Spoiler Artist in Marvel

~ A.I.M. Headquarters — Aldrich Killian's Office ~

Aldrich Killian paced back and forth, panicking. He had spent years building his company, constructing his network, climbing to the top of the power ladder... all for one single purpose: to get revenge on Tony Stark.

And now, everything was falling apart because of a simple painting.

In his mind, he kept cursing Leonardo. That damn seer had ruined everything.

And the situation only got worse when a breathless subordinate burst into his office.

"Sir, we have intruders!"

"Already...?"

Killian thought he still had time. The painting might have pointed at him, but it wasn't conclusive evidence. He had covered his tracks, erased trails, silenced threats. No one could link him to the Ten Rings. No one should be able to.

"Release all the test subjects! Now!"

It was his last card. Even if he was cornered, he still had something to fight with. Dozens of superhumans created by his serum. One suit of armor wouldn't stand a chance against them all. He could still win. Or escape.

What he didn't know... was that Tony Stark had a very different definition of "personal."

To Killian, "personal" meant taking revenge with his own hands.

To Tony, "personal" meant unleashing his full arsenal, all his rage, and calling in his entire team of gods, soldiers, and monsters to crush anyone who dared to threaten what he loved.

And that difference became clear within seconds.

"Sir... it's not just Stark! All the Avengers are here! We don't stand a chance!"

With that, Killian chose to flee.

He activated a hidden mechanism behind his bookshelf and descended into an underground hangar. He boarded the fastest jet he could find and took off without hesitation.

But as soon as he took flight, he found him.

Iron Man was waiting in the air.

"Aldrich Killian," he said with an implacable voice, "you and your Ten Rings end today."

Killian didn't answer. He accelerated at full speed and rammed into him.

But his attempt was useless.

Within seconds, Iron Man's thrusters flared to maximum. The jet was suspended mid-air, motionless, as if it had hit an invisible wall.

Half a minute later, the aircraft was dragged to the ground like a metallic toy.

Tony opened the cockpit, pulled Killian out by force, and threw him to the ground.

From there, the scientist could only look up... at the image of Tony Stark silhouetted against the sky — so similar to the one that had haunted him all these years. That night on the rooftop, when his hatred began.

Maybe because of that, or maybe out of desperation, Killian didn't give up.

He ran toward him, no serum, no armor. Just fury as a weapon.

One repulsor blast was enough.

He flew several meters and hit the ground unconscious.

"Pathetic," Tony muttered.

Behind him, the other Avengers began to arrive.

"Well, I guess that's the end of it," said Steve Rogers, surveying the scene.

"You could've handled it on your own," Loki said disdainfully.

"We're supposed to be a team, aren't we?" Tony replied with a shrug. "Why risk myself when I've got my super friends?"

"Charming. If that's all, I'm leaving."

Loki vanished in his usual fashion.

"Forgive my brother," said Thor, a bit embarrassed. "Though he may not show it, he's nobler than he seems. Do you need help with the rest?"

"Won't be necessary. Fury's on his way."

Everyone understood immediately. If SHIELD was coming, it wasn't for Killian. It was for the data. The experiments. The superhumans.

If they could eliminate the side effects... they could reproduce the serum.

---

Leonardo's House

Leonardo watched the scene through his system, still surprised.

He hadn't expected the whole Iron Man 3 plot to be resolved so quickly. But in hindsight, it made sense. In the movie, Tony Stark was alone. Uninformed.

Here, he had support. Information. A team.

And in that kind of setting, villains didn't last long.

Leonardo sighed. Age of Ultron was just around the corner. In the original MCU, there were the two Guardians of the Galaxy films in between... but now, with all the changes, only Thor: The Dark World remained.

And he already had plans to fast-track that as well.

"I'm back," said a voice behind him.

Gwen walked through the door.

"That was fast," Leonardo commented.

"There was nothing unusual out there," she replied.

"Let's forget about that. Christmas is just around the corner. Want to repeat last year's plan?"

Gwen nodded and laid down next to him.

Meanwhile, Leonardo checked his system. Despite the time and accomplishments, he was still far from the next level.

He sighed. Disappointed, he returned to painting.

In the studio, Gwen came in and looked at his new pieces.

"Another alien invasion?" she asked with a resigned tone as she uncovered one of the canvases.

"And looks like it has to do with Thor and his girlfriend," she added, looking at the next painting.

"It's not as bad as it seems. Don't worry," Leonardo said with a calm smile.

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+20 chapters in advance on Patreon.

p-atreon.com/IAMME26

(just delete the hyphen)

80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)