On Bleecker Street, a conflict among six combatants threatened to spiral out of control. As the perimeter was breached, the fighting escalated.
"Damn it!" Luke yelled, leaping away from a blast of Sith lightning.
In response, Hector Ayala—also known as White Tiger—lunged forward with a broken car door and hurled it at Karnes Muur.
The Sith Lord simply caught the flying door with his tentacles and crushed it instantly.
His compacted metal sphere was then thrown back at its sender. White Tiger dove aside and avoided it.
As Muur was about to unleash a wave of spells at them, he was struck from behind.
"Taste this, asshole!" Jessica Jones said, kicking the Sith Lord and sending him flying toward Luke Cage.
The blow propelled the Sith a considerable distance, directly into Danny Rand's path. Danny slammed Muur into the ground with his Iron Fist.
Before Danny could land another strike, he was thrown away by a Force blast from their ancient adversary.
Luke and White Tiger were also hurled back, both hitting the ground hard.
"Focus, you idiots!" Jessica said, watching as Muur was suddenly attacked by Kaecilius, who then swatted away Danny—aka Iron Fist—who'd recovered and attempted attacking the other magic user.
Iron Fist was intercepted by Kaecilius, who caught his wrist, spun him around, and threw him aside.
Jessica flew up and caught him just in time, bringing him safely to ground.
"Damn it," Iron Fist muttered, throwing a quick glance at Jones before the four fighters formed defensive positions.
"This planet keeps improving," Muur chuckled maniacally. "I never knew so many powerful beings existed in a place like this."
"Did he just say planet?" White Tiger asked.
"Focus!" Luke Cage—aka Power Man—exclaimed.
The four heroes returned to their stances, ready to continue battling Muur and Kaecilius, summoning weapons to fight.
Just then, a portal materialized in the New York Sanctum, and Doctor Strange and Celeste Morn emerged.
"She's fine," the Jedi commented with relief.
"Yes. Much better than I expected."
"You know, you still have a chance with her," Morn said. "I can sense it."
Their reunion had been awkward—their last interaction hadn't exactly ended well.
Needless to say, Christine had numerous grievances with her ex-boyfriend. Sadly, they had to be postponed because she needed to repair him.
Though Doctor Strange was wounded, he used astral projection to assist Doctor Palmer throughout the procedure.
This undoubtedly left her shocked by what she witnessed, and though she felt uneasy, she completed the surgery.
As Doctor Strange recovered, his astral self explained to Dr. Palmer what had happened since their last meeting. Celeste added details, especially about current events.
Since they were time-constrained, Celeste employed Force healing to accelerate the process so Doctor Strange could return to action.
As they traversed the attacked Sanctum, they reached the foyer and found—
"I'm glad you two finally made it back."
Sitting on one of the steps was Ghost Rider.
"Robbie," Celeste said, relieved to see him unharmed.
"What happened?" Doctor Strange asked.
Reyes brushed debris and dust from his body. "Yeah, there's definitely a situation developing. Right outside."
"Why didn't you—"
"Needed to wait until you returned," Robbie said. "And things are getting messy."
Doctor Strange opened his mouth, wanting to ask how serious this could be—
"Doctor Strange. Celeste." A familiar voice called from the Sanctum's corridors.
All three turned to see Mordo round a corner, relief evident on his face as he approached quickly.
"Are you alright?" Mordo exhaled with a slight smile.
"Relatively speaking, we're fine," Doctor Strange said.
"How's Kathmandu?" Celeste asked.
"Secure for now. But we have other matters to address."
"Yes, the two dark lords are outside still battling four other powerful individuals," Ghost Rider said, gesturing toward the Sanctum's exit.
The three sorcerers heard an explosion outside and looked at Reyes in confusion.
"Time to begin," Doctor Strange muttered.
They rushed to the entrance, passed through, and witnessed the devastation on Bleecker Street.
They emerged to encounter a bizarre sight, to say the least...
Then again, the entire day had been insane and surreal for all four of them, so they weren't certain how this would compare anymore.
"Who are you people?" Doctor Strange called loudly, attracting the attention of six combatants in the street.
They faced the four newcomers, regarding the magical heroes with confusion.
"Who are we? Who are you?" Jessica Jones asked, eyeing them suspiciously.
"We're here to stop those bastards," Doctor Strange said bluntly, pointing at Muur and Kaecilius.
"Interesting—us too," Iron Fist said.
"Rand," Cage and Jones said simultaneously.
"What? They're here to help," Iron Fist protested.
"Oh yeah? How are they going to help us?" White Tiger asked, his tone indicating skepticism.
"Kick their asses," was Ghost Rider's response.
The four street heroes' eyes widened at what they'd just witnessed as the three sorcerers summoned their magic to confront Kaecilius and the Sith Lord.
In response, Muur raised his hands.
Around him, the ground fractured and exploded as different variants of Rakghouls crawled forth.
Kaecilius clenched his jaw slightly, surveying the large group of opponents. Though powerful under Dormammu's blessing, even he wasn't foolish enough to engage so many enemies simultaneously.
He waved his hand, and a portal opened behind him.
His three remaining zealots stepped through, standing beside their master to face the two opposing teams.
"Shit," Doctor Strange muttered. "This is excessive."
"We can defeat them," Mordo said, raising the Staff of the Living Tribunal.
"Are you certain?" Doctor Strange muttered, staring at the escalating number of enemies they now confronted.
While one confrontation unfolded, another group arrived.
The four-person team consisting of Iron Man, Hawkeye, Shuri, and their newest member flew toward the location at maximum speed in a Quinjet.
"So what did you determine from these energy readings, Shuri?" Hawkeye asked from the pilot's seat, with the princess as co-pilot.
She remained occupied analyzing the surging energy signatures, frowning in concentration.
"It took considerable time, but..." Shuri frowned, raising the vibranium bracelet on her wrist.
A holographic display of structures the Avengers had been monitoring appeared.
"The portal signatures here exhibit similar readings, and they remind me of the Black Panther ceremony back home."
"The Black Panther Ritual?" their newest member asked curiously.
"Yes," Shuri nodded. "In simple terms, it's a mystical ceremony allowing Wakandan royalty to commune with the ancestral Black Panthers who now inhabit the endless savannahs of the afterlife."
"So there is an afterlife," Iron Man muttered. "Well... if gods and aliens are real, heaven and hell aren't out of the question anymore, honestly. What do you think, Clint?"
The world-class marksman simply shrugged. "Ever since I met Thor, I stopped questioning the impossible and just accepted it."
Stark hummed thoughtfully, glancing at their newest member.
"So Jen—ready for your first mission as an Avenger?"
The woman he addressed was Jennifer Walters, also known as She-Hulk—an accomplished attorney who stood tall and powerful, except she was green.
Why green?
Because she'd nearly died in a shooting several years ago and desperately needed a blood transfusion.
Who provided that blood?
Her cousin, Bruce Banner.
Known worldwide as the Incredible Hulk, one of the six original Avengers.
In the rare moments the cousins had together, much had transpired since Bruce went underground. He was the only one with a compatible blood type. Neither anticipated the transfusion's consequences.
Initially standing over six feet tall, once transformed she reached nearly seven feet. Her slender frame became more muscular to accommodate the drastic height change. Her long hair cascaded down her back, radiating an emerald sheen. The meek, cautious expression in her dark eyes was replaced by bright green intensity and confidence.
Her costume was created through collaboration between Tony Stark and Hank Pym, accommodating Jennifer's dramatic height transformation. Though a form-fitting bodysuit covering everything except her hands and head, it was incredibly durable. The color scheme featured purple and light gray.
It had been truly memorable when Tony, Clint, Hank, and Shuri first met her.
Now the four prepared for battle, ready for anything.
"We're approaching the energy source's epicenter," Shuri announced expectantly.
"Alright then," Tony's helmet snapped closed over his head. "Let's move, Avengers."
The Quinjet flew over Bleecker Street and circled momentarily.
Setting the aircraft on autopilot, the four heroes rose from their seats and prepared.
Shuri tapped the necklace around her throat. The nanobots activated, sprouting from the Wakandan jewelry and rapidly covering her body, revealing the sleek Black Panther suit that quickly enclosed her head.
The primary differences between her brother's suit and her own design were the fur collar-like feature around her neck and slightly bulkier gauntlets.
Hawkeye swung his arm sharply, his quiver deploying.
Upon arrival, the plane circled with the ramp open. Friday assumed control of the systems and would relocate the aircraft once the occupants departed.
The assembled Avengers exited in their respective ways, proceeding after landing to encounter an unusual sight.
A silent, tense standoff ensued as everyone present attempted comprehending the truly bizarre assembly now occupying Bleecker Street.
No one quite knew what to say or do in this situation, so naturally, Iron Man would be first.
"Okay," Iron Man said loudly, hovering as he assessed the situation. "So uh... is this some Harry Potter convention or what?"
"Okay, Cage, Jones—you two mind explaining?" Hawkeye said, staring at the pair standing with Iron Fist and White Tiger.
"Looks like we're Defenders now," Power Man Luke Cage commented mockingly.
"We can essentially use this as your trial run to see if you're worthy," the Iron Avenger said.
"So who are you people?" She-Hulk asked, studying the three sorcerers and one rider.
She particularly couldn't help staring at the flaming-skulled individual with slight horror.
"What you need to understand is we're the good guys, and we're here to prevent these two from either consuming the world or allowing it to be consumed by a cosmic entity of overwhelming power," Doctor Strange summarized.
"Oh really?" Iron Man said. "The pink-eyed guy and the obviously evil pointy-eared bastard are the villains?"
"That's precisely what we said," Celeste remarked, raising her lightsaber.
"Oh, this is delightful," Muur said, a manic grin spreading across his face as Rakghouls snarled around him. "More victims falling into my grasp."
"Yeah," Hawkeye said, rolling his eyes while nocking an arrow. "Villain."
Events threatened degenerating into unbridled chaos as all parties prepared for battle, but Doctor Strange had other plans.