KIRBY What does she do? DONALD BLAKE She's a nurse. LEE KIRBY You said she was a co-worker. Does that make you a nurse too? DONALD BLAKE I was a doctor. BETA-RAY BILL And now? DONALD BLAKE (looking downward at his cane) I don't know anymore. INT. SIMONSON'S OFFICE -- DAY Donald Blake and Doctor Simonson are talking. It's nearing the end of their session. DOCTOR SIMONSON Well, we're almost out of time. DONALD BLAKE You haven't asked me anything about... Thor. DOCTOR SIMONSON I know, I wanted to look at the rest of your life. Your real life. Does that bother you? DONALD BLAKE No, I just... thought it was odd. DOCTOR SIMONSON It's okay if it does. It's an understandable reaction. DONALD BLAKE It just seemed like we were dancing around the elephant in the room. Why I'm here. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30. DOCTOR SIMONSON Why you're here has more to do with what we've talked about right now, about your childhood and life, your need to prove yourself, than any of those memories you've invented. But since you've brought it up, how do you feel about what you told me this morning? DONALD BLAKE I'm not sure what you mean. DOCTOR SIMONSON Does it still feel real? DONALD BLAKE Of course it does. DOCTOR SIMONSON Okay. Well, for our next session, I'd like you to try something new. I want you to write something from Thor's life, on paper. Not the same story you told me this morning. Something new. Something about a time you felt weak, and what you did to overcome it. But instead of writing it as a story that happened to you, write it in the third person. Thor is a character, like any other. Tell it from the perspective of another character in the story. Make it entertaining, and remember that's what it is, a story. INT. BELLEVUE COMMON ROOM -- EVENING Donald Blake is struggling to write something in a notebook. He's started and crossed out his work several times already, and is looking around the common room for inspiration. He sees SULLY, a bald orderly, a tough guy type, speaking to Bill. SULLY I don't care. My chart says you take your pills, so you're going to take them if I have to shove them down your throat. Bill seems suitably cowed, and empties his pill-cup into his mouth, swallowing. The bald orderly turned away, muttering to himself, and Bill immediately spits something into his hand. We follow the bald orderly from Donald's point of view, and then suddenly see the paper, where he has begun to write: (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER Through a montage, we see Blake continue to write for some time. He's got quite a bit, when he is interrupted, with a start. BETA-RAY BILL What ya writing? DONALD BLAKE Nothing, really. It's just a story. BETA-RAY BILL I like stories. What's it about? DONALD BLAKE Warriors. Love. Jealousy. Magic. It's not very good. BETA-RAY BILL Sounds interesting to me. He gets Blake's attention away from the paper and back towards the Sully. BETA-RAY BILL (CONT'D) Sully's on the warpath again. Just a warning. DONALD BLAKE He seems like a real charmer. BETA-RAY BILL We all hate him. So pushy. DONALD BLAKE He doesn't really seem suited to the job... but you know, you really should take your medication. For your own sake. BETA-RAY BILL I bet your patients love you. You got that whole caring doctor thing down pat. But I know what I'm doing. DONALD BLAKE And what's that? BETA-RAY BILL Staying sharp. The pills make me all foggy. If they come for me, I'd rather be crazy and sharp than sane and dull. DONALD BLAKE I'd think you'd want to be well. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 32. BETA-RAY BILL A wise man once said, "They called me mad, and I called them mad, and damned, but they out voted me." But maybe I'm right after all. Maybe we're the sane ones. DONALD BLAKE I don't think so, Bill. Over on the other end of the room, Sully takes the remote control away. Distantly, we hear, SULLY Fine, you don't want to take your pills, no TV. Everyone, blame Mary here for no TV for the next hour. BETA-RAY BILL What a jerk. DONALD BLAKE He can't do that, can he? BETA-RAY BILL None of the other orderlies on the shift will stand up to him. Sully the Bully. Lee Kirby walks over. LEE KIRBY Sully the Bully did it again. Want to play a game of checkers? BETA-RAY BILL I'm sick of checkers. Hey, Donald here's got a story to tell us. DONALD BLAKE I really don't think... BETA-RAY BILL It's got magic. I love a good story. And you always did go for the fantasy, didn't you Kirby? DONALD BLAKE It's part of my therapy, I really don't think... LEE KIRBY It must be Simonson's idea. He's a good guy. Doesn't go straight through to the drugs like most doctors do. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33. BETA-RAY BILL So come on, tell us. We'll help. We can make your story better, constructive criticism. What else are we going to do? LEE KIRBY I could tell you one of my stories, if you'd like, but my best one has my wife cheating on me with my best friend, so they're kind of depressing. BETA-RAY BILL No, Donald's going to tell us his story. It's got magic. We could use a more little magic in our lives. DONALD BLAKE (giving in) Okay. EXT. ASGARD INN -- NIGHT A tall, bald man stands, in full armor, with an axe in one hand. This is SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER. He is standing outside an inn. The inn is full of music and song, a party is going on within. But there is no party going on for Skurge. He has a look of stern determination. DONALD BLAKE (V.O.) They called him Skurge the Executioner. He was a warrior of some reknown in the lands of Asgard. But he was a hard man, and very much a bully. Some warriors defend the weak, Skurge pushed them around. But no man's soul is all good or all bad. Skurge was also a man in love, with the beautiful Enchantress Amora. He would do anything for her to prove his worth, and she gave him a task. He was to capture Thor, son of Odin, god of Thunder. He was no match for Thor's mighty hammer Mjolnir. So he would strike at Thor when he was weakest. INT. ASGARD INN -- NIGHT Inside the party continues, as Norse men and women of all sizes enjoy themselves. Thor is the center of attention, and he is exceptionally drunk, though not quite so drunk as the man beside him, who soon collapses over. There is a resounding cheer. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 34. THOR Who is the greatest drinker in all of Asgard? ALL THOR! THOR And who is the greatest warrior in all of Asgard? ALL THOR! THOR Who makes the sky tremble at his command? ALL THOR! THOR And never forget that! More mead! There is another cheer. EXT. ASGARD INN -- NIGHT Some time later, Thor staggers out. He shouts, THOR Thou art next, Volstagg, as soon as I make some room. He begins humming to himself to the tune of the music, and stands against a tree, where we hear a slight tinkling sound. Once he's finished, he turns and Skurge is there. With one blow, Skurge knocks him unconscious. Thor's hammer falls to the ground, and at first Skurge tried to pick it up, but cannot make it leave the ground. Finally, he throws Thor over one shoulder and walks into the night. INT. ASGARD - AMORA'S HOME -- NIGHT We see for the first time, AMORA the Enchantress, a beautiful sorceress. She lies on a large bed, reading a book to candlelight. Her home is rustic, but not without its share of majesty. Skurge enters, still carrying Thor. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER Amora, my dear, my angel, I have done as thou hast requested. AMORA (surprised) Thou hast? (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 35. AMORA (CONT'D) (rises to look) Thou hast! My, Skurge, this is a surprise. How manly of thee. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER My lady inspires me. Thou hast but to wish, and I will move Asgard itself to make it so. AMORA Indeed. My thanks. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER What are we to do with him? AMORA Oh, I have an idea. We'll transform him into something. A frog, perhaps. But I need something else from thee. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER Anything. Just ask. AMORA I need one of Idunn's golden apples, picked fresh by moonlight. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER But it will take me all night. What if he wakes? AMORA I have spells that will keep him in slumber. Go, now. I will grant thee a kiss upon thy return. Skurge hesitates, but leaves the cave. Amora smiles, looking over Thor's form. She places a hand on his face lovingly, then moves to a cauldron, where there is a rack of small bottles. As her back is turned, we see Thor open one eye and look around, then close it again as he hears Amora moving. She returns to her book. AMORA (CONT'D) The poor dumb fool. By the time he returns, thou wilt be mine, body and soul, Lord of Thunder. Why have a warrior when I can have royalty? EXT. ASGARD - AMORA'S HOME -- NIGHT We see that Skurge is waiting outside the cabin, listening. AMORA Ah, here it is... the formula of a love potion. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36. INT. ASGARD - AMORA'S HOME -- MOMENTS LATER Skurge comes bursting in. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER Nay, Amora. How dare thee do this to me. AMORA Do what? SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER A love potion. On him, after all I've done. AMORA Thou must have misheard. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER Nay. Thou wouldst betray me. Well, there'll be no Thunder God for thee. I'd rather remove his head than see thee in his arms. AMORA Skurge, no! Skurge makes a chopping motion with his axe. Thor springs into action, opens his eyes, and rolls to the side just in time. THOR No execution today, Skurge. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER I'll kill thee, Thunder God. THOR Will it make thee feel better, Skurge? To kill thy better? Then try. They fight, while Amora rushes to her cauldron and begins furiously mixing things. Thor is on the defensive, having no weapon. At one point, Thor ducks barely out of the way of a swing of the axe, and it gets lodged in a wall. Thor takes the opportunity to strike, knocking Skurge off balance and so he is unable to retrieve the blade. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER I'm still stronger than thee, even without the axe. The struggle continues. Skurge presses forward in the fight and catches Thor in a hold. THOR Tis true, but I'm the better warrior. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37. Thor makes a move that uses Skurge's own weight against him, and then knocks him quickly onto his back. During the fight, Amora has been adding things to the cauldron. Now that Skurge is down, Thor kicks it over, spilling the contents anywhere. THOR (CONT'D) Halt, witch. No magic. Skurge is crawling towards where he left the axe. Thor stomps on Skurge's hand. THOR (CONT'D) Thou art a coward and a fool, Skurge. The only way thou could best me is when I was drunk and my back was turned. All will know thou wast afraid to fight me in fair combat. And thou did it all for the love of an unfaithful harlot. (to Amora) And as for thee, thou art a lovely face, tis true. Without magic, I might even fall in love with thee... for one night. No more. After that, it would get tiresome. Thou art not worthy of Thor. (shakes head, to both of them) You two deserve each other. At least I'll have one trophy of the night. He reached for Skurge's axe, and, with time and proper leverage, releases it from the wall. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER No, that axe was my father's. How dare thee touch it. THOR Thy father could not bear to see thee born, and fled into the hills of Jotenheim. Thou hath most likely stolen it. Whoever's it was, it is mine now. Punishment for thy foolishness. INT. BELLEVUE COMMON ROOM -- EVENING Blake has finished his story. BETA-RAY BILL What happened after that? (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38. DONALD BLAKE I don't know. Thor went back to the bar and got his hammer. He later lost the axe in a game of chance, I think. Skurge and Amora both swore revenge but were never really a threat to him. That's all another story, though. What did you think? There's an uncomfortable pause. LEE KIRBY Don't quit your day job, buddy. DONALD BLAKE Not very good? LEE KIRBY Well, maybe it's just me, but there was nobody really to root for. Everyone was a jerk, even this Thor guy. BETA-RAY BILL Yeah, I felt bad for Skurge more than him. DONALD BLAKE Really? BETA-RAY BILL Well, Skurge was in love, at least. DONALD BLAKE But Thor was attacked from behind, his weapon was taken from him, and still he prevailed. BETA-RAY BILL I guess. But there's more to being a hero than winning against the odds. The call of heroism should be Excelsior! That means 'always upward', in latin. That's what heroes should be, always looking for the best path. Skurge and Adora... LEE KIRBY Amora. BETA-RAY BILL Amora. You said he was a bully and she was an evil witch, but Thor didn't care until they bothered him personally, and then he just humiliated them and walked off, (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 39. BETA-RAY BILL (CONT'D) instead of doing something about them. You see what I'm getting at? DONALD BLAKE I never thought of it like that before, but yeah. BETA-RAY BILL Don't worry, not everyone can be a great storyteller. Maybe you could go into sales. INT. BELLEVUE PSYCHIATRIC -- EVENING Jane Foster approaches the orderly desk, where Sully is waiting, reading a magazine. JANE FOSTER I'm here to see Donald Blake. SULLY Visiting hours are over. JANE FOSTER I know, it's just... I'm a nurse, I work here. He's a dear friend of mine, could you please just make an exception? SULLY What do I get out of it? JANE FOSTER What do you want? SULLY A date with you would help... She smiles at him coquettishly. INT. BELLEVUE COMMON ROOM -- EVENING SULLY Blake! Visitor. He stands up as Jane's approaching. DONALD BLAKE What are you doing here? It's not visiting hours. JANE FOSTER I wanted to see how you were doing. You look good. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40. DONALD BLAKE Thanks. (beat) You know, I don't think I've told you how much I appreciate you visiting, but you don't have to do it so much. JANE FOSTER It's nothing. What are friends for? DONALD BLAKE Well, thank you. It's important to me that I have a connection to the outside world. In a place like this... it can be hard to lose track of things. JANE FOSTER How are you doing, with all this? DONALD BLAKE I don't know. I'm not on any medication right now, Doctor Simonson wants to see if I can sort through everything on my own. Sometimes I think I can, it should be easy, but... my head's full of all sorts of memories. It's like some kind of storybook tale. The Doctor is trying to help me see through them. JANE FOSTER That's good. You'll just accept who you are? DONALD BLAKE Maybe. Enough about me. I feel so out of touch with everything here. Tell me what's going on with you? JANE FOSTER Oh, you know. I've been working under Doctor Conway lately. DONALD BLAKE He's good. JANE FOSTER Yeah, and he doesn't let anybody forget it, either. I miss working with you. DONALD BLAKE I miss working with you too. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 41. JANE FOSTER Oh, and I'm dating a great guy. Blake looks down in some embarassment. DONALD BLAKE Oh? JANE FOSTER He's lawyer and a lobbiest. He represents a lot of corporate interests, trying to get environmental restrictions lifted. DONALD BLAKE Lifted? JANE FOSTER Yeah, it's like he says, business is business. DONALD BLAKE Wow. I have to say, that doesn't sound like your type. JANE FOSTER There's something very appealing about a man who lies for a living. He's going to help me sue the hospital for discrimination, because I'm a woman. I mean, it's totally baseless, but I could use the money, I don't want to change bedpans forever. DONALD BLAKE What? That doesn't sound anything you. You were always so... compassionate. JANE FOSTER Well, people change. I mean, look at you, you used to be one of the most respected people I knew, now you're a common lunatic. (off his look) Oh, I'm sorry, was that rude? I didn't mean it like that. What I meant to say is that if any of your friends saw you talking about your strange other life, they'd wonder about you too... and for good reason. DONALD BLAKE (looks away) Maybe you should go, Jane. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 42. JANE FOSTER Maybe I should. After all you have your... snack. It's rather funny. Once you feasted on fresh-caught venison and the finest mead of Alfhiem flowed like water. Now you eat cheese and bread and a tiny apple juice. How low the mighty have fallen. DONALD BLAKE What? He looks back. Now, where Jane once sat, is LOKI. He's dressed in Jane's nurse's uniform. LOKI It's not even fermented, for our father's sake. That's a disgrace. DONALD BLAKE Loki? LOKI Finally, dear brother. You really have lost your touch. You used to spot me in disguise much sooner than that. DONALD BLAKE I'm going crazy. I'm having a psychotic break. LOKI No, brother, you're going sane. DONALD BLAKE What are you doing here? LOKI I'm here for you. As you asked. Don't you remember? The night father banished you to Earth, after he told you what was to come, you came to me. You couldn't bear the thought of being a mere mortal, and you asked me to find you and restore your mind. We've had our differences over the years, but that request truly touched me. That you, future Lord of Asgard, would come to me, the God of Mischief, in your hour of need. I promised you that I would. It took me some time to find where father had stashed you, but I did, and I restored to you your memories. I've only returned because you've begun to doubt yourself. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43. DONALD BLAKE No. You're some kind of hallucination. Maybe a dream. LOKI It's only the tiresome mind of this Donald Blake that doubts me. Let me put him to sleep again for a moment, so we can talk as brothers. Loki snaps his fingers. Donald begins to grin and speak much more confidently. DONALD BLAKE Loki! My surprise doth know no bounds that thou hast kept thy word. All thy past trespasses against me art forgiven. LOKI Oh, it was nothing. What are brothers for? DONALD BLAKE What hast happened to thy tongue? Thou speakest like... like the men of Midgaard do today. LOKI Well, of course. It doesn't take much to shake off a faeriespell, and I've had to spend some time on this world looking for you. I quite like it, actually. I've been away so long. There are so many new ways to trick people, with the television and this internet thing. I only intended to come to do what I needed to do, but I think I'm going to stay a while and see what's changed. DONALD BLAKE I warn thee, Loki, Odin will be displeased with thee if thou makest sport on the mortals again. LOKI Where's your gratitude, Thor? No sooner have I arrived to try and help you do you assume I will do someone harm. I've changed some in the years since we've spoken. DONALD BLAKE I cry thy pardon, Loki. Indeed I should be thanking thee. How is everybody back home? (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 44. LOKI They are as they always are. But I'm afraid I must be the bearer of grim tidings. DONALD BLAKE What is it? LOKI I am not the only one who has found you. Someone has alerted your enemies. They seem to feel that since Odin hid you here, the law about staying out of the affairs of Midgaard is no longer valid. Even now they are crossing the Rainbow Bridge on their way to face you. I suspect you have less than three days before they arrive. DONALD BLAKE Can you restore to me my true form? LOKI Even my magics cannot do that, brother, only Odin can. DONALD BLAKE Then bring me Mjolnir! He said if I needed to use it in his name, I could be restored, and I know where it is. It lies in the natural history museum. LOKI Nothing would please me more. However, there is another enchantment I cannot defeat. 'Only one who is worthy can lift the mighty Mjolnir'. We know in father's eyes, I've never been worthy enough to touch it, much less carry it to you. DONALD BLAKE At least break me out of here, so I can get it myself! LOKI I wish I could, but like I said, I have changed my ways. Sincerely, brother. I only came this far because I promised you I would not let you remain living a lie. But beyond that I will break no law, neither Odin's nor Midgaard's. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 45. DONALD BLAKE Then what good is thy warning, if I can't do anything about it? LOKI Yes. I suppose when you look at it that way, it does seem a cruel jest... to restore your mind but not your body, to warn you of impending doom but leave you impotent to do anything about it, so that the mighty Thor might finally know fear before he dies. It would have been one of my best tricks... were it a trick at all. DONALD BLAKE Treacherous swine. Thou hast done this on purpose. Thou has told my enemies where I was. LOKI Same old Thor. Always blaming me for your problems. When I return to Asgard, I'll give your regards to Balder, and the Warriors Three, and of course, your love to Sif. Loki gets up and starts to leave. DONALD BLAKE (raised voice) I will have my vengeance upon thee, Loki. Blake gets up to follow Loki, who is speaking to one of the doctors. When Blake steps forward, though, it is with the confidence of Thor, and he's forgotten that he's in the body of Blake. He's not using his cane, and so his body falls out from under him. DONALD BLAKE (CONT'D) LOKI! LOKI! It now appears that Jane Foster is talking to the orderly. She appears to be crying and very distraught. Orderlies come to Thor's side. CUT TO: INT. SIMONSON'S OFFICE -- DAY DOCTOR SIMONSON So, I've heard we had a little setback the the other day. Do you want to talk about it? (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 46. DONALD BLAKE I saw my brother yesterday. DOCTOR SIMONSON I wasn't aware you had any family. DONALD BLAKE No, I mean I saw Loki. DOCTOR SIMONSON I see. (makes note) I think it may have been a mistake to leave you off medication entirely. I'd like to prescribe something. DONALD BLAKE Wait. Could we at least talk about this a little? Explore this? DOCTOR SIMONSON What do you want to explore? DONALD BLAKE The possibility that I might not be crazy. DOCTOR SIMONSON Donald, you're suffering from hallucinations about mythological characters. I don't like to use the word crazy, but you do need help. DONALD BLAKE But it feels so real. The memories... and when Loki reversed Odin's spell, I actually felt like Thor. DOCTOR SIMONSON Hallucinations often feel very real, Donald. That's why they're so dangerous. But look at this logically. You're a man, and you make decisions every day that affect who lives and who dies. No matter how accomplished you are in your field, you don't feel qualified to make those decisions. You've got no strong ties to anybody, no family. All your life you've had to deal with not being physically strong, because of your leg. Now suddenly, these delusions come, where you're stronger than any man. You're not just a man, you're a god, with the responsibility to use your powers. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47. DOCTOR SIMONSON (CONT'D) You've got a vast extended family who cares about you. We've been over this. It's classic wish fulfillment. It feels real because it's everything you wish for yourself. DONALD BLAKE What if it's not? Loki said... DOCTOR SIMONSON Loki proves my point completely. On some level, you know all of this is wrong. You know it can't be true. But when you're starting to pull yourself out of it, the part of you that wants to believe comes up with a visit from Loki, to give you an excuse to retreat back into it. But the real Donald Blake gave you a clue, there, too. It's in all the mythologies. Loki is the God of Lies, the God of Mischief, a trickster God. He cannot be trusted. Even within the bounds of your delusion, you must understand that. He always lies. DONALD BLAKE Doctor, if Loki always lied, he could never be a God of Mischief. Loki's strength is that he lies judiciously, he lies well, and that he knows you can be often more mischievous with the truth. DOCTOR SIMONSON And what is it you're telling me? You really believe this? That you're secretly some God of Thunder? What changed from the man who told me that he knows it doesn't make sense. That was a man who wanted to get better. DONALD BLAKE When I saw Loki, he unlocked the rest of my memories. I remember now. I know why I was sent to Earth. DOCTOR SIMONSON Why's that? DONALD BLAKE To be taught a lesson. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 48. EXT. ASGARD -- DAY Out in the wilderness of Asgard, near a hilly plain. We are in a closeup on an arrow being cocking in a bow. It is then let loose. We then pull back to see an arrow thunk into the ground near a magnificent stag. The stag's head shoots up, looking for the sudden sound, but it doesn't see anyone near it. We pull back furthur to see Balder has fired the arrow, and that he is farther than any arrow should go. Thor is with him, looking out in the direction of fire. Loki sits on a rock, bored. THOR Close, but a miss. BALDER Take a turn? THOR Nay. I am out of arrows. LOKI Finally. Can I use my magic to summon the steed now? Balder and Thor exchange a disdainful look. THOR That's my brother, always seeking the easier path. He knoweth nothing of Asgardian valor. The meat will be all the more delicious for that it was won fairly. LOKI It's hardly fair if the beast can't fight back. THOR Hunting is a test of one's skill against that of nature Herself. LOKI I would describe magic the same way. THOR Ah, but hunting brings men together. Thou could use thy magic to bring a stag anywhere, but Odin set us the task of fetching one. Just enjoy, brother, seize the moment. LOKI We are immortal, brother. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 49. LOKI (CONT'D) There will always be more moments. And in truth, thy company is best in smaller quantities. THOR In truth I feel the same way. But Odin wished us to go out together, so let's make the most of it and enjoy it. We are family, after all. LOKI (mocking) Odin wished, Odin wished. Thy favorite phrase. That is the difference between us, Thor. Thou still worships at father's feet. Me, I have my own family now. Thou art still a boy. THOR A boy? I'm more a man than thou wilt ever be. It is I who has been entrusted with the Thunder. If thou thinkest you're more a man than I, then challenge me to combat. BALDER Thor. THOR Nay, Balder, let us have this out. LOKI Thou art a muscle-bound oaf. Violence is thy solution to everything. THOR And right now it seems to be a very good solution. BALDER Thor. LOKI Thou wouldst best me in hammer throwing, but know nothing of cleverness, craft, or anything that requires subtlety. BALDER You have been having the same arguments since childhood. Now stop your bickering, and look. He points. Off in the distance, we can see a FROST GIANT. The creature is huge, some 60 feet tall. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 50. THOR A frost giant? Here, in Asgard? BALDER Indeed. And a large one. LOKI Well, at least it's more interesting than stag hunting. THOR How dare they break the treaty so brazenly. LOKI As the sages say, treaties were made to be broken. It would have happened sooner or later. What art thou going to do? BALDER Surely thou dost mean, "What are we going to do?" LOKI I care not. I have no quarrel with the Frost Giants. They are in my blood, if you haven't forgotten. But by all means, watching you two fight will provide me with much amusement. BALDER Come, we must tell Odin. Let Father decide what must be done. LOKI (subtly mocking) Yes, yes, Let Odin decide. As he wishes, so shall it be. THOR (beat) Nay. Thou art right. The giant broke Odin's law. We can handle this on our own. BALDER He looks to be on his back way to Jotenheim as it is. By the time we catch up to him, he'll have crossed. THOR I can reach it, if I take to the sky. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 51. THOR (CONT'D) (smiles) Watch me teach him a lesson he shall not soon forget. EXT. ASGARD -- STORMY DAY A combat set piece, with Thor fighting against the Frost Giant. It could either be traditional CGI, or extremely stylized (perhaps in silhouette), but Thor flies and strikes the giant with his hammer. Lightning strikes as he does. DONALD BLAKE (V.O.) Even to an Asgardian God, a Frost giant is a formidable opponent. The fight lasted several hours, and I chased him back into Jotenheim before I struck him down. I returned home, proud of my accomplishment. Father was... not so proud. INT. ASGARD - ODIN'S HALL - NIGHT Odin launches off his throne, angered. ODIN Dost thou realize what thou hast done? THOR I defeated a giant. One of our enemies. It was hardly even a challenge. ODIN Thou didst cross over into Jotenheim. THOR He crossed over first. ODIN That means nothing! Once he left our lands, he was for the giants to punish. THOR I saved them the trouble. What of it? ODIN Because now thou hast broken the treaty. Unless I punish thee, it will mean war. THOR If war is the response, so be it. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 52. THOR (CONT'D) We will defeat them. In fact, I welcome war. Defeating that giant was great fun. ODIN Fun? Will it be fun when families are driven from their homes? Will it be fun when people starve because the giants eat their crops on the way to battle? Will it be fun when mortal mothers weep for their sons, when war comes to all the Nine Worlds? THOR War must come some day, father. It is fated. Ragnarok cannot be prevented, only delayed. ODIN Indeed. And as a ruler I must delay it as long as possible, and to do that I must punish thee. THOR Please, father. I am thy son, the God of Thunder. We both know, thou wouldst not punish me. ODIN Will I not? Thou assumest much, my son. Thou will go to Jotunheim and beg for forgiveness. If, and only if, the King forgives thee, I will withold punishment. THOR I say thee nay, father. They were in the wrong. I will not lower myself to grovelling. It is dishonorable. ODIN Tread carefully, Thor. I ask thee to humble yourself, for the good of Asgard. THOR The good of Asgard? I am the good of Asgard. I am the greatest warrior, I defend the realm from threats. I do not humble myself, appear weak in front of our enemies. Send me to Jotunheim and I will go only to laugh in the face of the King. I am a warrior and a God, and I am above such things. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 53. ODIN Silence. They call me the All-Seeing, and yet I still have the blindness of any father towards his son. Thou art arrogant, Thor. Thou art right, there will be no apology. I have decided I will punish thee myself. THOR Very well then, send me to my room without a meal. Nothing thou would do to me would be worse than humbling myself. ODIN For the crime of treaty-breaking, I, Odin, Lord of Asgard, do hereby sentence thee to exile. Thou shalt be expelled from Asgard and stripped of all of thy titles. Thou art no longer Thor, god of Thunder. THOR No. Thou canst not. ODIN It is done. By next sunrise, thee will be sent from Asgard, and not be welcome back until thou hast learned thy lesson. Thou shalt live as a mortal. THOR What worth would I possibly have as a mortal? Don't do this. Thou art my father. ODIN Indeed, and that is why I must do this. It is for thy own good. Thou must learn humility if thou art to one day take my throne. THOR But father, I have enemies. If I am weakened so, there may soon be no one left to take thy throne... ODIN I will send thee somewhere thy enemies will not reach thee. Midgaard. There, thou will live bound in a mortal body, a mortal life, unaware of thy heritage, or even thy name. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 54. THOR Thou wouldst take my home, my title, and now my very name? I suppose my hammer, next. Thou sworest thee never would, but I suppose the word of Odin counts for nothing. ODIN No, I will send the hammer to Midgaard as well. When thou hast learned thy lesson and found where I have hidden it, striking Mjolnir on the ground in my name will restore thee. THOR Father, I beg thee, reconsider. ODIN Go, now, Thor. The spells I must craft are complicated. I will call for thee when I am ready. I hope for thy sake thou wilt not defy me again. INT. SIMONSON'S OFFICE -- DAY DOCTOR SIMONSON And did you? DONALD BLAKE I didn't run, but... I asked Loki to find me and restore my memory. That's what he did. That's why I'm here, why I can remember being Thor. It explains everything. DOCTOR SIMONSON Of course it does. You're here because of a set of delusions, and delusions are tricky things. A smart person can invent all sorts of ways to integrate their delusions with reality, to explain away why they're not really delusions, in order to keep believing in them. But let's say everything you say was real. Shouldn't you be trying to abide Odin's wishes and live as a mortal until you've learned your lesson? DONALD BLAKE This isn't about me anymore. If I'm right, the trolls are coming. They will tear apart this world looking for me, and if I am not able to face them, many will die. I have to get out of here. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 55. DOCTOR SIMONSON I'm afraid I can't allow that. DONALD BLAKE You can't keep me in here, I have rights. DOCTOR SIMONSON You're a doctor, you know the rules. If I have reason to believe you're going to be a threat to yourself or others, I can keep you here pending a hearing. Based on your recent behavior, I don't think I have a choice. Now, I'd like to prescribe... DONALD BLAKE I'm not taking any drugs. I know my rights, you can't force them on me without a court order. DOCTOR SIMONSON And that's exactly the kind of attitude that a court's going to look poorly on. If you want to get out of here, medication is the safest way. There's nothing shameful about mental illness, but not trying to get better is irrational. DONALD BLAKE I honestly don't know whether I'm crazy or not right now. But if all of this is delusion, I'll know soon enough. If it isn't we'll both know... and we're all going to be in great danger. DOCTOR SIMONSON Donald, if trolls come rampaging down the streets of New York, I can assure you, I'll let you go. Until then, I highly recommend medication. INT. BELLEVUE COMMON ROOM -- EVENING Blake stares out a window, where a raven is walking along the wall in the distance. Beta-Ray Bill sits down near him. BETA-RAY BILL Planning a jailbreak? DONALD BLAKE No. Well, maybe. Mostly, I'm just thinking. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 56. BETA-RAY BILL What about? DONALD BLAKE What's real. What's not. How do you tell the difference? BETA-RAY BILL Oh, so the easy stuff. There was a writer once who said, "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." DONALD BLAKE Thanks, but it doesn't help here. Sometimes I think I must be crazy. Sometimes I know I'm not. Both times I'm completely sure, and there's nothing that proves it one way or the other. BETA-RAY BILL Sometimes you just have to trust yourself. What do you believe to be true now? DONALD BLAKE I don't know. BETA-RAY BILL What do you want to be true, then? DONALD BLAKE I don't know. I don't want to be crazy. The only problem is, if I'm not crazy, and I don't get out of here... a lot of people are going to be hurt. BETA-RAY BILL Well, then no offense, but I hope you're crazy. Besides, I like you. Your stories stink, but you can work on that. And it doesn't hurt that the cute nurse holding a torch for you keeps coming by. Do you think she's going to visit you again today? DONALD BLAKE What? BETA-RAY BILL I said, do you think your girlfriend's going to visit you today? (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 57. DONALD BLAKE I told you, she's just a friend. We work... worked, together. BETA-RAY BILL Well, next time your friend shows up, tell her she looks much better than the guy dressed up like her. DONALD BLAKE Okay Bill. (beat) Wait, what? BETA-RAY BILL She looks better then the man. The last time she was with you, she was a man. It was an imposter. DONALD BLAKE You saw him... you actally saw him? BETA-RAY BILL Well, of course. They call me mad, because I can see things how they truly are, and they don't like it. (whispers) It's the CIA. They've got image induction technology. But it all works on Beta Rays. I thought they were here for me at first, but there must be something very interesting about you. Bill taps his hat and grins. DONALD BLAKE Bill. This is important. What did he look like? BETA-RAY BILL Tall fellow. Taller than me. Black hair. Great big smirk on his face cause he thought he'd pulled one over on everybody. But not old Bill, you can't fool him. I stopped believing in him and he didn't go away. DONALD BLAKE This is incredible. This means I'm not crazy. BETA-RAY BILL Good for you son. I guess that makes two of us! (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 58. BETA-RAY BILL (CONT'D) Between you and me, most of the people in here are nuts. Well, now you have your answer. Face front, true believer. Say, you were kidding about the danger, right? DONALD BLAKE I'm afraid not. My enemies are coming for me. And I need to get out of her and find Mjolnir before they come. INT. BELLEVUE COMMON ROOM -- MORNING Blake sits, waiting. A TV is on in the background, showing a morning news show. Doctor Simonson enters with Jane Foster, and heads towards Blake. JANE FOSTER Hello, Donald. Blake looks over to Bill, who gives him a covert thumbs up. DONALD BLAKE Hello, Jane. I'm sorry to bring you down here. JANE FOSTER It's no trouble. Anything to help. DOCTOR SIMONSON Yes, well, perhaps this will settle this, help convince you to try medication. JANE FOSTER You should do what the doctor says. I know they say doctors make the worst patients, but... you know the value of medication. You know how foolish it can be to refuse it. DONALD BLAKE I don't think I'm crazy. JANE FOSTER Not crazy... just in need of a little help. DOCTOR SIMONSON Now, Donald seems to think that he can prove his case, because of something that happened. Apparently he believes someone impersonated you when you visited last. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 59. DONALD BLAKE It's not just me, Bill agrees. DOCTOR SIMONSON Bill has paranoid schizophrenia and is a little susceptible to the delusions of others. But go ahead, ask your question. DONALD BLAKE Do you remember visiting me here, two days ago. After visiting hours. JANE FOSTER Yes. DONALD BLAKE Wait... what? JANE FOSTER I visited you. DONALD BLAKE What did we talk about? JANE FOSTER I can't remember exactly. I told you I was hoping you were doing better, filled you in on the latest gossip. DONALD BLAKE No, no... he must have got to you. JANE FOSTER Who? DONALD BLAKE Loki. Do you remember a man, dark hair... no, of course you wouldn't, he wouldn't let you. He gave you false memories. DOCTOR SIMONSON Donald, don't you see, you're reaching... DONALD BLAKE Check your duty schedule for two days ago. He had to have come at a time he knew you wouldn't. If you were at work, he might have forgotten to alter the records. DOCTOR SIMONSON Listen to yourself. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 60. DOCTOR SIMONSON (CONT'D) Inventing fantasy after fantasy. You're so sure you're right, you won't listen to anything else that contradicts you. Every single time, you just invent something new that explains it. It'll never stop, until you stop, and accept that you need help. Jane puts her hand to Blake's face. JANE FOSTER Please, Donald. Take the medication. At least see if it makes things better. Blake turns away, towards the direction of the TV. DONALD BLAKE I don't feel wrong. DOCTOR SIMONSON Of course not. But isn't it a little arrogant of you to think that you must be right when every piece of evidence shown to you proves otherwise? It's medication, it's not a death sentence. The worst that can happen is that it doesn't work. JANE FOSTER Donald, listen to Doctor Simonson. I want you to get better. Just try it. It's hard seeing you like this. Blake is defeated and confused again. DONALD BLAKE Okay. Okay, I'll try the medication. DOCTOR SIMONSON Excellent. I've got your first dose right here. Donald's attention, and ours, is drawn to the television. NEWSCASTER Stark Enterprises would not comment. Now it's time for our senior meteorologist, Larry Lieman, to show you the forecast for today. On the screen, Loki appears, dressed as a newscaster. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 61. DONALD BLAKE Wait. LOKI Well, it's going to be a beautiful day, today and tomorrow, but the real big news is that there's an astoundingly rare meteorological event, and it's going to be happening in a few minutes. Those showers we just had are going to clear right up, and we're going to see a rainbow actually touch the ground, right in the city. NEWSCASTER Wow, sounds incredible. Is there going to be a pot of gold? LOKI I don't know about that, but it's certainly going to be an incredible sight. I think we have a camera on the scene right now. DONALD BLAKE Oh no... JANE FOSTER What? DONALD BLAKE It's happening. It's happening now. On the screen, we see a rainbow cutting through the clouds and touching down on the ground. NEWSCASTER (V.O.) That's incredible. LOKI (V.O.) Keep watching, the best part is yet to come. Suddenly, trolls spill out of the gateway, causing havok immediately, picking up things and throwing them around. We see Ulik enter. ULIK Find him. Everybody in the room is now watching the screen as the screams of the pedestrians and the confused reporting of the newscaster continue. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 62. DONALD BLAKE You see that, don't you? I'm not imagining it? JANE FOSTER That can't be real. DONALD BLAKE It's real. Doctor? The doctor seems catatonic. DONALD BLAKE (CONT'D) You promised me you'd let me go. The doctor seems catatonic, but gets his keys out of his pocket and raises them up. Donald Blake grabs them, and starts towards the exit. EXT. BELLEVUE HOSPITAL -- DAY Donald has made it to the exit and Jane is following him. JANE FOSTER How did you know what was going to happen, Donald? DONALD BLAKE Listen, Jane, you should get out of here. JANE FOSTER No way, someone's got to keep you out of trouble. Besides, it's not like you can outrun me. DONALD BLAKE Well, maybe you would be better off coming with me, or at least away from here. But if I tell you to run, you run, okay? No questions asked. JANE FOSTER Fine. DONALD BLAKE We'll never make it in time on foot. He steps out into the street, and attempts to hail a cab. One drives right by them. Then another. DONALD BLAKE (CONT'D) They must think I'm an escaped patient or something. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 63. JANE FOSTER Technically speaking, you are. DONALD BLAKE You try. JANE FOSTER (seeing something) Wait, you've got the doctor's keys, right? DONALD BLAKE Yeah, but I don't know what he drives. Jane points to where there's a motorcycle. JANE FOSTER He was telling me about it earlier. INT. NEW YORK - CITY STREETS -- DAY Donald and Jane ride on the motorcycle. They're talking during the ride, shouting over the roar of the engines. JANE FOSTER Where are we going? DONALD BLAKE Back to the museum. JANE FOSTER Back where all this started? DONALD BLAKE It started long before that. As they ride, the streets get more chaotic, and soon they reach a point where there are car accidents and lots of people running in one direction. Using the motorcycle, they are able to maneuver around it, and they hear a crash. The see a SEARCHING TROLL, who has just toppled a car, and is holding a pedestrian. SEARCHING TROLL Tell me, mortal. Where is this Bellevue? A police officer nearby raises his gun and shoots at the troll. He turns, drops the man he was holding, and turns on the cop. The cop continues shooting as the troll stalks towards him. Jane realizes the bullets aren't doing anything. JANE FOSTER It's going to kill him. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 64. DONALD BLAKE You have a gold necklace, right? Give it here. JANE FOSTER It's only gold plated. DONALD BLAKE Good enough. Give it to me. She's already in the process of removing it, and hands it over. Meanwhile, the troll is getting close to the cop. SEARCHING TROLL Thou wouldst dare throw stones at me? I'll tear thee limb from limb. DONALD BLAKE It might be better if you leave now. JANE FOSTER No way. DONALD BLAKE You said you'd go when I said. JANE FOSTER I lied. Seeing the cop about to get pummelled, Blake honks the horn on the motorcycle, and holds up the necklace. It gets the attention of the troll just before he reaches the now terrified cop. DONALD BLAKE Troll! I have gold for you! SEARCHING TROLL Gold? (peers at it) A pittance. Ulik has promised me all the gold I can carry if I find what he seeks. Dost thou know this Bellevue? Tell me, or I shall slay everyone here. DONALD BLAKE I know Thor's no longer at Bellevue. SEARCHING TROLL Then where is he? DONALD BLAKE You'll have to catch me to find out. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 65. He starts the motorcycle again and drives off down the street. The troll runs, trying to catch up, and managing to keep pace. Blake turns into Central Park, honking. DONALD BLAKE (CONT'D) Out of the way, monster coming through. JANE FOSTER What are you doing? DONALD BLAKE Ever hear the tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff? JANE FOSTER Something about a bridge? The big goat kills the troll at the end. Blake keeps getting chased, and drives to... EXT. CENTRAL PARK - RESERVOIR -- DAY Blake has driven up to the side of the reservoir, and stopped. The troll is coming right at them. Because Blake has been keeping the troll running in a straight line for the last stretch, he's moving pretty fast. Blake waits until the last possible moment, and then drives away to the side. The troll can't stop in time, and goes through the barrier and into the water of the reservoir. Blake stops in time to see his plan go through. JANE FOSTER I don't remember the story ending like that. DONALD BLAKE Well, no, but the moral's the same. JANE FOSTER The moral? DONALD BLAKE Trolls are stupid. And most can't swim. Come on, the museum's not far from here. EXT. MUSEUM -- DAY Establishing shot of the American Museum of Natural History, shows Jane and Donald parking. Donald makes his way to the entrance. INT. MUSEUM - NORSE WING -- DAY Donald moves as quickly as he can, considering his cane, into the Norse exhibit. Jane follows behind. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 66. There are strange thumps. DONALD BLAKE I think it's this way. JANE FOSTER This is crazy, Donald. I don't know how you knew they were coming, but, those things... they can't be trolls. They've got to be... I don't know, gamma ray mutants or aliens or something. DONALD BLAKE Well, they are aliens, in a way. Asgard's another dimension. JANE FOSTER But I know you. You can't really be Thor. How could you be? DONALD BLAKE Well, there's a good explanation for that too. It's magic. JANE FOSTER I don't believe in magic. DONALD BLAKE You will. Come on. There is a loud crash from another room. A terrified voice comes from within. SNOOTY CURATOR (O.S.) Oh, dear god... Blake and Foster rush towards the noise, and enter... INT. MUSEUM - MJOLNIR'S ROOM -- DAY Blake and Jane stand at the threshold of the room, surprised at what they see... A section of the museum's outer wall has been cut out, with an impossible cleanness, the remains on the ground. Stepping onto the rubble is Skurge the Executioner, looking much as he did in Blake's story, except his weapon is much more fearsome. He holds someone with his free hand, a terrified man. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER Now, where is the hammer of Thor? The man in his hand raises one arm to point at a glass display case, where there is a hammer looking much, although not exactly, like Thor's hammer in the stories. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 67. He tosses the man to the side carelessly. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER (CONT'D) Then thou may live, as promised. Beware of the trolls, they may not be so kind. Skurge takes a few steps towards the display case. It is at this point Blake is inspired to call out. DONALD BLAKE Skurge. The use of his name startles him momentarily. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER Who calls my name? DONALD BLAKE The hammer belongs to Thor, not to you. (aside) Jane, go, get out of here. JANE FOSTER I'm not leaving you alone. DONALD BLAKE I'll handle Skurge. JANE FOSTER What if you're not Thor, Donald? I know you think that if you just reach that hammer, you'll transform, but... what if you're wrong? SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER So, it is true. He looks appraisingly at Donald Blake. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER (CONT'D) Odin trapped thee in the form of a mortal... and a crippled one at that. See, the trolls are rampaging through the city looking for the hospital where Thor was supposed to rest, but I knew that the smarter move would be to look for thy hammer. We are men of action, thou and I. Our weapons are part of us. DONALD BLAKE I see you have a new one. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 68. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER (pleased) It is made from Uru metal, same as thy hammer, but of course the enchantments are different. I had it forged expecting a contest, but it'll be sufficient for the honor of executing the mighty Thor's poor, crippled, mortal body. Any last words? DONALD BLAKE Just that Amora would be proud. Skurge's expression darkens. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER Speak not that name. DONALD BLAKE But wouldn't she? Brave Skurge, finally proving his worth to his lady fair, by defeating a helpless mortal. A task so daunting he needed his magic axe to complete the job. Oh, they'll tell tales of you in Asgard for that. Some men slay dragons for their loves, or fight giants in their name, but there are none as brave as Skurge the Executioner, who felt no deed would prove the outermost limits of his ability than the death of a weak mortal man with a cane. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER With death so close, thou wouldst dare mock me, now? DONALD BLAKE I know you. I've known you for centuries. I know that you are a coward and a bully... but I also know that deep within you there is a spark of nobility, the same part of you that loves Amora. A fighting chance, Skurge, that's all I'm asking for. Skurge takes only a moment to consider. He puts his axe onto a holding strap on his back. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER Very well. A fighting chance. While thou art unarmed, I'll kill thee with my bare hands. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 69. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER (CONT'D) If thou canst reach your hammer, we'll fight like Asgardians. The fight begins. Skurge waits for Blake to come at him or attempt to get past him, and then springs into motion, cutting off the attempt. It's not a fight, really, because Skurge is barely trying. He's toying with Blake, not going for the kill, but instead trying to humiliate him, because Skurge is in large parts a bully. However, his attention is focused on Blake, and at one point in the fight, Jane sneaks into the room. She takes one of the metal stands holding a velvet curtain, and uses it to smash the display case with the hammer inside. Alarms sound. Skurge looks back as Jane reaches for it. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER (CONT'D) (amused) The girl think she is worthy of weilding the hammer of Thor? Jane doesn't answer. She just grabs the hammer and, with both hands, manages to lift it, though it's heavy. SNOOTY CURATOR That's a priceless historical artifact! Jane throws it towards Donald Blake... He's close enough that, despite the heaviness of the hammer, it lands within arm's reach. We focus tight on his hand as Donald grabs it, manages to lift it. DONALD BLAKE In Odin's name, I call upon the power of Thor. He slams the hammer on the ground... and nothing happens. He stares at it, astonished, crushed. Skurge laughs uproariously and draws his axe. With one blow, he slices the hammer in two. The snooty curator winces comically. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER There is no hope, Odinsson. Thy father hath abandoned you. The most merciful thing I could do is to cleave the head from thy neck, and spare thee the life of a mortal. (beat) But if thou wishes, say for all the nine worlds that Skurge is thy better, and I shall let thee live. DONALD BLAKE I'm clearly no match for you. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 70. DONALD BLAKE (CONT'D) I'll say anything you wish, tell anyone you defeated Thor, but please, stop the trolls from tearing up the city. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER Thou hath surprised me. Art thou certain thou art Thor? The Thor I knew would die before begging my help, before showing such weakness to an enemy. DONALD BLAKE Humility isn't always a weakness. That's part of what my father sent me here to learn. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER A poor lesson for a father to teach. He's abandoned thee. I pity thee, mortal. Take thy humility, thy woman, and thy cane, and leave my sight. Blake looks to his cane beside him and picks it up. Holding it in his hand, voices come up from his memories. ODIN (V.O.) When you have learned thy lesson and found where I have hidden it, striking Mjolnir on the ground in my name will restore thee. BETA-RAY BILL (V.O.) Nice cane. It made of some kind of stone? ODIN (V.O.) Mjolnir is thine, and so long as thou canst weild it, not even I shall take it from thee. BETA-RAY BILL (V.O.) They call me mad, but I can see things as they really are. DONALD BLAKE (whispered) He never took it from me. It was with me all along. JANE FOSTER Donald, let's just get out of here before he changes his mind. Donald shakes his head. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 71. DONALD BLAKE Not Donald. In Odin's name... Donald slams the cane on the ground as he speaks. In a flurry of effects reminiscent of lightning and storm, Donald Blake changes. THOR I am Thor, God of Thunder. Skurge is shocked, but not scared. His face is grim, and he readies his weapon. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER So it's to be a fair fight after all, is it? THOR We don't have to do this, Skurge. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER Yes we do. Skurge the Executioner is no coward. THOR No, I suppose not. Jane Foster. Thou hast helped me more than words can say. Now, find someplace safe while I do what must be done. Take him with thee. Thor motions to the curator, who is stunned by what just happened more than anything else. Jane quickly moves to pull him out of the room. Skurge and Thor charge each other, Skurge's axe clanging against Thor's hammer with a crash of thunder. We follow Jane and the curator out of the room to INT. MUSEUM - NORSE WING -- DAY We can still hear the sounds of battle as Jane drags the caretaker through the museum. Finally, he's had enough and stops, demanding an explanation. SNOOTY CURATOR What in the blazes is going on? JANE FOSTER I don't have a lot of time to try and convince you. Trolls have invaded the city. You need to find somewhere safe until the crisis is over. SNOOTY CURATOR But... that can't actually be Thor. It doesn't make any sense. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 72. JANE FOSTER I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but after what we've just seen, I'm about ready to believe anything. It's magic. That's what it is. SNOOTY CURATOR No, but... the mythological Thor has red hair, not blonde. Jane gives him a look, stunned that that is where his suspension of disbelief is breaking. JANE FOSTER I guess he dyes it. The curator seems content with that. JANE FOSTER (CONT'D) Now, do you know some place safe? SNOOTY CURATOR The basement used to be a bomb shelter. JANE FOSTER Good. Gather everyone you can in the museum and get them down there. SNOOTY CURATOR What about you? JANE FOSTER I'm a nurse. I have to take care of the wounded. I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of them. INT. MUSEUM - MJOLNIR'S ROOM -- DAY Thor and Skurge are still fighting. Thor is clearly the superior fighter, but Skurge is good too. The room is taking a lot of collateral damage, mostly because whenever Skruge's axe swings through something, be it a curtain or a pillar, it cuts clean through. Only Thor's hammer is immune to the effect. Thor does get the upper hand, knocking Skurge to the ground. Skurge lets go of the axe. THOR Yield. Skurge is resistant, so Thor steps on his neck and raises his hammer. THOR (CONT'D) Yield, Skurge. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 73. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER (bitterly) I yield. THOR Swear to return to Asgard, and harm no mortal on the way. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER I swear it. Thor lets up and picks up the axe. Skurge begins to stand. THOR By right of battle, this belongs to me. Thor raises the weapon, then reverses it, offering it to Skurge. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER I need not thy pity. THOR No pity. Thou hast fought well with it, and I already have a weapon that suits me. This is thine. Skurge takes the weapon hestitantly, suspecting a trick. THOR (CONT'D) Thy vow is to return without harming mortals. It does not apply to trolls thou mayest encounter along the way. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER But that would help thee, and why should I wish that, Thor? THOR Which story wouldst thou rather they tell in Asgard? That Skurge the Executioner fought Thor and lost again, or that he fought bravely to help drive the trolls from Midgaard? SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER (considering) Thou art still my enemy, Thor. THOR And thou art mine. But even enemies may fight on the same side sometimes. When the time comes, we will fight again in Asgard. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 74. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER I will think on it. Skurge steps out of the hole he made in the museum wall. Thor follows, to... EXT. MUSEUM - MJOLNIR'S ROOM -- DAY Even though the museum isn't the focus of most of the damage, it's still a chaotic scene with people running all over. Despite this, Thor and Skurge walk out calmly together. They don't even seem to notice that a police car has pulled out and two officers inside. THOR Dost thou know how many of my enemies have come through? SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER I know not, we were not a united band. A hundred trolls, at least, rushed the bridge. There may have been others behind us. POLICE OFFICER #2 FREEZE! Skurge and Thor both turn, somewhat amused. Skurge continues as though there has been no interruption. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER I will tell thee this, the trolls were told Thor was stuck in a place called Bellevue, but we don't know this land. They've had to ask directions. POLICE OFFICER #2 I said Freeze! Put your hands up, and drop your weapons. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER What is that in his hand? THOR A Midgaard weapon. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER But it's so tiny. What's it for, hunting the ratatosk of Yggdrasil? THOR (to police officers) Enforcers of Midgard's laws, know this, we are not enemies of yours. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 75. POLICE OFFICER #2 Hands up. THOR I am Thor, god of Thunder. POLICE OFFICER #2 I don't care if you're Paris frickin' Hilton, the city's going to hell, so put your hands up or I will shoot. SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER If he attacks, vow or no vow, I will kill him. THOR Does thy axe let thee fly? SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER Flying is for women. THOR Then I'll take us. THOR begins to spin his hammer, holding it in the direction of the police officer, so that when he begins firing, it also serves as a shield. With his free hand, he holds Skurge by the back of his armor. Very quickly, he gets enough speed, and throws the hammer in the air. We cut quickly to a closeup, seeing him let go and immediately grab on again, and the hammer carries him up up and away, while being fired upon. EXT. NEW YORK - SKY -- DAY What follows is a quick, dramatic effects shot. They fly out of range of the cops, and towards areas that trolls are ravaging. We see Thor change direction and zooms down towards them. THOR Hast thou decided on my offer? SKURGE THE EXECUTIONER I'm in the mood to slay something. It might as well be trolls. They are now travelling low and slow enough that Thor just tosses Skurge into a pack of three trolls (who are tearing into a hot dog stand or some other food vendor), much to his surprise. Thor moves on to the air. EXT. BELLEVUE HOSPITAL -- DAY Jane Foster pulls the bike up in front of the hospital. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 76. INT. BELLEVUE HOSPITAL RECEPTION -- DAY Continuing, we see her enter the hospital and rush up to reception. JANE FOSTER Get administration. We need to call for an emergency evacuation of as many patients as we can as quickly as you can. RECEPTIONIST Why? JANE FOSTER You know what's going on? There are monsters loose in the city... and they're coming here. EXT. NEW YORK - TIMES SQUARE -- DAY Thor lands in Times Square, where a troll is tearing through a heavy police response team. They are not doing well, as their weapons are all but useless. They've just launched a spray of tear gas which seems to be doing nothing but obscuring the view. Thor spins his hammer and creates a great wind, blowing the gas away. THOR Stand aside, lawmen. TALL TROLL So it is thee, Thor. THOR It is I. Who told thee where I was? TALL TROLL Only Ulik knows that. I'm glad of thee, Thor. These mortals break too easily. Thou wilt at least give me a challenge. THOR Yes, but who will give a challenge to me? He strikes swiftly and savagely. One troll is really no threat. He turns swiftly to stone. One of the police officers, CAPTAIN STACY, ventures forward. CAPTAIN STACY Is it dead? THOR Yea, and nay. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 77. THOR (CONT'D) Trolls turn to stone when gravely wounded, but unless the stone is smashed they can be revived with the proper magicks. This one should trouble thee no further. CAPTAIN STACY Who are you? THOR I am Thor, lord of Thunder. Mark my words, thy guns cannot penetrate troll hide. Weapons made of cold iron would do better, if thou hath them, or weapons thy soldiers carry. Tell thy kinsmen on the radio. If thou canst not fight them, run. CAPTAIN STACY What about you? THOR I will take as many as I can. I am Asgardian, I can take any troll. A new voice joins the conversation, as it's revealed five new trolls have entered the area. Their leader, a QUICK TROLL speaks. QUICK TROLL Can thou? Then how about five? Thor smiles grimly. THOR Easily. INT. BELLEVUE HOSPITAL RECEPTION -- DAY Security forces are now gathering around RECEPTIONIST You don't understand, I can't just order an evacuation on your say so... Do you realize what's involved, how many patients lives are at risk? We've got more patients coming right now. JANE FOSTER I know, but all of our lives are at risk right now. Any ambulance coming here needs to be diverted to somewhere else. Doctor Simonson appears. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 78. DOCTOR SIMONSON She's telling the truth, they're reporting it now, they seem to be headed right for us. Do it, I'll take the responsibility. EXT. NEW YORK - TIMES SQUARE -- DAY Thor continues to fight. He's even enjoying the struggle. He quickly takes down the next two trolls, leaving one left. The largest leers at him. Thor throws his hammer, but the QUICK TROLL is able to dodge it. He laughs. QUICK TROLL Ha, a miss, so even the mighty Thor cannot... He doesn't get to finish, for we see the hammer turning and flying along its previous path, and smacking into the troll's head along the way. He falls to the ground, but does not turn to stone. Thor looks up at the sound of a strange horn. THOR What's that? INT. BELLEVUE HOSPITAL RECEPTION -- DAY The horn is much louder here. Everybody looks confused. Jane moves to the door and looks out the window. We follow her gaze to.. EXT. BELLEVUE HOSPITAL -- DAY A horde of trolls surround the hospital. EXT. NEW YORK - TIMES SQUARE -- DAY Thor grabs the quick troll, raises the hammer to his face. THOR What is that sound? QUICK TROLL It is one of our commander's horns. They are to blow when we've found thee, or found the place called Bellevue. THOR The hospital. He drops the troll, bashing it once so it turns to stone, and takes to the sky. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 79. EXT. NEW YORK - RAINBOW BRIDGE -- DAY There is now a military perimeter around the opening to the Rainbow Bridge. They're tense, watching behind them as much as towards the bridge, because trolls are still out there. They snap to an even more ready state as the bridge begins to shimmer again, and three men, Odin, Loki, and Balder walk down it. A GENERAL speaks through a loudspeaker. GENERAL This is your only warning. Go back to whereever the hell you came from immediately, or we will open fire. The three Asgardians exchange a look, amused. BALDER Midgaard's changed. Shall we go find our lost Lord of Thunder? He steps forward, and the military embankment open fire. Before they can reach any of the Asgardians, Odin raises a hand and, with a flash of light, time seems to stop for the military. The three walk through the group without any interference. Odin himself raises an arm, and two ravens fly out of the sky to land on it. They make a cawing sound, and the god nods as though he understood. ODIN This way. Loki looks disdainfully at the a military man as he passes an artillary shell frozen in midair. LOKI Foolish mortals. Challenging gods. EXT. BELLEVUE HOSPITAL -- DAY HORN-BLOWING TROLL Come out, Thor. Jane Foster steps out, nervously. Doctor Simonson and the security team follow. JANE FOSTER We don't have anyone named Thor here. Please go away. There are injured people here who mean you no harm. DOCTOR SIMONSON You're making a mistake. Please, we're healers. A LACKEY TROLL tosses a small chunk of concrete at the doctor, hitting his head, and knocking him out. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 80. LACKEY TROLL Ha, my aim is true! The security team raise their weapons uncertainly. Jane motions for them to stop. JANE FOSTER Please. Thor has gone. Just leave us alone. LACKEY TROLL If Thor's not here, Ulik will be angry. HORN-BLOWING TROLL Silence, fool. Ulik says Thor is trapped in the form of a mortal in this hospital. LACKEY TROLL But he could be anyone. How will we know which it is? HORN-BLOWING TROLL We'll just have to kill all of them. (motioning to Jane and Doctor Simonson) Kill them first. THOR (O.S.) I say thee nay. Thor lands, and strikes the HBT with one blow, knocking him down. There are many though, and Thor gets to show off his fighting ability taking out troll after troll. Some of the trolls are armed. During the fight, a troll with a spear throws it and it's deflected towards the hospital. Jane is wounded. Thor notices this quickly, and shouts. THOR (CONT'D) Jane! Enraged, he pushes the nearest trolls off him, and whirls his hammer down into the ground, unleashing a barrage of lightning. The trolls are dead, turning to stone shortly after being hit. He rushes to Jane, who is injured. JANE FOSTER Don.. Don... THOR I'm here, Jane. I must.. A team of doctors who were inside watching come rushing to her side. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 81. ER DOCTOR Sir... sir... THOR Thou hast to.. you have to. No... I know not what to do. As Thor, I'm a warrior, not a surgeon. ER DOCTOR We know what to do. Just back away, sir. We've got this. THOR I must do something, but I know not. ER DOCTOR If you want to do something, keep the monsters away from here so we can help her. They began to medically lift Jane and do what they can to stabilize her condition. Thor strides back to the Trolls, and picks up the horn. THOR Yes, it's time to end this, once and for all. He launches the hammer into the air and follows it. EXT. NEW YORK - CITY STREETS -- DAY We see a series of quick shots showing different people and trolls hearing the call to arms. EXT. CENTRAL PARK - BELVEDERE CASTLE -- DAY Thor stands upon Belvedere castle, blowing the horn. We see a huge number of trolls, perhaps every one in the city, gathering nearby. Thor shouts to the assembled. THOR Where is thy leader? Show thyself! Ulik, I would have words with thee. ULIK Here, Thunder God. THOR My terms are these. Return to Asgard with thy brothers and swear never to return. Harm no one on the way. And tell me who sent you here. For that, you may live. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 82. ULIK You jest, Thor. I have been waiting for this day. For over a thousand years I've plotted my revenge, and it is sweeter than I had imagined. I alone am a match for thee now, and my army would tear thee to pieces on the way. We may live above the surface now. Midgaard is my empire. Beg the Lord of Midgaard for thy life and I will consider it. THOR Nay. Fighting thy army has cost too much already. This ends now. ULIK Thou wilt what? Challenge me to single combat again? Thou might not findest it so easy this time. THOR Nay. No more games. Thor takes to the sky. In a CGI effect, he begins flying in a circle, moving faster and faster, whipping the clouds up into a huge funnel. Finally, we see a vision of Asgard in the sky. Above it, the sun streams out. RANDOM TROLL Nay, the sun of Asgard! The assembled trolls all start to turn to stone. EXT. NEW YORK STREET -- DAY Balder, Odin and Loki look upwards to the vast portal of Asgard in the sky. BALDER Hm. LOKI What? BALDER I can see my hearth from here. Loki looks annoyed, and continues walking. BALDER (CONT'D) Well, that should take care of the trolls, then. ODIN Not all of them. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 83. EXT. CENTRAL PARK - BELVEDERE CASTLE -- DAY Ulik is the only troll who has not turned to stone, although he shields his eyes with his hands. Thor lowers himself to the ground. THOR What sorcery is this? ULIK I'll let thee wonder, while thou rests in Valhalla. THOR Thy arrogance is astounding. Thou hast already lost. He launches his hammer at the ground, provoking another lightening storm. Ulik is once again unharmed. He laughs. ULIK It is not I who have lost. I am immune to all thy magics, and I am far stronger than when last we met. I will rend thee in twain, then reawaken my army, and conquer this land. THOR I say thee nay. Thor charges into battle, which rages for a while and spills out of the park and into the streets, where Ulik throws cars and buses around. Thor flies around and throws his hammer, which always returns to his hand. We also see a helicopter in the air, which attracts Ulik's attention first, and then Thor's. A moment later, a missile fires and hits Ulik almost dead on, flinging him across the street. Thor, who recognized the missile for what it was, got out of the way in time but his attack on Ulik was momentarily halted. EXT. STREETS NEAR CENTRAL PARK -- DAY Ulik spots a subway tunnel entrance. ULIK The insects of Midgaard carry quite the sting, but I tire of fighting insects. Follow me on my domain, or I'll slay every mortal I find. He runs into the subway tunnel. INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - DAY Ulik runs through the tunnels down to the platform, sparking a panic. Thor wades his way through fleeing pedestrians. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 84. Ulik tears right through the turnstyles and even throws a person backwards. Thor catches the person before he slams into the wall and lets him go. Continuing his flight, Ulik jumps onto the track and begins running inside the tunnel. THOR Ulik, halt! ULIK Come, Thor... come to thy Doom, on my terms. INT. SUBWAY TUNNEL - DAY Thor jumps down as well. He walks down the tunnel. THOR Are thou such a coward that thou wouldst dare not face me in the light, even with thy new powers? Ulik's reply marks him down the tunnel a ways. ULIK I had all the advantages when last we fought, Thor, one thousand years ago. Yet my rightful victory away was snatched away. Let's see if thou can do it again. Asgardians aren't used to fighting in tunnels. THOR This isn't an ordinary tunnel, Ulik. As he walks furthur in, he begins spinning his hammer in his hand, leaving slight trails of lighting that provide a dim illumination. There is a rising noise in the background of an approaching train. ULIK Yes, it smells of man. Do men of this world live like trolls? All the more fitting that... what sorcery is this? Ulik turns, looking towards the rapidly approaching lights. ULIK (CONT'D) Come, dragon. I think I'm strong enough for thee too. The train barrels down on Ulik, who pushes his hands out as though to stop it. His strength is incredible, actually able to stop it, although he is pushed backwards in the process and the train is attempting to apply the brakes. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 85. Towards the end of his struggle, Ulik turns to put his back into it, aiming his front towards Thor, and we can see Ulik's belt is glowing slightly. Thor reacts in realization. Finally, the train comes to a complete stop. Ulik turns towards the subway driver and growls. The subway driver panicks and starts for the rear of the train. ULIK (CONT'D) This is a world of strange wonders. Thor rushes Ulik, trying to grab the belt. Ulik's reach is longer and he stops Thor easily, laughing. He throws him, slamming him into the tunnel wall. THOR The belt. That's Asgardian magic. ULIK Thou shalt never lay a hand on it. Thor makes a few more tries, getting beaten back progressively harder each time. Finally, he lies back on the ground, and Ulik walks past him, then reaches down and pulls back a piece of the subway rail, making an impressive weapon. ULIK (CONT'D) So ends Thor. Not even Odin will know thee by thy corpse's mangled face. Thor grabs his hammer, which had fallen beside him. ULIK (CONT'D) I've knocked the wits from thee, Thor. Hast thou forgotten thy hammer cannot hurt me? THOR (weakly) Thou knowest little of this world. ULIK I'll have time to learn. Ulik stands over Thor. THOR I'll teach thee something now. Right now, above us, is a mighty river. If I can't break thee, I'll break the stone. ULIK Thou wouldst not. It would drown thee too. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 86. THOR So be it. With one hand, he throws the hammer, smashing a pipe, which begins spraying Ulik, surprising him and making him look up. The hammer returns to Thor's hand. ULIK No! Thor moves quickly, clearly not as injured as he seemed to be, grabbing Ulik's belt and tearing it off him while he's distracted. Ulik shrinks a little, visibly, as the water tapers off down into a trickle, then looks down. Thor hits him with a mighty blow, knocking him backwards in the direction of the subway platform. Thor looks at the belt as though considering putting it on, then throws it behind him. He stumbles towards the direction of Ulik, clearly still severely injured. ULIK (CONT'D) A dishonorable trick, Asgardian. THOR Thou hast no cause to speak of honor. ULIK Still, I can see thou art weaker than I. I am Ulik, strongest of all the trolls. I wager I can still tear thy neck from thy head, and with no sky above thee there is no thunder at thy command. THOR Then come, Ulik. The fight continues, much more even this time around, but Thor clearly having the upper hand, landing more and more hits and knocking the troll furthur and furthur backward. INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - DAY Soon, the fight has taken the two near the platform again. Ulik is weary and wounded. ULIK Halt, Thor, enough I yield. I will leave Midgaard. Thou hast bested me. THOR That is not enough, coward. I hath told thee what I want in exchange for thy freedom. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 87. ULIK I cannot tell thee, Thor. I made a blood oath. It would mean my death to speak the name. I'd rather be killed in battle. THOR No. Thy quest for revenge may have cost one I hold dear. For that I won't even grant thee an honorable death. I shall drag thee to Asgard and our sorcerors will pull it from thee. Thou wilt live in chains. ULIK I yield. I cannot tell thee what you wish, but if not death, grant me my freedom and I will never return to Midgaard, I swear it. I will not leave the lands of the trolls until Ragnarok itself. THOR Nay. The time is past for deals. ULIK Please thunder god, I yield! Let me do so honorably. Thor pummels Ulik with the hammer repeatedly as he speaks the next line. THOR I say thee nay! Ulik falls. Thor lowers his hammer, exhausted. He is surprised when Odin, Balder, and Loki enter. Loki hops one of the remaining turnstyles, although the others go through the area Ulik destroyed. ODIN Thou hast fought well, my son. THOR Father. BALDER Epics will be written of this, cousin. Loki looks unimpressed as Odin rushes to hug Thor in a manly way. LOKI Yes, well done. That deception in the tunnel showed unusual cleverness. For you, I mean. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 88. LOKI (CONT'D) Still, perhaps you have learned something in your time here. THOR You saw all that transpired? BALDER The lord Odin used his all seeing eye to show us your victory. ODIN I am proud of thee. Ulik was a formidable foe. Odin embraces Thor again. Loki moves past him to the body. We see that he is still breathing, but Loki lays a hand on his chest and whispers something inaudible. Ulik begins to turn to stone. THOR There is more to be done... someone told Ulik and the trolls where to find me, and supplied Ulik with the belt. We can question him in the dungeons of thine palace. LOKI Nay, brother. Perhaps you've forgotten your own strength. Ulik has expired. He is an ex-troll. See, his body has turned to stone. THOR (skeptical) Indeed? LOKI Indeed. We'll bring him back to Asgard and cast the spells to bring him back, but he will remember little of the last year. THOR Then I suppose we shall never know how he learned of me, or where he got the belt. LOKI Perhaps not. I am merely relieved that my warning to you came in time for you to escape. Thor is clearly not buying this, but Loki doesn't care, smiling cheerfully, and conventions of their relationship dictate it not be questioned openly. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 89. THOR I suppose that was thy intent all along? LOKI Of course, brother. I knew you would find a way out if motivated enough. And just in case you failed, I left immediately to tell Odin of your trouble. Not that you needed his help. Have you not always triumphed over adversity? ODIN Indeed. My son, it is clear thou hast proven thy worth, and have learned thy lesson. Thy punishment is over. THOR No, father, thou must return your spell. ODIN Must I? THOR Jane Foster of Earth, she is wounded. And there are others, victims of the troll rampage. I need Blake's knowledge of medicine to aid them. ODIN But thou art Thor, God of Thunder, and these are mortal lives. What concern is this of thine? THOR It is my responsibility. ODIN (nodding) And thou wouldst return to the form of poor, weak, Donald Blake? THOR He can help, where I can not. That is not weakness. ODIN Then thou mayest return. Simply tap thy the hilt of thine hammer on the ground twice. Thor does so. In a flash of light, Donald Blake is there once more, holding his cane. He's in surgical scrubs. He looks up at the three gods beside him. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 90. DONALD BLAKE It really is all true, then... ODIN It is. DONALD BLAKE (noticing it for the first time) The scrubs? ODIN Thou wilt need them where thou art going. Thou hast learned that the life of mortal Donald Blake is worth no less than that of Thor. And so I restore Blake's life, and his reputation. None shall know of Blake's connection to Asgard, nor remember his time in the house of the mad. Thou were a healer were it not for Thor, and so thou shalt be again. DONALD BLAKE Thank you. ODIN Come, let us go where thou art needed. Odin waves a hand, tracing runes in the air again. There is a flash of light, and they are at... INT. HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM - DAY The two appear in a small unused hallway, right off the emergency room where a triage is set up. As he steps out, he's seen by the CHIEF RESIDENT. CHIEF RESIDENT Doctor Blake! Thank goodness you're here, we've been paging you for an hour. DONALD BLAKE It's been a little crazy out there. CHIEF RESIDENT It's been even crazier in here. DONALD BLAKE Do you know what happened to Nurse Foster? I heard she was injured. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 91. CHIEF RESIDENT She's out of surgery, they think she'll be okay, but there's a lot of other people who aren't, so let's help them before you go check on your girlfriend, okay? DONALD BLAKE Right. He moves in to help assess a patient. We see a quick montage of shots of Blake helping out, performing surgery, and then, one of him exhausted, taking off his mask. Next we move to: INT. INTENSIVE CARE - DAY Blake sits in a quiet vigil by Foster's bed. After a few seconds, she stirs, and looks around. DONALD BLAKE Shhh, it's okay Jane, you're all right. JANE FOSTER Where am I? DONALD BLAKE In the hospital. JANE FOSTER So I guess it wasn't a dream then. DONALD BLAKE I'm afraid not. JANE FOSTER Monsters really attacked the hospital? Trolls. DONALD BLAKE They're gone now. JANE FOSTER There was a big guy, with a magic hammer, fighting them. DONALD BLAKE The news has been calling him Thor. JANE FOSTER So I guess this Thor guy's the big hero of the day then. DONALD BLAKE I don't know. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 92. DONALD BLAKE (CONT'D) He had the powers of a god, and he used them to fight the trolls who were after him. But if you ask me, you're the real hero, just an extraordinary person who risked her life to help everyone she could. JANE FOSTER Well, it's all in a day's work. And I always said I wanted a few days off, catch up on my sleep. Next time I'll just call in sick. She begins to drift off again. The door opens, and Doctor Simonson steps in. DOCTOR SIMONSON She is asleep. Blake looks up, surprised to see him. DONALD BLAKE It's the medication. What are you...? DOCTOR SIMONSON I came to say goodbye. DONALD BLAKE Goodbye? DOCTOR SIMONSON My job here is done, I'm returning to Asgard. Blake takes a new look at him. DONALD BLAKE Who are you? DOCTOR SIMONSON You don't think Odin would have let you go through this alone? Or that a doctor would have handed over his keys so casually? It is I, Heimdell, temporarily bound to this mortal, much as you were. DONALD BLAKE Heimdell. So all this time you were lying to me. DOCTOR SIMONSON I follow Odin's law in all things. He bade me not to tell you until you had learned what you needed to learn. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 93. DOCTOR SIMONSON (CONT'D) Now that it is done, I must move on to a new task. DONALD BLAKE What's that? DOCTOR SIMONSON Odin wishes me to guard Bifrost, the rainbow bridge. He erred in sending you here, the treaty is broken, and Midgaard is fair game again. DONALD BLAKE I'm sure you'll guard it well. But... there are other ways to get here from Asgard. DOCTOR SIMONSON Indeed. They may well need a protector here, as well. DONALD BLAKE I will take the responsibility. DOCTOR SIMONSON Odin thought you would. But know this... your exile is ended. You may make Midgaard your home, but nothing stops you from visiting us in Asgard. You know the way. Heimdell looks down at the cane. So does Blake. DONALD BLAKE I do. They shake hands, Asgardian style. He reaches behind him and reveals Ulik's belt. DOCTOR SIMONSON Before I go, a gift. Spoils of battle, really. Odin says it will increase Thor's strength tenfold. Now I take my leave. As Doctor Simonson reaches the door, he looks back at Jane. DOCTOR SIMONSON (CONT'D) She's very comely, for a mortal. I'll spare Sif the heartbreak of telling her you have found another. DONALD BLAKE We're just good friends. (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 94. DOCTOR SIMONSON I know better than that. Be warned, though. You walk in two worlds now, the world of mortals and the world of Gods. One day you may find you must choose only one, or face belonging to neither. I wish you luck. May next we meet in Asgard. CREDITS ROLL EXT. MANHATTAN NEWSTAND - DAY Passerbys are looking at the paper, which reads, "MODERN DAY NORSE GOD?" and discussing it. In particular we focus on two lawyers. LAWYER #1 I don't know, if you ask me, the guy's a big scam. The whole thing was a hoax. LAWYER #2 No way, I saw one of those monsters. They weren't a hoax. If this is the guy that stopped them, he's a hero. They pass by Loki, who is running a game of three-card monte to little interest. LOKI Your friend there's right. The man's no hero. You think it's a coincidence he and the trolls shows up at the exact same time? LAWYER #2 What are you saying, he set them up? LOKI I'm not saying anything, I'm just pointing out the facts. I don't think it matters. Thor won't be with us very long. LAWYER #1 What makes you say that? LOKI Just a hunch. Behind every great villain, there's a hero plotting to take him down. And vice versa. So either way, he'll be gone before too long, mark my words. (MORE) (CONTINUED) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 95. LOKI (CONT'D) (brightly) So, what do you say gentlemen, pick a card, pick a card, just keep an eye on the queen. LAWYER #1 Oh, come on. That's one of the oldest scams in the book. LOKI Well, what can I say? I'm a sucker for the classics.