New York has always been a big city with many disasters.
Compared with it, except Washington, D.C., where the White House was located, there was probably only Tokyo in Japan.
Even without the great invasion of the Chitauri in the movie universe.
This world's New York had still experienced many world-class catastrophes.
For example, World War Hulk a few years ago.
Almost making the Avengers move out of the nest. They managed to subdue the angry and irrational Hulk and prevent the catastrophe in the real estate and insurance industries.
Another example is the civil war that took place even further back -- this one was between Iron Man and Captain Marvel.
The two clashed and fought, nearly flattening Manhattan.
It was a usual day, no need to say more.
Hell's Kitchen street heroes, gangster clashes.
Spider-Man's old rival, Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, Venom, and everybody else in the Sinister Six.
And so on.
Compared with the studio next door, the city was different, and the style was different.
In Marvel Comics, superheroes and villains were like migrant workers who flocked to the big city, all settling down in New York.
As for the different 'Civil War', Iron Man and Captain Marvel -- although in the movie universe, Tony Stark was the soul of the Avengers, with Captain America as the core.
However, in the comic book world, he was actually a trouble-making machine, competing with Reed Richards.
He did all kinds of things to trigger big events.
It was precisely this which later led to his 'Civil War' with Captain Marvel.
Later, it proved that Iron Man's anti-XX series armor was useless and was directly smashed by Carol, who didn't hold back her punches.
Tony Stark himself was severely wounded and reduced to a vegetative state. With only his mind data uploaded to the network, he became an Ultron-like AI existence.
All these were very different storylines from the movie universe.
To sum up, New York citizens gradually became numb to flying superheroes or villains and criminals who wanted to wreak havoc.
They weren't surprised anymore. At most, they would scream in a practiced manner and find a safe place to hide.
Just like now, there were a bunch of guys dressed strangely, appearing in the streets.
New Yorkers were oblivious. It was rush hour, and everyone was in a hurry to clock in.
Only young students would take out their cell phones to take videos and post them on social media to gain a wave of likes and attention.
"I thought there would be a crowd around me. I didn't expect everyone to behave normally."
Strange had some regrets. He used to wear a suit and a white coat, but now he wore a traditional robe every day, like an ascetic monk.
Originally, he thought this unusual and strange outfit would attract the attention of passers-by, but he was disappointed.
"This is the post-superhero era. The Avengers are now veterans and have exited the stage."
Luke looked at the bustling modern New York and smiled lightly, "Currently, the second-generation superheroes are the most active. Hawkeye's daughter, the second-generation Vision, the third-generation Ant-Man, and so on. The heroes of the new generation, they are the idols of young people, today's mainstream."
Strange paused. He didn't expect that he had been away from the world for only two years, and the outside world had been turned upside down.
"How do you know?"
He asked in confusion.
"Kamar Taj isn't isolated from the rest of the world. The WiFi network in my room is quite fast. They can be found on Google, and there are all kinds of superhero personal websites, superhero exclusive entries, and so on."
Luke shrugged his shoulders and said so.
He and Strange were both fresh faces.
Among the people here, only two were relatively active, Thor and Rocket Raccoon.
One was an Avengers, a superhero.
The other one was a talking pet, an alien creature.
Both of them made a strong appeal to those passing by.
"I didn't expect Jane and I would break up in this world."
Thor sighed.
He thought of the gossip he had read on Thor's personal website.
'Why can't I be happy with my girlfriend in any universe?'
"There are 2 points in that. You aren't the Thor of this universe. Even though you are called Thor, if you run to Ms. Jane Foster at this time, it is still immoral. It's the same as cuckolding yourself."
Luke whispered while walking on the streets of New York.
"Moreover, this time you 'dumped' Ms. Foster, and you were entangled with Amora, the enchantress, and Sif from Asgard -- in a nutshell, you're the scumbag."
Thor couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed when he heard this.
It's really enviable. Getting three at once ... Disdainful!
He coughed twice and changed the subject, "Where are we going?"
"Bar With No Doors."
Luke answered.
"We need to collect some intelligence about our opponents so Strange could make a reasonable defense plan."
He had invariably become the team leader, leading Strange, who should be the protagonist, and Thor and Rocket, who were accompanying the team, to move forward.
Habit was a terrible thing, it would unknowingly make people dependent, and it was difficult to change.
Luke was always able to solve every problem they encountered and answer every doubtful question, like an all-purpose encyclopedia.
Things continued like this, and with repetition, implicit authority was gradually established.
"Why do I feel like you're the one who is going to take part in the Sorcerer Supreme Battle, thinking about all the aspects? "
Strange was somewhat depressed. As a former neurosurgeon, he was once the top in the industry, and he was rather proud.
"That's because you aren't good at socializing, and your popularity is very poor. You're an inexperienced rookie."
Luke faintly replied.
"The Sorcerer Supreme Battle has been held for many years and has even become a lively event in many dimensions across the universe."
"This little rabbit has logged into the 'All-Star' forum founded by the Grandmaster and has collected all the data and information from the past events."
"First of all. In this battle, there is no threshold to participate; either a creature from hell or a fallen master, anyone can participate. No one is excluded."
"Secondly, there are three events."
"Eight candidates will be selected in the entry round and will then advance to the final round to be qualified to meet the Vishanti."
"Finally, the final round will be held to choose the sole winner."
"The most mysterious one is the Trial of the Vishanti. It has a different theme every time."
"But no one told you about this. Wong rarely surfed the Internet and didn't understand it."
Strange was a little dumbfounded. He didn't expect Superman to be so prepared.
"The Vishanti ... had selected the many Sorcerer Supremes before?"
He subconsciously asked.
"No. This battle isn't for selecting the Sorcerer Supreme, but a test."
Luke walked to a wall that had a half-covered poster on it.
He conveniently pulled out a Sling Ring to form a transmission portal.
"Being the Sorcerer Supreme means you can't rest on your laurels. The Vishanti will regularly examine the person sitting in that position. If someone could replace them, then ... that person's title and identity would be taken away."
When Strange heard the answer, his heart thumped.
This meant that the company would conduct annual performance appraisals, and the unqualified staff would be dismissed.
He didn't realize that the Trinity of Vishanti was also an old capitalist.
Strange's head had just come up to the idea of irreverence, then quickly erased it.
"Bar With No Doors, here it is."
As soon as Luke and others came in, they saw that it was overcrowded. Everyone was either trading magic items or whispering.
Alcohol, tobacco, perfume, marijuana … all kinds of smells were mixed together, making them frown.
"By the way, who has anything of value on them? You know, like valuable antiques or magic items."
Luke managed to find a seat, patted Strange on the shoulder, and motioned to take out his wallet.
"Ah, this ... sorry, I don't have any."
Strange's face flushed with embarrassment. He explained, "You know, although I used to have some financial resources, I have spent all of them on finding a cure. You can say that I'm bankrupt now."
"As for magic items, there's nothing but this cloak."
"Then you should take the cloak out to..."
Pa!
Rocket was straightforward. But before his words were done, he was smacked by Strange's red cloak.
The Cloak of Levitation seemed to have a mind of its own and expressed its dissatisfaction in this way.
"So, you're a poor man?"
Luke bluntly said so.
"And you taking part in that Sorcerer Supreme Battle? No money, no strength, no friends ... Stephen, you'd better go to sleep early like good little boys."
Strange's heart suffocated. He used to wear luxury watches, drive sports cars, and lived in a luxury apartment for the elite class.
Now, he was actually rejected and said to be poor.
"Fine, I'm going to go find some female friends I know over at ..."
Strange gritted his teeth. He used to be a prodigal lover, with good looks, excellent skills. He was quite famous in the female upper-class circle.
'Getting benefits wasn't shameful!'
He thought to himself.
"How long has it been since you've looked in the mirror?"
Luke's face looked odd as if he was holding back a laugh.
"Stephen, please take a look at yourself. You're unshaven, with rough skin and a decadent temperament ... The most important thing is that you are proud of your luck -- don't get me wrong. I mean, your stable hands have been abandoned, and you are no longer the young elite with high income. Do you think they would still value you?"
With one word, critical damage had struck Strange's heart.
He was a charming lover in the eyes of the masses. But after only two years, he had changed from delicious fresh meat to a piece of disgusting old bacon?
"Thor, listen, you're the Prince of Asgard. Why don't you go back to the palace and bring some good stuff out? "
Rocket Raccoon jumped onto Thor's shoulders and came up with a nasty idea.
The latter was unresponsive, and his eyes were fixed on a sultry back near the bar.
"Heh, just now, you said your heart only has Jane, and now... you old hound!"
Rocket Raccoon was quite disgusted, and the new words he learned from the Internet popped out of his mouth.
"What are you talking about?! I just think she looks like ... Loki."
Thor was unmoved, his eyes locked onto the graceful, charming back like nails.