Title: What If... The Avengers Were Guided By Merlin?
---
The sky over Manhattan was an eerie twilight, its typical blue replaced by a shimmering curtain of unnatural aurora. Within Stark Tower, Tony Stark aka Iron Man was adjusting his arc reactor when the holographic communication system activated, revealing a grim-looking Nick Fury.
"Stark, we have a situation," Fury started. "There’s been a dimensional breach … and it's not from one of our usual suspects."
Tony cocked an eyebrow. "Another Loki trick, perhaps?"
Fury's one good eye hardened. "Not this time. Reports indicate that magic is at play—ancient, powerful magic."
As soon as the word "magic" was mentioned, Dr. Stephen Strange's mystic portal swirled open within the room. He stepped through, his cloak billowing behind him. "Nick's right. Magic older than any I've encountered. Merlin."
It was a name none of them expected. The legendary sorcerer from Arthurian legend? Surely he was just a myth?
Before Tony could express his skepticism, the shimmering aurora outside intensified, and an archway of golden light materialized in the middle of the room. Emerging from it was a tall, imposing figure draped in a flowing robe—Merlin himself, complete with staff and a long, silver beard.
"Avengers," Merlin greeted in a deep, resonant voice, "the threads of fate have led us to a confluence. I come not from your time, but from a moment of great peril in my own."
Steve Rogers aka Captain America stepped forward. "Explain yourselves, sorcerer. What kind of peril are we dealing with?"
Merlin's eyes gleamed. "A dark wizard named Mordred has discovered a way to traverse time and realities. He seeks the combined power of Asgardian artifacts and Earth's most advanced technologies to dominate not just my world but all worlds."
Thor's eyebrows furrowed at the mention of Asgardian artifacts while Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow exchanged wary glances with Clint Barton aka Hawkeye. Tony cleared his throat. "So, what exactly is your game plan?"
Merlin raised his staff, and with a flick of his wrist, the room transformed from Stark Tower's modern aesthetic to an ancient stone chamber filled with mystical artifacts. “I propose an alliance," Merlin continued. "We must travel back to Camelot, retrieve the enchanted Excalibur and the mythical Shield of Disjunction to challenge Mordred's dominion."
Dr. Strange nodded thoughtfully. "Combining our powers with those mystical artifacts might just work."
The Avengers aligned themselves into action. Stark initiated the travel sequence through the Hex-tech portal generator, modifying it with energy readings from Merlin's staff. With a sequence of beeps and blurs, the Avengers found themselves in the Arthurian era, standing amidst the grandeur of Camelot's golden age.
Before they could take in the gaping splendor of King Arthur's court, they were approached by Sir Lancelot and the Knights of the Round Table, their gleaming armor glaring under the sun.
"State your intentions, time travelers," Lancelot declared, sword pointed towards them.
Captain America raised his shield as a sign of peace. "We're here to help. Merlin can vouch for us." Merlin stepped up, exchanging a knowing nod with Lancelot. Tensions eased as they entered the towering castle.
Quickly, the Avengers and their medieval allies started strategizing. Mordred's forces, armed with an unholy fusion of future technology and dark magic, were already threatening Camelot at its borders.
Tony worked alongside Merlin, combining techno-wizardry and ancient spells to forge new armor imbued with magical protections. Thor's Mjolnir was enhanced with Merlin's sorcery, amplifying its destructive prowess.
On the battlefield, Mordred appeared, his presence a twisted amalgamation of spell and machine. His eyes gleamed menacingly as he summoned dark serpents and robotic specters to lay waste to Camelot.
"Avengers, assemble!" Captain America roared, charging into the fray with Excalibur in hand, its blade glowing with ethereal light. Beside him, Thor, now bolstered with a cloak of enchantments, called forth lightning wrath on Mordred's abominations, while Dr. Strange weaved mystic barriers, deflecting spells and energy blasts alike.
Natasha and Clint remained in the shadows, taking down Mordred's lieutenants with a unique blend of high-tech weaponry and stealthy precision. Tony zoomed overhead, unleashing repulsor blasts now charged with Arthurian magic, decimating waves of enchanted constructs at Mordred's command.
In the critical moment, Mordred himself faced Merlin. The dark wizard sneered. “Your time is over, old man.”
Merlin's staff glowed as he cast an intricate spell, and with a final incantation, his eyes met the Avengers. “Together!”
Combining their powers in a magnificent crescendo, Tony’s futuristic suit, Captain America’s legendary resolve, Thor’s godly fury, Black Widow and Hawkeye's uncanny precision, and Merlin’s ancient wisdom merged into a radiant beam of pure, unadulterated power, striking Mordred at his core.
The dark wizard’s scream echoed through the battlefield as he disintegrated into nothingness, and the ripple of his defeat sent Mordred’s army of abominations into dissolution.
Merlin smiled, weariness overshadowing the relief in his eyes. “Magic and science, together, have triumphed.”
With the balance of time restored, Dr. Strange reactivated the portal, leading the Avengers back to Stark Tower. Merlin stepped through last, offering a deep bow and eternal gratitude.
The day was saved, the ancient past and futuristic present intertwined in an epic tale of unity. As the portal closed, Tony turned towards his comrades, smirking.
“Note to self: Get Merlin on the payroll. Preferably with stocks in Stark Industries.”
And thus, they all shared a rare moment of laughter, the bonds of their newfound alliance echoing across the layers of time and space. What if... the Avengers were guided by Merlin? They would always be ready to face even the most fantastical of challenges that reality—or legend—could conjure.
---
End of Episode.
This story was generated by user BarbaraMan with assistance by one of OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model; prompts used to help generate the story are shown below.
Images were generated with OpenAI's AI system, DALL·E 2, or uploaded by the user.
Prompt: Write the new episode for the Marvel series "What If...?".
Response: Title: What If... The Avengers Were Guided By Merlin? --- The sky over Manhattan was an eerie twilight, its typical blue replaced by a shimmering curtain of unnatural aurora. Within Stark Tower, Tony Stark aka Iron Man was adjusting his arc reactor when the holographic communication system activated, revealing a grim-looking Nick Fury. "Stark, we have a situation," Fury started. "There’s been a dimensional breach … and it's not from one of our usual suspects." Tony cocked an eyebrow. "Another Loki trick, perhaps?" Fury's one good eye hardened. "Not this time. Reports indicate that magic is at play—ancient, powerful magic." As soon as the word "magic" was mentioned, Dr. Stephen Strange's mystic portal swirled open within the room. He stepped through, his cloak billowing behind him. "Nick's right. Magic older than any I've encountered. Merlin." It was a name none of them expected. The legendary sorcerer from Arthurian legend? Surely he was just a myth? Before Tony could express his skepticism, the shimmering aurora outside intensified, and an archway of golden light materialized in the middle of the room. Emerging from it was a tall, imposing figure draped in a flowing robe—Merlin himself, complete with staff and a long, silver beard. "Avengers," Merlin greeted in a deep, resonant voice, "the threads of fate have led us to a confluence. I come not from your time, but from a moment of great peril in my own." Steve Rogers aka Captain America stepped forward. "Explain yourselves, sorcerer. What kind of peril are we dealing with?" Merlin's eyes gleamed. "A dark wizard named Mordred has discovered a way to traverse time and realities. He seeks the combined power of Asgardian artifacts and Earth's most advanced technologies to dominate not just my world but all worlds." Thor's eyebrows furrowed at the mention of Asgardian artifacts while Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow exchanged wary glances with Clint Barton aka Hawkeye. Tony cleared his throat. "So, what exactly is your game plan?" Merlin raised his staff, and with a flick of his wrist, the room transformed from Stark Tower's modern aesthetic to an ancient stone chamber filled with mystical artifacts. “I propose an alliance," Merlin continued. "We must travel back to Camelot, retrieve the enchanted Excalibur and the mythical Shield of Disjunction to challenge Mordred's dominion." Dr. Strange nodded thoughtfully. "Combining our powers with those mystical artifacts might just work." The Avengers aligned themselves into action. Stark initiated the travel sequence through the Hex-tech portal generator, modifying it with energy readings from Merlin's staff. With a sequence of beeps and blurs, the Avengers found themselves in the Arthurian era, standing amidst the grandeur of Camelot's golden age. Before they could take in the gaping splendor of King Arthur's court, they were approached by Sir Lancelot and the Knights of the Round Table, their gleaming armor glaring under the sun. "State your intentions, time travelers," Lancelot declared, sword pointed towards them. Captain America raised his shield as a sign of peace. "We're here to help. Merlin can vouch for us." Merlin stepped up, exchanging a knowing nod with Lancelot. Tensions eased as they entered the towering castle. Quickly, the Avengers and their medieval allies started strategizing. Mordred's forces, armed with an unholy fusion of future technology and dark magic, were already threatening Camelot at its borders. Tony worked alongside Merlin, combining techno-wizardry and ancient spells to forge new armor imbued with magical protections. Thor's Mjolnir was enhanced with Merlin's sorcery, amplifying its destructive prowess. On the battlefield, Mordred appeared, his presence a twisted amalgamation of spell and machine. His eyes gleamed menacingly as he summoned dark serpents and robotic specters to lay waste to Camelot. "Avengers, assemble!" Captain America roared, charging into the fray with Excalibur in hand, its blade glowing with ethereal light. Beside him, Thor, now bolstered with a cloak of enchantments, called forth lightning wrath on Mordred's abominations, while Dr. Strange weaved mystic barriers, deflecting spells and energy blasts alike. Natasha and Clint remained in the shadows, taking down Mordred's lieutenants with a unique blend of high-tech weaponry and stealthy precision. Tony zoomed overhead, unleashing repulsor blasts now charged with Arthurian magic, decimating waves of enchanted constructs at Mordred's command. In the critical moment, Mordred himself faced Merlin. The dark wizard sneered. “Your time is over, old man.” Merlin's staff glowed as he cast an intricate spell, and with a final incantation, his eyes met the Avengers. “Together!” Combining their powers in a magnificent crescendo, Tony’s futuristic suit, Captain America’s legendary resolve, Thor’s godly fury, Black Widow and Hawkeye's uncanny precision, and Merlin’s ancient wisdom merged into a radiant beam of pure, unadulterated power, striking Mordred at his core. The dark wizard’s scream echoed through the battlefield as he disintegrated into nothingness, and the ripple of his defeat sent Mordred’s army of abominations into dissolution. Merlin smiled, weariness overshadowing the relief in his eyes. “Magic and science, together, have triumphed.” With the balance of time restored, Dr. Strange reactivated the portal, leading the Avengers back to Stark Tower. Merlin stepped through last, offering a deep bow and eternal gratitude. The day was saved, the ancient past and futuristic present intertwined in an epic tale of unity. As the portal closed, Tony turned towards his comrades, smirking. “Note to self: Get Merlin on the payroll. Preferably with stocks in Stark Industries.” And thus, they all shared a rare moment of laughter, the bonds of their newfound alliance echoing across the layers of time and space. What if... the Avengers were guided by Merlin? They would always be ready to face even the most fantastical of challenges that reality—or legend—could conjure. --- End of Episode.
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