Stormbreaker is slowly being forced into Thor’s chest as the battle rages around all around them. A battle the Avengers hadn’t anticipated but can’t afford to lose. Thanos’s new plan to remake the universe itself is more horrible for the heroes to comprehend than wiping out half of all life.

Steve Rogers looks around desperately, his shield broken and useless. He spots Mjolnir laying in the dirt. Yes! The hammer had responded to him at that party so long ago. Before everything started going to shit. He had pretended he couldn’t move Mjolnir for Thor’s sake. With a flicker of hope in his heart, he reaches out his hand, willing the hammer to come to him as he’d seen Thor do a thousand times.

It twitches then sits unmoving. Thor sees him, realizes what he is trying to do, and what isn’t happening. His confusion doesn’t last long as Thanos finally forces the axe blade through his heart. Not even an Asgardian can survive such a grievous wound.

Steve watches in despair as the god died. Why didn’t it work?! It should have worked!

When Thanos discards Thor’s body and is subsequently engaged by an enraged Valkyrie, Steve stumbles toward the hammer. Praying to God, to every god he can think of, he wraps his hand around the handle and pulls. Mjolnir refuses to budge.

With Thor dead and Captain America weaponless, the battle progresses badly even with magical and Wakandan reinforcements. Thanos acquires the improvised Infinity Gauntlet and with it the stones.

Tony charges him and slams into the giant’s shoulder. He has a plan. It’ll certainly kill him, but he doesn’t care. Just get the damn stones, Tony thinks. For Pepper and Morgan. Unfortunately Thanos is in much better condition than he might otherwise have been if Rogers had been wielding Mjolnir. The Titan flings Tony away as he reaches desperately for the gauntlet, his fingers a hair's breadth away. Iron Man watches helplessly as Thanos wastes no more time and raises his hand, the Infinity Stones still in his possession.

He snaps.

In the new universe, the one that doesn’t know what it lost, tales of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes live on in the writings of a human man known as Stan Lee. Thanos is not concerned. As far as the humans know, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and even he are just fictional characters in fictional movies based on fictional comic book stories. Still, he is glad Tony Stark is remembered in some capacity. He was serious when he said the human man had his respect, even if it wasn’t exactly he that said it. The recorded memories of the other Nebula had been fascinating to watch, and he agrees with his other self’s assessment of Stark as the battle on Titan had ended.

The Mad Titan smiles at the sun rising over his garden. He may be alone, but he is alive and has fulfilled his purpose. The earthlings had put up more of a fight than he ever anticipated, and Thanos does not fault them for that. He does not even fault them for losing despite their efforts.

After all, he is inevitable.