Marvel: The Enlightened One#106+107: The Last Man Who Lied to the World Didn't Exactly Have a Happy Ending—When Wakanda Falls, Everyone Eats

Maria Hill wasn't pointing at some random spot on the horizon.

She was pointing directly at the true location of Wakanda—the vast, primitive jungle they used to deceive the outside world.

The battle between Hawk and the Demon Hulk was over, but for S.H.I.E.L.D, the fight was just beginning.

After all, both Hawk and the monster had burst forth from that very jungle.

So, while the S.H.I.E.L.D. commander was making small talk with Hawk, her agents on the ground had already reached the border. They were running scans on the perimeter, and the results were now being fed directly into Maria Hill's hidden earpiece.

Hawk followed her gaze.

He saw a dozen S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, their faces alight with the excitement of discovery, using a variety of instruments to scan an invisible barrier.

Maria Hill watched his expression. "You're not going to tell me?"

"I can."

Hawk looked back at her and shrugged. "That's Wakanda. The 'real' Wakanda."

Maria Hill froze.

Hawk then gave her the short version: the story of a nation sitting on a mountain of Vibranium, developing technology far beyond the rest of the world, all while posing as a starving third-world country to beg for aid at the United Nations.

He didn't add any embellishments. It was the simple, unvarnished truth.

They were a high-tech nation hiding behind the mask of poverty, taking money and food that could have saved countless lives in countries that were actually suffering.

If they had simply chosen isolation, Hawk might have respected them.

But their deception? He had nothing but contempt for it.

A lie is a lie, no matter how advanced the technology you use to hide it.

As Maria Hill listened, her expression shifted from professional curiosity to utter shock—a shock even greater than when she had heard Hawk threaten to use Mephisto's head as a urinal.

Mephisto was a distant, almost mythical threat.

Wakanda was right here. A member of the UN.

Hawk saw the look on her face and, thinking of Anna and the favor she had done him, smiled faintly.

"You don't believe me?"

"Honestly? It's a little hard to swallow."

Maria Hill replied, her professionalism returning.

Hawk just smiled and said nothing, his gaze turning back to the shimmering, invisible energy shield that protected the hidden kingdom.

...

Wakanda. The Royal Palace Command Center.

After a frantic effort by the royal physicians, King T'Chaka had regained consciousness.

But for how long?

He was old, too old to bear the mantle of the Black Panther. The blow he had taken from Hawk on Mount Bashenga had been devastating. A normal man would have been torn in half.

The injuries he had sustained were severe.

The only reasons he was still alive were Wakanda’s advanced medical technology, and the sheer, stubborn will of a king who refused to die while an enemy was at his gates.

Now, sitting in a wheelchair, T'Chaka watched the holographic displays, his eyes fixed on the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents at his border.

Though Wakanda presented itself as a poor African nation, it was still a recognized member of the UN.

As its king, T'Chaka knew of S.H.I.E.L.D, the agency operating under the oversight of the World Security Council to maintain global peace.

Like many other third-world leaders, he had even signed the accords granting S.H.I.E.L.D. operational authority within his borders.

But they had never had any reason to interact.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had never paid any attention to a nation so poor that even Africa's warlords ignored it.

But that was before today.

A sense of cold dread washed over the old king as he looked at the images of Commander Maria Hill and the man who had brought this catastrophe upon them.

Wakanda’s days of peaceful isolation were over.

...

Outside the border.

Maria Hill took the data slate an agent handed her. She glanced at the readings, then looked up as another agent fired a low-powered energy blast at the barrier. A massive, golden dome shimmered into existence for a moment, and her eyes went wide.

She was starting to believe him.

She turned back to Hawk. "How do we get in?"

Hawk raised an eyebrow. "We? No, no. I'm not going in. But if you want to, I can help you tear down that wall."

His mission in Wakanda was complete.

As for the rest of the Vibranium...

Whoever wanted it could have it.

His attitude toward it was the same as his attitude toward money.

Power was the only thing that mattered. Money, Vibranium... they were just tools. As long as he had his strength, he could get more tools whenever he needed them.

Maria Hill considered his offer, then nodded, her expression serious. "I'd be grateful for your help, Hawk."

If Wakanda was truly what he claimed it was—a hidden, technologically superior nation with a monopoly on Vibranium, then this was a global security crisis. She had to report it to the World Security Council immediately.

A small African nation, secretly hoarding the world's most advanced technology and resources while crying poverty? What are you planning?

Today you build in secret. Tomorrow, you build an empire.

Maria Hill’s expression was grim. Then, a thought occurred to her. “Do you need us to stand back? So you can put on that shiny golden armor?”

Hawk was taken aback for a second, then he laughed. "Did you like it?"

"I did."

Maria Hill's tone was dead serious. "It's far more impressive than Tony Stark's."

A smile touched Hawk’s lips. "Thanks."

With that, the spectral image of the Phoenix appeared behind him. With a piercing cry, the golden pieces of the Phoenix Armor materialized, assembling around him in a flash of fire and light.

Maria Hill’s eyes widened with a look of undisguised awe.

Beautiful.

Clad in the Armor, Hawk radiated an aura of deadly beauty.

Hawk smiled. "You should probably have your people take a few steps back."

"...Right."

Maria Hill snapped out of it and ordered her agents to withdraw.

...

In the Wakandan command center, Princess Shuri turned to her father.

"Father."

"Divert all power to the shield. He just fought that monster. He can't have enough energy left to break through."

"Yes."

Shuri nodded and gave the order, reinforcing the Vibranium shield that had protected their peaceful and isolated way of life for centuries.

...

Outside, Hawk stood alone.

His Cosmo began to burn, and tendrils of crimson energy, visible to the naked eye, coiled around him.

As his power reached its peak, the very air around him seemed to ignite.

"PHOENIX'S WINGED ASCENT!"

His roar was like the cry of a phoenix being reborn from the ashes, shattering the silence of the savanna.

In that instant, a fiery phoenix materialized behind him. As he threw a single, devastating punch, the phoenix surged forward, its wings of flame beating against the air, and slammed into the Vibranium shield—the shield that was supposed to absorb all kinetic energy.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

Time seemed to freeze.

Then, a sound like the world tearing in two ripped through the air.

The golden dome, the shield that protected all of Wakanda, flickered into full view for the first time, its surface rippling with golden energy.

Vibranium could absorb an incredible amount of energy.

But it had a limit.

Just as Thanos had been able to shatter Captain America’s shield, so too could this barrier be broken..

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"

"Shield integrity at forty percent!"

"Twenty percent!"

"Five percent!!"

"Damn it, the backup generators can't keep up!"

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!"

CRACK!

With a final, deafening crack, the dome that had hidden the true Wakanda from the world for centuries shattered completely.

In that moment, the real Wakanda—a nation of unimaginable wealth and power, a city of futuristic spires and flying vehicles, was finally exposed to the world.

<><><><><><><><>

History would remember this day.

The moment Hawk’s Phoenix’s Winged Ascent shattered Wakanda’s Vibranium energy shield, Wakanda’s dream of getting rich in secret while begging for relief aid from the United Nations was shattered along with it.

But—

None of that was Hawk’s problem anymore.

Just as he’d told Maria Hill, he was there to help. And now that he had, it was time to go home.

He had been away long enough.

...

It was nine o'clock at night by the time Hawk returned to New York City.

He walked out of JFK International Airport and straight to the long-term parking garage.

His black Audi A8 was right where he had left it.

After paying the exorbitant parking fee, Hawk started the car and pulled out of the airport. As he drove, a thought occurred to him.

The last time he’d left New York, on his way to Quantico, he’d been met with an unexpected robbery.

This time, on his way to Africa, his flights had been grounded by a series of sudden rebellions.

“...” Was it a rule now? Every time he left New York, something had to go sideways?

Hawk mused on the strange pattern. Just then, his phone rang.

It was Anna.

He glanced at the number and answered.

“Good evening, Anna.”

“It’s almost morning here.”

“...What time is it on your end?”

“Five AM.”

Hearing the time, Hawk smiled. “You’ve made it to Wakanda, then?”

Anna’s laugh came through the line. “Hawk, you should have told us. We’re supposed to be friends.”

Hawk laughed out loud. “The reveal was my gift to you, Anna. Don’t you think this is better? Saves your people the trouble of fabricating a source for their intel.”

It was the truth.

He’d been thinking of Anna when he decided to tell Maria Hill the truth about Wakanda.

Anna paused, processing his explanation.

“A gift... for me?”

“Of course.” Hawk’s tone was warm but firm.

“You’ve helped me a lot. And as I’ve said, I’m always generous with my friends. I don’t care what side you’re on. You’re my friend. And because of you, I told Maria Hill the truth. So, you go tell your superiors that this was my doing, and that they should give you a promotion and a raise.”

Anna’s laugh returned, brighter this time.

“Alright, Hawk. I’ll be sure to tell my boss.”

“That’s the spirit. I only took a small amount of Vibranium for myself. There’s plenty more where that came from. How much you can get is up to you. But you’re the experts in that field.”

“Thank you for the gift, Hawk. I love it.”

“Glad to hear it.” Hawk’s tone shifted, becoming all business. “By the way, I need you to keep an eye on Jane Foster for me. Let me know the second she goes to London.”

He couldn’t remember the exact date the Reality Stone—the Aether—had appeared on Earth.

The movie had never specified a year, month, or day.

But Hawk remembered one thing very clearly: the Aether had shown up around the time Jane Foster went to London.

And so—

Sticking close to Jane Foster was the key to finding the Reality Stone. There was no doubt about it.

Anna agreed without hesitation.

...

After another thank you and a joke about the bonus she was going to demand, she hung up.

Hawk ended the call and focused on the road, a slow, satisfied smile spreading across his face as he drove toward his home in the East Village.

He had just thrown the world’s superpowers a much juicier, more profitable target than himself.

His reasons were threefold.

First, it truly was a gift for Anna and, by extension, HYDRA.

Second, he despised the hypocrisy of Wakanda, a nation playing the victim while sitting on a mountain of wealth, taking aid that could have saved lives elsewhere. If they didn't want to act like decent human beings, then they didn't deserve to be treated as such.

And third, and most importantly, it was a strategic misdirection. With the entire world now focused on Wakanda, he would be free to move without scrutiny. Before this, his battle with the Demon Hulk would have put him under a global microscope.

But now?

The choice was simple. Monitoring Hawk was a high-risk, low-reward venture. Piss him off, and you might get another Quantico.

But monitoring Wakanda? The potential profits were astronomical. The sheer volume of Vibranium, the advanced technology... any nation that could get its hands on even a fraction of it would leapfrog its rivals.

That included the parasites growing within them—HYDRA.

Staking a claim in Wakanda was in everyone’s best interest.

And Wakanda’s opinion on the matter?

Irrelevant!

The moment they had chosen to lie, to deceive the world and take what wasn’t theirs, they had forfeited their right to an opinion.

Their actions were an order of magnitude more egregious than anything someone like Gaddafi had ever done.

The world’s superpowers didn’t even need a pretext for war this time.

Wakanda had handed it to them on a silver platter.

Their Panther God couldn't save them now. Only the World Security Council would decide their fate.

But none of that had anything to do with Hawk anymore.

...

An hour later, Hawk pulled into the garage of his house.

It was ten o’clock at night.

He walked inside, immediately stripped off the S.H.I.E.L.D t-shirt, and headed straight for the shower.

The cold water was a welcome shock, washing away the grime and fatigue of the long journey.

Within his Cosmo—

Every corner of his inner universe now pulsed with the essence of the Phoenix. At its very center, the Phoenix Armor rested, slowly growing stronger as it bathed in that power.

Because the true Phoenix had decided to go all-in on him, Hawk’s Cosmo was now at the absolute peak of a Bronze Saint’s.

But it still wasn't enough to get to Hell. First, he needed the Reality Stone. With its power to reshape reality, he could elevate his Cosmo to the level of a Gold Saint.

Only then would he be ready.

But that was a problem for another day. The Reality Stone hadn't appeared yet. All he could do now was wait.

After his shower, Hawk walked out of the bathroom and saw his phone, which he’d left on the bed, ringing.

He walked over, looked at the caller ID, and answered with a smile. “Hey, Gwen.”

“You’re back in New York?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’m coming back tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Wait.” Hawk pulled back the covers and lay down, propping himself up on his elbow. “I thought you were there for two months. It’s only been two weeks.”

Her study program at Berkeley was supposed to last the entire break.

On the other end of the line, Gwen’s voice was bright. “It was for two months, but I never said I had to stay for the whole two months. MJ was asking when I was coming back a few days ago. And you forgot—we’re graduating this semester. We need to get the yearbook and the alumni directory ready, so I’m going back to school to help out.”

The yearbook—a photo album with an individual picture of every graduate and a class photo.

And the alumni directory, a magical little book containing the contact information of every successful person who had ever graduated from Midtown Tech—the school’s parting gift to its students.

Hawk remembered that Gwen was the student aide for their grade and smiled. “Alright, then. What time tomorrow? I’ll pick you up from the airport.”

“You can come around ten-thirty.”

Hawk agreed.

After they talked for a while longer, they finally hung up.

Hawk looked at the phone, then tossed it aside, turned off the light, and closed his eyes.

...

The next day.

Hawk drove to JFK International Airport once again.

At ten-thirty in the morning.

Gwen, pulling her suitcase, emerged from the arrivals gate. She headed toward the parking garage, her eyes scanning the crowd, searching for Hawk, a hint of worry and nervousness in her expression.

Just then, she felt a light tap on her hand.

She looked to her side and saw him, standing right next to her, as if he had appeared from thin air.

Hawk smiled faintly.

“Welcome home.”

“Yeah.” Gwen looked at him, her lips pressed together in a tight line.

The worry that had been clouding her features vanished, replaced by a radiant, relieved smile.