Ebony Maw had lost so quickly in the mental realm that no warning escaped as the dark sorcerer was transformed from Thanos's loyal subordinate into an Elder God's corrupted puppet.
It happened on the day Thanos's army stood ready to depart for Skrullos, the Skrulls' principal homeworld in the M-31 system-the Andromeda Galaxy.
The vanguard suddenly turned around and opened fire directly on Thanos's spaceship.
Thanos's army reacted swiftly, too. The uncorrupted troops immediately fought back. Both sides were space pirates with years of battle behind them, and neither showed any mercy. Trails of particle cannon fire crisscrossed space.
Though Thanos had no idea what was happening, anyone who dared fire on him was an enemy. He immediately ordered the remaining members of the Black Order to deal with the rebels.
But to his surprise, the members of the Black Order exchanged glances, their eyes glowing blood-red. Then, under Ebony Maw's command, they began attacking Thanos.
The Black Order had extensive authority under Thanos, and he had never imagined all four would turn on him without warning. Caught off guard, he was wounded by a combined attack from Corvus Glaive and Cull Obsidian.
Convinced victory was his, Ebony Maw immediately used mental magic to seize control of Thanos's body. Then Thanos witnessed Ebony Maw speaking with a superhero on Earth through the Elder God's magic.
"Bring Thanos to Earth. Only through him can we find the Death Goddess. By sacrificing her, we will gain even greater power—all for the great Elder God's plan to invade the Main Universe."
"As you command, Elder God Proxy."
Ebony Maw's eyes were vacant, his manner meek and submissive. Clearly, after the Elder God's corruption, the once-powerful dark sorcerer's sense of self no longer existed.
But Thanos was not so easily controlled.
After quietly listening