A brilliant flash of light pierced the skyline.
Joseph suddenly appeared outside the shattered glass walls atop the Stark Building. The rooftop office, once a symbol of wealth and power, now stood as a battleground scorched by energy blasts and crackling with residual tension.
Above them, the Tesseract blazed with otherworldly energy, its radiant beam tearing through the sky. A wormhole was beginning to stretch wider and wider, distorting reality itself. But strangely, some of that energy had also cascaded downward, forming a translucent curtain of light that enveloped the entire Stark Tower.
Within that shimmering dome, Tony Stark was trapped.
He wore his latest Iron Man suit, battered and scorched from previous skirmishes. The once-polished office bore the marks of battle: shattered furniture, blackened walls, and a chaotic stillness that spoke of a fierce confrontation.
But none of it had mattered.
His opponent had walked through it all—untouched.
"Joseph," Tony called out as soon as he spotted him. His face appeared through the receding mask, revealing a rare flicker of desperation. "Your prophecy was right. The invasion has begun. The aliens activated the Tesseract using the Stark Tower's energy grid. They're opening a wormhole—a gateway for an alien army to pour in."
"I've seen it all," Joseph said calmly, his voice unwavering.
Tony exhaled, a hint of hope returning to his voice. "Then that means… you can break this energy seal, right?"
Joseph didn't answer.
Instead, his gaze shifted beyond the dome—to the man responsible.
Thin-framed, elegantly dressed in Asgardian garb, and with a glint of mischief in his eyes, Loki lounged on the sofa with a glass of wine in one hand and a glowing scepter in the other. The Mind Gem embedded in the staff pulsed ominously.
"Ah, so you're the infamous Joseph," Loki said lazily. "The puppet master behind Earth's latest magical uprising?"
Tony remained silent, watching closely.
Loki's grin widened. "They say you're the strongest magician on Earth. As the top sorcerer in the Nine Realms, I find that title... amusing."
He gestured at the barrier separating them. "Tell me, oh mighty Joseph, can you break this seal?"
Clearly, things had diverged from the timeline Joseph remembered.
In his original knowledge, Tony and Bruce Banner had formed the Avengers. But now, with Bruce recruited by the new Xavier's School and Tony working closely with Joseph, the landscape had changed dramatically.
Joseph expected this.
He snapped his fingers casually. Behind him, a luxurious sofa materialized mid-air, hovering without support. To Tony's stunned disbelief, Joseph sat on it like a man settling in for a diplomatic meeting.
"I wouldn't call myself Earth's strongest magician," Joseph said with a mild smile. "As for your title… if you truly are the greatest sorcerer in the Nine Realms, why rely on the Tesseract just to seal a building?"
Loki's confident smirk faltered momentarily.
This newcomer's poise was irritating.
"Thanks to you, Joseph," Loki said, swirling the wine in his glass. "If I hadn't overheard how much noise Mutants were making across Earth, I might have underestimated this planet entirely."
"Oh?" Joseph raised a brow. "Do go on."
"First, I took the Tesseract from S.H.I.E.L.D."
Loki stood up slowly, pacing with deliberate elegance. "Humans—such fragile creatures. Yet they clung to cosmic power as if it were their birthright. Their arrogance gave me the perfect opening."
Joseph gave a light nod. "Children walking through a market, carrying gold. That's what we say."
Loki paused, clearly not understanding the metaphor, but pushed on. "I took control of Dr. Erik Selvig, the scientist researching the Tesseract. And I also captured Barton—one of S.H.I.E.L.D's best."
"I assumed that would be enough. One to operate the machine. The other to keep S.H.I.E.L.D distracted."
"But then…"
His expression grew intrigued.
"Both of them kept repeating one name. Said the greatest threat on Earth wasn't S.H.I.E.L.D. It was you. You and your… Mutants."
Loki stared directly at Joseph.
"So I looked deeper."
"I learned about the new Xavier's School. The Mutant Affairs Bureau. The Second World. Your ever-growing X-Men teams."
He gave an impressed nod.
"I must admit, you've done well. In a short span of time, you've turned monsters into heroes."
Joseph remained silent. His expression didn't shift.
Loki frowned, clearly annoyed at the lack of reaction.
"In my view, Earth is a primitive backwater. Yet somehow, you've united a scattered, persecuted race into a formidable force. Even among the X-Men, there are those I would hesitate to fight. Which is why... I changed plans."
Joseph finally narrowed his eyes, intrigued.
The Loki he knew from film and record often failed in his schemes. Arrogance, impulsiveness, and his desire for approval constantly sabotaged him.
But this version of Loki... seemed different.
Smarter. More adaptive.
Tony's expression turned grim. His instincts screamed that Loki had done something catastrophic.
"I surrendered," Loki said suddenly.
Tony's eyes widened. "You what?"
"I let them catch me."
He twirled the scepter between his fingers. "S.H.I.E.L.D thought they'd won. They locked me aboard their precious helicarrier."
Joseph's expression turned serious.
Loki grinned. "Their so-called Director—Nick Fury. He thought his little Avengers team would be enough."
He laughed mockingly. "I wanted to see who they'd assembled. I was... unimpressed."
Tony's face tightened.
Joseph raised a brow. "Who are S.H.I.E.L.D's Avengers?"
"Oh, let's see…" Loki said smugly. "An old war veteran frozen for 70 years. A pretty agent with no powers. A tin man in armor... oh, that's you, isn't it?"
He winked at Tony.
"There was a tiny fellow in a red suit who could shrink. A green brute locked in a cage, full of rage and madness."
"And, of course… my insufferable brother."
Tony muttered under his breath. "The green one... Abomination?"
Joseph nodded. "Not Hulk. They used Abomination instead."
Tony's anger erupted. "Is Nick Fury insane?! Abomination is a mindless killer! You can't control that monster!"
"But Fury believed he could," Joseph said softly. "That's his style. He'd weaponize a nuclear bomb if he thought he could hold the detonator."
Loki smirked. "Exactly what I thought!"
He took a sip from his wine glass. "That green beast would've torn them apart. If not for Thor's intervention, the entire helicarrier might've been obliterated."
Tony swore again.
"This is a disaster. Fury's playing with fire."
"But you, Iron Man," Loki said, turning back to Joseph, "you've earned my respect. That new reactor of yours... its energy signature exceeds Earth's known technology. I made sure to seal this building using a modified Tesseract barrier—just for you."
Tony clenched his fists. "You call this respect?!"
Joseph held up a hand to calm him.
"Loki still hasn't said how he escaped S.H.I.E.L.D," Joseph noted.
Loki's eyes twinkled.
He raised the scepter.
"I didn't escape," he said, voice low and triumphant. "I took control."
Tony's heart sank.
"I used the Mind Gem. Everyone on that carrier—from pilots to agents—now serves me."
"Only Fury escaped."
"And the helicarrier?" Joseph asked.
Loki smiled darkly.
"It's mine."
Tony went pale.
"You mean..."
"Yes," Loki confirmed. "S.H.I.E.L.D has fallen."
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