One day in the future, Carol found herself in J. Jonah Jameson's livestream studio.
"Hey! Welcome to the Invincible Spider-Man Fan Club and Live Marketplace! Today, we're thrilled to have Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, fresh from the M78 Nebula back to Earth!"
Under the camera's glare, J. Jonah Jameson cheered loudly, while Carol awkwardly waved.
"Hi, everyone. I'm Carol."
She'd lost a bet to that damnable guy and now had to play the clown in a livestream with her cosmic-saving, superhuman self.
And she couldn't show a hint of displeasure.
She swore she'd never drink again!
It was because she was drunk that she fell for his trick.
Oblivious, J. Jonah Jameson grinned supportively. "Folks, did you hear that? The Captain's giving you a warm hello!"
After the standard opening, Jonah glanced at a staff member's cue card and smiled at Carol.
"Before we showcase the products, I'd like to ask, Captain, what's the most memorable moment of your life?"
"Oh, that'd be driving off the Kree's cosmic fleet," Carol replied diplomatically.
Jonah laughed heartily. "Hahaha, you're too modest! That's nothing to you, we all know that."
Carol thought for a moment. "Then it's got to be saving countless endangered alien races across the universe."
Jonah kept laughing. "Hahaha, too modest! That's just another day for you, we all know that."
Carol: "…"
"Is this your hosting style?" she asked.
Jonah chuckled. "Hahaha, yep! Folks love my smile. They say it heals their hearts and chases away the blues."
Carol's eye twitched slightly. "Fine. What kind of answer do you want?"
Jonah got serious. "What we really want to know is, as the superhero who sparked the Avengers' first civil war, what was your motive back then?"
Carol sighed helplessly.
"Of course it's about that. I was just a little tipsy."
Jonah kept his exaggerated grin. "Hahaha, really? I don't buy it."
Carol glanced at the camera, shaking her head.
"I didn't start the Avengers' civil war. You guys should know that."
Jonah wagged a finger. "No, no, no. Spider-Man says it was you, so it was you."
Carol: "…"
She was beyond exasperated.
Slander!
This is slander!
"Honestly, I don't even know what happened. Those guys were shouting about friendship, bonds, and all sorts of nonsense, then they just charged in. I refused, but somehow they started fighting each other."
She looked earnestly at the camera.
"So I repeatedly emphasize, I didn't start the Avengers' civil war. That's just S.H.I.E.L.D.'s corporate culture."
…
…
Washington, D.C., White House ruins.
"Yo, yo, yo, now this is interesting."
Seeing the red-and-blue magical energy radiating from Charlie, Carol's lips curved slightly.
"Invincible Spider-Man? That title doesn't belong to you. I'm taking it off right now!"
Her eyes blazed with radiant light, cosmic energy pouring out, turning the ruins scorching hot.
Terrifying heat warped the space, and in a blink, she was upon Charlie.
HUM~
As the cosmic energy surged, Charlie's expression didn't falter. He drew a circle with one hand, redirecting the cosmic rays, while the other shot out magical webbing.
HUM!
A portal bloomed above Carol, her own cosmic rays raining down as shimmering webs enveloped her.
BOOM!!
The ruins erupted, a searing shockwave swallowing what remained of the White House.
Before Charlie could press on, a flicker came from the explosion's core. The energy aftermath surged into Carol's body.
"A magic-wielding Spider-Man? You're done. My turn!"
Carol's gaze sharpened, her cosmic energy overwhelming the reporters' cameras.
"Ah! My eyes…"
"My God, I see light…"
"Keep staring and you'll go blind!"
"Look!"
Reporters hiding behind cover caught glimpses of a figure in the blinding light, shouting with excitement.
"It's Spider-Man!"
"Oh my gosh, the giant Spider-Man's back!"
"Take her down!"
BOOM!!
A massive red-and-blue giant stomped down, the ruins quaking as a violent shockwave sent debris flying.
Satellite feeds showed the White House cracking into a massive spiderweb pattern centered on the giant.
Yet, under the crushing force of tens of thousands of tons, a gleam of light held strong.
Carol, hands braced against the mountain-like foot, grimaced with disgust and let out a burp.
HIC~
A faint whiff of alcohol spread, unnoticed by anyone due to her unflushed face.
"ARGH!!"
With a shout, her cosmic energy surged unchecked, forcing the giant to stumble back. A streak of light battered the giant's form.
BANG BANG BANG!!
BOOM~
Amid cosmic sparks, explosions riddled the giant. Charlie,无奈, reverted to normal size.
Carol was too fast. The giant form had no advantage.
If he stayed giant, he'd likely end up like Thanos' ship—pierced through by Captain Marvel's body.
HUM~
The light shrank, and a streak plummeted.
Sensing the terrifying aura, Charlie opened a portal without hesitation.
HUM~
BANG!!
Before he could dive in, cosmic energy slammed him into a museum at the street's corner.
RUMBLE~~
A meteor crashed through the museum's ceiling, priceless artifacts reduced to fragments in the cosmic roar.
"You're gonna have to pay for that," Charlie said from the crater in the museum hall, his back aching but still offering friendly advice.
Carol scoffed. "These things aren't even theirs. Who am I paying?"
"You make a good point."
An electric-arc spider appeared in Charlie's hand, his form turning into a bolt of lightning that shot skyward.
BANG!
Another hole punched through the ceiling. As the electric bolt streaked, cosmic light easily caught up.
"Invincible Spider-Man? You're kinda lame," Carol taunted, arms crossed mid-flight.
Charlie snorted. "Not my first time eating dirt. You can't shake my strong, justice-filled heart like this."
With that, he barreled headfirst at Carol.
HUM~
A spider totem flickered, and Carol's soul, wrapped in cosmic energy, began to peel away.
But before Charlie could act, her soul surged back into her body as a radiant aurora. A fist the size of a sandbag swung, warping the nearby space.
BOOM!!
Lightning crashed into the street, setting off explosions as it grazed parked cars.
Carter, arriving in a flyer, cursed at the sight.
"Damn it, I said we can't win! You pretended not to get it—where's the humor in that?!"
She piloted the flyer toward Carol, leaping out toward a building before it exploded.
BOOM!!
Cosmic energy obliterated the flyer. Carter swung between skyscrapers using her web-shooter.
Seeing this, Carol turned into a streak of light, zooming toward Carter.
"Crap!"
The oppressive cosmic energy made Carter's heart race.
Before she could land, she raised her vibranium shield to brace for the incoming attack.
HUM!
BANG!!
The moment cosmic energy met the shield, Carter felt like she'd been hit by a spaceship, her body crashing into a building.
Charlie, emerging from the fire, facepalmed at the sight.
"If the old man was here, we'd at least have a 50-50 shot."
As he spoke, red-and-blue shadows peeled from his body, forming solid clones.
"Even without the old man, we can still wipe out the enemy!"
"Bold words! You go first."
"Uh, I'm not feeling great today."
"Coward! Watch me!"
One clone activated a wrist device, Pym Particles amplifying it into a towering giant that blotted out the sky.
The kilometer-tall giant raised its leg, but cosmic energy pierced its sole and burrowed into its chest.
"ARGH!!"
"She's breaking into my heart!!" the clone wailed as its massive form collapsed into red-and-blue particles.
The other clones scoffed.
"Liking a cougar? Embarrassing."
"Unless she's a cosmic sugar mama."
"Obviously not. Earth doesn't take cosmic credits—she's broke."
"Beat her!"
"Beat her to a pulp!"
The clones charged Carol, unleashing magic bursts, electric arcs, and portals that crumbled under her cosmic onslaught.
"Thanks for the sacrifice. I'm ready."
A golden spider on Charlie's chest glowed. A dazzling golden suit spread with temporal power, and he merged into the void.
The next moment, as Carol scanned for him, a ripple behind her sparked surprise.
Behind me!
BOOM!!
Cosmic energy shot into the night, illuminating half the city.
But her attack missed.
"What?"
Carol's heart skipped. Then a sharp pain hit her neck as the golden Spider-Man's clasped fists slammed down, sending her crashing into a building.
BOOM
As the building was pierced by her body, Charlie rubbed his sore fists.
Tough as nails!
A cosmic aurora flickered, and something even tougher appeared.
BANG!!
Carol's iron head smashed into him, sending the dazed Spider-Man tumbling into the void.
At the street corner, golden light emerged. Charlie grimaced, rubbing his forehead.
Mock Thanos, pity Thanos, become Thanos.
Captain Marvel's a total hammerhead!
As the aurora approached, Charlie dove back into the void.
A massive spider totem appeared in the sky, and a city-phased Spider-Man materialized.
"No! Oh my gosh, where am I? Why am I here…"
Hearing the guy's thick African accent, Charlie retracted his magic energy, sending him back to his world.
No web-slinging? Then no cotton-picking either!
Charlie was super disdainful.
As the aurora closed in, he vanished into the void again, Carol's strike missing once more.
With the temporal spider's aid, he skipped portal-casting time, barely keeping up with Carol's photon blasts.
But one mistake, and she'd give him no chance to teleport again.
At the Antarctic ice shelf, Charlie appeared and immediately slashed open space, yanking Takuya Yamashiro from another universe.
"The man summoned by a friend mid-bathroom break, Spider-Man!"
"Stop posing and pull up your pants, then grab your War Soul Sword—"
Halfway through, the aurora streaked past, leaving Takuya dumbfounded.
"I was listening!"
He shivered, scanning the endless ice. "Cutting me off and running? Rude."
He pondered how to leave.
HUM~
A dazzling meteor crashed into the ice, cracking it wildly under the terrifying impact.
"Nani?"
Takuya jumped, startled. Before he could react, an energy burst erupted from the ice, and the golden Spider-Man was slammed into an iceberg by the superwoman.
A superhuman body, terrifying as hell!
The iceberg teetered. Blood-red tendrils lashed out but crumbled like paper under Carol's cosmic sweep.
"Anyone got a piece of Kryptonite?!" Charlie yelled.
Buried in the icy ruins, Takuya shouted too. "Anyone gonna save me?!"
"Summon Leopardon!"
"Can't! My ship's not here…"
"Damn it!"
Deep in the iceberg, Charlie cursed, his temporal power flaring. He broke free from Carol's grasp, landing a punch on her face.
BANG!
"Ow~ That hurts~"
Charlie's wrist shook, while Carol glared, spitting out a bit of blood.
"Magic bug, you've pissed me off."
She stopped holding back, her cosmic energy blazing blindingly.
CRACK CRACK CRACK~
BOOM~~~
A photon blast hurled Charlie's body through the iceberg, streaking into the horizon like a meteor.
In the icy ruins, a near-frozen Takuya clambered onto land.
"The man who survived an ice cave, Spider-Man!!"
"Huh? Where'd they go?"
With no battle sounds in the howling wind, Takuya fell silent.
Without his ship, how was he getting back?
As he fretted, a golden portal appeared behind him.
"I knew you wouldn't ditch me…"
Takuya turned excitedly, only to freeze as a chubby guy in odd robes stepped out.
"Who're you?"
"Wong."
"Nani?"
Takuya blinked, confused. "King of where?"
"Kamar-Taj… ugh, that's my name."
Wong stroked his beard, beckoning Takuya. "Come on, I'll take you to back up Spider-Man."
"You're his friend too?"
"No, his idol."
"You're his idol?" Takuya gaped.
Wong's forehead creased. "No, I'm his fan."
He paused. "I'm the vice-president of the Spider-Man Fan Club."
"Who's the president?"
"No idea. I just know he loves cigars."