The Man of Steel in Marvel

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Stark Tower – Lab

Tony Stark was fully locked in, eyes glued to the holographic model of a nanotech structure. His fingers moved constantly through the air, adjusting molecular arrangements.

His workbench was littered with bits of metal, energy cores, and half a cup of cold coffee.

"Jarvis, pull up parameter set seven," Tony said without even looking up, the dark circles under his eyes impossible to miss.

"Sir, you've been working for 36 hours straight," Jarvis reminded him."According to the health protocol—"

"I wrote the health protocol, Jarvis," Tony said with a grin, waving him off. "Now, the parameters."

The hologram instantly switched to a complex molecular structure.

Tony squinted, then suddenly snapped his fingers in excitement. "There it is! The energy conduit nodes need a full rearrangement!"

Just then, a voice behind him said, "You've got the direction all wrong."

"AHH!" Tony practically jumped out of his chair, dropping his tool with a loud clink.

"Damn it, Jiro! Can you please not break into my lab like a ninja?! Use the door like a normal person!"

Jiro stood calmly in the middle of the lab, the golden lines on his black suit faintly glowing under the lights.

He smirked. "Sorry, force of habit."

Tony rubbed his temples and bent down to pick up the dropped tool. "So, where's our mighty Superman been?"

Jiro walked up to the workstation, glancing at the projection. "Kamar-Taj. Earth's magic sanctuary."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Magic? I thought you already learned all that hocus-pocus back in Asgard."

"It's different."

Jiro shook his head and lightly swiped a finger across the hologram. Instantly, the structure rearranged into a completely new pattern.

"Asgard's magic is more like tech mixed with divine energy. Kamar-Taj is all about manipulating pure dimensional energy."

Tony stared at the new layout, his eyes lighting up. "Wait... this energy flow method..."

"More efficient, right?"

Jiro smiled. "Magic and tech are both just different ways of channeling energy. The methods are just... different."

Tony suddenly spun toward another holographic terminal. "Jarvis! Record this structure! Recalculate the energy loss!"

Jiro watched him go full mad scientist mode and shook his head with a chuckle. "You do your thing. I've got something else to handle."

"Wait!"

Tony called out without turning around, "You still haven't told me about that magic sanctuary! Can they really conjure fireballs out of thin air? Or like, teleport with a wave of the hand, comic book style?"

"Pretty much,"

Jiro shrugged. "Though they need specific relics to help channel the spells. Their Sorcerer Supreme actually wanted me to take over her role."

Tony spun around, wide-eyed. "What?! You're gonna be a wizard now?!"

"I turned it down," Jiro said, heading toward the window. "I've got my own plans."

Tony let out a breath of relief, then tilted his head in curiosity. "Is that Sorcerer Supreme really that powerful?"

Jiro thought of the Ancient One's eyes—eyes that could see time itself. "More powerful than you'd think."

"More powerful than you?" Tony pressed.

Jiro paused. "In some ways... yeah."

That answer made Tony go serious. He put down his tools and walked over to stand next to Jiro. "Just how many ridiculously powerful beings are out there that I don't know about?"

"A lot," Jiro said, staring out at the city lights below. "That's exactly why I need to get even stronger."

Tony nodded slowly, deep in thought. "So what's your plan?"

Instead of answering directly, Jiro asked, "You know about mutants?"

"Mutants?" Tony frowned.

"You mean those people with X-genes? I've heard a few rumors, but S.H.I.E.L.D. barely has any reliable info on them."

"That's because most of them live off the grid," Jiro replied, walking toward the lab doors.

"Maybe it's time I paid them a visit."

Tony took a few quick steps to follow. "Wait—why the sudden interest in mutants?"

Jiro stopped and glanced back at him. "Because mutants are one of the few kinds of people in this world who might actually pose a threat to me."

"I need to understand them... especially a certain guy who can control magnetic fields." Jiro totally made that up—Magneto would probably go down in one punch.

He paused, then suddenly laughed. "But first, I've got a few naughty kids to train—teach them how to control their powers."

"Kids?" Tony looked confused.

"Some kids who got powers by accident." Jiro shrugged.

Tony opened his mouth to ask more, but Jiro had already turned into a streak of black light, phasing right through the glass and vanishing into the night.

"Jarvis," Tony said, still staring at the direction Jiro had gone, "pull up everything you've got on mutants—especially anyone who can control magnetic fields."

"Data loaded, sir. But it's very limited," Jarvis replied. "Should I reach out to Professor X?"

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Professor X? You mean the headmaster of that mutant school?"

"Not officially, sir. But based on online trace analysis, he's likely one of the leaders of the mutant community."

Tony walked back to his bench, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Hold off on that for now. First, let's break down the structure Jiro gave us. Once the nano-suit's done…"

He looked out at the night sky, a confident smirk on his lips.

"Maybe it's time I paid those mutants a visit myself."

New York.

Jiro hovered a thousand meters in the sky, his super hearing spreading out like an invisible radar net, scanning the globe for anything out of the ordinary.

A minute ago, he picked up the sound of three people in a heated argument.

He tuned his hearing to the right frequency and locked onto the source—an abandoned industrial park in Brooklyn.

Abandoned Industrial Zone

The setting sun cast a warm glow across the empty lot. Three college students stood near a pile of rubble, the tension between them thick in the air.

Andrew was crouched down, mindlessly fiddling with a piece of rubble, making it float a few centimeters above his palm before letting it gently drop.

Dark circles hung under his eyes—he clearly hadn't slept well in a while.

"We've gotta figure something out," Matt said, pushing up his glasses. His voice was low and serious. "That rock… something's not right about it."

"Not right?" Steve let out a sharp laugh. "It gave us superpowers! That's a damn miracle, man!"

"Oh yeah? Was it a miracle when Andrew almost threw a car at someone last night?" Matt shot back.

Andrew's head snapped up, pain flashing in his eyes. "I told you—it was an accident! I just…"

His voice caught in his throat. His fingers trembled, and the rubble around him started to shake.

"Hey, easy, man," Steve said with a frown, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder.

But Andrew shoved him away.

"Don't touch me!"

Boom!

The rubble suddenly exploded outward, scattering like bullets.

Whoosh!

A dark figure silently dropped from the sky.

All the flying debris froze in midair—then gently floated back down to the ground.

All three of them froze, staring up at the tall figure.

He wore a sleek black suit lined with gold, his deep eyes calm—not angry, just... watchful.

"You're… that Superman guy who was with Tony Stark today…" Matt murmured, nearly dropping the tablet in his hands.

Jiro didn't say anything right away. His eyes scanned the three of them, eventually settling on Andrew.

The kid's eyes were red, his fingers clenched into tight fists, like a wire pulled way too tight.

"What did you guys find here?" Jiro asked gently.

The three looked at each other, unsure. Finally, Matt spoke up.

"A rock… one that glows. It's in the cave."

Jiro nodded and looked toward the dark tunnel.

"Can you show me?"

"....."