Olympics of the Marvel Universe
It was the time of the century where the whole universe sang in harmony, where spaceships danced in the moonlit skies of all the different planets. It was the time of the year where humans, aliens and gods gathered together to decide which planet was the strongest in the whole universe. It was the time for the Olympics of the Marvel Universe.
Scott Lang and T’Challa from planet Earth were the first ones to perform. Using vibranium, quantum energy and more spectacular sources of energy that required endless knowledge, they created beautiful roads connecting all planets together. Their power was nothing other than pure knowledge and they confidently declared themselves to be the strongest amongst the nations.
A few turns later came Thor from planet Asgard, who called himself God of Thunder. He boasted that as a god, he was born with power. It isn’t about knowledge but about whom fate had chosen as a leader. He showered the spectators with beautiful sparks shaped in all kinds of imaginable forms which blossomed out of nowhere. He was a natural. His status and state of being was his power.
Next up was Groot, who came from Planet X. Groot decided to tackle universal speech and left everyone in standing ovation with the powerful quote: “I am Groot.”
Hundreds and hundreds of planets gathered together to perform, enjoy and admire. It was a beautiful and peaceful event. Humans forgot about earth’s poverty, aliens forgot about the protection of the Infinity Stones. Years and years passed and it was finally time to choose a planet to rule over the universe, the true winner of the Marvel Olympics.
Voting was about to begin when the last contestant stepped in, out of the darkness. Thanos was his name, born on Saturn’s moon, Titan. He was a monstrous, vicious looking beast but his appearance didn’t spark anyone’s interest. In fact, he looked considerably normal compared to the previous contestants. Thanos threw his left fist into the air as if to declare victory. Everyone looked in confusion when suddenly, protectors of the Infinity Stones gasped. How and when… and WHY? They wondered. Why did he take them? How is it possible that the stones are with him? Not one, but all of them? Thanos remained silent and the show went on. Staring into every soul, he clasped his left hand. For a moment, it felt as if they were caught in a sand storm. No one could see a thing but slowly, everyone, no, half of them realized what had happened. No words were needed. Half the spectators disappeared and became nothing but sandy mist. The stories and fates of them unfolded right in front of everyone’s eyes.
With a snap of his fingers, mist gathered and formed into the shapes of the spectators. Thanos returned everything to normal. Silence took over. Everyone knew who was the most powerful but nobody dared to speak. The happiness drained out of every single spectator and all that was left was a strange sensation. Something that they had never known before. It was fear. After what Thanos showed them, the story that could unfold under his ruling, nothing could return to normal. Evil was his power.
Commentary
I am a huge fan of the Marvel Universe. So naturally, I watched every single movie. When someone asked me why I loved them, I always simply told them to watch the movies because I knew they would definitely understand. I am not a big storyteller (or a big reader) but I love watching the stories unfold in front of my eyes so I created my little spin-off out of some of my favourite movie characters.
Thomas King said that “Once you have told a story, you can never take it back. So you have to be careful with the stories you tell. And you have to watch out for the stories you are told” (King, 10). Many stories are based on experiences. As soon as Thanos went through countless planets in search of all six Infinity Stones (space, time, power, mind, reality and soul), he got rid of half the population of the universe. By returning everything to normal using the time stone, Thanos created history. He showed what would happen and made them experience it. Because of the story that they were told (or experienced), the spectators lived the rest of their lives in fear or with alliances to avoid death.
I honestly found it extremely difficult to write this story as I had to keep the ending the same. Writing it down without telling everything which was supposed to be the “trick to storytelling” (King, 7) full of suspense wasn’t so easy. I began to realize how much easier it is to speak because of all the emotions I can pour into my voice. Through this assignment, I began to admire great writers who manage to capture the attention of their audience with a single sentence. Enjoy!
Works Cited
King, Thomas. The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative. Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2003. Print.
hi Min Hye
I agree that it is a difficult task to write a story with a prescribed ending because so much of your personal freedom as a writer is lost. However, I thought you did a great job of describing the world and creating the atmosphere of your. There were times when I think you took for granted that we all knew the background of the Marvel universe (the stones and their power, for example) but overall you drew me into world of your story. IT was interesting the way you ended it. I understood that the story (of evil) was a projection within the mind of the spectators. Once Thanor showed his power fear entered the thought space of everyone and they now could foresee evil taking over. My question is whether Thanor is the evil or , rather, it is the negative thoughts of the spectators that is truly evil.
Thanks for your comment.
Thanks for pointing it out. As someone who knows the story of Marvel by heart, I did make a mistake of not considering those who don’t know the movies. By retelling the story to those around me who knew the background, I definitely omitted lots of details that would have been necessary for others.
My answer your question is that he is not evil but the way he uses his power is evil. Because this like a presidential election campaign, he enforces fear to gain power. This fear shakes the universe and those fearing their lives because of Thanos begin to take sides which in turn ruins the peaceful atmosphere.
As for those who don’t know what the infinity stones are, here is a brief explanation. Each different stone represents a power. The person who controls it will become super powerful. However, because no one wants to break the peace between the planets, the stones are protected under powerful spells and hidden where (almost) no one but the protector can find it. When all seven stones come together, they can hold the power to destroy the universe.
Thanks again for your comment and I hope that those who read this will be able to understand it a little better!