At the mention of the Infinity Stones, everyone's faces darkened, including Nick Fury, who had said it himself.
Of course, he usually looked like that anyway, wearing a sour expression all day as if the whole world owed him money, so it was hard to tell whether his expression had changed at all.
Everyone was upset because Natasha and Tony had once sacrificed themselves for the Stones. Gathering the Stones again meant that at least one teammate would have to die.
The Soul Stone required the sacrifice of one person, and as for snapping one's fingers...
The Hulk still had one arm left. He could probably survive if they made do with that.
But what came after?
What if another powerful enemy invaded? They couldn't keep sacrificing teammates, could they?
They were the Avengers, superheroes. They couldn't keep trading their teammates' lives for victory.
Everyone felt heavy-hearted, their grief impossible to hide. They all knew Nick Fury was right. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were too powerful; only the Infinity Stones gave them any chance of fighting back.
"I don't think highly of the Infinity Stones..."
After pondering for a long time, Strange said to the others, "Those who toy with time will inevitably suffer time's retaliation. We already learned that lesson once. We shouldn't make the same mistake again."
The lesson Strange referred to was the final battle eight months ago. The Avengers had successfully brought everyone back to life, but they had also brought back Thanos from another timeline.
If they brought back the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse this time, it would be hell difficulty times two. That was practically suicide.
"Let's try it. After all, we don't have any other choice."
Banner looked at his little left arm, a trace of attachment flashing through his