Chapter 178: George the Prophet
After greeting Banner and Betty, George took Tony to meet Wolverine, Professor X, and the school's students.
Wolverine was an old acquaintance, while Professor X was meeting Tony for the first time. However, the professor was adept at handling personalities like Tony's and quickly made a favorable impression with just a few words.
As they were chatting, the X-Jet landed, piloted by Storm—Steve Rogers had returned.
"Steve, I thought you wouldn't be back until evening."
"Carter can't stay awake for long, and my presence there was affecting her rest."
Steve sighed dejectedly. Seeing Peggy Carter aged and frail had left him with complicated emotions.
The woman he once loved, the one he'd promised to dance with, was now married with children, her hair white with age.
"Life moves forward. Let me introduce you to a new part-time teacher—Tony Stark."
George offered some comfort before introducing Tony to Steve.
Tony stared at the living legend his father had praised endlessly—the hero he'd heard about thousands of times until it grated on his nerves—and couldn't resist commenting:
"Hello, Captain. Not wearing your aerobics leotard today?"
"Hello, Tony. Perhaps you should call me 'Uncle'—after all, your father and I were as close as brothers."
Already in a somber mood, Steve grew even more displeased at Tony's tactless remark.
"I thought they were supposed to get along? Why does it feel like there's tension?" Wolverine whispered to Professor X.
The professor chuckled.
"Same as when you first met Scott—and he'd just saved your life. Don't worry. They're both good men. Given time, they'll become great friends."
"Steve, your timing is perfect. Since everyone's here, there's something I'd like to discuss."
George paid little mind to the friction between Tony and Steve, instead leading them to the school's conference room. He also summoned Banner and Betty.
"Recently, I've awakened a new ability."
"What kind?"
Everyone leaned in curiously. They knew George possessed numerous and ever-growing powers, but gathering them like this suggested something significant.
George's expression turned serious.
"Prophecy. At times, I involuntarily glimpse visions of the future."
He was playing the prophet now—revealing future events to strengthen team cohesion. External threats minimized internal strife.
Had the Avengers known from the start about Thanos collecting Infinity Stones to erase half of all life, would the Sokovia Accords have happened?
Of course, he wouldn't mention Thanos outright—that would be too overwhelming. He'd take it step by step.
Additionally, he planned to assist Thor against Loki, preventing the Chitauri invasion from the movies. If such disasters could be averted, why let them happen?
This wasn't the main MCU timeline—who knew if only Chitauri would come? Facing additional threats might prove impossible. Prevention was best.
But he also considered that his earlier leak about HYDRA had kept SHIELD preoccupied. Would they even monitor Thor's situation?
Would Thor still be worthy to lift Mjolnir under these altered circumstances?
Facing the Destroyer alone was risky, especially with Loki's capabilities unknown. Movie Loki with his daggers was manageable—but what if this was "Sorcerer Supreme" Loki?
Thus, he intended to bring Iron Man, Captain America, and others along—both for backup and to show them that beyond Earth lay greater dangers.
"Prophecy? That's an actual ability?"
Skepticism rippled through the group. Predicting the future sounded too fantastical to believe.
Other powers could be explained scientifically—even teleportation could be theorized as quantum displacement, just beyond current technology.
But foreseeing future events? How did that work?
Professor X spoke up.
"Mutant abilities vary widely. Precognition has manifested before—no reason to doubt it."
(Was there ever a mutant with precognition? Not that he knew of—but that wasn't important. If George claimed prophetic visions, he'd provide cover.)
"The real question is—George, what did you see that has you so concerned?"
Everyone turned to George expectantly.
George's expression darkened.
"I saw alien armies invading Earth. Saw us fighting desperately to protect our planet."
"George, are you sure this wasn't just a nightmare? Actual prophecy?"
Tony joked skeptically.
Aliens? There wasn't even concrete proof of extraterrestrial life, let alone alien militaries attacking Earth. That was science fiction territory.
"Aliens do exist. We've encountered them."
Professor X recounted the Shi'ar Empire's attempted invasion to claim the Phoenix Force from Jean Grey.
The room fell silent.
Captain America—a man out of time, freshly thawed from WWII—was still adjusting to modern technology, let alone extraterrestrial life. Cosmic concepts were beyond his frame of reference.
Tony, Banner, and Betty—top-tier scientists—had always believed humanity wasn't alone in the universe. But they hadn't realized aliens had already visited Earth.
George added:
"Aliens are real. Governments know this—that's why they formed organizations like SWORD, operating from space stations."
"From SHIELD intel, fifteen years ago, an alien fleet approached Earth before mysteriously retreating. That's when Nick Fury drafted the Avengers Initiative—assembling enhanced individuals under his command to counter extraterrestrial threats."
(End of Chapter)