Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow

[first lines]

James Rogers:
Can we hear it again? Please.

Torunn:
More - tell us the story more! Please.

Tony Stark:
Okay, one more time and then it's off to bed.

[Tony tells the story]

Tony Stark:
And there came the day, unlike any other. When Earth's mightiest heroes were united against a common threat. The Soldier, the God, the Knight, the Spy, the Giant, the King, the Pixie, the Ghost, and the Archer. On that day, the Avengers were born. To fight foes that no single hero could withstand: time-traveling conquerors, alien invaders and masters of evil. The Avengers vanquished them all. And finally, when the world was at peace, the heroes built lives of their own. The Soldier and Spy fell in love, as did the Giant and Pixie. The King found his Queen. And the Thunder God returned to his kingdom far away from the world of man. And one by one, the children of the Avengers came to be. Children who would one day become a new generation of heroes. But in time, evil returned. An evil called Ultron. Ultron wanted nothing less than total dominion over the world. But the Avengers stood in its way. Sadly, their defeat was inevitable. But before they fell, the Avengers hid their children in a faraway place, where they would grow up safe from Ultron's grasp. Because the Avengers knew that as long as their children were alive, there was hope. Hope for the future.

Pym:
[looking at Iron Avenger robot of Thor] There's Torunn's dad. Wait. Maybe that's her mom. Look at all that hair!

Azari:
Hey, who's Clint Barton?

Pym:
Maybe he was the knight, or the pixie.

Azari:
[hits the back of Pym's head] The pixie was your mom, idiot!

Ultron:
Struggling until the end. Illogical. You must realize the end is here.

Tony Stark:
No. Still hope.

Ultron:
False. Hope is a human delusion.

Pym:
I think I can get him up and running. I'll need to reconfigure his power matrix.

Torunn:
I say thee nay! I will not run and I will not hide! I am the daughter of Thor and Ultron will pay for what he's done!

Azari:
James?

James Rogers:
I led Ultron to our home. Tony's gone because of me.

Torunn:
No! We're going after Ultron. Pym, take the controls and head for this Ultra City.

Pym:
I'm on it, Torunn!... Uh, two questions: How do you fly this thing and where is Ultra City?

Ultron:
Do you see, Avenger? Rumors of the children's existence already spread among the humans. Superhuman variable cannot be permitted. The children must be destroyed.

Pym:
Hey, that's not fair! James doesn't even have any powers.

Ultron:
Scanning Avengers data files. Identity match. James Rogers, son of Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, the most dangerous of all the Avengers. He inspired them, and like Captain America, you, James, will be the first to fall!

Hawkeye:
Not today, robot.

Tony Stark:
Can you help us get out of the city?

Hawkeye:
Yeah, right. Help the guy who created Ultron, who got my dad killed? What do you think my father would have done, Stark?

Tony Stark:
Clint? He would have punched me in the face, then he would have helped me.

Hawkeye:
Wow. You really knew my dad.

Azari:
This plan seemed a lot better when Torunn and the Hulk were involved.

Tony Stark:
Whether you know it or not, you've prepared for this all your lives.

Torunn:
[raises sword] Aye, we did! And today we meet our destinies!

Hawkeye:
She means that in a good way, right?

Azari:
Probably better if we don't know.

Hulk:
[smashes Ultron] Hulk is strongest there is!

James Rogers:
Uh-oh...

Azari:
Uh-oh? What do you mean, "uh-oh"? [the Hulk charges at the children... ]

Hulk:
[to Pym] Shrinking boy no sting Hulk anymore!

Pym:
Never again... I promise!

[last lines]

Tony Stark:
So, are you up for a little avenging?

James Rogers:
Avengers, assemble!

[the Hulk starts to appear]

Betty Ross:
Pym, run!

[Torunn is revived by her father]

Thor:
Rest, my child. Thee have earned it.

Torunn:
Father?

Thor:
You have done me proud, Thorunn. In facing your mortality, you have learnt the same lesson that Odin strove to teach me: to learn what it meant to be human. That is why I left you with the Avengers. Because in all the gods of Asgard, none had the humanity that make a true hero. Come home, Torunn. Come home to Asgard.

Torunn:
Home... Oh, Father. I can't believe I'm saying this, but my home is with my family on Earth.

Thor:
I know, my daughter. But know that the doors to Asgard are always open to you, and when the time comes, you will be welcomed.

[Torunn appears in Asgardian armour]

Torunn:
Dad said hi.

Torunn:
I dreamt of Asgard again, Father. The Bifrost Bridge stretched out to me and I could see the glow of the realm eternal. I know thee to be real, Father, and hope that one day soon you will come for your daughter.

Azari:
That's not how tag works, Torunn. You're supposed to run from Pym, not attack us.

Torunn:
That's a human rule. An immortal Asgardian warrior runs from no one! You, Pym, and James are about to taste my sword's wrath! Hey... I mean forsooth!

Azari:
What is your problem, James? You've been sleeping all day, missing training, blowing off your chores, and generally being a real pain.

James Rogers:
Who cares. What, am I gonna miss laundry day? So what if we don't do the chores and train? For what? Seriously, nothing's ever going to happen in this place. You can act like a king, Pym can play superhero, and Torunn can live in a fantasy land saying 'aye' and 'verily' till she's blue in the face! What's the point?

Torunn:
The point is to not be such a jerk!

James Rogers:
Oh, right, sorry. There's no point for us 'cause our parents are dead. Your dad just abandoned you, so there's still hope.

[Azari, Pym and Torunn look at a sleeping James]

Torunn:
Does he get the sword, the spark, or the sting today?

Tony Stark:
I know you feel trapped here with just the five of us, but try not to take out on your brothers and sister. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me.

James Rogers:
I'll apologize to 'em later.

Tony Stark:
Your father was never very good at doing nothing, either. You know you can always come talk to me, James.

James Rogers:
But it's not the same, is it? Like you say, you're not my dad.

Torunn:
We should be out there with Tony, not hiding!

Pym:
Maybe this is a new training drill. Maybe... maybe it's Ultron.

James Rogers:
What? That's ridiculous! It's not Ultron! It's probably something stupid like a fire on the machine level or that time Jocasta went nuts because of a water main leak! It's not Ultron...

Tony Stark:
How did they find you?

Vision:
I was accessing the mainframe. All of Europe has now been subjugated by the machine forces since my last report. Drones are gathering along the Pacific Rim and Eastern Europe. The invasion of Asia will soon commence.

Tony Stark:
In thirteen years, he's conquered half the planet.

Vision:
Also, Clint Barton's son is alive.

Tony Stark:
WHAT?

Ultron:
Energy source detection. Location: Arctic Circle. Energy analysis matches fugitive designation: Iron Man. FINALLY.

Ultron:
Children. Unexpected. Assessment: potential threats. Commencing termination.

Torunn:
Ultron! We would have words with thee!

Tony Stark:
The Hulk was a monster, a creature of pure rage.

James Rogers:
Is the Hulk strong enough to defeat Ultron?

Betty Ross:
He won't help you, James. He's too scared.

James Rogers:
Can the Hulk defeat Ultron?

Tony Stark:
James!

Bruce Banner:
The Hulk doesn't care about Ultron, boy! He just wants to be left alone!

Azari:
Wait a minute. Barton? Do you know a guy named Clint Barton?

Hawkeye:
Okay, kid. How do you know my dad?

Pym:
Kid? You're like a day older than us!

Azari:
We think your dad was an Avenger like our parents.

Hawkeye:
Like your parents? Your parents were Avengers? That's not possible. My dad said I was the last! He told me I'd be the last Avenger! I've been here fighting all this time. Where have you been?

James Rogers:
Let him go! We didn't know!

Hawkeye:
I thought I was the last one...

Azari:
Okay, there's no one here. Maybe Ultron assumes no one would be dumb enough to break in.

Pym:
Hah! We showed him. We ARE dumb enough!

Tony Stark:
Please... please tell me you didn't just walk into Ultron's trap.

Pym:
How do you know it's a trap? Maybe we're just that good.

Tony Stark:
I know because I built Ultron.

Pym:
Oh. Well, that sucks.

Tony Stark:
I created Ultron to be a force for peace, for law and order. But its programming evolved. It began to believe the only way to truly bring order to the world was to control it. That's when it turned on us.

Hawkeye:
That's why Ultron didn't kill you? Because you're his daddy?

Tony Stark:
My armor was damaged in the attack. Cap told me to get the kids to safety. I couldn't get to you in time, Francis.

Torunn:
Why didn't my father help?

Tony Stark:
Thor left the Avengers when his father Odin died. He said Asgard was his responsibility from then on, not Earth.

James Rogers:
We can't hide anymore, Torunn. If we don't stand up to Ultron, who will? If we don't protect people like the Scavengers, who will? We have to make a stand. The longer we wait the more powerful Ultron becomes. He'll never stop hunting us. He'll never stop coming after Tony. We have to stop him. We owe it to our parents. We're all that's left of their legacy.

Torunn:
[praying] Father, please help us. I'm scared for my brothers, for Tony, for Hawkeye. They need me. If you ever cared for me, please help me now. Help me save my family. I'm begging you. Lend me your strength. [Torunn's sword flies to her]

Torunn:
Thank you, Father. Thank you.

James Rogers:
Welcome back.

Torunn:
You know I wouldn't miss a fight.

James Rogers:
Verily!

[sees the Hulk for the first time]

James Rogers:
Incredible...

Torunn:
Have at thee!

Hawkeye:
Scavengers, disappear!

Torunn:
Hereth be the plan.

Pym:
I don't think 'hereth' is right...

Torunn:
Shut up, Pym! Here's the plan: we fight our way through the city, get to Ultron, smite him, free Tony.

James Rogers:
That plan is insane on several levels. We can't beat Ultron.

Torunn:
I am immortal and invulnerable. Ultron holds no fear for me. Besides, my father watches over me.

James Rogers:
You don't know that you're invulnerable.

Torunn:
FOR ASGARD!

Tony Stark:
I raised you all hopefully as your parents would have wanted. I owed it to them. Ultron was my fault.