The mercenary Star Prince is dragging a dying boy through the halls of a Colosseum. The young man was staring at the floor with cold disdain; not resisting or anything. Chaotic noises began to flood the place as they approached a cell. They were people, screaming like Colosseum fans but wilder.
They opened a subway grate and threw the young man inside. Sam fell into a large puddle of water in a room filled with darkness; the main entrance of light came from that grate. The guards closed it and left.
Suddenly, Sam was surrounded by dozens of prisoners, who were fighting each other to climb up and escape. Sam tried to slip through the chaos and made his way to a dark corner for shelter. A small barred window illuminated the place. In that corner a voice familiar to Sam could be heard.
- Thanks for out there, kid," the man stepped out of the shadows to reveal that he was Jenos of this Universe.
-What's your name?" he asked.
- I am Sam..." said Sam with nervousness and amazement.
-I am Jenos Alexand'r Cuarto; from the Alexand'r lineage of Xandar. Former general of the Nova Reconnaissance Legion. Out there, you will know me as Aloysius. You seem a little nervous, Sam..." said Jenos.
-It's just that you remind me of someone I was very fond of," said Jenos.
-You too, Sam. My son," replied the gladiator.
-What happened to him?
-It was an accident... I never found the body," Aloysius bowed his head.
-And do you think he's still out there," Sam asked.
-I don't know... But I'm not going to stop until I find out.
Nova looked sad for a few seconds.
-We're all here in the Colosseum because we lost something," Jenos continued.
-I lost my father. It was a couple of weeks ago and I didn't get a chance to say goodbye.
-What would you say to your father if you had the chance," asked Jenos. Sam took a few seconds to think about it.
-I would tell him that I'm doing well..." Sam's teary eyes betrayed him, "I met a lot of good people who took care of me. They lost their people too, so... Well, I made some mistakes and when I wanted to fix everything, I failed again. I think they were all right... Anyway, what I wanted to tell you is that... I miss you a lot, Dad.
-Nice sentiments, kid," said Jenos.
-And what would you say to your son?
- I would tell him that I miss him very much... I'm very proud. They say that the first obligation to our children is to make them happy. I hope I have fulfilled that duty..." said Jenos, melancholy.
- You're more like my father than I thought. - said Sam, inspired. Jenos smiles at him and leans back on a bench.
-Sam: "What's your name again?
-Sam.
-Sam, wouldn't you like to be part of the rebellion against Loki's reign and banish him from Asgard? You could be of great help.
-Well... I'm busy with other projects right now," Sam smiled nervously.
Suddenly, the ceiling cell opened. Chaos returned and the prisoners began to fight each other in an attempt to get out. Aloysius and Sam approached with uncertainty. There was a figure up there who appeared not to be one of the guards.
The person started asking all the prisoners to get out, this was their chance to escape. Sam and Aloysius didn't know what was going on but they don't hesitate to climb up the rope that the figure threw.
Sam has a hard time climbing up the rope due to the blows and wounds but a hand reached out, trying to help him. Sam raised his head, seeing that figure: Star-Lord, the Legendary Outlaw.
-Sometimes you have to take a gamble, boy," said Star-Lord. Sam smiles knowing that Quill is capable of sacrificing himself for others.
-Who is your friend," Quill asked Sam.
- My name is Jenos Alexand'r Cuarto; from the Alexand'r lineage of Xandar. Former general of..." Nova interrupted Jenos.
-We must move quickly, Jenos," Sam continued. Jenos decided to say goodbye to Sam, as they would be going their separate ways now.
-It was a pleasure, Sam," Jenos extends his hand to say goodbye to Sam. The latter rushes over to give his father from another Universe one last hug.
-Thank you for everything." Jenos shares the hug, a little confused. -I hope you manage to find your son, Aloysius.
Star Lord and Nova escape down the hallway at full speed.
While trying to escape from the Colosseum, they are intercepted by Star Prince and the furious Hermendinger at the end of the hallway. Sam and Quill throw up their hands and try to move as little as possible, nervous.
As Star Prince was about to shoot them on Loki's orders, an invisible force begins to strike the Hermendinger and him. They do not know how to defend themselves as it is a very strong and agile presence. Hermendinger is blinded by a web on his face and Star Prince falls to the ground, unconscious. The boys looked on in confusion.
"Where the hell did they learn to fight like that?" said a voice familiar to Sam and Quill. The air shuddered and Spider-man materialized next to them, who had used the stealth mode of his stealth suit.
Spidy activated the teleportation device but it didn't work. He tried several times but to no avail. Star Lord decided to communicate through the transmitter to the Base:
-Shuri, are you there? What's going on?...- Quill exclaimed but there was no answer. Star Prince and the beast started to get up: "Shuri, give us back!
Among all the destruction of the Base, there was the radio, broken and covered with debris. With interference, Quill's voice was barely audible.
Bucky, crushed by several pieces of debris. After walking a few meters around the area, he saw that there was an exit among all the debris. When he tried to head there, he saw that there was a red glow among all the rocks, the ring of Reality was there.
Surprised, he realized that he had to find his companions quickly to gather all the Stones. As he tries to run, out of the shadows of the exit, a large purple hand stops him and grabs him by the neck.
The giant began to approach and lift Bucky off the ground. Out of the shadows came the figure, revealing it to be Thanos. The terror in Bucky's expression was evident.
-I think you've got something of mine, kid," Thanos said, staring him straight in the eyes. Bucky clenched his metal fist to protect the Stone, but Thanos squeezed his neck with his one arm. You brought this on yourselves. But rest assured, you will understand that after death comes purification.
Bucky was running out of air and had to let go of the ring. Thanos threw it at one of the walls, knocking it down. He grabbed the Stone from the floor and left the scene with it.
Bucky was breathing rapidly, trying to regain all the air he lost. He stayed on his knees for a moment, doubled over with tears. That's how Groot, Daredevil and Mantis found him. Groot reached out to save them during the collapse, taking all the damage from the debris on his back.
Silently, they began to crawl among the bricks and beams, always on the alert. When they landed in a hole at the bottom of the rubble, they stopped, overwhelmed, as they saw clearly what had happened.
-Thanos... Thanos has the Stone," said Bucky, worried. The heroes' expressions showed the same. Bucky noticed that the boys were holding four of the six Infinity Stone rings.
-A bitter end," said Bucky, "Thanos has the Stone. The team is broken. I'm the one who failed.
-Relax, we have the Mind, Time, Soul and Space Stone. We can stand up to Thanos," said Mantis, trying to regain Bucky's trust.
-Quick, let's move," said Bucky. As they were about to get out of the rubble, a figure falls from the sky, stopping them: Carol Danvers, furious and ready to snatch the rings.
Outside the debris was Thanos, walking calmly toward his ship.
- You're leaving already!" came the voice of Frank in his War Machine armor, walking purposefully but cautiously. Thanos turns around in surprise, seeing Punisher standing a few feet away from him.
- What about the other Stones? - asked the mad Titan.
-Underneath all this, I suppose," Frank pointed to the destroyed base. Thanos looked down, grinning mischievously.
-I mean who's protecting them now," said Thanos. Frank looked at him in confusion.
-Protecting them from who? You're here, with my plasma cannon pointed right in your face," Punisher threatened. Thanos smiled again. He pulled the Reality ring out of his pocket and put it on. The ring began to emit a reddish glow; the Titan was changing Reality.
-I thought that by removing half of the life, the other half would thrive; but you proved to me that it is impossible," said Thanos, "I made a big mistake by not removing the Stones... I underestimated you. Now I will do what I had to do from the beginning..." continued Thanos, while a golden armor began to cover his body.
- What are you going to do, kill us and what's left of the Universe? - Frank confronted.
- After what I'm about to do to you, you'll wish it were so... But dying is easy," Thanos threatened. A great gleaming sword, of shining metal begins to emerge from the Titan's hands. Frank looked firmly at Thanos, fearless and prepared for the next attack.
-They will have to live with their failure all their lives. No second chances, no alternatives, no mercy. - A storm was rapidly approaching behind Thanos: "This time, I will eliminate the Stones for good.
An object sped toward the battlefield, releasing energy and lightning. The Stormbreaker entered Thanos' hand, revealing that he became a being worthy of wielding the Asgardian Axe thanks to the Reality Stone.
-Avengers, poor wretches! - Thanos continued. Punisher put on his helmet and pointed his lasers.
Out of the shadows came the other heroes. Falcon, Drax and Shuri join Punisher in the fight, kicking off the fight against Thanos.
On the other side of the city, Wanda flies into the Sanctum Santorium. Quickly, she opens the door and meets Strange. The Doctor and Wong were fighting the last tentacle of Shuma Gorath. Despite not being able to defeat him, they managed to return him to his other Dimension through the portal.
Wanda insists on asking for the Wizard's help. The wizard orders Wong to take care of the mystical matter while talking to Wanda. Strange is surprised to see her in her crimson costume.
-Strange, I don't know if you remember me... I'm Wan...- she is interrupted.
-The Scarlet Witch," said Strange. Wanda has never heard that name, but she doesn't put much emphasis on it either. Her priorities are different.
She warns about the imminent arrival of Thanos in Wakanda. They are only one Stone short and must rescue the boys in the other Reality.
The Sorcerer tells her that he won't be able to do it alone. Multiversal travel is one of the most complex and unpredictable enchantments in the Book of Mystic Arts. Not even the most powerful sorcerer could conjure it effectively; they say it is only myth.
-But you, Scarlet Witch... you are more than a myth... you are a living legend. You require no incantations or spells. Your power equals or exceeds that of the Sorcerer Supreme," Strange said.
-I am not who you think I am, Strange.
-You are so much more, Wanda," Strange floats over to the Book of Mystic Arts and reaches for the Multiversal Journey page. Together they can rescue Sam, Spidy and Quill.
Meanwhile, Nova, Star Lord and Spider-man were escaping at full speed through the corridors of the Colosseum. A huge beast and a mercenary figure interrupted them and stopped in front of them. The team of heroes were glaring defiantly at the Hermendinger and Star-Prince.
Nova and Spider-man take care of the beast. Quill started a fight against Star-Prince and, after exchanging several blows, Lord ended up smashing the mercenary's helmet with his weapon. There he realized that they are the same person.
Performing a joint attack, Peter shot a web at the Hermendinger's eyes and Sam kicked him right in the face. The Hermendinger landed on top of a downed Star-Prince, taking him out. Quill fired an electric tranquilizer into the beast's neck, putting it to sleep.
The heroes clashed fists. Nova and Spidy could not contain their joy and derision toward the defeated foes.
Suddenly, an orange light illuminated them behind them. The boys turn to see a portal opening. Two silhouettes behind the portal. The three heroes couldn't contain their smiles at the sight of Wanda and Doctor Strange, who arrived just in time to find them.
The five heroes set off to gather the Stones.