The First Kryptonian in Marvel

Kara (POV)

The phone rang loud, breaking the silence in Tony's study. He reached for it, but his reflexes were slow like he was dragging through mud. "Pepper?" he muttered, even before he realized he was speaking.

The voice on the other end hit him like a cold wave, freezing him in place. His body stiffened, his usual pain replaced by a strange numbness. He went pale, sweating even though the AC was on full blast. His grip on the phone tightened, his knuckles going white.

I'd been waiting for this moment, hidden in the shadows of the mansion. My security system—one I'd set up with care—had finally done its job. A small grin crept across my face as I watched everything unfold through the hidden cameras I'd planted around the place. The betrayal, the cold precision—everything was going just like I planned.

"The fish took the bait," I thought. "Remind me to ask Tony to cover the hotel I paid for just to keep tabs on him." With a smirk, I added, "This hero doesn't work for free!"

I watched through the cameras as Stane stepped forward, his hand grabbing the arc reactor, and yanking it out of Tony's chest. The shock was instant—Tony's body jolted, his strength fading like someone hit the off switch. He struggled to breathe, but it felt like the air was slipping away. Weak and pale, he trembled, fighting to stay awake. But each breath felt like it was getting further out of reach.

Stane's voice echoed through the mansion, dripping with venom. "Shame about involving Pepper," he sneered. "I really didn't want it to get messy."

Tony, too weak to do anything, could only watch as Stane vanished with the arc reactor, his lifeline. For a split second, a tiny spark of life flickered back in Tony, and he forced himself to move. It felt like wading through molasses, but he dragged himself toward the elevator, step by agonizing step. His only chance at survival was to get to the basement. When the elevator finally came, he threw himself inside, hitting the button for the basement.

The world spun with each painful step. His body felt like it was betraying him, but he pushed forward. When the basement door creaked open, Tony stumbled in, gasping. There, in the dark workshop, was me—emerging from the shadows.

Dressed in the black trench coat wearing Gal Gadot's face, I sat nonchalantly on a workbench, my legs crossed in a pose that spoke of both confidence and disregard for his current state. Even through the fabric of my pants, the contours of my toned legs were evident. My hood shrouded my face in darkness, revealing my mouth. In my gloved hands, I casually twirled the old arc reactor—the one Pepper had saved—the one that had once pulled him from the darkness of a terrorist's cave.

"Good evening, Mr. Stark. Looking for this?" My voice echoed through the vast workshop, the sound bouncing off the metal surfaces and hanging in the air. But Tony barely registered it. His gaze locked onto the reactor nestled in my gloved hand, the metallic casing glinting coldly under the harsh fluorescent lights overhead. It was a beacon of hope, the spark of life he craved.

The moment the heavy metal door groaned open on its rusty hinges, his drained strength betrayed him. His legs buckled beneath him, and he crumpled to the cold, concrete floor with a pained grunt. Yet, his one good hand, driven by pure instinct, lunged forward in a desperate last-ditch effort to snatch the reactor.

I swatted his hand away effortlessly. "Hold still, Mr. Big Bucks and Brilliance."

As Tony's body began to fail, I rose to my feet, caught him, and quickly guided the arc reactor back into its designated socket within the cavity of his chest. A surge of energy crackled through the air, jolting Tony awake with a gasp."

He jerked back, gasping for air like he'd just come up for a breath after being underwater too long. His hand, still shaking and covered in sweat, grabbed onto my arm. "Who… who are you?" he wheezed, his voice shaky and his face pale from what he'd just been through.

The reactor buzzed back to life inside his chest, sending a rush of energy through him, but it wasn't enough to fix how weak and dizzy he felt. He looked around the workshop, taking in the mess—tools scattered everywhere, half-done projects piling up on the workbench.

"You really think now's the time for questions, Mr. Stark?" I shot back, sneering as I pulled my arm out of his grip like it was nothing.

"Where's Pepper?" Tony asked, his voice urgent, though he still looked like he was about to pass out. The question hung in the air, bouncing off the concrete walls.

"Think, Mr. Stark," I said, not even bothering to look at him. "Where would Miss Potts go after finding out about the chairman's betrayal?" I knew Rhodey would show up soon, and I had my own plans to follow through with.

Time was running out. Tony, with that heavy feeling in his chest and a growing sense of dread, stopped asking questions. He snapped orders at his AI, JARVIS, and the sound of the suit assembly filling the room was a small comfort compared to the pounding of his heart.

"Tony? Tony!" Rhodey's voice called down from the top of the basement stairs, echoing through the workshop. He rushed down the steps, his boots banging on the concrete floor. He found Tony already suited up in the red and gold Iron Man armor, the metallic finish gleaming under the harsh fluorescent lights. "What the hell happened? You alright?"

"Better now," Tony muttered, his voice a bit muffled since he hadn't put on the helmet yet. The suit's familiar weight was a small comfort, grounding him while his mind still spun from everything. He fiddled with the settings on the suit's interface, the steel exterior hiding the mess of thoughts he had going on inside.

"So, what's the plan?" Rhodey asked, sounding worried as he looked around at the scattered tools, the open basement door, and the tension hanging in the air.

"Just keep the airspace clear," Tony replied shortly. Even with the suit's system filtering his voice, he sounded dead serious. The faceplate snapped shut with a metallic clang, and then, with a deafening blast, the suit tore right through the basement ceiling, leaving a cloud of dust and debris in its wake.

...

Meanwhile, in the chilly, metallic maze of Stark Industries' secret vault, I was happily raiding the place for resources for my startup business. While I can use Virtual Substance to create anything I want, it has its limitations—one of those being quantity. As I played Robin Hood, Tony and Stane were duking it out somewhere above, but down here, their battle was just a faint noise. The only real sounds were the steady whir of machines and the beat of my own pulse.

"Oh well, I may as well take everything. This place is going to be destroyed pretty soon anyway." With a command to Ava-Pod, its wire-like tentacles started spreading out, collecting anything useful and pulling it into its dimension. I couldn't help but find it comical—a hovering baby shoe box with a TV screen for a face—being able to stuff so much in itself. Subspace for you, or was it space folding technology?

As Ava-Pod did its thing, I let the low hum of the servers lead the way. Rows of shiny servers stretched out as far as I could see, casting this weird, almost hypnotic blue glow against the stainless steel walls.

I hit the jackpot—a high-end tech stashed in a climate-controlled case, spotless and ready to go. It was impressive—sleek black casing, blue lights gently pulsing to show it was powered up. Huh, I certainly have some ideas for this... hmm, I'd need to make some adjustments, and add my own tweaks.

"Science and engineering? Yeah, I know my way around them like the back of my hand. Not bad at all," I thought, smirking as I pocketed my new toys."

Through the vault's security monitors, I watched the chaos upstairs as me and Ava-pod finished our raid. Each screen gave me a different view, letting me track every move. Stane had turned himself into a monster—like Frankenstein's, honestly—using parts from Tony's old Mark I armor. Powered by the arc reactor he swiped, he stomped into view in that ugly thing they were calling the Iron Monger. The suit was a hulking mess of clunky metal plates, scraping and clanging with every heavy step, leaving scratches all over the polished concrete floor.

"Iron Junkyard" would've been way more accurate. Stane's suit was clunky, a cheap knockoff of Tony's sleek Mark III, which had that polished red and gold look. Stane's setup looked like it had just crawled out of a scrapyard—and, really, that wasn't far from the truth.

The Iron Monger batted Tony around like he was nothing, slamming him into the hard concrete floor and finally tossing him onto a nearby rooftop. Tony's helmet was cracked and scratched, and his repulsor blasts fizzled out with a pathetic hiss. The suit, though mostly still together, was dented all over, looking more like crumpled tin foil than the high-tech powerhouse it used to be.

Tony lay on the rooftop, battered and gasping for air, barely able to breathe, let alone gather the strength to vaporize Stane with the reactor. Luckily, Pepper had managed to escape before things got really bad, which meant she hadn't set off the reactor's self-destruct.

"Guess I'll give him a hand," I muttered. After gathering enough resources, I drew my katana, "Trust." From the rooftop edge, she had a perfect view of the huge arc reactor nestled within Stark Industries, its metal casing humming like it was alive. I ducked down, letting the rough concrete scrape against my back, staying out of sight. Navi scans had already picked up S.H.I.E.L.D. agents closing in, the rhythmic whir of their Quinjets cutting through the sky above. No point in making a scene—a single strike would be enough.

"Actually, let's see what he's got," I mused a moment later, changing my mind.

"Gotta admit, Stark, that suit's a real looker," Obadiah sneered from inside the Iron Monger. The huge metal beast loomed over Tony, casting long shadows across the rooftop. Stane's rigged setup was blind, though—the optical sensors were ripped out, so he had to fight by sight through the open chest cavity, his sneering face framed by the flickering blue glow of the exposed arc reactor.

A harsh laugh rang out as he looked down at Tony, slumped against a dented AC unit, barely able to move. "Your old man would've been real proud of you."

Tony glared back, pure hatred in his eyes as if he could bring Stane down with that look alone. But his body was done for, refusing to cooperate.

"Time to end this," Obadiah declared, lifting the Iron Monger's massive arm, ready to crush Tony into the reactor below.

A blur shot out from the shadows of the building—me. I showed up right behind Obadiah, like a phantom, moving way faster than humanly possible. The world lurched as a deafening crack echoed through the air. The ground trembled, spiderweb cracks erupting beneath Tony's feet. The Iron Monger, this huge metal monster, slammed into the rooftop with earth-shattering force. The impact sent debris flying, showering the surrounding area with dust and fragments of metal.

Before Tony could even process what was happening, the Iron Monger pulled itself out of the crater it made in the roof, looking like a wounded animal.

Who the hell are you?" Obadiah shouted through the busted-up speakers on the Iron Monger suit.

"Just a concerned citizen," I quipped and left it at that.

Obadiah's face contorted in shock, visible through the Iron Monger's open chest. "What... how? Barehanded?"

His voice was desperate. "This isn't your fight! Stay out of it!"

Ignoring him, I just stood there with a bored look on my face on the rooftop as the Iron Monger unleashed a barrage of rockets and missiles. The explosions kicked up a thick cloud of dust and smoke that momentarily obscured the scene. When the smoke cleared, I was in the middle of a new crater in the roof, wondering why it wasn't caving in yet. Meanwhile, Obadiah was losing his mind, trying to figure out the wheel or something, so it seemed or maybe wondering why I was unhurt. Frankly, this was one of the moments I hoped I had telepathy, just to laugh my ass off.

..."Is that all you've got, Mr. Stane? Did your sticky fingers miss the targeting system too?" I taunted, my voice cutting through the ringing in Tony's ears.

Obadiah, furious at my words, was about to unload more firepower from the Iron Monger's messed-up arms. But before he could, I made my move. With one smooth leap that felt like I defied gravity, I landed on the Iron Monger's shoulder, the uneven surface barely giving me enough room to keep my balance, but nothing that telekinesis couldn't fix. I bent down, stuck my hand through the suit's open chest cavity, and grabbed Obadiah by the chin. His face twisted in a mix of anger and disbelief. With my other hand, I brought out Iustizia and shoved the blade straight through the top of his head with a audible squelch.

The blade didn't stop; it twisted inside his skull before being swiftly withdrawn with a hiss. Obadiah was dead instantly. I gave him a kick for good measure, sending his body tumbling backward through the open chest cavity, his lifeless eyes staring vacantly at the sky.

With a loud crash, the giant Iron Monger fell, smashing all the glass on the rooftop and sending debris flying off the Stark Industries building. The huge metal body got stuck in the steel frame of the skylight.

...

General (POV)

"Mr. Stark, you don't look so good right now," Kara remarked, giving a sharp flick of her blood-and-oil-stained katana, Iustitia. The blade whistled through the air, sending a gust that etched a deep cut into the cracked concrete floor of the rooftop.

A few droplets of the red-and-white mix – blood and Stark Industries coolant fluid – splattered onto her face, before, seemingly hitting an invisible barrier, then dripping down to stain the ground, leaving her face completely clean and unblemished.

"Well, if it isn't the mystery woman again," Tony rasped, his voice weak. Recalling the earlier event of the day when she "saved" him, he watched her kill Obadiah without much reaction, then slumped back down onto the rooftop with a pained grunt. A wry smile played on his lips despite the grime and blood smeared across his face.

Kara flew down beside him, carefully extracting the arc reactor from the mangled wreckage of the Iron Monger suit. She returned and dangled it in front of Tony, the blue glow illuminating the dust-filled air.

"I'm just here to collect this little something."

"Should I thank you for taking an interest in my stuff?" Tony quipped, trying to sound nonchalant despite the evident strain his injuries caused him.

"No need," she replied seriously.

"Need a hand getting rid of this big guy?" she offered, gesturing toward the hulking form of the Iron Monger.

"No, please wait," Tony managed, wincing in pain as he tried to shift his weight. The Mark III armor, heavily dented and scratched from the fight, groaned in protest. He collapsed back down halfway to his feet.

Seeing his awkward attempt, Kara reached out and grabbed the torn gap in his shoulder armor. With surprising ease, considering the weight of the suit, she dragged him toward the edge of the rooftop, the gravel crunching beneath her boots.

Tony glanced at her slender yet toned arm effortlessly hauling his heavy suit. Is she even human? he wondered, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind as he stared into those slightly glowing blue eyes.

"Stay put here," Kara ordered, her voice commanding yet seductive.

"Are you using your real voice this time?" Tony asked, curiosity piqued despite the situation.

"Hmm… take a guess," she teased, a hint of amusement in her tone.

Kara wasn't naive enough to approach Stark with her face and voice.

After receiving JARVIS's voice analysis, Tony cursed under his breath. Her voice was different from their earlier encounter, but so was the contour of her face. Is she a completely different person? But her getup's the same.

Ignoring him, Kara returned to the Iron Monger and, with a powerful kick that sent tremors through the damaged rooftop, sent the hulking metal carcass crashing into the massive arc reactor chamber below.

A deafening explosion ripped through the air, flames erupting from every opening in the Stark Industries building. Amidst the chaos, Kara slipped through the crowd of onlookers who had gathered below, vanishing into the throngs of people on the streets. The aftermath was no longer her concern. For now, her identity remained a secret.

In the following days, everything became clear. Rhodes helped Tony cover up any negative fallout from the incident, and Tony delivered that iconic line at the press conference:

"I am Iron Man."