As the lights in the theater dimmed, the screen slowly lit up.
The first thing that caught everyone's eyes was a bleak world.
The sky itself looked polluted, shrouded in darkness even during the daytime.
The camera gradually panned downward, revealing a battlefield.
A man wielding a long blade, with a bow slung across his back, was ruthlessly slaughtering enemies one after another.
Beside him, a woman wearing a slightly worn Spider-Man suit assisted him, efficiently dealing with the remaining foes.
"Crack!"
The long blade sliced cleanly through the throat of the final enemy. The masked man flicked the blood from his weapon and sheathed it.
Turning to the woman in the Spider suit, he said approvingly,
"Maddie, compared to your father, Peter Parker, you're even more decisive when it comes to killing."
As he spoke, the man removed his mask.
The moment his true face was revealed, everyone in the theater—especially the Avengers—grew solemn.
There was no mistake.
The man was Clint Barton—Hawkeye, one of the Avengers.
But unlike the Barton they knew, the man on the screen looked aged and worn, his hair gray and his face lined with time.
This was clearly an elderly Clint Barton.
"Is this… decades in the future?"
Recalling the ending of the previous video—where an elderly Spider-Man woke Steve Rogers from a green nutrient pod—Natasha began to form a theory.
Perhaps this was the continuation of that future.
On the screen—
Hearing Clint's praise, the Spider-Woman removed her hood, revealing a delicate yet resolute face.
"You taught me that, Uncle Barton," she said softly.
"You've been guiding me ever since my father and mother died."
"And if my sister Annie were still alive… or Lila…"
Before Maddie Parker could finish, Clint interrupted firmly,
"Maddie, don't dwell on the dead."
"Clinging too much to those we've lost only makes us weaker."
"And in a world that's undergone such earth-shattering changes, weakness will only get us killed."
"Yes, Uncle Barton."
Maddie nodded solemnly.
—
In the viewing room.
"Wait… what?"
Peter Parker blurted out in shock.
"What's wrong?" Steve Rogers and Tony Stark asked simultaneously, turning toward him.
"Did you hear that?" Peter said, visibly shaken.
"He said Maddie's father is Peter Parker. Could that be… my daughter?"
"And she said her parents are dead. Is this my future? Or is there another Peter Parker in that universe?"
"The Spider-Man of that world?"
Peter clenched his fists.
"Gwen and I once talked about the future. We even agreed that if we had a daughter, we'd name her Annie May Parker."
"But Maddie mentioned a sister named Annie… God…"
Seeing Peter's conflicted expression, Steve placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, Peter. This doesn't necessarily mean it's your future."
"You're not the Spider-Man of every universe."
Peter fell silent for a few seconds before nodding slowly.
"I hope you're right."
But just as he tried to calm himself, the conversation on the screen shattered that fragile hope.
—
On the screen—
"Uncle Barton, are we going to find Uncle Thor?" Maddie asked, glancing at the corpses scattered across the battlefield.
"Of course," Clint replied.
"New York… or rather, what people now call Utopia."
He gazed toward the distant ruins of the former city.
"Even though we don't know which universe Linen and Wanda went to, we can't just sit around waiting to die."
"We failed thirty years ago… but Peter managed to resurrect the Captain."
After a pause, Clint looked at Maddie and sighed.
"Speaking of Peter, I still remember when your father came to this universe with the Fantastic Four."
"At that time, he joined forces with the Peter Parker of this world—and another, even older Peter Parker."
"Three generations of Spider-Man fighting side by side. It was spectacular."
"Unfortunately, your father died in that final battle."
"Although the Peter Parker of this universe was connected to the Web of Life and Destiny…"
"Only the one who could naturally produce spider silk survived. Heh…"
Maddie sighed helplessly.
"Uncle Barton, didn't you just say we shouldn't dwell on the past?"
"Haha, alright, alright," Clint chuckled.
"When you get old, you tend to forget what you've said."
"Since the first generation of Avengers died, scattered, or grew old… I've dreamed of them countless times."
"At that time… Forget it. I won't go on."
He waved his hand.
"Let's find Thor. And stay alert on the way."
"After Bruce Banner merged completely with the Hulk, the aftermath of that war left him unstable."
"That's how the Hulk Gang came to be."
Clint sighed deeply.
"If Natasha were still alive… If she were still alive, things might have been different."
"She once gave me hope. No one ever did again."
"Thor, on the other hand, keeps getting stronger. But no matter how strong he is…"
"He still can't compare to his daughter."
As the two continued walking and talking, the camera slowly pulled upward.
In the background—
A massive, three-meter-tall, more-than-ten-meter-long Ant-Man suit corpse lay shattered in the ruins.
"Oh my God…"
—
Inside the theater, everyone was stunned.
What had happened to this future world?
Why did it resemble a scorched wasteland, filled with ruins and yellow sand?
And what was the war the elderly Hawkeye spoke of?
It clearly wasn't the battle against Thanos.
The Avengers all frowned grimly.
Only Thor froze for a moment before turning excitedly toward Natasha.
"Did Clint just say… I'll have a daughter in the future?"
"And she's stronger than me?"
"Oh, Odin's beard! Who is her mother? Jane? When was she born?"
Natasha raised a finger to her lips.
"Shh. Just keep watching."
Despite her calm words, her expression was heavy.
After all, old Clint had just said something terrifying—
That he was the only one left.
And Natasha knew one thing for certain.
Clint Barton's daughter was named Lila.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
There are 10+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Check out my new Naruto fanfic!
[Naruto: I Don't Want Recognition]
