Marvel: Starting as a Time Criminal, Stealing Powers

2022 – Avengers Base

Tony Stark, Hawkeye, Star-Lord, and the others walked out of the quantum light gate.

At the same time, the quantum machine unfolded piece by piece, and Rocket Raccoon and Thor emerged.

As the two of them expanded back to normal size, they were stunned to see the rest of the team already standing beneath the machine.

The return time had been set identically—so how had the others arrived first?

Rocket's eyes swept across the group, noting the absence of any Infinity Stones. His voice immediately sharpened:

"What's going on? You failed?"

Before anyone could respond, an orange portal opened out of thin air—and the next second, a man in gleaming armor walked through it.

From sheer animal instinct, Rocket's tail puffed up, and an intense pressure—bloody and oppressive—washed over him.

His pupils contracted sharply.

This man had just killed someone.

Thor's instincts weren't as sharp, but his vision worked just fine.

And what he saw made his eyes almost pop out of his skull.

The man wore Thor's armor, wielded Mjolnir in one hand, and on the other—

The Infinity Gauntlet, set with four glowing Infinity Stones.

Tony's heartbeat spiked. He stepped forward, voice cautious:

"Sorcerer Supreme... Did you kill him?"

Russell casually tossed the Gauntlet onto the table and replied:

"It's not a big deal. As long as he doesn't have all six stones, Thanos isn't that dangerous."

Thor had once killed Thanos with Stormbreaker, but that was because Thanos let his guard down to activate the Snap.

Otherwise, Thor might've been the one to die.

Everyone fell into silence at Russell's words. After all, most of them had already been beaten by Thanos once.

Thor, blinking in confusion, muttered, "Wait, isn't Strange the Sorcerer Supreme? When did that change?"

Banner explained, "Strange wasn't the Sorcerer Supreme in 2012. The guy you're looking at now is—and he's killed two Thanos already."

Thor scratched his head, puzzled. "That doesn't make sense. He even feels like another version of me."

Before awakening his true powers, maybe Thor wouldn't have noticed.

But now the divine power radiating from Russell was unmistakable—including an aura of death.

Tony, understanding the confusion, shrugged and said dryly:

"Doesn't matter. He's still a scientist."

That comment, of all things, made Rocket's eyes widen in disbelief.

Russell tapped the table with his fingers and said calmly:

"Let's stop wasting time. Build the new Gauntlet and get ready to snap. I've got places to be."

He cast a glance toward the quantum machine.

Although the destruction of Morag by Thanos had branched into a different timeline, without Nebula, the Thanos from the original timeline couldn't follow. That meant, technically, the timeline was safe... for now.

After killing three Thanoses, Russell's [Titan Bloodline] trait had stacked, boosting his physical resistance and overall strength by roughly 30% compared to when he started.

A pretty decent bonus.

Thanks to the nano-tech armor, the new Gauntlet was completed in under an hour.

Inside the lab, Tony and the others carefully placed five Infinity Stones into their respective slots on the glove, their expressions filled with tension.

All eyes turned to Russell, sitting calmly on a single-seater sofa.

"It's ready, Venerable."

Tony had adopted the title from Thor and now used it with genuine respect.

They had all seen what happened when Thanos used the Infinity Gauntlet—the burn scars, the raw damage. Even if they survived the Snap, the cost was horrifying.

Only Banner had lived through it, and he was severely injured.

As for Thor, the guy was hiding behind Rocket, looking incredibly sheepish.

Russell stood, walked over, and slipped on the nano-glove.

Then, with a flick of his other hand into the air, a green gem with swirling patterns suddenly materialized.

With a simple thought, Russell dispelled the protective runes surrounding it, and the Time Stone floated into the final groove on the glove.

In an instant, a six-colored energy surge exploded from the Gauntlet, flooding into Russell's body.

He felt his strength skyrocket, and his mind expand—as though his consciousness were stretching into another universe. It felt like he could do anything.

But he knew better.

This was an illusion, caused by the chaotic resonance of the six Infinity Stones.

The more he used them, the more backlash he would suffer.

But it didn't matter.

With no hesitation, Russell raised his hand—

—and snapped his fingers.

TVA – Main Control Room

Alarms blared across every screen.

On a single node of the Sacred Timeline, thousands of new time branches began sprouting simultaneously.

"What the hell is happening?!"

Mobius ran in, shouting at the monitors.

One of the chubbier analysts turned around with a face full of panic:

"It's over! We're done for!"

"A total of... 7,542 lives were resurrected that shouldn't have been!"

Russell's act of killing had already distorted time. But now, resurrection?

That would explode the Sacred Timeline.

In the castle at the end of time, Miss Minutes appeared, her cartoon face flickering.

"The Legacy Timeline is destabilizing. Suppressed branches are all beginning to quake."

"We've gotta act!"

He Who Remains stood still, his face grim.

He feared his dormant variants would seize the opportunity.

Just one wrong move…

The invader from beyond the multiverse should've been brought here directly. But that guy was like a slippery fish—untouchable.

As he stared at the branches multiplying wildly, He Who Remains exhaled and ordered:

"Reroute a portion of the Time Loom's hidden reserve. Apply it to reinforce the Sacred Timeline. We need to halt the branching, even temporarily."

Miss Minutes hesitated.

"But doing that will allow suppressed timelines to regain flow. Are you sure?"

He Who Remains sighed:

"It's better than letting everything spiral out of control. Otherwise, all our work will be for nothing."

"Do it. If it doesn't work... we'll trigger Project Loki ahead of schedule."

Avengers Base

Russell shook off the overwhelming sensation of omnipotence and yanked off the Gauntlet, tossing it to the ground.

His entire right arm was blackened—corroded by the stones' energy.

It wasn't as strong as the original Infinity Gauntlet, or his wounds might've been lighter.

Tony rushed over with a medical kit, prepared to spray a foam-based healing serum.

But then he froze.

Russell's wound—dark with burned flesh—began to regenerate.

Veins glowed like molten lava beneath the skin. In mere seconds, the arm had fully healed.

Tony, holding the unused serum, awkwardly put the canister down.

And in his heart, he couldn't help but ask:

"…Is this guy even human?"

At that moment, Hawkeye's phone suddenly rang on the table. The screen displayed the caller: "Lila."

Everyone froze for a second. As he picked it up, a strange yet familiar voice came through the receiver—and in the next instant, the entire lab erupted in cheers!

Success.

Half of all life that vanished five years ago had returned.

Hawkeye teared up and turned toward Russell with sincere gratitude.

Forget Jesus. This man was the real savior.

Everyone else looked equally stunned, as if waking from a dream. Some of them stepped forward, overwhelmed, ready to thank Russell.

But before they could speak, they noticed three women had silently appeared in the room.

One looked to be around seven or eight years old, cute and delicate.

One appeared to be in her late twenties, beautiful and full of vitality.

The third had silver hair, an elegant demeanor, and eyes full of ancient wisdom.

All three wore flowing white gowns and wreaths upon their heads.

Suddenly, Thor's senses sharpened, and his eyes widened in shock.

"Past, present, future… You—are you the Three Goddesses of Fate!?"

"You… aren't just legends?"

He had read the mythological scrolls of Asgard. The Three Goddesses of Fate had never appeared on their own before. They were myth, lore… until now.

Everyone else was equally stunned.

Asgardians were supposed to be aliens—weren't they?

Then how could the legendary Fates be real?

But no one dared speak as boldly as Thor, because the three goddesses were standing before Russell—with solemn expressions and the aura of destiny swirling around them.

The youngest, Skuld, representing the past, removed the wreath from her head. The petals transformed into colorful butterflies that landed gently on Russell's shoulders.

In a voice like chimes, she spoke:

"In the future of destiny, I wish you never lose your way."

Next, the goddess of the present, Verdandi, smiled warmly and said:

"In the present of destiny, I wish you remain untempted."

Her wreath turned into a radiant fairy that fluttered gently around Russell.

Finally, the oldest, Urd, representing the past, looked relieved and added:

"In the destined past, I wish you protection from disaster."

As her voice faded, her wreath became a glowing halo that descended upon Russell.

Instantly, the lab vanished.

In its place, the sky stretched wide above them, and everyone saw Russell slowly floating upward.

Behind him, in the vastness of the universe, appeared a colossal, tree-like form composed entirely of energy—

The World Tree.

Thor's eyes almost popped out of his head.

"The World Tree…! It's rising up from beneath reality! What in the Nine Realms is going on!?"

The young Skuld turned toward him with a gentle smile:

"Young Asgardian, you are luckier than your ancestors."

"Fortunate enough to witness someone successfully pass the four god-ascension trials."

"Watch closely—it will deepen your understanding of divine power."

Tony felt like his worldview was crumbling.

World Trees? Apotheosis? Rituals to become a god?

Was Norse Mythology actually true?

Maybe Thor wasn't an alien after all…

Maybe the real myth was playing out right before his eyes.

In the hidden depths of the Nine Realms—

Far across the stars, Zeus, the hand of the Pantheon, suddenly turned to gaze at the cosmos.

He saw the World Tree materialize in real space.

"Is the Aesir awakening their ancestor's power?"

"I wonder what kind it will be…"

Deep beneath the Earth dimension, the Theban Realm of the Egyptian gods glowed faintly.

The deities inside peered at the celestial tree, their eyes filled with envy and burning jealousy.

At this moment, not only Earth but all Nine Realms saw the World Tree rise.

A single silhouette stood beneath it—ascending to godhood.

The World Tree quivered slightly, scattering energy like stardust that vanished into the void.

In Jotunheim, where the frost giants had gathered to survive, a strange sound echoed across the icy plains.

A winter wind whistled.

And yet, no snow moved—there was no breeze.

The giants turned their gaze upward.

The wind wasn't here. It was around the figure in the sky.

Back on Earth, a chilling wind blew despite the summer heat. The Avengers exhaled plumes of white mist.

Black Widow caught a falling snowflake and whispered:

"Winter… is coming."

Suddenly, a grander vision unfolded!

The world was blanketed in white snow. Rivers froze, trees withered, the skies dimmed—and the cold wind howled, cutting to the soul.

Just when it seemed even their souls would freeze, all the frost and cold vapor surged upward and vanished with the divine figure.

Thor shivered, muttering:

"Is this… the awakening of Ice?"

"No," a girl's voice corrected.

Skuld smiled sweetly and replied:

"Ice is merely one form of it."

"This… is the ancestral divine power of Winter."

Thor didn't see much difference, but Tony was shaken.

Winter meant death. Stillness. The end of all things.

If this power included everything winter brought, it was beyond terrifying.

Thor looked up again and frowned:

"Wait—if the power has awakened, why hasn't the World Tree disappeared?"

Urd, the elder goddess, gave him a dismissive glance:

"Who said one can awaken only a single divine power, you fool."

As her words fell, the sky changed again.

Suddenly, the sky turned red.

Countless flames blazed.

The air rippled with heat, trees caught fire, the earth cracked, and molten lava surged from beneath the ground.

The world looked less like Earth—and more like Hell.

But though everyone saw it, they weren't harmed.

The only effects were dry throats, pounding pulses, and the illusion of their very souls melting.

A few seconds later, all the flames erupted into a red mist, shooting skyward before disappearing back into the shadow of the World Tree.

Thor didn't say a word this time.

He simply turned toward Skuld with a questioning glance.

She smiled and whispered:

"This is not merely fire—it is the divine power of… Flame."

Thor blinked.

Why Flame, and not simply Fire?

But Tony understood.

It wasn't just the power of fire—it was something more.

The power of Flame itself.

But it still wasn't over.

All eyes turned back to the sky.

The World Tree remained.

Suddenly, a new sun appeared.

Its light was white and pure, illuminating the world so brightly that shadows ceased to exist.

Bathed in this radiance, Nebula felt something within her shift.

All her pain, darkness, and trauma—the grief she had buried deep—vanished, as if cleansed by light.

The glow then receded like flowing water, returning to the figure in the sky.

This time, Verdandi spoke on behalf of the present:

"Light."

Tony glanced sideways at Thor and asked:

"In Norse Mythology, wasn't there Balder? The God of Light? Odin's son?"

Thor rolled his eyes in disdain:

"Mythology also says Loki is my father's brother, remember?"

"Asgard never had a God of Light."

Then, gazing up at the sky again, he added in awe:

"Three divine powers already… and he originally had Thunder and Death."

"This guy's a complete monster."

Tony didn't argue. At the moment, he fully agreed.

Russell was too powerful.

And still a scientist, too.

Thor sighed.

"This should be the last one."

But Urd shot him a withering look once more.

Thor shut up—and looked skyward again.

Another vision unfolded.

A majestic, silver-white structure materialized in the sky.

From it, countless white feathers descended like snow.

A distant celestial choir echoed faintly in the background.

On Titan, Peter Parker, recently resurrected, stared at the sky in stunned silence.

He couldn't help but mutter:

"…Jesus… I think I'm seeing God."

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