In Universe 12041, Thor and Hulk were battling a giant monster in Russia. "Now, you won't be able to destroy any more villages, monster!" Thor shouted as he struck the monster with his hammer.
"Save some for me, Goldilocks," Hulk said, knuckling his fist. He joined the fray, delivering a powerful blow to the monster's face, causing it to collapse onto the ground. Together, they successfully defeated the monster.
After the victory, they exchanged punches with each other – Hulk using his fists and Thor wielding his hammer.
"Tony, everything is clear here," Thor and Hulk updated their mission on comms.
"I know you both are doing well. Well done," Tony replied before shifting the display to Africa.
In Africa, numerous giant animals threatened to destroy a village, but Sharky flew over them. "Wheeewww, you all need to calm down," he exclaimed, dispersing Sleep Dust over them as he flew, causing them to fall asleep.
"Let's see why you're so angry," Sharky entered their dreams to discover the cause of their rage.
Inside their dreams, he found that Kraven the Hunter was behind it all, injecting the animals to make them giant and aggressive.
Sharky confronted Kraven, flying towards him. "Kraven, stop your work and surrender yourself!" he shouted over to the villain.
"No, I am not going to surrender!" Kraven defiantly shouted, preparing to flee.
"Change your mind," Sharky calmly responded. With a swift motion, he spread the Sleep Dust, creating a spinning tornado that dispersed the pollen.
The tornado surrounded Kraven, lulling him into a deep sleep.
"Tony, I've calmed down the animals and caught the culprit," Sharky updated his mission status.
"I know you're perfect in your work," Tony praised before shifting the comms to another scene.
Captain and Falcon were assaulting a Hydra location. "So, team, how's the mission going?" He inquired.
"You'll never stop your peeping, Tony," Falcon remarked as he utilized his mechanical wings against some agents. Together, they moved to dismantle the power supply.
Tony then shifted the scene to Hawkeye and Black Widow, both diligently contributing to the mission.
"Your guidance seems to have made the team self-sufficient, sir," Jarvis AI noted.
"You're right, Jarvis. Sometimes, success comes with 100% self-reliance, but it also gives loneliness," Tony agreed.
"I think you need to develop a hobby, Sir," Jarvis suggested.
"I've already started, Jarvis. See this – my dad's unfinished scientific project, Project Arsenal," Tony explained, revealing a book with the project's name. It claimed to have the capability to absorb unlimited energy.
Despite Tony's understanding that his dad had little time for him, he acknowledged that genius often channeled their energy into scientific endeavors.
"Sir, a heavily armed alien ship is entering Earth's atmosphere," Jarvis warned.
"Finally, some action," Tony quipped, heading to confront the ship. However, upon arrival, he discovered it wasn't a singular ship but a fleet of drones.
Realizing he couldn't handle the situation alone, Tony called upon the Avengers.
Together, they engaged in a fierce battle against the unmanned robotic drones that seemed intent on attacking Earth. Amidst the chaos, they identified one ship with signs of a living being.
During the fight, an ordinary civilian plane became a target for the drones. Rushing to the rescue, the Avengers managed to save the plane, but the drones succeeded in destroying the ship with the living sign.
As they approached the wreckage, shock overcame them. The ship was piloted by the Red Skull, in a severely deteriorated condition.
"Red Skull, what are you doing here?" Captain inquired.
"Please, save me," Red Skull pleaded with a tearful voice.
"Save you, but from whom?" Captain pressed further. Red Skull pointed upward. It struck Hawkeye as odd, but when they looked in that direction, unmanned drones were descending upon them.
Emerging from the drones were humanoid robots, prompting the Avengers to engage in a fierce battle. "Who is behind them, Skull?" Captain demanded answers.
"The mad Titan, Thanos. He will destroy everything," Red Skull shouted.
"So, the Red Skull is running from someone named Thanos. Well, at least now we know who's getting the bill for all this damage," Hawkeye remarked.
"Thanos. That's a name I haven't even heard in the S.H.I.E.L.D database," Black Widow replied, impressing Hawkeye with her comprehensive knowledge.
Amidst the intense fight, Captain noticed Red Skull safeguarding a red gem. "What have you been hiding from us, Skull?" Captain interrogated, seizing the Red Gem in his hand.
"Don't touch it!" Red Skull warned, but it was too late. Captain screamed as he felt a surge of power, and red radiation spread from him. Captain glimpsed Thanos holding the same Red Gem, reveling in his sinister laughter.
"Friends, change your focus. Captain has triggered some Nuclear reaction," Tony alerted.
"Not Nuclear, but Cosmic," Falcon corrected him.
A powerful force erupted from Captain, obliterating all the robots in its wake. After hurling the Red Gem to the ground, the overwhelming energy dissipated.
As the Avengers gathered, Black Widow moved to secure the Red Gem. However, Captain warned her against touching it, revealing its dangerous potency. Holding it for a few seconds longer, would lead to destruction.
All eyes turned to Red Skull, prompting Thor to descend and recognize the gem. "Oh, the Power Gem," he identified.
"You know about this?" Tony inquired. Thor explained that Asgard had covered it in their teachings, granting immense power. However, he admitted not paying much attention, being more focused on battling giant monsters.
Meanwhile, Sharky felt a sense of déjà vu. This was the second time he had encountered the Power Gem, the first being in Universe 613. The difference in color, purple in Universe 613 and red in Universe 12041, caught his attention, but he hadn't commented on it earlier.
Captain detailed his vision when holding the Power Gem. Thanos had used it to destroy a planet. Jarvis then issued a warning—another, larger alien ship had entered Earth's atmosphere.
"If we can't touch it, then how will we use it?" Falcon inquired. Then Sharky thought it was time to reveal his Super Ultron to the team. But before Sharky could respond with his Super Ultron suggestion, Tony unveiled a plan. "I have a solution: Project Arsenal."
Explaining further, Tony revealed that Project Arsenal was a machine created by his father to control the chaotic energy, and it can maybe control the energy of the Power Gem.
The challenge lay in locating it, as the only clues were a set of equations and the seemingly nonsensical phrase "Poteryani Les."
"Poteryani Les is not a nonsense word; it's Russian. It means 'the lost forest' in Russian," Black Widow clarified.
She continued, "The lost forest is the site of a Gamma reactor meltdown that forced the entire city to evacuate. It's been abandoned ever since."
Following the signal, the Avengers tracked it to the abandoned Russian city of Poteryani Les. Tony explained that Project Arsenal may be in various forms—whether a container, a weapon, or a vehicle—since his father hadn't provided specific details.
As they explored, they found no signs of Gamma Radiation, leading Tony to a realization. Project Arsenal had been sent to Russia to contain the blast from a leaked gamma radiation, shedding light on its mysterious purpose and location.
The Avengers advanced toward the Gamma reactor, but their progress was interrupted as a colossal alien ship descended, unleashing a swarm of attacking drones.
Captain, Falcon, Hulk, and Thor positioned themselves outside the Gamma reactor chamber, ready to fend off the onslaught.
Simultaneously, Tony, Widow, Sharky, and Hawkeye ventured inside the factory. Their exploration led them to a container holding contained Gamma Radiation.
To their astonishment, they discovered someone—or something—within. A robotic voice announced that the Gamma reactor was on the brink of overloading in 50 seconds.
"It's not someone; it's something. Project Arsenal – that's what's been keeping all the gamma radiation in check for years," Tony elucidated.
Red Skull mentioned the Power Stone, prompting Tony to question if the Power Gem could be placed inside the Arsenal
He asked, "Can someone put the Power Gem inside the Arsenal?"
"Give me," Sharky volunteered. Taking the Power Gem, he entered the Gamma Radiation area and carefully placed the gem on the Arsenal.
As the Gamma Radiation initially expanded, there was a moment of tension, but then it rapidly shrunk and disappeared.
"Project Arsenal is back online. Gamma Blast contained," Arsenal announced, signaling the success of their mission to harness the Power Gem and prevent a catastrophic overload.
The revelation unfolded that Project Arsenal was a robot developed by Howard Stark, designed to store immense amounts of energy. With six eyes on its face, the robot held a mysterious capability to shuttle Gamma Radiation.
"He funneled the Gamma Radiation, but where? These readings make no sense," Tony expressed in shock.
Captain reminded Tony of the imminent threat from the attacking drones, emphasizing the need to deal with the immediate danger first.
Red Skull suggested deploying Arsenal against Thanos, but Hawkeye intervened, asserting that it wasn't a job for a super villain. Taking charge, he commanded Arsenal himself.
"Incapacitate invading forces?" Arsenal inquired, to which Hawkeye nodded. However, Arsenal responded with "Error. Unauthorized user."
Even Hulk's intimidating roar didn't sway Arsenal, prompting Tony to ponder activating it. Suddenly, Arsenal replied, "Voice Recognition. Authorized user," revealing that Howard, feeling remorse for not spending enough time with Tony, had programmed Arsenal to be Tony's friend and work on his command.
"Okay then, destroy the attacking ships," Tony commanded, and Arsenal complied, swiftly absorbing the alien ship's attacks. Together with the Avengers, they managed to destroy the ship within seconds.
Tony expressed gratitude to his dad as he observed Arsenal. After the destruction of the drones, Iron Man examined Arsenal in the Avengers Tower, unveiling its secondary program to control energy. The primary program focused on Tony's safety and companionship.
Meanwhile, in Russia, Thanos emerged from the destroyed ship, unleashing devastating punches that demolished numerous buildings, signaling the arrival of a formidable foe.