"Hey, looks like the ride's over, Silver Surfer."
After watching the silver figure crash to the ground, Stark descended beside him, landing with a metallic thud. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the cosmic visitor before speaking again. "If you're here to apologize for draining the power from my tower, then fine. I won't press charges."
The Silver Surfer responded with calm courtesy, "I appreciate your tolerance."
"But don't get me wrong," Stark tilted his head, his tone sharpening. "Alien, what exactly is your reason for coming to Earth?"
"So, this planet is called Earth," the Silver Surfer mused, almost as if trying to etch the name into memory. He looked around at the world with distant admiration. "It's indeed a beautiful planet. Full of life, strong energy. My master will surely find it... appetizing."
Stark's brows instantly furrowed. "Master? What master? What do you mean, 'appetizing'?"
"You don't understand?" the Silver Surfer said blankly. "My master, Galactus—the Planet Devourer—is coming to consume this world as sustenance."
His voice was cold, emotionless, as if discussing the weather. For him, civilizations were fleeting sparks. He had witnessed this scenario too many times to feel sympathy.
Stark's shoulders dropped slightly, then he shrugged. "Great. No peaceful negotiations, then. I guess we're doing this the hard way."
Boom!
The energy cannon on Stark's palm glowed and fired a searing blast straight at the Surfer's chest. The silver armor absorbed the blow effortlessly, not a scratch in sight.
"Yup... knew it," Stark muttered grimly. "This one's gonna suck."
In a blink, the Silver Surfer blurred forward. Before Stark could react, he was slammed into the sky with a crushing impact. Alarms screamed in his ears.
"Sir, I strongly recommend disengagement!" Jarvis warned. "Armor integrity down twenty-three percent!"
Stark's face tightened behind his mask. This silver guy was way tougher than expected.
The Surfer gave Stark one long, calm look, then turned and soared off on his board.
"Hey! Coward! What, you afraid of me?" Stark fired another repulsor blast at his back.
The Silver Surfer stopped midair. Slowly, he turned. Though expressionless, his body language radiated irritation. The atmosphere around him rippled.
Suddenly, he shot forward like a missile.
Stark barely managed to raise his arms as a whip-like leg slammed into his chest. The entire power system of his suit flickered, then went dark.
Inside the pitch-black suit, he felt trapped—just a man in a steel coffin.
The Silver Surfer hovered in front of him. His arm morphed into a long, glinting sword, and he thrust it toward Stark's chest.
The blade stopped—one centimeter from his arc reactor.
"Reed! Now!" came Susan Storm's voice from the side.
In the next second, Stark felt himself yanked backwards, as if slingshot across the sky. He landed with a jolt, cushioned by something stretchy and warm—Reed Richards' elastic body.
"I'm not into weird stuff, man," Stark muttered, muffled inside his suit.
Susan had momentarily let go of the Surfer, and the longsword that had nearly ended Stark now buried itself into the earth. The ground heaved violently, as if a colossal beast was stirring beneath.
"Oh my god!" Hawkeye exclaimed from his aircraft above, eyes wide at the seismic chaos below.
Stark pulled off his helmet, gasping, his hands trembling. If that sword had hit him...
Flame burst in the sky—Johnny Storm, blazing hot, soared upward to intercept the Surfer. Meanwhile, Reed had wrapped his rubberized limbs around the Surfer, binding him like a living rope.
Cosmic radiation had given Reed the ability to stretch and shape his body however he pleased, rendering him nearly immune to physical attacks. The Surfer's sword slashed at him like a blade against rubber, harmlessly bouncing off.
Susan joined in, casting invisible forcefields to restrain the Surfer further.
"You've done enough!" the Surfer's voice finally rose in anger. His body began to shrink, but his density surged—he became a compact star of devastating power.
"Reed! I can't hold him!" Susan cried, blood streaming from her nose.
Ben Grimm, the Thing, had already been hurled into the woods, knocking over trees like matchsticks.
Reed's voice cracked. "He's... breaking loose!"
With a thunderous shockwave, the Silver Surfer broke free and hovered above them, unbound and unbothered.
"You have exceeded my expectations, lower beings. But it changes nothing. Your planet will still be consumed by the Great Galactus."
Just as he raised his hand for another strike—
CLANG!
A shield slammed into the side of his head, knocking it askew. The shield spun through the air and embedded itself in the dirt.
Emblazoned on its face was the red-and-white logo of the Umbrella Corporation.
It was Captain Supreme.
Rogers emerged from the smoke, cool and composed, his gaze unwavering.
"If I gave you a chance to reconsider," he said as he caught his returning shield, "you wouldn't be spouting nonsense like that."
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