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Chapter 11: Iron Man: Yes, I Am The Most Powerful Superhero
🕑 Added 2025-03-24 18:51:58 +0000 UTCWhen Tony Stark watched Hollywood blockbusters in the past, he never truly understood the heart of the screenwriters. After all, everyone knew it was just fiction. Who would get upset over the fate of fictional characters?
But now that his own fate was being manipulated, everything felt different.
When J.A.R.V.I.S. reminded him that people around him could be hurt because of him, Tony’s heart nearly stopped. It felt as though someone had grabbed his chest and squeezed.
Despite his confident and often carefree persona, Tony had many people who cared about him. Yet, there was only one person whose safety he couldn’t afford to lose—Pepper Potts.
“J.A.R.V.I.S., remind me to strengthen Pepper’s security,” Tony ordered.
He was afraid that, if he forgot, it could lead to immense regret, so he instructed J.A.R.V.I.S. to keep him on track.
“How many super-criminals and superheroes are going to emerge in New York to cause chaos?” Tony mused. “Am I the one who started all this?”
If superheroes and super-criminals were becoming more common, there had to be signs of them by now. After all, was Peter Parker just suddenly going to turn into Spider-Man one day? There had to be a buildup, right?
“J.A.R.V.I.S., create a file called ‘Strange News.’ Collect any relevant information online, and if needed, hack into military and government networks to check for any unusual people or events. I need all the details—whether they’re super-criminals or superheroes, I must be in the know.”
“Understood, sir. The file has been created,” J.A.R.V.I.S. responded.
Before Tony could continue, another line appeared in the diary:
“Speaking of this, the first time I saw Tony Stark’s catfish-faced Mark armor, I still felt a little uncomfortable. I never imagined that after all these years, the dozens of Mark series armors would actually become quite pleasing to the eye! It’s a shame I can’t witness the iconic scene of Tony Stark forging the armor in a cave in Afghanistan. That’s the moment of his apotheosis, the start of Tony Stark’s rise to greatness. He saved Marvel by himself, and Mark 6 took flight!”
Catfish Face Mark Armor…
Those words struck Tony like a bolt of lightning. Suddenly, he understood why he was called "Iron Man."
Initially, he had understood the name literally. For example, Spider-Man may have become a spider, and Iron Man might be someone who could manipulate steel. Logically, that made sense.
Who would have thought that "Iron Man" referred to a suit of battle armor?
Yes, he had entertained the idea of creating a battle suit before, but back then, it was just a vague concept.
In fact, the idea of individual soldier armor wasn’t new. Every major country had designed such armor, but its performance was always subpar—just an auxiliary tool for soldiers, far from the level Tony had envisioned.
So, it wasn’t that Tony had no ideas about armor. After all, he was an arms manufacturer, and the development of personal armor was one of the next-generation weapons he had been researching. However, he had never fully committed to it—just a few scattered ideas here and there.
The reason? The technology available at the time couldn’t overcome the difficulties, and the cost was prohibitively high. The military wasn’t interested in such projects.
But, for Tony Stark, the situation was different. The cost of a battle suit, even in the tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars, was not a big deal for him. As one of the richest people in the world, he could easily afford it.
In that moment, everything clicked. He understood why his nickname was "Iron Man." It wasn’t about his own strength, but about the suit he could wear.
He wasn’t the strongest among ordinary people. He could only be considered fit because of his daily routine. But when he put on that tin can of armor, everything changed.
With the technology at his disposal, creating such a suit was completely feasible. He had just never seen the need before.
From Luo Chen’s words, it was clear that Tony would eventually be trapped in a cave in Afghanistan, where he would painstakingly build his own battle armor. That moment, according to Luo Chen, marked the beginning of Tony’s transformation into a legend.
“Legend? I didn’t expect this kid to have a little vision!” Tony Stark grinned, pleased with Luo Chen’s praise.
He knew it. He was invincible. Tony Stark was awesome, and there was nothing wrong with that!
After all, he was the protagonist of this world.
Does the protagonist understand?
Does he know the value of being the protagonist?
Thinking it over, Tony realized that the screenwriters who created his story outside the fourth wall were quite perceptive. They had managed to portray him perfectly.
“Sir, according to this diary, it seems you once saved Marvel by yourself.
From the present situation, this statement may have two meanings.
First, Marvel could refer to the entire multiverse we’re in. It’s been mentioned several times before, most notably when Miss Gwen said that she’s the best girlfriend of Marvel.”
J.A.R.V.I.S. continued, “So, Marvel might refer to the general name of the multiverse or, in other words, the entire story universe written outside the fourth wall.”
“Ah, yes,” Tony Stark nodded. “So when it says I saved Marvel, maybe I saved the entire universe—or perhaps I saved the box office of the Marvel series beyond the fourth wall?”
“Exactly,” J.A.R.V.I.S. confirmed. “If this world is a story world, the success of this story determines the fate of this world. You are likely in the movie universe, and by saving it, you saved the entire series of stories.”
Tony smiled smugly, pleased with himself. Though the idea of being created by someone else still bothered him, it felt pretty great to be the savior.
