Marvel: Tony Stark's Journey in the Omniverse

Jarvis, ever the quiet observer, finally decided to chime in. "So how do I die, Master Tony?"

Tony grinned. "With the most dreadful of curses! OLD AGE!" He gestured grandly. "We'll have to do something about that, of course. You have to work for our family for all eternity if I have any say in it."

Jarvis chuckled in response, his usual refined demeanor relaxed in the presence of the Stark family. He had long been more than just a butler; he was family. There was no need to hide anything from him.

"But back to the point at hand, I have the grandest of plans" Tony continued, eyes gleaming. "We'll pull a Romeo and Juliet."

Maria raised an eyebrow. "We will what now?"

Tony smirked. "We fake your deaths."

Howard leaned back, arms crossed. "And how exactly do you propose we do that?"

"Simple. We'll use clones or body doubles, something convincing enough to fool Hydra. When the Winter Soldier opens the briefcase expecting to find the serum, instead, he'll trip a bomb. We'll pack it full of C4. That should erase all the evidence. Then, we plant a couple of burnt corpses, and bam—instant crime scene."

Maria gasped, covering her mouth in shock. "That's… incredibly morbid."

Howard exhaled, rubbing his temples. "That's also incredibly effective."

Tony grinned. "Dad, you will step from the light into the shadows. S.H.I.E.L.D. operates as the world's shadow, protecting it. Hydra exists in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s shadow, maneuvering itself for control. And you? You will be the shadow's shadow's shadow."

Howard sighed, shaking his head. "That's an incredibly convoluted plan Tony, I have a better idea. Why don't I just never tell SHIELD that I complete the SSS. That way, I never have the Winter Soldier sent after me, no one dies and we don't have to fake our deaths or step into the shadows.

Tony pouts since his master plan went into the gutter and says. "I guess that makes more sense dad but for the record I thought my plan was way cooler."

Howard sighs and says "Sometimes I forget you're still just a kid, Tony."

Tony turned serious. "Dad, S.H.I.E.L.D. is a waste of your talent. You should be focused on research, not on leading a covert ops force that plays at safeguarding the world. You're needed to build the future—clean energy, advanced engineering, spaceships. You're the man who will make the world of tomorrow, happen today."

Howard exhaled deeply, his eyes narrowing in thought. "You've really thought all of this through, haven't you?"

Tony smirked. "Of course. I'm Tony Stark."

Maria crossed her arms. "And me?"

Tony turned to her with a smile. "You can finally retire peacefully and focus on your garden like you always dreamt about. Just like you always wanted mom. Nice and homey."

Howard raised an eyebrow. "And what do you want, Tony?"

Tony grinned. "Two things. Making friends and getting a little sister."

Howard sputtered. "Tony, don't you think we're a little old for that?"

Tony smirked innocently. "Dad, we have to let the family tree grow."

Maria rolled her eyes. "Be serious, Tony."

Tony chuckled. "Alright, fine. I'm being kind of serious. Once Obadiah suffers an unfortunate accident while piloting a light aircraft over the ocean or something, we'll need someone to take over the company. So, I thought we should adopt a successor."

Howard looked skeptical. "Be reasonable, Tony. You're taking over the company like your old man."

Tony popped the 'p' as he said, "Nope. I'll be the majority shareholder and the man behind the scenes, picking the general direction of the company. The shadow leader! But for day-to-day operations, I have someone else in mind."

Maria tilted her head. "Who?"

Tony leaned forward. "There's a small village in the war-torn Balkans where a girl named Sage lives. We'll get the help of Charles Xavier from the Xavier family to locate her."

Howard narrowed his eyes. "Any relation to the nuclear researcher, Dr. Brian Xavier?"

Tony nodded. "That's his dad. But Charles, with the help of a device he calls Cerebro, can scan for people across the globe. If we give him Sage's name and let him know she's in a small Balkan village, he should be able to find her. Then, we send your G-men in Dad, and nab her!"

Howard sighed. "Uh-huh. Tony, I don't have G-men."

Tony smirked. "Right, Dad. Of course, they don't exist on the record."

Howard gave him a look and sighs, then Maria says. "And what else?"

Tony grinned. "We also get a copy of Cerebro so I can use it for my own schemes. Sounds like a plan, doesn't it?"