A few weeks after the battle of New York, the world at large came to know of the events that took place.
In a TV news montage about THE AVENGERS, we see various reports of what happened. Some people agree that the Avengers did good, protecting the city.
Others believe it was their cause.
Among the interviews that certain news outlets picked up, there were various comments, such as;
"Superheroes? In New York? Give me a break!" one man said.
"These so called heroes have to be held responsible for the destruction done to the city. This was their fight. Where are they now?" some senator also said.
"The masked man saved me!" a little boy cheered to a reporter as his aunt held him up, "He even told me that I was a hero!"
"The Ghost of Budapest, he's real man!" a teenager said exasperatedly, "I'm telling you, I saw him fighting the aliens and everything! It was f**king awesome--"
"Wade, you can't curse on television!"
"What? How was this somehow their fault? Captain America and The Ghost of Budapest saved my life. Wherever they are, wherever any of them are, I just wanna say...thank you."
Meanwhile, in Central Park, The Avengers take Thor and Loki (who is handcuffed and muzzled) to a blocked area.
Thor shakes hands with everyone else before he reaches Shadow and Ghost whom he simply grins and hugs with his hearty laugh.
Ghost and Shadow both chuckle as they both accept the God's warm hug, Loki rolls his eyes at the scene as Thor and Ghost decide to exchange a few words before he leaves.
Shadow stands with Loki, both looking to Ghost and Thor.
"You know...it's never too late to change...Loki," Shadow says as he has his hands in his pockets, he looks at the rest of the team, whom are all currently mingling.
The subdued God looks towards Shadow, perplexed.
"Don't give me that look," Shadow raised a brow as he glanced at Loki, "Take it from me...I killed the man that was once like a father to me...for reasons that can never come to light, but it still didn't make me feel any better. You've got a brother that travelled between realms to stop you from making a big mistake...if that ain't love, then I don't know what is."
Loki blinks, but then looks down now.
Shadow simply pats his shoulder afterward with a smile, "Just ponder on that while you're on your little jail sentence, okay, asshole," Shadow winks at him, "I'd say it's been a pleasure, but...I'd be lying."
Shadow walks off now.
With Thor and John, the two men were in the middle of a firm handshake.
"And you're sure that the humans of your world will have no problem giving up the Tesseract to Asgard once more?" Thor asks with a raised brow.
John chuckles, "I'm sure...trust me. I took care of it."
Thor laughs at this, "Then you have helped me once more, Warrior Smith...for that.. I cannot thank you enough, brother."
John smiles as Tony opens the Tesseract's case. They both look towards it, "It was no problem, humanity isn't ready, Thor...and please, just John will be fine...seeing as we are brothers in arms now."
Thor laughs at this, "Very well then, John. I am going to miss this planet, I will say...and the shawarma!"
The share another laugh, "Then I'll be sure to treat you the next time you visit."
"I would like that," Thor nods to him as Banner takes out the Tesseract and places it inside a glass tube.
They come over to pass it to Thor, whom separates from John's handshake to hold onto it.
Thor gives Loki the other end, who reluctantly takes it. Before he can fathom to go home however, he looks to John one last time, "And remember what I told you, John. Your powers...do not fear them, do not keep them bottled up...they are a part of you. You are one of the best mortals I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, I know you can control it."
John nods, grateful for the vote of confidence, "Well, if a God has faith me...who am I judge myself."
The men share one last smile.
"Indeed, farewell, brother," Thor nods as he and Loki twist either end of the glass capsule's handles.
The Asgardians leap into the energy beam.
However, as the energy beam shines through, some of the energy floats and lingers around John, making the man look around.
"Farewell, User...for now."
John gasps lightly as Thor and Loki now disappear....
The team all stand looking at the spot the gods were once at, Tony heaves a breath, "You know...I'm gonna miss the heap of muscle."
John chuckles and places a hand on Tony's shoulder, "I think we all are."
Tony chuckles as he turns to John now, "My offer still stands John, you can stop by STARK TOWERS any time. Pepper would love it."
"Actually," John begins, "I would love to, who knows, I may even invite you both over for dinner sometime. My daughters are huge fans."
John walks off, leaving Tony standing there, with a confused face, "Wait...daughters?!"
As John moves over to Bruce, the Doc was glancing around, not sure of what was next.
"A little lost, Doctor?" John asks the man, whom is startled.
"A little bit...yeah," Bruce scratches his head with an embarrassed smile.
John releases a breath of amusement, "I know the feeling well."
They both look out at the horizon for a bit as Steve comes and stands with them.
"What about you, Steve? What now?" Bruce asks the man.
"I don't know...maybe go out...get a haircut I suppose," Steve shrugs and the men all chuckle.
"You know, Doctor," John looks to Bruce, "When I was lost...I found that a vacation in the Caribbean was just what I needed."
"Really?" Bruce asks, intrigued.
"Mhm," John nods, "I'm sure Tony wouldn't mind lending you his Jet."
"Y--You think so?" Bruce asks again.
Steve releases a breath of amusement, "It wouldn't hurt to ask."
"Steve's right," John shrugs.
"M--Maybe you're right. I'll ask," Bruce pats the men's shoulders, "Thanks guys."
The duo of Super enhanced humans were now standing in a comfortable silence.
"Hey, Steve," John turns to the soldier.
"Yeah?"
"You know...if you're ever in the Bayridge area...I know a good barbershop," John quips and Steve chuckles.
"I got it," Steve takes out the keys to his Harley, "Thank you, John."
John simply nods as he turns to see Clint now, getting ready to leave. The former assassin walks over.
"You getting ready to leave?" John asks as he sees Hawkeye looking down at his phone intently.
Clint quickly puts away his phone with a smile, "Yeah," the men do a firm handshake, "I've got a plane to catch."
"Ah," John grins at this, "I see the wife and kids are eager to see you again."
Clint freezes, "H--How do you, I thought Nick said that--"
"Don't worry, no one from S.H.I.E.L.D. knows...we all have our secrets Clint, even me," John gives him a nod, "Especially seeing as I relate to this one."
"...You have a family too," Clint deduces, "You sure you wanna tell me that..."
"I mean, it's only fair, right?" John smirks at him.
Clint chuckles, "I really am glad that Nat got you to join this mission."
"Yeah..." John nods and looks down for a second as Hawkeye receives a message.
"I guess that's my cue," Clint sighs as he takes out his phone and looks to it for a second before looking to John, "I guess this is goodbye, John."
"Goodbye, Clint," John nods to him as then, one-by-one, the group splinters off, strolling into different directions.
Banner climbs in with Tony in his sportscar.
Steve rides away in his Harley.
Clint climbs into a cab.
Shadow is seen standing with his hands in his pockets as John approaches him from behind.
Shadow releases a breath of amusement and looks down now, "I guess it's about time that I go back to The Raft, huh. Well, it was fun while it lasted."
"It was, wasn't it," John says as he suddenly slaps a brown envelope into Shadow's chest, "It'd be a shame to let the party end just like that..."
Shadow raises a brow as he grabs the envelope, "What's this?"
John simply licks his lips as he looks out at the horizon, "I called in a little favor...In the midst of all that you've done to save the world...S.H.I.E.L.D. has offered you a job to pay off your sentence... with my recommendation."
"What?!" Shadow begins to tear open the envelope, "How did you get them to sign off on this?!"
John simply smirks, "...Let's just say...I made a deal...and I helped Nicholas level the playing field with his bosses."
As Shadow pulls out some papers from the envelope to give it a read, his eyes shine, "...I have a name..."
"Chose it myself," John says with a smirk, "And I got you a day job too."
"Jack Smith," Shadow tries it out and darts his head to John with a happy grin, "We're brothers!"
"Don't read too much into it," John rolls his eyes, "It's just so that I have a valid reason to keep a close eye on you."
Shadow just grins still, "Ah...you still love me."
John just sighs as Shadow continues to read his file, "...Wait a minute....You made me a MATH professor?!"
John now smirks.
"Dude, you know I HATE Math!" Shadow glares at him now.
John chuckles and places a hand on his shoulder, "You start next month at Howard University," he notices Natasha leaving to go to her Corvette, "Don't be late!"
He begins walking away from Shadow.
"Hey, John!" Jack, the assassin formerly known as Shadow, called, "...Thank you, I owe you one."
John stops and turns to him with a smile, "You owe me more than that...but that's for having my back...and now I've got yours too."
The men both nod to one another just as John goes over to Natasha whom is leaning against her Corvette with her arms folded and a smirk on her face.
"Hello there," Natasha greets him with her smirk, "Here to see me off?"
"Something like that," John smirks at her now as well.
The two exchange a chuckle before falling into a comfortable silence.
Natasha suddenly walks up to John and places a hand on his chest. The man remains still as she leans up to him and places a tender kiss on his cheek, dangerously close to his lips.
John narrows his eyes in confusion as Natasha steps back, "What was that for?"
Natasha shrugs, "That's a thank you for saving me back on the Helicarrier."
John releases a breath of amusement, "Alright, I'll take that thank you with candor then."
"You should head on home to your girls, I'm sure they're probably missing you like crazy right now," Natasha begins amusingly as she goes to hop into her car, John holds the door open for her before shutting it as she got in.
"You're probably right. I might take them shopping when this is all over. I know they'd like that," John smiles at the thought of his daughters.
"Lucky," Natasha whispers teasingly at him with her smile, "You should stick around...things are always more interesting when you're there."
"Oh...is that your little way of saying you'll miss me if I leave again?" John asks with a smirk as the Corvette roars to life.
Natasha simply winks as the car drags off and speeds down the road and around a corner.
John simply huffs, amused before looking back to see Shadow waiting for him with smile, "Wanna go for a beer?"
John just shrugs, "Sure, why not..."
And so, THE AVENGERS all part ways...
....
Currently inside of S.H.I.E.L.D's Analytic Room, Nick Fury is facing once more, the members of the WORLD SECURITY COUNCIL.
"Where are the Avengers?" one councilman asks as Jasper Sitwell stands to the back of the room with Fury at the forefront.
"I'm not currently tracking their whereabouts. I'd say they've earned a leave of absence," Nick simply responds.
"And the Tesseract?!" another council member asks.
Nick looks down and huffs in amusement as he recollects his and John's earlier conversation, "The Tesseract is where it belongs: out of our reach."
"That's not your call to make, Fury!"
"Unfortunately, I didn't make it...at least, not on my own...but on the recommendation of a friend...whom I think you all know well," Nick stares down everyone on the council.
"The assassin..." a councilman concludes and everyone immediately goes into a uproar.
"So you let Thor take it and the war criminal, Loki, who should be answering for his crimes? On the recommendation of an international criminal?!" a councilman outraged.
"Clearly, this assassin is too dangerous to be left alone and roaming the streets of our country!"another chimed.
"I agree! He cannot be allowed to roam free!"
"He said you'd make that a problem," Nick simply smirks as he takes out a flash drive and plugs it into a projector, "Luckily, he told me to pass on this message to you if that were the case."
As if on cue, several virtual files with the NAMES of all of the Council members, their pictures, their families and every little detail about them is presented on the screens for everyone to see.
Sitwell's jaw drops along with all of the Council members.
"W--What is the meaning of this?!"
A council member states as they were going through the files, seeing all of their information on display...including some government secrets that would damage each of them...
"Was that the point of all this, Fury?! A statement?!"
"A threat?!"
Nick simply huffs, "A promise. From The Godfather himself. The Avengers are under his protection. And if any of you hunt them down...or worst yet...try to hunt him...you'll all be figuring out why he was considered the most dangerous and wanted man on the planet. That's his promise..."
Fury walks out, towards the bridge, leaving the Council Members stumped...and now...afraid...
...
Fury and Agent Hill walk together, toward the window looking out into the world.
"Sir, how does it work now? They've gone their separate ways, some pretty extremely far. We get into a situation like this again, what happens then?" Hill asks Fury.
"They'll come back," Nick simply states.
"You really sure about that?" Maria asks once more.
"I am."
"Why?" Maria raises a brow.
"Because we'll need them to," Nick keeps his final answer short and Agent Hill turns around, understanding somewhat.
Fury looks out the window, smiling as he plays with Coulson's trading cards.
...
In the Bayridge area, Nikki and Nellie are seen with Lenny in their home as they look at a news report talking about STARK TOWERS incident back in New York.
As they were watching the news, the girls and Lenny all heard the front door open and they jump, "I'm home!"
"Dad!"
"Daddy!"
Nikki and Nellie both leap out of their seats and run off towards the front door to see their father with a grin on his face and his arms already open.
They launch themselves at him and the family all share a laugh, Lenny watching from a distance with a grin on his face as well.
Back on TV, the news anchor continues to talk about the Battle of New York as the camera pulls from STARK TOWERS, showing the letters of "STARK TOWER" have been blown away, and all that remains is a giant A.
The TV is then turned off...
...
END
After Credit Scene...
Agent Jasper Sitwell is currently on the phone with someone right now as he is seen hiding away from any S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel that may be lurking about.
"Hello?" Agent Sitwell begins.
"Da? Speak," a thick German accent says over the phone to Jasper whom is currently shaking and sweating.
"We may have a problem," Jasper wipes off some of his sweat.
"What is problem?" the German voice asks.
"I-It's The Godfather...his threat level...just went up! He can become a problem in the future...we're gonna need to find out if he has any weaknesses, or bring him over to the side of the cause... or, worst case scenario, we'll have to deploy...him..."
"I see," the German voice responds as he hangs up.
...
In an undisclosed location, a gian capsule of some sort in a laboratory is suddenly opened as a lone man is seen, strapped to the contraption.
One of his arms was that of a metallic design.
The scientists of the lab were all seen moving about as they all paid the unconscious man no heed.
Suddenly however, his eyes snap open...
...
After-After Credit Scene...
Before they all parted ways, right after rescuing Tony from his nasty fall and subduing Loki...
THE AVENGERS were all currently in their beaten and battered states...eating Shawarma....
Steve and John were both currently dozing off....
Tony was leaning back in his seat with a napkin as he finished his meal...
Natasha and Clint were both as exhausted as Steve and John...
Whilst Thor, Shadow and Bruce were just mowing down their food like it was nobody's business...
Thor rejoices, "I like this! ANOTHER!" he throws his plate on the ground!
"Uh, Thor, I think that's a little disrespectf--" Steve begins.
"YEAH! ANOTHER!" Tony encourages and throws down his napkin and plate now.
The cleaning crew all seem annoyed.
"I'll clean them up!" John waves them off.
"I love this shit...." Shadow simply says as the AVENGERS just enjoy their meals...