The next morning, sunlight broke over the city. Peace had returned, for now.
And Ben found himself once again immersed in Avengers adventures.
"Another day, another adventure," he muttered. "But man... things are getting dull around here."
---
Bethesda Fountain Plaza pulsed with life—until the sky tore open.
An orb of crackling energy plummeted like a meteor, striking the ground with a deafening boom and carving a crater into the plaza. The chaos sent pigeons scattering and bystanders running. Within minutes, flashing sirens arrived, and the police cordoned off the area.
Cautiously approaching the smoldering impact site, officers halted, wide-eyed.
"Uh… is that guy… naked?" one officer asked, lowering his sunglasses in disbelief.
At the center of the crater sat a disoriented blonde man, bare as the day he was born. His expression flickered between confusion and desperation. He clutched his head, scanning the crowd before raising one trembling hand to the sky.
"Help… please…" he murmured, voice raw.
"Where did you come from?" another officer asked, keeping a safe distance.
The man could only point upward.
"From… out there."
---
Meanwhile, at Avengers Mansion...
Inside the high-tech lounge, Wasp lounged on a floating chair, keeping one eye on the villain alert monitor. Carol Danvers leaned casually against a console, sipping a smoothie.
"You know," Carol said, "for a world constantly in danger, we have way too many slow days."
Wasp smirked. "Careful what you wish for. Boredom usually means we're due for another invasion."
Before Carol could reply, JARVIS's voice cut in crisply.
"Apologies for the interruption, Ms. Van Dyne. You have an unexpected visitor at the front door."
Wasp raised a brow. "Who visits Avengers Mansion uninvited?"
---
At the entrance, two police officers stood awkwardly, flanking the same blonde man—now covered in a large blanket. He looked no less confused.
"This guy fell out of the sky," one cop explained. "Literally. Central Park. He said, he was abducted by aliens."
Wasp narrowed her eyes. "You're serious?"
"Dead serious. He said his name's Michael… Korvac."
Wasp glanced at the man, noting strange, glowing patterns etched into his back—like alien circuitry. She folded her arms.
"JARVIS, get S.W.O.R.D. on the line. We've got a potential extraterrestrial case."
---
Inside the med bay...
Michael sat on the examination table, eyes darting nervously. Wasp stood by with a data pad.
"I was driving," he began, "just driving… and then this robot, this thing—beamed me into a ship. They strapped me down. Did tests. Ran wires through me. It was like… like they were rebuilding me."
His voice cracked, panic rising.
"I'm not crazy. You have to believe me! Something's inside me—I feel it. I—"
His breathing accelerated, hands twitching as faint energy surged across his skin. Wasp stepped forward, calm but firm.
"Michael, I need you to breathe—"
"I can't!" he shouted, eyes glowing.
Wasp acted fast—shrinking mid-air and delivering a precision bio-electric sting to his neck. Michael collapsed into unconsciousness.
"JARVIS, alert Jane Foster. Tell her we need a medical scan. Now."
As she stood over the fallen man, concern tightened her features.
"Let's find out what you really are, Michael Korvac."
In a bid to unravel this mystery, Wasp swiftly contacted the Avengers.
"His name is Michael Korvac. He claims he was abducted, experimented on... but now, all he wants is to find someone named Corrina."
Captain America stood by the window, watching the skyline. He clenched his fist before replying, "Then that's what we'll help him do. Everyone deserves a chance to go home."
Fueled by determination, Wasp embarked on a mission to locate Corrina, who, unbeknownst to many, was working quietly in a small, cozy restaurant tucked away in the city.
Corrina moved between tables, focused on cleaning. The bell above the door jingled as Wasp walked in.
She approached the counter, and in gentle tone, she said, "Corrina? I'm Janet van Dyne. I need to talk to you about someone... Michael Korvac."
Corrina froze mid-motion. Her eyes widened, and the rag slipped from her hand.
Corrina whispered, "Michael...?"
"…That's impossible. Michael's gone."
But unknown to Wasp and Corrina, a group of onlookers mysteriously materialized.
The light chatter in the restaurant faded.
Customers turned, sensing something significant.
---
Meanwhile, back at Avengers Mansion, Tony Stark paced in front of a holographic projection, analyzing Michael's energy signature. Sparks of data flickered on screen. Hulk stood nearby, arms crossed.
Tony scratched his head, "These readings are off the charts. He's like a human nuclear reactor."
Hulk stepped closer, examining the data. "That energy... it's cosmic radiation."
Tony turned sharply. "You're sure?"
Hulk gave a slow nod. "Positive. It's not Earth-born."
The Avengers, regrouped in the main chamber, awaiting Wasp's return. Corrina soon entered with her, her gaze locking onto Michael, who now sat upright, dazed and quiet.
She sat beside Michael, who looked pale and shaken.
Corrina rushed to him, kneeling at his side. "Michael… it's me. Corrina."
His eyes slowly focused. "Corrina? How long has it been?"
"Two years," she said softly. "You disappeared without a trace."
But before their reunion could settle, a blinding light filled the room as the Guardians of the Galaxy suddenly materialized.
Star-Lord stepped forward, helmet retracting, he held up his hands. "Okay, everybody stay calm. We're here for Korvac."
Rocket leveled his blaster slightly. "We tracked his signal. He's dangerous."
Thor stepped between them and Michael, his eyes crackling with lightning. "Then you should've spoken with us first."
Wasp stood beside Thor, arms raised in defiance. "He's been through enough. If you're part of what happened to him, you're not taking him without answers."
Rocket sneered, "We didn't take him. We were trying to stop him before he becomes something you can't control."
Drax pointed at Michael. "He has power. Enough to destroy galaxies. If he loses control, no one will stop him."
Tony stepped in, glancing between the two groups. "This just got a lot more complicated."
As tensions rose, one voice broke the unease.
"Where's Steve?" Hawkeye asked aloud, eyes scanning the room.
A moment passed before Tony replied, voice low.
"Steve's gone. Left with the veterans. Said it was something he had to do."
With Michael now conscious, Corrina beside him, and the Guardians demanding his surrender, the room stood at the edge of conflict. The Avengers stood united, refusing to hand Michael over without answers.
And as everyone braced for what came next, a strange pulse flickered around Michael's body, subtle yet powerful—hinting that the real danger had yet to begin.
The standoff didn't last long.
Without a word, the tension snapped—and chaos erupted.
The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy clashed like titans.
Hulk lunged at Groot with a guttural roar. "Big tree? Big mistake!"
Groot's eyes narrowed as he caught Hulk's fists with thick branches. "I am Groot!"
Iron Man hovered above, targeting Quasar with precision blasts. "Nice tech you've got there," he said, dodging a plasma bolt. "Let's see how it handles Stark-level innovation!"
Quasar grinned, forming a cosmic shield. "Bring it, tin man."
On the ground, Black Panther engaged Adam Warlock.
"You see with logic," Warlock murmured, his eyes glowing faintly, "but your fear betrays you."
T'Challa responded coolly, "Fear is not a weakness. It's a warning—and right now, it's telling me you're hiding something."
Meanwhile, Hawkeye ducked behind a fallen pillar, loosing arrows at Star-Lord.
"You sure you're supposed to be the leader?" Clint called out. "You're getting creamed by a guy with a bow."
Star-Lord smirked, firing back with twin blasters. "I'm just getting warmed up, Legolas."
Hulk, thinking he had the upper hand, slammed Groot into a wall—until Rocket appeared, blasters blazing.
"Back off, greenie!" Rocket shouted, twin pistols glowing. "No one squashes Groot but me!"
The skirmish peaked in intensity, but before long, both sides pulled back, regrouping in battered clusters.
Breathing heavily, Star-Lord wiped blood from his brow and pointed at Korvac. "He's killed thousands. Whole colonies. If we don't stop him now, it's gonna happen again."
Michael stood behind Corrina, trembling. She looked between the teams, torn.
"He's not like that anymore," she said softly. "He just wants peace."
"And so did the people on Station Ypsilon," Drax growled. "They're gone because of him."
Suddenly, a sharp light burst through the room—Carol Danvers descended, flanked by two S.W.O.R.D. drones.
"What the hell is going on here?" she asked, surveying the destruction. "This was supposed to be a negotiation."
But Korvac was no longer calm.
His body began to glow with rising energy, arcs of light crackling around him. His voice trembled. "I don't want to hurt anyone... but I will if I have to."
Carol's eyes narrowed. "Then don't."
But it was too late.
With a blinding surge, Korvac released a pulse of raw power. One by one, the heroes dropped—unconscious, overwhelmed. Even Corrina collapsed in his arms.
Only Carol remained standing, teeth gritted as she absorbed the cosmic force rippling through the room.
Across the fallen battlefield, a strange silence settled.
Everything shifted.
A surreal mental plane bloomed into view. Floating in this psychic void, the heroes' astral forms gathered—suspended, conscious only in mind.
Adam Warlock stepped forward, his voice echoing without sound. "I've linked our minds... so you may know the truth."
Star-Lord nodded solemnly. "Most of his story is true. He was once an ordinary person. But one day, he was abducted by aliens. The Kree took him... experimented on him... broke him."
Rocket added, floating beside him, "They turned him into a power source. A living bomb. He escaped—but not before he lost it. Wiped out an entire station. Thousands dead."
Warlock's voice deepened. "His mind fractured under the weight of power no mortal was meant to bear. He's not evil... but he is dangerous."
Their words lingered, echoing in the minds of the still-unconscious Avengers.
Michael's tragic past unraveled before them— the painful fall of a broken man reshaped into a cosmic weapon.
And now, back in the waking world... only Carol stood between him and whatever came next.
"Korvac, you've slaughtered thousands across the galaxy," Carol Danvers said firmly, stepping forward, her eyes locked onto his. "We can't let you continue this rampage."
The Avengers and the Guardians stood together, tense and unified, their focus solely on Korvac.
Despite the weight of the moment, Adam Warlock's voice remained calm, almost gentle.
"Michael," he said, "you've lost control. But we understand. What happened to you—it's tragic. You didn't choose this. But the path you're on now… we can't allow it to continue."
Surrounded in the heart of Central Park, Korvac's eyes narrowed at Carol. The moment he sensed her Kree origins, his suspicion flared. "You're here to take me back," he growled. "I won't be caged again."
The heroes moved quickly, forming a perimeter. The battle erupted like lightning—Avengers and Guardians unleashing their might to subdue him. But Korvac, fueled by bitterness and betrayal, met them head-on with terrifying force.