Richard's current objective was refreshingly straightforward: systematically eliminate every character from this movie universe that he found personally objectionable. The potential for altering future events didn't concern him in the slightest. Even if his actions created massive deviations from the timeline he remembered, he now possessed sufficient power to complete his dimensional conquest regardless of how events unfolded.
With the cosmic power at his disposal, whether the future developed according to his memories or spiraled into complete chaos made little practical difference to his ultimate goals.
Stepping through the shimmering portal, Richard emerged high above London's sprawling urban landscape. With Nick Fury and Pierce permanently removed from existence, his attention shifted to the next items on his elimination list: the Eternals currently residing on Earth.
According to his knowledge of the movie timeline, Sersi and Sprite should currently be living in London. However, Richard couldn't be completely certain of their location at this specific point in the chronology. It was entirely possible they hadn't yet relocated to the British capital, which would require him to search other known Eternal hideouts across the globe—Australia, India, the Amazon rainforest, South Dakota, and countless other remote locations.
Rather than waste time with speculation, Richard decided to verify their presence in London first before expanding his search parameters.
After sealing the spatial gateway behind him, Richard hovered motionless above the city and activated his telepathic abilities. His mental awareness expanded rapidly, encompassing all of greater London within moments.
Drawing upon his previous experience hunting Eternals in other realities, Richard quickly identified the anomalous mental signatures he sought.
Success. In less than sixty seconds, he'd pinpointed both Sersi and Sprite's exact locations.
Richard had prepared himself for the possibility that they might not have established residence in London yet, making this discovery a pleasant surprise. Not only were they present in the city, but a brief scan of their recent memories revealed they'd only moved here within the past month—much earlier than he'd anticipated based on the movie timeline.
Richard opted for a more personal approach. He teleported directly from his position miles above the city into the Eternals' shared apartment.
Sersi and Sprite sat comfortably on their living room sofa, both dressed in casual clothing as they watched a popular British soap opera. Sprite, whose childlike appearance belied her millennia of existence, held a container of ice cream and was alternating between watching the melodramatic television program and enjoying her frozen treat.
Richard's sudden materialization in their living room triggered immediate defensive responses from both Eternals. Without hesitation, they began channeling cosmic energy through their bodies, preparing to unleash their respective abilities on the intruder.
Before either could complete their attack preparations, Richard's telepathic power crashed down on their minds like a tsunami, instantly freezing their bodies from the neck down while leaving their consciousness intact.
"Who are you?" Sersi demanded, her voice steady despite her complete inability to move. "What do you want with us?"
Richard studied both Eternals with clinical detachment, ignoring Sersi's questions entirely. Killing them would require minimal effort—a quick mental erasure, molecular disintegration, or heat vision blast would end their existence in seconds. However, he had no intention of employing such straightforward methods.
During his time in the original Marvel Universe, he'd eliminated the Eternals through conventional means. This time, he wanted to experiment with a more elaborate approach—something that would make the process more entertaining for himself.
After several moments of silent observation, Richard began implementing a telepathic technique he'd developed specifically for situations requiring long-term manipulation.
Mental Puppet Virus.
Unlike standard telepathic control, which required constant mental connection to maintain influence over a target, Richard's refined technique operated independently once successfully implanted. The process was analogous to installing malicious software on a computer system—the virus would continue executing its programming even after the original hacker disconnected from the network.
Richard's "offline" version of mental manipulation involved implanting a sophisticated consciousness parasite deep within his targets' subconscious minds. Once activated, the virus would override their natural decision-making processes, compelling them to act according to his predetermined instructions while believing their actions were entirely voluntary.
Neither Sersi nor Sprite could comprehend what Richard intended to do to them, but their survival instincts correctly identified him as an existential threat. Unfortunately for them, their recognition of danger came far too late to matter.
Within moments, Richard had successfully embedded the mental puppet virus into both Eternals' subconscious minds. The transformation was immediate and dramatic—the hostility and fear in their expressions vanished completely, replaced by vacant calm. They no longer perceived Richard as a threat or even as particularly noteworthy; his presence simply ceased to register as significant to their consciousness.
After confirming the virus had taken full effect, Richard severed his telepathic connection and teleported back to his aerial vantage point above London. From this elevated position, he could observe his newly programmed assets as they began executing their assigned directives.
Exactly as intended, Sersi and Sprite rose from their sofa and moved to their bedroom. They changed from comfortable home clothes into traveling attire, gathered forged identification documents from a hidden safe, and departed their apartment to hail a taxi to Heathrow Airport.
Every action they took was being remotely observed by Richard as he floated motionless in the upper atmosphere. The mental puppet virus had implanted a single, overriding compulsion into their minds: systematically locate and eliminate every other Eternal currently residing on Earth.
Richard had already experienced the satisfaction of personally killing Sersi, Sprite, and their companions in previous realities. This time, he intended to serve as puppet master rather than executioner, orchestrating a scenario where the Eternals would destroy each other according to his carefully crafted programming.
While such an approach might seem needlessly elaborate—even sadistic—Richard felt no moral qualms about employing psychological manipulation against the Eternals. In his judgment, any method of eliminating them was not only justified but insufficient given their fundamental nature and the threat they represented.
At the airport, Sersi and Sprite purchased tickets for the next available flight to Mumbai, India. While they waited in the departure lounge, appearing for all the world like ordinary travelers on a vacation trip, Richard opened another spatial portal.
His next destination was India, where he intended to locate and similarly reprogram Kingo before Sersi and Sprite arrived. The more Eternals he could convert into unwitting assassins, the more comprehensive and entertaining their mutual destruction would become.