Ben had been contemplating the creation of a specialized prison dimension for years, ever since the Hydra uprising had filled conventional detention facilities beyond capacity. The concept of a "Null Void", a pocket dimension designed to contain the most dangerous criminals and hostile entities, had remained theoretical due to various logistical and ethical complications.
His initial research had considered several possibilities. The Quantum Realm offered near-infinite space and natural isolation, but it also potentially housed variants of Kang the Conqueror, whose presence would transform any prison into a potential staging ground for temporal warfare. The Void ruled by Cassandra Nova remained inaccessible through conventional means, while other pocket dimensions carried their own risks and complications.
But the recent space upheaval had created new opportunities.
"Heaven would actually serve as an excellent foundation for the project," Ben mused, studying dimensional maps that the Ancient One had provided. "A fallen realm, already isolated from the main reality, controlled by curse energy, it's practically designed for containment purposes."
The Ancient One nodded approvingly from her position at the tea service, her retirement having done nothing to diminish her strategic insight. "The angelic population has been... pacified. Their martial skills could be redirected toward custodial duties, assuming proper oversight."
"But Heaven alone isn't sufficient," Ben continued, warming to the concept as he spoke. "I'm thinking we should incorporate Muspelheim as well. Fire demons make excellent jailers, they're naturally aggressive, virtually immortal, and completely loyal to whoever controls their realm's fundamental forces."
The logic was elegant in its simplicity. Muspelheim currently lacked a ruler following Surtur's death and Vilgax's occupation, but fire demons weren't conventional life forms that could be permanently eliminated. As the stolen energies returned to the Nine Realms through the World Tree's restoration, new fire demons would spontaneously generate from the realm's volcanic core.
"And Jotunheim," the Ancient One suggested, anticipating his next thought. "The environmental contrast would be... instructive for prisoners. Extreme heat and extreme cold, with the intersection serving as a particularly effective deterrent against escape attempts."
Ben grinned at the elegant brutality of the concept. "Two different hells, customizable depending on the prisoner's species and specific vulnerabilities."
"The World Tree's structure is quite flexible," the Ancient One confirmed. "The Nine Realms are essentially fruits growing from the same space branch, their physical arrangement can be modified without affecting the underlying dimensional framework."
She paused to refill her tea, then added, "I would also suggest incorporating Old Asgard into the prison complex. Hela's death-energy has rendered it unsuitable for normal habitation, but those same necromantic forces would serve as an additional layer of containment."
The suggestion was practical as well as symbolic. Old Asgard possessed significant infrastructure that could be repurposed, while its current state of decay would send a clear message to any prisoners about the futility of resistance.
"We'll need to salvage certain artifacts first," Ben noted. "The Fountain of Life, any remaining weapons in the royal armory, cultural treasures that shouldn't be exposed to criminal elements..."
"And we'll need to address the space-mages," the Ancient One reminded him. "Asgard has always housed communities of sorcerers who exist in parallel dimensions but maintain connections to the main realm. Odin never informed them about the evacuation to Genesis."
Ben made a mental note to handle that situation diplomatically. Accidentally imprisoning innocent civilians in his super-max facility would create exactly the kind of political complications he was trying to avoid.
"The primary challenge will be sealing the dimensional pathways," he continued. "Loki knows most of the secret routes between realms, but even he admits there are passages that haven't been mapped."
"The Space Stone should provide adequate solutions," the Ancient One replied. "Your control over spatial manipulation has grown considerably since acquiring the full set of Infinity Stones."
The project would require enormous amounts of energy and precise dimensional engineering, but the basic concept was sound. A prison realm combining the worst environmental aspects of three different realities, staffed by immortal guards and secured by space-level barriers.
"It's not urgent," Ben decided. "Let's focus on Thor's coronation first, then begin the preliminary planning stages."
New Asgard bore little resemblance to its predecessor's golden magnificence, but the subdued elegance of its reconstruction carried its own dignity. Odin had deliberately chosen a more modest architectural style, abandoning the ostentatious displays of wealth that had characterized the old realm in favor of structures that emphasized heritage and tradition over raw power.
This would be the third coronation ceremony held in Asgard within recent memory, and the previous two had been marked by disaster. The first had been interrupted by Frost Giant infiltrators, while the second had ended with Loki's dramatic leaving from the realm.
The current ceremony was deliberately smaller and more intimate, reflecting both the reduced circumstances of Asgard's population and the more mature perspective of its participants.
Thor had invited a carefully selected group of allies and comrades, Steve Rogers and his fellow Thunderbolt, Peter Parker and other young heroes who had proven themselves during recent crises, key Plumber personnel who had contributed to the space war effort. Notably absent were the traditional representatives of the Nine Realms, since Asgard no longer claimed dominion over those territories.
Ben arrived to find Thor and Odin sporting matching black eyes, clear evidence that their family reconciliation had involved a certain amount of physical expression.
"Did you two actually settle your differences, or did you just get tired of hitting each other?" Ben asked, accepting a goblet of mead from a passing server.
"Both," Thor replied with dignity somewhat undermined by his bruised face. "Father and I have reached an understanding about certain... educational method."
"The boy has quite an impressive right hook," Odin added with what might have been paternal pride. "I'm pleased to see his combat training wasn't entirely wasted."
Frigga appeared between them with the weary expression of someone who had spent decades mediating conflicts between stubborn males. "Enough," she declared, straightening Thor's ceremonial garments while shooting reproachful looks at both combatants. "You're embarrassing yourselves in front of our guests."
Near the refreshment tables, Loki was thoroughly enjoying the family drama while sampling what appeared to be several different varieties of Asgardian fruit. The God of Mischief had always preferred observing chaos to participating in it directly.
The ceremony itself proceeded without incident, a marked improvement over previous attempts. Thor accepted the crown with none of his former arrogance, his expression reflecting the weight of responsibility rather than the thrill of achievement.
When he looked out over the assembled Asgardians, Ben could see the king Thor was becoming, someone who understood that leadership meant protection rather than domination, service rather than privilege.
"I will guard what remains," Thor declared in his coronation speech, "and help build what comes next. The age of conquest is over. The age of cooperation begins now."
The words carried conviction born from hard experience. This wasn't the impetuous prince who had once threatened to restart ancient wars over personal slights, this was a leader who had seen the true cost of conflict and chosen a different path.
After the formal ceremonies concluded, Thor introduced Jane Foster to his parents with the clear intention of making their relationship official. Odin's expression suggested some reservations about a mortal queen, but Frigga's warm welcome more than compensated for any paternal skepticism.
The return journey to Earth brought Ben face-to-face with the massive scope of reconstruction that lay ahead. Norman Osborn's briefing painted a picture of devastation that exceeded even their worst-case projections.
"The entire North American continent shows signs of space-level damage," Norman reported, displaying satellite imagery that revealed the full scope of destruction. "We're looking at infrastructure collapse, environmental contamination from exotic energy sources, and population displacement on a scale that makes Hurricane Katrina look like a minor inconvenience."
The images spoke for themselves, cities reduced to geometric patterns of destruction, farmland transformed into crystalline wastelands where alien energies had interacted with local soil, transportation networks severed by the passage of space-scale combatants.
"Other continents fared better," Norman continued, "but the psychological impact is global. People are questioning whether Earth is capable of defending itself against space-level threats."
"Fair question," Ben admitted. "What are our resource projections for reconstruction?"
"Tony Stark has volunteered to lead infrastructure planning," Norman replied. "His exile apparently provided him with access to advanced engineering techniques that could revolutionize construction methods. We're also receiving offers of assistance from Wakanda, several Plumber member-worlds, and the surviving Asgardian population."
The scope was daunting, but not insurmountable. Earth had survived space invasions before, this was simply a matter of scale rather than fundamental impossibility.
"And security concerns?" Ben asked.
Norman's expression grew more serious. "That's the real problem. Each crisis has been exponentially more dangerous than the last. Hydra threatened New York. The Chitauri invasion endangered the planet. This conflict could have destabilized reality itself. The progression suggests that our next major threat will operate on scales we can barely imagine."
Ben nodded grimly. The pattern was unfortunately familiar from comic book storylines, each story arc had to exceed the previous one's stakes to maintain reader interest, leading to a constant escalation that eventually threatened concepts like existence itself.
"We prepare for what we can anticipate," he said finally, "and adapt to what we can't. The Plumbers have expanded our defensive capabilities considerably, while the enhanced international cooperation should provide better early warning systems."
It wasn't entirely reassuring, but it was realistic. They would face whatever came next with better resources and more experience than they'd possessed during previous crises.
"By the way," Norman added, his tone shifting to something approaching excitement, "Otto reports a major breakthrough with the particle collider project. They believe multiverse travel is now feasible."
Ben's interest immediately sharpened. The ability to traverse parallel realities would provide both enormous opportunities and significant risks, access to alternative resources and technologies, but also potential exposure to threats that operated beyond single-universe limitations.
He found Otto Octavius, Tony Stark, and Bruce Banner clustered around a complex array of equipment in the Primus Technologies advanced research laboratory. All three were engaged in animated discussion, their conversation flowing between technical specifications and theoretical implications with the rapid-fire enthusiasm of scientists on the verge of a major discovery.
"The quantum entanglement matrices were the breakthrough," Otto was explaining as Ben approached. "Tony's experience with exotic energy sources provided the key insight we needed to stabilize the dimensional barriers."
"Of course it did," Tony replied with characteristic modesty. "My time on Sakaar wasn't entirely unproductive. The Shadow-People of Sakaar possess some fascinating approaches to space-time manipulation."
"The experimental data appears completely sound," Bruce added, checking readings on multiple monitoring systems. "We should be able to establish stable portals to parallel realities within controlled parameters."
Ben studied the apparatus, a scaled-down version of the particle collider technology that had originally brought him into contact with alternate Spider-People. The current configuration appeared far more sophisticated, with multiple fail-safes and emergency protocols that should prevent the kind of catastrophic dimensional instability that had characterized his previous multiverse experiences.
"Theoretical feasibility is one thing," Ben observed. "Practical testing is another matter entirely. Someone needs to be the first test subject."
"I volunteer," Tony said immediately.
"Absolutely not," Ben replied without hesitation. "You just got out of space prison. The last thing we need is to lose you to dimensional exile."
"Then who, " Otto began.
"I'll do it," Ben declared, stepping toward the activation chamber. "I have experience with multiverse travel, the Omnitrix provides various forms of protection against exotic physics, and if something goes wrong, I'm probably the person best equipped to find my way home."