Time slipped by quietly—three months and change.
Earth finally caught a breather.
Especially New York's battered locals, sliding back into normal life.
But behind the calm, plenty were still grinding for the planet's safety.
Take Steve Rogers.
No clue if he and Tony Stark took Ronan's nudge, but they actually tracked down Nick Fury.
How they pulled it off? Ronan didn't know.
What they hashed out? Same deal.
Per Steve's recap, Fury nixed a comeback.
Reason's straightforward.
To the U.S. government, he's still a wanted man.
So, he's holed up somewhere off the grid, kicking back.
Before splitting, though, he vowed to step in if Earth hit a major crisis.
Ronan bought that.
Fury's lone play against Thanos? Hitting that comms button.
Called in that badass woman.
Biggest win he scored, honestly.
Beyond that, Steve's semi-retired.
Like Fury, he's a fugitive in Uncle Sam's eyes too.
Him, Black Widow, Vision—all on the wanted list.
Still, Steve didn't slack.
He clung to Ronan's "prophecy."
Purple spud, Earth invasion, half the universe's life wiped out.
So, he kept sharpening his combat edge.
If Ronan's guess held, this downtime's when Steve dreamed up that Mjolnir-shield combo.
Tony Stark? No downtime either.
Thanos is years off, but Tony's mission never faded.
He'd cracked some of Kang's suit already.
The tech's so far ahead, though—ideas aplenty, execution's a slog.
Good thing Ronan scrapped with Kang.
From his rundown, Tony sussed out the suit's tricks.
His call? Give him a year or so—breakthrough's locked.
Ronan trusted Tony's word.
As for Ronan, back on Earth, he slipped into "normal guy" mode.
School by day, dates with Gwen Stacy when free.
Nights? All in on the Darkhold.
To fix the multiverse mess, that book's the key.
Big letdown, though—after poring over it, no repair how-to.
Well, there was one, but Ronan couldn't pull it off.
The multiverse glitch opened a channel between parallel universes.
Not just a people-swap tunnel—it's pulling them together.
Picture two water drops, minding their own business.
No outside force? They stay separate.
Then you nudge them with a chopstick—water blends, one drop left.
Parallel universes? Same deal.
Fixing it means crossing the cosmic barrier, hitting the space between universes.
Cut the channel, patch the holes—stop the merge.
Step one: barrier-breaking power.
Ronan's not there yet.
Step two: sealing the breaches—nightmare tier.
Find the two universes mid-pull in the multiverse haystack, fix both at once.
If one's patched and the other's not?
The busted one still drifts toward the fixed one.
Slower, sure—same endgame.
For now, it's beyond Ronan.
He didn't obsess over it.
Pointless—he lacks the juice to fix it yet.
Only one path forward.
Dormammu and the Dark Dimension.
As its (ex-)lord, Dormammu could hop multiverses.
The Dark Dimension could ferry Ronan too.
That's why it's just "for now."
Once he owns the Dark Dimension, he's got the tools.
Then he can solve it.
Plus, he's waiting on someone else.
Strange.
If memory serves, 616 Strange—post-return—unlocked the Eye of Agamotto and met his "destined wife."
Dormammu's niece, Clea.
When that hits, Strange'll find him.
Clea? Ronan knows scraps.
Strange's lover, Dormammu's niece.
Shaky bond with her uncle.
When Dormammu ditched the Dark Dimension, she led its folks, toppled witch Umar's reign, and legit took over.
That's when she and Strange, pitching in, tied the knot.
Bliss didn't last—Dormammu stormed back, retook the realm, crushed Clea.
She's been anti-Dormammu ever since.
All hearsay from Ronan's past-life lore—how legit? No clue.
But if Strange aims to patch 616's holes, he'll track Ronan down.
Then Clea's real deal comes out.
So, Ronan's chill.
His one job now? Take out Dormammu.
—
Los Angeles, Tony Stark's Coastal Mansion.
Tony threw a small shindig—real small.
Guests? Mostly his and Pepper's buddies and kin.
Theme? Simple—they're engaged.
In the U.S., lots of couples hit this phase post-dating.
Engagement's a buffer—love's there, marriage-ready, but hedging bets.
Time to back out if it sours.
Rough gist—Ronan's got the basics.
With Tony and Pepper's bond, though? Marriage is a lock.
Years of storms weathered—rock solid.
Tony, ex-playboy, would ditch Earth's forests for Pepper.
Not marrying'd be weirder.
"Congrats, you two."
Ronan stepped in, greeted by the smiling hosts.
"You're late."
"Others got here ages ago."
Tony grinned.
Others?
Ronan raised a brow.
"No mix-up—they didn't show."
Tony shrugged, reading Ronan's mind.
"They" meant Steve and crew.
Fugitives still—better lay low.
"Guess I don't know many here."
Ronan chuckled—Tony's circle was thin for him.
War Machine, max.
"No biggie—make yourself at home."
"You don't know them, they don't know you."
"Isn't that your jam?"
Tony winked, hinting.
Ronan's not Tony.
He hides his cards; Tony's the spotlight hero.
Fewer who know Ronan, the better.
Ronan smiled, no reply—hugged them, then drifted inside.
As expected, mostly strangers.
He grabbed a juice, parked on a couch far from the crowd, scoping the scene.
Attendees? Beyond Tony and Pepper's inner circle, big shots—rich or powerful.
Ronan even spotted U.S. military brass.
Government suits too.
Sure, Tony's out of the weapons game, but the arc reactor's clean energy keeps him a hot ticket.
Iron Man gig doesn't hurt.
Watching, though, Ronan sensed something off.
These people… something's not right.