DC: Becoming Doomsday in Marvel Universe

Rook Tanner understood very well that Tony was someone who valued relationships deeply. Getting him to suddenly harbor the intent to kill Obadiah was no easy feat.

But Rook also knew even more clearly that Obadiah was a ticking time bomb.

Don't be fooled by how Obadiah could sell weapons to the enemies of a certain country just for money. Those enemies weren't good people either. In fact, the ones Obadiah was dealing with were from the Ten Rings.

The Ten Rings weren't any kind of righteous group. They were cruel and ruthless.

The enemy of your enemy isn't necessarily your friend.

The Ten Rings were much like Hydra. Both dreamed of conquering the world. They were absolute villains.

Hydra, back during World War II, had backed or served that notorious figure, the one who led a regime of terror.

Later, Hydra went underground, engaging in covert operations and battling SHIELD in a constant game of cat and mouse.

The Ten Rings, meanwhile, continued causing chaos around the world, constantly igniting conflicts and expanding their reach.

In short, none of them were good.

To be honest, Rook had an even bigger issue with the Ten Rings. They represented Marvel's unfortunate tendency to demonize elements of Eastern culture.

Especially the existence of the so-called Mandarin.

That was a topic best left untouched. A taboo.

Still, they were villains, so it was somewhat understandable. As long as it wasn't done with malice, it could be overlooked.

And it's not like the Marvel world lacked Eastern heroes either.

But let's not get sidetracked.

The point was, Obadiah's secret dealings with the Ten Rings meant he was a threat that had to be addressed.

Rook had never intended to let him walk away unscathed. But seeing Tony's hesitation, he decided to take a step back for now.

The plan would be set in motion. Obadiah would fall into the trap willingly. When the situation spiraled out of control, even Tony would have no choice but to act.

Why did Rook insist that Obadiah had to die?

The reason was clear as day. Rook feared Obadiah would sell out to certain powers, handing over too much technology. If that happened, and they rose to dominance, the world would never know peace again.

Sometimes Rook truly wished a hero would rise to tear that regime down.

Because that regime was the true enemy of the world.

But he couldn't say that out loud.

So Rook and Tony finalized their pact.

Once Tony had completed his first successful test flight, and Rook had escorted him safely back to the villa through the garage, Tony kept his word. That very night, he crafted another small arc reactor for Rook.

This was the difference between a genius and the ordinary.

Obadiah's team had all the equipment and materials, had been staring at the giant palladium arc reactor for weeks, and still couldn't replicate it.

Tony, on the other hand, worked alone and hammered one out in less than half the night.

And per Rook's cunning request, he deliberately made it a defective model.

"Be careful with that," Tony warned nervously as Rook casually picked it up. "You know what this thing is. And you asked for a defective version, so it's unstable to begin with. We could both end up as fireworks."

That thing was practically a small, unstable nuclear bomb. It could easily level the place.

But Rook wasn't concerned at all. "Relax. As long as I'm here, no one can harm you. Even if a real nuke went off, it wouldn't matter."

Tony stared at Rook's confidence in shock, then let out a sigh. Well, he was an alien after all.

And Tony had seen Rook's true form. He was sure that wasn't even the extent of Rook's power.

Rook studied the dangerous little device in his hand and asked, "If I installed this on your Mark II suit—though technically its performance is closer to Mark III—and ran it at full power, how long would it last?"

Tony did a quick calculation. "Thirty minutes. Beyond that, it would run out of power. And there's a... risk of explosion."

Rook nodded thoughtfully. Then, without warning, he tossed it back to Tony. "Starting today, you carry this one with you and hide the good one somewhere safe."

"What?" Tony was startled. He'd just explained how dangerous that thing was.

Rook grinned wickedly. "Even if you don't carry it, at least display it somewhere prominent. Otherwise, how will anyone believe it's your prized creation?"

Tony got it.

Rook was setting a trap. He wanted Obadiah to steal this defective arc reactor on his own.

If Rook handed it over himself, Obadiah might grow suspicious.

But if Obadiah was lured into believing this was Tony's masterpiece, he wouldn't question it.

There was more.

Hadn't Rook already outlined the plan? Obadiah would take the bait and steal the reactor, and in doing so, Rook and Tony could seize the chance to copy all of Obadiah's files and evidence of his crimes.

One move, many gains.

Tony shook his head, feeling sorry for Obadiah.

The man had ambition, but he had no idea how thoroughly he was being played by Rook.

The biggest irony was that Obadiah couldn't have imagined Tony and Rook would go to such lengths to set him up.

He had no clue how much Tony already knew, nor could he believe Tony would let Rook hand over such valuable designs.

Designs that could truly change the balance of power in the world. That was no exaggeration.

Just think—a military force equipped with one hundred thousand Iron Man suits would be unstoppable.

The power of the Mark III suit was already enough to crush tanks and fighter jets with ease.

Who would suspect that such priceless data was actually bait?

That was Obadiah's problem. His vision was too narrow. He couldn't see that Rook wasn't worried at all, because even with the blueprints, Obadiah couldn't build the arc reactor.

Without power, the Iron Monger was nothing but scrap metal.

And let's not forget, Tony had never really built a Mark I. He had gone straight to a far superior version.

More importantly, in Tony's eyes, the ideas and tech had come from Rook. It was Rook's intellectual property to begin with. If Rook wanted to do something with it, Tony had no right to interfere.

All in all, Obadiah had plenty of reasons to trust Rook. Without the benefit of omniscient insight, there was no way he could grasp what Rook was truly plotting.

Obadiah simply thought Rook was a greedy industrial spy.

So when Rook came to see him that day, Obadiah didn't question his intentions.

Rook went straight to the point. "I'm guessing you still haven't figured out how to make a small arc reactor, have you? But Tony has already done it."

Obadiah froze, blurting out, "Give it to me."

Rook smiled. "That'll cost extra."

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100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter