Marvel 19999 – FL Universe
The fleet led by Corvus Glaive had just crossed the Kuiper Belt of the Solar System when it caught the attention of the enormous bald head on the Moon.
Watcher.
He was the first to detect Corvus Glaive's fleet.
"It's still a bit early…" he murmured.
"But everything is progressing… Thanos will eventually collect the Infinity Stones and wipe out half of all life in the universe."
Watcher Uatu observed Corvus Glaive's fleet, but suddenly paused. His expressive face darkened.
"Not necessarily…" he said quietly.
"With that variable… Thanos might not succeed in gathering all the Stones…"
In the middle of the sentence, Uatu suddenly fell silent.
Something was wrong.
He continued to observe the fleet, his eyes narrowing in caution.
He couldn't immediately pinpoint what bothered him, but the feeling grew stronger.
Thanos's ship, Sanctuary II, was there.
The Chitauri army was in place.
The five generals of the Black Order as well.
Uatu watched for a long time, studying every detail.
And then he realized.
"Where is Thanos…?"
For half a day he stared at the fleet, tracking every move and counting every known figure… but the protagonist was missing.
In the Marvel universe there's a saying: on Earth, heroes like Iron Man and Captain America are the main characters, but in space, Thanos is the true protagonist.
The child of destiny.
It's not hard to understand.
From his youth, when his own people mocked and tormented him for his appearance, Thanos survived, rose up, and embarked on the path of a cosmic conqueror. He crushed and subjugated worlds until his name resonated as that of a cosmic overlord.
His life was a series of epic adventures.
He collected artifacts again and again.
In the comics, he possessed the Cosmic Cube and even the Heart of the Universe.
Finally, he even gathered all six Infinity Stones.
In every sense, he was the embodiment of a fated protagonist.
But now…
At the moment when he was supposed to take the stage, he was gone.
"This…"
"What am I looking at?"
Watcher Uatu was confused.
…
Meanwhile, the space early-warning system jointly built by Iron Man and S.H.I.E.L.D. registered the approach of Corvus Glaive's fleet.
The warning was immediately relayed to headquarters.
The message spread like lightning.
Everyone now knew: Thanos was coming.
…
On the opposite side of the Moon, in the hidden city of the Inhumans, Attilan, the danger was also detected.
In the royal palace of Attilan, Queen Medusa convened the council.
On the throne sat King Black Bolt, silent, with his lips tightly closed. His voice, even a whisper, was destructive and could obliterate everything before him.
Because of that, he entrusted most political and military affairs to his wife, Medusa.
"That's Thanos's fleet," said Medusa.
"His target is most likely Earth. The Chitauri have already attacked there once. This time, they may not be coming for us, but we can't just hide."
All eyes turned toward the king.
Maximus, Black Bolt's brother, was the first to speak.
"This isn't our war. If we're wise and don't get involved, they might not even notice us."
His words brought silence but also dissent.
Black Bolt slowly shook his head.
Medusa stood, looked around at the assembly, and said firmly:
"We can't stand aside. We all know what Thanos does. If he discovers Attilan, he won't leave until he's wiped out half of our people."
Several elder advisors nodded in agreement.
"Exactly."
"Wherever he goes, he leaves behind desolation and death."
"This isn't a conflict we can avoid."
Hearing the words of his advisors, Black Bolt gently tapped his finger on the armrest of the throne.
It was a sign.
Medusa nodded and said decisively:
"Very well. Then it's settled. Crystal, you and Gorgon will go to Earth and warn them. Everyone else, prepare for battle. This is a threat we cannot ignore. For our people, we must win this fight!"
At that moment, the whole of Attilan came alive.
Avengers Headquarters.
The team that had long been waiting for news about Thanos finally heard confirmation of the impending attack. Determination flashed in their eyes.
"Peter Quill, thank you for the warning," said Steve Rogers in a calm voice.
"This gives us valuable time to prepare."
He thanked Star-Lord and his crew, because thanks to them, the Avengers now had the advantage.
"You're welcome, Captain," replied Quill with a confident grin.
"Saving the universe is in the job description of the Guardians of the Galaxy. And don't forget, we've already saved the whole galaxy once!"
He looked at Steve with an expression seeking recognition.
"Do you know what we rely on?"
"On… an awkward dance!"
Star-Lord was clearly bragging, enjoying the attention.
"Alright, don't exaggerate again," Tony Stark interjected as he approached the group.
"Really, saving the galaxy? Next you'll say you did it all by yourself."
Tony's tone was sarcastic, but the smile on his face showed he was glad Quill was there.
"Hey, guys!" Tony clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Do you remember what I said back when we were fighting Ultron?"
"Which line?" asked Banner, raising his eyebrows.
"Not the one where you swore never to study the weaknesses of your allies again?" Clint Barton chimed in with a smirk.
Everyone laughed because they knew Tony could never stick to that promise.
"Ahem… not that one," Stark coughed.
"Forget it. I'll show you directly."
He walked over to one of the walls and lightly tapped it. The wall opened, and from inside came a deep mechanical sound. A lifting platform rose, revealing a series of new steel suits.
"Gentlemen…" said Tony with exaggerated emphasis, spreading his arms.
"Allow me to present Tony Stark's Christmas gift!"
Before them stood steel suits specially designed for each team member:
A suit for Captain America, in the familiar blue with a star on the chest.
A suit for Black Widow, with an elegant black design and red lines reminiscent of a spider symbol.
A specialized suit for Hawkeye, equipped for holding and quickly drawing special arrows.
And several other customized models.
Tony remembered the words Aron had once said to him during the battle against Ultron:
"Can't you just get them armor?"
At that time, Tony had just shaken his head, but now he had kept his promise.
All the Avengers had their own personalized suits.
"Oh man, do I get one too?" came a childish voice from the back of the hall.
It was Peter Parker.
He wasn't Spider-Man yet, just a young intern who had recently gotten the chance to work at Stark Industries.
Thanks to his insight and talent, Peter had caught Tony's attention and had even built a simple exoskeleton suit himself, which had impressed Stark.
Tony was already considering making him his successor one day.
Now, hearing that everyone was getting suits, Peter was so excited that his eyes sparkled.
"Sorry, kid," Tony chuckled and waved his hand.
"You're not on that team yet."
"But…" Peter wanted to protest, but was interrupted by a voice from the hallway.
"Hey, did you start without me?"
The door opened and Aron walked in, carrying a box in his hands.
"Seriously?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
"I brought the God of Dumplings, and you're getting ready like it's a military parade."
Everyone in the room fell silent for a moment.
The atmosphere of serious preparation clashed with the sight of Aron walking in with food.
From the box peeked a small, round figure, the "God of Dumplings," soft and white, looking as if it was floating above a wisp of freshly steamed dumplings.
Aron stopped when he realized he had walked in at the moment the team was preparing for battle.
"Did I… come at a bad time?"