Back in Asgard, Thor had thought carefully about the three major turning points in his power that lay ahead.
The first opportunity was in his "fat Thor" state during the final battle. Despite being at a disadvantage, he had reached a new level of strength and could hold his own, however briefly, against Thanos. Thor suspected this strength boost was linked to his becoming King of Asgard, with power growth similar to Hela's. Normally, this power would take decades to fully awaken. Thor knew he couldn't wait until the last battle in Wakanda, so he'd need to unlock this power sooner by completing system tasks.
The second turning point was the forging of Stormbreaker, the axe capable of countering the Infinity Stones' power and defeating Thanos. In the original timeline, Stormbreaker had been crucial in taking down Thanos. While he could forge an axe at any time, doing so required exposure to the extreme heat of a neutron star—a feat his body wasn't yet capable of withstanding.
Finally, there was the true Awakening of Thunder. Though he bore the title "God of Thunder," much of his power still relied on Mjolnir. As seen in his previous battle against Yon-Rogg, without his hammer, Thor was reduced to the level of a high-ranking soldier, barely able to hold his own. While he could always summon Mjolnir back, he worried about what would happen if it was lost or failed to return.
After observing Carol, Thor noticed that her power situation was remarkably similar to his. Her strength was within her, yet difficult to control without an external tool—the chip on her neck, much like Thor's reliance on Mjolnir. So, Thor deliberately showcased his strength, allowing himself to be captured in hopes that the Supreme Intelligence's pressure might force his true power to awaken. Like Carol, he succeeded.
Feeling the immense power surging through him, Thor sensed that each movement now held the potential to unleash catastrophic force.
Minn-Erva's eyes widened in shock. She shouted, "Quick, shoot him! Take him down!"
But Thor was already one step ahead. Blue lightning erupted from his hand, spreading across the floor, incinerating every soldier in its path in seconds.
Minn-Erva dove for cover, narrowly avoiding a thunderbolt, and raised her sniper rifle, shaking with disbelief. Before she could pull the trigger, she heard a sharp "click"—the gun had jammed, its circuits fried by the surrounding energy. A jolt of electricity ran through her body, paralyzing her.
Unbothered, Thor picked up Minn-Erva and strode toward the Skrulls. Any Kree soldiers who attempted to block his way were immediately reduced to ashes by the crackling lightning surrounding him.
Meanwhile, Carol handed the Tesseract to Nick Fury, then turned to confront the Starforce just as Thor arrived.
"You planned this, didn't you?" Carol said with a smirk, observing Thor in his thunderous, transformed state.
"Nope. Almost got taken down," Thor replied, quickly deflecting. He added with a grin, "How do you feel, Captain?"
"Pretty good, Mr. Sparkles," Carol shot back, rolling her eyes. She then looked toward Yon-Rogg and his crew, who had surrounded them. "Here's the deal: you can have either the Tesseract or your teammate." She gestured toward Minn-Erva. "Your choice."
Yon-Rogg's expression darkened. "Your humor isn't amusing." He turned to his crew. "If she dies for the Kree Empire, that's an honor. Now, kill them both!"
The Starforce charged, but against the combined power of Carol and Thor, they were swiftly overpowered. Realizing the Tesseract was gone,taken by other, Yon-Rogg abandoned his team and flee, piloting a fighter in pursuit of the ship carrying the Tesseract.
Carol took off after him alone, while Thor escorted Minn-Erva to another spaceship. He still couldn't fly on his own.
Once on board, Thor couldn't resist taunting Minn-Erva. "You realize I just saved your life, don't you?"
Minn-Erva scowled, saying nothing. She was seething, not only at Thor but at Carol as well. If it weren't for Carol, she would never have been sent to this miserable, backward planet, let alone captured by this smug thunder god.
Thor ignored her glare. There weren't many good Kree among the Starforce, but Minn-Erva's East-Asian resemblance had piqued his interest enough to keep her alive. His focus shifted as he narrowed his eyes, concentrating.
In the vast silence of space, there was no sound, but the brilliance of light caught Minn-Erva's attention. She looked out the window and saw a massive lightning bolt, over ten meters wide, crashing down on the kree battleship. The battleship shattered under the tremendous force, breaking apart into countless fragments.