Marvel Comics: Prosperity—Chapter 3
"Down, Iron Man!" Thor said, throwing his hammer at a dogwood tree-turned-Skrull that tried to grab Iron Man from behind. The hammer hit before the Skrull could defend himself, and he went down. Iron Man pivoted and fired his repulsor at another nearby Skrull, sending him through the wall. Thor had retrieved his hammer by then and was swinging it furiously at the Skrulls that tried to surround him.
Just then, Giant Man appeared near him, having enlarged from his Ant Man size. He pulled one of the Skrulls away from Thor, and then turned around to see one of the aliens shifting its shape into a giant dragon, even taller than he was. Giant Man didn't waste a moment, grabbing it by the neck in an attempt to wrestle it to the ground. But the Skrull was strong, and resisted him fiercely.
"I'll help you out, Giant Man," Iron Man, moving to assist his comrade. But as he did, a Skrull shot him in the back with a blaster. Iron Man rocked forward, but his armor took the brunt of the blow. He turned around and saw that the Skrull had turned into some kind of alien plant, whose long, spiny tendrils were already wrapping around Iron Man.
Left to himself, Giant Man was still putting up a tremendous fight against the dragon Skrull. Suddenly, however, just when he was about to succumb, a small concussion bomb went off in the dragon's face, breaking its concentration long enough for Giant Man to bring it down to the ground.
"Thanks, Wasp," he said, and then looked up to see a large, heavy bookcase falling toward him. Quickly he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pill, taking it to reduce himself to ant-size. "With my reduced stature, avoiding that bookcase is no trouble for me."
Thor, meanwhile, was fighting with heroic fury in the midst of a mob of Skrulls. With every swing of his hammer, he struck down one of the murderous aliens, but in a crowd of so many even he was beginning to be affected. "I cannot last forever," he thought, as he swung another knock-out blow. "But the son of Odin doth not run. I shall stand until the battle is ended, elsewise I shall fall forever."
Iron Man struggled to break free from the plant that had caught him in its tendrils, but found that he was unable to. "I've got to think," he said to himself, "This guy may look like a plant, but it's still just an alien, and he'll respond to electricity just like the rest of them. If I can reconfigure my suit of armor to give an electric charge over the whole body, it'll definitely do the trick. But I can't move. I've got to use the mental interface. Need to concentrate." The hideous plant continued to constrict, attempting to crush Iron Man and his armored shell. But then a burst of electricity fired from Iron Man's suit, and the Skrull fell back, reverting to its humanoid form. Iron Man ran forward and fired his repulsor at the mob around Thor, which quickly parted.
"Need a little breathing room, Thor?"
"I thank thee, Iron Man, for it was getting a little musty in such a confined space. Now," Thor said, raising his hammer once again, "I profess that this struggle shall soon be at an end!" A Skrull pulled out a laser weapon and shot it at Thor, but he blocked it easily with his hammer. "Have at ye, fool!" He yelled, hitting the Skrull with an easy throw. Behind him, Giant Man picked up two aliens and slammed their heads together, knocking them out.
As Thor had professed, the battle did not last long after that. Giant Man and the Wasp, returned to normal size, soon joined Iron Man and Thor in the middle of the room.
"Well, that was quite a throw-down," Iron Man said.
"Thank you both for answering my call for assistance," Giant Man said, as he surveyed the piled bodies of unconscious Skrulls. "I definitely couldn't have handled this alone."
"It is always a pleasure to fight on the side of two men so valiant as thou," Thor replied, "And one so comely as the Wasp," which made the female crimefighter blush. "However, I wish greatly to return to my home on Asgard, and I plead that I be not further delayed."
"You're leaving?" Iron Man asked, astonished.
"Aye, I shall attempt it, though it seems I am ceaselessly detained whenever I make the effort. My heart is at ease, though, knowing this world rests on quite capable shoulders."
"It's just as well," Giant Man said somberly. "I've been thinking of cutting down on the adventures myself. I think I can do some real good for the world if I concentrate on my scientific research."
"But you're doing good now," Iron Man said.
"I know. But there's a lot of good to be done in a lot of different ways. I'm just not sure this is the way I was meant to do it."
"I guess it's over then," Iron Man said resignedly. "Four of the strongest, most capable heroes on the planet, join to fight crime no longer. Oh well, I guess it couldn't last forever. I'm not much for long goodbyes, so I'm gonna be leaving." With nothing else, Iron Man walked through the door, and then fired his boot jets, launching him into the air.
"Methinks he has the right idea," Thor said, also making his way out. "Fare thee well, Giant Man, and mayest thou meet success in whatever endeavor thou undertaketh."
"It is with no small amount of hesitancy that I say this now, though in my heart I know that I am doing the right thing. The five of you have proven yourselves equal to all I have been able to teach you and so much more; that is why I now officially declare you, my students the X-Men, graduates of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. You are, of course, youngsters no longer, and are more than capable of charting your own path in life. I hope that I have given you the experience you need to make the best decisions in a harsh world. Now, go out into the world, my former students, and make a difference."
The X-Men, dressed in dark blue and yellow gowns, took their caps from their heads and tossed them in the air. Bobby Drake reached out his hand and sent out a ball of ice that knocked Scott's cap down.
"Oh, you want to play that way, huh?" Scott asked as he raised his glasses, sending a powerful optic blast at Bobby's cap. Professor Xavier wheeled down the ramp from the podium where he had given his speech.
"I'm going to miss this," he said, a bittersweet smile on his face. The X-Men gathered around him one last time.
"I thought you were going to get a new class and start this all over again, Prof."
"That was my intention, Scott, however, after all we've been through, and everything that's happened in our time here, I feel that I am simply not able to handle the strain of another class. It seems you five will be this school's only graduating class."
"The end of an era, huh?"
"It had to end sooner or later. You can't be students forever. Now is the time for you to spread your wings and find your own place."
"I'm gonna miss this a lot. I really felt like I was doing some good here."
"Then keep doing good, Scott; in any way you can."