{T/N: Finally, some divergence...}
...
New York under the night sky is a city that never sleeps...
The endless streams of traffic wind like luminous rivers through the urban canyons, countless vehicles flowing through highways and overpasses... the very veins and arteries of this steel jungle, pulsing with relentless vitality.
An NYPD patrol car raced through the dense traffic like a fish darting through water, its siren wailing. The officers inside had just received an emergency call about a violent incident at the Baxter Building... reports of a "metal monster" publicly attacking Reed Richards.
The responding officer recognized the name. Richards was part of that new superhero team that had been making headlines, the one rumored to include the stunning Invisible Woman, Susan Storm.
'Lucky bastard,' the officer couldn't help but think enviously.
Among the group New Yorkers had dubbed the "Fantastic Four", Susan, with her model-like beauty and curvaceous figure was undoubtedly the most popular.
The other three members had roughly equal fame, though surprisingly, the hulking rock-like Thing had earned significant public goodwill after his heroic rescue of a firetruck teetering off the Brooklyn Bridge... a moment captured by news cameras and broadcast citywide.
As the police cruiser turned onto Lexington Avenue, a massive figure suddenly came crashing through a parked truck ahead, slamming onto their hood like a human cannonball. The officer stomped on the brakes, tires screeching in protest.
The rocky behemoth shook his head dazedly, then climbed off the damaged vehicle as he threw the stunned officers an apologetic glance before turning to face his enemy.
From the wrecked truck emerged a towering figure in a black hooded cloak and ornate metal mask. With terrifying ease, he tore off the vehicle's door like it was paper and tossed it aside, his entire body crackling with dangerous arcs of electricity that illuminated the street with an eerie glow.
The Thing turned back to the officers. "Sorry fellas, I'm gonna need to borrow your ride!"
With that, he lifted the two-ton police cruiser like it weighed nothing and hurled it at his opponent.
Caught momentarily off guard, Doctor Doomwas sent flying backward by the impact.
Everything had been proceeding perfectly according to Doom's plan. He'd first neutralized the most physically dangerous opponent, the Thing.
Then he'd outmaneuvered and defeated his old rival Reed Richards. The hotheaded Human Torch had been easily lured away with heat-seeking missiles. Even Susan had fallen into his grasp.
One by one, the Fantastic Four had been systematically dismantled.
Just as Doom prepared to deliver the final blow to his lifelong nemesis and savor the sweet taste of vengeance, the Thing (his rocky form mysteriously restored) came crashing back into the fight!
"Giving up your chance at a normal life just for Reed... tell me Ben, is it really worth it?" Doom's voice carried a mocking tone as he effortlessly shoved the wrecked police car off himself.
His body was now completely sheathed in indestructible metal... even direct artillery fire would barely scratch this perfected armored form.
Flush with his newfound godlike power, Doom saw no one as his equal now. Once the Fantastic Four were permanently dealt with, nothing would stop him from beginning his grand conquest.
"You wouldn't understand, Victor." The Thing's gravelly voice held no hesitation, "You've never had real friends."
The blunt words struck deeper than any physical blow. Memories flooded Doom's mind... Susan leaving him, his company teetering on the edge of ruin, everything he'd built crumbling away. The fury within him burned hotter than ever.
"I gave you all chances. Every opportunity to join me. None of you appreciated it." Doom's voice turned glacial, "Fools!"
A searing bolt of lightning lanced from his outstretched hand and slammed the Thing into a nearby smoldering vehicle with enough force to completely crush the metal frame.
Grinning through the pain, Ben Grimm clambered up from the wreckage, his rocky hide protecting him from serious injury. Like an enraged bull, he lowered his shoulders and charged again.
Doom merely smirked, casually snatching up a broken lamppost and swinging it with augmented strength...
*CLANG!*
...The metallic impact echoed through the street as sparks flew. The Thing went sailing through the air, carving a deep trench into the concrete as he skidded to a painful stop.
"You and Reed are absolute idiots for rejecting the power bestowed upon you!" Doom advanced, electricity crackling around his form, "This strength heralds a new era! One I will usher in!"
Looming over the fallen Thing, Doom raised the twisted lamppost like a executioner's blade...
One decisive strike would end this, even the nearly indestructible rock-man couldn't possibly survive a direct blow from his enhanced strength.
"I won't let you!"
A familiar voice made Doom pause mid-swing.
Glancing back at his arriving former classmate, Doom's lips curled behind his mask in a sneer...
He would deal with Richards soon enough... First, the so-called genius would watch his oldest friend die, which would make him experience true despair.
The descending metal pole suddenly met an invisible barrier inches from the Thing's head...
Susan Storm, now fully suited in her blue Fantastic Four uniform, had arrived, her force field shimmering faintly in the night air. Above them, a fiery streak announced the arrival of the Human Torch.
Against all odds, the full Fantastic Four now stood reunited against him.
Alone on the deserted street, Doom faced them all without fear. The very air seemed to hum as electricity surged into his metal body like a tidal wave, cloaking him in crackling energy that made the hair stand up on nearby observers...
Streetlights down the block exploded in showers of sparks as he drained power from the entire grid.
Cloaked in living lightning, the metal-clad Doom resembled some ancient demon risen from the depths, he radiated a terrifying majesty.
Through his mask's slits, he drank in the terrified expressions of the gathering crowd. This... this was true power. The ability to grant or take life at will. He was no longer just a man... he was evolution incarnate.
"I crawled my way up from the gutters of Latveria to stand atop this city," Doom's voice boomed, distorted by his mask, "I sacrificed everything to join its elite. And how was I repaid?" A flickering orb of pure energy coalesced in his palm, growing brighter by the second, "Reed betrayed my trust. My so-called partners schemed to steal everything I built!"
His cold gaze settled on Susan, the woman he'd once loved. In this moment, Victor Von Doom felt the final chains of his past self fall away. That name, that weak, pathetic identity... It meant nothing now.
"Sorry, am I late to the party?"
A new voice cut through the tension like a knife.
Hovering overhead in gleaming red-and-gold armor, and repulsors glowing and aimed squarely at Doom, was Tony Stark.
The billionaire playboy's voice carried his trademark smirk as he quipped, "Hey, who said you could make trouble here? Last I checked, New York is my turf."
The arrival of Iron Man shifted the dynamic completely...
Doom's metal mask hid his scowl as he recalculated the situation. This was no longer just about revenge... now it was a true battle for supremacy.
The street became eerily quiet, the air thick with anticipation...
The Fantastic Four regrouped, their powers at the ready. Iron Man's repulsors hummed with building energy. And at the center of it all stood Doctor Doom, crackling with stolen electricity, more powerful than any of them could imagine.
Somewhere in the distance, sirens wailed as more authorities responded. But here, now, on this empty stretch of New York pavement, something far more significant than a simple superhuman brawl was about to unfold.
This was the beginning of a war...