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Ancient One didn't know how long she had been the Sorcerer Supreme.
She also didn't know how long she had protected Earth.
For Ancient One, time could no longer serve as a reference; having used the Time Stone countless times, both her body and mind had surpassed the limits of human comprehension.
During this long period, Ancient One had considered finding a successor, but the futures of these successors were often not good.
They were either tempted by the Dark Dimension and fell into darkness, or they were unable to fulfill their duties as the Sorcerer Supreme, leading to the world suffering invasions from other dimensions.
It wasn't until she found Strange in the long river of time, the one she believed to be the most outstanding Sorcerer Supreme among them.
Only then did Ancient One finally see some hope of 'retirement'.
Strange's talent was excellent; he could become the most powerful mage under Ancient One's arrangement in less than a year.
He could also quickly learn to understand various spells and integrate them to create new ones.
From a talent perspective, Strange was indeed the most outstanding Sorcerer Supreme.
But Strange would sometimes make mistakes, and even more often, his mind would become muddled, leading to irreversible actions.
However, because these matters were always handled safely, Ancient One could rest assured in letting Strange become the Sorcerer Supreme.
Until Kevin appeared.
Kevin, to anyone in this world, was a special existence.
He had no past, nor did he have a future...
Ancient One initially thought he was a threat, so she forced herself to use the Time Stone to see his future in this universe.
But the result greatly surprised Ancient One.
This outsider from another universe seemed to love this universe, which didn't belong to him, more than anyone else.
In the countless futures Ancient One saw, he would do his utmost to protect this universe.
An existence from an outer universe cared more about this universe than anyone else.
This indeed surprised Ancient One.
Subsequently, Ancient One began to observe him, watching his every move.
Initially, Ancient One didn't consider Kevin a suitable candidate for Sorcerer Supreme, because although he seemed to have made many friends and saved many people, Ancient One could sense the detachment he felt from everyone in his heart.
Ancient One guessed that this was probably because he didn't belong to this universe, which was why he felt detached from everyone.
At first, Ancient One thought this was a terrible trait; having detachment meant he wouldn't care about anyone.
He also had no sense of belonging to this world, and after becoming the Sorcerer Supreme, he might not necessarily fulfill the responsibilities of the Sorcerer Supreme.
But when she learned that he eliminated Thanos, destroyed Ultron, and defeated Ego... Ancient One began to believe that perhaps this detachment actually qualified Kevin to be the Sorcerer Supreme.
Because with this detachment, if anyone threatened Earth's dimension in the future, even if they were Kevin's friends, he would not hesitate to eliminate them.
It was only then that Ancient One truly began to consider Kevin as a candidate for Sorcerer Supreme.
Perhaps Kevin was not from this universe, but that didn't matter.
As long as he could protect this universe well in her place, then he would be a qualified Sorcerer Supreme, no matter which world he came from.
Moreover, through her interactions with Kevin during this period and her own observations, Ancient One discovered that Kevin was not as unfeeling as she had imagined.
Furthermore, his sense of responsibility was very high; as long as he promised Ancient One to become the Sorcerer Supreme, he would definitely fulfill the responsibilities of the Sorcerer Supreme within the limits of his ability.
This was the reason Ancient One ultimately chose him.
"Kevin... I don't know what you are pursuing, but... I think it shouldn't hinder you from taking on the position of Sorcerer Supreme."
Finally, Ancient One continued to persuade Kevin.
Kevin was silent. Facing an elder who was ready to die, Kevin was willing to speak his mind:
"Although what you said is very true, I, who can return to this world anytime I leave, can indeed become the Sorcerer Supreme, but I cannot guarantee that I can truly return at any time."
"..."
"In my world, I will be very safe, that's true, but I will go to more worlds in the future, see more existences, and perhaps attract more enemies.
"The world is vast, and there are many universes. My strength, even in this universe, cannot be called absolutely invincible, let alone in so many universes.
"I will definitely encounter enemies I cannot handle in the future, and I might also die at the hands of an enemy who far surpasses me, and by then... I will never be able to return."
Kevin said seriously.
One of the reasons he didn't want to accept the Sorcerer Supreme position was this.
Although Kevin considered himself not a very responsible person, he understood that if you take on a certain position, you must do what is required of that position.
And he believed that after taking on the position of Sorcerer Supreme, he would not be able to bear the responsibilities he should bear.
So he refused.
Even though he had secretly thought about becoming the Sorcerer Supreme.
Kevin's words were very sincere; he thought Ancient One would give up on him after hearing them.
But on the contrary, Ancient One smiled instead, looking at Kevin with gentle eyes:
"You are kinder than I imagined."
"Is there something wrong with your eyes...?"
"Of course not, that's how I see you, and now, I also know what you are worried about."
Ancient One said, standing up, not taking the Eye of Agamotto, but stretching lazily and saying:
"If you are worried that you might not be able to return one day, then just leave enough contingencies for yourself in this universe, isn't that enough? Strange, and that little girl Wanda you brought back, they can all become your successors."
With Ancient One having said so much, Kevin had no way to continue refusing.
Anyway, as Ancient One said, at worst, he would just prepare everything thoroughly every time he left.
So after a sigh, Kevin said helplessly:
"...Then if something really happens, I'm not responsible."
"I trust you."
"Please don't. Unexplained trust from others is the most annoying thing in this world."
Kevin spoke frankly and picked up the Eye of Agamotto in front of him to wear it.
However, after getting the Eye of Agamotto, he remembered something:
"...Wait, you gave this to me. What will Strange do when he has to deal with Dormammu later?"
"Who said Strange has to deal with Dormammu?"
"?"
"Isn't that the Sorcerer Supreme's duty?"
Ancient One turned her head and said to Kevin with a smile.
And that smile, in Kevin's eyes, was like a fox who had stolen a chicken, annoying.
...
After receiving the Eye of Agamotto from Ancient One, Kevin, following the 'fine tradition' of past Supreme Mages, naturally played with it for a while.
For example, using the Time Stone inside to reverse time in a certain area.
These little tricks were recorded in the magic books in the Kamar Taj library.
To be precise, they were in the forbidden magic books, which were Ancient One's private book collection.
Kevin was now the new Sorcerer Supreme; although he hadn't officially taken office, the Eye of Agamotto was already on him, and some mages who knew the inside story understood what was happening, so no one stopped Kevin from reading the forbidden books.
Using the Eye of Agamotto, and understanding how to manipulate time with magic without causing time fluctuations, Kevin tried to look into the future of this world.
This was not easy.
Mainly because Kevin's magical strength was not as good as Ancient One's, and he might not even be as good as Mordo now, after all, he hadn't been studying magic for very long.
However, Kevin did see some of the future of this universe.
At least, Kevin knew where to find Banner, and that was enough.
Kevin hadn't seen more of the future yet. Firstly, there was no immediate need; he had to conserve his energy to face Banner.
Secondly, he also wanted to break free from his reliance on the Time Stone.
In other worlds, Kevin wouldn't be able to use the Time Stone. If he developed a habit of using the Time Stone, and then instinctively tried to use it when facing a strong enemy in another world, only for nothing to come out...
Then Kevin could declare GG.
Although Kevin, with his Level 4 Immortality, wouldn't die so easily.
After becoming the Sorcerer Supreme and playing with the Eye of Agamotto for a while, Kevin began preparing to go to Sakaar.
Originally, Kevin wanted to take Anne with him.
However, thinking about how Captain America Steve had asked him to look after Wanda and Pietro, and how he himself had to go to Sakaar to find Banner, if he didn't leave someone to take care of them, it would go against Kevin's promise to Steve.
And taking Anne and the others to Sakaar was also not very possible.
Because Kevin might have conflicts with the people of Sakaar then, and he didn't want to be distracted by taking care of others.
So after much thought, Kevin decided to leave Anne behind to take care of Wanda and Pietro in his place.
He himself opened a portal and went to Sakaar.
Kamar Taj's teleportation magic was actually very subjective; generally speaking, as long as the destination was known and there was enough energy, one could teleport anywhere.
In Avengers 4, Doctor Strange's ability to teleport from Titan to Earth with a single portal was enough to show the power of the teleportation skill.
Now, with the power of the Time Stone, Kevin could also teleport from Earth to Sakaar with a single portal.
Without greeting the administrator of Sakaar, Master, Kevin impolitely teleported directly to where Hulk Banner was sleeping.
It was night on Sakaar, and Banner was sound asleep in the luxurious room Master had prepared for him.
He was currently in his Hulk form, not Banner's personality. His sleeping posture was very... uninhibited. Kevin looked at the sleeping Hulk, stroked his chin, and pondered a very serious question.
That was, if he woke up the Big guy in front of him now, would he have a bad temper from being woken up?
"No matter what, let's start with a Mirror Dimension."
To prevent the people of Sakaar from discovering him, this 'uninvited guest', Kevin decided to create a Mirror Dimension first.
This was to prevent Hulk from having a bad temper, causing a commotion and attracting guards if he woke up, which would then make things difficult for everyone.
With the Mirror Dimension, even if Hulk had a bad temper and raged there, at least it wouldn't affect others.
Having made the preliminary preparations, Kevin then walked up to Hulk, pulled out a gong from somewhere, and placed it next to Hulk's ear.
Then—
CLANG!!!!
A crisp, loud sound rang in Hulk's ear. Hulk, who had been sleeping soundly, immediately sprang up, jumping up and roaring at his surroundings:
"Who!!!?"
Kevin, who had already hidden far away, waved to the standing Hulk and greeted him:
"Yo, hello there, Hulk. Do you remember me?"
Kevin wanted to play the emotional card with Hulk first, to make him remember who he was, so that their subsequent conversation would go more smoothly.
But who would have thought that upon seeing Kevin, Hulk would be surprisingly furious, roaring with a distorted face:
"No! Disturb! Hulk! Sleep!!"
After saying that, he charged fiercely at Kevin like a rampaging tank.
And looking at Hulk charging towards him, Kevin sighed helplessly.
He guessed right.
Hulk indeed had a bad temper from being woken up.
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