In 2012, on a day unlike any other, Earth faced an unprecedented alien threat. To counter this massive danger, six extraordinary individuals from different walks of life came together. They set aside their differences, their pride, and their personal beliefs to become the sword and shield that Earth desperately needed – the Avengers, the most powerful team of heroes on the planet.
Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye fought off the alien invasion led by Loki.
In 2015, the Avengers battled an evil artificial intelligence named Ultron, created by Tony Stark himself. Since then, the team has undergone significant changes.
Now, the lineup consists of new members led by some familiar faces:
Captain America and Black Widow jointly lead the new Avengers – Sam Wilson (Falcon), Colonel James Rhodes (War Machine), the twins Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver) and Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch), and the synthetic being Vision. They've also recently welcomed two new recruits: Scott Lang (Ant-Man) and Hope van Dyne (The Wasp).
It had been two months since Ant-Man and The Wasp joined the team. During this time, all members had been training together, sharing meals, and bonding as a unit, while still pursuing their individual interests during their off hours.
Of course, this peaceful period wasn't destined to last.
Captain Steve Rogers called an emergency meeting for all members.
In the conference room, Captain America spoke gravely to the assembled heroes: "As you all know, Hydra seemingly disappeared after SHIELD's dissolution. However, they've been operating underground for the past two years, with numerous splinter cells becoming active again."
Behind Cap, the display screen activated, showing a European village nestled among mountains – a location that looked disturbingly familiar to several of the veteran Avengers.
The screen then shifted to display a metal gate built into the mountain's base.
"This is one of their secret facilities," Captain America began outlining the battle plan. "Falcon, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch – you three will investigate the town. Try to discover if the locals have noticed anything suspicious."
"Vision, War Machine, Wasp – you'll be responsible for reconnoitring the surrounding area," Cap continued, addressing the second team.
"Black Widow, Ant-Man – you two will come with me. We'll find a way to infiltrate the base directly. Before the other teams arrive, we'll conduct preliminary reconnaissance to determine what Hydra is working on and possibly locate their other bases." Captain America instructed the remaining members.
"Let's move out!"
...
Ten minutes before reaching the Hydra base, aboard the Quinjet, Falcon asked, "Any additional intel we should know about?"
Captain America hesitated briefly before answering, "Intelligence suggests this Hydra base contains the remains of an old adversary of ours – Ultron."
The revelation shocked everyone. "So we're dealing with Ultron's remnants..." Black Widow murmured.
"Not Ultron's remnants," Captain America corrected firmly. "Just scrap metal."
Everyone looked into Captain America's determined eyes, and their fear dissipated. But in the next moment, their expressions changed to shock as they stared ahead.
Captain America turned to look forward and saw a pair of massive blue mechanical eyes staring directly at them.
He reacted instantly, pulling the aircraft higher to avoid colliding with the enormous unidentified robot.
"What the hell is that?!" Quicksilver exclaimed.
"Everyone, evacuate now!" Captain America ordered as he opened the hatch.
The team members leapt from the aircraft.
Cap jerked the Quinjet hard to the left, narrowly avoiding a gigantic metal hand. He engaged the autopilot, then moved to the rear hatch with Black Widow and jumped out.
When Captain America and Black Widow touched down, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch were already busy evacuating civilians to safety.
"What's the plan, Cap?" War Machine asked while firing at the robot with his arm-mounted machine guns.
"The plan is simple," Captain America replied. "This thing might be constructed from Ultron's remains, but that's all it is – just a piece of scrap metal. I need you to lure this behemoth away from the village toward the mountains and tear it apart."
"What about you?" Falcon inquired.
"Ant-Man, Black Widow, Wasp – you three come with me. We're going to infiltrate the base and see what else Hydra's hiding inside," Captain America said.
Captain America and his small team charged toward the approaching Hydra agents. Cap hurled his shield, which ricocheted between the oncoming soldiers. Black Widow, Ant-Man, and the Wasp joined the fray, engaging the Hydra forces.
Meanwhile, in a nearby valley, the other Avengers battled the giant robot – which they identified as Ultimo – with everything they had.
The massive machine was already in tatters after facing the combined might of the Avengers.
It was so overwhelmed that it failed to notice the red energy slowly seeping into its body and reaching its core.
"Found you," Scarlet Witch whispered before releasing her power.
Ultimo froze mid-attack. Suddenly, it began to shake and twitch violently. Its jaw mechanism dropped open and—
BOOM!
The giant robot exploded, collapsing into pieces within seconds.
Inside the base, Captain America, Black Widow, Ant-Man, and the Wasp methodically searched room by room. Drawing on their experience raiding Hydra facilities, Black Widow and Captain America efficiently neutralized the Hydra soldiers that emerged from various chambers while continuing their search.
Falcon surveyed the destroyed robot and contacted Captain America to report their success.
"Well done!" Captain America commended. "We've almost finished searching here – just one laboratory remaining. Rendezvous with us at the base."
Following the directions from Ant-Man's scout ants, they quickly entered the final laboratory. Black Widow and the Wasp searched through files on the computers, while a group of Hydra scientists and soldiers sat bound in the center of the room.
The laboratory was filled with monitors and equipment. In the middle stood a strange gyroscopic device. Lights constantly flickered around the circular machine, the dim illumination giving the lab an eerie atmosphere.
"What is this place?" War Machine wondered aloud.
The team spread out through the laboratory, examining everything carefully. They knew this mysterious final lab must contain something significant that Hydra had been developing.
Quicksilver knelt down to examine a screen. Intrigued, he tilted his head and placed his hand on the display. Like most modern interfaces, it responded to touch.
Scratching his head thoughtfully, Quicksilver tapped the first icon that caught his interest – a video file.
The footage showed the gyroscopic device being tested. Hydra scientists circled around the machine while, at the center of the vortex, a strange energy substance was clearly visible. The scientists spoke in a foreign language, apparently discussing the machine's properties.
The video continued with various tests – one scientist lifted a water bottle and dropped it into the swirling mass. The bottle was instantly sucked in, accompanied by unsettling sounds.
Fascinated by the strange phenomenon, Quicksilver watched more videos showing Hydra scientists throwing different objects into the vortex.
The final video depicted a Hydra soldier wearing heavy technological armor, with a safety rope attached to his back, stepping into the mysterious energy vortex. He completely vanished, leaving only the severed rope behind. The scientists appeared ecstatic, engaged in animated discussion before the video playlist ended abruptly.
Quicksilver looked up at the strange gyroscope in the center of the room. After watching the footage, he now regarded it with a mixture of fear and nervousness. He racked his brain trying to determine its purpose but couldn't reach a conclusion.
The other Avengers, completely unaware of what Quicksilver had just witnessed, gathered around Captain America, who was on a call with Iron Man discussing their findings.
Suddenly, the room began to shake. The Avengers tensed, preparing for a threat.
The gyroscopic device activated, spinning rapidly. The laboratory doors slammed shut automatically. Captain America and several Avengers rushed to the exit and tried to pull the handles, but were repelled backward. Vision attempted to phase through the wall in his intangible form but encountered the same resistance.
Panic spread among the Avengers as they watched the mysterious gyroscope spin faster and faster until it became a blur.
The device generated a swirling portal of blue-white energy, with electricity arcing around its structure.
"Everyone, stick together!" Captain America shouted.
As the team huddled together, the energy within the sphere reached critical mass.
In the blink of an eye, the energy exploded outward, engulfing all the Avengers and temporarily blinding them.
The last thing they saw was a brilliant flash of light. They felt themselves being pulled toward the center by an irresistible force, and then... nothing.
As the light gradually faded, it revealed an empty room. The gyroscope slowed until it eventually stopped spinning. Torn wires hung from the ceiling and computers, with debris scattered across the floor.
Finally, the room fell silent except for the faint hum of electricity.
Where the Avengers had stood moments before, there was now only empty space.