
Odin arrives and intervenes to save the warriors, apologizing to Laufey for the intrusion and attempting to reinstate peace, but Laufey states that they are beyond reason, that the Frost Giants are now at war with Asgard. Thor kills the beast but once again the team is surrounded and things look desperate. Laufey releases a Frost Beast and the Asgardians retreat to the Bifrost. Odin tries and fails to make peace with Laufey

During the battle, Loki experiences an unusual reaction when he is touched by a Frost Giant. However, Thor reacts brashly to a Frost Giant's insult and a battle starts. Loki manages to persuade his brother into accepting the offer and they prepare to depart. More Frost Giants surround the six as Laufey allows them the chance to leave peacefully. They confront Laufey who taunts the Asgardian warriors. Heimdall allows them to pass and the six are transported to the Frost Giants' domain, Jotunheim, a frozen, crumbling wasteland. Thor gathers Loki and his close friends, Volstagg, Fandral, Hogun, and Sif, and they ride out to the Bifrost Bridge. Examining the remains, Odin seems calm, yet Thor is angry and wants to attack. However, the Destroyer appears and stops the intruders from reattaining the casket, killing all three. Three Frost Giants infiltrate the secure rooms that hold the Casket. Before Odin can follow through with the proclamation, he senses the presence of intruders. Thor, now an adult, prepares for a ceremony where he would be formally recognized as crown prince. Odin says both of them are worthy but only one can be king of Asgard. Sometime later, Odin is talking to his two sons, energetic Thor and a more thoughtful Loki. The Asgardians win, take possession of the powerful Casket of Ancient Winters, and return to their realm. In 965 B.C., Odin describes a battle in Jotunheim between the Frost Giants and Asgardians, the Jotuns use the Casket of Ancient Winters to use the cold of that winter to freeze and kill innocent people, and later the Asgardians come to the rescue. They find a man, a well-built blond, semi-conscious. The van hits a man from inside the maelstrom and they stop. Suddenly a large tornado/lightning storm develops and they drive towards it to investigate. Two physicists, Jane Foster and Erik Selvig, and Darcy Lewis, an intern, are in the New Mexico desert, working from the van while conducting research on an aurora-borealis-type phenomenon. While Loki, Thor's brother, plots mischief in Asgard, Thor, now stripped of his powers, faces his greatest threat.
As punishment, Odin banishes Thor to Earth. However, on the day that he is to be crowned, Thor reacts with brutality when the gods' enemies, the Frost Giants, enter the palace in violation of their treaty.

As the son of Odin, king of the Norse gods, Thor will soon inherit the throne of Asgard from his aging father.
