But the Resurrection Match newcomers at the scene scoffed.
"Tch, wipe those cowardly looks off your faces."
A man in a dark blue suit donned his Captain America-style cowl, his eyes scanning the room with disdain.
"What's this Spider-Man nonsense? Never heard of him. You lot are utterly useless."
He glanced at Hydra Steve. "If you can't conquer the world with artificial suns, you're beyond pathetic."
Hydra Steve clenched his teeth, suppressing his rage, and forced a strained smile.
"Sir, may I ask—"
"TDK. I've introduced myself."
"Alright, Mr. TDK, let me explain. Spider-Man is a cunning opponent, he—"
TDK cut him off. "No need. I'm not interested.
Just don't forget your promise to me."
"I won't. Once Hydra conquers the world, you'll have a spot in the new Avengers," Hydra Steve assured.
"Hm, I'm satisfied." TDK crossed his arms, stone-faced.
Bucky frowned, whispering to Hydra Steve, "Who's this guy that you're so polite to him?"
Hydra Steve stepped back, his expression grave.
"He's dangerous. I saw him detach his own arm. He must have some kind of immortal body. People like that aren't weak."
If TDK hadn't shown off his powers on the street, Hydra's intelligence network wouldn't have found him so quickly.
Bucky was shocked. "Immortal? No wonder he looks down on the others. He must be powerful to be that arrogant."
Hydra Steve nodded. "Exactly. Even the Black Order stayed quiet, proving I'm right."
To them, the Resurrection Match gathered contestants of varying strength from different worlds.
To win, they needed the strongest ally to take down Spider-Man.
Spider-Man was getting stronger, and they were no match.
This Resurrection Match had gone smoothly, especially after stealing the perfect artificial sun data from Spider-Man, giving them more leverage.
The artificial sun meant infinite energy. Whoever controlled it controlled the world.
Hydra seemed poised to win, but Spider-Man wasn't guaranteed to lose.
He'd pulled off miracles before. They couldn't get cocky.
Until victory was secured, they needed to keep TDK on their side, even if it meant acting submissive.
After the Resurrection Match, he'd return to his world anyway.
Any outrageous demand—like joining the Avengers—was easy to agree to.
As for the Black Order, they exchanged glances at TDK's arrogance but stayed silent.
The Resurrection Match had shown them the multiverse's wonders and terrors.
In their world, Spider-Man was strong but not outrageous.
Yet, in the last match, an alternate Spider-Man had crushed them instantly!
His unmatched physical strength, dazzling magic, bizarre webbing, and spider-sense that predicted their every move.
That fight felt like they were performing for Spider-Man, utterly powerless.
It left them hopeless.
Even Thanos couldn't take them down that fast.
In that moment, they realized.
Thanos wasn't the strongest, and the Black Order had no reason to be proud.
The Resurrection Match was full of powerhouses. They needed to stay humble.
Like TDK, who they'd seen detach his arm.
He had to be a terrifying immortal!
They wisely kept quiet at his scorn, avoiding humiliation.
Offending him would mean losing their place here and their shot at resurrection.
Ophelia and the Sinister Six noticed the Black Order and Hydra Steve's restraint.
If even stronger players stayed silent, TDK had to be a mysterious, ultimate weapon against Spider-Man!
TDK's status in the team skyrocketed.
"Where's Madame Viper?" Bucky asked curiously.
At the mention of the other world's Ophelia, Hydra Steve's expression stiffened.
"She went after Spider-Man."
"Alone?"
"Yeah, to fulfill her unfinished wish. Total lunatic."
Hydra had written her off, mentally removing her from the team.
He looked at the group, his face serious.
"The artificial sun experiment succeeded. Spider-Man's only chance is to kill us all, including every Hydra member.
That's nearly impossible, but I'm not sure if Spider-Man can pull it off.
That's why I gathered you here—to counter his next move."
As he spoke, the base trembled, and alarms blared.
Beep beep~ Warning! Warning! Underground base under attack. Evacuate immediately.
"Spider-Man's here!!"
Hydra Steve paled, and the group jumped at the noise.
"He found us this fast? It's definitely Spider-Man. His abilities are weird."
"He wants to kill us to stop our resurrection slots."
Ebony Maw's eyes narrowed, and he used telekinesis to rip open the ceiling.
"We can't fight in the base. Tight spaces favor Spider-Man."
"Get to the surface. Our soldiers are there. Together, we can take him down," Hydra Steve rallied, leading the group out.
In the forest above the base, a meteor crashed, cratering the ground and devouring trees with magical energy.
Crack crack crack
Magical shockwaves shredded the base's camouflage.
Boulders shook as hordes of enhanced soldiers poured out, charging at Charlie's figure.
Bang bang bang~
BOOM!!
Bullets flew, and artillery roared.
The red-and-blue figure darted through the smoky chaos, leaving crystalline webs in his wake.
To these "Winter Soldiers" armed with thermal weapons, Charlie could only say:
"Nice work!"
As the red-and-blue figure unleashed electric arcs, Charlie's crystalline webs snapped taut.
Pfft pfft pfft~
Blood sprayed as the web traps sliced through flesh, felling dozens of enhanced soldiers in a bloody heap. The ground churned, forming a wall that encased Charlie.
From atop the wall, Hydra Steve and the others looked down at Charlie alone, breathing a sigh of relief.
"It's just him."
"His teammates didn't follow."
"Good. Watch his speed."
"Together, kill this wretched bug!"
At Hydra Steve's command, the group charged.
The wall opened a gap, and a flood of enhanced soldiers surged out, determined to crush Charlie.
Facing the overwhelming enemy horde, Charlie's shadow stretched long in the sunlight.
"Nice. Feels like a proper duel arena."
He scanned the high walls, then traced a circle. As magical sparks flared, figures emerged from portals.
"Bye~ Bye~ Bye~"
Background music blared as Carter and the others appeared beside Charlie.
Hydra Steve and his group froze, halting instinctively.
"Portals!"
"Kamar-Taj mages!"
"No, they're not here, and the portal color's wrong."
"Shit, what's this awful music?"
The group eyed the scene warily. Wade slid forward, arm on Charlie's shoulder.
"Whoa! Finally, the big showdown. This is the party I've been waiting for."
Charlie side-eyed him. "Where's your speaker hidden?"
Wade patted his rear. "Stuffed it in there. Surround sound, pretty cool, huh?"
Charlie: "."
Before he could respond, Logan set down the wheelchair and stepped up beside Wade.
Using a dragon bone fossil, he had ten minutes of peak condition.
A long-lost feral aura radiated from him. Stubble-covered Logan's face turned savage.
"RAAH!!!"
With a roar, he crouched, steel claws tearing through his knuckles, a beast ready to strike.
Wade shouted excitedly.
"Oh my gosh, that's the Wolverine vibe! But when did you switch to the yellow suit?"
Logan paused, remembering something.
He silently donned his cowled mask.
"I designed it for him. How's it look?" Charlie nodded, pleased.
This was the real Wolverine.
Wade's white eyes widened. "No way!"
"His face looks like two Batmans making out."
"That's the vibe we're going for."
Crack crack crack~
As they spoke, Ebony Maw telekinetically hurled a massive boulder.
"Let me handle it!"
Wade leaped, dual katanas drawn, with Logan close behind.
In midair, blades glinted, and claws slashed the void.
Zing~
BOOM!!
The boulder shattered, and the two landed.
Wade's local speaker hit the song's climax.
"Baby~ bye~ bye~ bye~"
Bang bang bang!!
Three gunshots synced with the beat. Wade flipped, aiming at Ebony Maw's eyes, but to Maw, bullets were no better than outdated weapons.
Hum~
Telekinesis flared, freezing the bullets midair.
With a graceful wave, Maw sent them back, hitting Wade below the belt.
"F*** you, you filthy zombie creep!"
Blood sprayed as Wade dropped, cursing, but the music kept going, forcing him to do awkward floor moves to match the rhythm.
The battle erupted.
Zzt zzt~
An electric spider crawled onto Charlie's chest, arcs flashing as he tore through the battlefield, unstoppable.
Old Steve's suit ripped from his bulging muscles. He wielded his shield like a cleaver, mowing down enhanced soldiers, leaving bodies in his wake.
"Old man, your story's long over."
Hydra Steve lashed out with blood-red tendrils. Old Steve countered, hurling his shield.
Pfft pfft pfft~
The shield sliced through, severing the tendrils.
Bang!
Hydra Steve caught the shield, sneering.
"Your shield's mine now."
"Is it?"
Another shield whipped through, striking Hydra Steve and returning to Old Steve's hand.
"Thanks."
Old Steve nodded to Carter, then charged like a speeding bulldozer, smashing through soldiers, determined to crush Hydra Steve.
"What? Your speed—"
"Come on, I'll keep you busy all day!"
"Shit—"
"No swearing in front of me!"
Old Steve's shield cut through tendrils. Dodging a punch, he countered, punching through Hydra Steve's chest.
"Argh!! Damn it!!"
Hydra Steve, unwilling to lose to another self, writhed as blood-red mist surged, engulfing Old Steve.
Tendrils lashed in the mist, debris flying, but Old Steve didn't emerge.
Hum~
Sapphire eyes gleamed in the fog. Old Steve bulldozed through, unfazed by the mist.
"Steve!"
Bucky moved to help but was blocked by Carter.
"Your fight's with me."
Carter caught a shield flying from the mist. Bucky's face darkened.
"Move!"
BOOM!!
His furious punch met Carter's raised shield.
BOOM!!
Vibranium arm and shield clashed, the shockwave kicking up a storm of sand and gravel.
Amid the chaos, Professor X's wheelchair rolled onto the battlefield.
Hum~
His psychic wave disarmed nearby soldiers. Black Dwarf, charging with a giant axe, went blank-eyed.
"I… I'm superhero Black Dwarf! I'll take you down!"
He roared, turning on Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive.
"Shit, he's lost it," Proxima cursed, fending off Black Dwarf's axe.
A gust hit from behind. She dropped Black Dwarf, spinning to swing her spear.
Zzt zzt~~
Her trident sparked against steel claws. Feral Logan pounced.
Abandoning defense, his claws stabbed rapidly.
Pfft pfft pfft~
"No!!"
In Corvus Glaive's wide eyes, the trident pierced Logan's chest, but Proxima was riddled with holes by his claws.
She collapsed in a pool of blood, staring at Logan in disbelief.
"How could you—"
Pfft!
Blood sprayed as Logan severed her head, his chest wound healing rapidly.
Zzt zzt~
Amid the Sinister Six's siege, Charlie paused, glancing at a severed hand on his ankle, his expression odd.
"Hahaha, gotcha!"
TDK grinned confidently from the crowd.
"Bug, you heard right. I detached my arm. It's the deadliest weapon!"
"Armless Avenger?" Charlie's lip twitched.
He traced a circle, and a colossal crocodile lunged from the portal.
ROAR!!
The beast crushed scores of soldiers, swallowing TDK whole.
Hydra Steve and the others gasped.
"How?!"
"How's he so weak?"
"What a huge crocodile!!"
ROAR!!
The ground shook as the monstrous crocodile roared, its gaping maw devouring the army of soldiers like a buffet.
At the portal's other end, Crocodile Loki gave Felicia a fawning smile.
"Black Cat Queen, I did as you asked."
Felicia smiled, pleased.
"Good little fish." She crouched, patting Crocodile Loki's head.
"Don't get close. It just tried to eat you."
Wong approached with a cold boning knife. Crocodile Loki's eyes flashed with disappointment.
It lowered its claws, forcing an ugly grin.
"Trust me, I'm a good fish."
Felicia's eyes narrowed, her tone chilling.
"I'm a good cat."
"No!!!"
As the portal closed, the giant crocodile vanished.
Charlie pulled over a bullet-riddled Wade.
"What're you doing?"
"Wolvie and Prof's time's almost up. Go suck some for them."
"Got it. Send me over." Wade bent over eagerly.
Charlie stepped back.
"Here I come."
"Come on!"
"Off you go!"
Charlie kicked, launching Wade like a soccer ball.
Goal!!
A six-armed Spider-Man, morphed into a spider monster, bit off Wade's head midair.
Charlie: "."
Elsewhere, Lizard Parker, in lizard form, ambushed Chameleon, hid his body in a corner, and blended into the enemy crowd.
"Connors, where were you?" Doctor Octopus, down two tendrils, panted.
Lizard Parker grinned, pointing at another lizard figure. "I'm Chameleon, not Connors."
Doc Ock blinked. "Why'd you turn into Connors?"
"Come closer. I'll tell you a secret."
"What secret…"
"I'm… your daddy."
"What?"
Pfft!!
Blood sprayed. Doc Ock stared in shock at the claws piercing his chest.
"You son of a—"
Doc Ock collapsed. Lizard Parker shouted.
"He killed Otto! He's a fake, get him!" He pointed at the real Connors.
Connors: "???"
What just happened?
...
Meanwhile, at Carter's villa, Professor Kurt, napping, shuddered.
"Such intense malice." He scanned the room, confused.