A Universe that Almost Existed

Series Metadata

Creator:
Series Begun:
2015-07-17
Series Updated:
2020-01-17
Description:

…in which the villains try their hand at heroing.

AU of the early MCU which imagines circumstances where the famous big baddies (Red Skull, Loki, etc.) believably turn out to be Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Basically a series of what-ifs I want to explore because I love villains, flawed heroes and complex antagonists. The basic conceit here is to see if I can, with only a few small changes to canon, provoke a wildly different but still plausible universe.

Notes:

Obviously not canon-compliant but also my references to canon beyond Phase Two will be minimal if not non-existent. Can be read in any order as long as you’re not married to understanding the exact chronology.

This series will include rewrites of Thor, Iron Man 1+2, Captain America and eventually the Avengers. There’s also some fun little “post-credits” fics about Agent Coulson, collected into their own companion series, “Behind the Scenes”.

Please note that this is a gigantic, complex universe. The in-universe chronology and consistency may be slightly off in some places, or at least not explicitly detailed in the text. Nothing too glaring, I hope.

Content warnings available in the opening notes of each work and the tags. Generally you can expect the same level of violence, profanity, and themes as in canon. Also, this series leans heavily on themes of moral ambiguity and its consequences.

Stats:
Words:
29,579
Works:
5
Complete:
No
Bookmarks:
20

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