-Broadcast-
Tony used his remaining nanomaterial to seal the wound in his side, the liquid metal flowing over the injury and hardening into a temporary patch. It wouldn't hold forever, but it stopped the bleeding. He sat slumped against the rock, breathing hard, and stared at Star-Lord with barely contained fury.
Star-Lord looked around at the empty battlefield, at his unconscious teammates, at the complete absence of their enemy. His voice was hollow with disbelief. "Did we just lose?"
Tony didn't have the energy to answer. Instead, he turned his gaze to Doctor Strange, who was slowly pushing himself to his feet. The unspoken question hung in the air between them: Why?
Strange met Tony's eyes and took a deep breath. "We're in the endgame now."
-Real World-
The second-generation Gwen's eyes widened with sudden understanding. "There was no way to avoid it! The outcome of this battle was already determined, so Strange chose to sacrifice the Time Stone to keep Tony alive. He's betting on the future—on Tony surviving to make the final play."
The second-generation Spider-Man nodded emphatically. "Exactly! Tony can't die. If he dies here, there's no one who can turn this around later. He has to survive!" The broadcast's narration from the very beginning had made it crystal clear—Tony Stark was central to everything.
Tony is the most critical person in this entire war. Only he possesses what's needed to ultimately defeat Thanos. That's why Strange was willing to surrender an Infinity Stone—to preserve the one person who mattered most.
Uncle Ben (Second Generation) shook his head with a mixture of sadness and respect. "Strange probably knows how unfair this is to Tony—why it has to be him who carries this burden. But this was the best outcome he could find across fourteen million possibilities."
Aunt May smiled softly, her expression filled with pride. "From the moment Tony Stark became Iron Man, he gradually transformed into someone greater than anyone expected. Someone willing to sacrifice everything for others. He's proven wrong everyone who ever doubted him."
-Broadcast-
In Wakanda, the battle was reaching its conclusion. The Avengers and Wakandan forces had successfully repelled Thanos's invasion force. The battlefield was littered with Outrider corpses, and the remaining transport ships were attempting to flee.
M'Baku swung his wooden war club with devastating force, crushing the skull of the last Outrider near his position. He raised the club high and roared at the sky: "Victory! Wakanda forever!"
The surrounding warriors echoed his cry, their voices united in triumph. "WAKANDA FOREVER!"
Thor, wreathed in crackling blue-white lightning, flew toward one of the departing transport ships. A small group of Outriders was attempting to retreat back to the vessel, but Thor intercepted them mid-escape. Stormbreaker sang through the air, each swing ending multiple alien lives.
He then flew directly into the transport ship itself, lightning exploding from his body. Wherever Thor went, destruction followed. Alien technology sparked and died, structural supports collapsed, engines overloaded. Within seconds, the entire ship exploded in a brilliant fireball that painted the Wakandan sky orange.
Thor emerged from the explosion completely unharmed, hovering in the air as he surveyed the other fleeing ships. He spun Stormbreaker once, lightning building along the blade, and rocketed toward another transport. Wakandan fighters joined him, their energy weapons firing continuously, attempting to ground the vessels before they could escape.
-Broadcast-
In the forest where Vision lay wounded, Wanda Maximoff descended from the sky, her hands still glowing with red chaos magic from her battle with Proxima Midnight. She rushed to Vision's side where he was slumped against a tree trunk, her hands immediately going to his face.
"Are you okay?" Her voice was thick with concern.
Vision tried to respond, but before he could speak, the Mind Stone embedded in his forehead emitted a high-pitched, piercing sound. His entire body convulsed with pain, his synthetic muscles locking up.
"What's wrong? What is it?" Wanda's hands hovered over him, unsure how to help.
Vision's breathing was labored, his systems struggling. He looked around at the forest, at the darkening sky, his enhanced senses picking up something the others couldn't detect yet. The Mind Stone wasn't malfunctioning—it was warning him.
"He's here," Vision said quietly, his voice filled with dread.
Wanda's blood ran cold. She understood immediately who "he" was.
Captain America watched the last transport ships fleeing toward space, but instead of relief, he felt his tactical instincts screaming danger. Something was wrong. This felt too easy.
"Everyone on my position!" His voice cut across the comms with absolute authority. "We have incoming!"
Natasha and Sam exchanged confused glances, looking around at the battlefield. The enemy was retreating. They'd won. "What are you talking about?"
Banner, still in the damaged Hulkbuster Mark II, turned to look behind him toward the forest. That's when he saw it—smoke rising from the tree line, but not normal smoke. This swirled with energy, crackled with unnatural light. It expanded rapidly, forming a circular portal.
Thanos stepped through.
The Mad Titan walked with unhurried confidence, his expression calm, almost serene. Five Infinity Stones gleamed on his gauntlet, pulsing with cosmic power. He surveyed the assembled heroes with the mild interest of a scientist observing insects.
Wanda stood protectively in front of Vision, chaos magic building in her hands. Her entire body was tense, ready to strike or defend. Behind her, Vision's Mind Stone continued its frantic warning, the frequency increasing with Thanos's proximity.
"Cap," Banner's voice was tight with fear. "That's him."
Steve Rogers stepped forward, both vibranium shields at the ready. His voice was steady despite the terror he felt looking at this being who'd brought an army to Earth. "Eyes up. Stay sharp."
Thanos continued his advance, moving with the casual certainty of someone who knew the outcome was already decided. He wasn't rushing because he didn't need to rush. Victory was inevitable.
Bruce Banner was the first to attack. The Hulkbuster's thrusters roared to life, and he charged at Thanos with everything the armor had. His mechanical fist came at Thanos like a meteorite—
Thanos raised his left hand. The Space Stone blazed blue.
Banner's punch passed harmlessly through Thanos as if the Titan wasn't even there. Reality bent around the gauntlet, and Bruce's momentum carried him forward, completely unable to course-correct. The massive armor crashed to the ground, sliding through dirt and debris.
Thanos made a twisting gesture with the gauntlet. Space warped again, and Banner was suddenly embedded in a stone cliff face, the armor's limbs pinned by rock that had been empty air a moment before. He was trapped, completely immobilized.
Steve Rogers leaped into action, using a boulder as a springboard to gain height. He brought both shields down in a powerful overhead strike—
The Power Stone pulsed purple. Steve was caught mid-air by the invisible force and hurled backward like he'd been hit by a truck. He tumbled through the air, his enhanced physiology the only thing preventing the impact from killing him outright. He crashed into the ground and rolled several times before finally sliding to a stop.
T'Challa—the Black Panther—saw the opening and charged. His suit was charged with stored kinetic energy from the battle, making him faster, stronger. His claws extended as he lunged at Thanos's throat—
Thanos caught him by the neck with casual ease, stopping T'Challa's momentum completely. Before the Wakandan king could react, Thanos drove his right fist into T'Challa's forehead with brutal force.
The blow would have shattered a normal man's skull. T'Challa's vibranium suit absorbed most of the impact, but not all. When his body hit the ground, all the stored kinetic energy released at once in a purple shockwave—far more than the suit was designed to hold. T'Challa lay motionless, overwhelmed by his own suit's feedback.
Sam Wilson dove from above, both submachine guns blazing. Bullets sparked off Thanos's armor, doing absolutely nothing.
Thanos raised the gauntlet almost lazily. The Power Stone sent out a wave of purple force that caught Sam mid-dive. He was swatted from the sky like a fly and crashed at Thanos's feet, his wings bent, his weapons scattered.
Thanos didn't even break stride.
Vision looked up at his teammates being systematically dismantled, each one falling before this unstoppable force. His voice was urgent, desperate. "Wanda. It's time."
Wanda shook her head immediately, vehemently. "No!"
She moved to join the fight, to add her power to the defense—
Vision grabbed her arm, stopping her. "They can't stop him, Wanda. But we can." He forced her to look at him, forced her to focus. "Your power exceeds the stone's. You can destroy it."
"I can't." Her voice broke.
"You have to!" Vision's tone was pleading now. "Wanda, please. We're out of time."
Wanda's lips trembled. The weight of what he was asking—to kill him with her own hands—was crushing. "I can't."
"Yes, you can." Vision's voice softened. "If he gets the stone, half the universe dies. You know the stakes."
Wanda stared at him, tears forming in her eyes. "It's not fair."
Vision knew she was right. Knew this was asking the impossible. But there was no other choice, no other way. "It shouldn't be you," he said gently. "But it has to be you. You're the only one who can do this."
Wanda took a step back, her entire body shaking. She couldn't. She couldn't—
"Wanda, I love you." Vision's voice was calm now, accepting. "You could never hurt me. I just... feel you."
Wanda looked at him—really looked at him. Saw the acceptance in his eyes, the love, the certainty. Her hand came up slowly, scarlet energy beginning to coalesce around her fingers.
She made her decision.
Chaos magic erupted from her palm, striking the Mind Stone directly. Vision cried out in pain as the beam connected, his body convulsing. But he didn't pull away. Didn't ask her to stop.
Wanda held the beam steady, her other hand raised toward the approaching Thanos, ready to defend Vision while she destroyed the stone. Tears streamed down her face as she poured everything she had into both tasks—killing the man she loved while protecting his body from desecration.
-Broadcast-
War Machine rocketed through the air, unleashing every weapon in his arsenal. Missiles, bullets, repulsor beams—everything he had hammered into Thanos from above.
Thanos raised the Infinity Gauntlet without looking. The Space Stone glowed. The space around War Machine compressed violently, becoming a crushing vice. Rhodes's armor buckled, systems failing, as reality itself squeezed him.
With a flick of Thanos's wrist, War Machine was flung aside like a discarded toy. He crashed through trees and disappeared into the forest.
Bucky Barnes roared and charged, his vibranium arm raised, his rifle firing full automatic.
Thanos clenched his fist. The Power Stone flared. Bucky was slammed into the ground so hard the earth cratered beneath him. He didn't get back up.
Okoye hurled her vibranium spear with perfect form and deadly accuracy. The weapon flew true, aimed directly at Thanos's heart—
The Power Stone pulsed. The spear froze in mid-air, suspended in a field of purple energy. Thanos gestured dismissively, and Okoye was blasted backward, her body ragdolling through the air.
Natasha tried to use the chaos to get close, to find a vulnerability—
The ground beneath her suddenly erupted upward, stone flowing like water to trap her legs, then her arms, encasing her completely. She struggled against the Reality Stone's transmutation but couldn't break free.
In seconds, every hero had fallen. Every defender had been neutralized.
Thanos continued walking toward Wanda and Vision, completely unstoppable, as inevitable as death itself.