Thor had first been taken to the past by Doom, and then brought back to the present to join forces with him against Kang. So, at this moment, what were Peter and his New Fantastic Four doing?
They were waiting for intelligence from Gwen.
Peter possessed another method of countering Kang's reality manipulation: precognition. This was the same method a large number of mages, including Strange, used to resist Kang's rewriting of reality. If you could know in advance what the world would be reshaped into by Kang, you would not be affected by the power of the Cosmic Cube.
If Strange hadn't mentioned it to him, he really wouldn't have known he could exploit such a loophole.
"Mister Sinister was insta-killed, and Doom and Zemo have entered the fray... Oh, Zemo was insta-killed too."
Feeling as if he had forgotten something, Peter watched the battle alongside the rest of the New Fantastic Four. They were waiting for an opportunity to act. Doom seemed to be the person most likely to defeat Kang right now, and his partnership with Thor was indeed the combination with the highest potential for a breakthrough thus far.
Of course, this wasn't the only reason they were idling. In truth, there was another reason for Peter's "slacking" that Kang was unaware of: the more a Cosmic Cube is used, the faster it awakens. It might have taken the Skrulls decades to cause the Cosmic Cube in their possession to awaken.
But Kang was currently draining the Cosmic Cube's power infinitely, diffusing it across all known timelines to modify the past on a massive scale. This was essentially doing decades' worth of work in a single instant. Peter knew without even thinking that the Cosmic Cube, through its constant rewriting of reality, was rapidly evolving into the sentient entity he knew as Korvac.
It was no wonder Korvac didn't seem particularly bright; a Cosmic Cube consciousness birthed in this manner was essentially a premature infant...
Not paying it much mind, Peter suddenly saw Gwen swinging in through the window. Only then did he remember what he had sent Gwen to do. Naturally, he hadn't truly expected Gwen to steal the Time Stone—after all, she couldn't fly.
Just as he was about to offer Gwen a few words of comfort, Gwen surprised him by handing over a glass cube: "It fell from the sky. I saw that it wasn't damaged at all, so I brought it back. Can this be of use?"
"I'm not entirely sure..."
Peter, of course, knew what it was. Zemo had relied on this very thing to hold his own against Kang for a while, but Zemo had been unable to resist the power of the Time Stone and was reduced to a pile of withered bones.
Ideally, this item should be given to Doom or Strange to maximize its effectiveness, or perhaps...
"If we could recalibrate this thing, could we cover a certain area to wake people up, or prevent them from being interfered with by the Cosmic Cube's energy?"
Peter held the empty shell and asked Banner, who was standing on the other side. Banner took the cube with a hint of uncertainty and performed a spectral analysis.
"There's some gamma radiation, not very strong. I'm analyzing it in conjunction with Reed's old research data on the Cosmic Cube. Using it to protect a single person like Zemo did shouldn't be a problem, but if you want to apply it to everyone, it's beyond our current capabilities."
Banner gave his conclusion after a brief analysis: "If you really intend to use the Cosmic Cube to create a team that won't be affected by Kang, you either need to hand one of these out to every person, or you need to ensure it still functions normally after being broken into pieces."
Peter let out a helpless sigh and then looked toward Johnny Blaze, who nodded: "I'm ready."
"Alright, let's head to Avengers Tower. We're going to assemble the team."
Peter and the others had discussed a high-risk method to counter Kang's reality manipulation. This method stemmed from the nature of the Ghost Rider. Although Johnny himself could be affected by the Cosmic Cube, once he became the Ghost Rider, he could avoid such influence. This was likely because the Cosmic Cube was not yet capable of rewriting Hell.
If Johnny could share his Hellfire with everyone, it would ensure that anyone touched by the Hellfire would not have their memories overwritten by the Cosmic Cube.
The only concern was Mephisto—whether Mephisto had known about this all along and was prepared to use it to corrupt the heroes from some angle. Strange said he could help screen for hidden dangers, but since the opponent was Mephisto, no one knew if there were other traps involved.
Except for Peter Parker himself.
Peter was quite confident in this plan because, if he remembered correctly, the Spirit of Vengeance within Johnny was neither an angel nor one of Mephisto's demons, but a distinct entity that Mephisto could not control. It was precisely because of this that Johnny was special; he was an unorthodox Ghost Rider harboring an unorthodox Spirit of Vengeance.
Besides, they were out of better options.
"Just remember, whatever you do, don't incinerate Tony Stark."
"I promise."
A flaming Johnny and a Hulk-transformed Banner followed Peter through a portal he had opened with a Sling Ring. Logan was already there. Strange had explained Peter's plan to the Avengers, but even after hearing it, Tony and the others were still hesitant.
At the same time, the remaining X-Men, the New Mutants, the Hell-Lion squad, and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Thunderbolts were all gathered there. Tony wasn't surprised by that old fox Fury's defection, but he still felt a sense of rejection toward this plan, which was currently their only choice.
"We still have time. Thor is back, we have so many people, and Doom is still out there fighting. Maybe we can find another way..."
"There is no other way, Stark," Fury countered Tony. "If you're unwilling to make a deal with the devil, then Kang can wipe us out in an instant."
"Actually, we might have a way, but we don't have time." Peter handed the cube to Tony. Tony frowned; as Spider-Man had said, maybe they could do something with this block, but only if someone bought them enough time.
But who was left?
"Do not fear sacrifice, soldier."
An old man, his physique still sturdy and upright, stepped through the portal holding a shield. Captain America, nearly ninety years old, looked at Tony and issued the order: "If we give our lives for the cause of freedom and justice, then there is nothing to fear."
"Now, Tony, how much time do the scientists need to fix this cube?"