Superman in Marvel: Multiverse Ascendant

"But I still don't understand—how did you gain so many... loyal fans just by spending a night in Afghanistan?" Tony asked, waving a piece of bread in his hand.

"You mean believers."

"Close enough. Especially that reporter—he looks like he's been through hell. Every day, he's on the news, calling you the true Holy Spirit. The guy is a full-blown fanatic."

"You mean Abdullah... I have no idea what's up with him. Maybe it's just the culture over there?"

"I thought you brainwashed him. You know, like Clark in Superman, manipulating people's memories." Tony gestured dramatically.

"I wish I had that ability. Sounds cool." Leon sighed.

"So, what exactly happened?"

"You just want to hear it, right? You're not picturing it in your head?"

"Ahem... Anyway, Abdullah mentioned in an interview that you saved his life."

"Yeah. He was within the blast radius of a Jericho missile. I pulled him out and asked him to spread the video and the message."

"So he's the guy!" Tony suddenly realized. "He was in the video you had J.A.R.V.I.S. send me. No wonder he looked familiar!"

Leon raised an eyebrow. "You seem particularly interested in him?"

"Uh-huh." Tony chewed thoughtfully. "He said he was so grateful to you that he planned to spend all his money buying Warner stock. So, I had Pepper acquire Warner."

Leon's mouth twitched. "You sure know how to make a profit."

"Don't say it like that. The whole world is watching Superman now. After the acquisition, Stark Industries' stock price went up."

"I'm more curious how you pulled it off. With DC's sudden surge in popularity, why would they sell?"

Tony wiped his fingers with a napkin. "Some... interested parties—other corporations, governments—you know, put pressure on them. I just seized the opportunity."

"And how did you get involved? You don't even sell weapons anymore. How do you qualify?"

Tony smirked, tapping the Arc Reactor on his chest. "I sell this now. Clean energy. Everybody wants it."

Leon's eyes narrowed. "You went public with it?"

Tony looked around, spun in place, then casually raised a hand. "More or less. Rhodey let it slip. Seriously, that guy's mouth is like a public service announcement—he can't keep a secret!"

Leon scoffed. "Come on, Rhodey's just got a sense of humor. No way he's that loose-lipped and still working in a classified military division."

Then he smirked. "You just want the spotlight back, don't you? Jealous of all the Superman hype? Exposing yourself to grab attention?"

Tony went silent, glancing at the ceiling. Then, pretending to dust himself off, he abruptly turned and walked away.

"I was helping you, taking some of the pressure off. Everyone's watching you and jumping to conclusions, so I figured I'd step up and set an example."

He waved over his shoulder. "Alright, I'm heading out. Today's my last day in the Middle East. The Ten Rings won't be a problem anymore."

Pausing at the door, Tony suddenly turned back. "Oh, and I'm holding a press conference tomorrow. Be there."

Leon stared after him, lost in thought.

Half a minute later, the sound of Iron Man's thrusters igniting echoed from outside.

"This guy... That press conference—he's really going to do it, isn't he? He's planning to reveal his identity as Iron Man."

Watching the Mark III vanish into the horizon, Leon exhaled slowly.

He had considered many possible reasons Tony might admit to being Iron Man.

But this?

"He's doing it just to boost his popularity? This world is absolutely insane."

Shaking his head, Leon stretched. "Whatever. Tony won't die. No need to worry about him. More importantly—"

He tore open his shirt, revealing the emblem underneath. In an instant, he transformed into Superman and soared into space.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

Nick Fury sat at his desk, his ever-present dark circles even more pronounced.

"This is your investigation report?" he asked, placing the file down and leveling a sharp gaze at Coulson.

"The intel here is less than what's already on the news. At least the reporters interviewed locals."

Coulson lowered his head. "Apologies, Director. Superman hasn't appeared since that night. We have no leads."

"However, the video that aired contains valuable information."

He pulled out a tablet and handed it to Fury.

Fury's eyelid twitched—he'd seen this gesture too many times in the past few days.

Coulson played the video, one Fury had already watched hundreds of times.

It had three segments:

Footage recorded by the Afghan journalist Abdullah, showing Superman intercepting vehicle-mounted missiles and Jericho missiles mid-air.

Abdullah delivering Superman's message: All foreign troops, withdraw immediately and abandon the invasion.

The journalist's personal testimony—an hour-long monologue preaching Superman's greatness, attempting to link him to Allah and spread his faith.

Despite having watched it countless times, Fury focused intently.

The first segment showcased Superman's greatest display of power to date.

And, conveniently, no official satellite had captured a complete record of the event.

The only relatively complete footage was this reporter's video, making it invaluable for analyzing Superman's abilities.

When the video ended, Fury turned to Coulson. "Your assessment?"

"Director, it's clear—Superman's strength, at least in terms of durability and speed, surpasses any known life form or weapon on Earth."

Coulson chose his words carefully. "Whether he's the Superman from the comics or not, based solely on his power, our best move is to maintain friendly relations and keep him stable."

"Hmm..." Fury nodded, stroking his communicator. "Then tell me, is he a rebellious wildcard? Do we need to contain him?"

"Contain?" Coulson was stunned. "With all due respect, Director, we don't have the means to do that."

Fury smirked, tapping his intercom. "Hypothetically speaking—if we did... would it be necessary?"

...

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