Marvel: Starting as a Time Criminal, Stealing Powers

Pantheon.

Zeus stood at the Gate of the Universe, staring at the vision beneath the World Tree, his expression dark and grim.

From the moment he sensed the power of Winter, he had felt a great threat.

But he hadn't expected it to be followed by the divine powers of Flame and Light…

And in the end—even Sacred Power appeared!

Since the ancient gods had been expelled from Earth, neither the Olympian pantheon, the Asgardians, nor the Egyptian gods of Thebes had ever witnessed such a legendary divine awakening.

Now, a unique god had appeared.

"The King of All Gods… the Father of Divinity..."

Zeus muttered to himself, a trace of unease flickering in his eyes.

He had a terrible premonition that the three major pantheons rooted in Earth would soon face great upheaval.

And one day, that man would surely come for him too.

Earth.

Half of humanity had just returned from death… only to see a divine vision in the sky.

In that moment, it was nothing short of a miracle.

All across the world, countless people fell to their knees, imprinting this moment forever in their hearts—etched into their very souls.

Avengers Base.

The Three Goddesses of Fate watched from afar as the new god floated under the World Tree… then slowly dissolved into the wind like grains of sand.

After their departure, the World Tree trembled slightly, as if bidding farewell.

A few seconds later, all the heavenly phenomena vanished.

As Russell descended, the laboratory returned to its original state, as if even reality itself bent before him.

The Avengers inside exchanged uncertain glances.

Dr. Banner leaned toward Rhodes and whispered:

"Should we kneel?"

Rhodes didn't even try to joke.

Feeling the air shift, seeing how ethereal Russell now seemed—and recalling everything they'd just witnessed—his knees genuinely felt weak.

In truth, everyone present was trembling on a soul-deep level.

It wasn't fear.

It was the primal instinct of mortals before a higher being.

Only Thor held firm.

Partly because he'd awakened the power of thunder himself, and partly because—well, his head was mostly muscle.

Unshaken, but clearly conflicted, Thor spoke up:

"There aren't many Asgardians left... but do you want to be the King of the Gods?"

From the bottom of his heart, he believed that only this divine being in front of him was worthy of the title.

Russell chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder.

"You're talking nonsense again. Not many left?"

"Asgard's become a top tourist attraction on Earth. Be careful, Thor-09 Odinson."

He gave Thor another pat, then calmly collected the six Infinity Stones, opened a space-time portal, and vanished.

Thor fell silent.

He'd originally planned to wander the galaxy with the Guardians after this.

But now, that plan felt irresponsible.

Odin once said: "Asgard is its people."

But he couldn't keep depending on others to revive it.

Maybe it was time he took real responsibility.

Just then, a bright portal appeared outside the base.

Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and others stepped out.

Everyone came out to greet them.

But before anyone could say a word, two Star-Lords began fighting over ownership of the Benatar.

Nebula egged them on from the side, clearly hoping both of them knocked each other out.

Rocket said nothing, but the look in his eyes made it clear—he also wanted to be captain.

Baby Groot just watched, enjoying the chaos.

Strange looked around at the tension and confusion, then turned back toward Tony.

"Tony, what happened?"

"In the future I saw, the only way we won was when you sacrificed yourself… and used the Gauntlet to snap away Thanos and his army."

Tony's face paled.

So he was supposed to die?

He hadn't expected Stephen "Big Brain" Strange to be fine, while he bit the dust.

Fortunately, they'd met Russell, the Sorcerer Supreme.

Tony exhaled deeply, scratched the back of his head, and looked a little lost. He hadn't really done anything this time around.

He'd basically just… stood there like a high-tech mascot while the real boss did all the work.

Finally, he gave the most accurate summary he could:

"If I had to say what happened… I'd say 'God' blessed us."

Strange paused.

His mind flashed back to the divine figure under the World Tree—glowing with sacred power.

There was no doubt.

Russell was that "God."

Russell left, taking Tony Stark's quantum machine with him.

But he didn't return to the Void right away.

He had just awakened four new divine powers. His strength had surged… but he wasn't used to it yet.

This wasn't some plug-and-play ability set.

He had to figure it out for himself.

Especially the power of Winter.

He could sense that aside from frost, ice, and northern winds—there were other, deeper aspects waiting to be discovered.

The same went for the powers of Flame and Light.

It wasn't even clear whether these divine powers came from within himself or were inherited from some ancient source.

But their effects were undeniable.

One of his signature techniques, [Blood Control], had originally only reached temperatures of 9,000°C.

Now? It had skyrocketed to 150,000°C.

An astronomical upgrade.

As for the Sacred Power—that one confused him the most.

Even the system didn't provide any explanations.

But Russell could feel it.

A divine power that could banish darkness, suppress all evil, and cleanse any corruption.

He was certain that at some critical moment, he'd instinctively know how to use it.

For the next few months, Russell meditated quietly at the New York Sanctum, right after the Battle of New York in 2012.

When he opened his eyes again, chaotic energy danced in the depths of his pupils.

His aura had grown more refined.

After bidding farewell to the Ancient One, he finally returned to the Void.

Only a week had passed there.

No need to say more after that.

Naturally, a battle followed. One that shocked the heavens and made even ghosts weep.

And after that battle, Russell made a surprising discovery.

His sacred power… had a hidden benefit.

It could replenish the stamina of Polaris and X-23.

F…

Day Two: Battle.

Day Three: Still fighting.

Day Four: Even more fighting.

Day Five: Russell, Russell… how did it come to this?

Have you forgotten your vow with the Ancient One?

A man must stand on faith! On principle!

You can't go on like this!

Day Six: …Fighting continues.

Day Seven: Even Polaris and Laura couldn't take it anymore—even with recovery buffs.

Russell stood before the space-time gate and said mockingly:

"Hmph. If you drive me away now, I'll find a wife somewhere on the timeline, and you'll regret it later!"

"Then I should thank you in advance,"

the little wolf girl rolled her eyes and headbutted him directly through the portal.

Polaris quickly activated the electromagnetic time pad and shut the gate behind him.

After all that, the two let out a long breath.

Without saying a word, they flopped down on the bed and instantly fell asleep. Seconds later, light snoring filled the room.

Though their bodies weren't tired, their minds were utterly exhausted.

2022.

Russell didn't return to the Avengers Base. Instead, he found a deserted planet and set up base in a cave.

From his pocket dimension, he pulled out the time machine, connected it to a reactor for power, and reprogrammed it—not to open a quantum channel, but to initiate continuous shrinkage.

Clad in a specialized combat suit, he started the device.

A flash of blue light—and Russell vanished.

But he hadn't left.

He was shrinking at an impossible rate.

Atoms, molecules, quarks, leptons, bosons… until he broke through a certain limit, and the world around him twisted into something unrecognizable.

A bizarre dimension unfolded. Kaleidoscopic visuals shifted endlessly, and strange planet-like beings with tentacles swam through space.

Then another sharp contraction—and everything froze.

Russell removed his helmet and looked around in awe.

Above, an enormous, spectacular "nebula" glowed. Wormholes opened and closed within it, releasing magma-like fluid energy.

There was no atmosphere here—yet he could breathe.

As if the act of breathing alone sustained life.

Around him, mushrooms sprouted like alien flora.

He reached for one—it had no fibrous structure inside.

Curious but unfazed, Russell wandered a bit, then retrieved his time tablet and input special coordinates.

A temporal gate began to open.

Start.

Startup failed.

A stream of error messages flashed:

[Disconnected from Sacred Timeline. Disconnected from Temporal Force Energy Host.]

[Power Supply Failed.]

[Quantum Field Detected – Outside Time & Space.]

[Searching for Backup Energy Source…]

[Search Complete – Time Force Core Detected.]

[Direction: East. South. West. North. Up. Down. Left. Right.]

Russell stared at the tablet.

Every direction?!

There was clearly only one temporal energy core here: the one from the ship where Kang the Conqueror was exiled in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

But the readings were chaotic—likely due to the quantum field's strange nature, where layers of space fold over one another in ways that defy conventional logic.

He chose a direction at random and shot off like a flaming comet, accelerating at terrifying speed.

Teleportation, sling rings, Mirror Dimension powers—none of it worked here.

Hours passed.

Russell landed in a barren wasteland eerily similar to a post-apocalyptic Earth.

He glanced at the tablet.

Still reading every direction.

"Great. Totally useless," he muttered.

"I swear, the Ancient Ones in the Supreme Alliance couldn't give a guy a coordinate? What good is a bunch of bald heads if they can't be a guiding light?"

Just then—a sharp screech echoed above.

Russell looked up. A wormhole burst open.

Two figures tumbled out—one caught the other midair, expanded in size, and crashed through multiple layers of rock.

Russell stepped back just in time.

BOOM!

The larger figure hit the ground and shrank back to normal size, groaning.

Russell looked down at the person sprawled at his feet.

"Scott? What the hell are you doing here?"

He'd entered the quantum field from 2022…

But Ant-Man 3 took place in 2024.

Before Scott could respond, a familiar voice shouted:

"Dad, look—it's God!"

Russell's eye twitched.

What is this girl talking about?

Scott popped off his helmet, looked at Russell, and instantly lit up with fanboy glee.

"Sorcerer Supreme—uh—God? Savior? God??"

He completely blanked on what to call him.

Russell sighed.

"Just call me Russell."

Scott panicked:

"No way! If I call you that and go back home, people will throw bricks through my window at night!"

"Fine, just call me magician."

"Okay! Sorcerer Supreme it is!"

Scott laughed nervously, rubbing his hands together.

"So uh… what brings you here?"

"I've got business," Russell replied.

"But first—what year is it outside?"

"2024," Scott answered, confused.

Russell nodded.

The timeline matched up.

He just had to follow Scott #57, and he'd eventually find Kang.

Then he noticed Cassie, more excited than even Scott.

He turned to her, confused.

"Why'd you call me God?"

Cassie's eyes sparkled with fanatical admiration.

Scott explained:

"You really don't know?"

"After you saved half the universe, people started worshipping you. Churches replaced their statues. Jesus? Booted. Now it's you."

He added with a chuckle:

"The old-school religious types tried to push back with scripture. But humanity wasn't having it. Thor even wiped out one of their armed camps. That region's Asgardian territory now."

Russell blinked.

He hadn't even cosplayed as Superman yet—and they already crowned him God.

As for Thor... he'd definitely changed.

At that moment, Cassie tugged at her father, and Scott caught on quickly.

"Uh, Sorcerer Supreme, would you mind signing something for my daughter?"

"She's your biggest fan. Her wall's covered in posters and—"

"DAD!" Cassie yelled, cutting him off, blushing furiously.

Russell chuckled.

He had fans? In the Marvel universe?

Why not?

When Cassie pointed to the spot over her heart and below her shoulder blade, he raised his finger and ignited a soft, glowing white energy.

He etched his name and a unique symbol into the spot.

"If you're ever in danger, call my name," he said warmly.

"It might save your life."

Cassie nearly fainted from excitement.

She could already imagine the jealousy she'd inspire when she got back.

Scott had to catch her before she fell.

His eyes welled with gratitude.

"Sorcerer Supreme, if you ever need anything—just say the word. I'll help, no matter the cost."

Russell smiled, then pointed behind Scott:

"That's great. But right now… you might want to deal with that."

Scott turned—and froze.

Floating midair was a glowing, golden, jellyfish-like creature, covered in shimmering tentacles.

Its one enormous eye stared at him lovingly.

Russell nearly doubled over with laughter, then leaned toward Cassie and whispered:

"You might be getting a stepmother."

"…assuming that thing even has a gender. Could be a spacefaring Wal-Mart shopping bag."

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