The members of the World Security Council conducted private investigations, shared intelligence through certain alien channels they had mastered, and reached the same conclusion:
Thanos is a great demon. He doesn't need a reason to destroy a planet—it depends entirely on his mood.
Upon hearing this news, representatives from all nations felt a chilling sense of dread.
Through this information, they understood that war was inevitable. As a result, they reached a consensus: to join the plan of building a lunar base and opening a war zone on the moon, starting with passage through the An Dong Gully.
Although the moon is visible to the naked eye and not too far away by cosmic standards, the rapid advancement of science and technology—combined with the foundation left by the Super Skrulls—made the idea of establishing a lunar base and battlefield within a few months seem feasible. Otherwise, the World Council would never have agreed with Anton… or Batman.
The Wayne Corporation, Osborne Industries, and other major arms manufacturers across the globe began receiving large-scale weapons orders.
Among them, Wayne led the pack.
However, as news spread through certain covert channels that Earth was preparing for an alien invasion, no one viewed these orders as a sign of prosperity.
Certainly, word of Thanos's imminent invasion never reached the general public.
Though it concerns the fate of all humankind, most people have no say in the matter and can only passively accept what comes.
On one hand, rather than spread panic, it was considered better to let ordinary citizens live in peace and stability.
On the other, there was a real fear that widespread riots would erupt if the truth came out.
Thus, the world continued on, seemingly lively and prosperous. Yet behind the scenes, the tension among global elites had never been higher.
Despite the looming danger, victory was not entirely out of reach.
With Anton's tacit approval and propaganda efforts led by Agent Z, the deputy director of the Men in Black, most senior officials around the world had come to recognize the legendary figure of Superman in the greater universe.
In addition to Superman, Captain Marvel—Carol Danvers—had her personal information deliberately released by Anton as well.
Both heroes were soon returning to Earth.
Alongside the Justice League and other superpowered individuals around the globe, those who were informed came to a striking realization:
Although Earth is located in a remote corner of the universe, it is not some helpless target awaiting destruction.
Earth has the power to fight back.
As preparations for the moon base reached full swing, the World Council received a surprising message—an email.
From Wakanda.
The very idea was shocking.
Particularly among the representatives of the five permanent member nations, who stared at the email's contents in disbelief.
When had Wakanda, a small third-world country, gained the leverage to negotiate with them?
Located in eastern Africa, Wakanda had been isolated from the world for centuries.
To be frank, most of the global population wasn't even aware such a country existed.
But as the five nations engaged in deeper dialogue with Wakanda, they were stunned to discover the truth:
What appeared to be a poor, agrarian society on the surface was, in reality, the most technologically advanced nation on Earth, possessing unique and rare resources.
Wakanda had mastered the art of concealment. With technology far surpassing Earth's average level, they had remained hidden for generations.
Even more shocking was the representative Wakanda sent to speak on their behalf: Captain America—Steve Rogers.
It turned out that after breaking ties with Iron Man- Tony Stark, it was Wakanda who had taken in Captain America.
And judging by the technology they displayed now, it was no surprise they had been able to do so without anyone knowing.
The problem now is that today's Captain America has become Captain Wakanda—he's taken Wakandan citizenship and officially become one of them.
The United States is having a nervous breakdown.
A white man trying to squeeze into a black country? Doesn't anyone see how strange that is?
Anton was also quite surprised when he received the news.
Though not surprised that Wakanda had finally stepped into the spotlight—there was no way the global chaos and political undercurrents could escape Wakanda's detection.
With Earth on the brink of annihilation and Thanos on the move, it made perfect sense for Wakanda to finally drop its disguise, reveal its power, and connect with the World Security Council.
After all, if Earth falls, Wakanda falls with it.
At this point, gathering every available force on Earth to face Thanos had become a shared responsibility.
Meanwhile, many aliens who had immigrated to Earth were receiving the news—and quietly leaving the planet in their spacecrafts.
They didn't have high hopes for Earth's survival.
Some even expressed regret as they prepared to leave.
"Earth's not bad, honestly. A good place to live in seclusion…"
"What a shame. Places like this are exactly the kind Thanos enjoys destroying…"
"Heard Superman already fought Thanos. But with only one of the Black Order left, now the whole army's chasing him down. Earth's finished."
"Let's go. Time to find a new home."
Back at the Men in Black base, Agent Z watched the departing ships with a grave expression.
Even though Earth still had a glimmer of hope, the aliens' reactions made the threat feel all too real.
"Superman's really being hunted… Can he even make it back?"
Z began to panic.
But when he relayed the news to Anton, the latter remained calm.
In this world—or even the entire universe—no one knows where Superman is better than Anton.
After reassuring Z, Anton called for the full assembly of the Justice League.
Everyone was ready.
Spider-Man left school under the guise of a Wayne Enterprises internship, undergoing rigorous training day and night.
At the same time, Tony Stark had finally destroyed the last clone of Ultron.
Given the extraordinary circumstances, Anton filed a formal request for Tony to be pardoned by the U.S. government—with one condition:
Tony must become one of the commanders of the lunar war zone, help prepare the moon base, and use his genius to develop stronger weapons to counter Thanos's attack.
Naturally, Tony had no reason to refuse.
Before heading to the moon, Tony met with Anton—the head of the lunar base.
"Everything's going according to plan, right?"
Over time, and through collaboration, Tony had improved the Justice League's internal structure and communication channels.
To his surprise, he noticed something unusual—Batman rarely gave direct orders.
It was Anton who did most of the talking.
Even when Batman had something to say, he often delivered it through Anton.
This sparked a thought in Tony's mind—an idea he had once considered impossible… but maybe not anymore.
In addition, Tony was now well-acquainted with the Justice League's methods.
Even in the face of alien invasion, he was confident they had made preparations.
"Yes," Anton replied, nodding. "Everything's in place."
"I don't doubt you," Tony said, "but I'm still curious—why is Thanos fixated on Earth? There must be another reason."
"It's because of the tesseract," Anton explained. "What you call the Cube is actually the Space Stone, one of the Infinity Stones—the most powerful relics in the universe. According to legend, if you gather all six stones and forge the Infinity Gauntlet, you can make any wish come true… and Thanos has a wish."
"Can't we just… give him the Cube?" Tony asked.
"Unfortunately, the Cube isn't the only Infinity Stone on Earth," Anton said. "And the other one isn't in Justice League custody. Worse, we have neither the authority nor the ability to convince the holder to leave the planet. In fact, this person has protected Earth for hundreds of years—she is more like Earth's guardian."
"She?" Tony raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," Anton said, nodding. "You remember the Ultron incident. At the time, there was a magician in New York—Daniel Drumm. He was the guardian of the New York Sanctum. While it's currently under the protection of Shazam, the Sanctum's true allegiance is to Kamar-Taj, the ancient order on the other side of the world. A holy sanctuary to all magicians."
In this sacred place of magicians, the most powerful among them is called the Supreme Mage.
Within Kamar-Taj, there exists an ancient treasure passed down through generations: the Eye of Agamotto. The Eye of Agamotto grants control over time.
Anton said, "The Supreme Mage of this generation, the Ancient One, is the master of the Eye of Agamotto."
"Then in this battle, will these magicians intervene?" Tony asked.
He knew that if these powerful magicians joined the fight against Thanos, the situation on Earth would become much simpler.
"Maybe. Maybe not," Anton replied, shaking his head. "I don't know."
After a pause, seeing Tony still puzzled, he took the initiative to explain:
"The role of a magician is to protect Earth from invasions by the multiverse or beings from other dimensions. But within the same timeline and universe… will they intervene to protect Earth? It's hard to say."
"To magicians, the universe follows a predetermined design—just like the timeline I mentioned. In every timeline, for example, you, Tony Stark, become Iron Man during your kidnapping. What you face—your enemies, your challenges—all of it is arranged."
"Magicians do not go against the designs of fate. If, in their eyes, Earth's destruction is fated, they won't intervene."
Tony fell silent, lost in thought. Finally, he asked, "How do these magicians know if Earth is meant to be destroyed? How can they predict fate?"
"Don't forget," Anton replied, "they possess the Eye of Agamotto."
The conversation looped back to earlier topics. Anton continued, "The Supreme Mage can perceive every timeline."
"Understood," Tony nodded, then gave Anton a long, meaningful look.
"If we survive this battle, I hope I'll meet you again—under a different identity."
With that, he summoned his Nano Battle Armor, shot into the sky, and vanished into the clouds over New York.
Anton watched him go and smiled.
"Another identity?"
It seemed Tony had vaguely guessed his hidden identity.
Batman.
Though Anton had always denied being Batman and had taken steps to obscure it, to the members of the Justice League and those close to him, he hadn't exactly tried to hide it either.
After Tony joined the Justice League, Anton continued his usual style—neither confirming nor denying who he really was.
And with Tony's intellect, it wasn't hard to piece things together.
"Everything is in place. Under Thanos' pressure, all that should emerge… will emerge."
Anton returned to his office, deep in thought about the current situation.
Wakanda had entered the stage. Captain America had become Captain Wakanda. According to the World Security Council, Prince T'Challa of Wakanda had officially inherited the title of Black Panther and was about to be crowned king.
Thus, the Black Panther was expected to make his official debut in the upcoming battle.
Of course, from Anton's perspective, the appearance of Black Panther didn't change much.
In the grand history of the Marvel Universe, Black Panther wasn't considered a particularly powerful superhero.
His emergence was largely due to Marvel's past push for political correctness—to appeal to black audiences—and the addition of Wakanda's advanced setting was meant to tip the odds slightly in Earth's favor against Thanos.
A balancing act between two great powers.
It's as if Marvel deliberately toned down the power of Thanos' army in the movie universe—removing the "superstars" among the Black Order and reducing them to just four Obsidian Generals. Even their name was changed from the "Children of Thanos" to something more grounded in the films.
Now, Wakanda has stepped onto the stage. Captain America has returned. Iron Man has gone to the moon to prepare for battle and taken charge of operations. The Justice League is assembled and ready to deploy...
Even S.H.I.E.L.D., once sidelined by the World Security Council, has recently regained its trust. Hawkeye, Black Widow, Coulson, and others have accepted new assignments and resumed global operations. Like strands woven into a rope, the entire plan is coming together—tightly connected, carrying enormous responsibility.
But among all this movement, only the group Tony asked about—Kamar-Taj, the Supreme Mage—remains inactive.
In the current timeline, Doctor Stephen Strange hasn't yet risen to prominence.
Although the War Machine isn't paralyzed as he was in the original story, Anton's investigations revealed that Strange had indeed been in a car accident and arrived in Nepal six months ago. It's likely he has already joined Kamar-Taj and become a disciple of the Ancient One.
So the question remains: Will Strange appear in this battle?
Anton wondered.
To be honest, he wasn't panicked at all about Thanos' impending invasion.
Because he knew—with the power currently gathered on Earth, if humanity could unite and work as one, the Thanos army wouldn't stand a chance. Earth would win.
Superman was the key point.
In the original storyline, no one had ever defeated Thanos through sheer individual combat ability. Thanos could essentially determine the outcome on his own.
But now, Earth had champions like Superman, Shazam, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and others.
Add to that the original Avengers...
And the Wakandan army...
Not to mention the global military forces rallied from nations across the world.
The Thanos Legion had lost its greatest advantage.
Why should they win?
The only reason Earth seemed engulfed in unease was due to two main factors: Anton's calculated preparations stirring the waters, and Earth's location in a remote corner of the universe. Having only recently made contact with alien civilizations, Earth lacked experience and information. Facing such a notorious threat, some fear was inevitable.
"Anton."
A voice suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts.
He looked up sharply.
It was a familiar face.
Daniel Drumm—the guardian of the New York Sanctum. Or rather, the former guardian.
…
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