Iron Man emerges from the molten Uru of Svartalfheim with an Asgardian-reinforced armor ready to stand up to the Serpent. Thor says to say his goodbyes and ready himself to depart. Splitlip reveals the two Smoke Elves that tried to kill Tony and hands him a blade to kill them. Tony sees the fear and hatred bubbling up into the dwarves, turning into a lynch mob, and he tells them that they can't kill like this, that it's a losing proposition for them and they should release the smoke elves. Tony, still a little bit wasted from all his drinking, sees the situation going out of his control, so he armors up and commands the dwarves to get back to work. He punches the glass bubble holding the Smoke Elves and releases them. In his little way, he held the line against the Serpent in the dwarves factory. Later, Splitlip approaches Tony and tells him that he's also got a drinking problem that has him contemplating suicide. He asks for his help. Tony tells him the only way he can help is if he returns to Midgard with him, assuming they survive the battle against the Serpent. Meanwhile, Pepper is held by Mokk, and though she tries to resist opening her eyes, eventually the sweat reachings her eyelids and she can't resist the impulse to open them. Miraculously, Mokk is called away by the Serpent at that exact moment to join him. He tosses her aside, but as he readies himself to fly away, she uses her repulsor powers to try and keep him bound to the ground. Mokk dismissively turns toward her and breaks free of her grasp while also not turning her to stone, leading Pepper to ruminate on the fact that he wanted to send her a message that she's outclassed and an amateur. She comes across some rescue workers sifting through the rubble and having just found the ravaged armor of Detroit Steel and his petrified body. She gets a ride back to the US on the United Nations plane. Carson Wyche tells her the Justine Hammer is sending out images of her crying in her Rescue armor, using footage obviously garnered by a mole in the Resilient organization, seeking to undermine Stark's company. Once again, she feels outclassed by her opponents. Iron Man and Thor walk through the portal to rejoin their Avengers comrades in New York City.