Become a Homelander and a Marvel superstar

The glass door slid open.

Three figures emerged.

Natasha Romanoff, dressed casually in black, looked travel-worn; close behind her was Clint Barton.

Finally, there's the ever-present black leather trench coat and the one-eyed, bald man—Nick Fury.

Although he is now a globally wanted criminal, known in the media as "the big rat of S.H.I.E.L.D.", he still walks with a swagger.

Wow.

Tony spread his arms wide in an exaggerated manner, but he didn't go over to hug him. Instead, he leaned against the lab table with a mocking smile on his lips.

"Look who this is? The director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra?"

"Tony," Natasha nodded in greeting.

His gaze then fell on Banner, a smile playing on his lips: "Hi, Bruce."

"Natasha," Banner replied somewhat hesitantly.

Nick Fury ignored Tony's taunts and strode to the center of the laboratory. His single eye scanned the surrounding high-tech equipment before finally settling on Tony.

"We need to talk, Stark."

"If it's about how to apply for Stark Industries' hardship relief funds, I can have Pepper give you a form." Tony shrugged. "I'm busy right now, figuring out how to prevent my green friends from tearing the Earth apart."

"I just want my things back." Fury ignored Tony's sarcasm, walked straight to the holographic display, placed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and exuded a strong sense of pressure.

"Your stuff?" Tony scoffed. "Every single screw here belongs to Stark."

"I want to go back to my team," Fury said in a deep voice, "the Avengers."

"ha!"

Tony spread his hands out exaggeratedly, as if he had heard some kind of joke.

"The Avengers? You mean that loosely organized group that can't even get enough people for their regular meetings?" Tony walked up to Fury, pointed out the window, and said, "Nick, wake up. Look outside. This is Vought's era. Homelander and his Seven are putting out fires all over the world, a million times more efficient than us. The Avengers? They're outdated."

"Wow?" Fury sneered, his tone full of disdain. "It's just a private company. A capitalist monster that only cares about ratings and profits."

"Tony, you're a smart man. Do you really think it's a good thing to entrust the world's safety to a bunch of actors packaged by a PR department?"

"Actors?" Tony retorted. "At least these actors are doing their jobs. And what is S.H.I.E.L.D. doing? Playing the Hydra breeding game? Right under your nose, Hydra has riddled S.H.I.E.L.D. with holes. And now you want to talk to me about trust?"

"That was my mistake, I admit it," Fury said through gritted teeth. "So now I'm going to correct it. We need the Avengers, the world needs a team that isn't controlled by capital or sponsors."

"Save your breath, Nick." Tony turned around, picked up a screwdriver, and fiddled with a small part. "I'm capital too. Stark Industries' capital is no less than Vought's. By your logic, I'm not trustworthy either."

“You’re different,” Natasha teased. “You have a conscience, Tony. Not much, but you do.”

"Thank you for the compliment, Miss Romanoff. But my conscience tells me to stay out of this mess." Tony didn't even turn around. "I'm busy right now and don't have time for your spy games."

He waved with his back to Fury.

"If there's nothing else, Jarvis, please ask them to leave. And pack them a few sandwiches, it's on me."

After several rounds of heated debate, Fury realized he couldn't persuade this stubborn billionaire at all.

He knew he had to resort to his ultimate move.

"Tony Stark!"

Fury growled behind him.

"Why do you think you can stand here drinking your green sludge right now?"

Tony stopped what he was doing.

"Is it because you're smart? Because you're rich? Or because of your metal armor?"

"It's because I fucking saved your life."

Tony turned around, his eyes sharp: "What are you talking about?"

Fury pointed to Tony's chest. "Back when your blood was full of toxins, and you were lying in the donut shop like a cripple waiting to die, who injected you with lithium dioxide? And who gave you Howard's belongings? Who gave you a second chance at life?"

"it's me."

Fury pointed to his chest.

"I pulled you back from hell. I gave you your father's belongings. I helped you solve the reactor problem and saved your life."

"You owe me, Stark. It's a debt you haven't paid off yet."

The laboratory suddenly fell silent.

Only a faint humming sound came from the holographic projection.

Banner stood awkwardly to the side, pretending to look at the data.

Natasha and Barton remained calm, clearly knowing Fury would play this card.

Tony slowly put down his tools and looked at Fury.

A complex mix of emotions flashed in his eyes.

He hates being morally blackmailed, but he is a proud man.

He dislikes owing favors, especially those that save his life.

"...Tsk."

Tony irritably downed the unpleasant-tasting green juice in one gulp.

"All right."

He pulled over a chair, plopped down, and crossed his legs.

"You win, One-Eyed. This round is on you."

Tony waved his hand impatiently.

"Tell me, what do you want? If it's about me hacking into the Pentagon to remove the arrest warrant, I can have Jarvis do it right now."

Seeing Tony relent, Fury's tense shoulders relaxed slightly. He knew that once Stark was dealt with, half the battle was won.

"It's not an arrest warrant. That thing is irrelevant to me."

Fury pulled a photograph from his pocket.

"I need you to help me get something back."

The photo shows a long, golden scepter, with a gemstone at the top enveloped in a deep blue light.

"The Scepter of the Soul?"

Tony recognized it immediately: "Loki's back scratcher?"

“Yes, it should have been in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s vault.” Fury’s face darkened. “But Hydra stole it. To be precise, they moved it right in front of us, using legal procedures.”

"It's in Sokovia now."

Zooming in on the map reveals an ancient fortress in the mountains of Eastern Europe.

"Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. One of Hydra's current supreme leaders. He is using the scepter to conduct human experiments in an attempt to create more super soldiers."

"I want you to go and get it back."

Fury looked at everyone present.

"Once I get the scepter back, I can use its mind control abilities to counter Pierce."

"Pierce may be cunning, but he's still human. If the scepter just stirs in his head a little, he'll obediently spill all of Hydra's secrets, lists, and accounts."

"This is our only chance to turn things around. To wipe out the darkness from S.H.I.E.L.D. and bring it back into the light."