2022 - Avengers Base
The Avengers emerged from the Quantum Portal—Tony Stark, Hawkeye, Star-Lord, and others stepping into the light. Suddenly, the quantum machine unfolded, revealing Rocket and Thor. As they materialized and regained their normal size, confusion swept over them.
"Why are you all here already? The return time was the same!" Rocket exclaimed. His sharp gaze fell on the group's empty hands. "Wait... You didn't get the stones?"
Before anyone could respond, an orange portal flickered open, and a figure clad in armor stepped through.
Rocket's tail stiffened, an instinctive reaction to the overwhelming pressure and bloodlust emanating from the newcomer. The Rocket's pupils contracted. "This guy just killed someone."
Thor's jaw dropped. The man before them was wearing Thor's armor, wielding Mjölnir, and bore an Infinity Gauntlet already holding four stones. "Is that—?"
Tony cut in, his voice trembling slightly. "Supreme Mage... Did you... kill Thanos?"
Russell casually tossed the gauntlet onto the table. "It wasn't that hard. Unless it's Six-Stone Thanos, he's manageable."
Thor stared in disbelief. "That... can't be. How did you—"
"Strange wasn't the Supreme Mage back in 2012," Banner interjected. "This version of Russell? He's already taken out two Thanoses."
Thor squinted at the figure. "But he looks like... Thor?"
Tony smirked. "Does it matter? He's also a scientist."
Rocket's mouth fell open.
Russell dismissed their chatter, tapping the table with his fingers. "Enough. Make the new gauntlet so we can finish this. I've got places to be."
The team snapped into action. Within an hour, using Tony's nano-technology, they constructed a new gauntlet. One by one, the five Infinity Stones were fitted into place.
"Your Holiness," Tony said with an uncharacteristic bow, "the gauntlet is ready."
With a resigned nod, Russell placed the gauntlet on his hand. From the air, a green gem wrapped in glowing runes appeared. The runes dissolved as the gem slipped into the final slot, completing the gauntlet.
The room vibrated with six-colored energy, engulfing Russell's form. The surge of power was overwhelming, threatening to tear him apart. Yet, he pressed forward, snapping his fingers without hesitation.
Elsewhere in the Timeline
In the TVA's main monitoring room, alarms blared. Mobius burst in, shouting, "What's going on?"
A trembling analyst turned. "Director, it's bad—over 7,500 lives just came back. They weren't supposed to!"
The timeline was fracturing. In the End of Time, Miss Minutes appeared in a panic, warning Kang the Conqueror.
"The branches are exploding!" she exclaimed.
Kang grimaced. "Suppress them using power from the Time Loom. Delay their growth until we can stabilize the Sacred Timeline."
Back at Avengers Base
Russell dropped the gauntlet to the ground, his right arm scorched black from the energy backlash. But as Tony moved forward with a medical foam spray, they all froze in astonishment—Russell's arm was healing before their eyes, blood like molten lava restoring his flesh.
Moments later, Clint Barton's phone buzzed. He answered with trembling hands. The voice on the other end was familiar. "It's... it's them," he whispered, tears streaming down his face.
The room erupted in cheers.
But the celebrations were short-lived. Three women appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, dressed in flowing white gowns with wreaths on their heads. Thor's eyes widened in recognition. "The Three Goddesses of Fate?!"
The youngest, Skuld, stepped forward, her garland transforming into butterflies that alighted on Russell. "The future blesses you to never be lost," she said.
The present, Verdandi, smiled warmly, her wreath becoming radiant fairies. "The present blesses you to remain steadfast."
Finally, Urd, the eldest, placed a glowing halo on Russell's head. "The past blesses you to overcome calamity."
As their blessings completed, the lab seemed to dissolve, revealing the sky above.
A massive World Tree appeared, its energy stretching into infinity. Thor gawked, "The World Tree... This is real!"
Across the Nine Realms
The World Tree's manifestation rippled through existence. Zeus in Olympus paused, his gaze fixed on the sky. "An Aesir awakening their ancestral power?"
In the Egyptian pantheon, gods watched with a mix of awe and envy.
On Earth, a strange cold swept the planet. Snow fell in summer, rivers froze, and the Avengers felt a chill to their very souls.
Thor shivered. "Winter? No... This is more."
The youngest Fate smiled. "Not just ice—Winter Divine Power, encompassing all its might."
Moments later, the sky turned red, flames erupting across the horizon. Trees burned, magma rolled, and shadows danced in hellish light. But it was another vision.
"Vulcan's power," the present Fate whispered.
Light followed—pure, blinding, erasing shadows entirely. It bathed the Nine Realms in a moment of divine clarity.
As the visions faded, Russell descended. The Avengers stared in silent reverence, their world forever changed.
Thor whispered, "Is this... the birth of a god?"
Tony simply nodded.