Avengers Draft? No, I Want to Be Captain

New Mexico, a rundown barbecue joint in Old Bridge Town.

Although half the town had been reduced to rubble by The Destroyer, this secluded barbecue restaurant had miraculously survived.

At the most conspicuous table in the restaurant sat three men who looked utterly out of place together.

One was a billionaire in an expensive custom suit, covered from head to toe in dust.

One was a burly blond man in silver armor and a red cape.

And the last was a Black-Haired Boy in a casual hoodie, stuffing barbecue into his mouth.

"Another plate! Though mortal food is crude, this spice called 'cumin' has truly won my heart!"

Thor boldly slammed his empty plate onto the table, grabbed a huge mug of beer, and drained it in one gulp. Though his eyes held a smile, they carried even more of the resolve of a man about to march into battle.

"Eat up, big guy." Tony Stark glanced at the pile of plates on the floor. "You'll need the energy to go home and kick your brother's ass."

"Loki..."

At the mention of that name, Thor gripped his cup so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "He has been blinded by hatred. I must return to Asgard immediately and stop him before he destroys Jotunheim."

"Consider this drink my farewell." Thor looked at Jiang Li and Tony. "Jiang, Tony, you are true warriors. If I survive and quell this rebellion, I will bring Asgard's finest mead back for you."

"Don't raise a death flag." Jiang Li said indistinctly through a mouthful of roasted lamb leg. "Get back already. Your dad is still waiting for you to wake him up."

The three exchanged smiles and clinked their cups.

This was what they called becoming friends through a fight. A life-and-death battle was the fastest way for men to forge a friendship.

Just then, the deep rumble of engines shattered the atmosphere.

Several black Chevrolet Suburbans stopped outside the restaurant. The doors opened, and a bald Black man in a black leather trench coat and a black eyepatch walked in, wearing the expression of someone the entire world owed money to.

The director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury.

Behind him followed a helpless-looking Coulson and an expressionless Black Widow.

The air inside the barbecue joint instantly froze.

"Looks like the party here is lively."

Fury walked over to the table. His single eye swept across everyone before finally settling on Jiang Li.

"Mind if I join you?"

"I mind." Tony did not even look up. "Stark Industries booked the place. If you want food, get in line."

Fury ignored Tony's sarcasm, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He tossed a thick file folder onto the greasy table.

Smack.

The folder bore S.H.I.E.L.D.'s eagle insignia and a bold line of text: [AVENGERS INITIATIVE (Avengers Draft)].

"I'd like to get in line too, but Earth won't allow it."

Fury pointed at the ruins outside the window. "Before, we thought Earth held the only life in the universe. But today, a god from mythology smashed up a town with a hammer, and alien armor nearly leveled New Mexico."

"Gentlemen, the world has changed."

Fury looked at Thor, then turned to Jiang Li. "We need to deal with that change. We need a team. A team of extraordinary people to fight battles we cannot win."

Thor stood, picked up Thor's Hammer, and his cape billowed behind him.

"I am a prince of Asgard. It is my duty to protect the Nine Realms. If Earth is in danger, I will return. But I will not take orders from a mortal organization."

With that, Thor nodded to Jiang Li and Tony before striding out through the door.

A few seconds later, a pillar of rainbow light shot into the sky, carrying away the God of Thunder.

Fury's eye twitched, but he said nothing. Gods like Thor had always been uncontrollable variables.

His targets were the two remaining men.

"What about you?"

Fury looked at Jiang Li. "Consultant Jiang, or rather, codename Omni. You possess the power to destroy the world, as well as the potential to save it. S.H.I.E.L.D. can provide you with..."

"Provide what?"

Jiang Li cut him off, picked up a napkin, and wiped his mouth. "A special cell to lock me up in? Or will you treat me as one of your disposable agent tools?"

"We provide oversight and direction," Fury said seriously. "Power needs restraint."

"Give me a break, Nick."

Jiang Li leaned back in his chair, amusement in his eyes. "You can't even clean out the 'maggots' under your own command, yet you want to restrain me?"

The moment he said that, Black Widow's eyes sharpened behind Fury.

Fury's pupils suddenly contracted. Maggots? Did this kid know about Hydra?

"Relax."

Jiang Li waved a hand. "What I mean is, I'm busy. I have a Stark Industries paycheck to collect and new games to play. Join your little boy band? Not interested."

"Unless..."

Jiang Li abruptly changed direction, leaned forward, and stared into Fury's single eye.

"Unless I get to be captain."

Fury froze for a moment, then laughed in exasperation. "You? A sixteen-year-old kid? You want to command a superhuman team?"

"Why not?"

Jiang Li pointed at Tony beside him. "I have the greatest brain backing me."

Then he pointed to himself. "And I have the strongest fists."

"Besides, I know plenty of secrets you don't."

Jiang Li lowered his voice until only Fury could hear him.

"For example... Nick, don't rush to make me captain. If I were you, I'd send someone to dig a few more shovelfuls beneath the Arctic ice."

Fury's expression instantly stiffened.

The Arctic? The search team had only sent in a report yesterday saying they had detected metal readings resembling an aircraft beneath the ice. That was top-secret information!

"You'll dig up someone more suitable to be captain," Jiang Li said with a smile. "An old popsicle holding a shield."

Boom!

Those words hit Fury harder than The Destroyer's self-destruction had.

Captain America! Steve Rogers!

The symbol S.H.I.E.L.D. had searched for seventy years!

This kid knew even that? Just who was he? A time traveler? Or an omniscient god?

Fury stared fixedly at Jiang Li, as though trying to see through the boy's soul.

After a long while.

Fury took a deep breath, picked up the file folder from the table, and stood.

"It seems we need to reassess your file, Consultant Jiang."

Fury straightened his trench coat and regained the calm of a spy chief. "As for the captain matter, we can discuss it later. But the door to the Avengers will always be open to you."

"Let's go."

Fury left with his agents, his retreating figure looking somewhat hurried. Clearly, he needed to verify the Arctic intelligence immediately.

"Old popsicle?"

After the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents left, Tony leaned closer curiously. "What's that? Some new kind of ice cream?"

"No."

Jiang Li looked at the sky outside, which was gradually clearing, and a smile curled across his lips.

"He is the greatest antique in this world. Once he wakes up, the Avengers will truly be complete."

"But before that..."

Jiang Li looked at Tony. "Boss, now that the mission is complete, can I apply for paid leave? I heard New Mexico's hot springs are pretty good."

Tony rolled his eyes, but then he smiled as well.

"Approved. I need to go back and repair my armor too. I think the Anti-Jiang Li Armor project needs to be moved up the schedule."

"Suit yourself."

Jiang Li shrugged.

No matter what armor Tony built, it would end up becoming another skin for Upgrade.

Three days later, New York.

Jiang Li lay in the luxurious penthouse apartment atop Stark Tower, looking at the system panel.

Although the Thor storyline had ended, the Omnitrix's energy gauge showed that, because he had previously used Buzzshock to absorb an excessive amount of Odin's divine power, the system was undergoing a deep upgrade.

[System Notification: High-dimensional energy residue detected.]

[Attempting to unlock a new genetic database sector: Andromeda Galaxy.]

[Unlock progress: 100%.]

[Congratulations, Host. New forms acquired: Water Hazard, Terraspin, NRG, Armodrillo, AmpFibian.]

"The Andromeda Five?"

Jiang Li's eyes lit up.

This was a powerful group of characters from Ben 10: Ultimate Alien!

Especially NRG, that radioactive alien in a nuclear protective suit. He was practically a walking nuclear reactor. In this Marvel Universe, where nuclear technology was highly advanced, this was practically a god-tier ability.

"Looks like life in the Marvel Universe is getting more and more interesting."