Jarvis piloted the aircraft, smoothly landing it on the White House lawn.
As Anton stepped out with Monica, they were immediately surrounded by a squad of heavily armed guards, their weapons trained on them.
At the same time, a familiar face approached with a warm smile.
"Anton."
Secretary of Defense John Keller greeted him, then gestured to his men. "Stand down. He one of us."
Turning his gaze to Monica, he asked, "And this is…?"
Anton responded without hesitation. "She the daughter of Maria Rambeau, the director of S.W.O.R.D. I'll explain the details later."
Then, striding forward, he said, "Take me to the President."
Just as those words left his lips—
WHOOSH!
A sonic boom tore through the sky as a red-and-gold figure descended at high speed.
The guards instinctively tensed, eyes locked on the approaching streak, their hands tightening around their weapons.
Anton, however, remained unfazed. "It Tony."
As Iron Man landed beside them, his suit seamlessly retracted, revealing Tony Stark in a sharp suit. He shot Anton a confused look, his expression betraying undeniable frustration.
"Alright, start talking. Who the hell was that woman?"
Anton didn't hesitate. "Her name is Carol Danvers, a top-tier fighter pilot involved in an alien incident from the last century.
She also connected to the Tesseract and Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., the same project that led to the Battle of New York."
He then turned to Monica. "If you want details, don't ask me—ask her."
Monica breath hitched.
Anton words sent a chill down her spine.
She had never spoken to him about Carol.
Yet somehow, Anton knew everything.
"Carol was my mother best friend," she finally admitted.
Then, hesitating, she added, "But I refuse to believe she would turn into… that."
Keller clapped his hands together. "Alright, enough standing around. Let continue this inside."
—
Inside the Oval Office, the room cleared out, leaving only the President, Keller, Tony, Monica, and Anton.
Anton wasted no time.
"This is about the Skrulls."
His voice was sharp and decisive. "The Carol Danvers you just saw—that wasn't the real Carol."
Keller eyes widened. "You mean she was an imposter? A Skrull in disguise?"
Monica immediately protested. "Impossible. Skrulls can shapeshift, but they can't copy someone superpowers! What you're saying doesn't make sense!"
Anton arched a brow.
"So you believe the woman fighting Wonder Woman and Cyborg was the real Carol Danvers? Your 'Aunt Carol'?"
Monica froze. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.
Anton didn't let up. "And tell me this—who exactly told you Skrulls can't copy powers? A Skrull? What makes you so sure they were telling you the truth?"
"..."
Monica was completely speechless.
"In the last century, all of you here are well aware of the Kree invasion."
Anton spoke without even glancing at Tony.
Tony was stunned.
What do you mean, 'all of you are well aware'?
I have no idea!
What the hell is a Kree?
Last century alien invasion—wasn't that the Transformers? Since when did the Kree come into the picture?
Before he could voice his question, Anton continued, "Nick Fury was a participant in that event, and it was because of it that he became a hero of S.H.I.E.L.D. That was his most glorious achievement—so far, the only one, and likely to remain the only one."
"At the same time, that event was also Nick Fury greatest stain. He took in the aliens stranded on Earth during the incident and provided them with refuge. Those aliens were the Skrulls…"
"Over the past decade, the Skrulls, under the protection of Nick Fury—and possibly others, such as Maria Rambeau of S.W.O.R.D.—have been secretly lurking on Earth, steadily growing in number and influence. I believe that by now, these Skrulls have split into two factions."
"One faction consists of Fury supporters. Most of them recently followed him aboard a spaceship and left Earth, with only a few remaining as Fury spies.
The other faction is what we just encountered—the invaders attempting a covert takeover of Earth."
Anton explanation finally connected all the dots for everyone.
Tony mind worked fast, and he finally grasped the situation and the origins of the Skrulls.
"But you still haven't explained why a Skrull can turn into Aunt Carol—and not only that, but also possess her powers."
Monica reminded him.
"That simple," Anton replied. "They've evolved."
"Evolved?"
Everyone exchanged glances.
"Some of them have enhanced their understanding of their own abilities and transformed themselves into a special kind of Skrull. Perhaps we can call them—Super Skrulls."
Anton continued, "In short, one of them was able to shapeshift into Carol Danvers and replicate her powers. That much is undeniable—we all saw it with our own eyes."
"But why are you so certain?"
Tony was curious.
"Because I know for a fact that the real Carol Danvers isn't on Earth."
Anton thought for a moment before adding, "In a short period of time, Carol Danvers wouldn't be able to travel across multiple galaxies to return to Earth. So, the one we just saw must be an imposter."
"You know she not on Earth…"
Tony narrowed his eyes, picking up on the implication.
Given Anton long-standing approach to handling matters and his apparent vast knowledge of the universe, Tony was now certain of one thing.
"You have your own sources in space…"
"No, not you—
It must be Batman…"
"No—Superman!"
Tony stared at Anton, a hint of shock in his voice.
"Right… The Justice League has a Superman who has never shown up…"
Clark recalled recent news—John Constantine had just appeared in Los Angeles, and reports confirmed the existence of a separate, magic-affiliated world seemingly isolated from their own.
In that instant, he found himself agreeing with Tony theory.
"The reason Superman has never appeared… is because he not on Earth!"