User:Jacky 50A/Marvel;Re Avengers Sandbox 2

This is the sandbox for Jacky 50A's Mighty Avengers series.

Synopsis
Thor leads a powerful team of Avengers to defend the Earth and its peoples from existential threats that infest the Marvel Universe.

Arc One - "Shadows of Oblivion"

 * 1) In a Zone of Comfort
 * 2) * The story starts with a montage of the Avengers' past experiences in fighting cosmic level threats from the perspective of Thor. From time to time, they were seen fighting Loki, Ultron, Korvac, Kang, the Deviants, Set, the Kree, the Shi'ar, the Beyonder, Thanos, Morgan Le Fay, Onslaught, Dormammu, High Evolutionary, the Builders, and the Skrulls. Throughout this, Thor narrates of how the Avengers have fought world-ending threats from time to time, yet despite their ranks, they've always struggled to decisively defeat them, because many of them still end up returning to menace the universe again. Thor claims that the time has come for the Avengers to finally have a permanent solution to these threats, and the scene transitions to reveal him to have been speaking to his fellow Avengers leaders, Captain America, Iron Man, and Ant-Man.
 * 3) * The Avengers are revealed to have been expanding their membership through the 'Avengers Wave' program, and today is the day Thor announces the candidacy of the team he has been entrusted in forming by his friends. The other Avengers voice their anticipation and concerns towards Thor's team, and Thor is delighted over their enthusiasm. Thor proceeds to reveal the candidates of his Avengers team, so his fellow leaders may approve of them.
 * 4) ** First among his candidates is Hyperion, who joined the Avengers prior to the Builder War a good number of years back and had become a good friend to Thor. Thor is confident that Hyperion is able to stand up to the many challenges to come thanks to the strength of his arm and character. Additionally, Thor wishes to recruit him to help him learn more about the universe, seeing as how he hasn't resided all that long on Earth. Ultimately, the trio approves Hyperion's membership and hope that he'll work on a more permanent basis with the Avengers.
 * 5) ** Afterwards, Thor unveils his next candidate, who is also a veteran of the Builder War: Ex Nihilo. Opposite to their reaction to Hyperion, the Avengers are much more dubious about the Gardener and his ilk due to their past conflict with the team. Even though Ex Nihilo and his kindred technically joined the Avengers during the Builder War due to the recommendation of the period's Captain Universe, little is known about their activities after such a cataclysmic event. Thor reiterates that they are simply continuing their task of turning Mars into a habitable planet as the Avengers agreed with them, but Ant-Man is skeptical and thinks that there must be some insidious plot behind them. Thor argues that the preservation of life across the universe is a priority of theirs -- including Ex Nihilo -- meaning that they share an interest with the Avengers' goals. When Captain America points out that they were only allied with the Avengers because of Captain Universe's command -- and that Captain Universe is nowhere to be seen now --, Thor says that he has spoken with Ex Nihilo, and the scene flashes back to a moment in time when Ex Nihilo tells a visiting Thor on Mars about his commitment to life in the universe and how he and the other Ex Nihili aren't undiscerning idiots who don't know the threat that extraversal abominations pose to creation itself. Finally, Thor comments that Ex Nihilo's great understanding of reality's inner workings means that the Avengers will have an advantage in dealing with more abstract adversaries. In the end, the Avengers decide to legitimize Ex Nihilo's membership but ask Thor to keep a close watch on him, which Thor agrees to.
 * 6) ** The next candidate Thor reveals is the Starbrand known as Brandy Selby, whom the Avengers are quite familiar with thanks to their relatively recent experience with her. Thor says that having a bearer of the Star Brand on their side is very beneficial due to their nature as Earth's primary defense system, but Ant-Man wonders if she's actually qualified age-wise. The Starbrand, for whatever incomprehensible reason, ages up Brandy every time she utilizes her powers, meaning that one way or another, her time in the Avengers isn't going to be long. Especially going by the implications of the work of Thor's team. Thor responds by bringing up Ex Nihilo once again, reminding them of his knowledge of the inner workings of the universe, which also includes the Star Brand, which his creators -- the Builders -- are also connected with. A flashback ensues where Thor and Ex Nihilo were seen interacting with Brandy Selby and her guardian in their house. Ex Nihilo gave Brandy a bracelet infused with the energies of the Superflow, which would prevent her from aging upon using her powers. When Brandy asked Ex Nihilo why her predecessor, Kevin Connor, didn't age when he used his powers, the Gardener told her that the Star Brand fired from the Builders' Communications Station within the Superflow was precisely calibrated to Connor. Unfortunately, due to the mishaps that fell upon the Builders and their machines, which were likely rendered inoperable due to their lack of maintenance from the now-extinct Builders, instead of shooting out a new Star Brand into the universe that is well calibrated to, say, Brandy, the Station instead redirected Kevin's Star Brand to Selby, therefore bestowing upon her a 'curse of imperfection' in the form of the aging. When Thor asked her how old she was, knowing that she had been using her powers for some time, Selby guessed that she's around 25 years old, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. In the end, the Avengers approve her membership.
 * 7) ** Thor introduces his next pick for the team: Angela. He reasons that not only is Angela a near-unrivalled warrior, but she is also a skilled tracker due to her past as a huntress of Heven. This means that if any of their foes try to escape them, then Angela is the one to make sure that the Avengers know where to find them, no matter how frequent they change locations. The Avenger leaders do not doubt her skills but wonders if she actually has the time and commitment to be an Avenger. Stark in particular addresses her membership with the Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as her preference to work solo. Thor verifies his claims and proceeds to tell his friends about her reputation as 'Asgard's Assassin'. Angela has spent much of her time hunting monsters throughout the universe. That Thor offered her a chance to slay even greater monsters was enough to bring her on board the team. Ant-Man asks Thor if he recruited her because she's his sister, and Thor replies that if he truly uses nepotism as his method of recruitment, then he wouldn't even bother introducing his next candidate.
 * 8) ** Upon being asked of his next pick, Thor tells the team of the Ghost Rider, Alejandra Jones. This immediately stumps his friends, who absolutely has no idea of who she is. Thor happily describes her to counter Pym's allegation of nepotism, telling him that despite his busyness and admittedly low preference for matters of magic compared to, say, Doctor Strange, he still keeps track of supernatural phenomena throughout Midgard. Thor states that he knew of her during a conversation of his with Heimdall, who made an off-hand comment about her while he was watching Midgard. Although he didn't pay much attention to her -- being neutral due to knowing that she's still doing the usual Ghost Rider schtick of punishing 'villains' -- he was interested in her during the 'Circle of Four' incident, where Alejandra teamed up with the Red Hulk, Agent Venom, and X-23 to stop Blackheart's plan to turn the Earth into a hellscape. Stark expresses a passing familiarity with the event, citing that he had to cancel his trip to Las Vegas because of it. Hank retracts his accusation of nepotism and asks Thor if she's interested in being a member, since from what [the Avengers] have known, like Angela, she prefers working alone and deals 'Punisher-style' justice. Thor smirks and a brief flashback happens, showing Thor and Alejandra interacting while it appears that Asgardians (the Warriors Three among them) are seen bringing supplies and helping build further infrastructure in Alejandra's village, Murra Nueva Segovia. Afterwards, Thor simply remarks that he's done some humanitarian work as some incentive for her. Alejandra's membership gets approved and Stark expresses contentment over having one more beauty in the Avengers, only for Captain America to implicitly discipline him.
 * 9) ** Thor introduces his next candidate by recalling a time when the Avengers were forced to participate in a contest between the Grandmaster and his maddened predecessor, the Challenger. Captain America immediately understands the meaning behind this and chuckles, saying that it's about time that Thor's recruit becomes an Avenger. Hank also picks up on the information, angrily asking Thor if his recruit isn't going to tamper with any more Avenger memories. Stark asks Thor if this is the Grandmaster's daughter, and he confirms. Thor reminds them that even though she altered their memories during the incident, she showed a heroic and responsible character by assisting them in saving the Earth from the Challenger, and that the Avengers themselves offered her membership, only for her to refuse and claim that she would one day earn her place in the team. Thor thinks that she has more than earned her place in the team. Hank asks what she has been up to these days, and another small flashback ensues, showing Thor and Voyager heading to the Far Shore via the latter's portal. There, they saw the Challenger being restrained in a standing position in the middle of the cosmic space. The Challenger wondered what Thor was doing, assuming that the Voyager had brought him to gloat over his past loss. Thor expresses confusion concerning why he was here, and Voyager reveals that she was trying to rehabilitate the Challenger, so he may return to his old kind self. She hoped to accomplish this by showing him footage of the Avengers' past adventures, and Thor was partially flattered by this display. The Challenger commented that he had seen the Avengers' exploits a thousand times, and pities Thor for being part of a fruitless and ineffective effort to save their planet. Thor threatened the Challenger, but the Elder of the Universe continued his point by asking him if it's really worth it for him to keep fighting cataclysmic battles from eon to eon, resting uneasy knowing that the next great battle that could tear the universe asunder was coming, and that these threats would never end until the very Earth itself perishes alongside all of humanity, rendering the Avengers moot and useless. Thor tried to attack the Challenger, but Voyager stopped him, telling the Asgardian that her uncle was just trying to goad him into freeing him. Voyager told him that for all the Avengers' flaws, they had done much to make their world a better place by defending them from those who doom it, human or otherwise. Thor conceded to Voyager's point and apologized for his impatience. Voyager then asked Thor what was it that he wanted to talk about, and Thor simply said that he wished to talk about avenging. Back in the present day, Hank summarizes Voyager's activity as hopelessly trying to convert a Thanos-like being into a do-gooder, but Thor zips him shut by saying that however 'pointless' Voyager's act is, at least it's containing one more universal evil, meaning that there's one less threat they should worry about. That being said, Stark wonders of what will happen if Voyager 'abandons' the 'prison' and joins the Avengers, but Thor assures them that he won't be able to escape the unbreakable (Mysterium) shackles Voyager made. Captain America hopes that such is true, and that her membership wouldn't get them in trouble with the Grandmaster. Yet another brief flashback ensues, showing a single scene where Thor was seen being threatened by the Grandmaster to keep his daughter safe, or else he'd slaughter the Earth himself. Thor says that they wouldn't, and Voyager's membership is approved.
 * 10) ** Stark comments that his recruits need to spend as much time with each other as possible for his team to run well. Captain America regrettably agrees, seeing how thus far, most of Thor's recruits seem to mostly be loners with limited teamwork experience. Thor acquiesces but reminds them how neither of them were particularly good team players during the early days of the Avengers. Not to mention how they had to train the then-new recruits of the day to expand their ranks. Knowing this, Thor states that he is ready for the responsibility of turning this team into a 'well-greased wheel' by training them. Pym wishes Thor good luck doing that, and Thor does the same. Afterwards, Stark asks who the last member of the team is.
 * 11) ** Thor wastes no time introducing his final member: Clayton Cortez, otherwise known as Weapon H. Stark, surprised by this pick, asks Thor where he found him. Captain America expresses familiarity over Weapon H, recalling the time when they fought because he assumed that Cortez was responsible for a monster breakout in a Roxxon facility. Hank is amused and asks Thor if he got him because they both hate Roxxon. Thor laughs and says that it's one of the similarities that helps them bond, but otherwise, he chose Weapon H because he needs 'a little more' muscle and he is far more than capable of fulfilling such a role. Thor adds that if anything, the presence of a mixture between the Hulk and the Wolverine will intimidate many lesser opponents, so they may focus more on the greater threat at hand. When Stark asks Thor if the intimidation doesn't work on people who knows neither, Thor smiles and says that one way or another, their adversaries will fear Weapon H. A small flashback scene occurs, showing Weapon H cornering an intimidated Graviton, while Thor congratulates the Hulk-Wolverine hybrid. Captain America asks Thor if he's consulted with either Bruce or Logan about this, and Thor says that he has. As far as he knows, neither one has a problem with Clay's presence on the team. If any, they asked Thor to keep an eye out for interesting developments concerning his powers, since both are quite curious about what he can do, since it appears that he's not just a hybrid of Wolverine and Hulk, but of other superhumans, as well. Thor uses this piece of information as further reasoning as to why he should be an Avenger, saying that his potential would be of great benefit. Needless to say, Weapon H's membership is approved.
 * 12) ** With the approval of Thor's team, Captain America tells him that as per their regulation, everyone on his team except Hyperion (who is already a full-time Avenger) will be granted reserve Avengers statuses, as well as a probationary period of one month. Stark congratulates Thor on his team and wishes him good fortune in handling the big threats. Pym also hopes that Thor can make the team an effective force for good. Thor thanks them both, and Captain America asks Thor about his second in-command, which will prove useful in the event that Thor is unavailable to lead the team. Thor says that his second is undeniably Hyperion but admits that he hasn't talked to him about it. In either case, Thor wants to get the team together as soon as possible, so they can jump straight into the action. Captain America tells him that it's a good idea and hopes that he can get them acclimated to the situation handily.
 * 13) *The scene switches over to Angela, who is seen stalking a small army of dark elves in the ruined countryside of Alfheim, whose skies are seen enveloped in total darkness. Angela wonders how Malekith was able to enshroud the entirety of Alfheim with shadows so thick they prevent even the Bifrost from manifesting there. She also questions how much more formidable Malekith's forces have become, seeing how they are able to overwhelm the light elves' defenses far faster than she predicted. She asks herself where Malekith received the power to separate both Svartalfheim and Alfheim from the Yggdrasil, when only Odin himself is known to have accomplished such a feat with one realm, which is her home of Heven. Angela sees the dark elf army ransacking the houses of light elves, capturing both people and plunder: the usual modus operandi of invaders. Angela becomes more interested when she sees a light elf failing to assassinate a dark elf with her dagger. Before the dagger can make contact, the assailed dark elf suddenly generate a number of tendrils from his body, which penetrate and immobilize the light elf. Angela doesn't like what she sees at all, but notices that the light elf in question isn't dead. In fact, all the 'corpses' that are put upon the dark elves' carts are still breathing, meaning that Malekith needs Alfheim's people alive for some reason. Although she wishes to immediately kill all of these dark elves and get the captive light elves to safety, she realizes that there's no real safe place in Alfheim as of now, and that she may be able to get a better understanding of Malekith's plan by following them to where they're going.
 * 14) *Angela eventually follows the dark elves to Alfheim's capital, Ljosalfgard, where she sees that not all light elves suffer the same fate as she saw in the village before. Corpses of light elves are gruesomely strewn across the city while the screams of still-living light elves are heard from within the city's many buildings. Other light elves are seen being tormented and treated maliciously in the city's streets, incensing Angela's rage. Although Angela is familiar with the 'protocols' of war where the invaders 'take advantage' of both civilians and prisoners, she loathes seeing this happen once again in the thousands of years of the Ten Realms' history. Angela reins in her anger and infiltrates the royal palace, stealthily entering its throne room, where Malekith is seen sitting on the throne of Queen Aelsa Featherwine, who is seen imprisoned inside a cage across the ceiling. Malekith talks with his five lieutenants, Terrana, Grendell, Bitterhand, Snaggi, and Rotjaw, about the status of Alfheim's conquest. They tell him that they have scoured many pockets of resistance and have collected many prisoners in accordance with his instructions. Malekith is delighted but expresses disappointment over their failure to find Alfheim's World Tree entrance. The lieutenants tell him that they have found its keeper, who has been leading the biggest resistance on Alfheim against them. Malekith smiles and tacitly expresses his desire to kill them all for their failure, but instead instructs them to surround the resistance leader's people with their respective forces. When Grendell asks Malekith if he is to intervene personally, Malekith cryptically tells him that his time will come soon before giving a more 'mundane' reason of wanting to 'have fun' with Queen Aelsa and her entourage for the time being. Before Malekith can dismiss his lieutenants, Angela cuts the chains holding Aelsa's cage and drops down with the cage in tow. Malekith smirks at Angela's presence but fails to say anything concerning her as Angela throws her Ichors in the form of daggers at Malekith. Although the Dark Elf is able to catch the Ichor daggers, he fails to capture her, as she throws down a grenade-like pellet that engulfs both her and Aelsa in divine magic, teleporting them out of Alfheim. Malekith's lieutenants recover from this rather handily and wonder how she was able to get here. Malekith tells them it doesn't matter, because the moment she returns -- and Malekith really believes she will return -- neither her nor her friends will ever return from his dominion unscathed.
 * 15) They Desire Something
 * 16) Enter an Unfamiliar Situation
 * 17) Adapt to the Situation
 * 18) Get What They Desired
 * 19) Pay a Heavy Price for Winning
 * 20) A Return to Their Familiar Situation
 * 21) They Have Overall Changed