"Limitless potential..."
Tony stared at the footage of the Hulk tearing through Harlem. It was grainy, hacked from a secondary military server that hadn't been physically air-gapped. The primary data was locked away in some Pentagon basement, accessible only by generals with too many stars and not enough sense.
But what he saw was enough.
"Green skin. Massive muscular hypertrophy. Regenerative capabilities that defy biology," Tony muttered. "And the other one... bone protrusions. Exoskeletal armor."
"It appears to be a failed bio-enhancement experiment, Sir," Jarvis noted. "Likely an attempt to replicate the Super Soldier Serum."
"Of course it is," Tony scoffed. "The military has been chasing that dragon since 1945. And judging by the property damage, they failed spectacularly."
He paused, a cold realization settling in.
"If this is the new baseline for 'Super Villains'... then New York is a tinderbox."
Tony was a weapons manufacturer. He knew the difference between a skirmish and a war. A guy with a gun was a problem for the police. A guy who could throw a tank was a problem for... well, for who?
There was no one.
"And I'm supposed to fight that?" Tony gestured at the screen. "With what? A witty one-liner and a subpoena?"
"With Iron Man, Sir," Jarvis corrected.
"Right. The Iron Man."
Tony tapped the desk. "So, let's work backward. I go to Afghanistan. I get kidnapped. I survive. I come back and announce 'I am Iron Man.' The kidnapping is the catalyst. It's the Inciting Incident."
"Precisely, Sir," Jarvis said. "In narrative theory, the protagonist must undergo a 'Dark Night of the Soul.' A traumatic event that strips away their old identity and forces a rebirth. For you, it appears to be the abduction."
"It's the Classic Hollywood Formula," Tony groaned, rubbing his face. "Act One: The arrogant playboy has it all. Act Two: He loses everything and learns humility in a cave. Act Three: He returns with new powers to defeat the villain."
"It is a proven structure, Sir."
"It's a cliché!" Tony snapped. "I'm living a cliché! My life is a summer blockbuster! Do I have a tragic backstory too? Oh wait, my parents died in a car crash. Check. Do I have a flawed mentor figure who turns out to be evil? Let me guess... Obadiah?"
The name hung in the air.
Tony hadn't wanted to believe it before. But if he was following a script, then the "Mentor Betrayal" trope was practically mandatory.
"Jarvis," Tony said quietly. "Deepen the scan on Obadiah. Check for off-book accounts. Check for dealings with the Ten Rings."
"Working on it, Sir."
"And the writers..." Tony walked to the window, looking up at the sky as if he could see the Fourth Wall. "They aren't just writing me. They're writing a Shared Universe. Spider-Man. Spider-Woman. The Hulk. We're all just franchises colliding to boost box office numbers."
"It is logical," Jarvis agreed. "If one hero is profitable, multiple heroes interacting—a 'Crossover Event'—would exponentially increase audience engagement."
"So my pain is for entertainment," Tony said, his voice dripping with acid. "My kidnapping? A plot point. Pepper's safety? Emotional stakes. If the writers need to 'motivate' me, they won't hesitate to hurt the people I care about. It's 'Fridging,' isn't it? Killing a loved one to fuel the hero's angst."
"A crude but effective literary device, Sir."
"Effective?" Tony's eyes flashed with dangerous light. "It's lazy. And I won't let it happen."
He turned back to the holographic blueprint of the armor.
"If they want a character arc, I'll give them one. But I'm rewriting the script. I'm not going to be the victim who learns a lesson in a cave. I'm going to be the guy who saw the strings and cut them."
"Jarvis, accelerate Project Iron Man. I want a working prototype by the end of the week. Skip the safety protocols if you have to."
"Sir, skipping safety protocols is ill-advised..."
"Do it," Tony ordered. "If monsters are coming, I can't afford to be safe. I need to be lethal."
He looked at the diary again. Lucas had warned him. Lucas had given him the cheat codes.
"You said you wanted to run away to a farm, Lucas?" Tony whispered. "Don't bother. If the writers want a war, they're going to get one. And I'm going to make sure everyone survives the credits."