Some years ago:
The prison Ryker’s Island, where several members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants – Avalanche, Destiny and Pyro - are having lunch. Destiny suddenly stumbles. She tells her comrades the future suddenly became unclear… the disturbance is centered around Rogue.
Avalanche doesn’t understand. She already ran the future past them. They’ll get sprung! The plan works! Destiny explains she deals in probabilities but the paths to the future can easily diverge at critical moments. One of these moments has been reached.
Destiny’s vision:
Rogue is battling some Avengers. She absorbs the power of Thor while Spider-Woman blasts her, trying to interrupt the transfer. But Rogue hardly feels the blast. Rogue announces she’s absorbed the power of Ms. Marvel and Captain America and now those of Thor. She only made contact for a minute and yet feels she could take on the world! Greedily, she wants it all and keeps up the contact.
More Avengers attack. Rogue sees the Vision coming and figures he’s reduced his density. She has two choices: use Thor as a chisel or drain more power. She goes for option two. Vision’s attack doesn’t hurt.
Rogue tries to control the transfer in order for it to not become permanent. But something goes wrong and she screams. She slams the Vison away so hard he is destroyed.
She booms: “Does though not realize what ah am now?” Her speech has become a mix of her own and Thor’s.
Hawkeye realizes that, unlike Thor, she doesn’t restrain herself as she hits Wonder Man with all her strength so he flies through a van. She tosses the van on him, announcing none of them stand a chance.
Spider-Woman, Beast and Jocasta attack next. Rogue orders Beast to cease his prattling tongue and hits him. Hawkeye tells Spider-Woman to keep her busy but Rogue slams the ground. The debris of a falling building buries them.
As Jocasta blasts her, Rogue asks if there is no end to their diversity. Jocasta announces she was to be the bride of Ultron. Slamming through her torso, Rogue snorts, right, honey. Like she cares!
Holding Jocasta’s body up, she announces that she beat Earth’s mightiest heroes. With the power, she can do anything! Her eyes stop glowing red as she screams what is happening to her. The transfer happened too fast! Something went wrong. She tells herself to remember the plan. Mystique should have immobilized Iron Man by now. She’ll be heading for Ryker’s. She’s supposed to be there. She tries to grab Mjolnir.
As Wonder Man gets up, he can’t believe the sight of Rogue being able to lift Thor’s hammer. She shouldn’t be able to do that! It’s enchanted! Holding onto the hammer, Rogue flies away.
They take the comatose Thor to Avengers Mansion and ask the Fantastic Four for help. As Mr. Fantastic tests him with Beast’s help, Spider-Man asks if they shouldn’t do something. They should be looking for Rogue.
Mr. Fantastic agrees but points out first they have to have a clearer idea of exactly what they are up against. They know little or nothing about her except that she single-handedly decimated the ranks of the Avengers. Even with the added might of the Fantastic Four, prudence is called for.
Spider-Woman agrees reluctantly and asks the Invisible Girl about how the Scarlet Witch is faring. Sue explains she is in deep shock after the death of her husband, the Vision. Wonder Man muses: Vision, Hawkeye, Jocasta…. He still can’t believe it himself. It’s going to be hard for any of the heroes to bounce back. They’ll have to, Reed replies grimly. This is the gravest situation they have faced. There’s nothing left of Thor at all. This is a husk. As impossible as that sounds, that woman is now Thor!
Asgard trembles in sympathy to the grief of the All-father who has lost his son. Sif begs Odin to still his outburst lest all of Asgard fall into ruin. She asks if he can take back what the woman has stolen. At the very least, reclaim sacred Mjolnir…
He admits he cannot. Some aspect of her biology keeps him from doing so. Even the enchantments placed on Mjolnir seem to have been negated, for only one truly worthy of such power should have been able to lift it. He turns to Sif, the Warriors Three and Balder whom he has summoned and admits he finds himself at a loss.
Balder the Brave points out their foremost duty is to Midgard. Such power unchecked on such a fragile world can only mean disaster. Odin agrees and orders them to Midgard. If there is no other option, they are to give Thor release.
Outside the great hall, Loki eavesdrops and sees a delightful opportunity…
In the meantime, Mystique and Rogue have freed the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. They fly away from Ryker’s Island in a jet. Blob gloats and praises Mystique for the way she tricked Iron Man, using him as a kind of human bomb to break them out. He leers at Rogue’s new outfit, remarking their little girl grew up.
Mystique sharply orders him to shut up. Silently, she worries about her foster daughter. She senses an unsettling change in Rogue.
Ignoring her, Blob touches Rogue’s shoulder. Destiny gets a precognitive flash and tells Mystique to land the plane. But it’s too late. Rogue hits Blob out of the plane. Pyro fears she has turned traitor and attacks with his flames, setting fire to the fuel and the plane explodes.
Rogue is the only survivor, horrified at what she has unwittingly caused. As she grieves for them, especially her foster mother Mystique, a gentle voice addresses her. Loki introduces himself as a relation after a fashion and tells Rogue her life as a mortal is done. He asks her to come with him and he will show her her true destiny among the gods. Rogue takes his hand and they disappear.
Asleep in a chamber in Loki’s castle, Rogue suffers from nightmares, adrift in a sea of Thor’s memories.
Loki awakes her, calling her sister. He tells her it is time to take back what is rightfully theirs. She asks him to tell her again of the gods and how jealous of his and her power they cast them out of Asgard, her to Earth, and him to this wilderness. She can’t seem to--
Smoothly, he assures her he understands her confusion, given her unexpected transformation. But once they have reclaimed what is rightfully theirs, this will pass. They will rule Asgard side by side and all will be made clear. He leaves and tells her to get dressed. Their army is almost assembled. They march on Asgard at dawn.
Loki turns away and grins. Like one drowning, Rogue clings to his lies and half-truths, desperate to believe. In just a few short days, he has become all to her. Whereas she is but a puppet to be used and discarded.
Rogue wonders what is happening to her. All her life, she managed to keep her own identity, even when Ms. Marvel nearly overwhelmed her mental defenses. But now it’s like she’s under siege. At least in Loki’s plans there’s a safety; a refuge from the commanding voice that gets louder every day.
Thor’s friends in the meantime have left for Earth and find the place where the plane crashed. They learn from the newspaper that Rogue left with a man according to witnesses, though none can recall a single detail more. Sif wonders if sorcery plays a role and who is behind this. Where are they? Good question, a newcomer remarks and suggests they find out together.
Some hours later, Loki and Rogue, followed by a demon army, attack Asgard. Rogue’s hammers causes mayhem among the guards and they are shocked to see her wield the hammer of Thor.
One of the demons triumphs in anticipation, only to have his triumph turn sour when Earth’s heroes (the FF and Avengers) attack, having joined Thor’s friends.
Loki is concerned to see Rogue about to confront Thor’s old friends, especially Sif and Balder
Rogue whirls Mjolnir and chases the attacking heroes away. She grabs the one next to her, Balder, and hesitates when she sees him. Loki takes her away. Balder ponders whether Thor is truly lost to them, after all.
Loki teleports the two of them into Asgard’s great hall. So, it has come to this, Odin remarks sadly. One son twisted by his lust for power, the other gone, consumed by the fake vessel before him. Heavy is his heart, for he has lost everything a father holds dear.
Loki urges Rogue not to listen. Odin is their enemy! As cunning as he is lethal. He orders her to kill Odin before he kills them. Odin urges her on. He is dead inside, eaten by grief.
Rogue raises up the hammer but finds she cannot. She wants to believe Loki but this is no monstrous tyrant. All she sees is a father grieving for his child. All she sees is love such as she has never had. She’s destroyed Odin’s life, as she’s destroyed Thor’s life and Ms. Marvel’s. All she touches turns to dust. She never wanted this. All she wanted was a life of her own!
She dreams. And in her head the consciousness of Thor tells her to embrace what she has been given. Rogue finally realizes it was his voice she heard. He agrees. Mayhaps now she’lI listen. Her soul is in torment. She has sought to fill it ceaselessly with a procession of stolen thoughts and lives. She has been living everyone’s life but her own. But she can accept the mantle she inherited. Thor is not simply a person but an ideal, an example for others to follow. It is her destiny to be that ideal. To be Thor.
He offers his hand. What if she is not up to it? She asks. He tells her Mjolnir was certain from the first moment they touched. She takes his hand.
And in reality, Loki notices her bearing has changed. She seems to be acting like Thor. He tries to kill Odin himself, but Rogue stops him. She hits him, telling him it’s over, for she is Thor. Odin steps up next to her and touches her shoulder.
Very soon, Rogue joins the armies of Asgard and heroes of Earth fighting the demons and inspires the warriors. Odin’s heart soars. He has lost a son but gained a daughter. And so Rogue continues her life as Thor on Earth and in Asgard.
End of vision
Ryker’s Island:
Destiny’s vision has ended, the moment has passed. The plan will proceed as planned, she tells her teammates. Silently, she mourns for Rogue. In that future she would have found a happiness she fears will be forever denied to her…
