Outside the Sacred Timeline
In the Zero Time Zone dimension, there is usually nothing—no space, no time, no matter. Just pure void. But now, it's filled with massive, abstract, retro-futuristic buildings, a sight both spectacular and ancient.
This is the TVA—the Time Variance Authority.
In the main office area, inside the partitioned timing hall, countless timekeepers sit in identical white shirts, monitoring every event on the timeline, year after year, without end.
Suddenly, one of the timekeepers—a slightly overweight man—stops, his expression changing to surprise and disbelief. He rubs his eyes, then focuses intently on his screen.
It's real! The time branch has gone red!
This indicates a top-level crisis. If left unchecked, it could wreak unimaginable havoc on the sacred timeline.
Panicked, the man picks up the old red landline phone. After three seconds, he reports urgently:
"TC02354 reporting! Supervisor, time branch... red crisis!!"
A deep voice on the other end responds, "Got it."
Three Minutes Earlier - November 27, 2012
Night falls on a port in Tennessee, where a fierce battle is underway. Humanoid steel machines of all shapes descend, attacking a man with a glowing, red-hot body.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Iron Man's suits keep disintegrating under the relentless assault. Finally, Tony manages to trap his adversary, Killian, in the armor. Without hesitation, he activates the self-destruct, hoping to destroy the cyborg and avenge Pepper.
But his plan fails.
Killian, who has perfected the Extremis virus, survives. His shattered limbs regenerate, molten like lava, and he stands tall, mocking Iron Man.
"This is true evolution," Killian sneers. "Your metal toys are nothing!"
Tony kneels in defeat, struggling to comprehend his failure. He mutters in disbelief, "I beat the Chitauri, only to die by a human's hand?"
Just then, a strange sound echoes. Tony and Killian both turn in surprise as golden lightning crackles from a space rift above. A blinding bolt crashes down on Killian, disintegrating much of his body.
When the dust settles, Tony sees a young man lying where Killian once stood, his clothes smoking. The newcomer, Russell, is as confused as Tony. He'd been watching the sunrise at Mount Tai just a moment ago when a golden lightning bolt struck him, and now he's here.
Russell stares around, bewildered. The steel bridge beneath him is covered with molten blood, flowing from Killian's remains. He feels an eerie sense of familiarity with the scene. Suddenly, Killian, barely alive, glares at him and spits a mouthful of magma-like blood. It strikes Tony's arc reactor, melting through to his heart in an instant.
Tony Stark screams, his life ending in mere seconds. It's over, no time for a rescue.
That familiar voice—Killian's dying curse—snaps Russell out of his daze. Realization dawns on him: this isn't Earth. He's in the middle of Iron Man 3, in the Marvel world!
But why did he just witness Iron Man's death right after he arrived?