章 54: Dilemma
Stephen Strange had been the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth for long enough to know that his position entailed some responsibilities that if remained unfulfilled, might make him lose that position. Sorcerer Supreme wasn't a position you just got to keep forever without any contributions.
The Vishanti didn't care much about who becomes the Sorcerer Supreme. They'd even start a battle royale for magicians all over the world to pick the next one if it came down to it. Stephen Strange couldn't say with certainty that he could come out on top in such a situation, especially if Doom were to participate.
Most of the world only saw Doom's rivalry with Reed and focused on his technology but very few actually understood how capable Doom was in the ways of magic. His seamless use of magic and technology and their combination was something to be feared even for the Sorcerer Supreme Strange.
"As the sorcerer supreme, I have an obligation to agree with Doom and head this new magic school. It is something the Vishanti would want and so would Kamar-Taj. The Order of Seven Sages and the Chinese Taoists have already agreed as well, so my hands are tied as the leader of KAmar-Taj." Dr. Strange bowed out from the conflict right at the start.
"Isn't it just a school? I'll fund as many schools as you need. You can get as many top professors with highest salaries as you want. You don't have to join Doom for all that, do you? Why do you need to agree with Doom at this stage?" Tony flexed his money to keep Dr. Strange from leaving their side.
"It's not about money, Tony. Not counting Kamar-Taj, Doom, the Taoists and the Order of Sages have the most extensive connections with the other dimensions. Using diplomacy with other dimensions requires a show of strength and a collective front from Earth. To go against Doom at this point, I'd either have to vacate my position as the Sorcerer Supreme or jeopardize Kamar-Taj's future with mine."
The choice was clear to Strange. He couldn't abandon Kamar-Taj just to go against Doom. And from what he had seen, there was no reason to go against him in the first place. Remaining vigilant against Doom is natural, but being hostile to him was not.
Dr. Strange became the stone that caused the ripples of disagreements between the heroes to grow larger. Some of the heroes including Captain America were of the opinion that Doom should be given a chance to prove himself. His deeds since the Thanos fight had shown that he was working towards human advancement.
But another group of heroes formed around Reed and Tony who didn't want Doom to be able to wield the power of the Chancellor of Earth Federation. They felt that taking a chance with Doom was just inviting more trouble. Most importantly, the heroes didn't want to become just another part of an army.
Heroes save people because of many reasons. Some lost their loved ones thus pushing them on the path of a savior. Some grew up with injustice and prejudice so they wanted to rid the world of those things. Some just stumbled on the path out of revenge.
Despite all their different origin stories, there were some common things in the heroes. They had a massive savior complex and moral superiority that they liked to judge others with. Uncle Ben told Spider-Man that with great powers come great responsibilities. But what he failed to mention was that the powers also come with a subconscious sense of superiority and entitlement.
It was quite natural too. A hero who can lift a bus like nothing will feel different and stronger than the passengers on said bus, there was no denying it. Most heroes managed to hide it under their massive sense of righteousness but they were all proud of their superiority.
Why else would all the superheroes have such flamboyant and flashy costumes that screamed 'look at me', 'notice me', 'admire me as I save you'? Very few if any of the heroes liked to remain anonymous and disappear after saving the people. To others, it was something to feed their ego. The heroic deeds were not just about saving the people but also for themselves.
Some of them were so addicted to that feeling that they couldn't even prioritize their loved ones and families over the heroics. The rush of fights, saving people and being praised was just that alluring to them. So, how could they let it go so easily?
In an army, the heroes would just be another guy in an uniform who saved the people. Their actions would no longer be attributed to a single individual but to the organization they came from. If they wanted such a nameless existence, the heroes would have already joined some law enforcement organization or secret organizations like SHIELD that were always scrambling to recruit the heroes.
"Captain, how can you take the side of someone like Doom when you were the one who rid this world of a tyrant like him in the past?" Johnny Storm in his fiery excitement asked something that stunned the whole room.
Comparing Doom to Hitler was already pushing it far but on top of that, using that comparison to question the righteousness of Captain America was as stupid as one could get. Johnny Storm immediately regretted his loudmouth and not thinking before speaking. He tried to apologize and clarify what he meant to say but Captain America stopped him with a hand gesture.
"You saw it too, the world chose him over Reed despite knowing who he was. Thor said it too, he might be what humanity needs right now. He is bringing together humans, mutants, magicians, and everyone together. He has been showing us with his actions that he is doing the right thing.
We should have some faith in Doom. But I don't mean to blindly follow him, we can join him and make sure he does the right thing right beside him. And if Doom really turns to darkness, I will be there once more to stop him just like I was there in Germany all those years ago."
Captain America's speech made the heroes think more and reflect on what they wanted to do. But the atmosphere in the meeting was getting even more tenser. The heroes were slowly starting to divide into two groups ones who wanted to give Doom a chance and those who wanted to stop Doom.
Some of the heroes like Captain America, Reed, Tony and Strange however could see that this might become a precursor to a civil war amongst the hero community. They didn't want to budge from their convictions but they also were not ready to fight it out at the moment. So with a tacit agreement between both sides, the meeting ended without any conclusions.
Reed slumped down on the chair after almost everyone had left and sighed, "This is going to get very rough. I don't know how we are going to get through this."
Dr. Strange who was still there took a sip of tea and tuned to Reed and Tony, "You two have met Savant too. Why do you think he is supporting Doom?"
This question suddenly made Reed stand up from his seat in surprise. "Why do I keep forgetting about him? I know for a fact that he is at the center of this mess but somehow he never comes to my mind when it comes to the discussions about the matter. It's almost like…like…"
"Like Sentry removing his memory from the world." Dr. Strange squinted his eyes as he completed the sentence Reed had difficulty completing.
Reed nodded along with a dark expression on his face. "It doesn't seem to be the same as Sentry since we can still think and remember everything about him. It feels more like some kind of interference happens when we are trying to think of him. It's so subtle that we haven't even noticed it. Do you have a magic spell for this kind of thing?"
Dr. Strange answered in a grave tone, "There is a spell for everything in magic. With his involvement with Doom and the Order of Sages, any one of them could have put a spell on him. But I don't think that is the case. Savant has no reason to keep hidden like this when he has been making his moves so openly."
"That makes sense. So what is your explanation for the phenomenon of all of us ignoring his existence in crucial discussions? Did he awaken a mutant power related to telepathy or something?" Tony asked Dr. Strange.
"Could be anything. The two of you must be aware about his intellect so we can't say for certain whether he created a machine to do all this or he just gained some power. But given the circumstances, I believe that he gained some powers and whatever is happening is a subconscious effect of that power."
Hearing Dr. Strange's explanation Tony furrowed his brows and asked, "You mean to say that Savant is subconsciously affecting everyone to not think of him? Sounds ridiculous but makes sense when you think about it."
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Just need more stones. I'm building a pyramid. Give me stones
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