redemption | marvel

five

THERE were many things wrong with this plan, in Cass' mind. The first problem? No one ever explicitly said that they would kill Thanos. The second problem? They were about to face off against Thanos, knowing virtually nothing about him or his strengths and weaknesses. Alas, it was the best plan they had. Cass did not trust Stark, or the Guardians, but they had faith in Doctor Strange, at least.

Everyone but Strange were hiding, out of sight and out of mind. In the ruins of what was once Titan. Cass was crouched down behind the remnants of a building, tense and ready to fire chains out from any part of her body in a split second. Strange was sitting out in front, waiting. That was when a blue portal opened. Out walked a large purple titan. Thanos.

"Oh, you're much more of a Thanos," Strange said.

"I take it the Maw is dead. This day extracts a heavy toll. Still, he accomplished his mission," Thanos said, unbothered by the death of one of his most loyal followers.

"You may regret that. He brought you face-to-face with the Master of the Mystic Arts."

"And where do you think he brought you?"

"Let me guess, your home?"

Thanos smiled blissfully. "It was. And it was beautiful." He closed his fist, using the reality stone to transform the planet into what it once was. "Titan was like most planets. Too many mouths, and not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution."

"Genocide," Strange deadpanned.

"But at random, dispassionate, fair to rich and poor alike. They called me a madman. And what I predicted came to pass." He dropped the illusion, returning everything to its ruined state.

"Congratulations. You're a prophet."

"I'm a survivor."

"Who wants to murder trillions."

"With all six stones, I could simply snap my fingers, and they would all cease to exist. I call that...Mercy."

Strange stood up. "And then what?"

"I finally rest...And watch the sun rise on a grateful universe. The hardest choices require the strongest wills," Thanos said.

"I think you'll find our will..." Strange did a few hand motions, getting shields at the ready, "...equal to yours."

"Our?" Thanos repeated. He looked up to find a large piece of wreckage coming down to him, too late to stop it.

"Piece of cake, Quill," Stark said.

"Yeah, if your goal was to piss him off," Quill said back, taking off as well. The wreckage above Thanos erupted in a purple haze, the former structure breaking into lots of small pieces. Underneath, Thanos is unharmed, just angry. With a shout, he forced the pieces back to Stark, turning them into bats. Stark was pushed far away, but luckily Brawler quickly went to help, using his feathers to kill the artificial creatures.

Parker quickly hit Thanos in the face with a web, then followed it up by kicking him in the face. Drax slashed at the titan's calves while Cass, with the strongest chains she could make, slashed at his face, the harsh metal leaving a scratch. Strange created a blade, helping Drax and Cass fight Thanos. Drax was knocked back, then Cass' chain grabbed, leading her to be tugged over Thanos' shoulder and into the ruble behind him. He grabbed Strange's sword, breaking it. Quill joined the fight, shooting at Thanos and placing a bomb on his back, jumping on the platforms Strange made for him.

"Boom!" Quill said, flipping Thanos off and jumping back into a portal. Strange quietly ordered his cloak not to let Thanos close his fist. This fight was far from over.