Marvel Comics: Prosperity—Chapter 4
"Bucky—Bucky, look out!" The man said, springing forward with horror almost bordering on insanity. His eyes opened wide, he grasped his surroundings, and snapped back with a groan. "He's dead. Bucky's gone forever." The man that had once been a hero turned and saw the man that had rescued him. "What happened? Where am I? Where's the enemy?"
"The enemy is long gone," Namor replied. "The war is ended."
"What? How? How long have I been gone?"
"Almost twenty years."
Captain America studied Namor's face in more detail. "You do look older."
"Yes, I am older. Time and events have aged me no small amount. Many of my people have been killed by the carelessness of the surface-dwellers. Had you been anyone else, I would have left you forever in the ice."
"In the ice? What happened?"
"It appears you were somehow frozen in a chunk of ice, and lost to a state of suspended animation. You may have stayed that way forever had I not found you and thawed you out slowly."
"It must have been the super-soldier serum that kept me alive in a coma until the ice put me in that suspended state."
"Perhaps," Namor said, raising an eyebrow. "It is all the same to me. You are free now; we shall go our separate ways."
"But, Namor, what about the Invaders?"
"The Invaders?" Namor responded, almost laughing, "The Invaders disbanded long ago. My alliance with the surface world is similarly ended. I have my people to attend to, and I must see to that now. You are, perhaps, the only surface-dweller for which I hold any respect. I hope that you prosper in your new life, and I honestly desire that we should never have to cross paths in the future…as enemies." The Atlantean waved in a kind of salute, and then dove into the water, leaving Captain America wondering how he would get back to civilization.
About a month later…
Warren Worthington, the erstwhile Angel, lounged behind a desk, considering the tasks for that day. It was essentially the same as every day; meetings, paperwork, giving speeches and putting in face time with possible business partners. Some people would find such a life monotonous, though Warren's vast fortune might make up for it. Still, he liked the stability. He had joined the X-Men to find excitement and to harness his mutant power, but he had discovered in his time there that all the excitement he needed was anticipating what kind of coffee his secretary would brew. As for his mutant power, he used it to get around the city faster.
Tony Stark stood in his workshop, polishing the armor of Iron Man. It had been almost a week since he had even taken the suit out, and he was getting the feeling that such dry spells would become fairly regular. There just didn't seem to be that many threats that needed his unique kind of attention. He walked out of the room and met his personal assistant.
"Mr. Stark," she began, "there's another group that's asking for 'the tour.' Shall I notify Mr. Milford?"
"Uh, you know, I don't think so. It's looking like I'll be able to handle this one personally."
"Alright. Is there any other business?"
"I don't know," Stark said roguishly. "I think I might get into politics."
The Baxter Building…
The Fantastic Four, one of the generation's first superhero teams, had settled in the large top floor laboratory of the building, after having come from one of their public appearances.
"I don't understand why people get so worked up about seeing us," the Thing said between puffs of his cigar. "We haven't even done that much lately."
"It's kinda weird, isn't it?" Johnny Storm replied. "We'd been working our tails off for a while there, and now it looks like there's just no more to do."
"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure, Johnny," Reed answered placidly. "These things sort of go in waves. Low tides and high tides, that sort of thing. I think we'll have plenty to do before you know it."
"I hope so. If this keeps up any longer, being a superhero could become downright boring."
In a place far away from earth, perhaps not even in the same dimension, a man small in stature, yet commanding a deep respect, sat transfixed on a collage of screens in front of him. The screens, hanging in the air like holographic images, showed many things on many worlds and many times. But the one he was focused on was that of Earth.
"What is happening that has you so mesmerized, Uatu?"
"It is the planet Earth, Curious One. The Earth of universe six-one-six."
"And what is happening there?"
"The heroes are beginning to disband. They seem to feel that all their problems have already been dealt with; that they have conquered."
"But they are wrong?"
"Yes, Curious One," Uatu said, calling up some of the screens on the outer edges of his monitors. The screens showed pictures of people; many of them in the far reaches of deep space. "For a moment, all of the worst villains have been suppressed. But there are so many worse dangers to come. The master of magnetism will only grow stronger and more influential. Bruce Banner is losing control of the monster inside of him. The Sinister Syndicate will return eventually. There are many threats outside of the planet about which the heroes do not have the slightest idea. The Negative Zone dictators Annihilus and Blastaar. Kang the time-traveling conquerer. Galactus the eater of worlds. Thanos, the mad titan. Ultron will be rebuilt, and Bolivar Trask will complete his Sentinel project."
"So many dangers," the Curious One echoed, awestruck.
"Yes, so many. One of this planet's own writers once said that 'Security is mortal's chiefest enemy.' These mortals feel very secure indeed, but soon, their security may prove their undoing.
"It is interesting," Uatu continued, calling up another screen to display the troubles underwent by the JLA, JSA, Titans and other heroes of that Earth. "Here we see another version of Earth; the heroes feel that they are entering a terrible dark age. In fact, the situation will soon improve, and will continue to do so. Here, on this Earth, the heroes feel that they are entering a time of great prosperity, while in truth they will be facing their greatest trial."
"Will they be equal to it?"
"They will not be, if they continue to go their separate ways. The farther they go from each other, the more each one of them will have to carry on his own. They must join together to face these threats. If they do not, this universe may indeed be entered into a very dark age. But if they do, they may yet weather these storms."
The heroes band together and face the coming storms in Marvel Comics: Teamwork, coming soon!