Marvel Mayhem - Epilogue (w/ Commentary Notes from the Author, Sean Livingston)

Epilogue: Aftermath

            Three days passed since the Super Skrull’s chaos over Hell’s Kitchen. Much like the Chitauri invasion of 2012, the city managed to get through the shock rather easily. The Avengers once again proved why the world needed them in times of disastrous scenarios like this. The media praised their efforts in defeating the Super Skrull, specifically those of Thor, whose lightning attack to the creature replayed over airwaves at least a dozen times. It overshadowed other news reports, including one of Hell’s Kitchen’s biggest proprietor, Wilson Fisk, and his promise to help rebuild the neighborhood in light of the Skrull’s havoc.

(Marvel Note: Fisk's true ulterior motive in rebuilding Hell's Kitchen is to first tear it down before it can be made in his image, as seen in the Marvel's Daredevil series on Netflix. In retrospect, the Super Skrull made his mission a lot easier than in the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline.)

            And then there was the corresponding news that also gained worldwide recognition the following morning – the one in which Hydra was exposed of their operation within S.H.I.E.L.D. It came as a terrifying shock to everyone, except for those who knew of it beforehand like Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Ciciley and Elendriel Livingston, Genevieve, Mindy, and Natalie.

            Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff’s names were connected to the devastation that occurred in Washington, D.C. with the three Helicarriers of “Project Insight” trained on potential threats to Hydra’s cause – including Stark and Banner themselves. After the Helicarriers were reprogrammed to fire on each other, one was downed into the Triskelion with only one casualty: former Secretary of Defense and Hydra’s top undercover agent, Alexander Pierce.

(Marvel Note: As seen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, HYDRA sleeper agent Brock Rumlow survived being crushed and burned under Helicarrier rubble at the battle at the Triskelion, only to suffer horrific facial and body scars. As such, he will form into his Crossbones persona in next year's Captain America: Civil War, donned in a skull mask to hide his scars.)

            Between the Hydra situation and the small invasion they averted, there was definitely much needed time off at Avengers Tower. Most everyone had been recuperating from exhaustion or heavy battle wounds. However, one suffered more internal scars from battle: Ciciley. She mourned the loss of her mother and remained in deep thought over the current whereabouts and condition of her son. The others made sure to give her space until she was ready to open back up. No one figured that possibility to occur any moment soon. She stood quietly near the large window overlooking the majesty of New York’s skyline from the penthouse section. This went on for two days straight.

            After the second day, Genevieve made the bold decision of going to her and making an attempt in comfort. “Hey, Cici,” she warily approached. “I’m sure you already realize this, but…I know exactly what you’re going through. There’s nothing more painful than the loss of a mother. But I promise you that when we find Sean, all that pain will—”

            “Shut…the hell…up.” Ciciley cruelly demanded. It was the first words she spoke in days. “You weren’t there. You didn’t see what we saw. That wasn’t Sean.”

            “I know, I know. Elle told me that he’d…changed…somehow. It sounds a lot like reincarnation, and I know that I can help figure out—”

(Authorial Note: Originally, the result of Saccheri's experiment on Agent Sean was in fact a form of reincarnation in which he would take on different appearances, each one "evolving" into an "ultimate form" that would be as powerful as the Guardian and possess similar abilities. See the commentary notes from the revisited twelfth chapter for why this idea was scrapped.)

            “You can’t help. No one can help. Hydra screwed over S.H.I.E.L.D., taking away any resources we could ever use. They’re either limited or revoked.”

            “Well, you still have the Avengers.”

            Ciciley scoffed. “What difference does that make? Honestly, they’re not the solution, they’re just the problem. All you so-called ‘super heroes’ are just super nuisances.”

(Marvel Note: Ciciley's views are justified from the events of Age of Ultron, which occur months after those in Marvel Mayhem, when the team's fight against Ultron and his army of sentries in Sokovia leads to negative public opinion. In Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Robert Gonzales of S.H.I.E.L.D. felt that the whole war against Ultron was the fault of Tony Stark, his creator. Reporter Christine Everhart, in interviews with the United Nations, expressed the opinion that superheroes needed regulation in their activities. This, of course, alludes to the main story of Captain America: Civil War, which threads with Marvel Evolution.)

            “You don’t mean that, Ciciley.”

            “Oh, no?” Ciciley finally turned from the New York skyline view and fixated her tired, dark-circled ice blue eyes on Genevieve, burning a hole into her with a glare that was beyond threatening. “If you hadn’t come here, to this world, would any of what happened not have happened? Would the lives of those people in Hell’s Kitchen not have been affected? Would I still have my mother and my son standing here with me now? You’re not the superhero you pretend to be. You’re just as much a monster as that thing we fought that night. It was your butt that the Skrulls took a chunk out of to create it. And Yve Ette was only here in the first place because of you.”

(Pop Culture Note: Ciciley's dismissive words to Genevieve are inspired from Joan Redfern's final address to the Doctor in the conclusion of the Doctor Who episode "Family of Blood," nearly word-for-word. In both situations, the intergalactic hero comes to a world, bringing along an enemy that causes the deaths and destruction of many involved, facing the consequences thereafter from a grieving loved one.)

            Genevieve was greatly offended by her indictments. “Look, Cici…”

            “No! You look! And it’s not ‘Cici’ or ‘Ciciley’ to you, it’s ‘Agent Livingston!’ Ya got that, freak? As far as I’m concerned, you can go to hell! And if you ever come back here, I swear that I will end you!”

            Genevieve caught the genuine hatred in her eyes. She meant every word of it. Ciciley might have been physically short compared to Genevieve, but she could back her threats with the tactical skill to do just what she warned would happen to her prey. It was best for Genevieve not to challenge that, especially in her mortal position.

(Character Note: Ciciley's attitude towards Genevieve might also influence that towards reincarnations/Guardians in general, including Mindy. This as of yet remains to be seen but will possibly be explored in Marvel Evolution next year.)

            Her body slightly shaking, Genevieve slowly turned and left Ciciley’s side, letting the desolate young woman return to staring out the window to the New York skyline. She never imagined suffering such a falling out with Ciciley, having become good friends with her and her family there in the Marvel Universe. It was a shame for all that to end on account of Yve Ette, her accursed Super Skrull, and the demented (now deceased) John Saccheri. Prior to her talk with Ciciley, she already felt an immense sense of guilt for what happened to Chrissy and Sean; now it was just amplified to a million.

            The weight of it all overwhelmed her. She covered her mouth with one hand, not wishing for anyone in the tower to hear her wailing as she cried. Tears poured out all the emotion. Her heart ached just thinking about it. She wished that she still had possession of her abilities to make it all right again, but nothing could be done.

            A minute passed and she managed to regain composure. She needed to, in order to rejoin with the others gathered in the lab upstairs. She dried her face with the sleeves of her purple silk blouse, staining them by accident. Her eyes were undoubtedly reddened, but there was nothing she could do about that either. “Allergies” was the popular excuse – it was spring after all.

(Editorial Note: Marvel Mayhem was published online in the spring of 2014, which was the time of release for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but it was officially completed close to the summer of 2015 on June 5th. That is approximately one year, two months, and sixteen days of writing one hundred and sixty-six pages and eighteen chapters, including the prologue and epilogue. This duration is three days longer than that of World of Disney - see here.)

            Putting on a pleasant, carefree smile, Genevieve headed upstairs to the lab. She found Stark, Banner, Thor, Mindy, Natalie, Walter, Elendriel, Karter, and Yamila all there, sharing in laughs and reflecting on their recent victory in celebration. It was certainly a more helpful scene to bear witness to, following a dismal, heartbreaking exchange.

            She walked in just at the time Mindy was fitted with a cybernetic arm made from vibranium and designed by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner themselves. A medical drone from Stark’s Iron Legion put the finishing touches on the new artificial appendage, which looked close in appearance to an arm from one of his Iron Man suits. Sitting in a steel examination chair situated at the center of the lab, Mindy relished in the awesomeness of the robotic limb, with those around her doing the same.

(Marvel Note: To get a better picture of Mindy's robotic limb, look to one of the arms on the Mark XLI armor code-named "Bones." Although I established in narrative that it could resemble an arm from one of the suits, my thoughts were more on it bearing semblance to one of Ultron's arms, specifically with the vibranium, which Ultron uses to create his final form in Age of Ultron.)

            “I thought you Guardians were like indestructible or something.” Elendriel, who carried Karter in her arms, observed. “Couldn’t you have just grown a new limb?”

            “I could have,” Mindy said, “if that lightsaber Yve Ette came at me with wasn’t made to limit my power or extinguish both it and the life of a Guardian completely.”

            Sorrow filled the battle-scarred face of Yamila as she reflected, “Is that what happened to Sheryl?”

            The positivity of the room went away at the mentioning of the one loss from their side of the recent conflict. Genevieve confirmed, “Yes…it is.”

            Yamila stared down to the floor, brokenhearted. “She saved my life… and there’s no way I can thank her for that.”

            Genevieve smiled, putting a comforting hand on the young lady’s shoulder. “She knows now, Yamila.” She gestured to Mindy, Natalie, and herself. “We are all her.”

            Yamila’s face lit with astonishment. “Really? That’s so cool!”

            Natalie giggled. “And speaking of cool,” she gave a playful nudge to Walter, who sat beside her on examination/x-ray table, “how cool were you, buddy, helping out Genevieve in that rescue!”

            Walter humbly shrugged at the compliment. “Well, you know, I only did what any of the rest of you would’ve done. D-Does that make me an Avenger, too?”

(Authorial Note: Walter would not be the first Muppet I've written to become an honorary member of a Marvel superhero team. In my Marvelous Muppets series from 2005 to 2008, Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker became two extra members of the Fantastic Four and Gonzo, as well as the Fraggles of Fraggle Rock, became part of the X-Men.)

            Natalie smirked, glimpsing over the tittering faces in the room. “We’ll talk more about it on the way back home, lil’ buddy. I made a promise to Sean that we would leave once things were taken care of here.”

            Genevieve sighed. “That reminds me, Natalie, with your ‘amalgamated reincarnation’ jeopardizing the cover Victoria and I kept at the Muppet Theater, we’ve got a butt-load of explaining to do to Christina.” On this thought, she jokingly looked to Stark and asked, “Erm, you wouldn’t mind loaning Pepper’s suit to me, would ya, Tony? I feel like I’m gonna need it, as soon as I’m face-to-face with Christina.”

(Authorial Note: It was my original plan to feature Genevieve in the Rescue suit again in World of Disney 3, during the war on Fantasia. This would have been done to keep her mortal form continued through that installment and to the climax of The Disney Access.)

            “No can do.” Tony denied. “It’s a surprise gift for Pepper. Of course, now that it’s been seen all over the news, I’m guessin’ it’s not so much of a ‘surprise’ anymore.”

            Genevieve nodded understandingly, shifting her attention to Mindy. “So are you leaving with us, too?”

            Mindy shook her head. “Nah. Still got a lot to do here. Ciciley’s gonna need my help to find Sean. Wherever he is, whatever’s happened to him…she’s gonna need me to figure it all out. That is, if I can myself.”

            Genevieve wholeheartedly accepted this decision. She did her best to hold back the tears as she requested of her fellow reincarnation, “Take good care of her, Min. Don’t let her revert back to the woman she was before Project Geo.”

            “You have my word on that.”

            She held out her finished robotic left arm to Genevieve, who grinned with fascination at the construct. They shook hands, Mindy taking care as not to crush Genevieve’s with the resistant vibranium alloy.

            Soon after they said all their goodbyes, Genevieve, Natalie, and Walter gathered together and prepared for their final departure from the Marvel realm. To ensure a “safe travel” back to their home world, Mindy lent her assistance in conjuring the teleportation spell. Channeling her magic through both her real and artificial arms, she created a swirl of gold sparkling energy that she fixed around Genevieve, Natalie, and Walter and enveloped them in it. Within a matter of seconds, the three vanished from the lab.

            Shortly thereafter, two new figures entered the room, walking directly onto the spot where Genevieve, Natalie, and Walter once stood, the golden specks of energy evaporating into the air.

            The group recognized one of the two individuals as Steve Rogers, decked in civilian attire and accompanied by an African American male dressed in the same manner. “Hey, guys,” Rogers greeted before gesturing to his companion. “This is Sam Wilson. He’s going to be staying with us for a while. Show him around the place and get him to know the team.” He then followed with unquestionable witticism: “So…who wants to start explaining what that was in Hell’s Kitchen?”

(Marvel Note: For Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson, this visit to Avengers Tower occurs shortly after their final scene at Nick Fury's fake gravesite in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Both men set out on their mission to search for Bucky Barnes, who went missing in the aftermath of the Triskelion battle, until Rogers is soon called back in action with the Avengers, leaving Wilson to search for Barnes on his own. These events, of course, transition between Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron, the latter of which sees Wilson invited to a party at the tower and later becoming a member of the New Avengers with Vision, James Rhodes/War Machine, and Wanda Maximoff.)

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            Dorrek, the emperor of the once-glorified Skrull Empire, mustered whatever humility he could in his visit to Sanctuary, a sector of space inhabited by the Chitauri race. It also was the domain of the Mad Titan himself, Thanos. Though Dorrek dared not to have angered him with that title, which was only used by the galactic communities and not in address to Thanos directly.

(Marvel Note: More than one Dorrek exists in Marvel Comics continuity. There is Emperor Dorrek the First, who was first introduced in the "Mainstream Marvel Universe," or "Earth-616." Then there is Emperor Dorrek VII, the great-great-great-great-great-grandson of Dorrek the First and the version featured in this scene. And there is Hulking, a member of the Young Avengers whose Skrull name is "Dorrek VIII," his maternal grandfather being Dorrek VII.)

            In fact, Dorrek’s visit to Thanos’s domain, the piece of asteroid that floated against several others near a majestic nebula and array of stars, was purely of diplomatic intent. Flanked only by his two guards, Dorrek knelt before Thanos, despite the Dark Lord’s back being to him while sitting upon his hovering throne. Dorrek did not care if his royal purple and black robe was tainted by the dark grey gravel that plagued the ground; all he desired was Thanos’s attention and respect.

            “Lord Thanos. I would not have come before you if the affairs of my empire were not so dire. We entrusted the creation of our ultimate destroyer with a sorceress that failed in her promise of dominion over Earth. Now, we are without a warrior to ensure conquest of the planet. These defenders of Earth…I believe you know of them. They are the very obstacle that brought an end to nearly half of your Chitauri army. And they have now challenged the Skrull Empire with their defiance. I implore you, Lord Thanos, to take heed my offer of an alliance. With our combined power, these Earth defenders will not stand in our way.”

(Marvel Note: Thanos is the only villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe who has interacted, albeit indirectly, with every major hero in the franchise. He was responsible for the events depicted in The Avengers, which featured all the major heroes of "Phase One," and is the mastermind behind Guardians of the Galaxy. He'll play a huge role in the third story of the Marvel Universe Trilogy, Marvel Invasion, which this scene sets up for and ties directly with the two-part Avengers: Infinity War.)

            Silence fell over the domain, following Dorrek’s plea. He was almost certain Thanos heard not a word of any of it. But Dorrek was patient and waited for the Dark Lord to consider. He waited minutes before the Mad Titan finally spoke, his voice like an galvanizing echo through the cosmos.

            “I applaud you, Emperor Dorrek. You represent for a race plagued by the arrogance of their science and technology. In coming to me, you have put aside that arrogance and pride.” His throne turned during his address, showing his elegant, superior form to Dorrek. “You should be thankful we do share a commonality with these warriors of Earth. They have proven to be a worthy threat. But I possess a gauntlet that will suppress the odds against them substantially. All I require are six stones to power it. Once I have them, these defenders will suffer…and die.”

(Marvel Note: In the comics, Thanos was the master of the Infinity Gauntlet, which he used in the eponymous series in an attempt to court Death. He has no relationships with Loki nor the Chitauri, but he is nevertheless one of the Avengers' most historical foes. When he took a break from being a conqueror, he was entrusted with the Reality Gem of the Infinity Gems - though they are known as "Infinity Stones" in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So far, only four of the six stones have been revealed in the films: the Space Stone, introduced in The Avengers as the "Tesseract" and currently on Asgard; the Mind Stone, also introduced in The Avengers but revealed as a stone in Age of Ultron encased in Loki's scepter, currently entrusted with Vision; the Reality Stone, introduced in Thor: The Dark World as the "Aether" and currently in possession of the Collector; and the Power Stone, introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy as the "Orb" and currently guarded by the Nova Corps on Xandar.)

            Dorrek could not have been more satisfied with this settlement. In his immense gratitude, he bowed. “Thank you, Lord Thanos. This battle will be won in our favor!”

            “The battle is over, Dorrek. Only the war has just begun.”

Marvel Mayhem

(WORLD OF DISNEY REVISITED CONCLUDES WITH WORLD OF DISNEY 3 IN OCTOBER!)

Marvel Mayhem - Chapter Eighteen (w/ Commentary Notes from the Author, Sean Livingston)

Chapter Eighteen: Farewell to the Mayhem

            Genevieve felt more nauseated than she had in the last few hours, but not from readjusting to her mortal form this time. Her left hand went to her stomach while the other went to her mouth as she watched the DBN news coverage on the situation in Hell’s Kitchen. Essentially every part of the battle was covered, including the fight on the rooftop between Yve Ette and the Guardians via chopper footage.

(Spoiler Note: Genevieve seems to get much of her news through chopper footage. In the fifth chapter of The Disney Access, she witnesses the extraction of the Sphere's core, Victoria, and a new amalgamated reincarnation named "Stacy" through chopper footage in a news coverage.)

            The second Genevieve saw the blade from Yve Ette’s unique lightsaber go into Sheryl, her body went numb and fell back to the couch. She stood the entire time while watching the coverage, angered over the idea of being benched in Avengers Tower because of her mortality. But, witnessing the end of Sheryl’s life cycle like that infuriated her. Sadness soon took over that anger as the memory of the event swept through her – the memory of that blade cutting into her stomach, rupturing her intestines, and shattering her spinal cord. This was the effect of one’s history rippling through change.

(Character Note: Two versions of Sheryl's death actually exist, the other to be depicted in the Tales of Fantasia miniseries. Originally, she died in one of the multiple versions of the war on Fantasia, succumbing to wounds sustained in battle on Bald Mountain.)

            “Ohhh, man.” She heard a familiar voice moan.

            Quickly, she spun around at the noise and spotted a tiny figure coming down the stairs from the lab. It was a fully conscious Walter, slightly rubbing his head. His presence there was more than a welcoming relief for the grieving Genevieve. In her delight, she jumped from the couch and rushed to him, joyfully picking him up off his feet and smothering him in a massive hug.

            “Argh!” Walter yelped. “You’re…killing me!”

            Realizing how bad her timing was, Genevieve released him right away and gently set him down. “I’m so sorry, lil’ buddy. You feeling O.K.?”

            “Well, between what happened on Asgard and that bear hug you gave me, I feel like I just survived one of Gonzo’s stunts.”

            “You remember being in Asgard?”

            He gave a careful nod. “Yeah. I was there with Natalie. W-We’re looking for Thor for help, until we got attacked by Loki. He was disguised as Odin, so we never saw it coming.”

            This news distraught Genevieve, yet there was nothing she could do about it. The Marvel Universe was Mindy’s territory, so she certainly took a mental note as to keep her aware of the circumstance.

            “I’m so sorry you got caught up in all of this, Walter. I hope you know that Natalie didn’t mean for any of this to happen to you.”

            The little Muppet shrugged. “I-It’s alright. I can tell she really cares about me.”

            Genevieve warmly smiled. “She does. It was her that wanted me to stay here and watch out for you.”

(Character Note: The relationship between Walter and Natalie has been a focal point in the subsequent stories that feature them together, such as World of Disney 3 and The Disney Access. Each one depicts them becoming closer as friends, as well as companions in their adventures. Part of this is due to Natalie possessing many similar characteristics to her other half, Sean Thomas.)

            “Where is she now?”

            Genevieve sighed, gazing back at the television set. “Defending this world from the Super Skrull. I think this is just the start of another invasion Yve Ette intends to bring to this world, unless we stop that thing tonight.”

            Walter saw the gigantic creature in the news coverage, much of his body taking up the wide angle that all the havoc was shot in by the cameras. He was daunted by how much larger it was compared to the Hulk, seeing the green Avenger doing battle with the adversary.

            “Why aren’t you out there fighting with them? I’ve seen how strong and powerful you were this morning with those crates by the Muppet Theater. You’re like a superhero yourself.”

            Genevieve was touched by his faith in the abilities she once possessed; it made it that much harder to come to grips with the fact that she could no longer be that “superhero” he believed in.

            “I’m just…ordinary now, Walter.” She gestured to her hair and eyes. “Look at me. See how different I look?”

            Walter noticed it at her mentioning, a bit surprised in himself for not seeing it a lot sooner. “You look almost like a new person.”

            “I almost look like my old self – Sean Thomas, I mean. But this is just a reflection of the mortality Yve Ette cursed me with. Without my abilities, what can I do now?”

            “There’s plenty you can do.”

            Genevieve gave an unconvinced look to her Muppet friend.

            “You’re no more ordinary than Tony Stark, Genevieve, and even he can still be Iron Man. In fact, he’s got a whole assortment of his armor upstairs – it’s so awesome!”

            Her ears tingled at the one minor detail in his pep talk. “Wait. Where did you say that you found this assortment of armor?”

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            Walter led Genevieve to the topmost floor of the tower, which was reserved for the office space of Tony Stark. Housed there was his “Hall of Armors,” similar to the one his mansion in Malibu once stored before its untimely demolition. Consisting of six new suits kept in a row of glass cases that took up half of the room, a specific red-and-pink armor caught Genevieve’s eye. It looked to be designed for a female with features in its structure reminiscent to that of a woman.

(Marvel Note: This armor is the "Rescue" suit. In the comics, Pepper Potts - who was instated as CEO of Stark Industries by Tony himself - discovered a secret room in Stark's office that contains a suit of armor that he made especially for her. Going by the continuity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stark's purpose in designing this suit for Pepper is based on her rescue for him in the battle on the Norco in Iron Man 3.)

            “I think that one’s made for his girlfriend, Pepper Potts.” Walter observed.

            Genevieve’s sly, smiling face reflected in the glass that encased the feminine armor. “Tonight, it’s made for another woman, lil’ buddy.”

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            Spider-Man made it a personal choice not to get back on his feet until the ringing in his ears stopped. That last blow from his alien opponent took a lot out of him, enough to make him black out for an amount of time he was uncertain in the duration. When he came to, he was shocked to find the alien monster duking it out with the Hulk. He had the big green guy pinned, delivering lefts and rights to the punching bag that was the Hulk’s head. There were so many that it was practically buried into the ground.

            The big guy needs me! Can’t just sit here on my butt doing nothing!

            Parker made an attempt to stand, using the taxicab he was thrown into as a crutch. His legs still felt like spaghetti, numbed and wobbling in his weakened state. It did not help much to have the ground quaking, nearly knocking him back down. He imagined the tremor to come from the Hulk’s retaliation against the alien, but he saw that he was still in the same position as he had been since Spidey regained consciousness.

            “Need a hand, kid?”

            A loud, automated voice spoke to him, drawing his attention to another towering figure that landed just beside him – this one resembling Iron Man. In fact, as Spidey soon realized from the color scheme of the Hulk-sized metal suit, it was Iron Man!

(Marvel Note: In the conflict of the Civil War series, it was Spider-Man who was caught in the middle of the conflict between Captain America and Iron Man. Initially Spider-Man sided with Iron Man, who was the one to convince him to reveal his secret identity as Peter Parker to the world. Stark designed a new armored "spider suit" for Parker, which he secretly used to analyze his powers and develop ways to overcome them. This was only after Spider-Man left Iron Man's team and joined with Captain America's, realizing that people who did not agree to register for the Superhero Registration Act would be imprisoned.)

            “Mr. Stark?” He identified the man within the suit, thankful that the billionaire/Avenger was not shy about his secret identity. “Is that some sort of armor for the Hulk? ‘Cause he could sure use it right about now.”

            “I know.” Iron Man answered. “The good news is that I’ve got a plan of attack for the Super Skrull.”

            Though the mask hid his face well, Parker reacted to the name with a questionable frown. “Super Skrull? Is that what this thing’s called? Sounds like the front man of a 1980s heavy metal band.”

            Stark snickered. “Yeah, that’s what I thought, too.”

            “So you gonna need me for your attack plan or what?”

            “If you’re not too busy.”

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            The Hulk was a sore disappointment for the Super Skrull, who anticipated more of a challenge with the imposing defender of Earth than Spider-Man turned out to be. The combatant was beaten, his green blood seeping out from his nose and mouth and dark green welts over his face. All the Super Skrull had to do was finish him off with a disintegration beam to the cranium, which would ultimately explode it from the inside. The devastation would be messy but it would have just the effect the Skrull desired to end his opposition.

(Marvel Note: Disintegration beams are a common superpower among comic book supervillains, particularly the Mandarin, the archenemy of Iron Man. Out of the ten rings he wears on his fingers, the "Spectral" ring - located on the ring finger of his right hand - destroys all bonds between the atoms and molecules of the object it strikes.)

            His eyes lit up intensely in a fiery shade of orange, directed right at the head of the Hulk. The beam was just a second from being released until something shot at the Skrull’s eyes, forcing his eyelids shut and blinding him. He heard a rocketing sound from behind and felt a fast and hard blow from that general direction. His body slammed against the concrete, skidding across it.

(Pop Culture Note: The Super Skrull's disintegration beam from his eyes bears resemblance to Darkseid, one of the most powerful beings in the DC Comics universe and a common adversary of Superman and the Justice League.)

            The substance that blinded the Skrull tore away from his eyes during the tumble. He soon found himself caught in the same position he had the Hulk in mere seconds ago, pinned by a heavy, armored challenger of similar build and stature. A circular device on its chest ignited, which the Skrull presumed to be its defense mechanism. Taking this into consideration, he teleported away before his new armored opponent fired a concentrated beam his way.

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            “IRON MAN! LOOK OUT!”

            Spidey hoped the webbing he shot into the eyes of the Super Skrull would be enough of a distraction for Iron Man to swoop in as he did and end the alien. Unfortunately, the Skrull became aware of the attack plan and struck back, manifesting at a hovered point above Stark with a Dr. Pepper semi-trailer that Spider-Man figured to have been picked up from a few or so blocks away.

(Marvel Note: Dr. Pepper is a common sponsor of Marvel's films, from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy to the recent release of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Sometimes it comes as notable product placement within a scene, just as it is here.)

            His warning to Iron Man came all too late as he looked up just when the trailer came down upon him in a loud, metallic crash. With both the Hulk and Iron Man downed, the Super Skrull set sights back on Spidey himself. He watched the hovering alien land roughly back to the earth and advance on him, his eyes again glowing in their fierce orange hue and his fists – one flaming and the other rock-hard – clenching at his sides.

            Parker had no other tricks left up his sleeve – nothing that would catch the Skrull enough by surprise to overwhelm his volatile power. All he had was his wit, which he used in the face of his imminent demise by his asking of the alien threat, “Can’t we talk this out?”

            When the Skrull was close enough to pummel the masked hero, something heavy and fast suddenly flew in and smacked it right across the face, knocking it several feet away from Spider-Man.

            Relieved to discover that he survived, Spidey jumped at the thunder that erupted from the heavens. Strangely, he saw not a single cloud in the sky to indicate any oncoming thunderstorm. He did, however, spot a caped figure soaring over the area at the aid of what appeared to be a large hammer. It touched down with a mighty thud right in the middle of the street.

            To Spider-Man’s surprise, his newest savior was yet another Avenger: Thor.

(Character Note: This is Thor's first official appearance in the World of Disney universe, having been absent from the events of The Marvelous World: World of Disney 2, due in part to being restricted to Asgard following the events of The Avengers. His debut in this scene has been built up throughout the story as a key player in the final battle.)

            “Man, am I glad you showed!” Spidey gratefully exclaimed.

            “I could not let a beast like a Skrull harm a damsel.” The Asgardian gazed up and down at Spider-Man, an awkward grimace forming on his face. “No matter how strangely dressed she may be.”

            Parker’s eyes bulged beneath his mask, taking great offense to Thor’s confusion of his gender. “Damsel? Dude, I’m a dude!”

            Genuinely surprised at this, Thor remarked, “Well…your pubescent form is a bit misleading, particularly in your night garments.”

            Spidey shook his head in disbelief; his first-ever encounter with the mightiest of the six Avengers rapidly spiraling into one of the most embarrassing moments of his career.

(Authorial Note: I wrote this scene keeping in mind of Thor's unawareness of Spider-Man, which reverberates among the other Avengers in the story when they interact with or take notice in the wall-crawler - minus Black Widow, who was Genevieve in disguise. The best part about writing it was taking a very "PG-13" approach in the confusion of Spider-Man's gender, which I imagined to actually happen in the films.)

            The grinding sound of metal being ripped apart directed their attention off their discomfited exchange (to Spider-Man’s high approval) and to the smashed trailer that Iron Man tore and blasted his way free from.

            “Thor,” said Stark, regrouping with his fellow Avenger and Spider-Man. “What took you so long?”

            “Once I distinguished our newest foe to be none other than a Skrull,” Thor answered, “I made haste to the city to provide what assistance was needed. Though I do wonder what has become of Rogers and Natasha.”

            “They’re indisposed at the moment.” Stark established. “It’s nothing that the four of us can’t handle.”

            Thor surveyed the atmosphere in question. “Your numbering is off, Stark. I only count three of us.”

            The Asgardian warrior’s misperception was put to rest on the familiar vicious roar of his other fellow Avenger. It echoed from above, drawing their attention upward as the Hulk – having leapt to the heavens – dropped down onto the Super Skrull, stomping his incredible weight into the Skrull’s back. He progressed in picking the Skrull up by the neck and hurling it towards Iron Man, Thor, and Spider-Man.

            Tony was way ahead of his green comrade. He jetted the Mark XLIV against the soaring Super Skrull and clotheslined the creature in midair. The Skrull skid across the ground, coming to a halt right at the feet of Thor and Spidey.

            “Nope,” Stark said. “It’s four. Definitely four.”

-----------------------

            Ciciley was immensely satisfied to know that Stan’s source was correct. There was a warehouse at the Hell’s Kitchen docks, still structurally sound enough to house whatever new house of horrors Saccheri had her son and mother involved with. She and Elendriel landed the Quinjet directly on the roof. Guns drawn, both women quietly and carefully scouted each floor of the warehouse until one greeted them with the strong, foul stench of death.

            There was no question that they found the right level of the warehouse Saccheri operated in when they discovered the mass litter of severed body parts and blood splattered across every inch of the long, wide area.

            Elendriel was on the verge of puking at the gruesome carnage; she had never been in the presence of such of a sight in her years as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. “I think it’s a safe bet this is all Saccheri’s science team…or what’s left of them,” she denoted. “What the hell did this?”

            Ciciley wanted to tell her daughter that she didn’t know, but her focus was too heavily on the possibility that the bodies of Sean and Chrissy could have been lying among those of the science team. Her unnerved eyes shifted all over the floor until she gazed on one area lit by a single overhead light. “Look,” she alerted Elendriel the second she spotted two inclined, unoccupied examination tables.

            Approaching the tables, Elendriel found a recognizable grey sports bra and shorts lying uselessly on the one to the right. “I’d loaned these to Grandmamma with the rest of my clothes.” She handed them to Ciciley, who became more and more perturbed by the realization of what occurred in that warehouse.

            “It was beautiful.”

            Ciciley and Elendriel tensed at the voice speaking outside the circle of light, turning to the direction it came from and aiming their guns. Saccheri revealed himself, his suit coated in the blood of those that perished in the massacre, and his face masked by a hypnotic sense of awe and wonder.

            “It was a true marvel of evolution,” he said in a voice that was close to a whisper.

(Authorial Note: This line from Saccheri purposely teases the title of next year's sequel, Marvel Evolution. By this point in the story, I already had it officiated and left bread crumbs for readers to follow, alluding to the plot.)

            “Where’s my mother and son, Saccheri?” Ciciley demandingly inquired. “What the hell have you done to them, you sick son of a…?”

            “Your mother?” The zoned businessman uttered, seeming to need to remind himself of who that was. “Oh, yes. I had to kill her in order to provide the nutrients for the vessel.”

            Ciciley felt all sensation in her body dissipate. Her mouth gaped in shock from the reality of what Saccheri just divulged to her: Chrissy – her mother – was dead.

            “What vessel?” Elendriel questioned. She did her best not to shoot Saccheri dead right where he stood for what he had done to her grandmother.

            “Sean Livingston’s body, of course.” Saccheri clarified. “It’s now the home for the most remarkable genetic code gifted to us from the cosmos.”

            Fumed by the actions of this madman, Ciciley’s grip on her handgun tightened, remaining firmly trained on Saccheri. “You monster,” she tearfully and furiously screamed. “I just got that woman back in my life, and you’ve taken her out of it all over again!”

            Saccheri maintained his cold-hearted demeanor in the face of the seething daughter and mother, both having murder in their icy blue eyes. “If I’m a monster, then what does that make God Almighty Himself?”

            Ciciley desperately fought the urge not to shoot him. There was still the matter of her son, who was nowhere to be found in the butchery. Unfortunately, whereas her mind was rational in the situation, her body was not. She emptied the chamber of her gun into Saccheri’s chest, riddling it with holes that bloodied his suit more than it already was. By the time her gun merely clicked when she continued squeezing the trigger, she realized what she had done.

            Saccheri remained standing, gazing down at his chest, completely unfazed. Then his eyes enlarged, not from the attack at his front but from one in the back. Something tore through his spine and burst out through his chest. A human arm emerged, clutching his heart in its hand. Blood spewed from his mouth as he looked in distress upon the organ raided from his body.

            Elendriel and Ciciley witnessed the scene in bewildered disgust. The human arm retreated back in and finally out of Saccheri’s body, leaving him collapsing to the floor dead. Once his wide, stocky body was out of view from his killer, Ciciley and Elendriel noticed a young, barefooted woman with dark brown hair and eyes standing over him. She looked to be of Portuguese descent, athletic in appearance with dense, defined muscle.

(Authorial Note: This is "Lee," a new character who we will see more of in Marvel Evolution. The inspiration for this character comes from my close friend Jennifer Lee, whose surname and appearance is the basis for what will be one of the threats to overcome in the sequel.)

            Elendriel promptly realized how this young woman wore undergarments similar to those normally worn by her brother. Drooped over her body was a black muscle shirt that was too oversized for her shorter frame, baring much cleavage. A pair of black compression shorts was hinted beneath the extra-large shirt, and they also looked to be fighting to stay on the girl.

            Considering what Saccheri told them about his experiment and her brother’s role in it, Elendriel whispered to the young woman in questionable recognition, “Sean?”

(Spoiler Note: "Lee" is in fact just one of seven different people that Agent Sean divided into from Saccheri's experiment. Known as "Splitters" in Marvel Evolution, each of them possess unique personalities and, following the events of Mayhem, develop into different lifestyles around the world. Only one of them has the core memories and personality of Agent Sean, which will be of great value to the heroes when gathering the individuals together.)

            The Portuguese girl reacted to the name, her brown eyes widened and her brow furled. Her next gesture caught Ciciley and Elendriel off guard: she ran to the nearest window and leapt through the glass. The mother-daughter agents rushed to the glass-ridden windowpane and looked out in search for where the young woman had gone.

            There was not a single trace of her.

--------------------------

            Down to three, Natalie began to worry of their odds in defeating Yve Ette. Of course, it might just have been Sean Thomas under the emotion that plagued the back of her mind. She did not want to get him involved at any point in this fight. He was to be a father back in his world and that was the last thing Natalie wished to rob of him. She fought not only to keep herself alive but him as well, yet it was turning out to be a challenge with just herself, Mindy, and Yamila in the battle.

            Even between Mindy’s legit Guardian power and the half Natalie possessed in her fusion with Sean, they were no match against the much stronger power of Yve Ette. She was fueled by more than just their magic; Natalie could not quite figure what it was.

            To make matters more complicated, Yve Ette executed a move on Mindy with her specialized lightsaber that she did not anticipate. After a hard, swift kick to the face that temporarily stunned her, she lopped off Mindy’s left forearm. While Mindy was left shrieking in agony, Yve Ette tossed aside the severed limb like a worthless piece of garbage. The arm hit the rooftop and was instantly rendered to dust, no longer a part of the woman it was once attached to.

(Marvel Note: The loss of Mindy's forearm follows with the theme of "Phase Two" in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which the events of Marvel Mayhem happen in. Each Phase Two film features at least one character having their hand cut off in homage to The Empire Strikes Back. To see all the Phase Two moments in which characters lost limbs, click here.) 

            With Mindy now brutally incapacitated from the fight, the odds were even greater stacked against Natalie and Yamila. It was insane for them to believe that a half-reincarnation and a female super soldier could trounce one superbly formidable sorceress with nothing more than their bare hands. But the two women refused to yield.

            They charged together again. Both battered, bruised, and bloodied.

            Yve Ette shook her head at their feeble attempt in an exhausted tactic. She caught Yamila coming at her first and effortlessly subdued the smaller and younger opponent by one fierce roundhouse kick to the face. Yamila went down hard and into a daze, blood seeping from her nose.

            Natalie could now sense Sean’s apprehensiveness, which influenced her motion towards Yve Ette. She wanted to try at another attack that might give some effectiveness, but Sean’s fear proved to be stronger. The veins on her forehead pulsated and sweat poured out from it. She was forced to watch Yve Ette stare at her one second and then kick her in the stomach the next.

            She dropped to her knees from the blow, until Yve Ette knocked her back with her right foot, reducing her to a horizontal position. What followed was nothing short of indignation towards Natalie’s womanhood. Yve Ette roughly placed her foot down upon Natalie’s groin, the sharp heel of her boot buried deep into her vaginal area. The pain was unbearable after just two seconds of pressure applied. She was almost certain from the sensation that there were spikes on the sole.

            “Let’s finish where we left off, shall we?” Yve Ette taunted. “Bring your other half out here! I’m dying to see if he still carries the bruises!”

            She applied more pressure from her foot. Natalie screamed.

            “Still protecting him, I see.” Yve Ette contemptuously clicked her tongue. “Well, sweetheart, I’m afraid you just left him with a grieving widow and a child to live a fatherless upbringing.”

(Spoiler Note: Yve Ette unintentionally foreshadows one of these two prospects in the lives of Christina and Brandy Thomas that occurs after the events of World of Disney 3. Although Sean Thomas merely goes missing and does not actually die, Brandy does end up with "a fatherless upbringing" because of it.)

            She held her lightsaber high into the air, its fiery blade illuminating the rooftop in a foreboding hue. Two lives in one body were on the brink of coming to an end once she brought the blade down.

            Then the unexpected happened.

            A sudden explosive force threw Yve Ette off Natalie, allowing the young Native American woman to recover from the unsettling maneuver perpetrated to her groin. In her recovery, she watched as the extinguished lightsaber clattered to the rooftop, more than a few feet from where Yve Ette landed after the mysterious attack. Yve Ette attempted to call it back to her hand before it swiftly flew in the opposite direction and into a gauntlet-clad hand that crushed it to pieces.

(Narrative Note: Although Yve Ette's specialized lightsaber is destroyed in this story, an exact replica of it is used in World of Disney 3, presumably made in the event that the previous model was lost or demolished.)

            “Not sure what that was, but it looked important.”

            The voice was automated, yet it still sounded identifiable to both Yve Ette and Natalie. Near them stood a figure donned in a feminine red-and-pink version of the suit of armor commonly adorned by Iron Man.

            “Genevieve?” Natalie managed to guess the identity of the wearer. “Is that you?”

            “You better believe it is.”

            Within the enclosed helmet, Genevieve looked upon the HUD display projected right in front of her face. There were schematics of the suit she wore and other technical mumbo jumbo that she did not try to understand for the sake of centering her attention on what was happening there on the rooftop. One image that did bring ease to her otherwise tensed body was a live feed of a headset-wearing Walter, who maintained communications back in Avengers Tower.

            Genevieve smiled at the feed. “You still with me, lil’ buddy?”

            “Oh, yeah!” The Muppet toughly responded.

            “Then let’s pump up the volume!”

            Right on cue, the suit’s integrated outward stereo system switched on. The exterior speaker boomed to the tune of Ratt’s “Round and Round” at maximum volume, directly at Yve Ette. Natalie, who caught on to Genevieve’s attack plan, covered her ears from the earsplitting classic rock music.

            As it turned out, the loud music was just the weakness needed to provide enough of a distraction for Genevieve to unleash a multitude of kicks and punches on Yve Ette. The vibranium structure of her suit gave enough force to create insurmountable damage, fracturing nearly every bone in Yve Ette’s body. For added measure, Genevieve included a head butt, her metallic noggin meeting with Yve Ette’s unprotected skull.

(Marvel Note: The "Rescue" armor represents a hybrid of repulsor technology and portable electromagnetic superfield generators that give the suit flight, speed, strength, and magnetic field manipulation. Its electromagnetic force fields are powerful enough to enable Rescue to stop a falling jet airliner without physical contact with it and can also be used as an offensive weapon with other armored opponents. In the comics, it was the first armor to feature J.A.R.V.I.S. in his artificial intelligence form from the Marvel Cinematic Universe films.)

            Close to two minutes into this brutality by Genevieve, she held the right palm of her iron gauntlet right in the cripplingly bruised, bloodied face of Yve Ette – the light of the repulsor irradiating the extensive mutilation. “This one’s for Sheryl,” said Genevieve, who commenced in firing the repulsor at close range.

            The intensity of the blast sent Yve Ette off the rooftop entirely, disappearing within a dark alley below. Natalie heard the sickening resonance of the body smacking into the concrete. Not even a dumpster was worthy of breaking the fall.

            “Ooh! And that’s how it’s done!” Walter cheered.

            Genevieve giggled. “You can kill the music now, buddy.”

            She went to the aid of Natalie, who picked herself back up to her feet. “That was some rescue, Genevieve.”

            The suit’s helmet opened automatically, unmasking the smiling, winking face of Genevieve. “I see what you did there.”

(Narrative Note: Although never openly given to the suit itself, this is the only real reference to its code name.)

            Their victory was short-lived with the heavy groans of Mindy nearby, reminding Natalie of the two incapacitated women left from the intense battle. “Check on Min. I’ll check up on Yamila,” she instructed Genevieve.

            Genevieve did as she said and rushed over to Mindy, while Natalie crouched beside Yamila. Seeing the charred stump from the hack job Yve Ette committed on Mindy’s left arm, Genevieve was stricken with a sense of guilt.

            “Oh, Mindy. If I’d only gotten here a minute sooner, I’d…”

            “Don’t…Don’t beat yourself u-up…over it.” Mindy groaned, desperately fighting off the searing discomfort in her mortal wound. “At least…you gave that witch what she got coming to her.”

            Genevieve nodded in agreement with that sentiment. “Walter,” she addressed her unseen Muppet partner through their radio contact. “Patch me in with Ciciley and Elendriel.”

            After a brief moment, he confirmed, “You’re in.”

            “Cici! Elle! Mindy and Yamila are both hurt bad! We need to get them back to the tower right now!”

            There was no reply from either of the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Before Genevieve could have listened out for one, the ferocious howl of the Hulk from the street below overshadowed any other noise in the area. It encouraged Genevieve and Natalie to momentarily leave the sides of Mindy and Yamila and look over the edge of the rooftop, seeing Spider-Man and the Avengers standing over the unconscious Super Skrull.

-----------------------

            “How shall we deal with this Skrull threat?” Thor queried to his teammates.

            “Duh!” Spidey uttered. “Hand it over to S.H.I.E.L.D. and let them deal with it.”

            “That right there is the last thing we should do.” Stark hastily shot down.

            “Then I shall transport it to Asgard.” Thor offered. “We can determine what ploy the Skrulls have in mind to—”

            Out of nowhere, the four heroes were fleetingly blinded by a flash of light.

            Unbeknownst to them, the source of the light came from the eyes of the reawakening Super Skrull. With the diversion in place, the creature flew back onto its feet and continued where it left off in its mayhem. It started by viciously grabbing the breastplate of Iron Man’s Mark XLVI armor and using the entire suit as a weapon to bash the Hulk into the ground. As soon as the Hulk was imprinted deep enough into a crater, the Skrull hurled Stark and the armor down a few blocks away.

            It let out a barbaric scream before moving on Thor and Spidey, the latter reliving a reoccurring nightmare.

            “Not again!” The masked hero shouted.

            Thor had enough. Calling on Mjølnir, the powerful Asgardian enchanted war hammer flew to his right hand, and he pointed it to the heavens. By his mighty power, he summoned a massive bolt of lightning that he channeled through the hammer and into the Super Skrull.

(Marvel Note: Mjølnir was forged in the heart of a dying star and stored in Odin's vault until it was entrusted to Thor. It has been stated by Odin himself that Mjølnir's power has no equal. Made of Uru, a godlike metal forged in the furnaces of Nidavellir, Mjølnir itself is extremely durable, like the Earth metal vibranium, and - combined with the various enchantments placed upon it by Odin - it is, for all intents and purposes, indestructible. Almost nothing is capable of withstanding a hammer strike or throw, with the exception of Captain America's shield. Whenever dropped by Thor, it assumed a fixed position from which no one could move it except a "worthy" individual. So far, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, only Odin and the android Avenger Vision have been worthy enough to weld Mjølnir.)

            The creature’s immense form convulsed violently, sparking from the inside out with deadly volts of electricity. Ultimately, it spontaneously combusted in spectacular fashion right in the middle of the street. Fragments of white dust with gold and rainbow-colored specks floated to the air and skies.

            At the edge of the rooftop near the combustion, Genevieve and Natalie looked on to see the dust fragments float before them. There was a sense of familiarity in Natalie as the colorful specks reflected in her bright green eyes. They were undoubtedly reincarnation remains, but they were her remains.

            “This is me,” she whispered. “All this is goin’ to the theater, where it all started.”

(Character Note: Technically, the Super Skrull can be identified as a reincarnated form of the original Sean Thomas, since it was reincarnate remains that helped bring it to life. If the remains were not inhaled by the alternate Sean Thomas earlier in the story, reincarnating Natalie from his body, there would not have been another form to succeed the Super Skrull.)

--------------------------

            Yve Ette could hardly stand more less breathe in her ravaged state. There was not a mirror near for her to see how extensive her wounds were, yet she knew it from how paralyzed her face felt. From her inability to blink, she determined her eyelids to have been obliterated from the repulsor blast to her face. Her nose and lips suffered the same condition as she fought to get air into her lungs.

            Nonetheless, the damage was only temporary. Her regenerative qualities would restore whatever parts of her face missing. Though the same could not be said for her dignity, of which she was robbed at the hands of Genevieve and her companions. The ultimate defeat of the Super Skrull left her in fury, enough to take it all out on those responsible. But she didn’t. Rather than get her revenge there and then, she did the only sensible thing – retreat. Into the darkened alley she went, disappearing from the Marvel realm in a dark red haze.

            There will be revenge. No mistake about it.

(UP NEXT: It's Never A Marvel Story Without A Bonus Scene!)