Because the moment he intervened and changed things, that one-in-a-hundred-million outcome would never come to pass.
An unknown length of time later, in the ruins left by the collision of Universe 10005 and Universe 96283, where every law of physics had ceased to exist...
A green figure in a cloak appeared.
It was Doctor Doom.
But Doctor Doom had not come to these cosmic ruins alone.
He held a child who looked no older than ten.
"Franklin, just as I taught you, collect the two core fragments left behind when those Earths exploded, all right?"
The blond boy in Doctor Doom's arms tilted his head and stretched both hands toward the cosmic ruins.
The next moment, Franklin's eyes took on the vast, star-filled depths of the cosmos.
Then two streaks of light flew toward him as if drawn by gravity, coming to rest above his small hands.
A closer look would reveal that the lights above Franklin's hands were shaped like miniature continents.
They were the cores left behind by the collision of the two universes.
They were also known as Earth Shards.
And they were among the most important pieces of Doctor Doom's plan.
"Well done, Franklin. Now absorb them, and we'll head to our next stop."
Doctor Doom was pleased to have collected two more Earth Shards from colliding universes.
Franklin obediently nodded and absorbed both shards into his body.
Something astonishing happened the next moment.
Franklin, who had looked no older than ten, suddenly grew taller after absorbing the shards. His features changed slightly as well.
It was as though he had aged two years in an instant.
Doctor Doom showed no surprise. He seemed entirely used to it.
Stroking Franklin's blond hair, Doctor Doom said tenderly, "Loki is the foundation of the new world. And you,