The Baxter Building, 35th floor, state-of-the-art lab.
The air here was thick with the mixed scent of ozone and scorching metal, and various complex, never-before-seen instruments were running at full capacity.
Bruce Banner nervously adjusted his glasses, which had slipped down his nose, standing uncomfortably in the center of the lab.
"Dr. Banner, here's your coffee."
A massive figure, covered entirely in orange rock, lumbered over. In his hand, he held a coffee cup that looked like a thimble, yet his movements were surprisingly gentle.
It was Ben Grimm, The Thing.
"Thanks, Ben," Banner replied, his hand still trembling slightly as he took the cup.
"How's the big green fella? The Hulk, I mean," The Thing asked in his gravelly voice. As a fellow powerhouse, he felt a kinship with his colleague.
Banner managed a bitter smile, pointing to his chest. "He's in hiding."
"Hiding?" The Thing's rock-like face showed genuine surprise. "That big green rage monster who tears up armies? He gets scared?"
"Fear is a biological instinct, Ben."
Reed Richards turned from the holographic projection table.
"And the creature named Frieza is the very definition of terror."
Reed swiped his finger through the air, bringing up a cluster of genuinely despairing data models.
"Look at this."
The screen showed a purple energy spike so high the numbers broke the display border.
"This is the energy reading we captured the instant Washington D.C. was destroyed," Reed said, his voice dry. "If converted to TNT equivalent, this energy could instantly ignite Jupiter."
"More terrifyingly, based on my model calculations, that might not even be his full power."
"The energy density of that single blast already exceeds the core of a medium-sized star."
A deathly silence fell over the lab.
"What are our odds?" Banner swallowed hard, even though he already knew the answer.
"A head-on confrontation? 0.00001%. And that's assuming he stands still and lets us hit him."
"Therefore, there is only one rational course of action: The Ark Project."
Reed brought up another screen showing schematics for several heavily modified spacecraft.
"We select the elite human genome, the last seeds of mankind, and use my technology to initiate hyperspace jumps, leaving the solar system, even the galaxy. As long as the human gene survives, we haven't truly lost."
"Run?"
Banner shook his head.
"Reed, didn't you watch the broadcast? That demon said he is the Galactic Emperor! He wants to conquer the entire universe!"
"And look at Earth now," Banner gestured toward the window. "Magneto, Apocalypse, Doctor Doom... all the powerful mutants and criminals have become his pawns."
"If we try to build ships and run, do you think those freaks will let us? Where exactly can we hide?"
"No matter what corner of the universe we flee to, the ending is the same once he finds us."
Reed fell silent.
His brain, elastic and brilliant as it was, churned madly but could not compute a viable escape route.
Just then, a soft hand covered Reed's own.
Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman.
"Reed," Sue's eyes were gentle but firm. "For Franklin, for Valeria... for our children, we cannot run."
"If Earth turns into hell, our children will only be pets for the demon, even if they survive."
"We have to fight."
Reed looked into his wife's eyes. After a long moment, he let out a heavy sigh.
The hesitation in his gaze vanished, replaced by a scientist's desperate fervor and resolve.
"You're right, Sue."
He walked to the deepest part of the lab and pressed a large, red emergency button.
Clank—RUMBLE.
With a grinding of heavy machinery, the floor slowly split open, and a bizarre, massive cannon, glowing with an unsettling blue light, ascended.
The space around the muzzle seemed to slightly warp, radiating a disturbing energy.
"What is that?" Banner felt an aura that made even the Hulk uneasy.
"The Anti-Matter Negative Zone Projector Cannon."
Reed stroked the cold metal casing, as if touching their last hope.
"It's a prototype I built to explore the Negative Zone, but I refitted it as a weapon."
"It can instantly create a singularity that opens directly into the anti-matter universe. Theoretically, if it hits a target, it can instantly banish them to another dimension—the Negative Zone."
"There is no time there, no space, and the laws of physics are completely alien to our universe."
Reed turned to face the others, his tone grave.
"No matter how powerful Frieza is, even if he can crush planets, if he falls into the Negative Zone, he absolutely cannot come back."
"It is our only option."
"Count me in!" Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, instantly burst into flames, hovering in the air. "I've been wanting to torch that golden-haired creep's butt for days!"
"Same here," The Thing slammed his fists together with a dull thud. "I don't know nothin' about no Negative Zone, but if it means clobberin' that guy, I'm in!"
A few minutes later, the entire Fantastic Four changed into their iconic blue battle suits, the "4" on their chests shining brightly.
Seeing the coordinated uniform, the usually tense Banner couldn't help but chuckle wryly, joking:
"I have to say, compared to Frieza's guys in their shoulder-padded spandex and weird poses... your sense of style is practically art."
On the streets of Manhattan, chaos and crime were having a field day.
Ever since Frieza announced his takeover, the established order had crumbled, and the police system had collapsed.
Countless looters were rampaging, with burning cars and shattered storefronts everywhere.
Even worse were the low-level recruits who had just joined Frieza's army and hadn't reported to headquarters yet.
They were running wild in the streets, using the mayhem as their initiation rite to impress their new master.
"ROAR—!!!"
A behemoth encased in heavy gray armor was charging down Fifth Avenue.
It was Aleksei, code name Rhino.
Though he'd only qualified for the "moving things" job during the recruitment phase, that didn't stop him from acting like the big shot.
"Get outta the way! All of ya! This is Lord Frieza's territory now! Which means it's Rhino's territory!"
Rhino roared with laughter, lowering his head and charging. His massive horn tossed a police car into the air like a toy.
The cruiser spun end over end, heading straight for a mother and daughter trapped on the sidewalk.
"NO!!"
In that split second.
Thwip!
A white web line slashed through the sky, precisely sticking to the underside of the police car.
Immediately following, a figure in a red and blue hoodie, wearing homemade goggles, leaped down from a lamppost.
The small figure unleashed an astonishing amount of force.
He braced the web line with both hands, his feet sliding deep trenches into the pavement.
He managed to use the leverage to stop the multi-ton police car in mid-air and gently set it down on the ground.
"Phew... safe at home!"
A young voice, tinged with nervousness, spoke from beneath the mask.
Peter Parker, the high school boy, was breathing heavily, looking at his trembling hands.
Two days ago, thanks to the demon Frieza's arrival, Oscorp was hit, and a mutated spider escaped and bit him.
He had only planned to use his new abilities to deliver pizza faster or maybe teach Flash a lesson at school.
But...
Looking at the ravaged streets, seeing the grateful tears in the eyes of the mother and daughter.
Uncle Ben's words echoed in his mind.
"With great power comes great responsibility."
"Who's the little bug? You dare get in the way of your Grandpa Rhino?!"
Rhino was enraged, twin jets of white steam shooting from his nostrils as he lumbered toward Peter.
"Whoa! Is that what they call a... uh, a wild rhino gone rogue?"
Peter was nervous, but his motor mouth was a permanent condition.
Just as Rhino's massive horn was about to pierce Peter's chest.
Buzzz!
The hairs on the back of Peter's neck stood up instantly.
His Spider-Sense!
He instinctively did a backbend, contorting his body into an impossible position.
Whoosh—
Rhino's charge swept past his nose.
"Hey, big guy, you gotta check your brake pads! Need me to patch you up?"
Peter flicked his wrist, and two wads of webbing plastered themselves over Rhino's eyes.
"Aargh!! You stupid bug!" Rhino roared, crashing blindly into things.
Just as Peter prepared to deliver a finishing kick.
"Nice moves, kid."
A low voice suddenly spoke behind him.
Peter jumped, his Spider-Sense flaring wildly again.
He spun around, his wrist web-shooters aimed at the newcomer.
Standing there was a sharp-eyed man carrying a quiver of arrows.
Clint Barton, Hawkeye.
"Whoa, easy there," Barton raised his hands to show he meant no harm. "Fast reflexes, even faster than mine."
He looked at the slightly naive, masked vigilante, a flicker of admiration in his eyes.
At a time when everyone else was hiding in despair, this kid had the courage to stand up to Frieza's underlings.
That was the mark of a true hero.
"You've got potential, kid. Honest, brave, and... mouthy enough," Barton smiled, offering a hand. "Interested in a bigger stage? Like, saving the world?"
"Joining the Avengers?"
Peter's eyes widened, his excitement visible even through the goggles.
"Really? I mean... do I qualify? I just have this hoodie..."
"It's enough."
Barton glanced at the still-flailing Rhino. A single explosive arrow shot out, knocking Rhino unconscious.
"Let's go. Someone's waiting for us."
Late that night, in a S.H.I.E.L.D. secret base outside New York City.
This was now the last bastion of human resistance.
Under the dim lights, several vehicles pulled in sequentially.
Tony Stark wheeled Professor X's chair, followed by Cyclops, Storm, and a host of other X-Men.
From another direction, Dr. Banner entered with the Fantastic Four in their blue battle suits.
Finally, Barton arrived, guiding a wide-eyed Peter Parker, who was simultaneously excited and nervous.
The various groups converged in the center of the hall.
Though they came from different factions, and may have had conflicts in the past, tonight, they had only one objective.
The Galactic Emperor sitting atop his tower in New York, treating Earth like a plaything.
Captain America looked at the assembled heroes, and the flame of hope reignited in his eyes.
They exchanged silent nods—a shared understanding for a fight for survival.
"Is that the rookie?" Tony eyed Peter.
"I'm Spider-Man! Sir!" Peter straightened his back.
"Alright, Spider-Man," Barton clapped Peter on the shoulder. "I think this kid has potential, Tony. Can you hook him up with an equipment upgrade?"
"If he goes up against Frieza in that outfit, that fashion-obsessed maniac would literally die laughing."
Tony looked Peter up and down, his critical gaze finally settling on the web-shooters on Peter's wrists.
"Homemade mechanical devices? Interesting."
Tony gave him a famously arrogant chin tilt.
"Well, let's see if he can keep up with my genius. Follow me to the lab, Peter. And don't touch anything."
Watching Tony lead Peter away, the rest of the group quickly moved into the conference room.