As the Avengers began settling into their newly established headquarters, JARVIS's voice echoed calmly through the central command room. "Mister Thor, I must inform you—someone is tampering with the mansion's security systems."
Upon hearing the alert, Thor furrowed his brows and turned to his companion. "Hulk, come. Let us investigate the source of this disturbance."
Hulk grunted affirmatively. "Let's smash whoever it is."
They made their way to Central Park, where the signal led them. But as they approached the source, the tension between them rose.
"We must proceed with subtlety," Thor advised, holding Mjölnir at the ready. "If we charge in blindly, we may cause unnecessary panic."
Hulk scoffed. "Subtlety is for cowards. I smash first, questions later."
Thor frowned. "By Odin's beard, brute force is not always the answer! You'd frighten children and destroy half the park!"
Hulk stepped closer, fists clenched. "Better scared than dead! While you talk, enemies run!"
"You are as stubborn as ever!" Thor snapped. "Perhaps I ought to knock some reason into you."
"Try it, Sparkles," Hulk growled, cracking his knuckles.
Without further warning, Thor swung Mjölnir, meeting Hulk's punch mid-air with a thunderous boom that sent shockwaves rippling through the trees. The battle erupted instantly.
As the skirmish raged, Ben from his room, shook his head with a half-smile. "It seems that no matter which universe they are in, when Thor and Hulk are together, they inevitably find a reason to clash—even over the smallest matters."
In the heart of Central Park, the ground quaked as Thor and Hulk clashed, their brawl shaking trees and shattering pavement. Their thunderous battle continued unabated, as if the world around them had ceased to matter.
"You're as reckless as ever!" Thor shouted, hurling Mjölnir. Hulk caught it mid-air with a growl, struggling briefly before being flung backward by its enchanted weight.
"And you talk too much!" Hulk roared, leaping forward and tackling Thor into a fountain, water spraying in all directions as civilians fled the scene in panic.
Amidst their chaos, none noticed the faint shimmer in the air near Avengers Mansion—until it was too late.
From that rift stepped two figures cloaked in menace: The Executioner, wielding his massive blood-axe, and the sorceress Enchantress, her eyes glowing with ancient magic. With a wicked smile, she whispered a curse under her breath.
Inside the Mansion, Iron Man, momentarily alone and distracted by a diagnostic scan, was struck by a sudden burst of energy. Arcane vines of magic slithered around his armor, shorting circuits and locking his limbs.
"JARVIS—status—" he barked, but the AI's voice stuttered, overridden by Enchantress's spell.
Before Iron Man could react, the Executioner charged through the wall like a battering ram, catching him off guard. The axe struck with a thunderous clang, sending Iron Man hurtling into a pillar, his armor sparking violently.
Outside, Wasp and Giant-Man responded instantly. But the Executioner's strength was overwhelming. He knocked Giant-Man to the ground and drove his axe toward him—only for the blow to be blocked just in time by a repulsor blast from Iron Man's gauntlet.
Wasp grunted. "Two heavy hitters out of the picture, and we're fighting a god-tier couple. Not ideal."
"I've seen worse," she muttered, dodging a beam of raw magic as Enchantress launched another spell toward her.
As the battle raged, Enchantress summoned illusions, causing the Avengers to strike at shadows.
Wasp found herself dodging a dozen phantoms of Enchantress, their movements fluid and mocking, while three copies of the Executioner charged Giant-Man, overwhelming him with sheer brute force. The real Executioner struck hard—too hard—sending Giant-Man crashing into a nearby wall.
Meanwhile, Hulk and Thor's fight had led them into the trees, both battered and breathing heavily.
Thor wiped a trickle of blood from his lip. "You're strong, but infuriating!"
Hulk panted. "You hit hard... I like that."
Suddenly, a burst of energy echoed across the park. Thor turned, lightning still dancing around him, sensing something was wrong.
"Wait—" he said, stepping back. "That magic... it's Asgardian."
At once, the two warriors snapped out of their conflict, racing back toward the Mansion.
They arrived just in time—Giant-Man lay unconscious, Iron Man was down, and the Executioner raised his axe for a killing blow. With a roar, Hulk lunged forward and caught the weapon with both hands.
"Not this time," Hulk growled, then slammed his fist into the Executioner's face, sending him crashing through the courtyard.
Thor knelt beside Iron Man, placing Mjölnir on the ground and summoning the storm. Arcs of lightning surged from the sky, channeling through his body and into Iron Man's armor. With a groan of metal, the suit reactivated, systems coming back online.
"I owe you one," Iron Man muttered, rising slowly.
"Then fight," Thor replied, eyes glowing with divine energy.
With the team regrouped, the Avengers struck back. Iron Man's repulsors burned through Enchantress's illusions, while Wasp led a coordinated assault.
Hulk engaged the Executioner again, now with renewed fury, while Widow unleashed a barrage of electric darts that disrupted Enchantress's concentration.
Finally, Enchantress staggered, her spells unraveling. Thor threw Mjölnir with divine precision, striking her down and ending her control over the battlefield.
But as the Avengers prepared to restrain their enemies, the Executioner—battered but defiant—raised his axe and channeled a forbidden enchantment. Runes glowed beneath him, distorting reality.
"Next time, Avengers," he snarled, seizing the unconscious Enchantress. A portal of swirling time and space enveloped them, and in a flash of light—they vanished.
Silence settled over the battlefield, broken only by the hum of Iron Man's recovering systems.
Thor lowered his hammer, glancing at Hulk. "Perhaps next time, we postpone our quarrels until after the enemies are vanquished."
Hulk smirked, rubbing his jaw. "Maybe. But admit it—you needed the warm-up."
Thor rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
After the Battle, the team gathered in the dimly lit common room. The aftermath of their latest battle weighed heavily. Hulk stood near a large window, his massive frame tense, staring at the night sky.
Iron Man: "You did good out there, big guy."
Hulk (quietly): "Good…? I almost lost control. Again."
Wasp: "You held it together. You saved lives."
Hulk: "You don't get it. I'm not like the rest of you. I'm not a hero. I'm a ticking bomb."
Thor (stepping forward): "You are a warrior, Banner. One of honor."
Hulk: "No... I'm a monster pretending to be one of you."
With that, Hulk leapt out of the mansion grounds, bounding into the distance, leaving silence behind.
Unbeknownst to them, their actions are being silently observed by the Black Panther.
The snowstorm howled as Hulk trudged through the icy wasteland. Here, far from civilization, he sought isolation.
Deep beneath the ice, something shimmered—a circular shape buried in the frozen layer. Hulk knelt, brushing off the frost with a massive hand.
Captain America's shield.
Hulk stared at it silently, then turned away and vanished into the blizzard.
Back at the Avengers Mansion
The team was gathered in the main operations room, concerned about Hulk's abrupt departure.
Tony Stark stood before a holographic map, fine-tuning a search protocol.
"Okay, everyone… we've got a faint life sign here. Barely a blip. Northwest Arctic."
A bright pulse flickered across the map, the signal weak but distinct.
Wasp hovered beside the table, arms crossed, worried.
"You think it's him?"
"Only one guy gives off gamma and cardiac readings like that. It's Hulk. No doubt."
Thor said, looking at them, "Then we must retrieve our comrade. His heart may be burdened, but he is not alone."
Tony interrupt him, "Not yet. We don't want to spook him again. Wasp, you're the fastest and least threatening among us."
"Least threatening? Gee, thanks, Tony." Wasp give a smile, and nodded, "Alright. I'll head out now."
She shrank down and zipped out through the open hangar, a streak of light darting into the skies.
Her exploration led to the discovery of a shocking sight—a man frozen in a block of ice, perfectly preserved, holding a circular red, white, and blue shield close to his chest.
"It's… him. It's Captain America."
In a swift operation, the team retrieved the frozen hero and brought him aboard the Quinjet, encasing him in a high-tech recovery chamber to slowly thaw him while monitoring his vitals.
Suddenly, Steve Rogers jolted awake, eyes darting, his muscles tense. The world around him looked alien—metal walls, flickering lights, strange suits and armor. Panic surged through him.
"Where… Where am I? Who are you people?!"
He sprang into action, snatching a metal panel and hurling it at Iron Man, who deflected it with his repulsors.
"What have you done with Bucky?! Where's HYDRA?!" He shouted looking at them.
He lunged at Tony, mistaking his armor for a HYDRA automaton.
Tony tried to calm him by raising his hands, "Whoa, Cap, take it easy! We're not your enemies!"
Wasp looking at his situation said, "He's confused—he thinks it's still the war."
Steve tried to catch his breath, still tense and ready to fight, Thor gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You have been asleep for a long time, Captain."
---
Meanwhile, Back at the Avengers Mansion...
As the team tried to calm Steve aboard the Quinjet, Black Panther quietly slipped into the Avengers Mansion.
To help Steve understand the new world he had awoken to, the Avengers took him to Ellis Island, where a war memorial stood tall—statues of heroes who had fought and vanished decades ago: Captain America, Bucky Barnes, Wolverine, Jack Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, and others.
Steve stared at his own likeness, frozen in bronze. The memories of war, blood, and loss flashed before his eyes.
Tony explained him, "You did it, Cap. You won. The Red Skull's gone. The war's over."
Steve eyes were still on Bucky's statue, "If I'm alive... then Bucky might be too."
Wasp explained him, "We didn't find any trace of him, Steve. I'm sorry."
"We will search for him," Tony said.
Steve nodded slowly, finally beginning to accept the strange, unfamiliar world around him.
With new clothes and his thoughts somewhat settled, Steve returned to the Avengers Mansion with the team.
At the same time, at the HYDRA base, an agent reported the news that Captain America was indeed alive. After hearing it, Baron Zemo departs for Arnim Zola's base.
In a different place, the Doughboy was launching an attack on the Statue of Liberty.
Iron Man, Thor, and Ant-Man swiftly mobilized to confront him.
Zemo has also come here with his own agenda, and wants to capture Steve.
But before he succeeded, Black Panther arrived there, he threw Steve, his shield. And with his Shield Steve not only saves himself from getting captured. But also defeated the Doughboy.
Tony extended a warm welcome to Captain America, acknowledging him as a co-leader within the Avengers.
Captain America also revealed about the mysterious figure in the black cat suit who had intervened to save him from Zemo's imminent strike.
Ben, seeing all of this from his TV, remarked, "So Steve has also joined the team. Now only Falcon, Black Widow, and Hawkeye are left."
At the same time, in Zola's base, Enchantress and Executioner murdered Arnim Zola. And then, Zemo allegiance with the Masters of Evil, but this all is Loki's orders.