The Final Battle Against Iron Monger
Tony was fighting Iron Monger in the middle of the city. Though the massive robot was just a copy of his design, it was heavier, more durable… more brutal.
A single punch was enough to send him flying through the air. And just as he hit the ground, a car drove over him, momentarily pinning him to the asphalt.
"Damn it!" Tony growled, firing up his thrusters just in time to dodge another car hurled at him by Iron Monger.
The steel monster advanced steadily. Its right arm looked jammed, slightly damaged, and Tony noticed. He dashed to that side, launching a barrage of missiles from his shoulders.
The explosions rocked the air, but Iron Monger barely staggered. He grabbed a stop sign ripped from the pavement and swung it like an axe, ready to crush him.
But just as the blow was about to fall… a blast exploded above his head, throwing him off balance.
Tony looked up, searching for the source, and saw Owen a few meters away, grenade in hand. The second one was already flying toward its target, spinning through the air like it had been thrown by a pro baseball player. It hit right at the robot's knee joint, forcing it to kneel.
"That was pretty cool," Tony said with a smile, flying over the giant and firing more missiles directly at the same weak point.
"Thirty years looking out for you!" Iron Monger roared, rising with a brutal spin and striking Tony full-force, sending him crashing to the ground. Another grenade exploded in his metallic face.
"You're a nuisance!" he shouted, glaring straight at Owen.
With a single kick, he sent Iron Man flying toward him. Owen barely managed to roll out of the way in time.
Iron Monger roared and started running. Then, with devastating strength, he jumped into the sky. Fire burst from his feet as a missile emerged from his back, laser-guided toward Tony and Owen.
Owen, serious, pulled the pin from another grenade. When the missile launched at full speed, he hurled the grenade with deadly precision. Both projectiles met in the air and exploded in a shockwave that rattled the street.
As the smoke cleared, Tony got back on his feet, activating his thrusters.
"Looks like you upgraded your design… but so did I," Iron Monger said with a mechanical smile as he took off, ascending after him.
Tony flew straight into the sky. Iron Monger followed, but before getting too far, he turned to look at Owen.
"I'll come for you next…"
"I'll be waiting," Owen replied with a calm smile, as Pepper watched everything from a distance, her heart in her throat.
After making sure Tony was okay, Owen sat patiently on the ground. Not moving. Just waiting.
…
Up above, Tony reached maximum altitude. The cold froze Iron Monger's systems, and he began to fall out of control.
Tony descended slowly. He landed with difficulty, exhaling hard as he removed some parts of his suit that were in the way.
"Finally…" he whispered.
But then, a metallic crash alerted him.
Iron Monger fell from the sky… and stood up. Practically unscathed.
Before Tony could react, he was struck hard. He tried to raise his hand to fire, but his suit's gauntlet was missing.
He flew through the air, crashing into a wall.
"Come on!" he growled, activating his remaining thrusters. He launched himself at Iron Monger, punching him in the head.
But the giant caught him mid-air. He was crushing him with both arms, like trying to grind him down.
A multicolored blast of fire shot out from Tony's reactor, temporarily blinding Obadiah, who released him.
Tony hid in the smoke. Then, he reappeared from behind.
"This looks important…" he muttered, plunging his hands into the robot's neck and ripping out the cables that connected the visual cameras.
Iron Monger roared, spun around blindly, and caught Tony by the back, throwing him away.
His armor opened with a hydraulic hiss, revealing Obadiah inside.
"I never liked these things…" he said, crushing Iron Man's mask in his hands. "But this suit… I love this suit."
He walked toward Tony with a smile.
"You did it, Tony. Your father would be proud."
Tony, gasping on the ground, looked up at him with a tired expression.
"It's ironic…" Obadiah continued. "You wanted to rid the world of weapons… and now you'll die by the one you created."
He pointed one of the suit's weapons at Tony.
And then…
BANG!
A shot shattered the moment.
Obadiah looked down. A smoking hole had opened in his exposed chest. Blood gushed out in bursts.
He looked up, stunned. First at Tony… then at the man walking toward him with a smoking pistol in hand.
"Sorry. Not a fan of villain monologues," Owen said calmly, approaching with steady steps.
Iron Monger staggered… and collapsed.
Obadiah Stane died there, eyes wide with surprise.
Tony stared at him for a moment. Despite everything, that man had raised him after his father's death. He felt guilt… but then closed his eyes. Forced himself to look away.
"I'm not a fan of villain monologues either," Tony finally said, lying on his back over the glass rooftop… with a tired laugh escaping his lips.
…
"I am Iron Man," Tony said with a crooked smile, just before a sea of camera flashes lit up the room like a lightning storm.
In a nearby room, Owen burst out laughing at the sight of Coulson's face, who had spent hours crafting the perfect cover story.
"I'm sure your boss won't be paying you for the overtime… what a shame," Owen said mockingly.
Coulson just shook his head and left without a word.
Minutes later, Tony entered the room where Owen and Pepper were watching the replay of the press conference on a large screen. The air was thick with tension, but Tony broke it with his usual confident grin as he carried a suitcase that Happy had just handed him.
"Good thing you stuck around," he said. "I've got something for you."
He opened the suitcase with a stylish flourish, revealing two sleek military knives and a pair of reddish bracelets with golden accents. Each item shimmered as if it were alive.
"Titanium-gold alloy," Tony said with pride. "Same material I use in my armor. Light, tough, and razor-sharp. But that's not all..."
He took one of the knives and connected it to one of the bracelets. A nearly invisible metal thread extended from the handle with a barely audible click.
"Ten meters of cable. Super strong. You can use it for climbing, trapping, stunts, or, you know… spy stuff." He chuckled. "Aren't commandos like the government's version of Batman?"
Owen raised an eyebrow, intrigued. He picked up the other knife and slipped on the bracelet. With a smooth spin, he whipped his arm, launching the cable with a slicing Scrrr sound. He then let go of the knife, pulling the wire to reel it back.
The cable snapped back with such force it grazed the edge of a nearby desk"CRACK!
The friction alone cleanly sliced through the wood surface before the knife landed back in Owen's hand. The cable instantly recoiled into the bracelet with a soft whir.
Tony stared in awe.
"Did you just cut the desk with friction?!" He leaned in to examine the perfectly clean groove. "Are you… like, some kind of super soldier?"
Owen smiled, running a finger along the blade.
"Good guess. I am. A... modified one."
The room fell silent. Happy, Pepper, and Tony stared wide-eyed. No one spoke.
"The color's not really my thing, but these are great," Owen added calmly, as if he hadn't just dropped a bomb. "If you could whip up some durable clothes too, that'd be really helpful."
Tony took a moment to process.
"Wait... you're serious?"
Owen shrugged.
"If you saw how many super soldiers are walking around these days, you wouldn't be that surprised. You'd think they're sold at the corner store."