Future Imperfect

**Future Imperfect** is a post-launch operation for *Marvel's Avengers*. It introduced Hawkeye as a playable character, a new region called the Wastelands, and the character Maestro. The operation was released on March 18, 2021.

## Synopsis

This operation advances the story from the conclusion of the Taking AIM campaign, which ends with the Avengers rescuing Hawkeye from being taken prisoner by AIM. In the future, Old Man Hawkeye has retired, and when the Kree invasion arrives, he is not a hero in the fight. For decades afterward, he tries to make up for it, following Nick Fury's trail through the Wastelands.

Back in the present, Clint appears to have fallen ill and passes out. Several weeks later, he awakens, and his first thought is to visit his home in Brooklyn to retrieve a package he requires. Unfortunately, his belongings have been taken, but Clint is able to rescue his dog. Then, the Avengers return to SHIELD Substation Zero, where Pym has analyzed a SIM card Hawkeye brought back. On it, Pym found references to something called "cosmic energy," which he surmises has the power to alter reality, similar to how Tachyon can change time. Pym also notes that the Time Bridge active in the future that Hawkeye dreamed about is a severe threat. Pym modifies the Quinjet to take a team through time to fix the situation and find Nick Fury.

In the Future Wastelands, the Avengers follow Hawkeye's sixth sense regarding where to proceed. On the way, they encounter a band of SHIELD operatives also looking for Nick Fury and besieged by AIM robots, which they refer to as servants of the Supreme Leader. Further down the road, the Avengers come to a memorial for missing people, where hundreds of photographs line the walls of an old building. Deeper inside, they discover a hideout where they ask for help finding Fury. However, just as they review their collected clues, Taskmaster appears with some AIM bots, leaving them to attack the Avengers. After the fight, Old Man Hawkeye appears, leading the team back to the hideout to share his notes.

The Avengers accompany Old Man Hawkeye to an abandoned SHIELD bunker within territory controlled by the Supreme Leader. After recovering some information from a computer there, the team returns to the Quinjet. According to the data, Nick Fury planned to coordinate with AIM on something called "Substation 99". Thus, the Avengers head there, for though it is even deeper into the Supreme Leader's territory, it is Fury's last known location.

## Missions

1. Condition Critical
2. My Life as a Weapon
3. Till Death
4. Point Blank
5. Future Imperfect (Mission)

## Notes

* The operation shares its name with both with the 1992 Hulk story and the 2015 miniseries, both of which featured Maestro as a central character.
	+ In this game however, despite being a final boss, Maestro isn’t the main antagonist of the operation, due to rarely appearing in more than one mission. He is mentioned throughout the operation though as Supreme Leader.
* The events of this story are heavily inspired by the Old Man Hawkeye comic book series, especially the *Eye for an Eye* collection. In the comics, the world's supervillains organize to eliminate all superheroes, and the world collapsed from there. Hawkeye was spared and had to watch those events unfold, but ultimately avenged the fallen heroes.
* The events present-day Hawkeye faces are partly inspired by the comic run *My Life as a Weapon*, which collects the first part of *Hawkeye* (Vol 4).