The Unknown
In the year 2018 on Earth-199999 (MCU-616), the Sacred Timeline, the Infinity War had found its way to the recently revealed nation of Wakanda. Thanos emerged from his fight on Titan, having just defeated Iron Man and retrieving the Time Stone from Doctor Strange. The final stone Thanos required to complete the Infinity Gauntlet, the Mind Stone, was now closer than ever, nestled within the Vision’s head. Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, was tasked with destroying it so that the universe would be saved.
The remaining Avengers did everything in their power to stop the Mad Titan. Bruce Banner and the Hulkbuster armor were easily dispatched with the Space Stone. Captain America’s initial charge was rejected. Black Panther was slammed to the ground with such force the stored kinetic energy in his suit knocked Sam Wilson, the Falcon, out of the sky. War Machine’s armor was crushed to a point of inoperability. The Winter Soldier fell to the Power Stone, as did Okoye. The Black Widow, tangled within Wakanda’s jungle roots. Groot’s summoned roots of his own, unable to even slow Thanos down.
Captain America reentered the fight, in a last desperate push to stop Thanos. With all his might, he held the power of the Infinity Gauntlet at bay, but in the end, Thanos was simply too powerful. As he reached Vision, Scarlet Witch used her Chaos Magic to ward off Thanos just long enough to at last destroy the Mind Stone, and her love Vision with it. However, with the Time Stone, Thanos was able to reverse Wanda’s last ditch effort, and rip the stone from Vision’s head, killing him a second time.
With the final Infinity Stone, Thanos was able to complete the Gauntlet. As the power coursed through him, he was struck with a mighty blast of lightning, Thor swooping in as the last bastion of hope for their universe. Hurling Stormbreaker with resolute purpose, Thor managed to plunge the axe deep into the chest of the Mad Titan.
“I told you, you’ll die for that.” Thor stated, burying the weapon deeper into Thanos. Through immense pain, and with what was likely the last of his energy, Thanos uttered the fateful words:
“You should’ve gone for the head.” And then… SNAP!
As that happened, War Machine wondered through the trees, searching for Falcon. Sam called out to him, which prompted the ever so rare appearance of Uatu the Watcher, who notated that this was a key moment in the Multiverse. When Thanos snapped his fingers, Sam Wilson never disappeared in the Blip. This is when timeline branched from MCU-616, and created a new Universe: Earth-84061.
Thor stood, bewildered at what Thanos had just done. Falcon, however, took action. Sam lunged forth with his wings, grappling Thanos and causing the Titan to lash out. Sam called for Thor’s assistance, and the Asgardian swung mighty Stormbreaker to cleave Thanos’s Gauntleted arm from his body, preventing any further use from him.
“I am inevitable” were the last words of Thanos, followed by Thor decapitating him, and ending the greatest threat to the universe thus far once and for all. But even with Thanos dead and gone, the damage had been done. Bucky approached, calling to his friend Steve before falling to the ground and blowing away into dust.
Sam panicked as one by one he watched his friends flake away into dust. Scarlet Witch. Groot. Black Panther. Fading away. Thor declared that the only way to stop the destruction was to use the power of the Infinity Gauntlet themselves.
Sam noted that Gauntlet was too damaged from Thanos’s usage, however Thor was able to use the Time Stone to reverse the effect, while also changing to Gauntlet’s appearance to match the regalness of the replica that once sat in Odin’s treasure vault. Intent on rectifying his mistake, Thor put on the Gauntlet himself. Despite Sam’s objections, Steve remind him that is was ultimately Thor’s decision.
Thor held the Gauntlet high, declaring that everyone come home. All lost in Thanos’s quest. His home, Asgard, that fell at the hands of Surtur and Hela. And, much to Sam’s surprise, his brother, Loki. And then… SNAP!
And just like that, rather than the 5 long years known as the Blip in the Sacred Timeline, Earth-84061 had only deal with the fallout of the Infinity War for a mere 5 minutes before everything was set aright. Or… so it seemed.
