However, unbeknownst to the victorious heroes, just before the destruction of Thanos and the Power Gem, the Mad Titan cunningly employed the Tesseract Cube to vanish from the scene.
Now, on the desolate Titan Planet, Thanos erupted into maniacal laughter. The Power Stone, once again securely affixed within his reconstructed Infinity Gauntlet, signaled the revival of his malevolent plan—to reclaim the remaining four stones scattered across the vast cosmos.
With an ominous knowledge of how to obtain the remaining four Infinity Gems, Thanos stood in commanding presence on Titan.
Before him, five figures knelt in submission. These beings were none other than the formidable members of the Black Order, led by Cull Obsidian.
Among them, one was near the size of Hulk, wielding a giant mace adorned with thorns. This formidable figure was known as Black Dwarf.
Beside him, a blue-colored girl with one hand encased in mechanical armor brandished a spear with deadly precision. She was Proxima Midnight.
The third member, a goblin-like being and the brother of Black Dwarf, as well as the husband of Proxima Midnight, wielded a double-bladed staff with deadly precision. His name was Corvus Glaive.
The fourth member, known as Supergiant, distinguished herself for her mastery of mind control. Adorned in a mix of white and black attire, she eschewed conventional weapons.
Last important member was Ebony Maw, the most intelligent being in the Black Order.
Ebony Maw addressed Thanos, "You are welcome, our master, the great Thanos. What is your command?"
Thanos, with an air of authority, issued his decree, "My order is simple—go and bring me the Infinity Gems."
"As you wish, my master," responded the Black Order in unison.
With a shared purpose, they go on a journey to secure the Infinity Gems and fulfill the Mad Titan's command.
—
In the ethereal realm of Valhalla, Loki hatched a plan to escape, fortuitously discovering the Space Gem. Contemplating his next move, he mused, "So, what problem shall I create for Thor this time?"
However, his schemes were abruptly interrupted when he spotted five mysterious beings before him. "Who are you jokers? What are you doing here?" Loki demanded.
"Ebony Maw, what is he saying?" inquired Supergiant.
"He's asking about us," Ebony Maw responded. With a swift gesture of his hand, he employed telekinesis to freeze Loki before he could react.
"We are the Black Order, loyal servants of Thanos," Supergiant declared, removing a locket from Loki's neck. Within it was the Purple Gem—the Space Gem.
"You can't take it!" Loki shouted, but before he could intervene, the Black Order departed Valhalla, securing the Space Gem.
Back in the presence of Thanos, Supergiant knelt and presented the Space Gem. "Master, the Space Gem is now in your possession." Thanos, pleased with their success.
Breaking the locket, he affixed the Space Gem onto his Infinity Gauntlet, joining it with the already present Gem.
The Black Order departed for their next destination.
---
Meanwhile, on Earth, A.I.M. prepared to launch missiles towards the Avengers Towers in their bid to capture the S.H.I.E.L.D Tricarrier.
Modok, the mastermind behind the plan, had discovered the Blue Gem, realizing its power, he controlled A.I.M. agents—an ability granted by the Mind Gem.
As Modok readied the assault, he was confronted by the five aliens.
"Who are you?" He asked, nearly disrupted by them.
"Who's the big head? He looks very dirty," remarked Proxima Midnight.
"Don't know, but it's not our concern," Ebony Maw dismissed. Sensing impending danger, Modok hastily attempted to use the power of the Mind Gem to control the intruders.
However, before Modok could enact his plan, Supergiant seized control of his mind.
Then Modok removed the Mind Gem with his own hands and handed it over to the Black Order.
"Three claimed, two to go," Ebony Maw declared. Returning to Thanos, they presented him with the Mind Gem before embarking on their quest for the next Gem.
Swiftly, they confronted the Squadron Supreme, overpowering them and seizing the Reality Gem. The last gem, the Time Gem, revealed itself where the Red Skull's ship had been obliterated, manifesting before them as if by fate. They also took it.
"Master, all the Infinity Gems are now in your possession. Order us, which place are we going to destroy?" Ebony Maw inquired.
The Black Order, loyal to Thanos and poised for the imminent cosmic quest, awaited their master's next command.
"Hahahaha, Avengers, Earth, we will destroy them. They are the first and the last beings to ever defeat me. Avengers, prepare for your doom!" Thanos laughed maniacally. He even started singing songs.
"I am Maniac, I am Mad Titan Maniac.
Who is gonna escape from me?
I am gonna destroy you all.
After all I am Maniac, I am Mad Titan Maniac."
—
Unbeknownst to the Avengers, Tony remained absorbed in repairing the Arsenal, completely unaware of the impending threat posed by Thanos and the formidable power of the assembled Infinity Gems.
—
Thanos and his general, the Black Order, attacked the New Korbin planet. Since Thanos already possessed the Infinity Gem, he wanted to destroy something first, and New Korbin obstructed his path.
"Quake, mortals. The universe shall soon bow before my master!" Proxima Midnight shouted at the Korbinite after landing on the planet with her spear.
The Korbinite feared Thanos and his Black Order. While the Black Order destroyed the inhabitants, Thanos moved toward the core of the planet and began absorbing its power into his body.
The planet Korbinite was obliterated, and no one escaped from there. Thanos, now a giant with the power of the planet, declared, "Now let's go to the Avengers!"
Everyone echoed his call, Thanos and the Black Order set course for Earth, landing first on the moon.
"Now, Avengers will kneel before me. I declare myself the supreme ruler of the universe," Thanos proclaimed.
"You are the supreme ruler of the universe, my master," Supergiant affirmed, while the others nodded.
Utilizing the powers of the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos began creating a Citadel for himself. He also erected a massive statue in his likeness.
"Millions of suns, worlds, and lives will be wiped out by the power of the Infinity Gauntlet—my power," Thanos declared, projecting a large holographic image of himself onto Earth.
As people went about their daily lives on Earth, a colossal image of Thanos suddenly appeared in the sky. "People of Earth, I am back to destroy the Earth. Avengers, if you want to save Earth, come to me and show your power," Thanos challenged.
"Whoa, how did Thanos survive? I thought we had destroyed him," Hawkeye exclaimed.
"I don't know, but we need to stop him from destroying Earth. To do that, we have to confront Thanos," Captain declared, leading everyone inside the Avenjet.
However, Tony opted to send his Iron Man suit. "Why aren't you coming, Tony?" Falcon inquired.
"I am working on the Arsenal, and my plan is to make it capable of absorbing the power of all the Infinity Gems. Follow my orders, keep Thanos busy, and let me finish the Arsenal," Tony revealed his plan.
"Okay, Tony, we'll keep Thanos busy," Ben nodded, and they approached Thanos.
Upon noticing the Avengers approaching, Thanos effortlessly obliterated their Avenjet as it collided with his Citadel. "Hahaha, a pathetic attempt from a pathetic species," Thanos scoffed, with his Black Order observing from the side.
This time, the Avengers weren't in the Avenjet but had arrived in the Titan robot, a creation of Tony using knowledge obtained from the Watcher.
"Okay, so a remote-piloted Avenjet isn't much against this guy," Tony remarked as the Avengers landed on the Citadel.
"You insult the Titan army by wearing armor from my home planet," Thanos bellowed.
Black Widow attempted to fight, but Thanos easily overpowered her. Thor attacked, and Thanos swiftly punched him toward the moon.
Despite the combined efforts of all Avengers, Thanos easily overwhelmed them.
"I have a plan to snatch his Infinity Gauntlet," Black Widow declared, emerging from her broken Titan Armor.
"If you have a plan, go for it," Ben encouraged, while Hulk hurled the broken parts of the Avenjet at Thanos.
"You think you can hit me with that?" Thanos laughed dismissively.
"Not you, but where you stand," Hulk declared, breaking the corner of the Citadel where Thanos stood. However, Thanos effortlessly repaired it using the powers of the Infinity Gauntlet.
Thor, charged with thunder, returned from the moon, and Black Widow became invisible, prepared to snatch the Infinity Gauntlet.
Yet, Thanos easily seized Black Widow by the neck and positioned her in front of Thor, halting his attack.
Thanos expelled Black Widow outside of the Citadel, where there was no oxygen, but Thor swiftly rescued her.
Attempting to use his Asgardian powers, Thor aimed to send Thanos to the Dark Dimension, but Thanos effortlessly broke the magical attempt.
"It would take infinite power to banish the likes of Thanos. Power which you do not possess. Only Thanos possesses," Thanos taunted.
Hulk relentlessly punched Thanos, but with little effect. In a single punch, Thanos slammed Hulk.
"Captain, it's time to execute the main plan," Iron Man said.