"Clint, what's going on?"
Logan's face was grim. "You never mentioned any of this to me."
It was the first time he'd heard anything about Galactus, and up until now, Hawkeye had kept it all under wraps.
"Don't you think you owe us an explanation?"
"Calm down, Logan."
Hawkeye gestured for him to relax. "It's not too late to fill you in now. I never meant to drag you all into this. Just… stay calm."
After a moment of thought, he began explaining things to Logan and Bruce.
"The head of Galactus suddenly appeared about ten years ago…"
As Hawkeye continued his story, Kathoom gradually pieced together the truth.
In fact, drawing on what he knew of the comic lore, he began connecting even more dots.
As it turned out, this head of Galactus didn't belong to the present-day Devourer of Worlds; it came from the future.
In the Old Man Universe, there were three main stories: the tale of an aged Hawkeye, aged Logan, and aged Star-Lord.
Hawkeye's story had taken place five years ago, when he learned he was about to go blind and decided to avenge his fallen teammates.
The Avengers had been wiped out due to the betrayal of the Thunderbolts, so in his twilight years, Hawkeye went on a lone mission, killing every last survivor of the Thunderbolts, including Bullseye and Baron Zemo, avenging his friends.
Now, the saga of Old Man Logan was unfolding.
And in five years, there would be the story of aged Star-Lord. That was when the Invincible Galactus, along with his Universal Church of Truth, would invade Earth, only to be stopped by Star-Lord.
In the end, Star-Lord's solution was simple: he put a bullet through Galactus's head, leaving him with an "open mind" in every sense.
The bullet he used had been laced with a shard of the Time Stone.
That Time Stone shard, though it killed Galactus, also sent his severed head fifteen years back into the past.
Galactus went from "open-minded" to "completely lost."
And when it arrived in the past, Red Skull got his hands on Galactus's head.
Galactus's fate was a pitiful one. Despite his godlike status, his power was erratic at best.
He devoured planets for sustenance, able to gain near-limitless strength when he was fully fed… but the problem was, he rarely was.
Because of this, he often ended up as the universe's punching bag and had died so many times in Marvel history that it was almost tradition.
"Poor Galactus," Kathoom sighed. "What does he get to eat, anyway?"
Bruce shot a glance at the owl, baffled by Kathoom's strange sense of humor.
Hawkeye, meanwhile, continued with his story.
"The head of that god is enormous, bigger than most buildings, and it contains strange powers. Once Red Skull acquired it, he glimpsed visions of the future.
"In those visions, he didn't see himself. Red Skull realized he was destined to die within fifteen years, killed by someone he couldn't foresee."
"Unwilling to accept that fate, he began crafting a mad plan."
Hawkeye paused, then continued. "He intends to modify Galactus's head, turning it into a weapon capable of destroying anything. Only then, he believes, will he be invincible."
Hearing this, Logan raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know all this?"
Hawkeye didn't hold back—
"You must have seen it in the papers—reports about Red Skull designating a certain area as 'rebel territory' and wiping it out entirely?"
Logan and Bruce both nodded. They'd seen the headlines.
"The people he exterminated were my old teammates."
With a heavy tone, Hawkeye finally laid it all out. "They were good people, who uncovered Red Skull's plot and vowed to stop him. But they were too late. Red Skull made his move first."
This was why Hawkeye had sought out Logan for one last mission.
Kathoom narrowed his eyes as he looked at Hawkeye, feeling a growing sense of unease.
It didn't seem to matter which universe Hawkeye found himself in—he always carried this karmic weight.
In the MCU, he'd raised death flags time and again, acting like he was next to die.
But what happened?
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Quicksilver died to save him. In Avengers: Endgame, Natasha died for him.
And Hawkeye himself?
He survived Thanos, retired, and even found time to mentor a new apprentice and settle into a peaceful life.
Now, here in this universe, he was the same way.
Whether it was the Avengers or the anti-Red Skull rebels, Hawkeye's allies all ended up wiped out. Yet Hawkeye himself was still here, alive and well, standing before them.
It was absurd.
Kathoom now faced a troubling question: would another massacre happen a third time?
Because right now, Hawkeye's allies… were them.
Kathoom muttered under his breath, "Hawkeye… so you're actually the most cursed soul in the whole Marvel Universe."
"Hmm?"
Bruce overheard him, confused.
Kathoom didn't bother explaining. He was confident that, worst case, he could grab Bruce and make a hasty retreat.
As long as they retreated fast enough, danger would always be one step behind.
---
When Hawkeye finished recounting Red Skull's schemes, Logan fell silent.
He was beginning to realize just how dangerous Hawkeye's mission was. Clearly, Clint was ready to make a one-way trip if it came to that.
"Clint…"
Logan looked at his old friend, as if wanting to say something.
But after a moment's pause, he sighed and said, "Good luck. I've already told you—I'm not getting involved."
"No problem. I get it."
Hawkeye responded nonchalantly, not pressing Logan to join him.
They took a short break at Emma Frost's base and prepared to depart.
Just as they were about to leave, the White Queen, Emma, called out to Logan.
While Bruce saw her as a haggard old woman, to Logan, she still appeared as a striking beauty.
It was like something out of American Horror Story.
"Logan." The White Queen smiled as she asked, "Have you found the life you wanted? Somewhere to call home?"
Logan looked at the mutant traitor, his expression unkind.
He didn't answer directly but said, "If you want to know, read my mind."
Emma held his gaze, unreadable.
No one could tell if she actually delved into his mind. But in the end, she gave a small, satisfied smile.
"That's wonderful to hear."
---
The Spider-Tank was back on the road.
This time, Logan took the wheel, while Hawkeye rested in the passenger seat.
From the back, Kathoom kept his gaze fixed on Hawkeye, as if searching him for signs of that karmic aura.
Would Hawkeye really drag them all into yet another massacre?
Sensing the stare from behind, Hawkeye glanced back with a smile, thinking it was Bruce watching him.
Bruce really was a good kid—young, yet with a heart set on protecting others and becoming a hero.
Unconsciously, Hawkeye's thoughts drifted to his daughter, Ashley.
She had died a hero, too.
Hawkeye reached into his pocket and pulled out a wristwatch—one of Ashley's belongings he kept as a memento.
"Ashley…"
He ran his fingers over the watch, thinking of her.
But as he touched it, he noticed something strange.
"Huh?"
Hawkeye felt a tiny, almost invisible component tucked into the watchband.
He ran his fingers over it, recognizing it instantly.
"A bug…?"
---
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