"What an incredible armor!"
Rhodes and Coulson were both stunned. Could Iron Man's armor actually do that?
Transform into different forms as needed during combat?
That was too advanced!
"This is nanotech!" Iron Man's eyes gleamed with excitement. "I can't believe I actually achieved this technology in the future!"
From the very beginning of designing and building his Iron Man armor, Iron Man knew that the most suitable material for the armor was nanomaterial, and the most suitable technology was nanotechnology.
But currently, Iron Man's technology was far from reaching that level; nanotech Iron Man armor was merely a conceptual idea.
He couldn't believe that he actually achieved it in the future. Upon learning this news, Iron Man was indescribably excited.
"I am the best!" He couldn't help but give himself a thumbs-up.
However, Iron Man was then brutally beaten by Thanos. With a casual punch, Thanos shattered Iron Man's helmet.
But the Iron Man armor quickly self-repaired, leaving Coulson and Rhodes marveling and full of admiration.
Iron Man's future armor was simply too advanced.
Thanos and Iron Man then engaged in a fierce battle. Thanos threw a powerful energy stream at Iron Man, but it was blocked by a shield formed by the Iron Man armor.
Immediately after, Iron Man spun around, deflecting Thanos's energy stream, and flew upwards. His right hand transformed into a massive dragon head, delivering a powerful punch to Thanos's face.
A wound appeared on Thanos's face.
But this so-called wound was not a true wound in the way everyone imagined; it was merely a slight scratch, nothing more!
"After all that effort, you only made me bleed a single drop." Thanos touched his wound and spoke with supreme arrogance.
Then he punched Iron Man to the ground.
Boom boom boom!
Thanos began relentlessly pummeling Iron Man with punch after punch, shattering Iron Man's armor into pieces, a truly horrific sight.
"Tony, that's too tragic, isn't it?" Rhodes couldn't help but playfully tease his old friend.
"He's the overlord of the universe. I'm doing pretty well to fight him to this extent!" Iron Man shrugged, still looking a bit smug.
But soon, Iron Man couldn't smile anymore.
In the footage, after being brutalized by Thanos, Iron Man conjured a long, sharp blade and plunged it fiercely toward Thanos.
But Thanos snatched the blade and instantly pierced Iron Man's abdomen!
Iron Man couldn't help but twitch his lips. Although it was just footage, it made his heart skip a beat.
The footage abruptly ended there.
The scene became somewhat somber for a moment.
"Tony, you don't have to worry. According to the footage, Thanos didn't hit any vital organs. As long as you get timely emergency treatment, you'll be fine."
Rhodes was the first to break the silence, comforting Iron Man.
"This kind of thing won't happen, because I will develop even more powerful armor. I won't get hurt!" Iron Man declared confidently.
But in truth, Iron Man didn't have much confidence either; it was just his arrogance talking.
Thanos, as shown in the footage, was too powerful. Iron Man could be said to have used every trick in the book, yet he was still no match for Thanos, practically being toyed with and brutalized.
Such a huge gap couldn't be bridged just by saying so.
"Alright, I think what we should be focusing on now is who this cosmic overlord Thanos actually is, and why I would be fighting him in the future."
Iron Man then perked up and said in a deep voice to Coulson and Rhodes.
"There's too little effective information; we can't analyze it. However, the surrounding buildings shown in the footage don't look like Earth's style."
"So, allow me to make a bold guess: this battle is happening on another planet."
Coulson made a deduction that surprised both Rhodes and Iron Man.
An ordinary person might be limited by their experience and knowledge and wouldn't make such a judgment.
But Coulson was different; he knew that aliens existed in the universe, and even years ago, aliens had attempted to invade Earth.
"Are there really aliens in this world? Are UFOs and such real?" Rhodes found it somewhat unbelievable.
"Aliens do exist." Coulson pondered for a moment before giving Rhodes and Iron Man a definitive answer.
Being in S.H.I.E.L.D., he naturally knew about such things.
Of course, under normal circumstances, such matters shouldn't be casually discussed with outsiders, but considering that the three of them were simultaneously chosen by the person behind the scenes, some harmless information could be shared.
"So, I've already left Earth and gone to conquer the universe? Iron Man conquering the universe—now that sounds pretty good!" Iron Man nodded repeatedly, clearly satisfied with that idea.
It was more fitting for Iron Man's swagger.
"So why would Tony inexplicably go to an alien planet—some purple potato monster's place—to get abused? That planet is clearly desolate. Is there anything worth Tony going there for?"
Rhodes hit the nail on the head, pointing out the crux of the matter.
He looked at Iron Man and continued asking, "Tony, if you put yourself in his shoes, why would you go to such a desolate planet?"
Iron Man shrugged and spread his hands. "It certainly wouldn't be for tourism."
Even if he tried to analyze his own behavioral logic, there was simply too little information to deduce anything.
"What about the others in the options—Captain America, Thor, and the Hulk? Did they all fight Thanos, just like Iron Man?"
Coulson suddenly remembered something, his eyes sparkling. "Except they couldn't make Thanos bleed?"
"If that's the case, then Tony's battle with Thanos wasn't a chance encounter, but… a purposeful battle!"
If it were just Iron Man alone, a chance encounter might have been possible.
But if Captain America, the Hulk, and Thor all fought Thanos, it was highly unlikely to be a coincidence.
"So Tony's trip to that desolate planet was specifically to deal with Thanos!" Coulson said, following Rhodes's train of thought.
"Considering our Iron Man probably wouldn't have any grudges with an alien…"
"Then… the only reason I can think of that would make Tony go to an alien planet to deal with Thanos—something compelling enough to make him do so—is this:"
"If Thanos isn't dealt with, he will pose a threat to Earth!"
Coulson once again reached a bold conclusion.
Aliens invading Earth might sound absurd to most people, but to Coulson, it wasn't some earth-shattering revelation. He arrived at this deduction logically.
Such things had happened before, after all.
Rhodes and Iron Man's expressions slightly darkened.
But it had to be said, Coulson's analysis was actually very reasonable.
Was that cosmic overlord, Thanos, going to invade Earth?
If that were truly the case, then things would be serious.