2012/Time Heist

*"If you pick the right year, there are three stones in New York."*
―Black Widow to Iron Man, White Knight and Hulk[src]This is a timeline of events that occurred in **2012** in a reality visited during the Time Heist.

## 2012

### May

#### 4th

* **Battle of New York**:
	+ As Captain America gives the Avengers instructions, in an alley nearby, the older Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Hulk, and Scott Lang materialize, having traveled through the Quantum Realm from 2021. 2021 Stark notes they all have their assignments.
	+ File:Battle of New York (Time Heist).png  2021 Stark reminds the other three of their individual assignments.
	+ As the battle continues, Rhodes arrives at the roof of the New York Sanctum and goes to break in, but is stopped by the Ancient One. Rhodes explains he is here to speak to Doctor Strange, but the Ancient One informs him Strange is not due to be at the sanctum for another 5 years and is currently performing a surgery on Metro-General Hospital. Rhodes realizes she has the Time Stone, the thing he needs, around her neck, and goes to grab it, but she pushes his astral form out of his body to stop him.
* Iron Man hangs onto the side of the Chrysler Building, watching as the native 2012 Avengers crowd around Loki to apprehend him.
* File:Stark Tower (Avengers Endgame).png  Iron Man tells Hawkeye that things seem to be wrapping up for their 2012 selves in the tower, and Barton reports he is approaching his elevator position.
* 2021 Iron Man flies into Stark Tower, quietly landing and sneaking behind a wall so as not to catch the 2012 team's attention as Loki turns to find the team standing over him. Rocket Raccoon stands on his shoulder, preparing for their plan to be put in motion.
* Stark watches through a gap in the wall as Loki forlornly tells the 2012 Avengers he would like his previously offered drink now.
* **Theft of the Space Stone**:
	+ File:Sitwell & Rumlow.png  The STRIKE team arrive at the Avengers' floor in Stark Tower to retrieve the Scepter. Jasper Sitwell takes the Scepter from Romanoff and he and Brock Rumlow pack it away, secretly taking the Scepter with the hope of getting it into HYDRA research hands, as HYDRA sleeper agents themselves.
	+ Rocket asks Stark, as he continues to hide and watch, who the STRIKE team are, and Stark explains about them being secret HYDRA agents, without them having known at the time.
	+ As the 2012 team head to the Stark Tower elevator, Loki uses his powers to make himself look like Captain America and mock him. Thor takes a muzzle and places it on his brother to silence him.
	+ As the 2012 Stark goes to close the case containing the Tesseract, the 2021 Stark flicks a small B-Droid at his younger self as planned. Iron Man jumps back out of the window with Rocket on his back, and flies off.
	+ File:Hulk (May 4, 2012).png  2012 Iron Man, Thor, Loki, and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents board the elevator. 2012 Hulk tries to get in himself, but Thor and Stark point out the elevator is full. Hulk angrily goes to take the stairs.
	+ From outside Stark Tower, 2021 Iron Man uses technology to track the STRIKE team's elevator as it descends past the 80th floor, and lets 2021 Barton know on comms that they are coming. Barton tells Stark to head to the lobby.
	+ 2012 Sitwell talks to Alexander Piece on the phone and tells him that there were no hitches in procuring the Scepter, and they are en route to Dr. List.
* **Theft of the Mind Stone**: The elevator stops and the STRIKE team are concerned when Barton gets in, believing him to be the Barton they know, as the 2021 Barton pretends to be his younger self. Barton, claims to have been told by Undersecretary Pierce to take the Scepter, and is disguised so no one recognizes him. The STRIKE team are dubious, being aligned with Pierce and not knowing Hawkeye to have any allegiance with HYDRA. However, Barton, knowing the team's true allegiance, mutters "Hail HYDRA" to Sitwell, tricking them into thinking he must be one of them, to know the secrets of the hidden organization. He takes the Scepter and leaves the elevator.
* File:Hulk Stairs.png  2012 Hulk continues to descend the staircase, enraged by how many stairs there are.
* As the 2012 Stark and Thor leave the elevator to the Stark Tower lobby with Loki, the 2021 Stark stands waiting, dressed as a S.H.I.E.L.D. guard. He orders Rocket to arm the B-Droid under 2012 Stark's Arc Reactor, as planned. Rocket, who has been hiding in the rubble outside, does so.
* **Theft of the Space Stone**
	+ Alexander Pierce stops Thor and the 2012 Stark. Thor says they are going to get lunch, then intend on taking Loki and the Tesseract to Asgard, but Pierce insists they turn Loki and the Tesseract over to him. 2021 Stark recognizes the argument he remembers enduring beginning, and instructs Rocket to set of the B-Droid's EMP in his younger self's Arc Reactor. Rocket does so, causing 2012 Stark a mild cardiac dysrhythmia and making him drop the case as he falls to the ground.
	+ The droid climbs onto the Tesseract case, and propels over to the 2021 Stark, which no one except Loki notices as they tend to the 2012 Stark.
	+ File:Loki uses the Tesseract.png  2021 Stark retrieves the case as planned and goes to leave with it, but as he heads for the door, 2012 Hulk comes bursting through, furious at having had to take the stairs. Stark is knocked flying, dropping the case, and the Tesseract and droid fall out of it. As the droid attaches itself to the Tesseract, it tumbles to Loki's feet. Loki sees his opportunity and picks up the cube, using it to quietly open a portal and transport himself away without anyone noticing.
* Thor tries using Mjølnir on 2012 Stark's arc reactor, and the jolt of electricity fixes the device. However, they then look around and find the Tesseract and Loki both gone, to their dismay. 2021 Stark admits to Rocket that they have blown it.
* File:2021 Cap Grabs 2012 Cap (Violent).jpg  As 2021 Barton makes his way through Stark Tower with the Scepter, he comes across 2012 Captain America on the 14th floor, on the lookout for Loki after being alerted to his disappearance. 2012 Rogers asks Barton why he is disguised, and he says the Scepter's location and security is supposed to be a secret, and nobody knows he has it except Nick Fury. Rogers accepts this, and lets Barton pass.
* **Theft of the Time Stone**:
	+ The Ancient One continues to refuse to help Rhodes, saying in handing over the stone, she would be dooming her reality for the sake of his. She draws a magical line representing the flow of time, explaining how the set of Infinity Stones create the flow of time, so to remove one would split reality, creating a dark branch reality lacking an Infinity Stone, and if the Time Stone were taken they would be lacking a necessary item for protecting the world in that reality. Banner, talking to her still in his astral form, argues that if they return the stones to the point of their removal, they never left, so these branches of reality can be erased, which the Ancient One confirms.
	+ Despite Rhodes' assurance, the Ancient One says she cannot risk giving the stone just because Rhodes promises they will survive and manage to return them, as it is vital to protect the Time Stone. Rhodes, however, then asks why, if that is the case, Doctor Strange gave it over to Thanos willingly in 2018, and this causes her to reconsider. She returns Rhodes astral form to his body and removes the stone from its Eye of Agamotto casing. The Ancient One explains that, from her foresight, she knows Strange is supposed to be the best of them, so he must have had a reason for giving it over, and cautiously hands it to him. Rhodes accepts the stone from her, as she says she is counting on him.
* File:Hulk & Ancient One.png  An older Steve Rogers returns the Time Stone to the Ancient One.
* 2021 Barton arrives at the rendezvous point, where Scott Lang and 2021 Tony Stark are waiting for him. Stark dejectedly tells Barton about losing the Tesseract.
* File:Heading to 1970.png  Stark has an idea, realizing if they travel further back in time to Camp Lehigh, the Tesseract will be there as well as a further supply of Pym Particles. Rhodes is uncomfortable with Stark not being completely confident about the time period they are aiming for, but Stark says he has a reason for knowing they will both be there at the date he has in mind, and Rhodes agrees they have to try. He hands Rocket the Scepter and Rhodes hands Barton the Time Stone to return to the Avengers Compound in 2021, and Stark has him program in the destination of April 7, 1970. Barton reminds them that if they jump and fail, they are out of Pym Particles and stuck in the past, but Rhodes just asks Rogers if he trusts him. Rhodes says that he does, and they shrink into the Quantum Realm to travel to 1970.
* Clint Barton and Rocket Raccoon shrink back into the Quantum Realm to return home with the Mind Stone. The older 2021 Steve Rogers arrives and returns the Mind Stone to the moment it was removed, erasing the dark splinter reality that was being created according to the Ancient One.
* After traveling through the wormhole created by the Tesseract, Loki falls in the sand of the Gobi Desert, Mongolia. This led some natives from the nearby town go to investigate what happened.
* File:Loki Stills 131.jpg  **Capture of Loki**:
	+ Loki tries to introduce himself to people he sees. However, they do not understand him and ask why he is there. Several Minutemen appear via multiple Timedoors to fix the Nexus event Loki caused when he picked up the Tesseract, when they are joined by Hunter B-15. Loki tries to intimidate them, but Hunter B-15 uses her Time Stick on him, slowing him down to 1/16th of normal speed, and arrests him. As the B-Droid on the Tesseract, sneaks into Loki's hair, B-15 takes Loki and the hidden droid with her to the Time Variance Authority's headquarters through the Timedoor as the Minutemen activate a Reset Charge to prune the branched timeline, sending the affected area to the Void.

1. ↑ In *Avengers: Endgame*, 2012 events are shown simultaneous to the events of *The Avengers*. With the Battle of New York playing out nonetheless the same in the new universe of *Avengers: Endgame*, and the 2021 Avengers making no impacts of significance until after Loki is apprehended by the Avengers, the events of the Battle of New York can be taken to play out essentially identically in that universe. Similarly, events such as Hulk smashing a Chitauri with a car or the Ancient One participating in the battle, shown only in *Avengers: Endgame*, are unaffected by the 2021 Avengers' actions, so can be taken to have also happened in the main universe.
2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 In *The Avengers*, during the Stuttgart scene, the museum's exhibition is shown on banners to begin on "4 MAI". The gala behind held would be an opening ceremony, and thus this scene would be the night before, on May 3, 2012. This lines up with the release date of *The Avengers* (May 4, 2012) being the date of the Battle of New York, and the fact that it is months (roughly 6, works out as 7) before *Iron Man 3*, which picks up in December 2012.
3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 3.26 *Avengers: Endgame*
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 *Loki: 1.01: Glorious Purpose*
5. ↑ *Loki: 1.05: Journey Into Mystery*