A few days ago, an emerald cloud flew through the cosmos in the distance. It was hundreds of butterflies fluttering together. The swarm of butterflies arrived at a large planet with white and orange clouds. A dry and water-scarce planet: Magnatino's Tear.
The butterflies landed on the yellowish earth and begin to materialize into a figure: Thanos, with the Reality Stone in his hand. He saw the golden horizon of the planet. From there he knew that this would be the perfect place to protect the Stone and have his well-deserved rest, or at least for a while.
Two weeks later, Thanos was living peacefully in a small hut that he created with the Stone. Trees, streams and crops had sprung from the barren land. His wounds had healed and he was living the country life.
He was preparing a little broth when suddenly someone knocked on the door: TAN1N, who was searching for the Stone with his radar. Thanos put the relic in his pocket. He could tell it was an invader by the way he was sniffing around the house, looking for the Stone.
Thanos struck the first blow, throwing his leg out to kick it. But the android hit him with the palm of his hand, so that the hitman's leg bounced back, throwing him into a pile of trash.
The Stone fell to the ground and TAN1N didn't hesitate to grab it. He turned and walked out the door. Thanos quickly got up and lunged at the android. He unloaded a swift, deft and deadly blow. The Mad Titan lifted the android up and ripped his arm off. As it fell to the ground, Thanos continued to kick the robot's torso. TAN1N used the Stone in his other hand and turned Thanos to stone.
A few hours later, Thanos lay on the floor. He was unconscious for quite some time, but when he awoke, there was nothing. No trees, no streams, no his hut. There was only one device on the floor: the TAN1N radar, tracking the Reality Stone. Thanos picked up the radar and glared furiously at where his device indicated. His search had just begun.
In the present, at the Wakandan Base...
At night (after Parker's successful trip) T'Challa and Nova were in a training room. A Dojo-like room with a cactus in the center. The next day he was going to make the multiversal journey and the boys had to get ready.
Sam was taking cautious aim with his Blaster; he had the cactus in his sights. Meanwhile, T'Challa was sitting in a wicker chair, eating a plate of Escamoles. The king complimented Sam on the deliciousness of the meal.
-Thank you, the secret is in the salt. Although I missed a pinch of Azaroth's tongue, Elftrich's saliva and Nodens' nails. I guess those ingredients are not found in this world," said Nova, while still failing to hit the cactus.
-You're overloading," said T'Challa.
-Eh-
-You overload... You think too much," he continued, "I clear my mind and all my senses are focused on one specific point.
- And how do you do that? -
-Like a needle through water.
- Like a needle through water," Sam questioned. T'Challa sighed:
-Are you sure you're ready for this mission?
-Why does everyone ask that?
You lost your father, half your people, your home. Are you sure you have the strength to go on?
-Literally, that's the only purpose I have left; to keep going," Sam replied.
T'Challa confessed to him that he feels bad about distancing himself from Shuri.
Sam advises T'Challa to write a letter of apology to Shuri and he offers to help him. He told her that when he went to Camp Nova, he learned to write dozens of interplanetary languages, among them were Earth Spanish, Earth English and Earth Wakandan.
T'Challa refuses as he admits he doesn't know how to write what he feels but Sam tells him he should write from the heart but he needs style, and he will help him with that... That same night, T'Challa had time to think and write a draft of the letter which Sam would later proofread.
-Okay, this time I'll do it," Sam proposed to himself. He raised his arm and pointed at the cactus again.
-Like a needle through water," he whispered. He took a breath. He fired. And his shot managed to barely graze the cactus. Sam was glad for that despite missing. T'Challa bumped his fist to congratulate him.
Meanwhile, Spidy and Daredevil were on the roof of the Base, admiring the stars. Peter began to look a little confused:
-Wait, how can you look at the stars if you're blind, Kenshi?
-I just see black space... It helps me focus," Matt replied.
-I wish it would help me..." Peter confessed to him that he is afraid.
Peter confessed to him that he is afraid for tomorrow's mission because he feels that if it goes wrong, he could lose everything. Daredevil tells him a Japanese tale that his friend Iron Fist had told him:
In the time of Feudal Japan, a lone Samurai walked a desolate desert. He walked for five days without water, without food. The heat reached 38°. It was certain that he would die soon. Except for one thing, the Samurai decided not to die like that.
When he finally reached a spring, a group from the invading army ambushed him and began to attack him ferociously. There were 15 men fighting against a single unsuspecting Samurai.
Although he could not hold out any longer, he fought with honor to the end. The Samurai managed to defeat each and every one of the evildoers who wanted to invade his village and, at the same time, gave them time to prepare and fight the next attack of the invading army.
Thanks to this act of bravery, his people were able to win the war. For his honor and sacrifice he was remembered throughout history and his lineage.
-But he wasn't afraid to fight them all," replied the arachnid.
-Who said he wasn't afraid?" said Daredevil, "If you're not afraid of all that, you're not alive." Peter turned to stare at him, confused.
-Listen, kid. You don't get rid of fear... It's like nature, you don't overcome it, you don't run away from it; but if you resist it, you'll know what you're capable of.
-But a brave man can't be afraid...
-Fear is the only time when he can prove himself to be so.
-Wow, I didn't know you were so wise, Kenshi," replied the spider.
The day arrived and the heroes prepared. Frank already had War Machine's armor, fully repaired and a bit stylized with a big white skull on his chest.
Spider-Man was sporting the Iron Spider with Wakandan touches. Drax sharpening his knives; he hands one to Mantis to defend himself. Falcon readying his wings and Bucky shaving his beard and cutting his hair.
T'Challa appeared and said there was going to be a change in the team lineup. Originally, he would be traveling with Drax, but the king tells Shuri that he's counting on her to watch his back and they will travel together the brothers. Drax joins the team of Mantis and Punisher.
Bucky gave a motivational speech to bring them together:
"We lost friends, family, everything. This is the chance to get it all back.
You have your teams and your missions. Get the Stones and bring them back, whatever it takes. Protect each other. We have little time, let's not make mistakes because there won't be another try.
Remember we are going to a place we don't know what awaits us and it may be a completely different place than ours. This is the fight of our lives. It's time to avenge the Avengers."
The machine turns on. All the teams cross their respective portals. Multiversal travel began...
The first to cross the portal were Mantis, Punisher and Drax, who were on their way in search of the Space Stone. But clearly, they were unaware of the fate that awaited them.
When they emerged from the portal, they found themselves in a place they already knew: The Sanctum Sanctorum. But the whole place was in disarray; with fallen and smashed furniture; burned walls and frozen floors.
Punisher felt a heat wave near them but there was no sign of the Stone in the device. A figure floated up behind them. A cloaked silhouette; it looked like the Sorcerer Supreme.
-Strange! What are you doing here?" asked Drax.
-Strange? Who's Strange?" said the silhouette. The boys shared a look of confusion.
-I am Doctor Antony Stark; The Sorcerer Supreme. He is the holder of the Time Stone in this Reality. Stark quickly realizes that they were not from his Universe, nor did they present a danger to him.
"What brings you to this Universe, travelers?" The boys informed him of their search for an Infinity Stone that appeared a few weeks ago there.
After thinking about it for a few seconds, Stark remembered where the Space Stone, found a few days ago, was located. He asked the boys to accompany him; a little suspiciously, they followed him.
The Sorcerer opened a large closet at the end of the corridor. A wind blew and a purple light blurred their gazes. The boys stepped inside and, in the blink of an eye, entered a completely different world beyond time: the Shadow Dimension.
The Shadow Dimension is a realm with a great deal unexplored because of its immense expanse. It is a dark void with thin lights of colors unimaginable to the human eye.
Mantis found a large toad beast, almost 20 meters long, fat and rough. He found it fascinating and began to pet it. It was missing an eye and its leash had the name "Fury."
Doctor Stark explained to them that a few weeks ago the Space Stone suddenly appeared in Sanctuary. But a very powerful villain learned of its existence and invaded the Sanctum Sanctorum to get it. That's why there was so much chaos and destruction there.
- A madman stole the Space Stone from your own home. So where do we find him," asked the Punisher.
-Stark pointed to a rocky castle on the horizon. The Punisher's radar indicated that the Stone was indeed in that direction-I'll lead the way.
-Why are you offering to help us, Mr. Wizard?" asked Drax.
-Well, let's say I have a little problem with that guy. He has in his possession the most powerful relics in the Universe and they must be destroyed," answered the Sorcerer. The others asked him what these objects were.
-The Ten Rings of the Mandarin," he answered.
-And how do we get in then? asked the Punisher.
-I have an idea! And Fury could help us," suggested Mantis.
Moments later, the boys had already devised a plan to enter the Lair. Drax and Fury the Toad were slowly approaching the castle, where armed guards were waiting for them.
Drax hands Fury over to the guards and tells them he will serve the Mandarin for his collection. The guards accepted the beast and took it inside the castle; Drax accompanied them.
They locked Fury inside a glass cell while Drax watched from outside. There were hundreds of other species of living creatures and relics around him.
The big one-eyed toad let out a burp so powerful that it threw Stark, Punisher and Mantis, who were hiding in there to enter the Lair, from inside. Drax took care of the Guardsmen in the area while the heroes escape from the cell.
The group splits up:
Mantis manages to lull the guards to sleep and scours the facility alongside Fury. Searching for the Space Stone, he comes across several relics in the Collection; such as Thor's Hammer or even alternate versions imprisoned as a version of Thanos; skinny and weak in one of the cells.
Meanwhile, Punisher, Drax and Stark head off to confront the Mandarin and obtain the rings. When they finally find him in the Big Room, they realize Hank Pym is the Mandarin.
Wasting no time, the three heroes begin to battle the Mandarin and the power of the Ten Rings. Stark draws on his magical potential and the power of the Time Stone to attack the villain. The Punisher unloads the missiles from his new armor and teams up with Drax to hurt him.
The Mandarin fights back and counters the blows by using heat and icy waves, launching powerful beams and moving solid objects. Seeing that the heroes were taking advantage, Pym is forced to call his pet.
The fight stops for a few seconds. A great roar could be heard from the shadows. A great caged beast escaped. A claw lashed the place; the boys watched in amazement: a colossal 10-meter tall Panther with black fur. On its leash was the Space Stone. The Mandarin was mocking the fate of the heroes as he confronted his pet.
At the same time upstairs, Mantis was trying to free as many prisoners as he could and Fury was taking care of the guards.
Doctor Stark was still fighting the Mandarin using spells and hexes. Meanwhile, Punisher and Drax were busy with the Black Panther, whose skin was impenetrable even to Frank's gunfire and Drax's stabs.
Seeing that they couldn't take on the beast individually, Drax and Punisher must learn to work as a team and form a plan. With the thermal vision of his armor, Punisher saw Mantis and Fury above them on the upper floor. Drax distracted the beast and brought it to a specific spot in the room. Frank aimed cannons, fired and KA-BOOM!
Mantis, Fury and hundreds of debris fell on top of the Black Panther. Fortunately, they all managed to survive as Stark created a force field, protecting them from the debris.
The Panther manages to wake up but when he was about to bite Drax, Mantis manages to lull him to sleep in time. Drax and Mantis embrace and Frank shares the feeling.
Amidst all the destruction, they found the Space Stone next to the Panther's leash. Doctor Stark snatched the rings from the Mandarin's hand and teleported him to a prison with one of his portals.
The Doctor explains that the rings only have power in the Shadow Dimension. Outside this dimension they lose their essence, but remain indestructible. That is why they must destroy them or take them to another astral plane.
-The rings are made of adamantium, the same metal Dark Claw's claws are made of," Stark replied.
-Who the hell is Dark Claw?" asked the Punisher.
-On second thought, I think the rings could be used to snap our fingers," interrupted Mantis, after looking at them for a few seconds. Punisher and Drax support the idea and ask Stark for six of the Rings.
Stark accepts and thanks them for helping to defeat the Mandarin. They share the sentiment and take their leave. A reddish portal opens in front of them and the heroes leave with the first recovered Infinity Stone and the Rings.