When Loki, under the influence of the Chitauri and guided by Thanos, invaded Earth, he wielded a scepter imbued with incredible power—nearly on par with the Tesseract.
In the original MCU timeline, Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, used the scepter's power to override the energy shield generated by the Tesseract, exploiting the principle that "an Infinity Stone can counter another Infinity Stone" to shut down the space portal.
But this time, Kagura Hitomi wouldn't allow such a dangerous weapon to remain in Loki's hands.
The moment Loki was captured in Germany, the scepter was confiscated and securely sealed away.
Now, with the Battle of New York concluded, Thor had taken both the Tesseract and Loki back to Asgard via the Bifrost.
Unlike before, the Avengers had no argument over whether the Tesseract should remain on Earth.
Tony Stark had finally realized how catastrophic the Tesseract could be if left unchecked.
He no longer insisted on keeping it on Earth—though Kagura Hitomi's adamant opposition played a major role in his decision.
"No way! This thing absolutely cannot stay on Earth! It's way too dangerous!"
At the time, Kagura had stood with her hands on her hips, pouting.
"Mr. Stark, we barely made it through this time."
"If aliens try another weird invasion using the Tesseract, who says we'll be able to stop them next time?"
As far as Kagura was concerned, Earth already had more than enough Infinity Stones.
In 2012, the Tesseract housed the Space Stone, the scepter contained the Mind Stone, and the Ancient One still held the Time Stone.
That was plenty.
The more "eggs" placed in one "basket," the greater the risk.
Keeping the Tesseract on Earth was simply inviting disaster.
'Wait... "eggs in one basket"?'
'Why did that phrase sound so familiar?'
Oh well. Either way, with Thor taking the Tesseract, Earth had one less potential crisis to worry about.
Now, the Avengers had to decide what to do with Loki's scepter.
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Aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier – North Atlantic
The remaining Avengers had gathered in the bridge conference room, discussing the fate of the scepter.
"First off, this thing absolutely cannot stay with S.H.I.E.L.D.," Steve Rogers stated firmly.
"We all saw what Nick Fury did with the Tesseract. He bears undeniable responsibility for this whole mess."
As he spoke, Kagura glanced at Fury's face.
'Yep. He did not look happy.'
"I need to correct something," Fury interjected.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. never intended to endanger the world. Everything we did was for the protection of human civilization."
"Oh, so that's why you used the Tesseract to make a bunch of weird weapons and tried to sell them on the black market?" Tony Stark quipped.
"Funny, you never mentioned that part when you asked me for help."
"What?!" Steve Rogers' expression darkened.
"Selling to the black market?! Fury, what the hell were you thinking?! Isn't S.H.I.E.L.D. supposed to protect the world?"
Under the combined pressure of Captain America and Iron Man, Fury's scowl deepened.
"Alright, I admit it—terrible idea. But that's in the past now."
"Regardless, I agree with Rogers," Tony concluded. "Given S.H.I.E.L.D.'s track record, we're not letting them keep the scepter."
The rest of the Avengers nodded in agreement.
"Oh, so you want to stash it at Stark Industries?" Fury shot back.
"Because personally, I think if you got your hands on this thing, you'd make an even bigger mess than S.H.I.E.L.D. ever did."
"I actually agree with that." Steve folded his arms. "Stark Industries was built on the arms trade. It's not a safe choice either."
"I never said I wanted it," Tony retorted—though the flash of disappointment on his face suggested otherwise.
Wow.
Captain America really was the king of backstabbing teammates.
It took him all of one second to switch from Tony's side to calling him out.
No wonder when he said "Hail Hydra" later, it sounded perfectly natural…
Meanwhile, Kagura sat in the corner, playing a game on her phone.
The Avengers' debate didn't concern her.
Even if Hydra got their hands on the scepter, they definitely wouldn't entrust it to Rhodes Island Industries.
If Tony Stark—who used to make weapons—was immediately vetoed, then Rhodes Island—which still did—stood no chance.
Not unless these guys had completely lost their minds…
"What about Rhodes Island Industries?"
The unexpected suggestion came from Bruce Banner. "If we set up a joint research lab there, we could study the scepter together while ensuring its security."
Huh?
Kagura Hitomi looked up.
"Absolutely not," Steve rejected the idea immediately. "Rhodes Island is a weapons manufacturer. Weaponization is inevitable. Besides, this thing isn't about research—it's about the threat it poses."
"Captain, if we can analyze the scepter's technology, we might develop countermeasures for the next alien invasion," Tony argued.
"Stronger weapons are necessary—as long as they're in the right hands."
"And who exactly are the 'right hands'? You? Me?" Steve countered.
"Every warlord in history believed they were in control. But war itself is chaos—completely uncontrollable."
"Think about it, Cap. If we don't have enough firepower, what happens when the next invasion comes? And the one after that?"
"We face it together," Steve said firmly.
"That's a nice dream, but we'll lose."
"Then we'll still face it together."
"Ugh—!"
As the debate raged, a streak of fire blazed across the sky.
'Boom—!'
A silver-black armored figure landed on the Helicarrier's deck in a classic superhero pose.
Four F-22 Raptors flanked him in escort formation.
Kagura narrowed her eyes at the live holographic feed from the deck. Something felt… off.
The armor was unmistakable: the Mark II War Machine, originally a gift from Tony to Rhodey, now heavily modified into the U.S. military's premier combat exosuit.