"So, I'm the Golden Boy."
Tony Stark leaned back, the confirmation tasting sweet. Whether he saved the "world" or saved the "box office," the result was the same: He was essential. He was the Chosen One.
"It seems the 'Mark' designation is the winning ticket," Tony murmured. "If Future Me built dozens of them, then the path is clear. It's an open-book test, and I have the answer key."
He stood up, pacing with renewed purpose.
"Jarvis, create a new archive. Project: Mark Series. Consolidate every sketch, every napkin doodle, every half-baked idea I've ever had about powered exoskeletons. We're not just building a suit. We're building a lineage."
"Done, Sir. Shall I include the 'Big Green Guy' contingency plans?"
Tony paused. "Right. The Green Monster."
He pulled up the grainy footage of the Harlem incident again. The sheer brutality of it was awe-inspiring. Two titans clashing in the streets, tossing cars like softballs.
"What was the military code name for the green one? Hulk? And the spiky one... Abomination?"
"Correct, Sir."
Tony narrowed his eyes, applying his newfound "Meta-Narrative" analysis.
"If we assume this is a movie universe... then this fight follows a structure. The Abomination appears first. He causes chaos. He kills civilians. He is clearly the Villain."
"And the Hulk?" Jarvis prompted.
"He arrives later. He fights the Villain. He causes collateral damage, sure, but he targets the threat. In Hollywood logic, that makes him the Anti-Hero. The misunderstood monster who saves the day."
"So, the Hulk is a Protagonist?"
"Likely," Tony nodded. "A 'Tragic Hero,' maybe. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He's part of the pantheon. Which means..."
Tony's expression darkened.
"Which means I'll have to work with him. Or fight him."
A chill ran down his spine. Fighting a tank was one thing. Fighting a rage monster that could catch a tank shell with its teeth was another.
"We need a contingency," Tony said, his voice hard. "If the Hulk is a 'Hero,' he's a volatile one. We need a suit that can go toe-to-toe with him. Something big. Something heavy."
"A 'Hulkbuster,' Sir?"
"Catchy," Tony smirked. "Add it to the file. Mark... let's say, Mark 44. We'll get there eventually."
He dismissed the Hulk footage and turned to the other names in the diary. The ones that scared Lucas Chen.
The Ancient One.
Kang.
"Lucas didn't seem afraid of the Hulk," Tony mused. "He mentioned him as a danger, sure. But he's terrified of the Ancient One and Kang. He's afraid they'll find him."
"That implies a higher level of threat," Jarvis analyzed. "The Hulk is a physical threat. These two... they represent an existential threat. Surveillance. Dimensional awareness."
"Guardians," Tony deduced. "If Lucas is an intruder in this reality—a 'Traveler'—then these two are the immune system. They protect the timeline."
"I have been searching for 'The Ancient One,' Sir," Jarvis interrupted. "Most results are irrelevant gaming lore or generic fantasy tropes. However... I found something in an digitized anthropology archive."
A holographic document floated into view. It was an old scan of a crumbling text, written in Sanskrit and Tibetan.
"This is from a study on Himalayan folklore," Jarvis explained. "It references a 'Guardian of the Kamar-Taj.' A sorcerer known as the 'Ancient One' who protects the Earth from 'extra-dimensional demons.'"
"Sorcerers in the Himalayas," Tony rubbed his goatee. "Magic again. Just when I get used to super-science, we pivot to Dungeons & Dragons."
"It gets more specific, Sir. The text claims this entity has lived for centuries. The locals revere them as a deity, but the text describes them as a teacher. A Master of the Mystic Arts."
"Centuries old. Dimensional protector. And Lucas is afraid of attracting their attention," Tony connected the dots. "It fits. If I were a multidimensional trespasser, the first person I'd hide from is the guy whose job description is 'Dimensional Border Patrol.'"
"And Kang?"
"Nothing on Kang yet," Jarvis admitted. "The name is too common. Kang is a surname. It could be anyone."
"Keep digging," Tony ordered. "If Lucas is scared of them, I need to know why. And I need to know if they're on my side."
He looked out the window at the sprawling city.
"Hulks. Sorcerers. Time Travelers. And me, a guy with a wrench and a ego."
Tony Stark grinned, the thrill of the challenge surging through him.
"This is going to be one hell of a movie."