Spider-Man Calls for Russell

Steve Rogers was just as baffled, his steady gaze clouded with deep confusion.

As he understood it, a guardian's duty was to confront danger and stamp out trouble before it began.

The Ancient One could foresee the future and wielded top-tier magic. There was no way she would let a disaster she knew about spiral out of control.

Scott Lang was even more lost. "If you've seen the bad guy plotting something, why not just take him out? Waiting around to get hit makes no sense."

The four Avengers each had their doubts, and their confusion only deepened. They exchanged glances, finding the same bewilderment in one another's eyes.

Only Russell, standing to the side, remained relaxed. A flicker of understanding crossed his dark eyes.

With his foreknowledge, he had already begun to grasp The Ancient One's deeper intentions.

The Ancient One had protected Earth for years. She bore the title of Sorcerer Supreme, but in truth, she was shackled to this tiny Dimension.

She controlled the Time Stone and had witnessed countless Timelines. Long ago, she had seen through her own fate and come to understand what it meant to be bound—or free.

Now she faced the four bewildered Avengers and calmly revealed the ending she had arranged for herself, one that was also fated to happen.

"According to the countless futures I've explored with the Time Stone, my fate is to die at Kaecilius's hands."

The simple statement struck the hall like a thunderclap. All four Avengers froze, shaken to the core.

Tony's pupils contracted sharply. His composure, calm, and reason shattered as he stood rooted to the spot.

He could not fathom how the Sorcerer Supreme, master of the mystic arts, who kept Dormammu in check and looked down on evil gods of the Dimensions, could be