While based on the existing Marvel Cinematic Universe, we consider the Marvel Champions universe (MCu) to be an alternative universe (AU) to Marvel's cinematic one. Our version of the cinematic universe is a subtle but significant branching from that of the cinematic universe; we are essentially a "What If...?" of the MCU, and it's a what if... that we've no intention of stating what the What If...? is.      At this time, we are planning to follow the MCU closely up to the first 30 minutes or so of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. From there, we will start our obvious deviation into our alternate timeline (AT), also known as a "variant." The main differences can be summed up by our choice to dissociate from our site timeline the following ABC TV offerings: Agent Carter, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and The Inhumans. They can be drawn on for characters and inspiration but not actual events.

THE BEGINNING: Way back during World War II, a frail young man named Steve Rogers volunteered for a risky military science program, Project Rebirth. He was transformed (Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011). Endowed with superhuman strength, agility, and endurance, Rogers—now known as Captain America—along with his childhood best friend, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, combated the forces of Hydra, a Nazi offshoot organization.      Rogers thwarted Hydra’s plans to use the power of an ancient artifact, the Tesseract, for mass destruction. Rogers defeated Johann Schmidt, aka Red Skull, sending him through a dangerous portal created by the Tesseract. By the war's end, Barnes, Rogers, and Schmidt had gone missing and were presumed dead.      Captain America was the only "superhero" the world had ever known—until the late 2000s, when Tony Stark, a genius, billionaire, philanthropist, and playboy, was abducted by the terrorist group The Ten Rings (Iron Man, 2008). After escaping, Stark realized how his weapons manufacturing fueled global conflict. He built more advanced armor and waged a one-man war on terrorism, leading to the death of Obadiah Stane, aka Iron Monger, who had been working with The Ten Rings all along. At a press conference later that week, Stark famously declared, "I am Iron Man," signaling the start of the modern age of superheroes.

Nick Fury's Big Day: It never rains but it pours. Stark's proclamation seemed to unleash a storm of events that would shape the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever.      In the Arctic, S.H.I.E.L.D. uncovered the frozen form of Steve Rogers, still alive, though in an ice-induced hibernation for 70 years (Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011). Rogers was revived into a world he barely recognized.      Meanwhile, in Asgard, the royal halls were in crisis (Thor, 2011). Odin stripped his son, Thor, of his powers and banished him to Earth. Meanwhile, Odin fell into the Odinsleep, leaving Thor's foster brother Loki on the throne. Loki attempted to kill Thor and destroy the realm of Jotunheim, causing significant damage to a small New Mexico town. In the end, Thor took the battle to Asgard, where Loki seemingly committed suicide by jumping into the dimensional void.      At the same time, General Thunderbolt Ross caught up with Dr. Bruce Banner, who transformed into the unstoppable Hulk when under stress (The Incredible Hulk, 2008). Banner's blood created an equally terrifying creature, and Hulk had to stop it before fleeing custody once again. Elsewhere, Tony Stark faced his own crises (Iron Man 2, 2010). The very material keeping shrapnel from impaling his heart was also poisoning him. In the midst of this, his best friend, Lt. Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes, stole a suit of his armor, becoming War Machine. Stark’s life was saved thanks to information provided by Nick Fury, who hinted that he might need Stark as a consultant in the future.

The Avengers: That future arrived when Loki stole the Tesseract from a high-security S.H.I.E.L.D. facility (The Avengers, 2012). Loki hoped to conquer Earth with the help of an alien army known as the Chitauri.      Fury activated his Avengers Initiative, gathering Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and Bruce Banner, along with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) and Clint Barton (Hawkeye). Thor also returned to Earth, seeking his foster brother. Together, they defeated the Chitauri army and captured Loki. Thor returned with Loki and the Tesseract to Asgard.

Nick Fury's Big Day:It never rains but it pours. Stark's proclamation seemed to unleash a storm of events that would shape the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever.      In the Arctic, S.H.I.E.L.D. uncovered the frozen form of Steve Rogers, still alive, though in an ice-induced hibernation for 70 years (Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011). Rogers was revived into a world he barely recognized.      Meanwhile, in Asgard, the royal halls were in crisis (Thor, 2011). Odin stripped his son, Thor, of his powers and banished him to Earth. Meanwhile, Odin fell into the Odinsleep, leaving Thor's foster brother Loki on the throne.      Loki attempted to kill Thor and destroy the realm of Jotunheim, causing significant damage to a small New Mexico town. In the end, Thor took the battle to Asgard, where Loki seemingly committed suicide by jumping into the dimensional void.      At the same time, General Thunderbolt Ross caught up with Dr. Bruce Banner, who transformed into the unstoppable Hulk when under stress (The Incredible Hulk, 2008). Banner's blood created an equally terrifying creature, and Hulk had to stop it before fleeing custody once again. Elsewhere, Tony Stark faced his own crises (Iron Man 2, 2010). The very material keeping shrapnel from impaling his heart was also poisoning him. In the midst of this, his best friend, Lt. Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes, stole a suit of his armor, becoming War Machine. Stark’s life was saved thanks to information provided by Nick Fury, who hinted that he might need Stark as a consultant in the future.

After the Battle of New York: Loki's imprisonment didn’t last long, as Thor later freed him to help defeat Malekith, leader of the Dark Elves (Thor: The Dark World, 2013). Although Loki seemingly died during the mission, he secretly usurped Odin’s throne. Meanwhile, Tony Stark faced post-traumatic stress after the near-death experience in space (Iron Man 3, 2013). Though he appeared to retire as Iron Man, the bigger crisis came when Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff discovered that Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. since its inception (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2014). One of Hydra’s most deadly agents turned out to be Rogers' old friend, Bucky Barnes. Joined by Sam Wilson (aka Falcon), Rogers and his team defeated Hydra's assassination plot and managed to free Barnes from his brainwashing.

The Age of Ultron: In recovering Loki's scepter, Tony Stark was haunted by a vision of the Avengers' demise (Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2015). Stark and Bruce Banner used the scepter's alien technology to create Ultron, an artificial intelligence that quickly became a threat. Ultron aimed to wipe out humanity, but the Avengers stopped him with the help of the newly-created Vision and the Maximoff twins, Wanda and Pietro. Although they destroyed Ultron, many lives were lost, particularly in Sokovia. As a result, the Avengers faced intense global scrutiny.

Civil War: The devastation in Sokovia led to a global push to place the Avengers under bureaucratic control (Captain America: Civil War, 2016). The Avengers were divided, with Steve Rogers opposing and Tony Stark supporting the proposal. The conflict intensified with the resurfacing of Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, who was rumored to be targeting a presidential hopeful which brings us to our present...