This Mar-Vell was a complete mystery to Peter Parker. In Peter's comic book knowledge, the character had died of cancer relatively early on, meaning he knew almost nothing about the man. His only real reference point was a dark parallel universe storyline where Mar-Vell's death spawned the infamous, undying "Cancerverse."
Because of this, Peter had absolutely no idea what to expect from the Kree spy's perfect dream world.
When they stepped through the dimensional rift, they didn't find a battlefield or a cosmic throne. They found themselves standing in a pristine, massive space station filled with sprawling laboratories and glowing botanical terrariums.
"This place is giving me the creeps," Rocket Raccoon grumbled, hefting a plasma cannon that was nearly as big as he was. "Who knows where that damn time-traveler is hiding? This sterile junk reminds me way too much of the High Evolutionary's labs. I say we just blow it all up and sift through the ashes."
Above them, Gwen Stacy was practically vibrating with excess energy. She darted across the ceiling, sticking to the shadows and crawling at breakneck speeds.
Peter sighed helplessly, pinching the bridge of his nose as he walked. Beside him, Cindy Moon shot a web to swing across a wide gap in the floor, landing lightly before giving Peter a puzzled look.
"She seems unusually excited," Cindy noted, watching the black-suited teenager scramble across the overhead pipes.
"It's the symbiote," Peter explained, keeping his voice low. "Gwen has always secretly wanted superpowers, and the symbiote naturally amplifies the host's baseline emotions. It's exacerbating her adrenaline. That's why she's so agitated and refuses to give the suit back."
It wasn't that Venom was inherently malicious; it was just the biological nature of the Klyntar species. Of course, the main reason Gwen still had the suit was that Peter wasn't trying very hard to take it back. If he really wanted to, he could simply command the symbiote to return to him, and it would peel off her instantly.
A few yards away, Reed Richards was thoughtfully inspecting the surrounding laboratories. You could learn a lot about a scientist's true character by observing their deepest desires and research methods. If Reed could confirm Mar-Vell's internal objectives here, he could definitively determine whether the Kree operative was a friend or a threat.
"These look like biological petri dishes... no, more accurately, botanical incubators," Reed muttered, his eyes darting between the various glowing flora. He stepped back, nodding in satisfaction. "So far, I don't see anything that violates basic ethics or morality."
"You'd be wise not to judge other galactic civilizations by Earth's moral standards, Mr.Fantastic," Gamora said, walking past the scientist without looking at him. "Different cultures have different customs. What seems evil to you might be sacred to them. I've encountered species where the highest funeral honor is devouring the corpses of the dead. Some self-important missionaries tried to 'civilize' them, only to realize that the 'savages' possessed technology several eras ahead of their own."
"Perhaps," Susan Storm interjected gently, defending her husband. "But if Dr. Mar-Vell intends to live out his days on Earth, he will eventually have to adapt to Earth's values."
Gamora didn't argue further. They weren't here for a sociological debate; they were here to hunt Kang the Conqueror. Adam Warlock was currently acting as a cosmic radar, leading the group through the sprawling station by sensing Kang's temporal footprint.
As they entered a massive, open-concept observation deck, a holographic news broadcast flickered to life. Through the Soul Stone's universal translation, the strange Kree language resolved into English.
"...In historic news today, the Kree Empire and the Skrull Empire have reached a permanent, unconditional peace agreement. Both sides have officially dissolved their armadas, promising an eternal end to the galactic war..."
Standing near the massive observation window was Mar-Vell. He had reverted to his true, pale-blue Kree form. He was humming a cheerful, unknown alien tune while pruning a beautiful, glowing extraterrestrial plant.
Hearing their footsteps, Mar-Vell turned around. He didn't seem surprised by the sudden appearance of a small army of superheroes. He just offered a warm, relaxed smile.
"Hello, my friends," Mar-Vell greeted them easily. "I'm currently adjusting the atmospheric simulators for these plants to match their home worlds. The view here is quite beautiful, isn't it?"
Following his gaze, the group finally looked out the massive observation window. They were in orbit above a breathtaking, vibrant nebula. Mar-Vell's ultimate fantasy was just... sitting in a quiet space station, tending to a cosmic garden, and enjoying the absolute peace of a universe without war.
Gwen dropped down from the ceiling, landing in a crouch before standing up. She scratched the back of her masked head in sheer confusion. "Uh... can I ask how old you are?"
"I am forty-four Kree cycles old," Mar-Vell smiled gently. "Which translates to roughly thirty Earth years."
The group exchanged bewildered glances. Rocket Raccoon lowered his heavy cannon, a look of profound realization crossing his furry face. He had originally pegged Mar-Vell as a highly disciplined, fanatical military spy. But now? Rocket realized this guy was just a tired soldier trying to permanently retire in his early thirties. No wonder his "vital mission" to track down the Inhumans was taking him years to complete. He was intentionally dragging his feet so he could slack off on Earth indefinitely.
"Mar-Vell," Reed stepped forward, speaking carefully so as not to shatter the man's peaceful retirement illusion. "We are currently tracking a hostile temporal anomaly. A man named Kang. We believe he is hiding on this station."
Mar-Vell didn't question it. In his dream world, whatever he deemed logical simply was logical. He walked over to a nearby security terminal, his fingers dancing across the holographic keys.
"Alright. I've located him on the internal sensors," Mar-Vell said cheerfully. "He is hiding in the seventh section of the third level. Good luck catching him."
Seeing that Mar-Vell had absolutely no intention of joining the fight, the group simply nodded their thanks and hurried toward the elevators.
Not long after the heroes left the observation deck, a strange wind swept through the laboratory. The ambient cosmic energy in the room began to swirl and condense. Mar-Vell, who had just returned to pruning his plants, paused. He turned around, his brow furrowing in curiosity as he reached a blue hand toward the swirling light.
The energy rapidly coalesced into a physical, human form. Michael Korvac.
The sudden appearance of the living Cosmic Cube completely shattered the illusion. Mar-Vell's eyes went wide as his true memories flooded back. His wrist-bracelet instantly activated, shifting into his green-and-white Kree command armor.
"Korvac?" Mar-Vell gasped. "Wait... the explosion. The pocket dimension. I remember now."
Realizing the danger, Mar-Vell turned to sprint after Peter and the others to help them fight Kang. But Korvac lunged forward, grabbing Mar-Vell's armored arm with a look of absolute, frantic terror.
"The Kang they are chasing!" Korvac gasped, his eyes darting wildly. "It's a fake!"
Mar-Vell froze. "What? You mean the Kang on the third level is a decoy?"
Korvac nodded frantically.
"Then where is the real Conqueror Kang?" Mar-Vell demanded.
"I've always been right here."
A cold, electronically modulated voice echoed from the shadows. Kang the Conqueror stepped out from behind a row of tall botanical incubators. He held his bulky, temporal-stasis pistol, aiming it directly at Korvac's head.
"And this time," Kang sneered, his finger tightening on the trigger, "no one can—"
ZAP.
Mar-Vell didn't even blink. His wrist-bracelet instantly reconfigured into a compact Kree plasma blaster. With flawless, lethal military precision, he fired a single, blinding shot straight through the center of Kang's chest plate.
Kang gasped, the pistol dropping from his hands as he collapsed dead onto the laboratory floor.
Mar-Vell slowly lowered his arm, letting out a heavy, exasperated sigh. "Why does that man talk so much? Has he literally never been on a real battlefield before?"
But Korvac didn't relax. His glowing eyes stared at the smoking corpse. "That wasn't the real Kang either."
Mar-Vell frowned. "What?"
"He possesses the Time Stone," Korvac whispered in horror. "He tore himself apart. He split himself into countless temporal duplicates across the timeline."
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