MARVEL: TOAA

Thor was right. Maybe they didn't deserve to be saved.

Tony Stark sat against a boulder, his armor battered and ammunition depleted from the previous frantic escapes. The once-imposing Iron Man was reduced to relying solely on the arc reactor embedded in his chest to power his suit.

He could have rebuilt his arsenal if he'd had access to a proper forge or workshop. But here, in this barren wasteland, any noise risked attracting Alioth—the cosmic pRaviontor whose looming shadow had haunted them for days.

Tony stared blankly at the chaos before him. People—those they had once risked everything to save—now turned on one another like feral beasts. Blood stained the dirt, and the air reeked of desperation and despair.

"Roar!"

The guttural rumble of Alioth echoed across the ravine. Its massive form loomed ever closer, yet the frenzied mob seemed oblivious. Only Steve Rogers noticed.

"Alioth is coming! Everyone, stop this madness!" Steve's commanding voice boomed through the crowd, but it was drowned out by the cacophony of screams and violence.

Steve leaped into the fray, his iconic shield flashing as he tried to separate the combatants. "Tony, Natasha, Barton—get up! We have to move!"

But his words fell on deaf ears. His teammates were paralyzed by despair, their spirits crushed by days of relentless terror and exhaustion. Natasha Romanoff sat huddled in the corner of a jeep, her face buried in her knees. Clint Barton clutched a photograph of his family, his fingers trembling as he stared vacantly into the distance.

Tony clenched his fists. "It's ironic, isn't it?" he muttered, his voice tinged with bitterness. "We're supposed to be the heroes, but now we're abandoning them. What kind of heroes does that make us?"

Steve's jaw tightened as he looked back at the chaos. He had no choice. "We can't save everyone, Tony. We have to save ourselves to fight another day."

With a heavy heart, Steve led the small group of still-conscious survivors away, leaving the rest to their grim fate.

"Roar!"

Alioth struck, its massive jaws consuming dozens in an instant. The screams of the devoured mingled with the cries of those still fighting, creating a macabre symphony of destruction.

Tony watched from the jeep as Alioth feasted. His voice cracked with frustration. "They brought this on themselves! I'm done carrying this weight. I need to find a way out of here—Pepper's waiting for me back home!"

Without another word, Tony powered up his suit and took off into the sky.

"Tony! Don't leave!" Steve shouted after him, but Tony didn't look back.

Hulk had been devoured, Thor had abandoned them, and now Tony was gone. The Avengers were shattered. Only Steve and Clint remained, their resolve hanging by a thread.

Steve gripped his shield tightly, his knuckles white. "We'll find a way. We'll survive this."

Meanwhile, in a secluded part of the wasteland, Ravion was putting Reina through her paces.

"Come on, Reina! Faster! Move your arms like wings—like a bird in flight!" Ravion called out, his voice tinged with encouragement.

Reina staggered under the weight of the small metal backpack Ravion had crafted for her. The added tension inside made every step a grueling challenge.

"My lungs… they're going to explode!" Reina gasped, her arms flailing weakly as she trudged along like a zombie.

"Alright, we'll take a break. But don't get used to it—we've still got a lot to cover," Ravion said, removing the weighted pack. Reina dropped to the ground, gulping air like a fish out of water.

As she recovered, Ravion transformed into his sentry robot form, a gleaming metallic giant. "Want to experience something fun, Reina?"

"Like what?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Flying."

Before she could protest, Ravion hoisted her onto his shoulders and launched into the air. The wind whipped around them as they soared through the sky.

"Yo ho!" Reina shouted, gripping the barbs on Ravion's shoulders tightly. The exhilaration of flight lit up her face.

But the joy was short-lived. Ravion's voice interrupted her revelry. "Remember, you only ran five kilometers. That's all the flying you get—five kilometers and no more."

"Aw, come on, Ravion! Five kilometers is nothing!" Reina pleaded.

"No exceptions," Ravion replied firmly. "Rewards need to stay fresh if they're going to motivate you."

Their banter was cut short by a loud crack in the sky. A rift opened above them, and through it tumbled a figure—a woman with long blonde hair, dual swords strapped to her back, and an outfit that seemed both practical and chaotic.

"HELP! I'm gonna die!" the woman screamed, flailing as she plummeted.

Then, mid-fall, she struck a dramatic pose. "Wait, is that… a rescue team? Handsome robot guy! Save me! I'll totally have your cyborg babies!"

Reina blinked in confusion. "What?"

The woman noticed Reina perched on Ravion's shoulders and shouted again, "I don't care if you're divorced with kids! I'll be the best stepmom ever!"

With a loud thud, the woman hit the ground, bounced twice, and lay still.

"Should we… check if she's okay?" Reina asked hesitantly.

"No," John cut in from Ravion's cradle, his voice firm. "That's Deadpool. And worse—a female Deadpool. Trust me, we don't want that kind of trouble."

Reina frowned. "Deadpool? Is that bad?"

John's baby face was unusually serious. "She's the ultimate chaos factor. The moment you get involved, nothing will ever be normal again."

He didn't need to explain further. Deadpool's reputation preceded her—unstable, unpredictable, and unkillable.

Ravion turned and flew away without another word.

Back on the ground, the woman groaned and sat up. "Bastard! Leaving a stunning superhero like me behind? What a eunuch! No taste at all!"

She patted her chest dramatically. "Seriously, who could resist these beauties? You'll regret this, robot guy! And to all you readers giving me zero points—screw you!"

With a flourish, she removed her mask, revealing a scarred face covered in blemishes and pus.

"Still gorgeous as ever," she muttered sarcastically. "And you, dear author, are dead for writing me like this."

In the distance, Alioth loomed. Its massive maw opened, and in an instant, the self-proclaimed "Female Deadpool" was swallowed whole.

"Well… crap," she said from inside its stomach. "This day just keeps getting better."

She raised a middle finger toward the heavens. "Bitch."