Marvel: The Awakened One

It wasn’t just the blue-gray creature in front of him.

The other three—held in mid-attack by Hawk’s telekinesis, suspended around the speedboat like frozen statues—were also gasping out the same desperate cries once their mouths were freed.

Hawk ignored them entirely, watching with detached interest as the blue-gray creature before him slowly asphyxiated. Her face, once dull and lifeless, was now flushed with color—rosy, almost vibrant—though still hideously ugly.

The creature’s voice grew hoarse, as if someone had a knee pressed against her throat. Her protests became weaker and weaker until they were barely audible.

She was at death’s door.

And then.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

The ocean beneath the speedboat suddenly came alive. The water surged upward with explosive force, tearing the boat apart in an instant. Hawk’s eyes flared crimson. In less than a tenth of a second, he incinerated all four blue-gray creatures with concentrated Phoenix beams. Then his body vanished.

Suddenly—

CRASH!

The speedboat was shredded by the suddenly violent water, torn into chunks small enough to chew like beef jerky.

Hawk floated expressionlessly above the sea, his gaze dropping to the water’s surface.

A silver object shot up from the churning waves, gleaming in the light as it streaked toward him like a lightning bolt.

Hawk raised an eyebrow and threw a punch.

CLANG!

The sharp ring of metal on metal echoed across the water. Hawk got a clear look at the silver object colliding with his fist.

A fork...

Technically, A trident.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The impact between fist and trident sent a shockwave rippling outward. The trident was immediately launched backward, spinning once in mid-air before shooting back across the water’s surface. It tore through the waves with a roar, skimming just above the ocean as it hurtled back toward its owner.

Hawk let out a cold laugh. He stepped forward with his right foot, locked onto the retreating trident and the water beneath it, and threw another punch.

A massive wave surged up from the ocean at the same moment.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Hawk’s fist collided with the rising tsunami. The impact produced a deafening roar. The wave managed to halt his punch’s momentum, but the moment they made contact, the water exploded into countless droplets that rained back down into the sea.

The next second—

A figure appeared from behind the collapsing wave. He wore emerald battle armor, had small wings protruding from his ankles, and bore the same blue-gray skin as the creatures Hawk had just killed. His upper body was bare, revealing a powerful, muscular frame. He caught the trident mid-flight, and as the wave receded, he came into full view.

”...” Hawk watched as the newcomer—who had been racing toward him underwater at supersonic speed while Hawk had been enjoying the slow suffocation of those four creatures—commanded the broken wave back into the ocean. The man hovered in the air, just like Hawk.

Unlike Hawk’s effortless levitation, though, this man’s ankle-wings were flapping erratically, almost spasmodically, to keep him airborne.

The visual was... absurd.

After recalling the water, the newcomer floated in place, his ankle-wings beating rapidly, gripping his trident as he locked eyes with Hawk.

”Hawk Phoenix.”

”And you are?”

”McKenzie. Namor McKenzie.”

The voice was cold, like seawater. But dark seawater.

Namor McKenzie—King of Talokan, an underwater kingdom hidden from the world just like Wakanda—held his trident steady, his tone as frigid as the ocean depths.

Hawk listened to the introduction, his mind racing. Inside his memory palace, files on every notable figure in the Marvel Universe flipped open, scanning through at the speed of light.

A moment later, he found the match.

Namor McKenzie.

The Sea King.

Not DC’s Aquaman, though. This was Marvel’s version.

DC’s Aquaman ruled the underwater kingdom of Atlantis.

Marvel’s Sea King also ruled an underwater Atlantis—except here, it was called Talokan.

DC’s Aquaman was a half-breed between surface dwellers and ocean people.

Marvel’s Sea King was... also mixed.

As for why DC’s Aquaman was a ”half-breed” while Marvel’s Sea King was something else entirely, Hawk wasn’t going to explain.

DC’s Aquaman wielded the Trident of Neptune.

Marvel’s Sea King also wielded the Trident of Neptune.

Namor could breathe freely underwater and even thrive at high altitudes. He could move at supersonic speeds beneath the waves and run like the wind on land. His strength rivaled Thor’s. In fact, according to some editors in interviews, when Namor was in the water, even Thor couldn’t match him. (Though the movies didn’t exactly showcase that.)

Hawk’s thoughts churned. Then he remembered something—the blue orb filled with seawater he’d found when he destroyed Wakanda.

He looked at Namor, who still held the Trident of Neptune, and spoke a single word.

”Wakanda.”

”Yes.”

Namor met Hawk’s gaze, his expression unchanged. ”You’re exactly as my wife described. You have a heart of ice.”

Hawk raised an eyebrow.

”Your wife?”

”Shuri.”

”The Wakandan princess??” Hearing that, Hawk’s expression darkened briefly before he looked back at Namor and let out a dry laugh. ”I thought she died with her brother T’Challa when I wiped out Wakanda...”

Namor smiled faintly. ”She would have. If I hadn’t married her.”

His kingdom hadn’t actually been closely tied to Wakanda. At least, not before Hawk exposed Wakanda to the world. Before that, the two nations had simply shared one thing—both guarded the secret of vibranium.

After all, Wakanda had vibranium. So did Talokan.

But just before Wakanda’s previous king, T’Chaka, died and passed into the Ancestral Plane, he had come to Namor. And he’d offered Shuri’s hand in marriage.

Namor had brought Shuri back to his underwater kingdom.

And then, almost immediately afterward, Hawk had annihilated Wakanda.

Talk about timing...

”You’re cruel, Mr. Phoenix.”

”Thanks.” Hawk accepted the compliment with a blank expression, then looked at Namor. ”So you’re here for revenge?”

Namor shrugged. ”You killed my wife’s entire family.”

”Here’s some advice.”

”Go ahead.”

”Hand over your wife. Then get the hell out of my sight and never show your face again. Otherwise, I guarantee your underwater kingdom will vanish from the world just like Wakanda did.”

Hawk’s tone was calm. Matter-of-fact.

He’d thought Wakanda had been completely wiped out.

Turns out—

There was one fish that slipped through the net. And now that fish had delivered itself straight to him.

Namor listened to Hawk’s suggestion and laughed.

Hawk watched Namor laugh, and he laughed too.

Soon enough, Namor’s smile faded. ”You’re not just cruel. You’re arrogant.”

”And?”

”Here’s my advice.”

”Let’s hear it.”

”Kneel. Bow toward Wakanda’s ruins. Do that, and I’ll let you leave.” Namor’s expression remained calm as he offered his own suggestion.

Hawk’s smile didn’t fade. If anything, it grew wider. His gaze locked onto Namor, sharp and predatory.

”You? A Mongrel with wings on his ankles?”

”Hah!”

Hawk let out a cold laugh, then threw his head back and roared with laughter.

Mongrel?

Namor’s expression darkened instantly. Watching Hawk laugh without restraint, he didn’t waste another word. He raised his trident, his ankle-wings beating furiously, and charged straight at Hawk.

”I’M GONNA KILL YOU!”

”You think you can?”

Hawk’s laughter stopped instantly. His expression went flat. His right fist shot forward once again.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

An even louder explosion erupted. A sonic boom formed the moment fist met trident.

Both Hawk and Namor were launched backward.

But...

Hawk’s retreating form vanished in an instant, leaving only a scattered afterimage. When he reappeared, he was already behind Namor—who was still flying backward—and his fist, the size of a sandbag, came crashing down.

At that moment—

Namor seemed to react. His body twisted sharply, and the Trident of Neptune, glowing with an eerie blue light, whipped around like a returning spear and collided with Hawk’s fist once more.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The explosion was deafening.

Not just the air—the ocean itself trembled.

The shockwave created by the collision of Hawk’s energy and Namor’s power slammed downward into the sea below them. In an instant, it carved out a massive crater in the water, dozens of meters wide.

Around the crater’s edge, the displaced water surged upward, forming towering walls that seemed to connect sea and sky, creating an impenetrable barrier.

...

Beep!

Beep!

Beep!

”SHIELD satellites detecting massive energy fluctuations in the North Pacific.”

”Analyzing energy data now.”

Beep-beep-beep!

”Phoenix signature confirmed, plus...”

”Unknown energy detected. Running database comparison.”

”Comparison complete.”

”Thor-level signature detected...”

”Commander, we have high-intensity energy readings in the North Pacific. Phoenix confirmed. Unknown secondary energy source—intensity comparable to Thor.”

”Activate the SHIELD energy satellite.”

”Understood. Diverting satellite feed. Five minutes to full uplink.”

”...Uplink successful.”

”Put it on screen.”

Commander Victoria Hand immediately gave the order, then turned her attention to the main display.

Just then—

The command center doors slid open. SHIELD Director Maria Hill, having just received the alert, walked over to stand beside Victoria Hand. She looked up at the screen, which was still syncing with the satellite feed.

”What’s going on? I thought we were tracking down Merrick. Where the hell did a Thor-level energy signature come from?”

”No idea. But... satellite’s online.”

Commander Hand shrugged. Fortunately, at that moment, the screen finished syncing with the satellite, cutting the conversation short.

The next second—

The previously dark display—still showing ”SIGNAL CONNECTING”—suddenly flared to life.

And then, through SHIELD’s advanced satellite technology, the pitch-black North Pacific was rendered in crystal-clear daylight on the main screen.

❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁

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