Our story starts with a familiar scene. The Guardians of the Galaxy are working with the Avengers to keep Thanos in place. Ironman and Spider-Man both pull at his gauntlet in a literal life or dead struggle for the fate of the Universe.
Peter Quill flies over to join the others, standing in front of Thanos. "I thought you'd be harder to catch." he taunts "For the record, this was my plan." he says pointing at himself. "Not so strong now, huh, bitch? Where is Gamora?"
Thanos asks, "My Gamora...?" He is somewhat confused by Starlord's word choice.
In Thanos's home world there is no equivalent to the word bitch, so his universal translator simply translates to female dog.
Quill smirks and responds, "No, bull-shit Vagina Chin. Where is she?" Theis new insult stirs something in Thanos's subconsciousness, but his thoughts now shift to his now deceased daughter.
"He is in anguish." Mantis proclaims.
"Good." Quill responds.
"He… he mourns." Mantis replies with tears welling up in her eyes.
"What does this monster have to mourn?" Quill asks. "Look at him. Crying like a little girl."
'There it is again.' Thanos thinks in the back of his mind. He had forgotten he was fighting earthlings, and earthlings were known for gender discrimination being part of their language and culture.
"Tell me she's lying." Peter Quill asks, enraged. "You purple Bitch! Tell me you didn't do it!"
"I... had... to." Thanos whispers, trying to concentrate. He is somewhat getting annoyed at Star-Lord's persistent use of sexist terminology.
Peter Quill's eyes start to tear up. "No, you didn't…!" He mumbles, before repeating himself with a shout. "You son of a bitch! No, you didn't…!" Star Lord starts pistol-whipping Thanos in the face, causing Mantis to let go in pain. "NO, YOU DIDN'T!"
"Quill!" Tony Stark shouts as he re-helmets and leaps for Star-Lord's arm, leaving Spider-Man alone to pull off the gauntlet. "Hey, stop! Hey, stop! Stop! Hey, stop! Stop!" Tony pleads to Starlord.
Peter Parker begins making progress on the gauntlet. "It's coming! It's coming! It's coming!" he shouts." Getting the fingers completely loose. "I got it! I got it... !"
Thanos wakes completely, now truly furious. He head-butts Mantis, grabs the cuff of the gauntlet just as it is sliding off his hand, causing Spider-Man to stumble back, and then throwing Mantis off his shoulders.
Peter Parker mutters, "Oh, God." Seeing Mantis with far too much air under her. He jumps and wraps his arms and legs around her, extending his spider legs to form a roll cage for a safe landing.
Thanos kicks Drax off his right leg and into Nebula and Star-Lord, knocking them down. He yanks on the crimson bands holding his right hand, throwing Doctor Strange away, and swats away Iron Man and his repulsor shots. The remaining Guardians jump up and charge him again, but he releases a pulse of energy that knocks the three of them completely unconscious.
As Iron Man zooms back in, Thanos realizes he is being too lenient on his opponents. He raises the gauntlet towards Titan's moon, while they all watch. He uses a combination of his power and the infinity stones to shatter the moon's surface, then bring the debris raining down on the battlefield.
The Guardians and Avengers are now dealing with the gravitic aftermath of dumping a large chunk of moon onto an already unstable planet's surface. Thanos watches the Guardians float around like fish. Their eight legged ally hops between debri catching anyone he can reach. Slowly chunks of moon begin to fall around Thanos and he just lets it cover him.
Once Thanos clears his mind he uses the power of the gauntlet to burst his way out of the rubble. He does not have long to rest before Dr. Strange is coming at him. It is very clear to Thanos that he is being assaulted with magic and with the help of the infinity stones, he is easily able to defend himself.
"You're full of tricks, wizard." Thanos taunts as he manages to get hold of his target.
Stephen Strange protests as Thanos reaches for the Eye of Agamotto "No!"
Thanos snaps the Eye off its chain. "Yet you never once used your greatest weapon." He proclaims before crushing it in his bare hand. "A fake." He frowns before throwing Doctor Strange against a stone hard enough to knock him out.
Immediately after, a red and gold device slaps into the palm of the Infinity Gauntlet, bracing his fingers open; and an equally red and gold Avenger makes a fast and hard entrance.
Tony Stark, sounding both irritated and exhausted approaches Thanos. "You throw another moon at me, and I'm gonna to lose it." he proclaims
"Stark." Thanos addresses Ironman.
"You know me?"
"I do. You're not the only one cursed with knowledge."
"My only curse is you." Tony answers as small rockets pop out of his back toward Thanos.
"Come on!" Thanos shouts as he charges Ironman.
The rockets all explode on target, momentarily shrouding Thanos in smoke, and both men slam into each other. The fight that ensues is brief, but Thanos is clearly impressed by Toy Starks technology. He did not think a planet like Earth was capable of advancements so far, especially one that is still plagued by gender discrimination. It was an ancient way of thinking that he outlaws in all the planets he has taken over. It reminds him of one of his older wish ideas, long before decided on his current one.
Thanos realized he wasn't paying full attention when Tony Stark managed to pin his arm to the ground and give a good punch to his face.
Thanos reaches up to his cheek and feels the scratch. "All that for a drop of blood." He says.
Deciding he is tired of this game Thanos now dedicates his full attention towards Ironman. He hits him hard enough to get some distance and deflects his little beams as he grabs him by the helmet. Using the stone, he shatters the bulk of Tony's armor and drops him. His opponent does not give up easily. Thanos deflects a few more beams, but after realizing they are no longer a threat he walks straight through them toward Tony.
Tony creates a blade in a desperate attempt at continuing the fight.
.
'Good.' Thanos thinks. 'I wanted this to be a clean death.' He breaks Tony's weapon and uses the blade to stab Tony in the waist. Using the blade Thanos pushes Tony back until he is sitting and grabs his head to keep him steady.
"You have my respect, Stark." He tells him. "When I'm done, half of your primitive thinking race will still be alive." As Thanos stands over Tony, he reflects on how all but one of his Earth opponents have been men. 'Even power is mostly secluded to men.' he thinks.
"I'm sure they'll remember you." He tells Stark.
Thanos raises the gauntlet, closing his fist, all four Stones start glowing.
"Stop!" Someone shouts from out of sight. Thanos turns to see the wizard sitting where he left him, broken and bruised. "Spare his life... and I will give you the stone."
Thanos points all four Stones toward Strange now. Thanos questions him hesitantly. "No tricks?" Doctor Strange shakes his head.
"Don't...!" Stark mutters.
Doctor Strange plucks the Time Stone out of and invisible hiding place and offers it willingly. The Stone floats to Thanos' bare hand. Doctor Strange watches him intently, as he takes the Stone and drops it into the thumb setting, the energy pulse making the Titan wince.
"One to go." Thanos says with a smile.
An energy blast hits the gauntlet right in the empty Mind Stone setting, and Thanos grimaces in surprise, as Peter Quill comes charging in. He is once again using sexist expletives in his rage.
Thanos' forehead furls with annoyance. "I had thought I liked you." He says disappointedly before using the stones to teleport away. Star-Lord flies through where Thanos had been and crashes, rolling several times
Quill Stands back up and deactivates his helmet. "Where is he?!"
Tony stitches up his stab wound as well as he can with his suit functions; he has no breath for answers.
"Did we just lose?" Star-Lord asks, now very fearful.
Tony Stark looks to Dr. Strange and barely manages to mutter, "Why would you do that?"
Stephen Strange looks to him and says, "We're in uncharted territory now."
***Meanwhile back on Earth.***
A battle rages on Wakanda. Everyone is doing their part.
Wanda locates Vision. "Are you okay?" she asks. Vision flinches in pain, grabbing his forehead, before he can answer. "What? What is it?"
"He's here." Is all Vision needs to say.
The wind picks up and the air suddenly feels eerily strange.
Steve Rogers catches wind of the conversation and radios for help. "Everyone, on my position. We have incoming." [He is joined by the Black Widow, Falcon, Okoye and the Black Panther in short order.]
"What the hell?" Natasha asks, spotting Thanos' entrance before anyone else.
"Cap. That's him." Bruce Banner confirms just as Thanos fully materializes into sight.
Thanos hears the Captain say, "Eyes up. Stay sharp." before everyone starts making their moves. Realizing he can't take risks like he did on Titan, he coldly calculates how to disable everyone quickly.
He removes the one with Tony's armor first, pinning it down. He blasts the captain away with purple energy. He spots another power suit. Black this time. He grabs it and realizes it uses some form of kinetic energy, possibly vibranium, instead of hitting it he slams it to the ground. 'Right choice.' Thanos thinks as he sees energy shoot out into the dirt. Lastly, he disables the wings of a flyer.
"Wanda. It's time." Thanos hears. He turns and spots the man made android given life by the mind stone. He has found his target kneeling before a young girl. They are arguing about something that Thanos cannot hear, because he is being confronted by another fresh assault.
Thanos once again begins disabling targets one by one. At some point a bald person attempts to use a vibranium spear on him and he is impressed to see it is a female with such an extremely rare weapon. 'Maybe this planet isn't so lost after all.' he thinks. Thanos spots another woman dressed in all black and gently tosses the warriors into each other.
He turns back to his target to see the Scarlet Witch casting energy into the mind stone on the android's forehead. 'What is she doing.' he wonders. Realizing he should stop her, he reaches out.
To his surprise the Captain from earlier, whom he assumed was weak, rushes in and manages to stay Thanos' hand. He is still not strong enough to complete and Thanos hammers him down with his free fist.
The red woman looks over her shoulder again and sees Thanos approaching unopposed. She swings her left hand around to fend him off with a stream of scarlet energy, and pushes him back despite his blue-purple energy shield.
'Now that's power.' Thanos thinks. 'Her strength is probably wasted on a planet like this, incapable of appreciating her.'
"It's alright. It's alright. I love you." The android says. This reminds Thanos of his Gamora.
With a loud crack, Thanos watches as the mind stone slowly breaks before losing the battle entirely and completely shatters Vision's body. Wanda collapses. The fighting completely stops and the battlefield goes silent.
Thanos is absolutely impressed. 'To think, this child had the power to hold off four stones and shatter one.' It baffles him. 'Someone like this has more potential than even I, and she may never know it. Especially not on this planet.'
Thanos sees her crying, and realizes she must have just made a massive sacrifice. "I understand, my child," he says, knowing it won't truly comfort her. "Better than anyone." he adds, mostly for himself.
"You could never." she snarls.
Thanos reaches down to stroke her hair. He feels a connection to this stranger with so much power and loss. "Today, I lost more than you can know." He tells her, in hopes that she too will feel the connection.
Thanos can hear the sounds of the battle resuming and realizes he has little time. "But now is no time to mourn." He says mostly to himself. "Now... is no time at all."
He reaches forward, clenching the gauntlet, and with a gesture he activates the time stone. A bead of yellow light starts gathering in on itself and growing in size, as time is reversed. I begins to solidifying into an intact and very consciously confused Vision
"No!" Wanda shouts, and Thanos has to regrettably swat her away.
Thanos picks up Vision by the throat, lifting him to eye-level, and digs the fingers of his right hand into Vision's forehead, digging out the Mind Stone. He pulls it loose, and Vision goes limp and colorless; he tosses the lifeless android aside like trash. Bringing his gauntleted hand up, he slowly moves the Mind Stone over the last empty setting, and drops it in. The energy surge is much more than any previous - his torso is wreathed with iridescent static and he bellows from the sensations.
As Thanos studies the completed gauntlet, a massive bolt of lighting strikes him, digging him into the ground and grinding him back several meters. Thor has arrived, eyes glowing with power, swooping down from the sky like a bird of prey.
The God of Thunder pauses his attack, reverses his weapon, raises Stormbreaker above his head and hurls it at his target. Thanos fires the whole might of the gauntlet against it, but it only creates a rainbow-like bow-shock, not slowing the ax as it slams straight into Thanos' chest.
Thor lands in front of Thanos, who is down on one knee. "I told you. You'd die for that, you girly man!" Thor rage-fully refers to the deaths of both Loki and Heimdall.
Despite what is happening, the insult registers in Thanos' mind and it brings back a ping of the rage he also felt earlier. 'Even Asgard, with all it's supposed "Gods" still maintains a sexist culture.' Thanos thinks. Thor takes hold of the back of Thanos' head and forces Stormbreaker deeper into his chest, staring angrily into his eyes while Thanos cries out in pain, somewhat regaining concentration.
Thanos, still very confused and dazed, tries to look up into Thor's eyes. "You should have... you..."
'I won!' Thanos thinks to himself. 'With one snap, my wish...' he thinks. 'I wish... half of all life... would...'
Thor comes back into his vision. "You should have gone for the head!" Thanos pronounces defiantly as he snaps his fingers.
"NO!" Thor shouts.
Thanos suddenly finds himself surrounded by white light. He is momentarily in the soul stone. Gamora stands before him, looking off into the distance.
"Daughter?" he asks.
She turns toward him and looks up with loving eyes. "Did you do it?" she asks.
Thanos, suddenly able to think clearly, starts trying to think back to only moments ago.
"I... I'm not sure." he answers her.
Gamora's loving stare suddenly becomes a mischievous grin.
"No Father!" She answers him. "You've failed"
Thanos's face droops in shock. "What did I wish for?" he wonder's out loud.
"For your failure." Gamora answers, imitating his own words. "You will pay a great price. I hope you're happy Father, because I am."
Before Thanos can say another word, he finds himself back on Earth, kneeling before Thor, fresh pain coursing through his chest.
"What'd you do?" Thor asks. Thanos eyes focus on the gauntlet which is now smoking and damaged. "What did you do?!" Thor shouts now.
'I can still use it again, to fix whatever I did.' Thanos thinks.
The pain in Thanos' chest intensifies, causing his hand to drop. He assumes Thor is once again driving his weapon further in, but when he looks forward Thor is actually stepping away.
Thanos notices his entire body is now in pain as it shifts and transforms into something else. Storm Bringer pushes out of Thanos' chest and falls to the ground.
Thanos' mind begins to clear as the changes to his body begin to slow. He feels his armor being to tighten and loosen in different areas. The gauntlet begins to slide down his wrist as his arms and hands become smaller. He catches the gauntlet just before it completely falls off.
The pain begins to subside and he looks toward Thor. "I.." He attempts to answer, but realizes he owes him nothing. He touches the teleportation stone with his right hand and uses it to make a quick escape.
There is a low rumble like thunder in the air as Thor looks around toward his friends. "What just happened?" he asks.
As if to answer his question Captain America, Black Widow, Okoye, and Black Panther suddenly start screaming in pain as they clutch their bodies. 'It's happening." Thor thinks as he hears screams coming from all over now. Even Thanos' own army was not spared this unknown fate.
Thor turns toward the Hulk Buster and the sound of Bruce screaming emits a terrible echo like an enraged banshee. 'It must be painful, because Bruce is screaming like a girl.' Thor thinks.
Back on Titan, the Guardians and the Avengers are regrouping when Spider-Man suddenly chimes in. "Mr. Stark, I don't feel so good." He starts to collapse and as if on cue, so does everyone else.
Tony catches Peter in his arms, trying to be calm, his voice shaking as he looks at Peter in terror "You're alright?"
"I don't know what's, Peter starts to mutter. "I don't know what's happening. I don't..." Peter clutches Stark tightly while beginning to cry. "I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go, Mr. Stark, please. Please, I don't wanna go. I don't wanna go..."
"He did it." Nebula growls as she hunches over in pain.
Peter's breath begins to slow as he looks Stark in the eyes and prepares for death. "Mr. Stark, I'm sorry." he closes his eyes and waits for the inevitable.
Tony Stark watches Peter until his breathing settles. Everyone else seems to be quieting also. Stark looks to his left hand which was now clutching both of Peters and he notices something is not right.
"Hey kid..." Tony calls. Peter is now clenching his eyes tightly, terrified of what he might see. "Hey kid you're fine. Get up." Tony Stark tells him.
Peter opens his eyes hesitantly, and looks at Tony. "Are we dead?" he asks.
"No, you're not." Tony answers as he pushes Spider-Man off his lap and to the ground. He grunts in pain as he stands and turns toward everyone else. They are all slowly getting to their feet as well, except for Dr. Strange, who is still sitting against the stone where Thanos left him.
He is clutching his temples with his right hand in clear frustration, hiding his face.
"Hey! Strange dude!" Tony snaps as he quickly limps toward the Grand Master. "What the hell just happened?"
Dr. Strange lowers his hand to reveal a face that can only be called beautiful and handsome. Tony Stark wondered where the wizard's beard went for only a moment before realizing he was looking at an extremely beautiful woman. The woman looks at her hands then up toward Iron Man.
"This is not what I expected." She says as Tony and Peter look on in shock.