With the last trace of symbiote gone, Nolan drifted into New York.
He didn't address the press, didn't offer explanations because, as he'd told Tony once, in moments the so-called Avengers were never the deciding factor.
And maybe that was why the Ancient One had never intervened either; she knew that in battles of this scale, Earth's caped champions were little more than spectators.
At his Oscorp lab, Nolan issued a brief order to return operations to normal, then shut himself in his private quarters. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he began to recover.
Fighting Knull had been unlike any battle before not just in brute force, but in the strain of channeling dimensional power, managing stellar cores, and locking down a god's soul.
Compared to Bast, the difference was night and day. For the first time in a long while, Nolan felt… tired.
The world, however, was wide awake.
In the aftermath of the global alert, billions had watched in terror as the sky darkened, the sun blotted out by an alien mass. And then, without warning, it vanished.
Relief hit like a tidal wave. People cried openly in the streets. The image of a dying sun had been burned into their minds; its return felt like a miracle.
It didn't take long for someone to dig up the truth.
Satellite footage showed a colossal figure in orbit, pulling the swarming symbiotes into his hand as if the entire species had been summoned.
The sheer size of him and the fact that he made no effort to hide were impossible to ignore.
On the internet, it exploded:
"Holy—was that Dr. Nolan?!"
"Babe, come here! God's real…!"
"First superhuman? That's a goddamn god!"
"Avengers who? THIS guy saved the planet."
Every major intelligence agency confirmed it the Oscorp CEO was the one who had ended the crisis. And not by accident. He had fought something like a god in space… and won.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
Nick Fury stared at the footage. His fingers pressed into his temples.
"God… Could Carol even handle him?"
It was an ugly thought. Once, Captain Marvel had been his ace, the one hero who made him believe Earth could face anything.
But seeing Nolan's full power, that confidence was gone. Now he wasn't sure she'd last more than a handful of punches.
"Sir?" Coulson stepped forward.
"You're the Director now. Get the team together we start planning for extraterrestrial threats. Real ones. And we make damn sure Earth can defend itself."
"But… don't we already have Nolan?"
Fury's one eye hardened.
"And if Nolan turns on Earth? We can't have all our eggs in one god-shaped basket. Dig through every S.H.I.E.L.D. archive. Find me anything we can use."
Coulson wanted to call it paranoia but thought better of it.
Illuminati – Private Conference
Reed Richards, Tony Stark, and Charles Xavier watched the same footage in silence.
"How the hell does he get that big?"
Charles' voice was low.
"I linked Cerebro during the fight. His mind… it was like staring into a starfield. Even amplified, my telepathy was a candle in daylight."
Tony remembered Wakanda, when Nolan had told him the Avengers would never understand the enemies he faced—that their threats were children's games compared to his. Looking at the footage now, Tony believed it.
"To him, we probably are kids playing hero."
And yet… Reed felt a spark of curiosity. Oscorp might be the only place where his more radical ideas could be realized where someone would not just understand them, but match them.
Tony tapped his console.
"We need off-world capability. If another invasion happens, we hit them in space not in Manhattan."
He looked at Charles and Reed.
"Friday pull up the starship designs I shelved."
"You had this ready?"
"Not me. Nolan." Tony's voice tightened. "He told me years ago we'd need a fleet. I ignored it. Won't make that mistake again."
Charles nodded slowly.
"Our abilities aren't bound to Earth. Nolan's proven that some of his power comes from mutant genetics. The potential is there."
"Then we develop it," Tony said. "Because next time? I'm not watching from the ground."
The three men fell silent again.
No matter the plan, one truth remained: Nolan was at the center of it.
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