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[[caption-width-right:350:Our protagonist. Please ignore the GlowingEyesOfDoom.]]A Marvel fan from our world is reborn in the MCU. Sure he could follow the SI clichés; become a hero, save the world and get the girl, but Michael [=McCole=] instead decides to follow a different path. After all, in a world where magic is real, reality is what you decide for it to be. There will be challenges along the way, but nobody said becoming a God was easy.
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[[caption-width-right:350:Our protagonist. Please ignore the GlowingEyesOfDoom.]]A Marvel fan from our world is reborn in the MCU. Sure he could follow the SI clichés; become a hero, save the world and get the girl, but Michael [=McCole=] instead decides to follow a different path. After all, in a world where magic is real, reality is what you decide for it to be. There will be challenges along the way, but nobody said becoming a God was easy.
]]
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* TheBigGuy: Michael himself is this after injecting himself with the Gamma-ray augmented Super Soldier serum. He shoots up in height and width to the point he's towering over every other humanoid in the fic and often uses that to his advantage during negotiations by looming over his opponents. His height has been somewhat inconsistent, though the author has stated it to be well over the two meters mark. For illustration, when Thor comes to confront Michael, he notices that the Norse God only reaches the middle of his chest.
* NonIndicativeName: The titular "twelve step program to omnipotence" actually has more than just twelve steps; it's a bit of a RunningGag that more steps keep getting added.
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* TheBigGuy: Michael himself is this after injecting himself with the Gamma-ray augmented Super Soldier serum. He shoots up in height and width to the point he's towering over every other humanoid in the fic and often uses that to his advantage during negotiations by looming over his opponents. His height has been somewhat inconsistent, though the author has stated it to be well over the two meters mark. For illustration, when Thor comes to confront Michael, he notices that the Norse God only reaches the middle of his chest.
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* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler: After Michael ascends to Omnipotence and Thanos is beaten, he willingly walks through a divide between Life and Death to exchange his soul for Gamora's, with the narration noting that he held his head high and didn't falter for the entire time, despite having been nearly destroyed during his previous fight with Michael.]]
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Trying to fix the link
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* DePower: [[spoiler: By the end of the story, Michael revisits Bast and uses his godly abilities to strip her of all her power and intelligence.
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* DePower: [[spoiler: By the end of the story, Michael revisits Bast and uses his godly abilities to strip her of all her power and intelligence.]]
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* De-power: [[spoiler: By the end of the story, Michael revisits Bast and uses his godly abilities to strip her of all her power and intelligence.]]
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* De-power: DePower: [[spoiler: By the end of the story, Michael revisits Bast and uses his godly abilities to strip her of all her power and intelligence.]]
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Didn’t link properly.
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* Depower: [[spoiler: By the end of the story, Michael revisits Bast and uses his godly abilities to strip her of all her power and intelligence.]]
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* Depower: De-power: [[spoiler: By the end of the story, Michael revisits Bast and uses his godly abilities to strip her of all her power and intelligence.]]
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It was amusing.
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* GlobalIgnorance: Initially, the story claimed that Chernobyl was located in Russia, before being hastily corrected to Ukraine following incredulous comments and reviews.
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* GlobalIgnorance: Initially, the story claimed that Chernobyl was located in Russia, before being hastily corrected to Ukraine following incredulous comments and reviews.
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It was amusing.
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* GlobalIgnorance: Initially, the story claimed that Chernobyl was located in Russia, before being hastily corrected to Ukraine following incredulous comments and reviews.
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* De-Power: [[spoiler: By the end of the story, Michael revisits Bast and uses his godly abilities to strip her of all her power and intelligence.]]
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* De-Power: Depower: [[spoiler: By the end of the story, Michael revisits Bast and uses his godly abilities to strip her of all her power and intelligence.]]
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* De-Power: [[spoiler: By the end of the story, Michael revisits Bast and uses his godly abilities to strip her of all her power and intelligence.]]
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Renamed per TRS
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* BuxomIsBetter: While certainly friendly/flirty when Jessica begins working for Michael, the two don't hook up until ''after'' Jessica gets an Extremis-powered make-over which includes a rather noticeable increase to her chest. It's only then that Michael sees her in a romantic light.
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* BuxomIsBetter: BuxomBeautyStandard: While certainly friendly/flirty when Jessica begins working for Michael, the two don't hook up until ''after'' Jessica gets an Extremis-powered make-over which includes a rather noticeable increase to her chest. It's only then that Michael sees her in a romantic light.
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Critical Research Failure is a disambiguation page
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* CriticalResearchFailure: Initially, the story claimed that Chernobyl was located in Russia, before it was hastily corrected to Ukraine following incredulous comments and reviews.
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* AndTheAdventureContinues: In the epilogue, when Michael outlives everyone he knows he drains his power into a spear and travels to the Hobbit universe for more adventures.
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* AndTheAdventureContinues: In the epilogue, when Michael outlives everyone he knows knows, he drains his power into a spear and travels to the Hobbit ''Literature/TheHobbit'' universe for more adventures.
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These examples of Surprisingly Realistic Outcome seem to violate at least one of these rules, which disqualifies them: No character reactions (characters get angry, don't forgive, don't change their personality instantly, etc.); Too fantastical (depends on the properties of magic, powers, sci-fi tech, monsters, etc.); Not surprising (a character was warned about the outcome, it's used to provide Karma or An Aesop, or it simply follows normal conventions for this genre or medium); Plot happens (the example only describes an event, but not why audiences would expect a different, unrealistic outcome); Not an outcome (a character just explains why something wouldn't work as expected); More of a Deconstruction (the event has major, lasting effects on the plot, make something more realistic, but not completely realistic, or a parody/fanwork applies realistic consequences to the events of a different work); or fits better under a different trope. See the trope's definition for more details. If you believe a removal was a mistake, please bring it up in the cleanup thread
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* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Instead of trying to be a hero and selflessly help people, Michael is only interested in gaining more power for himself because he wants to become a god and to have enough power to fight Thanos and his army. He only helps other people if it benefits him, a selfish but understandable motive. Even him becoming a god is all about power, not because he wanted to be worshiped.
** Even if SHIELD has a large information network to track down criminals, and people with superpowers, Michael initially manages to remain unknown from SHIELD because for all intents and purposes Michael at the start of the story is just an 'Average' citizen with no criminal record or anomaly that would flag him as "special" or worth noticing.
** Despite having the blueprints for the Iron Man armor and Arc Reactor, Michael only manages to make an armor that is barely better than the first prototype that Tony made because he lacks the resources to do so. After all Michael is just an ordinary worker with non-supergenius intellect, he didn't have millions dollar he can spend unlike Tony could for his later armors.
** After managing to get Hulk-lite powers, Michael needs to go on the run because after gaining superpowers and starting to make waves, SHIELD manages to track him down and they attempt to arrest him.
** Due to being a criminal Michael and Sterns need to smuggle themselves on a freight ship in order to leave the country and go to Africa.
** Michael [=McCole=] manages to gain both the Hulk's powers and Extremis. But when he tells his MadScientist Samuel Sterns he wants his skeleton coated with vibranium, he's told it's not doable. Even ''if'' the surgery could be performed without immediately killing him, and that's a big if, he'd die from strangling his bone marrow. And if that didn't kill him, his body's extreme internal temperature makes it likely the vibranium would melt inside him, rending the whole process meaningless.
** Later, after using a serum developed by Sterns to double his intellect, he doesn't gain any new knowledge, but he better understands things he already knew and learns new things easier.
** When Michael and Sterns start selling what's clearly an arc reactor with the serial numbers filed off, Tony Stark admits that despite what Pepper argues, Stark Industries can't sue them. While the fact he never patented the arc reactor means Michael and Sterns are technically in the clear from a legal standpoint, the real problem is that the sheer goodwill this new company has produced by providing relatively cheap clean energy means SI would come off as the villains.
** Michael and Sterns, along with their cohorts Noah Burstein and Phineas Mason need someone to run their company for them as none have any real business savvy or interest in running a company, let alone a soon to be multi-billion dollar MegaCorp.
** Hydra only survives and thrives because they manage to keep their existence a secret, when they get found out, they start to get hunted down by SHIELD and also the Hand due to Michael actions, as of this moment they are almost completely destroyed with only a few branches that manage to hide and survive.
** Even if SHIELD has a large information network to track down criminals, and people with superpowers, Michael initially manages to remain unknown from SHIELD because for all intents and purposes Michael at the start of the story is just an 'Average' citizen with no criminal record or anomaly that would flag him as "special" or worth noticing.
** Despite having the blueprints for the Iron Man armor and Arc Reactor, Michael only manages to make an armor that is barely better than the first prototype that Tony made because he lacks the resources to do so. After all Michael is just an ordinary worker with non-supergenius intellect, he didn't have millions dollar he can spend unlike Tony could for his later armors.
** After managing to get Hulk-lite powers, Michael needs to go on the run because after gaining superpowers and starting to make waves, SHIELD manages to track him down and they attempt to arrest him.
** Due to being a criminal Michael and Sterns need to smuggle themselves on a freight ship in order to leave the country and go to Africa.
** Michael [=McCole=] manages to gain both the Hulk's powers and Extremis. But when he tells his MadScientist Samuel Sterns he wants his skeleton coated with vibranium, he's told it's not doable. Even ''if'' the surgery could be performed without immediately killing him, and that's a big if, he'd die from strangling his bone marrow. And if that didn't kill him, his body's extreme internal temperature makes it likely the vibranium would melt inside him, rending the whole process meaningless.
** Later, after using a serum developed by Sterns to double his intellect, he doesn't gain any new knowledge, but he better understands things he already knew and learns new things easier.
** When Michael and Sterns start selling what's clearly an arc reactor with the serial numbers filed off, Tony Stark admits that despite what Pepper argues, Stark Industries can't sue them. While the fact he never patented the arc reactor means Michael and Sterns are technically in the clear from a legal standpoint, the real problem is that the sheer goodwill this new company has produced by providing relatively cheap clean energy means SI would come off as the villains.
** Michael and Sterns, along with their cohorts Noah Burstein and Phineas Mason need someone to run their company for them as none have any real business savvy or interest in running a company, let alone a soon to be multi-billion dollar MegaCorp.
** Hydra only survives and thrives because they manage to keep their existence a secret, when they get found out, they start to get hunted down by SHIELD and also the Hand due to Michael actions, as of this moment they are almost completely destroyed with only a few branches that manage to hide and survive.
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*ItHasBeenAnHonor: During an invasion of both Hell and Dormammu, Tony Stark puts aside his previous antagonism towards Michael to tell him that "you're a dick, but even so, it has been a genuine honor", with Michael reciprocating the sentiment.
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Because the epilogue stated that is what he did
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* AndTheAdventureContinues: In the epilogue, when Michael outlives everyone he knows he drains his power into a spear and travels to the Hobbit universe for more adventures.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/qbjihno_5.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Our protagonist, ladies and gentlemen (as drawn by the author)]]A Marvel fan from our world is reborn in the MCU. Sure he could follow the SI clichés; become a hero, save the world and get the girl, but Michael [=McCole=] instead decides to follow a different path. After all, in a world where magic is real, reality is what you decide for it to be. There will be challenges along the way, but nobody said becoming a God was easy.
[[caption-width-right:350:Our protagonist, ladies and gentlemen (as drawn by the author)]]A Marvel fan from our world is reborn in the MCU. Sure he could follow the SI clichés; become a hero, save the world and get the girl, but Michael [=McCole=] instead decides to follow a different path. After all, in a world where magic is real, reality is what you decide for it to be. There will be challenges along the way, but nobody said becoming a God was easy.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/qbjihno_5.jpg]]
org/pmwiki/pub/images/michael_glows_4.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Ourprotagonist, ladies and gentlemen (as drawn by protagonist. Please ignore the author)]]A GlowingEyesOfDoom.]]A Marvel fan from our world is reborn in the MCU. Sure he could follow the SI clichés; become a hero, save the world and get the girl, but Michael [=McCole=] instead decides to follow a different path. After all, in a world where magic is real, reality is what you decide for it to be. There will be challenges along the way, but nobody said becoming a God was easy.
[[caption-width-right:350:Our
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[[caption-width-right:350:Our protagonist ladies and gentlemen (as drawn by the author)]]A Marvel fan from our world is reborn in the MCU. Sure he could follow the SI clichés; become a hero, save the world and get the girl, but Michael [=McCole=] instead decides to follow a different path. After all, in a world where magic is real, reality is what you decide for it to be. There will be challenges along the way, but nobody said becoming a God was easy.
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[[caption-width-right:350:Our protagonist protagonist, ladies and gentlemen (as drawn by the author)]]A Marvel fan from our world is reborn in the MCU. Sure he could follow the SI clichés; become a hero, save the world and get the girl, but Michael [=McCole=] instead decides to follow a different path. After all, in a world where magic is real, reality is what you decide for it to be. There will be challenges along the way, but nobody said becoming a God was easy.
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*EyeScream: Transforming into the Ghost Rider usually comes with the eyes literally burning away. Jessica does the same to Klaue when she tracks him down in Belgium using the Penance Stare.
**After Nebula's fight with Ebony Maw, it's revealed that he ripped out one of her eyes using his telekenesis. Being a cyborg, Nebula powers through it.
**After Nebula's fight with Ebony Maw, it's revealed that he ripped out one of her eyes using his telekenesis. Being a cyborg, Nebula powers through it.
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**As of the latest chapter, Stakar and Aleta Ogord count as well, fighting off half of the Black Order together.
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*DesignatedGirlFight: Aleta Ogord ends up dueling Proxima Midnight after taking out Corvus Glaive in an epic hit-and-run.
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* RealityEnsues: Instead of trying to be a hero and selflessly help people, Michael is only interested in gaining more power for himself because he wants to become a god and to have enough power to fight Thanos and his army. He only helps other people if it benefits him, a selfish but understandable motive. Even him becoming a god is all about power, not because he wanted to be worshiped.
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* RealityEnsues: RedEyesTakeWarning: Due to Extremis, whenever Michael gets worked up his eyes automatically light up as well.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Naturally occurs whenever Michael and Tony Stark share a scene. Jessica Jones gives a rather good showing as well.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: Michael restores [[spoiler:Peggy's]] mind, health and youth, preventing her death.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Instead of trying to be a hero and selflessly help people, Michael is only interested in gaining more power for himself because he wants to become a god and to have enough power to fight Thanos and his army. He only helps other people if it benefits him, a selfish but understandable motive. Even him becoming a god is all about power, not because he wanted to be worshiped.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Naturally occurs whenever Michael and Tony Stark share a scene. Jessica Jones gives a rather good showing as well.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: Michael restores [[spoiler:Peggy's]] mind, health and youth, preventing her death.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Instead of trying to be a hero and selflessly help people, Michael is only interested in gaining more power for himself because he wants to become a god and to have enough power to fight Thanos and his army. He only helps other people if it benefits him, a selfish but understandable motive. Even him becoming a god is all about power, not because he wanted to be worshiped.
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* RedEyesTakeWarning: Due to Extremis, whenever Michael gets worked up his eyes automatically light up as well.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Naturally occurs whenever Michael and Tony Stark share a scene. Jessica Jones gives a rather good showing as well.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: Michael restores [[spoiler:Peggy's]] mind, health and youth, preventing her death.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Naturally occurs whenever Michael and Tony Stark share a scene. Jessica Jones gives a rather good showing as well.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: Michael restores [[spoiler:Peggy's]] mind, health and youth, preventing her death.
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** That actually might’ve been an indirect side-effect of Extremis. See, Estrogen is a multi-functional hormone, responsible for regulating cholesterol metabolism, calcium absorption, antioxidant activity, breast development and growth, etc. Perhaps Jessica’s estrogen levels were consistently low, despite the periodic fluctuations during the menstrual cycle, maybe from chronic Hypoestrogenism, and Extremis brought them up to normal, causing breast development.
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* BattleCouple: Michael and Jessica, ‘nuff said.
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* BleedEmAndWeep: [[spoiler:Jessica, after punching the head off of Kilgrave, gets a dose of this. After helping her release some steam and with some sage advice, Michael helps her move on.]]
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/qbjihno_5.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Our protagonist ladies and gentlemen (as drawn by the author)]]A Marvel fan from our world is reborn in the MCU. Sure he could follow the SI clichés; become a hero, save the world and get the girl, but Michael [=McCole=] instead decides to follow a different path. After all, in a world where magic is real, reality is what you decide for it to be. There will be challenges along the way, but nobody said becoming a God was easy.
''A Twelve-Step Program to Omnipotence'' is a Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse SelfInsertFic by Bakkughan which tries to answer a single question: how far is your average Joe willing to go in order to [[Film/AvengersInfinityWar survive half the universe being wiped out]]? What is he willing to do? The answer: a lot. The fic spans several years as Michael [=McCole=] starts from nothing (contrary to many other SI Fics) and through guile, outsider knowledge and just plain cold blooded murder starts gathering powers and allies in his quest to beat Thanos to the punch. Or Snap, as it were.
Can be found on [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12923462/5/A-Twelve-Step-Program-to-Omnipotence ff.net]] and [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/a-twelve-step-program-to-omnipotence-mcu-si.645007/ SpaceBattles]].
"SPOILER ALERT" Spoilers are currently unmarked, read at your own risk. {{Late Arrival Spoiler}}s for the Infinity Saga and most of the television serieses are also present.
----
!!''A Twelve-Step Program to Omnipotence'' provides examples of:
* AbusiveParents: Jessica's and Trish's mom. When she tries to reinsert herself into her daughter's life, nobody takes it well and she's promptly kicked off Michael's island.
* AdaptationalHeroism: Many of the MCU's (minor) villains are barely evil in this fic, mostly because Michael has a tendency to snap them up before they can really go off the rails and then just gives them what they wanted in the first place, which usually just boils down to funding and/or scientific breakthroughs.
* AffablyEvil: Michael, despite being a power hungry and murderous villain, is very much a polite person as long as you are not his enemy, or got in the way of his quest to gain more power. He treats his subordinates with respect and rewards them generously when they do well to the point that his inner circle at least can almost be considered to be his family. He even remains polite with his enemies if they don't majorly piss him off or are unspeakable interdimensional nightmarish horrors, often preferring the fastest solution requiring the least amount of unnecessary violence.
* AGodAmI: Michael's ultimate goal and something that has become more prominent in his attitude as the story progresses and his power keeps increasing.
* AlcoholicParent: Subverted by Jessica, as she quits the bottle the same day she learns of her pregnancy and states that she will never drink again.
* AlliterativeName: '''M'''ichael '''Mc'''Cole. '''J'''essica '''J'''ones. '''S'''amuel '''S'''terns.
* AtLeastIAdmitIt: It was once pointed out that what Michael is doing is immoral and illegal, Michael answers that yes, what he is doing is immoral and illegal, but that the government agencies such as SHIELD are doing the exact same thing. At least Michael doesn't excuse his actions by saying he is part of the government, or that he is doing it for the good of the nation.
* ATruceWhileWeGawk: During the Chitauri Invasion, Michael manages to lasso a space whale and ends up riding it into battle. As he's barreling through the sky, he notes how Thor and the Chitauri he was strangling both pause their fight to stare open-mouthed in shock as he flies past.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: While guiding Michael on his vision-quest, Queen Ramonda tries to give him several of these. By either acknowledging them, dismissing them or even coming up with an ArmorPiercingResponse Michael manages to pass her tests and gets to keep his soul intact.
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: Due to manipulating a desperate Cross, Michael manages to get his hands on Pym Particle research, which his Think Tank then manages to perfect. Queue the 50 foot tall, firebreathing dinosaur.
** Later Michael himself becomes this during the second invasion of New York by incorporating Pym Particles into his armor.
* AuthorAppeal: Michael's own appearance, which some readers have found off-putting. Bakkughan himself has a tendency to make his SI's massive and muscled in his other stories as well and has stated that this is simply what he'd like to look like.
->"I was the type of kid who never understood why Beast wanted to go from badass wolf-bison-lion-bear hybrid to boring regular human like everyone else, and always thought Belle did him dirty."
* AuthorVocabularyCalendar: Bakkughan has a tendency to use parentheses A LOT, to the point multiple will show up in the same paragraph and occasionally even in the same sentence.
* BadassBoast:
** Michael manages to get one in against Dormammu. His armor is ruined, his ammo is spent and his weapon is broken and to top it all of he is rapidly succumbing to poison. Yet when Dormammu leans in to gloat about how he's going to enjoy Michael's suffering, he just laughs in his face and responds with "No. You won't. You really won't." He's proven correct.
** Michael and Carol Danvers also exchange a couple of noteworthy ones.
--->'''Michael:''' You are aware of the fact that I've fought off entire armies before, right?\\
'''Carol:''' So have I.
* BadassLongcoat: Michael himself tends to incorporate them in his earlier armors, as shown in the image. Jessica is also almost always seen wearing an impervious leather duster.
* BeleagueredAssistant: Jeri Hogarth often ends up getting Michael's crazy schemes dumped in her lap and told to sort out the paperwork and make it profitable, before he immediately portals out of her office again. Phineas is helping her out, but she still grouses over barely getting any sleep in trying to make SCIENCE! marketable.
* BreastExpansion: Part of Jessica's power upgrade caused her to gain a [[MostCommonSuperPower figure straight out of a Marvel ''comic'']]. Trish is less than pleased that Jessica is now the more developed of the two of them. This is somewhat justified due to the explanation that, because of the [[MusclesAreMeaningless way her powers work]] her body has essentially atrophied due to never having actually used her muscles for anything. Extremis fixes this by reversing the damage and bringing her to peak physical health. That being said, boobs generally speaking aren't made solely out of muscle, so why Extremis felt the need to add onto them is anyone's guess.
* BreathWeapon: Michael and Susan are fond of this thanks to their Extremis, as are some of the other enhanced in Michael's employ. It also applies to the young Inhuman child at Othrys.
* BuxomIsBetter: While certainly friendly/flirty when Jessica begins working for Michael, the two don't hook up until ''after'' Jessica gets an Extremis-powered make-over which includes a rather noticeable increase to her chest. It's only then that Michael sees her in a romantic light.
* ComicBookMoviesDontUseCodenames: Averted. Not only does Michael choose a name for himself. He takes the name of "Hyperion"[[note]] Marvel's literal SupermanSubstitute who they use when they want to do crossover events without actually doing crossovers.[[/note]]. Effectively telling readers he's chosen to be the MCU's equivalent to Franchise/{{Superman}}.
* CurbStompBattle: Michael's short fight with Carol Danvers. Though she manages to get one or two licks in, Michael demolishes her in less than 10 minutes and [[DePower takes away her powers for good measure]], leaving her bruised, bloodied, beaten and [[HeroicBSOD broken]].
* CutenessProximity: Noah Burstein manages to create a T-Rex. Her name is Susan, she breathes fire and has near-human levels of intellect and is totally adorable, being doted on by everyone around her. Oddly enough, this remains the case even after she's fully grown up, at least in the case of the Hulk who for some reason keeps calling her "kitty!".
* CriticalResearchFailure: Initially, the story claimed that Chernobyl was located in Russia, before it was hastily corrected to Ukraine following incredulous comments and reviews.
* DeadpanSnarker: Considering just how much crazy is going on at Michael's base at any given time and it almost seems that all of his employees end up developing into this just as a coping mechanism.
* DeathByAdaptation: Michael isn't hesitant to step over bodies in order to get what he wants and it shows. While his victims consist mostly of villains and common criminals, several heroes have been cut down as well, either directly or through the butterfly effect.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Michael literally and figuratively tells Dormmammu to fuck off from Earth, and unlike Strange who merely trapped himself in a Time-Loop with Dormmamu, Michael also uses loads of bullets, missiles, laser beams and scythe to the face to do it.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Shuri. Michael killed her mother. So in return, Shuri sics two dimensions worth of demonic horror on him, uncaring that this devastates New York and is likely to doom the entire Earth and perhaps even all of existence.
* {{Doorstopper}}: As of chapter 50, the story sits at 600k words and still has to resolve its ''Endgame'' arc. As noted by the author, that makes the fic longer than the entire ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy.
* DuelingWorks: In May 2018, another MCU fic called Gems of Infinite Potential was posted which opened with: "I saw A Twelve Step Program to Omnipotence and frankly I thought it did pretty much everything wrong with an SI story. So I decided to do it better." During the fic's existence, there were some discussions on the internet which of the SI fics was superior, though both author's remained out of the debate. The last update to Gems was in June of that same year however, and now it's a dead fic.
* EldritchAbomination:
** Dormammu qualifies, as do the higher ranked lords of Hell. Surtur also is one on account of his age and power.
** Interestingly enough, several persons within the MCU such as the Ancient One and Dormammu himself consider Michael to be one. His nature as a dimension hopper from reality into fiction means that his soul is far "heavier" than it has any right to be and it's downright weird, with the Ancient One stating she has never felt anything like it before.
* ElementalPowers: Fire seems to be rather prevalent with Michael's forces. Additionally Michael himself is using more and more (sun)Light based attacks in his arsenal.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Michael tries to minimize civilian casualties, and absolutely refuses to murder children, as seen when he spared Shuri's life even when it was clear it would end up biting him in the ass later.
** He's also pretty disgusted at what Hydra has put Bucky through mentally speaking, even though he himself has done something similar and even worse. The difference is that Bucky was a good guy, whereas the people that Michael has mentally enslaved/ripped apart were Super Nazi's.
* EvilOverlord: The canon MCU examples, such as Thanos, Surtur and Dormammu apply. Much of the conflict on Earth between Michael and the Government/SHIELD is the fear that Michael is planning to become this and merely playing nice for now. The fact that they're not entirely wrong (just about the Evil part) doesn't help matters.
* FriendlyEnemy: Michael and Tony remain civil (if snarky) with each other despite being corporate rivals and with a possible lawsuit hanging over their heads. And when a bigger threat shows up, they have no qualms in teaming up and trading barbs and even compliments back and forth.
* GeniusBonus: When Loki confronts his father Odin, many readers noticed that their dialogue seemed to reflect the conversation between Shifu and Tai Lung in Kung Fu Panda during their climactic showdown. Bakkughan later revealed that this was done intentionally: Tai Lung is voiced by Ian McShane, who plays Odin in the American Gods show. Meaning Loki in a very round-about way got to throw his father's own words back in his face.
* GodhoodSeeker: The main premise of the fic, and Micheal's ultimate plan.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters:
** One of the main questions of the story. How many corpses is Michael willing to leave behind, how many immoral acts is he willing to carry out in his attempt to be ready for Thanos?
** Shuri, in trying to avenge [[spoiler:the AccidentalMurder of her mother]], ends up allying with Klaw, [[spoiler:swearing fealty to Dormammu and taking up both the Darkhold and Ghost Rider]] against humanity.
* IHaveYourWife: Shuri tries to pull this on Michael during their battle. It doesn't end well for her...
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Heavily inverted with Michael himself. After various serums and enhancements, Michael has lost all his hair, has grown to an immense size and doubled his weight in sheer muscle mass. Additionally, he also now has some more extreme modifications, such as a raised ribcage and spine like pre-transformation Blonsky and glowing eyes that gets him labeled a demon in Africa. Michael not once considers trying to find a way to revert to a human appearance, even stating that his old body now looks weird and off-putting to him. The same applies to Samuel Sterns who now sports his iconic Leader-sized head.
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: Trish did not react well to Jessica going from an anonymous mess of a woman hiding some low-level powers to one of the most powerful, famous, wealthy, and beautiful women on the planet. Enough that she lands in a mental ward.
* ImmortalityImmorality: The Hand just like their canon counterparts, qualifies here as well.
* ImmortalitySeeker: Michael's sole motivation at the start of the story and what drives the plot forwards. He absolutely refuses to die. Ever. Not to heroes, villains, or Thanos snapping his fingers or even just plain old age.
* InformedAbility: Michael supposedly has comic book-genius level intellect, but this is rarely shown in the fic itself.
* KiManipulation: The Hand and The Chaste are of course chi-users.
** [=McCole=] becomes one when he accidentally [[spoiler: fulfills the requirements to become an Iron Fist by punching the Extremis-infused/semi-dragonified Alexandra Reid in the heart]]. He and his crew then proceed to do science to it like they do every other MCU power source.
* LetsGetDangerous: Samuel Sterns is usually a happy go-lucky guy who just wants to dedicate himself to SCIENCE! So when he gets a dead serious look on his face and starts going for his sonic screwdriver-copy, even an angry Michael is halted in his tracks. Considering Sterns manages to collapse a part of the Hell-dimension in on itself (along with a chunk of its residents) that seems to be the smart move to make when he gets serious.
* MentalTimeTravel: Using the Time Stone seems to involve something like this, depending on the required task.
* MortalityPhobia: Michael is consumed by this, to the point that his best friends consider this his defining feature. Alexandra of the Hand is also this, so when Michael denies her his own ImmortalityInducer she becomes desperate enough to start messing around with Extremis herself... to disastrous results.
* MundaneObjectAmazement: While trying to help Tony clean up his tower after the Chitauri Invasion, Thor thinks that he has found a human's artwork. Tony has some trouble keeping his cool when explaining that the sparking hunk of shredded metal leaking oil all over his floors is in fact not art but actually a powerful generator. Thor then asks if it still works.
* NoSell: After surprising Pierce in his own home, the aged Hydra leader whips around and shoots Michael straight in the middle of his forehead. The bulletproof Michael is more amused and slightly impressed Pierce managed to make such an accurate shot at his age and in the dark than angered, even letting the flattened bullet fall from his head into his hand and returning it to Pierce with a smug smile.
* OffWithHisHead: How Michael gets rid of Killmonger sitting on Wakanda's throne, assisted by a telekinetically swung scythe that enlarges and shrinks fast enough most people didn't even see him act beyond a sudden metallic flash.
* OldShame: The author has stated that the Wakanda Arc is this to him.
* PhysicalGod: The usual Marvel characters apply, such as the Titans and Asgardians, but after a few years have passed in his quest, this now also applies to Michael himself.
* PragmaticVillainy: While he is power hungry, Michael doesn't bother with StupidEvil tendencies. He will only do villainous things if it benefits him, he avoids civilian casualty as much as possible and he will also do good things such as fighting to defend Earth because of the good will it will earn him and the fact that he lives on Earth means staying out of the fight is not an option.
* PregnantBadass: Jessica in the later parts of the story, as she's still flying around busting alien and/or demon heads without issue.
* RealityEnsues: Instead of trying to be a hero and selflessly help people, Michael is only interested in gaining more power for himself because he wants to become a god and to have enough power to fight Thanos and his army. He only helps other people if it benefits him, a selfish but understandable motive. Even him becoming a god is all about power, not because he wanted to be worshiped.
** Even if SHIELD has a large information network to track down criminals, and people with superpowers, Michael initially manages to remain unknown from SHIELD because for all intents and purposes Michael at the start of the story is just an 'Average' citizen with no criminal record or anomaly that would flag him as "special" or worth noticing.
** Despite having the blueprints for the Iron Man armor and Arc Reactor, Michael only manages to make an armor that is barely better than the first prototype that Tony made because he lacks the resources to do so. After all Michael is just an ordinary worker with non-supergenius intellect, he didn't have millions dollar he can spend unlike Tony could for his later armors.
** After managing to get Hulk-lite powers, Michael needs to go on the run because after gaining superpowers and starting to make waves, SHIELD manages to track him down and they attempt to arrest him.
** Due to being a criminal Michael and Sterns need to smuggle themselves on a freight ship in order to leave the country and go to Africa.
** Michael [=McCole=] manages to gain both the Hulk's powers and Extremis. But when he tells his MadScientist Samuel Sterns he wants his skeleton coated with vibranium, he's told it's not doable. Even ''if'' the surgery could be performed without immediately killing him, and that's a big if, he'd die from strangling his bone marrow. And if that didn't kill him, his body's extreme internal temperature makes it likely the vibranium would melt inside him, rending the whole process meaningless.
** Later, after using a serum developed by Sterns to double his intellect, he doesn't gain any new knowledge, but he better understands things he already knew and learns new things easier.
** When Michael and Sterns start selling what's clearly an arc reactor with the serial numbers filed off, Tony Stark admits that despite what Pepper argues, Stark Industries can't sue them. While the fact he never patented the arc reactor means Michael and Sterns are technically in the clear from a legal standpoint, the real problem is that the sheer goodwill this new company has produced by providing relatively cheap clean energy means SI would come off as the villains.
** Michael and Sterns, along with their cohorts Noah Burstein and Phineas Mason need someone to run their company for them as none have any real business savvy or interest in running a company, let alone a soon to be multi-billion dollar MegaCorp.
** Hydra only survives and thrives because they manage to keep their existence a secret, when they get found out, they start to get hunted down by SHIELD and also the Hand due to Michael actions, as of this moment they are almost completely destroyed with only a few branches that manage to hide and survive.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Due to Extremis, whenever Michael gets worked up his eyes automatically light up as well.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Naturally occurs whenever Michael and Tony Stark share a scene. Jessica Jones gives a rather good showing as well.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: Michael restores [[spoiler:Peggy's]] mind, health and youth, preventing her death.
* SurrealHorror: Michael's experience in the Dark Dimension. His first attempt at directly interfacing with the Mind Stone also is this, until he manages to come to his senses again.
* TheBigGuy: Michael himself is this after injecting himself with the Gamma-ray augmented Super Soldier serum. He shoots up in height and width to the point he's towering over every other humanoid in the fic and often uses that to his advantage during negotiations by looming over his opponents. His height has been somewhat inconsistent, though the author has stated it to be well over the two meters mark. For illustration, when Thor comes to confront Michael, he notices that the Norse God only reaches the middle of his chest.
* VillainHasAPoint: Despite being a selfish and power hungry villain, Michael has a lot of good points in that what SHIELD is doing is hardly any different then what he is doing: hoarding power, doing immoral and even illegal acts to get the job done, and the fact that they had government backing doesn't excuse what they have done.
* VillainProtagonist: Michael acknowledges the fact he is in fact by all definition a power hungry, murderous, villain that wishes to become a god. He is not under any delusion that he is a hero or that he is a good guy or that he is doing it for the 'greater good'.
* VillanousValour:
** The last stand of Ulysses Klaue against the Ghost Rider. Even [=McCole=] had to admit that: "Well... at least you died as you lived. You were always a dick, Klaue, but no-one will ever say you were a coward."
** Murakami never had a real chance against Michael, especially after the Power Stone gets used, but he goes down fighting.
* WhatTheHellHero:
** Michael calls out Nick Fury and Carol Danvers when they tried to arrest him after he already saved Earth twice, pointing out that what they're doing is barely legal, and they had to do it just after [[spoiler:Natasha's]] funeral.
** During a vision trip with the Queen of Wakanda as his guide, she asks him why he doesn't use his power for the betterment of others, instead of hoarding it all for himself. Michael doesn't hesitate to [[ShutUpKirk throw the question right back in her face,]] asking how many other Africans Wakanda could have saved if it hadn't turned its back on the world. It is the only time in their encounter that the Queen is left speechless and she eventually concedes the point to him.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Michael theorizes that other immortals require an obsession, such as the Grandmaster with his gladiator games or Tivan with his Collection, in order to stave this off. This has led him to decide that guiding and defending humanity will become his obsessions, once he has achieved godhood.
* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: Dormammu takes on the appearance of a sky-sized head. Bast appears as a huge panther made out of smoke. Both only appear this way to all who observe them, their true self is far too complex for mortal minds to comprehend.
----
[[caption-width-right:350:Our protagonist ladies and gentlemen (as drawn by the author)]]A Marvel fan from our world is reborn in the MCU. Sure he could follow the SI clichés; become a hero, save the world and get the girl, but Michael [=McCole=] instead decides to follow a different path. After all, in a world where magic is real, reality is what you decide for it to be. There will be challenges along the way, but nobody said becoming a God was easy.
''A Twelve-Step Program to Omnipotence'' is a Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse SelfInsertFic by Bakkughan which tries to answer a single question: how far is your average Joe willing to go in order to [[Film/AvengersInfinityWar survive half the universe being wiped out]]? What is he willing to do? The answer: a lot. The fic spans several years as Michael [=McCole=] starts from nothing (contrary to many other SI Fics) and through guile, outsider knowledge and just plain cold blooded murder starts gathering powers and allies in his quest to beat Thanos to the punch. Or Snap, as it were.
Can be found on [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12923462/5/A-Twelve-Step-Program-to-Omnipotence ff.net]] and [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/a-twelve-step-program-to-omnipotence-mcu-si.645007/ SpaceBattles]].
"SPOILER ALERT" Spoilers are currently unmarked, read at your own risk. {{Late Arrival Spoiler}}s for the Infinity Saga and most of the television serieses are also present.
----
!!''A Twelve-Step Program to Omnipotence'' provides examples of:
* AbusiveParents: Jessica's and Trish's mom. When she tries to reinsert herself into her daughter's life, nobody takes it well and she's promptly kicked off Michael's island.
* AdaptationalHeroism: Many of the MCU's (minor) villains are barely evil in this fic, mostly because Michael has a tendency to snap them up before they can really go off the rails and then just gives them what they wanted in the first place, which usually just boils down to funding and/or scientific breakthroughs.
* AffablyEvil: Michael, despite being a power hungry and murderous villain, is very much a polite person as long as you are not his enemy, or got in the way of his quest to gain more power. He treats his subordinates with respect and rewards them generously when they do well to the point that his inner circle at least can almost be considered to be his family. He even remains polite with his enemies if they don't majorly piss him off or are unspeakable interdimensional nightmarish horrors, often preferring the fastest solution requiring the least amount of unnecessary violence.
* AGodAmI: Michael's ultimate goal and something that has become more prominent in his attitude as the story progresses and his power keeps increasing.
* AlcoholicParent: Subverted by Jessica, as she quits the bottle the same day she learns of her pregnancy and states that she will never drink again.
* AlliterativeName: '''M'''ichael '''Mc'''Cole. '''J'''essica '''J'''ones. '''S'''amuel '''S'''terns.
* AtLeastIAdmitIt: It was once pointed out that what Michael is doing is immoral and illegal, Michael answers that yes, what he is doing is immoral and illegal, but that the government agencies such as SHIELD are doing the exact same thing. At least Michael doesn't excuse his actions by saying he is part of the government, or that he is doing it for the good of the nation.
* ATruceWhileWeGawk: During the Chitauri Invasion, Michael manages to lasso a space whale and ends up riding it into battle. As he's barreling through the sky, he notes how Thor and the Chitauri he was strangling both pause their fight to stare open-mouthed in shock as he flies past.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: While guiding Michael on his vision-quest, Queen Ramonda tries to give him several of these. By either acknowledging them, dismissing them or even coming up with an ArmorPiercingResponse Michael manages to pass her tests and gets to keep his soul intact.
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: Due to manipulating a desperate Cross, Michael manages to get his hands on Pym Particle research, which his Think Tank then manages to perfect. Queue the 50 foot tall, firebreathing dinosaur.
** Later Michael himself becomes this during the second invasion of New York by incorporating Pym Particles into his armor.
* AuthorAppeal: Michael's own appearance, which some readers have found off-putting. Bakkughan himself has a tendency to make his SI's massive and muscled in his other stories as well and has stated that this is simply what he'd like to look like.
->"I was the type of kid who never understood why Beast wanted to go from badass wolf-bison-lion-bear hybrid to boring regular human like everyone else, and always thought Belle did him dirty."
* AuthorVocabularyCalendar: Bakkughan has a tendency to use parentheses A LOT, to the point multiple will show up in the same paragraph and occasionally even in the same sentence.
* BadassBoast:
** Michael manages to get one in against Dormammu. His armor is ruined, his ammo is spent and his weapon is broken and to top it all of he is rapidly succumbing to poison. Yet when Dormammu leans in to gloat about how he's going to enjoy Michael's suffering, he just laughs in his face and responds with "No. You won't. You really won't." He's proven correct.
** Michael and Carol Danvers also exchange a couple of noteworthy ones.
--->'''Michael:''' You are aware of the fact that I've fought off entire armies before, right?\\
'''Carol:''' So have I.
* BadassLongcoat: Michael himself tends to incorporate them in his earlier armors, as shown in the image. Jessica is also almost always seen wearing an impervious leather duster.
* BeleagueredAssistant: Jeri Hogarth often ends up getting Michael's crazy schemes dumped in her lap and told to sort out the paperwork and make it profitable, before he immediately portals out of her office again. Phineas is helping her out, but she still grouses over barely getting any sleep in trying to make SCIENCE! marketable.
* BreastExpansion: Part of Jessica's power upgrade caused her to gain a [[MostCommonSuperPower figure straight out of a Marvel ''comic'']]. Trish is less than pleased that Jessica is now the more developed of the two of them. This is somewhat justified due to the explanation that, because of the [[MusclesAreMeaningless way her powers work]] her body has essentially atrophied due to never having actually used her muscles for anything. Extremis fixes this by reversing the damage and bringing her to peak physical health. That being said, boobs generally speaking aren't made solely out of muscle, so why Extremis felt the need to add onto them is anyone's guess.
* BreathWeapon: Michael and Susan are fond of this thanks to their Extremis, as are some of the other enhanced in Michael's employ. It also applies to the young Inhuman child at Othrys.
* BuxomIsBetter: While certainly friendly/flirty when Jessica begins working for Michael, the two don't hook up until ''after'' Jessica gets an Extremis-powered make-over which includes a rather noticeable increase to her chest. It's only then that Michael sees her in a romantic light.
* ComicBookMoviesDontUseCodenames: Averted. Not only does Michael choose a name for himself. He takes the name of "Hyperion"[[note]] Marvel's literal SupermanSubstitute who they use when they want to do crossover events without actually doing crossovers.[[/note]]. Effectively telling readers he's chosen to be the MCU's equivalent to Franchise/{{Superman}}.
* CurbStompBattle: Michael's short fight with Carol Danvers. Though she manages to get one or two licks in, Michael demolishes her in less than 10 minutes and [[DePower takes away her powers for good measure]], leaving her bruised, bloodied, beaten and [[HeroicBSOD broken]].
* CutenessProximity: Noah Burstein manages to create a T-Rex. Her name is Susan, she breathes fire and has near-human levels of intellect and is totally adorable, being doted on by everyone around her. Oddly enough, this remains the case even after she's fully grown up, at least in the case of the Hulk who for some reason keeps calling her "kitty!".
* CriticalResearchFailure: Initially, the story claimed that Chernobyl was located in Russia, before it was hastily corrected to Ukraine following incredulous comments and reviews.
* DeadpanSnarker: Considering just how much crazy is going on at Michael's base at any given time and it almost seems that all of his employees end up developing into this just as a coping mechanism.
* DeathByAdaptation: Michael isn't hesitant to step over bodies in order to get what he wants and it shows. While his victims consist mostly of villains and common criminals, several heroes have been cut down as well, either directly or through the butterfly effect.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Michael literally and figuratively tells Dormmammu to fuck off from Earth, and unlike Strange who merely trapped himself in a Time-Loop with Dormmamu, Michael also uses loads of bullets, missiles, laser beams and scythe to the face to do it.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Shuri. Michael killed her mother. So in return, Shuri sics two dimensions worth of demonic horror on him, uncaring that this devastates New York and is likely to doom the entire Earth and perhaps even all of existence.
* {{Doorstopper}}: As of chapter 50, the story sits at 600k words and still has to resolve its ''Endgame'' arc. As noted by the author, that makes the fic longer than the entire ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy.
* DuelingWorks: In May 2018, another MCU fic called Gems of Infinite Potential was posted which opened with: "I saw A Twelve Step Program to Omnipotence and frankly I thought it did pretty much everything wrong with an SI story. So I decided to do it better." During the fic's existence, there were some discussions on the internet which of the SI fics was superior, though both author's remained out of the debate. The last update to Gems was in June of that same year however, and now it's a dead fic.
* EldritchAbomination:
** Dormammu qualifies, as do the higher ranked lords of Hell. Surtur also is one on account of his age and power.
** Interestingly enough, several persons within the MCU such as the Ancient One and Dormammu himself consider Michael to be one. His nature as a dimension hopper from reality into fiction means that his soul is far "heavier" than it has any right to be and it's downright weird, with the Ancient One stating she has never felt anything like it before.
* ElementalPowers: Fire seems to be rather prevalent with Michael's forces. Additionally Michael himself is using more and more (sun)Light based attacks in his arsenal.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Michael tries to minimize civilian casualties, and absolutely refuses to murder children, as seen when he spared Shuri's life even when it was clear it would end up biting him in the ass later.
** He's also pretty disgusted at what Hydra has put Bucky through mentally speaking, even though he himself has done something similar and even worse. The difference is that Bucky was a good guy, whereas the people that Michael has mentally enslaved/ripped apart were Super Nazi's.
* EvilOverlord: The canon MCU examples, such as Thanos, Surtur and Dormammu apply. Much of the conflict on Earth between Michael and the Government/SHIELD is the fear that Michael is planning to become this and merely playing nice for now. The fact that they're not entirely wrong (just about the Evil part) doesn't help matters.
* FriendlyEnemy: Michael and Tony remain civil (if snarky) with each other despite being corporate rivals and with a possible lawsuit hanging over their heads. And when a bigger threat shows up, they have no qualms in teaming up and trading barbs and even compliments back and forth.
* GeniusBonus: When Loki confronts his father Odin, many readers noticed that their dialogue seemed to reflect the conversation between Shifu and Tai Lung in Kung Fu Panda during their climactic showdown. Bakkughan later revealed that this was done intentionally: Tai Lung is voiced by Ian McShane, who plays Odin in the American Gods show. Meaning Loki in a very round-about way got to throw his father's own words back in his face.
* GodhoodSeeker: The main premise of the fic, and Micheal's ultimate plan.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters:
** One of the main questions of the story. How many corpses is Michael willing to leave behind, how many immoral acts is he willing to carry out in his attempt to be ready for Thanos?
** Shuri, in trying to avenge [[spoiler:the AccidentalMurder of her mother]], ends up allying with Klaw, [[spoiler:swearing fealty to Dormammu and taking up both the Darkhold and Ghost Rider]] against humanity.
* IHaveYourWife: Shuri tries to pull this on Michael during their battle. It doesn't end well for her...
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Heavily inverted with Michael himself. After various serums and enhancements, Michael has lost all his hair, has grown to an immense size and doubled his weight in sheer muscle mass. Additionally, he also now has some more extreme modifications, such as a raised ribcage and spine like pre-transformation Blonsky and glowing eyes that gets him labeled a demon in Africa. Michael not once considers trying to find a way to revert to a human appearance, even stating that his old body now looks weird and off-putting to him. The same applies to Samuel Sterns who now sports his iconic Leader-sized head.
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: Trish did not react well to Jessica going from an anonymous mess of a woman hiding some low-level powers to one of the most powerful, famous, wealthy, and beautiful women on the planet. Enough that she lands in a mental ward.
* ImmortalityImmorality: The Hand just like their canon counterparts, qualifies here as well.
* ImmortalitySeeker: Michael's sole motivation at the start of the story and what drives the plot forwards. He absolutely refuses to die. Ever. Not to heroes, villains, or Thanos snapping his fingers or even just plain old age.
* InformedAbility: Michael supposedly has comic book-genius level intellect, but this is rarely shown in the fic itself.
* KiManipulation: The Hand and The Chaste are of course chi-users.
** [=McCole=] becomes one when he accidentally [[spoiler: fulfills the requirements to become an Iron Fist by punching the Extremis-infused/semi-dragonified Alexandra Reid in the heart]]. He and his crew then proceed to do science to it like they do every other MCU power source.
* LetsGetDangerous: Samuel Sterns is usually a happy go-lucky guy who just wants to dedicate himself to SCIENCE! So when he gets a dead serious look on his face and starts going for his sonic screwdriver-copy, even an angry Michael is halted in his tracks. Considering Sterns manages to collapse a part of the Hell-dimension in on itself (along with a chunk of its residents) that seems to be the smart move to make when he gets serious.
* MentalTimeTravel: Using the Time Stone seems to involve something like this, depending on the required task.
* MortalityPhobia: Michael is consumed by this, to the point that his best friends consider this his defining feature. Alexandra of the Hand is also this, so when Michael denies her his own ImmortalityInducer she becomes desperate enough to start messing around with Extremis herself... to disastrous results.
* MundaneObjectAmazement: While trying to help Tony clean up his tower after the Chitauri Invasion, Thor thinks that he has found a human's artwork. Tony has some trouble keeping his cool when explaining that the sparking hunk of shredded metal leaking oil all over his floors is in fact not art but actually a powerful generator. Thor then asks if it still works.
* NoSell: After surprising Pierce in his own home, the aged Hydra leader whips around and shoots Michael straight in the middle of his forehead. The bulletproof Michael is more amused and slightly impressed Pierce managed to make such an accurate shot at his age and in the dark than angered, even letting the flattened bullet fall from his head into his hand and returning it to Pierce with a smug smile.
* OffWithHisHead: How Michael gets rid of Killmonger sitting on Wakanda's throne, assisted by a telekinetically swung scythe that enlarges and shrinks fast enough most people didn't even see him act beyond a sudden metallic flash.
* OldShame: The author has stated that the Wakanda Arc is this to him.
* PhysicalGod: The usual Marvel characters apply, such as the Titans and Asgardians, but after a few years have passed in his quest, this now also applies to Michael himself.
* PragmaticVillainy: While he is power hungry, Michael doesn't bother with StupidEvil tendencies. He will only do villainous things if it benefits him, he avoids civilian casualty as much as possible and he will also do good things such as fighting to defend Earth because of the good will it will earn him and the fact that he lives on Earth means staying out of the fight is not an option.
* PregnantBadass: Jessica in the later parts of the story, as she's still flying around busting alien and/or demon heads without issue.
* RealityEnsues: Instead of trying to be a hero and selflessly help people, Michael is only interested in gaining more power for himself because he wants to become a god and to have enough power to fight Thanos and his army. He only helps other people if it benefits him, a selfish but understandable motive. Even him becoming a god is all about power, not because he wanted to be worshiped.
** Even if SHIELD has a large information network to track down criminals, and people with superpowers, Michael initially manages to remain unknown from SHIELD because for all intents and purposes Michael at the start of the story is just an 'Average' citizen with no criminal record or anomaly that would flag him as "special" or worth noticing.
** Despite having the blueprints for the Iron Man armor and Arc Reactor, Michael only manages to make an armor that is barely better than the first prototype that Tony made because he lacks the resources to do so. After all Michael is just an ordinary worker with non-supergenius intellect, he didn't have millions dollar he can spend unlike Tony could for his later armors.
** After managing to get Hulk-lite powers, Michael needs to go on the run because after gaining superpowers and starting to make waves, SHIELD manages to track him down and they attempt to arrest him.
** Due to being a criminal Michael and Sterns need to smuggle themselves on a freight ship in order to leave the country and go to Africa.
** Michael [=McCole=] manages to gain both the Hulk's powers and Extremis. But when he tells his MadScientist Samuel Sterns he wants his skeleton coated with vibranium, he's told it's not doable. Even ''if'' the surgery could be performed without immediately killing him, and that's a big if, he'd die from strangling his bone marrow. And if that didn't kill him, his body's extreme internal temperature makes it likely the vibranium would melt inside him, rending the whole process meaningless.
** Later, after using a serum developed by Sterns to double his intellect, he doesn't gain any new knowledge, but he better understands things he already knew and learns new things easier.
** When Michael and Sterns start selling what's clearly an arc reactor with the serial numbers filed off, Tony Stark admits that despite what Pepper argues, Stark Industries can't sue them. While the fact he never patented the arc reactor means Michael and Sterns are technically in the clear from a legal standpoint, the real problem is that the sheer goodwill this new company has produced by providing relatively cheap clean energy means SI would come off as the villains.
** Michael and Sterns, along with their cohorts Noah Burstein and Phineas Mason need someone to run their company for them as none have any real business savvy or interest in running a company, let alone a soon to be multi-billion dollar MegaCorp.
** Hydra only survives and thrives because they manage to keep their existence a secret, when they get found out, they start to get hunted down by SHIELD and also the Hand due to Michael actions, as of this moment they are almost completely destroyed with only a few branches that manage to hide and survive.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Due to Extremis, whenever Michael gets worked up his eyes automatically light up as well.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Naturally occurs whenever Michael and Tony Stark share a scene. Jessica Jones gives a rather good showing as well.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: Michael restores [[spoiler:Peggy's]] mind, health and youth, preventing her death.
* SurrealHorror: Michael's experience in the Dark Dimension. His first attempt at directly interfacing with the Mind Stone also is this, until he manages to come to his senses again.
* TheBigGuy: Michael himself is this after injecting himself with the Gamma-ray augmented Super Soldier serum. He shoots up in height and width to the point he's towering over every other humanoid in the fic and often uses that to his advantage during negotiations by looming over his opponents. His height has been somewhat inconsistent, though the author has stated it to be well over the two meters mark. For illustration, when Thor comes to confront Michael, he notices that the Norse God only reaches the middle of his chest.
* VillainHasAPoint: Despite being a selfish and power hungry villain, Michael has a lot of good points in that what SHIELD is doing is hardly any different then what he is doing: hoarding power, doing immoral and even illegal acts to get the job done, and the fact that they had government backing doesn't excuse what they have done.
* VillainProtagonist: Michael acknowledges the fact he is in fact by all definition a power hungry, murderous, villain that wishes to become a god. He is not under any delusion that he is a hero or that he is a good guy or that he is doing it for the 'greater good'.
* VillanousValour:
** The last stand of Ulysses Klaue against the Ghost Rider. Even [=McCole=] had to admit that: "Well... at least you died as you lived. You were always a dick, Klaue, but no-one will ever say you were a coward."
** Murakami never had a real chance against Michael, especially after the Power Stone gets used, but he goes down fighting.
* WhatTheHellHero:
** Michael calls out Nick Fury and Carol Danvers when they tried to arrest him after he already saved Earth twice, pointing out that what they're doing is barely legal, and they had to do it just after [[spoiler:Natasha's]] funeral.
** During a vision trip with the Queen of Wakanda as his guide, she asks him why he doesn't use his power for the betterment of others, instead of hoarding it all for himself. Michael doesn't hesitate to [[ShutUpKirk throw the question right back in her face,]] asking how many other Africans Wakanda could have saved if it hadn't turned its back on the world. It is the only time in their encounter that the Queen is left speechless and she eventually concedes the point to him.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Michael theorizes that other immortals require an obsession, such as the Grandmaster with his gladiator games or Tivan with his Collection, in order to stave this off. This has led him to decide that guiding and defending humanity will become his obsessions, once he has achieved godhood.
* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: Dormammu takes on the appearance of a sky-sized head. Bast appears as a huge panther made out of smoke. Both only appear this way to all who observe them, their true self is far too complex for mortal minds to comprehend.
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