On his way back to Stark Tower from the Adirondack Mountains base, Iron Man, Tony Stark, didn't hesitate for a second.
His top priority was tracking down Black Widow, whom Batman had left stranded atop a skyscraper.
He didn't just stop at Black Widow, either; he also called in Daredevil and Jessica Jones from Hell's Kitchen.
Along with Electro (Max Dillon) and Hawkeye (Clint Barton), a total of six people were now either sitting or standing around the lounge area on the top floor of Stark Tower.
"Batman?" Tony called out over an encrypted communication channel.
"Tony, war is coming. Be ready." That was all Batman said before cutting the encrypted line.
Tony nodded and closed the communication channel.
He looked up at a dejected Jessica Jones. "How is Luke Cage holding up?"
Jessica Jones shook her head disconsolately. "It doesn't look good."
"Hawkeye, Black Widow." Tony turned his gaze to the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. "When I went to the Helicarrier to look for you, you two unlucky bastards were locked up in the brig. Care to tell me what happened?"
"It has to do with what happened two years ago." Hawkeye kept his eyes fixed entirely on his bow.
"Two years ago?" Tony Stark found the timeline a bit baffling.
He recalled that just two weeks ago, Batman had also questioned him about the events of two years prior. This was now the second time someone had brought it up.
"What happened two years ago?" Tony asked.
"We don't know," Hawkeye said, hesitating for a moment as if weighing his words. "After Black Widow and I got the list from Garrett, we went back to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier and captured almost every Hydra agent on it."
"But just as we were about to apprehend Nick Fury to interrogate him about Hydra, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent we've never paid attention to before protected him."
"Who?" Tony asked.
"Daisy Johnson," Black Widow interjected. "Codename: Quake."
"Sounds like a codename for someone with a great body," Tony quipped casually.
"She didn't know anything about the Hydra list. Clint and I only found out later that Quake mistakenly thought we were attacking Nick Fury because of that mission in Latveria two years ago," Black Widow explained.
Daredevil and Jessica Jones were highly sensitive to the phrase "two years ago." They both turned their faces toward Black Widow at the same time.
"Don't look at me, we don't know either. At this point, maybe only Captain America, Nick Fury, and Quake know what actually went down back then," Black Widow told Daredevil.
"Right now, our problem might not be discussing what happened two years ago. There's an immediate crisis that desperately needs our attention." Electro, Max Dillon, interrupted their discussion about the Latveria mission.
Iron Man looked over at Electro, who currently maintained a normal human appearance and wore a yellow windbreaker jacket.
He walked slowly to the window, looking out at the city lit up by the dual explosions at Hell's Kitchen and City Hall, watching the fire trucks and police cars weaving through the streets.
"Whether it's Latveria or what you guys just faced at the Adirondack Mountains base, there's no question that you are already standing right in the center of the vortex. Quake might already be hot on your heels as you were making your way back. And Hydra... I don't know what they're plotting, but they're on their way here right now as well."
Hawkeye and Black Widow exchanged a glance. They knew Iron Man, they knew Batman, and they were even aware of Daredevil.
But they had never heard of or seen anyone named Max Dillon.
Seeing this Black man speak with such confidence and composure, Black Widow couldn't help but ask, "Who are you? What makes you say that?"
"I'm Max Dillon." Electro tapped his temple with his index finger. "By tapping into the internet, I can learn things pretty quickly. What I just said was analyzed based on the military knowledge I've picked up."
"Hydra is on their way..." Tony Stark pondered over those words.
He thought of the prison break that had also taken place tonight. There was no doubt that those escapees hadn't just broken out for a taste of freedom; they would make a comeback sooner or later.
S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, the escaped convicts, the unknown situation in Latveria... all of it seemed to be converging directly on them.
Even Iron Man, who originally had nothing to do with any of this, had been dragged into the fray because of the prison break of Crimson Dynamo (Yuri Petrovich) and Boomerang, as well as his own actions in heading to the Helicarrier to extract Black Widow and Hawkeye.
Iron Man finally understood why Batman had just said "war is coming."
"We need to band together, guys," Iron Man spoke up. "One-on-one, none of us can stand alone against four different enemy factions."
"Sitting here complaining to one another won't solve anything. We need to join forces to resist them—whether it's the escaped criminals, Hydra, or even a S.H.I.E.L.D. that harbors hidden agendas."
"We need a name. A name that lets them know we are one united front the moment they hear it."
Tony thought back to the warning he had thrown at Batman when he still didn't know Batman was Peter Parker:
"The Avengers."
"Guys." It was the first time Batman had addressed the scientists of South Brother Island this way.
Dr. Otto and Professor Morbius exchanged a glance. They both had plenty to say to Batman, but seeing his solemn demeanor as he prepared to make a formal announcement, they chose to remain silent for the moment.
Efficiency-driven as always, Batman didn't waste any time beating around the bush and cut straight to the chase:
"The world is not as peaceful as it appears on the surface. You and I both know what lies hidden beneath the water, completely unknown to ordinary people."
"The dinosaur invasion, Garrett planting bombs, Hydra lurking in every corner, and the slumbering Gamma monsters..."
"The situation we face now is more severe than everything before combined. Our enemies might not just be Hydra, but also figures out of myth and legend."
Compared to Loki—who had been pulling strings from the shadows and only showed his face today—the escaped Red Hulk and his cohorts were mere appetizers.
If Electro, Max Dillon, could deduce that Hydra was marching toward New York, there was no way Batman didn't know. An inevitable, massive war was on the horizon.
"Khonshu, the Moon God, once told me: the darkness will rise like a tidal wave, while the heroes are still in their infancy."
"To withstand the various disasters that may come, I need you to stand and fight alongside me, whether on the front lines or from the rear."
The Hulk scratched his head. "Hulk only fights."
Dr. Otto turned his head to glance at the mechanical tentacles behind him, while Professor Morbius looked down at his own claws.
They had both made grave mistakes in the past. One had thrown himself desperately into science in a bid to change the world, while the other struggled constantly to control his bloodthirsty desires. At their core, they were both seeking redemption.
And now, Batman was saying that bringing a few monsters like them together to form a league wasn't just to keep each other in check, but to deal with other, greater threats?
Come on. The few of them were the biggest menaces around.
Inside the South Brother Island laboratory, even though they had been somewhat mentally prepared for Batman to form a league, almost everyone instinctively doubted themselves when faced with the premise Batman was laying out.
Nobody here considered themselves a so-called "hero."
Batman, of course, knew exactly what these scientists were thinking. In fact, it wasn't just them; even Batman himself had never viewed himself as a hero.
"I once stood on a rooftop, looking out at the city lights, and thought about something," Batman continued. "I tried to make this city believe I was necessary. But no matter what I do, I will always belong to the darkness, and people fear the dark."
"This city has those who sleep soundly under the sun, never worrying about the dark. But it also has those who won't wake up tomorrow if we do nothing tonight."
"If we are destined to be monsters, then let us be the monsters that protect this city. If we are destined to be feared, then let us strike fear into the hearts of those who truly deserve it."
Venom Robin was already rubbing his hands together in anticipation. The double-bladed battleaxe on his back couldn't wait to split someone's skull open.
"Just announce it already, old Bat! Announce the founding of our 'Frankenstein League'!"
The name had clearly been taught to him by the Lizard.
But Batman shook his head, his stern gaze sweeping across the faces of Dr. Otto, the Lizard, the Hulk, Venom Robin, and Professor Morbius:
"We aren't the Frankenstein League."
"We are the Justice League!"
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