The powerful yet gentle energy nourished every cell in Beckett's body, a sensation Beckett found very comfortable. Though it wasn't the first time. For the young Beckett, bathing was second only to learning from his adoptive father, Thanos.
The cells greedily devoured the energy from the Nutrient Fluid, growing stronger. His tender body continuously fine-tuned itself based on the energy intake. The Saiyan body's self-adjustment instinct was one of the traits Thanos admired. In his eyes, this frequent self-adjustment, coupled with strong adaptability and recovery abilities, was likely why Beckett's race was particularly suited for combat.
He truly looked forward to seeing how high Beckett would grow once he was fully trained. In terms of combat power, the Black Order under his command was not lacking. Whether it was Corvus Glaive or Proxima Midnight, even the seemingly weakest of the four, Ebony Maw, possessed the ability to lead a team and command battles independently. Over the years, his steady progress across the universe towards his ideal would not have been possible without the four generals.
But, that was all there was to it.
Thanos could see the limit of the Black Order at a glance. To achieve his grand ideal, these four alone were far from enough. This universe was vast, so vast that even the current Thanos didn't know how many planets needed saving out there. A warrior whose future combat power could surpass the Black Order was worth Thanos's careful cultivation. Moreover, unlike the Black Order, Beckett had been by Thanos's side since he was an unknowing infant, receiving Thanos's ideological indoctrination and combat training. He was nothing like those seductive temptresses who joined later.
This was the fundamental difference between his own people and outsiders.
Time ticked by. Thanos removed his helmet and sat casually before the Nutrient Pod, awaiting his son's emergence from the bath. No matter how busy he was, upon returning to the Sanctuary, he would always make time to chat with his children, share his thoughts, and subtly impart his philosophy, thereby influencing Beckett's innocent and unaware mind.
Thanos saw this as a channel for communication with his son. Beckett, still a blank slate, could be painted and drawn upon as he wished.
"Dad."
When the Nutrient Pod's hatch opened, a dripping wet Beckett emerged, only to see Thanos sitting alone before the pod.
"This time is double the last. Beckett, your progress is truly rapid, far exceeding my imagination." Thanos took out the black training clothes he had prepared, helped the small-limbed Beckett put them on, and then reached out to rub Beckett's still-damp hair, his face etched with satisfaction and tenderness.
The longer Beckett stayed in the Nutrient Pod, the more energy he absorbed. From less than an hour initially to two days in one go now, this was Beckett's progress over the past year.
"Really?" Little Beckett looked up in surprise, his red tail wagging with excitement behind him. Hearing Thanos praise him was what he loved most over the past year. Besides signifying Thanos's approval, it also meant he was one step closer to finding Frieza and avenging his mother.
He enjoyed this feeling of steady, step-by-step progress, which was also what Thanos taught him. One must be grounded, stick to a goal without wavering, and put in 100% effort. Every small growth, every minor gain, would eventually form the steps leading to the throne of success.
"How fast is my progress?" Beckett asked, his big eyes blinking, his young face full of anticipation. His red tail, unwilling to be left out, swayed before Thanos's eyes.
"Your progress is faster than light," Thanos said, smiling kindly and taking Beckett's hand.
How fast was light? Beckett, having received Thanos's education, was naturally familiar with the concept. Hearing Thanos praise him so highly, Beckett instinctively wanted to grin, but then he remembered his father's teaching to remain impassive. He immediately began to control his emotions and facial muscles.
"You don't need to hide yourself from me. I am your father, not your enemy."
A father and son's conversation, a sketch of future aspirations.
"Then, Dad, what is your ideal?"
Thinking of his own goal to exterminate Frieza, Beckett looked up, his big eyes filled with curiosity.
It had been three years since Thanos brought him back to the Sanctuary. For three years, he had heard people around him mention "for Lord Thanos's ideal" countless times, especially Ebony Maw, who seemed so frail. He said it the most. He would start but never finish, transitioning to flattering Thanos and the Titans. This made Beckett genuinely curious about the ideal his adoptive father had been striving for.
My ideal?
Upon hearing this, Thanos's smile gradually faded. The sudden change in his expression caused the young Beckett to look confused. However, this confusion didn't last long before Thanos lifted him onto his shoulders and carried him out of the Sanctuary Base, towards the edge of the sacred land.
The dark universe and the brilliant starlight together formed a magnificent tapestry, slowly unfolding in the eyes of Beckett, who sat on Thanos's shoulders.
"Beckett, do you see those stars shining so brightly?" Thanos raised his right hand, casually pointing a finger at the brightest star in the sky. Beckett nodded, not understanding, as he followed Thanos's gaze.
"This universe contains a vast number of planets. Each of them is as captivating as the stars you see. Together, these captivating planets form this vibrant universe, providing the soil and resources for all life that exists within it."
"But resources are finite, and the reproduction of life is endless. The increase in new life will inevitably lead to the depletion of resources in the universe. My ideal is to give planets whose resources are beginning to dwindle a second chance at development in an absolutely fair manner."
By absolutely fairly eliminating half the population of a planet, the remaining people could fully utilize the saved resources to start a new, better life. It might be cruel, but this was the only firm belief Thanos held in his heart after the destruction of his homeworld, Titan.
Even the Titan race, where everyone was like a dragon, could not escape the fate that followed resource depletion. Not to mention the planets in the universe that were not even as advanced as Titan.
Many strong and wise individuals in the universe had seen this contradiction, but for years, no one had taken action to improve the cosmic environment. Thanos, once exiled by Titan, had also been lost, questioning whether his choice was correct. However, the Titan race that exiled him failed, and as the price for their failure, Titan's prosperous civilization was destroyed.
The fate of his homeworld reaffirmed Thanos's conviction.
As a survivor of the Titan race, he believed he was destiny. Since no one in the universe was willing to step forward, he would. This was the path he was destined to walk, without regret.
Some said he had no right to make this choice for the universe, but Thanos himself did not think so. The tragedy of Titan was a fact, and he could not reverse it, but he could prevent similar tragedies from befalling other planets in the universe.
In Thanos's view, those who opposed him were utterly foolish. Destined to go down this path to the very end, Thanos had long been prepared to face the entire world alone.
"Then, after Dad finishes his ideal, what will you do?" Beckett, not fully grasping what Thanos had said, wrapped his hands around Thanos's chin and asked curiously.
"Yes, what will I do after completing my ideal?" Thanos smiled, patting Beckett's warm little hand, and looked up at the boundless starry sky.
Perhaps he would find an uninhabited planet and become a self-sufficient old farmer. He'd grow vegetables in the fields, wash melons by the river, and in his leisure time, sit on his doorstep watching the beautiful sunset in the distance.
After a lifetime of fighting, he would enjoy his twilight years.
In fact, the Thanos in Avengers 3 is truly the most brilliantly portrayed villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in my opinion. Unlike his simpering behavior in the comics, Thanos's ideal in the movie Avengers 3 is arguably the most unique among all the superhero movies, lol.
Although it's far-fetched, incredibly so, it has indeed made Thanos's "family planning committee" image deeply ingrained.
The tragedy of the lonely old farmer in Avengers 4 being beheaded is simply heartbreaking, making listeners weep, hahahaha.
Also, I personally do not agree with Thanos's ideology. To prevent any nitpickers from arguing with me, I'll state this explicitly. This book is a story that my friend and I came up with on a whim after watching Avengers 4. The ideas spiraled out of control, and following the principle of "better to channel than to block," I wrote and published it. Thanos in Avengers 3 and 4 truly possesses a unique villainous charm. Especially Thanos's attitude at the end of Avengers 4, calmly waiting for death without saying a word after taking off his helmet, truly made me differentiate between the movie Thanos and the comic Thanos.
Although Avengers 4 has a lot of plot holes, it at least had a beginning and an end. It started with Iron Man ten years ago and ended with Iron Man ten years later. For future Marvel movies, I might only watch Tom Holland's Spider-Man and Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange. I've become numb to Marvel movies.
Lastly, I wonder if the DC Joker movie will be a huge hit. Speaking of which, I was actually a big Superman fan of DC at first, lol.
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