Marvel one-shots

Onwards and Upwards- Stan Lee

It was a cold and rainy day. The sun had been hidden by a thick blanket of clouds and it was as if the sky was crying. It should have been a day like any other yet it wasn't. Somehow, it was like the whole world was in mourning for some unexplained reason.

...

At the Avengers Tower, everything was eerily silent. For once Tony wasn't blasting his music in his lab and there were no petty arguments. It was if they could feel like something was wrong. Not in an impending doom sort of way, rather like there was a great loss in the world. None of them could explain this sudden feeling.

...

Even on the villainy front, there was no activity. There were no bank robberies or prison breakouts; not as much as a single mugging. Today the criminals and super villains just couldn't bring themselves to do their usual acts of evil doing. They were just as much affected by the loss as the heroes.

...

Hell's Kitchen was no different. For being one of the most crime-ridden places in New York City, it was unusually calm. The only sirens heard that day were the occasional ambulance because of an accident and not because of criminal activity. It was as if the whole area was on pause.

...

At Hellhouse (formally known as Sister Margaret's Home for Wayward Children), the bar patrons were sitting around and drinking while quietly reflecting on things. No one was playing pool, there were no fights; just a room full of people having a moment of silence. Amongst those was the notorious 'Merc with the Mouth' Wade Wilson. He was almost scaringly hushed. Like all the others, he had been hit with the sorrow.

...

The feeling had travelled halfway across the galaxy. Peter, much like Tony, was not playing his music, Groot was looking out the window, Rocket was fiddling with something, and Gamora and Drax were cleaning their weapons in silence. Mantis was hit hardest by this sorrow. She could feel what they were all going through, yet she didn't know how to process it. They wanted to comfort her, yet they knew if they touched her, it would increase her pain. They didn't know why they were feeling like this in the first place.

...

Little did the world know, that a great man had passed on. He was a good man, a wonderful husband and father and above all else, a legend. As the clouds cleared that night, a bright new star could be seen in the sky. All those who saw the star knew it was important for some reason. Suddenly, all the screens in the world went blank and a single word could be read on them...

Excelsior!

...

As Stan reached the Pearly Gates, he could see two people waiting for him. One was his beloved wife Joan, the woman who loved and supported him throughout his magnificent career. The other was his partner Jack Kirby, the man who helped build the Marvel Universe to what it is today. Stan kissed his wife before going over and embracing his partner. After catching up, Jack brought Stan over to show him what had become of their legacy. There were children dressed as their favourite heroes, people watching the movies and cartoons, and people reading or rereading the comics that started all, both online and in printed form. The printed copies included those showing signs of love with dog-eared pages or being slightly curved from being rolled up with others were still in pristine condition from being kept in a plastic sleeve. There were people all over the world loving their stories, from those just starting out on their journey to Marvel, to long time, hard core fans. These were the 'Marvelites; the fandom that Jack and Stan had created together. Stan smiled and placed a hand on his old friend's shoulder.

"We did good Jack..."

...

REST IN PEACE STAN LEE 1922-2018