Marvel: Starting with the Homelander Template

Thanos knew better than to underestimate that world.

C53—Earth—was little more than a primitive backwater in his eyes, a speck of dust on the grand cosmic map. Yet for all its seeming insignificance, it was not without weight. C53 lay within Odin's sphere, one of the Nine Realms under Asgard's dominion. To openly invade it would be no small skirmish; it would be tantamount to declaring war on Odin himself.

That was a complication the Mad Titan had no intention of shouldering prematurely.

As for the Sorcerer Supreme—the Ancient One—Thanos knew little. Her reputation was shrouded, her influence whispered only within magical circles that rarely crossed paths with his own ambitions. Dimensional invasions and mystical wars were her battlefield, not his. Few outside the occult even knew her name.

No—Odin was the obstacle that mattered.

Yet Odin, according to Thanos's most recent intelligence, was weakening. The All-Father's power was dwindling, his once-iron will flickering like an old flame guttering in its lamp. Reports said his temper had softened, his strength diminished.

So this mission was not merely about the Tesseract. It was also a test. A probe. A chance to confirm whether Odin truly stood at the twilight of his power.

But confirmation would come at a price. Until Thanos was certain, he would not risk direct action. He would act through pawns. He had used Loki once, and now he would use Ronan.

If things went poorly, the blame would fall on others. Ronan was Kree, after all. Let the Kree Empire bear Asgard's wrath, should it come to that.

"Ronan," Thanos's voice rumbled, low and mocking, "are you afraid?"

The great Titan leaned forward on his throne, eyes glowing faintly. "Have the years made you a coward? A mouse trembling at shadows? You hesitate before even a primitive world?"

Ronan's jaw clenched, his teeth grinding. He hated the sneer in Thanos's tone but dared not lash out. Still, he forced his voice to stay steady. "Thanos, C53 itself is nothing. A fragile little ball I could crush beneath my fleets. But there is someone there… someone very powerful."

The words left a bitter taste in his mouth, but they had to be spoken.

"A woman," Ronan went on, his voice lowering. "A woman who shines with golden light. That woman alone crushed my entire fleet once. She broke us as if we were nothing." His eyes burned with remembered shame. "I know it sounds impossible. But I saw it with my own eyes."

"Captain Marvel," he spat the name as though it were poison.

Thanos's brow lifted. "Captain Marvel?"

He had not heard the title before. But the description—yes, that he knew. Rumors had long traveled across the stars of a blazing figure, a woman wrapped in golden radiance, who shattered fleets and left only ruin in her wake. Thanos had dismissed such tales as exaggerations, but hearing Ronan speak with such vehemence gave the story weight.

"So… she is from C53?" Thanos murmured. Surprise flickered in his voice.

"Yes." Ronan inclined his head reluctantly.

For a moment, silence pressed upon the throne room, broken only by the crackle of the braziers. Then Thanos's lips curved faintly.

"If it is her you fear, you need not trouble yourself. My spies report she is off-world, on Chronos-2, aiding locals against rebels. She is far from C53."

His gaze sharpened, his sneer returning. "And yet still you hesitate? Do you mean to tell me that even stripped of its guardian, you lack the courage to step onto that world?"

Ronan's fists clenched until his knuckles whitened. Shame and fury warred within him. At last, after a heavy pause, he growled, "Just this once, Thanos. Just this once I'll bend. But do not think I will forever dance to your strings."

In truth, he had no choice. His fleets, his soldiers, his very war against Xandar—all of it was tied to Thanos's will. He hated it. But his hatred for Xandar was greater still, burning so hot it eclipsed his pride. For their destruction, he would endure even this humiliation.

Thanos's expression remained unreadable, but his voice carried iron. "Besides the woman you mentioned, there is another presence on C53. One who defeated both Loki and Thor. I cannot risk carelessness. You will not go alone. I will send Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf with you. Do not fail me, Ronan."

"I will not fail," Ronan swore, his voice hard with grim resolve.

---

Krakoa.

A sudden burst of multicolored light tore across the sky.

Whoosh!

It pierced through the island's protective barriers as though they were parchment, a divine beam roaring down and striking the ground in the heart of the island.

Thor had returned.

"Thor!" voices cried across the island. "Quickly—inform His Majesty! Thor is here again!"

It was the third time in quick succession that the Asgardian prince had set foot on Krakoa. His face was no longer unfamiliar; his name was no longer whispered in fear. The misunderstanding of his first intrusion had been replaced by cautious respect, especially after Alex had personally hosted a feast in his honor.

Now, when the Bifrost delivered him once more, no one drew weapons. Instead, envoys approached swiftly and bowed.

"Prince Thor, please come with us. His Majesty awaits you."

Thor followed, his crimson cloak billowing as he strode into Alex's presence.

"This is truly strange," Thor muttered as he entered, his expression conflicted. He lifted the Tesseract in his hands, the blue cube glowing faintly. "Father has ordered me to return this to you. But I know well it is Asgard's relic. He once used it to restore the Rainbow Bridge itself. Why then would he entrust it to you, as though it were yours by right?"

Confusion darkened his brow. It made no sense to him. He could not shake the suspicion that some secret bound Alex and Odin together—something even he, Odin's own son, was not privy to. And Odin, frustratingly, would say nothing.

"Earth is one of the Nine Realms as well, Thor," Alex replied smoothly, shrugging as though it were nothing at all. "Whether it rests here or in Asgard makes little difference."

He spoke lightly, concealing the truth of his pact with Odin.

Thor studied him for a moment, then exhaled. "Very well. I will accept that explanation." With a reluctant sigh, he extended the Cube.

Alex caught it easily and tossed it without ceremony toward Hank, who was waiting at his side. Hank handled it with great care, sealing it away before retreating.

"The Rainbow Bridge—it's whole again?" Alex asked casually, shifting the subject.

"Yes." Thor's eyes brightened. "It has been repaired. For two years, the Nine Realms descended into chaos without it. Now, at last, order can be restored."

But even as the words left Thor's mouth, Alex's gaze sharpened. His head tilted slightly, his ears catching something faint—something not of the island.

A distant rumble. A vibration in the skies above.

Starship engines.

His expression grew taut.

Almost at once, Hank came rushing in, his face pale. "Alex! Starships have entered the atmosphere!"

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