Fandom is a part of life for millions of people, and folks have found countless ways celebrate their go-to series with others. Sports fanatics tailgate, for example, while foodies write recipes online. From fan art to fan films, there is something for every one to make, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe fandom has its own specific culture to key into. When it comes to Marvel fans, fan fiction is the name of the game, and there is a whole lot of it to sample.

In the last decade, hundreds of thousands of fan fictions have cropped up in the name of the Avengers; Iron Man kicked off the spectacle in 2008 as fans swarmed online to write their own stories about Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. As the MCU grew, so did the number of fanfic entries on sites like Fanfiction.net and Archive of Our Own. The advent of Avengers: Endgame has ramped up those stories to a new high, and ComicBook.com is here to break down some standout stories.

From Phil Coulson to T’Challa, you can find your favorite characters explored in never-before-seen ways in the stories presented below. The only thing you need to enter into the MCU fandom’s expansive world of fan fiction is some time and an Internet connection. And for those who’ve never delved into the realm before, it isn’t a bad idea to have some tissues on hand. If there is one thing fan fiction is good at, it is making readers emotional, and it’s always good to have some nearby should you be blinded by tears while reading about Peter Quill’s grandfather.

Welcome to Earth’s Mightiest Week! From April 22nd to April 26th, ComicBook.com is celebrating the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far with a series of exclusive articles, lists, arguments, and more. If you’d like to check out some of our other offerings from this week, you can click the image above.

United States v. Barnes, 617 F. Supp. 2d 143 (D.D.C. 2015)

When it comes to famous MCU fan fiction, few stories are as widely known as “United States v. Barnes, 617 F. Supp. 2d 143 (D.D.C. 2015)” and for good reason. The story, which was co-authored by fallingvoices and radialarch, is a masterclass in form and feel. The lengthy fic explores multimedia storytelling through social media, academic essays, and more. At its core, the story is set in a world where Bucky Barnes undergoes trial for his crimes as the Winter Soldier, and the gut-wrenching piece breaks down the public’s opinions on the matter.

You can read an excerpt of the story below:

*****

We are standing at a historic moment in time. Right now, right here, we have the chance to lay to rest the ghost of not one, not two, but more than sixty different victims of murder. Some of these men and women have been waiting for more than half a century for justice to be brought to them. And now, thanks to the recently released SHIELD files, we are in the unique position to do so.

All The Leaves Are Brown (And the sky is gray)

If you are wanting to experience a touching AU (alternate universe) fan fiction, then “All The Leaves Are Brown (And the sky is gray)” will be right up your alley. The story is complete at 11 chapters, and writer AvocadoLove explores a world where the Winter Soldier killed Maria and Howard Stark when Tony was a toddler. Rather than kill the boy, the assassin skips protocol and runs away with Tony in tow, giving the Winter Soldier a chance to become Bucky Barnes once more.

You can read an excerpt of the story below:

*****

He cannot return until he finishes his assignment. The boy is alive. His work is not complete. He will be expected to end him.

It’s only then he realizes he doesn’t want to.

He stops again. “Tony.”

The word is odd in his mouth — he isn’t used to speaking other than to confirm his orders.

The boy stirs at the sound of his name. The Soldier places his hand on the back of the boy’s neck, not to kill this time. He does not know why he does it, only that Tony sniffles at the touch.

“I want Jarvis,” the boy whimpers.

“You are safe now,” the Soldier says.

User Since

“User Since” remains a classic fan fiction, focused on Phil Coulson, following its October 2013 publication. Written by rageprufrock, this innovative story plays with format and feelings like none other. It follows a group of Internet buddies in the wake of the Battle of New York. The group, which gathers on a Howling Commandos fan site, is searching for their mutual bud, Phil Coulson, and uncover a series of mysteries concerning their now-fallen friend. 

You can check out the story’s synopsis below:

*****

To: PC (loyaltothedream@hushmail.com)
From: Buck (bucky1956@yahoo.com)
Subject: Report!
Date: May 10, 2012

Phil — where the hell are you, man? Let us know if you’re all right, or if there’s anything we can do to help. HQ’s freaking the fuck out.

Look the Devil in the Face

“Look the Devil in the Face” is a slice-of-life story imagining one of the many ways Daredevil could enter the MCU. After all these years, the blind vigilante has yet to hit the big screen under Marvel Studios, but this fan fiction proves Matthew Murdock very much fits in. Written by prettybirdy979, it follows Matt as he encounters the Avengers one by one while they try to see if Daredevil is more monster than man… and it goes about as well as you’d expect. 

You can read the story’s synopsis below:

*****

It’s increasingly becoming a world where the unbelievable happens every day. The Avengers team includes a defrosted World War Two solider, a giant green rage monster and a man who might be a God; and they battle aliens and magic on a regular basis. It’s not too far fetched to believe the Devil walks Hell’s Kitchen.

Matt, on the other hand, hasn’t realised exactly why his new battle buddies seem terrified of him. It’s not like they’ve even heard the rumors about him being the Devil… right?

In the Home

If you are ready to read some angsty stories about Peter Parker, aloneintherain has just the thing for you. “In the Home” follows the Avengers after they add Spider-Man into the fray, but things turn south when an invasion leads the team to turn against Peter. Locked in a room with deadly superheroes, Spider-Man must find a way to survive and work through the fallout when his team comes back to their senses. 

You can read the story’s summary below:

*****

The Avengers have been infected, turned violent and aggressive against their will. And Peter, the only one unaffected, is trapped inside the Tower with six feral teammates.

“Natasha,” Peter says cautiously, “what happened here? Steve attacked me, and if there was ever a sign that something was wrong, it’s having the embodiment of Truth, Justice, and the American Way throw you across the room—”

Natasha comes closer, her stride controlled. Nothing necessarily out of the ordinary, but there’s something in her face, in her eyes—

Natasha lunges across the space, and slams into Peter, hard.

The Act of Creation Will Be Your Salvation

“The Act of Creation Will Be Your Salvation” is one of Tony Stark’s most popular general stories to date. The story, which is written by scifigrl47, gives a different perspective on Iron Man. The story follows Tony from the beginning of Iron Man and hones in on his creation of robots like Dum-e and U. The surprisingly touching fic is completed, and it will leave a good number of readers teary by the end.

You can read an excerpt from this story below:

*****

Tony fumbled for his tools, more to keep his hands busy than anything else. “Know where we are?” he asked the silent bot. “California. How the hell you ended up in California instead of New York, I’ll never know.” Obie had been apologetic, he’d helped Tony search the StarkIndustries databases for any trace of Tony’s missing crates. If it hadn’t been for him, Tony doubted he would’ve located this out of the way warehouse. “I’m thinking of living here. What do you think? Malibu? Malibu sounds cool, right? Better than New York. I can’t-” He made a face. “I can’t take New York right now.” He reached up. “What do you say, Dummy? Feel like being a California boy?”

There was a faint tone as his battery got enough juice to bring his circuitry online, and Dummy’s head came up. “Hey,” Tony said. He grinned into the camera. “Where the hell have you been? We’ve got work to do.”

to have a home

Over on Archive of Our Own, “to have a home” is a story all about Natasha Romanoff and her journey following Captain America: The Winter Soldier. With her identity in shambles following SHIELD’s fall, the Black Widow is left to piece herself back together, and she finds help in the most unlikely of places. The story is written by oceanofchaos and will be an instant hit with anyone wanting to root for Natasha Romanoff as she wipes her red ledger clean. 

You can read the story’s synopsis below:

*****

Natasha Romanoff is almost used to rebuilding herself at this point, but that doesn’t actually seem to make it any easier. It doesn’t really help that this time the entire world seems to be rebuilding as well.

—
She doesn’t need other people, but she’s beginning to think she might want them.

She buries herself in her work instead.

Into That Good Night

“Into That Good Night” is an alternate-universe story wherein the MCU dabbles with Interstellar a good bit. Written by Nonymos, the story follows Captain America long after civilization peaked and fettered away its resources. The planet’s only hope is to traverse space in hopes of finding a way to undo the damage humanity wrought, and a series of events leads Steve Rogers to volunteer alongside Bruce Banner and a mysterious dark-haired stranger he swears he’s met before. 

You can read the story’s synopsis below:

*****

Steve Rogers has lived for entirely too long—long enough to see the world’s end. The heroes are gone, and the Earth is pushing what’s left of mankind towards the exit.

But when a makeshift team rises from the ashes, when a mysterious presence all but drags Steve there, he begins to think there may be hope yet. As they shoot for the stars one last time, Steve will get proof yet again that the future is nothing if not an echo of the past.

Revisionist History

“Revisionist History” is a standalone story without any romances to explore. Instead, it follows a little-seen character from the MCU as Peter Quill’s grandfather comes into focus. Written by hitlikehammers, the story follows Peter’s grandfather in the wake of the boy’s abduction. The older man writes a series of children novels to get over his grief, but Grandpa Quill never thought The Adventures of Star-Lord would become more fact than fiction. 

You can read an excerpt of the story below:

*****

All he knows is that he can hear his wife’s voice, his Minnie saying to him, clear as day:

You should write it down, honey. You always have the best stories.

And it’s been months; it’s pushing a year.

It’s been months, pushing a year, and he’s still got his kids cooking him dinners he doesn’t need.

But now—now, maybe he’s also got a story to tell.

And maybe it’ll help.

Maybe it’ll help if he writes it down.

If You Had This Time Again

“If You Had This Time Again” is one of the most recent time-travel stories to enter the fandom, but MCU fans have flocked to it. Written by dls, this story is based around the idea of Tony Stark passing out in Siberia following his defeat against Captain America in Civil War. Iron Man awakes right after the Battle of New York wraps, giving him the chance to right wrongs and save those he didn’t think were redeemable the first time around. 

You can read an excerpt of the story below:

*****

A fierce roar shook him back into consciousness. The New York skyline greeted him and his mouth tasted like ash.

Another roar focused his attention and Tony couldn’t quite suppress a flinch at the sight of Steve towering over him, clad in his Captain America uniform but, thankfully, without his shield.

A quick scan of his surroundings located a relieved Thor and a pleased Hulk, a wrecked city and a familiar tower, a clear sky and a functioning suit.

“What the hell?” He mumbled, mostly to himself.

“We won.” Steve said, sounding impossibly young.

Tony let his head fall back against the gravel, listening to the hum of the arc reactor in his chest. This is one hell of a flashback.

Land of the Free

“Land of the Free” is penned by BeanieBaby on Archive of Our Own, and it gives an alternate telling of Avengers: Infinity War. Set after Black Panther, the story imagines what would have happened if Loki managed to use the Tesseract to bring the Asgardian survivors to Wakanda when Thanos’ Black Order stopped them at the end of Thor: Ragnarok. 

You can read a snippet of the multi-chapter story below:

*****

“Our princes,” She sobbed, clutching hysterically at Bucky’s shirt, “you must help them!”

“Prince?” He echoed, completely lost.

But by that time, Wakandan researchers were flocking into the destroyed lab, closely followed by their leader. T’Challa’s eyes widened when they met his over the heads of the distressed people filling the halls. Bucky tried to convey his bewilderment with a shrug, his arms still full of the pregnant woman.

The portal fizzed, and with it, the last of the bizarrely-dressed people trickled out. It was a man and a woman, but she was barely holding him upright. Blood dripped down between the fingers pressed to the wound on his abdomen. His head lolled and T’Challa closed the distance between them with three quick strides, taking the brunt of the man’s weight from the dark-haired woman. Something clattered to the ground and Bucky’s eyes landed on the hilt of what was once a beautifully-crafted broadsword. The blade was no longer intact.

She fell to her knees, colorless lips parting to whisper-

“Thanos.”