Multiverse Guardians

Howard's family had undoubtedly come to regard Brad as a close family friend.

For Brad, the greatest benefit was that he had established a connection with Howard in scientific research. He could now browse all of Howard's research notes and data to his heart's content.

That even included his research data on the Tesseract.

But just as he was eagerly preparing to draw on Howard's brilliance and embark on a new phase of research, a group of uninvited guests broke into his base.

No, to be precise, by the time Brad realized what was happening, his true body had already been separated from reality.

An enormous bald head appeared before him.

The unusual being before him had a head as large as a radiation-mutated baby's and wore blue robes reminiscent of ancient Greek attire.

"I am the Watcher, one of a race that transcends the Multiverse."

Brad said nothing, instead quickly surveying his surroundings.

Amid a bizarre, brilliantly colored expanse of fractured geometric space, a small wooden cabin stood on a rock, faint lamplight shining through its windows. The rock floated in the void.

"Brad, I need your strength. Your mastery of machinery is unrivaled, and throughout the Multiverse, you have no counterpart whose experiences resemble yours. You are unique."

The Watcher continued.

"That is why I need your strength to help combat an unprecedented threat to the Multiverse."

"Just me? Who are we fighting?"

Brad certainly knew of the Watcher's existence. He had already encountered him in stories of Wade's future dealings.

So he did not harbor much doubt and quickly picked up the conversation.

"Of course not. Across the endless Multiverse, I have found other unique individuals like you. They are your teammates, and they are waiting inside the cabin for you to join them."

The cabin door slowly opened. Brad considered it for two seconds, then stepped inside.

A moment later, he recognized everyone in the room.

Yet all of them seemed distinctly at odds with their future counterparts in his own universe.

There was Doctor Strange, who looked downright sinister and dressed to match.

Thor, with extensive tattoos on his arms and a frivolous look on his face.

And holding a Vibranium Shield painted with the British flag was... Peggy?

This Peggy is built!

Brad could not help giving her a few extra looks.

Gamora wore Thanos's armor and carried his blade.

There was also a Black Panther version of Star-Lord and a Killmonger version of Black Panther.

Everyone reacted differently to Brad's arrival.

Doctor Strange Supreme raised two fingers in greeting, while the frivolous Thor walked straight over with his hammer and slung an arm around Brad's shoulders as though they were old friends.

"Buddy, what are you good at?"

The others nodded at Brad, though none were as enthusiastic as Thor.

Before Brad could answer, Thor turned and called loudly to Doctor Strange, "Get our new little friend a beer!"

Doctor Strange obligingly snapped his fingers, then slid a mug of beer across the long table that extended to the cabin entrance, bringing it to a stop before Brad without spilling a drop.

Brad turned to look at the Watcher. "These are the teammates who are about to face a Multiverse-level threat?"

"Hey, don't be like that. Why get so serious before the fighting starts?"

Thor shook Brad's shoulder, then gave the muscle there a surprised squeeze.

"Are you a Midgardian-the Marvel Asgardians' term for an Earthling? How come you feel about as sturdy as I am?"

Hearing that, Gamora walked over with her blade and squeezed Brad's biceps, then looked surprised as well.

"You're right. He's different from the Terrans I've met before-that's one of the general terms people in the Marvel Universe use for Earthlings. He's ridiculously sturdy."

The two even began discussing him, squeezing him here and thumping him there.

"Look, his physique is perfect too."

"Yes, his muscles are very firm."

Brad gave his shoulders a seemingly casual shake, freeing himself from their roaming hands.

The Watcher showed no particular emotion at this. He simply swept his large hand through the air, displaying the entire story before them in images resembling holographic projections.

Brad's eyes widened slightly.

He had spotted Ultron, the artificial life-form from his own universe's future.

But this Ultron was somewhat different. He had successfully acquired the body that should have belonged to Vision and seized the Six Infinity Stones. Then, using the power of the Infinity Stones, he had summoned a vast army of Ultron robots, which kept appearing on inhabited planets and destroying them.

Yet just as Ultron finished destroying all life in that universe and prepared to enjoy eternal solitude, his power, amplified by the Infinity Stones, allowed him to hear voices beyond his universe.

He shattered the dimensional barrier of his universe and found the Watcher's home. Then, through this space in the cracks between the universes of the Multiverse, he unlocked the gateways to other universes.

"Though the Multiverse is said to be infinite, no one can guarantee that Ultron will not arrive in your universe the very next moment to destroy it. This is therefore about saving the countless lives of the Multiverse, as well as saving yourselves."

The Watcher's ethereal voice rang out. "I found you, these unique individuals, across the Multiverse. I hope you will form the Multiverse Guardians, defeat Ultron, and crush his ambitions."

"When peace returns to the Multiverse and my mistake has been corrected, I will send you back to your worlds. Of course, you may also ask me for an appropriate reward."

"I cannot remain in one place for too long, or Ultron could track me down at any moment. I will continue watching you and provide help when the time is right."

With that, the Watcher vanished.

Brad was momentarily stunned. What kind of bandit logic is that?

But after looking at the others' reactions, Brad understood that most of the people the Watcher had brought here were superhero types. Now that the Multiverse faced a crisis, they naturally would not stand by and do nothing.

Still, Brad also noticed that, much like his own, Killmonger's eyes had brightened slightly when the Watcher promised they could ask for a reward.

Their gazes met, and both instantly understood that the other was no superhero. With an unspoken understanding, they looked away.

The dark version of Doctor Strange swept both hands through the air, instantly transporting the tavern they were in to a pocket universe.

"It's safe here for the moment. Perhaps we can discuss our plan here."

After a brief discussion, they decided to start by exchanging information about themselves, which would help them work together as a team.

A group of complete strangers could hardly function as teammates.

The process went quickly. After all, most of them came from relatively close points in time and had even met their teammates' counterparts in their respective universes.

T'Challa-the Black Panther version of Star-Lord-and Erik-the Killmonger version of Black Panther-were particularly engrossed in their conversation.

As for Thor and Doctor Strange, they already knew each other in their own universes.

That left Gamora and Brad as the ones everyone was most curious about.

One was an extraterrestrial, and the other was a man from the previous century.