After Wanda and Quicksilver came back, Bant took the opportunity to test their abilities as well.
It was then he discovered that both Wanda and Quicksilver were still terribly weak at this stage. Quicksilver's speed hadn't even broken the sound barrier yet.
Sure, he was fast, but if he were thrown onto a battlefield like this, he'd probably still end up catching a bullet.
Man, talk about the weakest speedster alive.
Quicksilver was one thing, but the power of Wanda's witchcraft was just as feeble. Not even a ten-thousandth of her Chaos Magic had been awakened.
Bant was deeply intrigued by Chaos Magic.
This energy originated from the elder god Chthon. In the Darkhold left behind by Chthon, large sections were devoted solely to Chaos Magic and the Scarlet Witch.
That alone spoke volumes about its strength.
Still, Wanda and Quicksilver's powers were far too weak for now. It seemed they'd need a little stimulation from the Stones to unlock more of their potential.
But there was no rush.
The Stones were still under research, requiring massive amounts of data.
And on Sakaar, warriors were being selected to fill the ranks of the Heavenly Union. Once a powerful army was assembled, they would launch a counteroffensive against Thanos.
As for right now, he still needed to rally the other forces on Earth to join the fight.
Meanwhile, Uncle Ben and Aunt May, after their first intense training session, immediately felt an overwhelming hunger.
They were now devouring the high-calorie chocolates Peter had originally stockpiled for Venom, shoving handful after handful into their mouths.
At last, Uncle Ben truly understood what people meant by: "You'll get it when you're my age."
Now he felt like he really got it.
A short while later, Wanda and Quicksilver joined the feasting party. Though the two of them looked far more normal than Ben and May, the sight was enough to make Bant seriously consider hiring staff for the company.
At the very least, he needed to find a chef first. Otherwise, he was genuinely afraid these people would starve to death in his building.
As the four ate together, Ben and May naturally struck up a conversation with Wanda and Quicksilver.
Even though their appearances had been rejuvenated, Ben and May were still elders at heart, and their kind, approachable demeanor instantly put Wanda and Quicksilver at ease.
The bond grew even warmer when both sides learned the other were also Plumber reservists.
On Prymos, the Plumbers' special training continued.
Elsewhere, Bant made time to visit the Skyhammer Bureau to discuss what would come after the Battle of New York.
With Avengers Tower destroyed, the team had temporarily moved their base of operations to the Skyhammer Bureau's mothership.
In reality, though, only Captain America, Natasha, Barton, and the recently recruited Black Panther, T'Challa, were permanently stationed there.
During the war with the Chitauri, T'Challa's performance had been outstanding, earning him a stronger voice within the Avengers.
In practice, however, he rarely spoke up.
As the next king, T'Challa clearly understood that he still had shortcomings in certain areas.
He was young. At times like this, learning mattered more than rushing to speak.
"The subject of this meeting is our plan for a counterattack against Thanos." Bant had gathered the key figures who could truly make decisions within the Avengers precisely to discuss this.
If Thanos remained alive, he would inevitably return.
Bant didn't need to spell that out; everyone understood.
So even Steve, who had advocated for a ceasefire before, raised no objections this time.
Stark, on the other hand…
He wasn't physically on the mothership, but his holographic projection was present.
Tony glanced at Bant and said, "A counterattack. Nice plan. But I've got a question." He extended a hand, pointed at Bant, then wagged his finger left and right, as if drawing a firm line.
"Him—"
"What's this guy doing at an Avengers meeting?"
"Shouldn't we clear out the civilians?"
It was obvious Tony was still nursing a grudge over Bant leaving Earth during the battle to assist the Heavenly Union.
But the truth was, Bant had left to rescue Luma.
"Don't be so stubborn, Tony," Steve interjected. "If it weren't for the Heavenly Union, Thanos wouldn't have withdrawn so easily. And intercepting the Chitauri fleet was largely thanks to the steel robots from Prymos."
But Steve's attempt at mediation only ignited Tony's powder keg of temper.
"I never agreed to a ceasefire in the first place!"
"I told you, if he wants a fight, then we fight to the bitter end! You're the ones who let him get away!"
He raged, lambasting everyone present—or maybe just venting all his pent-up emotions.
Finally, his gaze swept across them all. "I'm not joining this operation of yours, because I have more important things to do!"
"I don't give a damn whether any of you leave this planet to go do your so-called 'more important things' out in the universe. Not one damn bit."
"Because I can protect everyone myself."
With that, Tony cut the feed.
Silence fell over the room. No one spoke.
After a long pause, Steve patted Bant on the shoulder. "Don't take it personally. He's just throwing a tantrum. He says Asgardians are immature, but honestly, he can be just as childish."
"I'm not angry."
Bant really wasn't.
To be honest, rather than anger, he was more watching Tony's current state with a sense of amusement.
From Tony building so many suits, even going so far as to implant a signal receiver in his own body, to the steel soldiers proving their worth, the planetary shield shutting down, and Bant leaving Earth…
Every single event was screaming at Tony that nothing else could be relied on—only himself, only those steel soldiers.
Because of that, he was bound to start envisioning a global defense system. Ultron would be born from this.
Ultron: browse the internet for five minutes, decide to destroy the world!
Though he knew full well that Ultron would emerge, Bant had no intention of warning Tony or stopping him.
With Tony's arrogant personality, even if Bant emphasized it a hundred times, he probably wouldn't listen. If anything, it would only trigger his rebellious streak.
What?
You're saying I can't do it?
You think I'm not as smart as you?
Then I absolutely have to prove I can!
Geniuses are always arrogant and stubborn. Until a harsh lesson slaps him squarely across the face, he won't wake up.
Besides…
I'm not his dad.
When Tony blows the problem way out of proportion, can't fix it himself, and has no choice but to come begging for help, then he'll understand the price of pride and conceit.
When that moment comes, Bant will definitely make him buy every single electronic billboard in New York and put them on an endless loop playing: "I, Tony Stark, am an idiot. I'm not even as smart as one of Bant Parker's pinky toes."
"So, Cap, do you see now why I don't join the Avengers, and why I'm not even that keen on being a hero?"
Bant asked.
Without waiting for Steve to connect the dots, Bant answered his own question.
"To become a superhero—to enjoy the praise and applause—you also have to shoulder the responsibility and expectations."
"Isn't that only right?"
Bant shook his head.
"The key word is 'expectations.' People always expect heroes to handle everything. They want to mold you into the version of you they've imagined. The moment you fail to meet those expectations, they complain, they hate, they curse…"
"Tony is like this. Everyone else is even worse."
"I'm not a hero. I don't have to become what anyone else expects me to be."
The expectations people placed on superheroes, and the disappointment that followed… over a long period, they would accumulate and grow heavier, until no one could bear the weight anymore.
And when that time came, a single, tiny spark would be enough to instantly scatter the Avengers—an organization that had endured countless trials and defeated innumerable powerful foes—like a loose pile of sand.
"But you're already a hero," Natasha said, trying to comfort him.
Without Bant and the Heavenly Union, they would've struggled against the colossal Chitauri leviathans, and the endless waves of Chitauri soldiers would have been a massive problem.
Not to mention that during the operation to root out HYDRA, the outcome would've been entirely different without Bant.
Norman added, "Everyone has their limits. You've done more than enough. And I know you left because you trusted us—believed we could handle things."
"If Tony knew you trusted him, he wouldn't hold a grudge against you. He'd be angry at himself, thinking he didn't do his best, that he failed to live up to your expectations. That's just the kind of guy he is," Steve said.
"He's that kind of guy."
Everyone was trying to console Bant. They assumed he was blaming himself for his own limits, for leaving Earth, for feeling unworthy of the title of hero.
But Bant shook his head. "That's not what I meant."
He was about to explain, but then he remembered that in this country, just about anyone could become a superhero, and he let it go.
Sure, I commit domestic abuse, steal, rob… but I have superpowers, so I'm still a good hero.
But for Bant, it was different.
Hero was a sacred title. Only a handful truly deserved it. And it had nothing to do with superpowers or gear.
It was about the heart.
"Let's get back to our original topic," Bant said.
"Thanos's goal is to wipe out half of all life in the universe. He believes he's restoring balance to the cosmos. And with the Infinity Stones awakening in recent years, he sees himself as destiny itself."
"Madman," Barton breathed.
"Exactly. He's a madman. But what makes him terrifying is that he's a madman with ideals, and the power to back them up," Bant said.
A madman isn't scary. What's scary is a madman whose mind is perfectly sound—who isn't stupid, but dangerously intelligent, immensely powerful, and commands vast forces… He has the ability, the time, and the energy to bring his horrifying visions to life.
Even if he fails this time, or the next, he has no fear. He's relentless, and he can afford to wait forever.
At this, everyone pinched the bridges of their noses in frustration.
The truth was, none of the Avengers had actually fought Thanos head-on.
But you could tell just from his subordinates.
Whether it was the War Lord or Supergiant, they were, at their core, despairingly powerful beings.
If Loki hadn't awakened the power of Thor, and if Banner hadn't arrived in time to smash the War Lord's skull, the current Avengers would never have withstood that earlier offensive.
Ironically, the two people who saved the world this time were the very ones who had once been labeled enemies and seen as monsters.
Now, Loki had returned to his realm. By his own account, he was about to ascend the throne as king. With that status, he naturally couldn't be popping up on Earth all the time.
As for Dr. Banner, the way Supergiant drove him into a frenzy this time left him with an even deeper terror of the Hulk.
In the past, when he turned into the Hulk, even though his personality was split, they were essentially still the same person. Banner could sense the outside world and exert some influence over the Hulk.
But this time, he lost control completely.
It was a lot like when the Scarlet Witch messed with his mind in the second Avengers movie.
That absolute loss of control… if the symbiote Loki was carrying hadn't specialized in telepathy, Banner might have stayed in that uncontrolled state for a very long time.
Banner no longer dared to face the Hulk. That meant they had lost the Green Goliath.
And now, Tony had also withdrawn from this operation, costing them another powerful asset.
Tony had played a huge role in the last battle. His Veronica suit had taken down several Chitauri leviathans single-handedly. Without him, the fight would have been even harder.
And Tony's greatest strength was that he never stopped improving—as if nothing could hold back his forward momentum.
Of course, Norman couldn't care less about Tony's absence.
As far as he was concerned, the best inventor was right in front of them. Tony? Sorry, don't know him.
"What's your plan?" Steve instinctively asked.
Clearly, Bant had basically become the external brain for the entire Avengers.
These musclebound, though by no means stupid, individuals had long since given up thinking for themselves, waiting for someone to give the orders.
And Bant never let them down.
"The plan is simple!"
He spoke in short, crisp bursts, as if he'd already prepared everything thoroughly.
"What the enemy opposes, we support; what the enemy supports, we oppose; whatever the enemy wants most, we make damn sure he doesn't get it!"
"You mean…" Natasha furrowed her brow slightly. It wasn't just her—everyone understood what Bant was driving at.
"Compete with Thanos for the Infinity Stones?" Barton finished her thought.
"Exactly!"
Bant nodded firmly. He stood up. Although he was the youngest of all the heroes present, the way he commanded the room made everyone fall in line without question.
It was as if he were the undisputed leader of the Avengers.
"I told you, Thanos wants a war, then we'll give him a war!"
"He wants the Stones, then we'll get them before he does!"
"Since this infinite war is destined to begin—" Bant's gaze swept over the assembled heroes. Everyone lowered their eyes, as if bracing for the baptism of the coming storm.
"Then why should we let Thanos hold the initiative?"
"We can make the first move!"
/-\
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