The Man of Steel in Marvel

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Inside the lab…

There was a flicker of anxiety in Andrew's eyes as his fingers absently traced the edge of the workbench."If… If it really does change my genes… am I gonna turn into some kind of monster?"

Hank was about to reply when the lab doors suddenly slid open.

Jiro stepped in, his black armor fully re-equipped.

"Gene mutation isn't necessarily a bad thing," he said as he walked in, his eyes settling on Andrew.

"What matters is how you control it."

Matt pushed his glasses up. "Mr. Jiro, is what Magneto said true? That alien shard can rewrite our genes?"

Jiro didn't answer right away. Instead, he raised his right hand.

A faint, ghostly blue orb of energy appeared in his palm—the same energy he had absorbed from the crystal.

"This energy can alter genetic code," he said, gazing at the orb.

"But its mechanics are way more complex than Magneto realizes."

Hank was instantly intrigued and leaned in to observe. "Incredible... this structure completely defies known biological principles!"

"That's because it came from the depths of space."

Jiro closed his hand, making the orb disappear."Could be research from some alien empire."

Steve's eyes widened. "Wait—are you saying aliens actually exist?"

Jiro smirked slightly. "Way more than you'd think."

Andrew suddenly looked up, his eyes gleaming strangely. "Then… could it make me stronger?"

The lab fell silent for a moment. Hank and Jiro exchanged a glance.

"In theory… yes."

Jiro smiled and said, "But gene editing like this comes with risks. We need to do more research first."

Andrew clenched his fists, then slowly relaxed them. "I'm willing to give it a shot."

"No way!" Matt cut in sharply.

"Andrew, did you already forget what happened last night when you lost control? That energy's messing with your emotions!"

Steve placed a hand on Andrew's shoulder. "Bro, take it easy. We need to figure out exactly what we're dealing with here."

Jiro looked at the three young men for a moment, then suddenly said, "You guys need a mentor."

He turned to Hank and asked deliberately, "Would the Xavier Institute be willing to take them in?"

Hank caught on right away and adjusted his glasses. "Charles has already agreed. But…"

He hesitated for a beat. "Considering how interested Magneto is in this energy, they might need extra protection."

"I'll handle that."

Jiro nodded. "Also, you'll have to learn how to get along with the people at the Institute—if you want to be superheroes, that is."

Andrew's eyes lit up. "Of course! That's exactly what we want—"

Jiro raised a hand and cut him off. "Not yet. I've got something else to deal with first."

"You'll stay here for now. Hank will help you learn to control your powers. If anything weird happens, contact me immediately."

Andrew looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end just nodded.

"Good luck," Jiro said to Hank, then turned and walked toward the window.

A second later, he vanished into the New York night in a flash of black light.

Stark Tower – Laboratory

Jiro appeared silently in the middle of the lab, the golden lines on his black armor glinting coldly under the lights.

Tony Stark was buried in a holographic projection, fingers moving fast as he tweaked the parameters of a nanotech structure.

His coffee cup nearby was empty—clearly, he'd pulled another all-nighter.

"You're back?" Tony didn't even look up, his tone casual.

"How'd it go with the mutants?"

Jiro walked over, eyes scanning the data flowing across the hologram. "More complicated than expected."

That finally made Tony pause. He turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? Even the great Superman ran into trouble?"

"Magneto showed up. I scared him off, though."

Jiro explained briefly, "He's after that alien crystal—thinks it can rewrite mutant genes."

Tony's expression instantly turned serious. "Rewrite genes? That thing can actually do that?"

"It can. But it's extremely dangerous," Jiro said, nodding.

"I've already absorbed the whole thing. There's no risk of it spreading anymore."

Tony stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly smirked. "So not only did you steal Magneto's prize, you absorbed it? Man, he must be losing his mind."

"Pretty much," Jiro said with a slight smile.

"But he's backed off for now. Professor X will take care of what comes next."

Tony raised an eyebrow, then turned back to his hologram. "Alright. You always manage to clean up the mess. Just… next time give me a heads-up, yeah? I'd rather not find out from the news that you and Magneto leveled half of New York."

Jiro didn't respond. He just walked over to the tall window, looking out at the city below.

After a moment of silence, he said, "Tony, I might be gone for a while. Not sure how long."

Tony paused mid-gesture and turned to him. "Where are you going?"

"Someplace quiet," Jiro said, gaze fixed on the distant skyline.

"I need to experiment with a new way of using my power."

"Magic?" Tony caught on fast, a spark of excitement in his eyes. "You mean the Kamar-Taj stuff?"

"Yeah." Jiro nodded. "They usually need slings rings and mystical artifacts, but I want to try channeling that energy directly from my body."

Tony set down his tools and crossed his arms. "Sounds like you're trying to mash science and magic together. That's not exactly beginner-level stuff."

"That's why I need time."

Jiro turned back to him. "If it works, it could open up a whole new path."

Tony was quiet for a few seconds, then suddenly grinned. "Alright, fine. Geniuses get to be reckless sometimes. But…"

He pointed up toward the ceiling, hinting at JARVIS's presence. "If anything happens, let me know right away. I don't want to miss out on a breakthrough like this."

Jiro chuckled softly. "I will."

As he spoke, he slowly began to float upward.

"See you in a few days. Don't forget my armor."

And with that, he disappeared entirely—turning into a streak of black light that shot straight up into the sky.

Tony stood there for a while, staring at the spot where Jiro had vanished. After a few moments, he shook his head and muttered, "That guy just gets crazier every time…"

He turned back to his workstation, the holographic nanotech model still rotating slowly.

Tapping his fingers lightly on the table, Tony suddenly broke into a sly grin.

"JARVIS, pull up everything we've got on combining magical energy with tech."

"Sir, we have very limited data on this," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.

"Then we'll start from scratch. I'll tackle the tech part first. As for the magic part—I'll wait till I learn it from Jiro," Tony said, eyes gleaming with a spark of challenge.

"After all, I can't just let him hog all the spotlight."

"Sir, it might be time to pick a codename."

"Let's call it... the Anti-Magic Armor!"

Outside the window, New York still glowed brilliantly.

Meanwhile, Jiro was already soaring through the darkness at top speed.

"..."