DC Heroes in Marvel

"Hehehehehehe—"

Maleski's neck was gripped tightly by Superman. As he stared into Superman's cold, indifferent eyes, he felt an overwhelming sense of doom. 

Death seemed inevitable in the next second, and his body froze under the crushing weight of an unimaginable aura. He was caught in a struggle—not one of resistance, but of fear, unable to even move.

Seeing this, the Asgardians felt a surge of renewed vigor, while the dark elves, their sworn enemies, were visibly shaken.

"Strike!"

"Kill these bastards!"

Heimdall roared, raising his divine sword high above his head. His face was flushed with determination as he commanded the soldiers beside him to board their aircraft and take to Asgard's skies.

The battle between Superman and Maleski, along with the invasion of the dark elves, felt like it had been going on for ages. In reality, only ten minutes had passed.

With Thor and Superman leading the charge and Odin using all his divine power to shield the palace, Asgard's forces had been given the best possible conditions to regroup. Now, with their warriors assembled, Asgard launched a long-awaited counterattack.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Weapons clashed as Asgardian soldiers engaged the enemy warships mid-air. At the forefront of the charge was Heimdall, wielding his legendary sword while riding a majestic Pegasus.

As Asgard's ever-vigilant gatekeeper, Heimdall held a special position. He was not only one of Odin's most loyal followers but also one of his bravest warriors.

His Pegasus, a pure-white steed with grand wings, was said to only accept riders with pure hearts. Though Heimdall's unwavering loyalty and courage didn't quite equate to purity, it was enough for him to earn the right to ride. 

And so, as he soared through the battlefield, sword raised high, fighting the dark elves with unyielding might, the Asgardians erupted into cheers.

Odin lowered his scepter, withdrawing his seemingly infinite divine energy. He gazed calmly at the battle unfolding in the skies—Thor wielding Mjolnir in relentless strikes, Superman suspending Maleski midair by the throat, and the vast armada of dark elf warships.

Victory was within reach. There was no longer any need for him to intervene.

Rumble! Rumble!

The dark elves, already struggling after the fall of their leader at Superman's hands, were losing morale fast. Their attacks weakened, and the fleet's cohesion started to crumble under Asgard's ferocious counteroffensive.

Victory was slipping away.

Some among the dark elves considered retreating. Others didn't hesitate—they turned their warships around, desperate to escape Asgard's wrath.

But the Asgardians weren't about to let them flee so easily.

Anyone who dared to invade Asgard would pay dearly.

While some warriors focused on cutting off the deserters, the majority clashed with the remaining enemy battleships.

Minutes passed.

Though Asgard had suffered losses, the dark elves had been utterly devastated. Their fleet was shattered, reduced to a mere handful of survivors, trembling in fear.

But where was Superman?

Thor was still visible, hammer in hand, but Superman had disappeared.

Instead of returning to the palace after capturing Maleski, he had taken both Maleski and Jane Foster and flown them to a forest on the outskirts of Asgard's palace grounds.

As they landed, Jane looked around in bewilderment.

"What... what's happening?" she asked, staring at Superman in shock.

Feeling solid ground beneath her feet again, a wave of relief washed over her—more than she had ever felt before.

The past few minutes of being carried through the air by Superman had been nothing short of a whirlwind. It had been exhilarating, terrifying, and disorienting all at once.

Jane Foster had just experienced the literal ups and downs of life.

"The Aether particles inside you are a sacred artifact of the Dark Elf race."

Anton spoke calmly. "If there's only one person in this world who knows how to extract the Aether from your body, it's their leader."

Maleski let out a loud laugh upon hearing this.

"I see."

He suddenly understood why the man in front of him hadn't killed him yet. "You want something from me. But if you think I'll help you, you're mistaken. Kill me if you must—I won't let the enemy get what they want."

"Oh, I will kill you," Anton replied, his tone unwavering.

Maleski was taken aback. This was not the response he had expected.

"But not yet. Not until you tell me how to extract the Aether."

"I told you—I won't say a word."

"We'll see about that."

After a brief exchange, Jane Foster noticed something unusual. A golden rope appeared in Superman's hand.

"Is that...?"

As someone from Earth, Jane immediately recognized it. Among all the heroes in the Justice League, there was only one who used a weapon like that—Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth.

The moment she realized what it was, a spark of hope ignited inside her.

I'm saved!

Meanwhile, Maleski, like a lost traveler returning home to find his village burned down, stared blankly at the golden rope now binding him. His mouth curled into a sneer.

"Don't waste your time!"

Maleski scoffed, arrogance still intact. "You can kill me, but I'll never tell you that the energy-absorbing device on my arm can extract the Aether from this woman—"

His words stopped abruptly.

His face twisted into shock. His mouth hung open in disbelief.

"Pfft!"

Jane, who had been watching, suddenly burst into laughter. She covered her mouth, barely able to contain herself as she let out a merciless chuckle.

"Wait... what?!"

Maleski's eyes darted to the sky, his mind blank.

"That's impossible... That's not what I meant to say!"

It hit him all at once. His head snapped back toward the golden rope, and he finally realized what had happened.

"You... you used magic on me!"

Superman, unfazed, reached for Maleski's energy absorber and tore it from his shoulder. His other hand pressed firmly against the Dark Elf's head.

"Yes," Superman said, his tone calm but his gaze ice-cold. "It's magic."

Maleski's entire body tensed.

Superman's grip tightened.

"And now..." Anton continued, "you're no longer useful."

"Wai—"

Before Maleski could finish, a blinding heat flared from Superman's eyes.

BOOM!

A scorching beam of thermal vision vaporized Maleski's body into nothing but ash. Only his head remained, gripped firmly in Superman's hand, his lifeless eyes frozen in an expression of disbelief.

Jane recoiled in disgust.

"If you're going to kill him, fine. But why keep the head?"

Anton's Superman smiled slightly.

"It's a gift for Odin."

Jane raised an eyebrow.

"I can't come to Asgard empty-handed on my first visit, can I? This was a rare opportunity—so why not bring a little something?" He glanced down at Maleski's severed head. "Trust me, Odin will love this present."

After a brief pause, Anton shifted his gaze to Jane and activated the energy absorber.

"Ah—!"

Jane gasped as the blood in her body felt like it was boiling.

From every inch of her skin, from every pore, dark red tendrils of viscous liquid surged outward—like blood being pulled from her very soul.

Her limbs went limp. Her vision blurred.

Hot. Too hot...

Jane barely managed to form a thought as her consciousness wavered.

"Hold on," Anton said.

Through X-ray vision, he watched as the Aether—one of the Infinity Stones—was steadily drawn from her body.

Finally, after thirty seconds, the extraction was complete.

The swirling mass of crimson energy floated in mid-air, condensing and solidifying.

Within moments, the once-liquid Aether took the form of a perfectly cut, crystal-clear ruby.

Superman squeezed the Aether, now crystallized into a real gem, in his hand. He didn't sense any malice from the Infinity Stone.

A faint smile appeared on his lips as he turned to Jane Foster. She was drenched in sweat, her breathing unsteady, and though she tried to hide it, fear flickered in her eyes.

With a casual shrug, he said, "Let's go. Your body is fine now."

Before Jane could respond, Superman scooped her up and took off toward the palace of Asgard.

Whoosh!

"What—?!"

Jane had barely recovered from the excruciating pain, and now she was being hurled into the air at breakneck speed.

"Damn you, Superman!" she cursed internally.

Anton, still in his Superman form, descended from the sky, carrying Jane Foster. As they landed, he stepped forward toward Odin and—

Boom!

—tossed Maleski's severed head onto the ground.

The grayish-white head rolled a few times before stopping at Odin's feet, its face frozen in an expression of pure terror, lifeless eyes staring blankly.

Anton met Odin's gaze and said flatly, "I think we're even now."

He crossed his arms. "Maleski is dead. The remaining Dark Elves have lost their will to fight. Right now, they're nothing more than scattered, broken warriors. Asgard is safe. Congratulations, Odin. Your kingdom has once again proven its strength."

Odin, his once golden hair now faded to gray, stood tall despite the deep lines on his face. His presence still carried the undeniable majesty of a king.

He looked at Anton with a solemn expression. "No… it is I who should thank you, Superman."

His voice, though aged, carried weight. "You have changed the future."

Anton's expression remained unreadable, but inwardly, a ripple of unease passed through him. A dozen thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

Odin…

Could he see into the future?

No. That shouldn't be possible.

Anton was certain that Odin didn't possess the ability to foresee what was to come. Yet, Odin's words and demeanor suggested otherwise.

Something was off.

Odin was strong—that much was clear, even from the movies.

In his youth, he had defeated Laufey, King of the Frost Giants. With a single enchantment, he had stripped Thor of his divine power. When Thor and Loki had nearly fallen into the abyss beneath the World Tree, Odin had effortlessly pulled them back—defying the pull of a black hole-like void. Most impressively, during the Battle of New York, despite the Rainbow Bridge being destroyed, Odin had somehow summoned enough dark energy to send Thor back to Earth.

That last feat alone was insane.

To put it in perspective—the Rainbow Bridge was considered the second most powerful weapon in the universe, second only to the Infinity Stones. When fully activated, it had the potential to destroy entire dimensions.

In Thor (2011), Loki had nearly wiped out Jotunheim using its power.

If Odin could replicate that energy with his own power, then…

At his peak, Odin's strength might have even surpassed Thanos before he acquired the Infinity Stones.

Yet, even all of that wasn't enough to explain what was happening here.

And it definitely didn't explain how Odin seemed to know about the future.

More importantly—Odin was dying.

His power, though still formidable, was fading. His spirit was waning. In just a few short years, Odin would succumb to old age and dementia—his once-great mind reduced to frailty.

A fallen king. A legend at its end.

If he could see the future, then why hadn't he stopped his own decline?

Anton narrowed his eyes.

The only known reason someone could see into the future was through the Eye of Agamotto—the Time Stone.

The Ancient One used it to gaze across thousands of possible futures.

But Odin never had access to the Time Stone.

So how…?

Unless—

A sudden thought struck Anton.

His gaze sharpened as he stared at Odin.

"You know about the Sacred Timeline!"

The moment Anton voiced the idea, he felt certain. Odin must have some knowledge of the timeline—perhaps even the existence of the Time Variance Authority (TVA).

From the perspective of a structured timeline, there was a precedent for this.

Loki, in one version of events, had fallen into the cracks of time and discovered the TVA's existence.

And as Loki traveled through different points in time, perhaps at some moment, he returned to the past and encountered Odin—the Odin that existed in this particular time and space.

That was the most reasonable explanation.

"..."

Odin remained silent, his expression unreadable. Then, after a moment, he spoke.

"Time possesses both boundless destruction and boundless creation…

"Because of it, the multiverse endlessly expands…

"I once believed that the future was shaped by every living being in the universe. I never imagined that our destinies could be preordained by others."

His gaze turned solemn.

"Superman, have you considered the consequences of changing the future?"

"By altering the course of time, you risk angering the great beings who have set our fates in stone."

"The moment you create a branching timeline—even with a single misstep—you will have already drawn their attention."

Odin's words echoed in Anton's and Jane Foster's ears.

Jane, for her part, looked utterly lost.

But Anton understood.

Odin was warning him.

Anton's response was calm but firm.

"I don't believe in a future dictated by others. The future isn't planned—it's made."

"At the very least, my future belongs to me alone."

Odin did not seem surprised by the answer.

At that moment, outside the palace, the battle was reaching its conclusion.

Under the leadership of Thor and Heimdall, the Asgardian soldiers had gained the upper hand, securing an overwhelming victory.

With Maleski dead, the Dark Elves no longer had the will or means to resist.

The war was over.

Odin raised his scepter, his voice carrying across Asgard.

"Regardless of what the future holds, I must thank you for standing with Asgard today."

His eyes met Anton's.

"From this day forth, you shall be an honored guest of Asgard.

"There will be no secrets hidden from you—Asgard will be open to you in its entirety.

"Your status shall be second only to me, equal to my son, Thor.

"And should you ever need it, you may even command Asgard's army.

"This is the power I grant you. This is my highest gratitude!"

…

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