For Thor, it was already surprising that Baldr had been adopted by Odin and Frigga—but for Josh and Loki, it was equally unexpected.
Though Earth's myths spoke of Baldr, and even other parallel universes had versions of him (A/N: in the comics, and early drafts of Doctor Strange 2, though deleted), Josh and Loki were certain that in this universe, Asgard had never had a God of Light.
At first, they only thought of Baldr as a promising child—someone they could train into a strong subordinate—and didn't pay him much mind.
But unexpectedly, when Loki had brought Baldr back to Asgard once and Frigga saw him by chance, things took an unforeseen turn.
Baldr's perfect, untainted appearance and pure personality—before he ever turned dark—had a surprisingly strong effect on older women. Especially someone like Frigga, who had grown somewhat lonely.
Although Frigga had two children, Thor and Loki, they were both centuries-old adults, often busy managing the Nine Realms or participating in battles. Much of their friendship with the Three Warriors and Sif had been forged in those duties. Even when back in Asgard, they mostly lived their own lives and didn't revolve around their mother.
With Loki "married off" and Thor exiled, it became even harder for Frigga to see her children regularly, leaving a small gap in her motherly instincts. Normally, that gap would be impossible to fill—but Baldr was an exception.
Perhaps fate played a hand; the moment Frigga saw Baldr, she felt an unexplainable closeness. Somehow, she decided to adopt him.
Odin didn't oppose the idea, though he didn't explicitly support it either. And Thor, exiled at the time, clearly had no say.
Thus, Asgard gained a third prince.
For Josh and Loki, this was ultimately a good thing, so they didn't worry much about it.
Meanwhile, Che Guevara, though gravely injured, had only suffered physical trauma and significant blood loss. For Asgardian medical technology, it was trivial. Within a day, he fully recovered.
"All right, your human friend is healed. Time to send him back to Earth!" Odin said as he entered the healing chamber, his first words immediately shooing Che away.
"He's my friend!" Thor protested, displeased at Odin's abrupt dismissal.
"This is precisely why I allowed him to be treated here in the first place," Odin replied. "He's just a mortal—he shouldn't tread the halls of Asgard, just as some dishes aren't fit for the table." (TL/N: The idiom "dishes aren't fit for the table" is a figurative way of saying that something is unsuitable, unacceptable, or unworthy of attention or presentation)
"…Excuse me? Who are you?" Che Guevara was a little annoyed. On Earth, he was no ordinary person—he was a big deal.
"I am Odin, the AllFather!" Odin said firmly.
Che Guevara fell silent… Alright, fine, you're the king of the gods, you win.
"Earth is still a mortal realm!" Thor snapped. Loki can marry into a mortal kingdom, Asgard can ally with Austria—why can't I bring a mortal friend to Asgard for a visit?
"But their royal family is not mortal. It seems that over this past year of exile, you haven't fully realized your mistake!" Odin's gaze pierced him.
Thor immediately fell silent.
"Uh… Thor, just send me back to Earth. You know, our mission isn't finished. I need to get back as soon as possible!" Seeing the tension, Che Guevara spoke up.
As a friend, he clearly didn't want Thor to fall into family conflict because of him. Besides, he had already survived a near-death experience thanks to Thor—visiting Asgard was already an unexpected bonus. What more could he ask for?
"…You're right. Our mission isn't finished. I'll go back with you!" Thor said, glancing at Odin, decisively helping Che to leave.
"What do you mean by that?" Odin frowned.
"If we're not welcome here, then why should I stay?" Thor said coldly, meaning he intended to return to Earth with Che.
"Don't you know a god cannot interfere in mortal wars? Or are you planning to be exiled again?" Odin looked at his eldest son with disappointment.
"Thor, listen to your father… think carefully. If you intervene as the God of Thunder in mortal conflicts, what will the Kahn family think?" Frigga said, gently holding Thor's hand, her last words whispered so only he could hear.
Thor fell silent.
True—when he joined Che Guevara's cause as a mortal exile, it was fine. But if he acted as the God of Thunder, the consequences would be entirely different. He wasn't stupid; he'd already gotten into trouble with Josh Kahn once, and he wasn't about to repeat that mistake.
"Thor, our mission belongs to us humans. With your current status, you really shouldn't get involved. But don't worry—we won't forget your friendship!" Che Guevara added, persuading Thor as well.
"Phew… I understand. I'll send you back," Thor exhaled heavily, nodding to his mother to show he understood, then addressed Che. He completely ignored Odin.
From his words, it was clear he had abandoned the idea of returning to Earth as the God of Thunder.
Frigga and Che both breathed a sigh of relief. At least the boy hadn't been completely stubborn.
But only Thor knew the truth—this was the first time he had ever felt resentment toward his "Godly" status.
Being a god… it really felt frustrating. What was the point of it all?
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