by Ian Doescher
Now is reality whate’er I wish.
GAMORA
Thou knewest I would come.
THANOS
—True, ’twas my plan.
Aught have we to discuss, my little one.
[Gamora tries to pick up her sword, but Thanos grabs her.
DRAX
O Thanos!
[Drax begins to charge, and Thanos uses the Reality Stone to turn Drax into a pile of blocks. Thanos fires at Mantis and unravels her like thread. Quill approaches, pointing his gun at Thanos.
QUILL
—Grimace, set the woman free.
GAMORA
Go to, Quill.
QUILL
—Go ye right, those were my words. 135
GAMORA
Dear man, wouldst thou so argue in this moment?
QUILL
[to Thanos:] Discharge thy prisoner at once, thou fiend!
THANOS
Thou art the paramour, ’less eyes deceive.
QUILL
Choose I to think upon myself more as
A titan-killing, long-term, on-call codpiece. 140
Free her at once. I will not ask again.
GAMORA
Ah, Peter, thou wilt be undone.
QUILL
—Anon
From off thy face I’ll blow thy nutsack chin.
GAMORA
Not him, if thou rememberest thy vow.
[Quill turns and points his gun at Gamora, but holds his fire.
THANOS
Nay, daughter, you expect too much from him. 145
[To Quill:] She ask’d you, did she not? Why hesitate?
If you do love her, as you say you do,
Then pull the trigger and be done with it.
QUILL
Go right, I told ye. Wherefore listen not?
GAMORA
Affectionate and maddening art thou— 150
I love thee, Peter, more than anything.
QUILL
And I love thee.
[Quill fires, and bubbles emerge from his gun.
THANOS
—A snare, a ruse, a ploy:
And you the fools. I like him, though, Gamora.
[Exeunt Thanos in a flash, holding Gamora. As reality returns, Drax and Mantis rise again.
QUILL
Can anyone o’ercome this cruel man
And stand whilst he doth bend reality? 155
Before this moment, never have I seen
An enemy who seem’d unbeatable.
All of my schemes, deceits, and tricks, which I
E’er did rely upon, are useless turn’d—
And what is worst of all? Gamora gone, 160
By her own father taken who knows where.
Alack, that ever I should see this day—
Gamora, darling, spirited away!
[Exeunt.
SCENE 3
In New York, at the Avengers’ base.
ENTER JAMES RHODES. ENTER SECRETARY THADDEUS ROSS, ON BALCONY, SPEAKING TO HIM VIA BEAM.
ROSS
Is there no new report of Vision, Rhodes?
RHODES
The satellites lost him o’er Edinburgh.
ROSS
Upon a stolen Quinjet, piloted
By four of our most wanted criminals.
RHODES
They are but criminals because thou chos’st 5
To call them so. Is that not true?
ROSS
—My God,
Thy talent for the spinning of a phrase
Until it is as rank as horse manure
Doth rival e’en mine own.
RHODES
—If not for our
Accords, would Vision not have been here, safe? 10
ROSS
As I recall, thy signature was on
Those papers, Colonel.
RHODES
—Yea, I do confess,
And for that choice I dearly paid the price
When in th’Avengers civil war I did
Receive such injuries that I spent months 15
In learning, like a toddler, how to walk.
ROSS
Thou, then, hast second thoughts?
RHODES
—Not anymore.
ENTER STEVE ROGERS, NATASHA ROMANOFF, VISION, WANDA MAXIMOFF, AND SAM WILSON, BELOW.
ROGERS
Good morn unto thee, Secretary Ross.
ROSS
Your nerve is passing ev’ry line of prudence,
Thus shall I grant you, Captain.
ROMANOFF
—In this bleak, 20
Uncertain time, such nerve shall asset prove.
ROSS
The world is set afire, and do you think
All is forgiv’n?
ROGERS
—Forgiveness I’d have naught—
I’ve journey’d past beseeching thy permission.
Earth lost her strongest safeguard when Stark flew, 25
Thus have we come to fight, and if thou wilt
Stand in our way, we’ll bring the fight to thee.
ROSS
[to Rhodes:] Arrest them.
RHODES
—Surely, I shall do thy will.
[Rhodes ends the transmission. Exit Secretary Thaddeus Ross.
[To Rogers:] Thus I have sign’d mine own court-martial
order.
’Tis well to see you, Captain, by my troth. 30
[Rhodes embraces Rogers and Romanoff.
ROGERS
Thou too, strong Rhodey, loyal friend and true.
RHODES
In faith, ne’er saw I such a scrappy crew.
The two years past must have been rough, indeed.
WILSON
A five-star rating had not our hotels.
ENTER BRUCE BANNER.
BANNER
Methinks you are a sight for weary eyes, 35
The whole enormous lot of ye, dear friends.
[Rogers, Romanoff, Vision, Wanda, and Wilson turn to look at him.
I am return’d, my problems come as well.
ROMANOFF
Holla, Bruce, thou who in the shadows dwelt’st.
BRUCE
Nat, ’tis most grand to step into the light.
[There is a long pause.
WILSON
This scene is awkward, comrades, is it not? 40
RHODES
Let us unto the matter now at hand:
We must assume that Thanos and his pawns
Shall come once more unto the earth, ’tis true?
WANDA
’Tis, yea, and clearly they’ve the pow’r to find
Us, any place or time we may have fled. 45
BANNER
All hands on deck are greatly needed. Where,
Therefore, is Clint?
ROMANOFF
—The situation with
Th’Accords—both he and Scott a deal accepted.
’Twas far too testing for their families,
So they are shrouded under house arrest. 50
BANNER
Who is this Scott, some great and noble ally?
ROGERS
He is the Ant-Man, Bruce.
BANNER
—Now we have Ant-Man
And Spider-Man as well? Shall we employ
The field of entomology entire?
Take heed: this Thanos hath the largest force 55
Within the universe, and shall not stop
Until he takes the Stone from Vision’s pate.
RO
MANOFF
We must protect it from the dreary foe.
VISION
Nay, we must terminate it utterly,
And in the sentence my own life destroy. 60
Much thought I’ve giv’n to this Stone in my head,
About its nature and its composition.
If ’twere expos’d unto a pow’rful source
Of energy, equivalent unto
Its own commanding signature, perchance 65
Its own molecular integrity
Would fail.
WANDA
—Thou wouldst be dead along with it;
This conversation I shall not indulge.
VISION
Eliminating it’s the only way
T’ensure that Thanos ne’er shall gain its pow’r. 70
’Tis logical enow. Friends, heed my words:
Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers.
WANDA
’Tis far too high a price, which I’ll not pay.
VISION
Yet only thou hast power thus to do.
This Thanos threatens half the universe— 75
Our little life is rounded with a sleep;
I’d gladly sleep if it means stopping him.
One little life should not stop his defeat.
ROGERS
Nay, nay, it should. We’ll not trade life for life.
VISION
’Twas sevn’ty years ago thou laid’st thy life 80
To save how many millions afterward?
Upon such sacrifices, Captain Rogers,
The gods themselves throw incense, do they not?
Pray, tell me: wherefore is this different?
BANNER
’Tis diff’rent for thou mayst yet have a choice. 85
Thy mind is form’d of vast, complex constructs
Of overlays—the Stone with Jarvis, Ultron,
Brave Tony, and myself—all mix’d as one,
Each learning from the other, tit for tat.
WANDA
Thou meanest Vision isn’t just the Stone, 90
From something more complex my love is bred?
BANNER
Should we take out the Stone, there shall remain
A sizeable amount of Vision left—
Perchance the better portions of his nature.
ROMANOFF
Is’t possible this murky thing to do? 95
BANNER
Not I, not here. I’ve not the massive skills.
RHODES
You must the someone and the somewhere find.
Ross will not give ye back your former rooms,
As if he were a dormitory dean.
How shall we Vision help, and therefore Wanda? 100
ROGERS
I know the somewhere. Let us to Wakanda!
[Exeunt.
SCENE 1
Wakanda.
ENTER T’CHALLA.
T’CHALLA
When we were by the wide world undisturb’d,
A nation self-sufficient and alone,
Knew we then unrestrain’d simplicity
And did not try to meddle past our borders.
Now we upon the world’s stage have appear’d, 5
Declaring both our might and independence,
Astounding all who once assum’d us weak.
Forgotten formerly, we have arisen—
Our ancestors providing us with strength,
Resolve, and wisdom for a newfound age. 10
Embrace we now the world and all its woes,
Voice for the voiceless, promise for the hopeless.
E’en as we do, though, trouble comes to us,
Redounding on Wakanda’s peaceful lands.
ENTER OKOYE WITH TWO SOLDIERS, ONE OF THEM CARRYING A CASE. ENTER BUCKY BARNES, ASIDE.
OKOYE
The king’s guard and the strong Dora Milaje 15
Have been alerted to the coming group.
T’CHALLA
What of the Border Tribe? Shall they join us?
OKOYE
Those who remain shall come.
T’CHALLA
—Assemble the
King-like Jabari, too. M’Baku loves
A pleasing fight, as well my past doth know. 20
[Okoye indicates Barnes.
OKOYE
What of this one?
T’CHALLA
—Now is he tir’d of war.
Deep was this white wolf’s rest, and long enow.
[The soldier with the case opens it, revealing a metallic arm for Barnes.
[To Barnes:] Again ’tis time, my friend, to join the fight.
BARNES
Where shall it be?
T’CHALLA
—Forsooth, we know not yet.
One thing is sure: we soon shall be beset. 25
[Exeunt.
SCENE 2
Various locations in space.
ENTER DOCTOR STEPHEN STRANGE, FLOATING AND SURROUNDED BY BLADES POINTED AT HIM, ON THE Q-SHIP.
STRANGE
The sword of Damocles ne’er loom’d so large—
O, ’tis an unforeseen awakening.
ENTER EBONY MAW.
MAW
In all my time spent serving Thanos pure,
Ne’er have I fail’d him. Nay, and never shall.
Were I to reach our rendezvous on Titan 5
Withal the Time Stone still attach’d unto
Your vaguely irritating personage,
There would be judgment most severe, I fear.
[Maw uses magic to begin forcing the blades into Strange’s skin.
Give me the Stone.
ENTER TONY STARK ASIDE, HIDDEN, ENCOUNTERING STRANGE’S CLOAK.
STARK
—Incredible apparel,
Thou gav’st me quite a shock. Thou art, mayhap, 10
Th’most loyal piece of outerwear I’ve seen.
ENTER PETER PARKER, JOINING STARK.
PARKER
Should we talk loyalty, my voice would fail.
STARK
In heaven’s name!
PARKER
—I know what thou shalt say:
“This is the foulest trick that e’er was plied!”
STARK
I tell thee, Peter, thou shouldst not be here. 15
PARKER
I shall not leave thee, will not let thee die.
STARK
I’d not hear thine excuses, nay.
PARKER
—’Twas so
Far down to drop, and whilst I did I thought
Of thee and all that thou hast done. It seems
That plummeting was suited for reflection. 20
STARK
I now must hear thy words.
PARKER
—Unto the ship
I stuck—this suit is most intuitive—
So, in some ways, it is thy fault I’m here.
Pray, do not judge me harshly, Master Stark.
STARK
Imprudent boy, what didst thou say to me? 25
PARKER
Those words I take back soon as they are utter’d.
Now am I here, in space. Take a deep breath.
STARK
Indeed, where I had hop’d thou wouldst not be.
’Tis neither Coney Island, nor is it
A field trip with thy schoolmates. This is but 30
A one-way ticket bound for parts beyond.
Dost understand? Pretend thou not that ’twas
A carefully consider’d thought of thine—
It could, in no wise, possibly be so.
PARKER
How can one be a friendly neighborhood 35
Brave Spider-Man if there’s no neighborhood?
That made but poor sense, verily—yet thou
Know’st well what I do mean, of that I’m sure.
STARK
I bid thee come. We have a situation.
See Strange below—he is in trouble deep. 40
What is thy plan to save him? Speak, I pray.
PARKER
Didst ever see the movie Aliens?
’Tis very old—a classic, verily.
[Strange begins to scream.
MAW
[to Strange:] Most painful, are they not? Originally
Were they design’d for microsurgery. 45
And any one of them might—
[Maw turns around as Stark approaches.
—end your friend’s
Life nearly instantly.
STARK
—I must confess,
He is no friend of mine. To save his life
Is courtesy professional, no more.
MAW
You nothing save—your simple powers are 50
Inconsequential when compar’d to mine.
STARK
It may be so, and yet the kid hath seen
More movies than thou hast, to our advantage.
[Stark fires, tearing a hole in the hull of the ship. The resulting vacuum pulls Maw into space. Exit Ebony Maw. Strange is pulled too, but his cloak holds him tightly. Parker uses his web to grab Strange, and Stark uses rays from his suit to close the hole in the ship.
PARKER
[to cloak:] We’ve not yet met officially, my friend.
Thy moves were most impressive, by my troth, 55
I know keen talent when I see it, cloth.
[The cloak flies off toward Strange.
’Tis well, we allies did not need to speak.
STRANGE
We must at once this vast ship turn around.
STARK
I see—now thou wouldst run. Astounding plan,
Most brave and virtuous, fit for a hero. 60
STRANGE
Nay, now would I protect the Stone, no more.
STARK
It is the time for thou to thank me, yea?
Proceed, mine ears await thy humble words.
STRANGE
Thank thee for what? Near blasting me to space?
STARK
Impossible man! Who just sav’d thine ass 65
Most magical? ’Twas I.
STRANGE
—I do not know
How thou dost fit thine oversizèd head
Into thy helmet, it of normal girth.
STARK
I prithee, Strange, admit to thy mistake:
Thou shouldst have exited when I told thee. 70