"Mind if I borrow the scepter for a few days?" Tony asked Thor one day. "I've got a research project that could really use it."
Thor was in the middle of training Wanda to manage her emotions—a basic skill for the prince of Asgard. But at Tony's words, his eyelids twitched. The only project that would require the scepter… must be Ultron.
Thor could, if he wished, prevent Ultron's creation entirely by keeping the Mind Stone out of Tony's reach. Without the stone, Tony would have no chance to create Ultron. But if he did that, Vision wouldn't come into existence either, and the Avengers would lose a powerful ally. And in Thor's hands, the Mind Stone would be somewhat wasted.
Thor also recalled something that had puzzled him in his previous life: why had Thanos left the Mind Stone with Loki on Earth? Even if Loki succeeded, what if the Ancient One—one of the most powerful beings—decided to intervene? Thanos would have risked losing both the stone and his army. Though the Ancient One typically adhered to the rules, rules could bend. If a giant Chitauri leviathan attacked Strange's hospital, Thor doubted she'd simply watch.
Furthermore, Vision—a powerhouse among the Avengers—had been fatally wounded by Corvus Glaive. This hinted that the Mind Stone might have been tampered with. Perhaps this issue would even cause the Ultron project to fail.
In the end, Thor reasoned that leaving the stone in Asgard's vault would only make it a ticking time bomb. Better to let Tony create Vision, who could be an asset in battle and perhaps even reveal any flaws in the Mind Stone.
After a moment's thought, Thor agreed. "Alright, you can borrow it for research. But no human experiments like Baron Strucker's, understand?"
Tony nodded, surprised but appreciative. "Got it. Definitely no human experiments."
Of course, Tony knew he couldn't handle the Ultron project alone. Soon, he recruited another brilliant mind: Bruce Banner. While Dr. Helen Cho might have been a good fit, Thor had recently convinced her to join his research center, and Tony worried she might report the Ultron project to Thor.
As Tony outlined his vision for Ultron, Banner raised an eyebrow. "So, you haven't told the team?"
"No," Tony replied, his expression serious. "I don't want to waste time on endless debates. We need to put armor around this world. The Chitauri invasion in New York won't be the last. There will be more, and when they come, the Avengers won't be enough."
Banner considered this, then nodded. "Yeah… that's why Thor keeps telling me to make peace with the Hulk instead of trying to get rid of him."
Thanks to Thor's influence, Banner's relationship with the Hulk had improved. Though he couldn't fully control the transformation, the Hulk now saw Banner's enemies as his own and protected what Banner cherished.
Tony continued, his tone persuasive. "Relying on superheroes alone isn't enough. The Earth is vast, and there will always be places we can't protect. But with Ultron, we could have an army of Iron Legion units keeping aliens out. Earth would finally be safe."
Banner hesitated, his expression conflicted. "A world covered in armor sounds… cold."
"I've seen colder," Tony said, his voice soft but resolute. In that terrifying vision, he had seen a world without superpowers—a world where humanity's only defense was technology. "This fragile, blue planet needs Ultron. And our peace… depends on it."
Stirred by Tony's words, Banner finally nodded. "Alright, I'm in."
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