In the Andromeda Galaxy, on Xandar.
This had once been the headquarters of the Nova Corps, the brightest world in the sector, a planet known for order, peace, and prosperity.
Now it had become a living hell.
Tens of thousands of Nova Corps fighters were falling from the sky like rain. Entire sections of the city were collapsing in fire and chain explosions. The screams of civilians never stopped.
In the ruined capital plaza, a young boy in a black Nova suit and helmet knelt on the ground, coughing up blood.
Sam Alexander.
The young Nova from Earth, the one who had inherited his father's helmet and once been the brightest rookie in the Corps.
But in front of that monster, he was no more than a firefly facing a solar storm.
Standing before him was Thanos.
This cosmic apostle of population control had destroyed the Nova Corps almost single-handedly, using his double-bladed weapon and the Infinity Gauntlet on his hand.
Three stones were already set into the Gauntlet, each radiating terrifying power.
The purple Power Stone, embodiment of absolute destruction.
The blue Space Stone, ruler of dimensions and distance.
And the eerie orange Soul Stone.
Before arriving on Xandar, Thanos had already gone to Vormir. To obtain the Soul Stone, he had pushed his beloved adopted daughter Gamora to her death.
"You self-righteous frauds who call yourselves the police of the universe," Thanos said, his deep magnetic voice echoing across the plaza. He did not even bother to look directly at Sam. "You understand nothing of true balance."
"Monster... butcher... I'll never... surrender!" Sam roared.
He squeezed out the last of his Nova force. His hands flared with blinding energy as he fired twin beams straight at Thanos's face.
The blast was powerful enough to destroy a mid-sized starship.
Thanos didn't even turn fully toward it.
He merely lifted his left hand.
The Space Stone flashed blue.
Sam's blast vanished just short of Thanos, then reappeared behind Sam and slammed directly into his back.
The front of Sam's armor blew apart. He was hurled dozens of yards across the plaza, and the black helmet symbolizing the Nova legacy cracked on impact.
"A tedious struggle."
Thanos turned and looked up toward orbit over Xandar.
There, above the planet, a massacre was underway.
Once word spread that Thanos was hunting the Infinity Stones, two great cosmic empires that had spent ages trying to destroy each other, the Kree Empire and the Skrull Empire, had done the unthinkable and formed a joint fleet.
Their hope was simple. Kill the Mad Titan before he became untouchable.
Thousands of Kree cruisers and Skrull warships filled orbit. Tens of thousands of main guns were firing in a constant barrage at Thanos's flagship, the Sanctuary II.
"My lord," Ebony Maw said, floating respectfully behind him, "the combined Kree-Skrull fleet is too numerous. Our shields will not hold much longer."
"Numbers mean nothing in the face of absolute power."
Thanos watched the rebellion in orbit with complete calm.
Their deaths, too, would lighten the burden on the universe.
The Power Stone erupted in violet brilliance.
Thanos clenched his fist.
A wave of purple energy swept across the stars.
The warships, those vast engines of empire, broke apart like cheap toys. Under the impact of the Power Stone's light, they detonated one after another. Ships and soldiers alike vanished in less than ten seconds.
One punch.
And the main combined fleet of two galactic empires was gone.
"This... this is the power of a god..." Ebony Maw whispered, eyes burning with worship.
And just when Thanos was ready to finish harvesting the life of this world and advance his great vision of erasing half of all living things...
A golden comet appeared in space, so bright it eclipsed even the light of the Power Stone.
It came in with overwhelming, violent force, tore straight through the shields of the Sanctuary II, and plunged toward Thanos.
The golden comet struck the plaza on Xandar.
The shockwave flattened what remained of the ruins for miles.
From the crater rose a woman with short blond hair and a red, blue, and gold suit.
Her eyes burned white-gold.
Heat radiated from every inch of her body.
Captain Marvel.
Carol Danvers.
One of the most powerful beings in the cosmos, a woman who roamed the stars defending the helpless. When the Nova Corps distress signal reached her, she had entered full Binary mode and crossed the void at top speed to reach the battlefield.
But she was still too late.
Everything was gone.
"Thanos..." Carol stared at the bodies scattered across the ground and the burning wreckage of the fleet above. "This is where your madness ends."
"Carol Danvers. You possess power worthy of a god, yet you remain shackled by emotion and this laughable thing you call justice." Thanos finally gave her the respect due a true warrior, but he did not retreat. "You cannot stop what is coming. The universe will bend to my will."
"Save it."
Carol didn't hesitate.
She moved with a speed beyond light itself, driving a full-force punch straight at Thanos's face.
Boom!
Golden light and purple light collided in the center of the plaza.
The clash of two beings at the highest level of individual power in the current universe sent a shockwave ripping through the space around them, tearing black fractures through reality itself and splitting the surface of Xandar beneath their feet.
Carol was not thrown back.
Instead, she held her ground and forced Thanos to meet her strength head-on.
Binary mode granted her monstrous levels of power, and now, fueled by fury, she had pushed even higher. Without using the full force of the Power Stone, Thanos could trade blows with her, but not overwhelm her.
Carol roared and drove her right fist upward, blazing brighter than before, hammering an uppercut into Thanos's jaw.
The blow staggered him backward. He nearly lost his footing.
Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
Captain Marvel's raw physical power was now undeniable. Without the Power Stone fully suppressing her, she truly possessed the strength to fight the ruler of the cosmos on equal terms.
Perhaps even enough to kill him.
"A magnificent punch," Thanos said, widening the gap between them as he wiped the blood from his mouth. There was no anger in him. The scales of victory were already tipped in his favor. "And yet a tragic one."
"You think you are fighting me. No. You are fighting the will of the universe itself."
When he finished speaking, Thanos did not reach for the Power Stone.
Instead, the Soul Stone glowed.
Orange ripples spread outward and washed over Carol's body.