Chapter 49: "Magic Plus Armor? That’s Got Potential."
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"A hero for all mankind? A living god? And now some alien who calls himself the God of Thunder…"
As Tony slowly caught up on everything that had happened while he was kidnapped for over a month, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the sheer scale of change in the world.
Even though he'd braced himself mentally, he was still completely stunned.
"Hah… what a joke."
"That bastard actually got painted as a hero for humanity? Have those damn politicians lost their minds?!"
What shocked Tony the most was that the guy who had kidnapped him was now being portrayed by the government and media as some kind of savior of mankind.
"Sir, according to the data gathered online, Superman has dominated popularity charts across all countries ever since his debut, even beating out countless Hollywood celebrities…"
"His approval rating is over 99.9999%. The overwhelming majority of people say that Superman's existence has made their lives better."
"Some even go as far as to say that as long as Superman doesn't destroy the Earth, he totally deserves to be called a hero—and they compare him to the iconic 'Injustice Superman' storyline from the comics…"
"That's enough. I don't want to hear any more heroic tales about this guy."
Tony's face turned serious as he cut off Jarvis, who was still gathering information.
"I just want to know—what are this guy's weaknesses in the comics?"
Even though Superman had only kidnapped him to do grunt work and hadn't really hurt him, Tony needed to be ready for the next encounter.
Nano armor was going to be his next research focus.
But just normal nano armor wouldn't cut it against someone as powerful as Superman.
So, figuring out Superman's weaknesses was absolutely essential.
"Sir, about Superman's weaknesses: the comics mention kryptonite, red sun radiation, mind control, magic, and even his own kindness…"
"Kryptonite? That stuff's nearly impossible to find on Earth, and who knows if it even exists here."
"Red sun radiation? That we can simulate, but no idea if it'll actually work."
"Mind control? Nah, scratch that."
"As for his kindness… does that guy even have any?"
Tony was pretty skeptical about that one.
"Well, there's magic too. But does magic even exist in this world?"
If it was before he got kidnapped, Tony would've laughed off the idea of magic. But now? Deep down, he really hoped magic was real.
"Jarvis, run a detailed global search using 'magic' as a keyword…"
"Magic plus tech armor… now that sounds interesting."
"I wanna see. If magic really exists, then combining it with nano armor—can it even stand a chance against that guy?"
"Sir, I should remind you that Superman has super hearing. Everything you're doing right now could be…"
"Fuck! Jarvis, why didn't you warn me sooner?"
Tony snapped and hurried to look out the window. Seeing no familiar figure flying by, he finally relaxed.
"Heh, this guy really wants to put up a pointless fight."
"But let him mess around. In the end, I'm the one who'll benefit."
"Magic armor? Supreme Sorcerer Iron Man? Honestly, I'm kinda looking forward to seeing you suit up with a magic whip in your right hand and a magic shield in your left!"
"And I'm even more curious about how fun it'd be to tear that thing apart…"
Stopping the surveillance on Tony's villa, Peter smirked with a hint of anticipation.
Honestly, it's obvious—Tony's always been restless. Now that he's been kidnapped, it's only natural he'd stir things up when he gets back.
After all, Tony became Iron Man because he's exactly this kind of guy.
But in this universe, Tony's fate has already shifted. Becoming Iron Man might just be the beginning.
"Next step: improve the suit."
"The key lies with the original Ant-Man, Dr. Pym, and his Pym Particles…"
Peter slowly planned his next moves. Dr. Pym and his particles were crucial.
You gotta admit, some tech in the Marvel universe is beyond human comprehension.
Dr. Pym's Pym Particles are one of those crazy breakthroughs—way more amazing than nano tech.
They can shrink the distance between molecules, making huge objects tiny.
They can even send people into the quantum realm. That's so far beyond technology, it's almost like magic.
"But the Pym Particles aren't urgent. They're not going anywhere."
Peter had sent Tony back to the villa early, waiting for Dr. Pym to show up.
Because there's still some unresolved tension between Pym and the Stark family. If those two work together too soon, it could blow up into a fight.
Besides, Tony's contribution to nano armor tech was basically done.
The next phase of research wouldn't really need him.
Of course, if he's needed, they can always drag him back.
"But before I deal with Dr. Pym, I gotta settle things with Dr. Otto first…"
In Peter's mind, the image of the four-armed Doc Ock slowly came into focus.
Meanwhile, at Dr. Otto's home.
Just bailed out of police custody, Otto came home feeling drained.
"Otto, are you okay?" His wife, waiting anxiously, rushed to him the moment he walked in.
"Rose, I'm fine. They ruled the explosion an experimental accident. Thankfully, no one got hurt."
Otto's face was heavy with exhaustion.
"Too bad my experiment failed. My lifelong dream… it's completely shattered."
And beneath that tiredness was the deep sadness and pain of failure.
They had poured almost everything into this experiment—to bring endless energy to humanity—that was his dream.
But now, with failure, it was all gone.
"It's okay, Otto. You have to pull yourself together. At least we're alive. We still have a chance to finish the experiment and fulfill our dream!"
Rose comforted him, ignoring the strange mechanical arms behind him as she gently hugged him.
"That's right. We're still alive. We still have a chance."
"My calculations were all correct—radiation, energy, even possible gravity effects."
"The experiment failed only because the facility couldn't hold up against such immense power."
"If we can find stronger materials, I'll be able to run an even bigger fusion experiment."
Her encouragement lifted Otto's spirits.
"Soon, in front of everyone, we will create a shining star with our own hands."
Otto looked up at the brilliant night sky and the bright moon hanging above.
His mechanical arms moved like they were celebrating.
"The sun's light will shine bright over this city."
"An eternal light will completely illuminate this starry sky!"
"....."