Beginning of a New Era

Thanos sat in a meditative pose in a dark room. The wind surrounded him as he inhaled and dispersed as he exhaled. This phenomenon continued until he finally opened his eyes, his blue sapphire vision seeing the world, a blue tainted by sin. Thanos got up and slowly walked towards the entrance. Habits previously lying on the floor moved by themselves and put themselves on Thanos. A man awaited the Titan, who was now wearing an unbuttoned shirt, and told him, "Tony Stark has been kidnapped, as you predicted."

Thanos nodded and continued walking, while the assistant kept following him. Thanos then asked, "What about the project SPIDER?" The assistant adjusted his glasses and answered, "Despite the recent difficulties, we managed to make a more compatible version of the serum, and the death rate is now almost inexistent."

As the duo entered Thanos's workplace, the man went to Thanos's desk and picked up a tablet, which he handed to Thanos. Thanos observed the data, and the man exclaimed, "The first batch of 'perfect' serums will be available in 3 days." Thanos was pleased by the information and handed back the tablet to the assistant.

Suddenly, two siblings entered Thanos's office. Pietro quickly exclaimed, "That bastard was kidnapped, just like you said. Come on, just give me the order, and I'll go there, snap his neck, and come back before you'll have the time to complain about lacking milk."

An eager Pietro looked at Thanos, even though he knew that it would be likely that the titan would refuse. He knew that he had to try; his hatred for Stark didn't waver in the slightest during those five years. In fact, it increased whenever Pietro had to attend one of these galas for the rich and powerful. It was common sense that Tony was there, as he was, of course, rich and powerful. Whenever Pietro was near the future man of steel, he had to try his hardest not to kill him in the most brutal and twisted way a human being could ever imagine. Wanda was the same, she was silent, but she couldn't help but look at the Titan.

Thanos sighed, repeating for the nth time as to why they couldn't kill Stark yet. "I told you a little about the future, right? That man will intervene in many important events. Killing him now would give birth to an uncertain future where the world will be doomed, literally and metaphorically."

Sensing their unstable emotions, the Titan spoke in a firm tone. "I know it's hard, but think about what you have in the moment. Are you willing to give up on everything for a quick revenge?"

The siblings pondered over the question, staying silent. Thanos then said, "Don't let your emotions control you, or you will become a second me." Thanos cackled, breaking the tense atmosphere. The siblings sighed at the Titan's attempt at a joke and said that they understood. They left the office, while Thanos heard something about how his jokes were still so bad.

Thanos turned around and looked at the assistant, asking him to begin buying STARK's shares in bulk. The assistant quickly nodded and typed something on the tablet.

The wind picked up again, but this time, it blew with a sense of foreboding, as if a storm was brewing on the horizon. Thanos felt it in his bones, and he knew that the future he saw might not be as certain as he think it would be but, he was ready for whatever came his way. A new era had begun, the premise of the Avengers, and Thanos would be ready to face it.