DC: Becoming Doomsday in Marvel Universe

After wandering around outside for most of the day, Rook Tanner finally returned to Tony's massive villa. When he entered, Tony was still downstairs, hammering away at something.

"Don't tell me you spent the entire day like this?" Rook strolled into the basement carrying a bottle of wine. As mentioned before, Tony's basement wasn't just a garage but also his personal lab.

It was his workshop, where he could tinker freely and invent whatever came to mind.

For example, the two robotic arms that assisted him were his own creation, equipped with basic AI to help with small tasks.

Rook even noticed that Tony had already started working on a mechanical arm. Though still crude, it was a functional steel arm that provided defense but nothing else yet.

Tony kept flexing it, testing for friction points or awkward movement. He glanced back at Rook and then let out a cry of dismay.

"That's my best bottle! I was saving it for my birthday."

Rook shrugged. It was because he found it hidden so deeply that he decided to open it.

"Tastes pretty good," Rook said, taking a hefty swig straight from the bottle. Without much sincerity, he asked, "Want some?"

Tony stared at him, then let out a long, helpless sigh. The guy was drinking from the bottle. What was the point of pouring a glass now?

"Who'd you give the stuff to?" Tony asked casually, though there was a hint of tension in his voice.

Rook smirked. "Don't waste your breath. I'm not telling you right now. Just focus on building your suit."

Tony clicked his tongue. This guy.

Rook wasn't going to tell him yet. If he did, with Tony's impulsive nature, he would immediately go hunting for proof against Obadiah and try to get him arrested.

And what would be the fun in that?

In a way, Rook was crafting the Iron Man story himself, handing both Tony and Obadiah their respective scripts.

And both were following his plan, step by step.

Considering Tony's personality, it was impressive that he had stayed home all day, throwing himself into developing the suit. It showed how seriously he took the project.

At that moment, Tony was so absorbed in his work that he didn't press Rook about who he had met. Instead, he pulled him over to brainstorm about the armor.

Rook knew, of course, that once Tony had a moment to breathe and dig around, he would figure out that Rook had met with Obadiah.

But that didn't matter. By then, it would all be playing out as Rook intended.

That was why he hadn't bothered to hide his tracks. He had gone right to the company in broad daylight to talk to Obadiah.

On purpose.

Rook, still holding the wine, joined Tony in the workshop, helping him work on the Mark II armor.

Or rather, it was really the Mark III, since Rook had already warned Tony to consider material limitations.

Like, what would happen if the suit faced extreme cold?

What if it flew too high? Would it freeze?

This was the biggest flaw in the Mark II suit: it couldn't handle cold. Whether at high altitude or in freezing environments, the armor could ice up and fail, risking a catastrophic fall.

Even with the suit's protection, the force of impact could still turn the wearer into mush inside a tin can.

Tony paled at the thought. Unlike Rook, who had flown ships and spacecraft, Tony's flight experience was limited to planes. He had never considered all these dangers.

"Good thing you're here," Tony breathed, relieved. If he hadn't known this, a test flight could have ended in disaster.

"See? I'm looking out for you," Rook said smugly. "At least I didn't give that heads-up to the other guy."

"The other guy?" Tony raised a brow.

Rook coughed. He'd said too much.

"I've got a better bottle than that one," Tony said, pointing at the wine Rook held. "That one's for Christmas."

For Americans, Christmas was like their version of the Lunar New Year. One bottle was for a birthday, the other for the biggest holiday of the year. No contest which was the better bottle.

Rook considered this and relented. "Fine. I did give the other guy some advice. Told him to bulk up the armor, add more weapons. He's calling it Iron Monger."

Then Rook laid out the basic idea of the Iron Monger.

Tony's jaw dropped. "Unbelievable. You're playing both sides?"

Here he was helping Tony build his suit, and at the same time, giving the enemy advice on building Iron Monger. Was he the only one not profiting from this?

"Relax. I'll help you when the time comes. What really matters isn't whether you can beat him, but that he exposes himself. Only when he shows his true colors will you have the justification to take him down. I think I've made myself clear. Better to draw him out now and deal with the threat than let him linger. But how do you make him reveal himself? There's only one way. Let him think he's already won. Only then will he drop the act," Rook said earnestly, trying to reassure him.

Tony gave Rook a skeptical look. He felt like he was being played.

But he couldn't deny that Rook's logic was compelling.

And Rook had said this from the start. When he took the blueprints, he said it was to help Tony root out the mole once and for all.

"Fine. The bottle's in the old car," Tony said, finally giving in. He pointed Rook to it, then grabbed two glasses to stop him from guzzling it straight again. They clinked their glasses together.

"I can't even imagine what your civilization's technology must be like," Tony said after a sip, genuinely amazed. He still thought the suit idea came from Kryptonian tech.

Rook gave a wry smile.

Krypton's advanced technology was also what doomed it.

Whether it was the threat of Doomsday or other factors, Krypton never escaped destruction.

"What if I told you that the end of science... is divinity?" Rook suddenly said.

Tony stared at him. "Are you saying your ultra-advanced alien race believes in gods?"

Rook smiled mysteriously. "It's not about believing gods exist. The end of science... is to become one."

Like Apokolips, which became home to the New Gods.

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