He already knew a lot about Tony's past, and there was nothing suspicious in it.
Since returning from Afghanistan, Tony had even begun to change many of his old, reckless habits. It seemed like he'd developed a genuine sense of responsibility—enough to shoulder S.H.I.E.L.D.'s burdens.
The worst concern was that Tony might try to flirt with every female agent in the bureau.
Looking over this background report, the most scandalous thing Tony Stark had ever done was throw a few weeks of nonstop wild parties. Even that was marked as "frivolous" by the Security Council.
Fury didn't see it as a problem.
He flipped through the report absentmindedly, just killing time during his forced confinement.
"Look at this," he muttered, smirking. "He once used a million dollars to convince his brother's first girlfriend to leave him. Our Iron Man's a traditional parent, huh?"
"And later... all these things were done for his brother, Malrick?"
"If Malrick wanted to start a company, Tony gave him inventions and funding. If his grades weren't stellar, Tony donated secretly to every top university in the country. If Malrick wanted to fly into space, Tony built him a spacecraft... I wish I had a brother like that."
Fury shook his head, scanning the file.
Then his smirk faded. He paused, slowly sitting up as a line in the report caught his eye.
"Spacecraft…"
Fury flipped back several pages.
He found the entry: Late 2007 — Malrick Stark boarded a spacecraft and launched into space.
But even flipping to the very last page, there was no mention of that craft ever returning.
The Security Council wouldn't have missed such a critical detail during their investigation.
Which meant... the spacecraft launched six months ago was still out there.
"Coulson! We all saw Malrick Stark about a month ago, didn't we?" Fury suddenly shouted upstairs.
The thudding bass from the upper floor stopped.
"That's right, sir," Coulson called back. "The day Tony Stark revealed himself as Iron Man. We all saw Malrick. You even got thrown out of the villa by him."
Fury nodded, tapping Malrick's photo in the file with his finger.
"That's why the Council wanted me to read this file."
"So you're Superman, Malrick Stark. That's... comforting."
The ship was still out in space—but the person had already returned.
And his return happened to align perfectly with Superman's first appearance.
Tony had also shown signs of knowing Superman during the Senate hearing.
With all these clues, the truth was hard to ignore—even if it seemed unbelievable.
Fury started pacing the room.
"Iron Man. Men in Black. Superman. Three powerful, mysterious forces… and they're all just one."
"Could the exposure of HYDRA have been their doing too?"
"What's their endgame? Could it be something connected to Howard Stark?"
He sat back down, eyes lingering on Malrick's photo.
"At the very least, we now know who Superman is. And he's... somewhat trustworthy."
"Maybe I can bring both brothers into the Avengers. Damn it—Tony already renamed S.H.I.E.L.D. to the Avengers."
Fury groaned, suddenly remembering that his long-time dream project now belonged to Tony Stark.
He stomped the floor in frustration.
But as he cooled off, his expression turned thoughtful.
The Stark brothers now held unmatched power and influence on Earth.
They couldn't be controlled anymore.
And it had been Fury himself who placed Tony in that position.
That thought made him uneasy again.
"When I get out of here," Fury muttered, "maybe it's time I paid a visit to S.W.O.R.D. and had a long talk with Rambeau."
---
The day after Wenwu's defeat—
Tony was occupied with researching the Ten Rings, rebuilding the villa, and forming the Avengers.
Meanwhile, Malrick had already packed his bags and boarded a plane to Nepal.
His destination: Kamar-Taj.
Malrick believed the Sorcerer Supreme—who held the Time Stone—had known about his visit the moment he decided to come.
To show respect, he didn't head straight for the Sanctum in New York's Bleecker Street.
He chose the longer, humbler route.
He flew to Kathmandu and planned to search for Kamar-Taj like any other traveler.
He wanted to experience the city, even visiting landmarks like the Pashupatinath Temple and the Boudhanath Stupa.
Jarvis had even helped plan a full three-day travel itinerary.
But the moment Malrick stepped off the plane, a Black man in a hooded robe stopped him outside the airport.
The man bowed respectfully in a half-crouch, hand extended.
"Esteemed Mr. Superman, the Sorcerer Supreme sends her greetings. Please come with me. Transport to Kamar-Taj is ready."
"Huh? Oh... okay, sure," Malrick replied, still processing what was happening as he followed the man to the car.
"I'm Karl Mordo. You may call me Mordo, Mr. Superman. Since you just landed, please rest. We'll be there soon."
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
Malrick stared out the window as the car moved through Kathmandu—first the outskirts, then the busy streets, and finally an ancient temple district.
He was surprised.
His three-day sightseeing plan seemed to have ended before it began.
The place he expected to search for had picked him up at the airport instead—like a VIP welcome.
Ten minutes later, the car stopped near a street corner. Mordo hurried out to open the door for him.
He took Malrick's luggage and led the way, apologizing that cars couldn't go further into the Sanctum area.
Malrick nodded and followed without complaint, though he was curious.
If they had come to greet him, why didn't Mordo just open a portal and take him straight to the Ancient One? Was this just for formality's sake?
It wasn't his fault for overthinking. The whole situation felt unreal.
Mordo led him through a worn wooden gate into a surprisingly elegant inner hall.
Malrick blinked in amazement.
Two female sorcerers approached politely and took his backpack and coat.
Two male sorcerers brought out cushions, brushed off imaginary dust, and gestured for him to sit.
Feeling a bit awkward, Malrick sat cross-legged.
Then, another soft voice came from the side.
"Please enjoy some tea."
"Ah, thanks." Malrick smiled and accepted the cup, just about to compliment it—
Then his eyes widened. "Ancient One?!"
The woman kneeling beside him, pouring the tea, was none other than the Sorcerer Supreme herself.
"Yes. Welcome to Kamar-Taj, Mr. Malrick," she said calmly, eyes serene, her robe a warm ochre, her expression tranquil and wise.
---
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