For Ronan, the Mind Stone's powers were kind of a dud—pretty much useless to him.
But holding onto it meant weakening Thanos' strength without him even knowing, and that was Ronan's game plan.
After saying goodbye to Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, Ronan got a visit from a new "friend."
Friend might be a stretch, though—they'd only met twice.
And one of those meetings landed Ronan in the mess he was in now.
Yup, it was Scarlet Witch, Wanda.
Her showing up caught Ronan off guard, to say the least.
If she'd wanted to come, tagging along with Tony Stark and the crew would've spared her facing Ronan's wrath solo.
She'd probably heard about their beef from the others by now—awkward didn't even begin to cover it.
So when Ronan sensed Scarlet Witch sneaking into the room, he could hardly believe it.
No way the 616 universe Scarlet Witch was still hanging around, right?
Or maybe she'd left some hint, nudging this Wanda to come take Ronan out when the chance popped up.
The second he laid eyes on her, Ronan's left hand—hidden behind his back—slipped on the Infinity Gauntlet without a sound.
If anything went sideways, Ronan had one move:
Run!
A gentleman's revenge can wait ten years!
Yup, Ronan was all aboard that train of thought.
"You look like you're scared of me?"
Ronan clocked Scarlet Witch's wary expression, eyeing her with surprise.
By all logic, she shouldn't be showing that kind of vibe.
"I've seen you before, but it must've been before that fight they talked about."
Scarlet Witch studied Ronan, like she was digging through her memory for his face.
Because in her mind, Ronan didn't look like *this*.
"But in my memory, we've never crossed paths."
Ronan kept his face neutral, but inside, he was piecing it together.
Probably that time he'd "messed with" Tony Stark and tested out Chaos Magic on the side.
Guess firsthand experience stuck way deeper than secondhand stories.
Still, Ronan had zero intention of admitting he'd met her—since that was "future" him.
"He was way more mature than you. If you're just handsome now, he was deep *and* handsome."
Scarlet Witch stepped closer, sizing Ronan up.
Her description made Ronan nod.
See? She zeroed in on the important stuff!
What's important? The face, duh!
Not like that Tony Stark guy—yeah, you heard me!
Petty much? If you can't take advice, don't give it!
Ronan was pretty pleased with her spot-on take, even easing up on the wariness in his gaze a bit.
Anyone who could appreciate beauty couldn't be *that* bad, right?
"I know what you're getting at, and I know what you're hinting."
"But whatever future me's like, I'm not buying it."
Ronan grinned, no plans to cop to being that guy.
But Scarlet Witch's face flickered with confusion.
"Thing is, you *feel* exactly like him to me."
"Except for looking younger, nothing's different."
"Not even your strength…"
That was what stumped her most.
By all logic, if that was future Ronan, his power should've shifted.
But she wasn't picking up any change.
Ronan's eyelid twitched. He hadn't expected Scarlet Witch—no, Chaos Magic specifically—to be this sharp.
It could even sense strength?
"That's not something I can answer. Maybe ask me again in a few years, or a decade."
"What I wanna know now is, why'd you come looking for me?"
Ronan pivoted the convo fast.
The more he said, the more he'd slip up—and he knew tricking Scarlet Witch, or Chaos Magic, wasn't a cakewalk.
"I came to thank you, about Pietro."
Scarlet Witch didn't dwell on it, cutting to her reason.
Ronan raised an eyebrow.
"You should be thanking Steve Rogers and them—they saved your brother, not me."
Normally, Ronan might've pocketed free gratitude like that.
But this was part of the "loser's terms" from that fight—he wasn't about to take her kindness.
"They saved Pietro, sure, but I know it all traces back to you."
Scarlet Witch shook her head, like she knew more than she let on.
Ronan gave her a surprised look.
Did the *other* Scarlet Witch leave her some memories?
"Who told you?"
Ronan was more curious about that.
"No one told me. Just, when I woke up and saw Pietro again, I had this gut feeling he'd leave me."
"Later, when he was actually in danger and got saved, I asked them why."
"All I got was one line."
'It was a deal.'"
Scarlet Witch laid out the whole story, staring at Ronan.
Hearing that, Ronan pretty much got it.
Twins have that special connection—Scarlet Witch definitely did.
That's why she'd unleashed such insane power when Pietro died.
Plus, with 616's Scarlet Witch possessing her, that intense bond with Pietro hit this Wanda hard too.
That's what sparked her hunch.
"So you tailed Steve Rogers and the gang on the down-low, trying to figure out what this 'deal' was all about?"
Ronan called out her play.
Scarlet Witch nodded—that was part of her plan.
"So, now that you've seen, got anything to say?"
Ronan raised his left hand, showing off the bandages wrapped all over him.
What's there to say? This was the worst beating Ronan had taken since he "debuted" years ago.
Before this, he was always the one dishing it out—never taking it.
But this one thrashing relit that spark in his kinda lazy heart, pushing him forward again.
"Was that other me really *that* strong?"
Scarlet Witch shook her head—she wasn't mocking him or anything, just digging for answers buried deep.
Like how her memory suddenly packed a ton of new Chaos Magic tricks out of nowhere.
It threw her off.
"You can feel her?"
Ronan lost track of how many times he'd been shocked.
Per the books, dreamwalking just hijacked your parallel universe self's body—no big memory leftovers.
But Scarlet Witch seemed different.
Was it Chaos Magic's fault?
"Yeah, it's faint, but I can sense another me lingered in my body for a bit."
"That feeling…"
Scarlet Witch tried to pin it down but couldn't find the words.
Because it was beyond description.
"Alright, looks like hiding stuff from you's pointless."
"But for me, that's good news."
Ronan shook his head—he wasn't some dummy who couldn't tell right from wrong.
Sure, they were both Scarlet Witch, both Wanda, but he knew who'd clocked him.
He'd also smacked *this* Scarlet Witch once before.
By that math, Ronan still owed her one.
So he laid out the whole deal for her—cause, effect, the works.
How 616's Scarlet Witch showed up, her goal, and how it all shook out.
He just left out the Darkhold and dreamwalking—after this, he was set on stashing that book somewhere safe.
No one's using the Darkhold against him again!!!
After hearing him out, Scarlet Witch sank into a long silence.
She'd never imagined having two kids and a "seemingly" happy family someday.
She could tell Ronan was still holding back a lot.
"So, everything she went through—is that my future too?"
For the first time, Scarlet Witch looked lost.
Was that really *her* future self?
"Nope."
"In that future, Pietro was dead. Here, he's alive and kicking."
"As for your future husband, his fate's shifting too."
"Who he is? Not telling—you'll figure that out yourself."
"Love's no fun without the surprise, right?"
Ronan didn't spill much—just a tiny sliver for her to chew on.
Whether she'd spiral over this "future" wasn't something he could control.
She'd asked for it, after all.
"I get it."
"I'll do everything I can to stop that tragic future, whatever it takes."
Scarlet Witch nodded, choosing to trust Ronan on what lay ahead.
Ronan nodded back at her quick grasp.
Not having to over-explain was a blessing—lying off the cuff took brainpower.
"That being the case, I hope you make good use of the 'legacy' she left you."
"Bet this time you picked up some insights you never had before, huh?"
It was a question, but Ronan already knew.
For someone as sharp as Scarlet Witch, catching emotional shifts meant catching other stuff too.
Like Chaos Magic.
She nodded, spreading her hands—familiar red energy flared around her again.
But then she frowned.
"It's like… it's resisting you."
"No, more like it *hates* you?"
Scarlet Witch muttered, unsure.
Ronan smirked.
Hate? No kidding.
He'd just beat it down not long ago—*not* hating him would be fake!
What shocked him more was Chaos Magic having some smarts—and holding grudges.
Pretty wild.
Her left hand twitched, and a red glow shot straight into Ronan's body.
Ronan got entered?
He didn't fight it, though—it felt nice.
Physically nice, anyway—that energy was patching up his wounds fast.
Not 616 Scarlet Witch-level, like regrowing a head in seconds.
But still quick enough.
The warm buzz lasted about thirty seconds before she stopped.
"Sorry, that's all I can do."
"Some powers I haven't nailed yet."
Scarlet Witch gave Ronan an apologetic smile, pulling her hand back.
Ronan shook his head.
"Nah, thank you—this is plenty."
"Cut my recovery time by at least half a month."
He said that, but inside, he was set on milking the downtime.
Why go to class if you don't have to?
The hospital'd probably back him up too.
Not out of duty—just more days of profit for them.
Why not?
"Thanks again for saving Pietro."
"To you, it might just be a deal, but to me, he's my only family."
"If he died, I don't know what I'd do."
Scarlet Witch thanked him one last time.
Ronan smiled, accepting it.
Maybe Quicksilver's death partly numbed her to family ties.
Then Vision's death hit her again.
That's why she'd conjured that town, chasing a reunion.
Hence everything that followed.
Here, Quicksilver didn't die, and Vision probably wouldn't bite it either.
If Scarlet Witch ended up with Vision someday, what would she become? Stronger than 616's version?
Ronan was stoked to find out.
From this moment, he'd quietly shifted another person's fate.
By now, he'd tweaked a bunch of endings.
The future wouldn't match his memory anymore.
But he didn't care.
He knew even if the script stayed the same, without absolute strength, one slip could kill him.
With enough power, though? Bring on Kang the Conqueror and Thanos together—he'd take 'em.
Strength meant confidence.
Maybe when Thanos rolled up to Earth, he'd find a badass legion waiting for his "grand arrival"!