Sakaar, the arena.
Anyone familiar with Sakaar knows that this is undeniably the most popular place on the planet, without peer.
In the rugged Sakaar, everyone loves watching combat.
The Grandmaster even keeps a group of gladiators and promises them that once they become champions, they can escape their slavery and regain their freedom.
Just like in Thor: Ragnarok, where the Hulk, having stumbled onto Sakaar, became a champion by knocking out his opponents one punch at a time, thriving in the arena.
While other gladiators were still sleeping on the floor in communal dorms, he had already secured the presidential suite in the arena and numerous privileges.
For powerful gladiators on Sakaar, their status is equivalent to that of nobility.
"Let go, to the dueling ground."
Once the group had a plan, they followed the large crowd of scavengers towards the arena.
The arena was easy to find, being the tallest building in the entire city of Sakaar.
Outside the building, there were four huge steel masks, each representing a champion who had appeared in the arena.
Gladiators who achieved glory in the arena were commemorated throughout Sakaar in this manner.
The champions corresponding to these four masks were Horse-Face Thor, God of War Ares, humanoid Ted Salis, and the Two-Headed Man.
Of course, this was a little surprise prepared by Marvel in the movie, not explicitly shown in the film content.
Superman, incarnated as Anton, glanced at these massive masks and could imagine the planet fervor for combat.
They queued at the back of the crowd, waiting to enter the arena.
"Identity cards!"
However, as they were about to enter the arena, the guards at the door stopped them, asking for their identity information.
Obviously, none of them could produce it.
"Hmm?"
The guard frowned: "Can't produce it? Stowaways?"
Sakaar is a planet that is difficult to access, so, apart from the exiles sent here by other planets, there are virtually no tourists.
Anyone who cannot produce identity information is automatically considered a stowaway.
Under the Grandmaster administration, stowaways have only one path: being sent to the arena to become gladiators.
"Seize them!"
At the guard command, the arena enforcers swarmed in.
Other Sakaarians nonchalantly moved aside, many of them interestedly watching the scene, shouting, "Fight!"
"Counterattack!"
"Take down those thugs!"
"Damn, I don't want to watch them fight, the combat has already started!"
"Isn't causing trouble more interesting than the fight?"
"What interesting about a one-sided fight? Do you think they can take down the arena enforcers?"
Voices of discussion rose.
Glances were cast their way, some fiery, some displeased.
Superman remained composed, while Carol and the others looked at the encircling enforcers and exchanged glances.
"Since we can't enter the arena peacefully, we'll have to fight our way in!"
Carol shrugged.
"This might even draw out the Black Order."
"Even if the Black Order doesn't show up, drawing out the Grandmaster wouldn't be bad either."
Gamora added.
"Hey."
Nick Fury spoke dryly: "Are you all forgetting about me? I'm not like you freaks."
As he spoke...
The enforcers at their side lunged forward.
Bang, bang, bang!
In the next moment, these men were sent flying backward with swollen noses and bruised faces, crashing heavily to the ground. They then looked up in shock at their opponents.
Carol and the others were taken aback, turning to look at Superman.
They hadn't even made a move yet.
"My time is precious, no need to waste it with them," Superman said.
Seeing their own enforcers at a disadvantage, the surrounding crowd voices began to quiet down.
They realized that these troublemakers were not ordinary folks.
In other words, the one-sided battle they expected wasn't happening before their eyes they might witness a fight even more spectacular than the arena usual bouts.
"Fight!"
Someone shouted, sparking cheers from the crowd.
"Come on, start fighting!"
"Keep it going, haven't you eaten?"
The Sakaarians shouts around the arena made the guards very angry.
"Damn it!"
The guard gritted his teeth. "Quick, capture them! The Grandmaster has already been informed. If we can't handle this before the fight ends, we're all in trouble."
As he spoke, a tall figure was already standing before him, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him high.
"I said earlier, my time is precious, so I'll only ask once."
Superman met his gaze, his cold eyes and the immense pressure emanating from his body accelerating the guard heartbeat, as if it might burst out of his chest.
"Is the Grandmaster in the arena?"
"Gulp!"
The guard swallowed hard, sensing the other intent to kill. The heat radiating from that palm made him tremble all over, feeling as if he were facing the most terrifying person in the universe.
"He inside."
"In that case, I have one more question."
Superman asked again: "The Black Order, do you recognize them? Are they here?"
"I don't know."
The guard was honest, terrified by Superman. Now he spoke without thinking, quickly saying,
"I don't know any Black Order, but the Grandmaster is currently hosting some important guests they might be who you're looking for."
"Good, thank you for your answer. I'm satisfied."
With that, Superman casually tossed him aside.
The guard flew through the air like a rag doll, crashing into the wall of another building, then heavily falling to the ground.
He lay there, slightly injured but not seriously hurt.
Yet, he dared not get up but continued to lie there, gasping for air, fearing to attract that man attention again.
Too terrifying!
Though Superman hadn't made any grand gestures, the aura of superiority and the casual display of strength made it clear they were dealing with an unprecedented menace.
Seeing this, the remaining arena enforcers exchanged glances, involuntarily showing signs of fear.
"Let go!"
Seeing Superman spring into action, Carol cracked her knuckles and flashed a sunny smile at the dozen or so enforcers in front of her.
"Now it my turn to shine!"
Boom!
A powerful wave of energy erupted from her palms, instantly blasting the enforcers away and even destroying the door behind them, creating a huge hole big enough for several people to pass through.
As the hole appeared, cheers from tens of thousands inside the arena spilled out.
The deafening cheers made Carol feel a rush of excitement.
"You all heard that."
Carol instructed her two companions, Gamora and Nick Fury, "The Black Order is here.
Don't get involved in the fight later find a spacecraft ready for us to escape, in case we get blocked and it becomes difficult to leave. Leave the fighting to me and Superman."
"Understood."
Before Nick Fury could respond, Gamora nodded in agreement.
As Thanos adopted daughter, she was somewhat familiar with the Black Order, even though they weren't exactly friends.
Gamora was well aware of the Black Order strength and knew that she couldn't defeat them no matter what.
Thus, it was best to leave the opponents to those who could handle them while they took care of the logistics.
Nick Fury was also aware of the stakes.
"Be careful," he advised before he and Gamora left the arena.
"Where should we look for the spaceship?" Nick asked Gamora.
He wasn't very familiar with the universe and had to rely on Gamora.
"The Grandmaster residence."
Gamora tapped on her smart wristband, hacking into the Sakaar network and instantly pinpointing the location of the Grandmaster on Sakaar.
"There are rarely any external ships entering or leaving Sakaar, but there will definitely be some at the Grandmaster residence," she stated decisively.
"Once Superman and Carol start making noise, the guards at the Grandmaster home will surely be called away. Then, we can sneak in effortlessly and steal his ship..."
"That sounds good."
Nick shrugged. "But look at the map you pulled up. We're a long way from the Grandmaster residence. How are we going to get there?"
Gamora paused.
Inside the arena.
In the VIP box with the best view of the entire arena, the Grandmaster was having a friendly conversation with Thanos four lieutenants, the Black Order.
"Our champion, the Two-Headed Man, is about to enter the arena," the Grandmaster smiled.
"Currently, he is the strongest in our arena. If you could take him to join Thanos forces, it would be an honor for me. Of course, the price is negotiable, as per our previous agreement."
"Two-Headed Man..."
Black Dwarf, expressionless, glanced at the burly man entering the arena, towering over three meters tall with a robust build, his two heads stacked one atop the other, an odd sight indeed.
"He looks good, I'll take him," said Black Dwarf.
"I'll take him away after the fight ends."
"Very well, very well!" The Grandmaster grinned, squinting his eyes.
"It an honor for the Two-Headed Man to be chosen by you."
"What about the other champions?" asked Ebony Maw, the strategist and sorcerer of the Black Order, his slender frame making him stand out.
"Our goal in coming to Sakaar was to find more powerful warriors. Just one does not meet our objectives."
"Of course, everything is arranged. You will soon meet our champions," the Grandmaster replied.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome our champion, the Two-Headed Man!" the announcer introduced amidst the cheers of the crowd, a champion already well-known to the people of Sakaar.
As the Two-Headed Man entered, the atmosphere in the arena heated up even more.
The people there had no idea that there was trouble outside the arena, nor could they imagine that the troublemakers had already smashed the arena main door and barged in.
"Now we invite his opponent, the perennial champion of the arena..."
The announcer was introducing the Two-Headed Man opponent when suddenly...
A burst of explosive light and a tremendous boom at the arena entrance overpowered the cheers of the crowd.
The announcer paused, sensing something was amiss.
Thick black smoke then rolled in from the entrance of the Two-Headed Man opponent, drawing the attention of the entire audience, including those in the VIP box like the Grandmaster.
"Hmm?"
The Grandmaster expression soured.
With the Black Order present, any issue in the arena would be a major embarrassment for him.
This was something the Grandmaster could not tolerate.
"What going on?" he demanded, picking up a communicator, his voice gritted with frustration as he questioned the guards.
"Sir, there are stowaways who have forced their way into the arena," the guard quickly replied. "We've intercepted them... but we need more backup..."
As he spoke, another massive boom, even louder than before, echoed through the arena.
The entire arena audience was now captivated by the source of the sound, their gazes collectively drawn toward a particular entrance of the arena.
It was the very entrance from which the Two-Headed Man opponent was supposed to emerge.
Thump, thump, thump!
The crowd fell silent, everyone eyes fixed on the newcomer.
Those with keen ears could even hear the faint footsteps coming from the entrance.
Many were aware that something had gone wrong.
Otherwise, there wouldn't have been two consecutive explosions, nor the billowing black smoke continuously drifting out from the entrance.
Thump, thump, thump!
Soon, the footsteps became clearer.
It wasn't until a muscular man about two meters tall walked out from the entrance that people realized the Two-Headed Man opponent had been switched.
Replaced by an unknown contender.
"Who is he?"
"Why has the opponent changed? Wasn't it supposed to be that stone man before?"
"Damn, he doesn't look like he can fight at all!"
The audience murmuring did not affect the newcomer.
Instead, it was the Grandmaster in the VIP box, along with the Black Order, who found this individual more intriguing.
The Grandmaster dismissed him as just a troublemaking stowaway.
But the Black Order felt somewhat familiar with him.
Superman!
Originally from Krypton, born on Earth, and now his residence was unknown, suspected to be wandering the universe.
Not long ago, he repelled a Kree spacecraft fleet and took the Orb, or rather, the Power Stone, from the Ravagers, a target of Thanos forces.
Now, Superman was a wanted fugitive by Thanos legion.
Good timing.
Obviously, at this moment, the Black Order didn't realize Superman was specifically targeting them.
Superman was somewhat exasperated.
He had inadvertently taken the wrong passage.
The layout here was overly complicated. Did the Grandmaster even know how to construct a building? Making the pathways inside an arena this convoluted without a single sign was absurd.
Superman pondered this as he looked at the Two-Headed Man before him.
Usually, beings with two heads had them side by side, separated by the neck he had never before seen one with two heads stacked vertically on the same face.
"You're quite ugly!"
After a closer inspection, Superman shook his head and gave his final verdict.
"Damn you!"
The Two-Headed Man exploded in rage, his four eyes blazing with fury as he clenched his fists and charged at Superman.
"I'm going to tear you apart!"