Shin was right. The entire Iron Man trilogy could essentially be seen as Tony Stark's revenge story except it wasn't Tony Stark taking revenge, but others seeking revenge on him.
In the first Iron Man movie, it was Obadiah Stane, an older figure who was practically an uncle to Stark, who caused trouble for him.
Of course, most of it was driven by profit, but to say Obadiah targeted Tony Stark so intensely without any personal resentment would be hard to believe.
The revenge of the Russian inventor in the second film wasn't directly Stark's fault, but it was a mess left behind by his father, who had a similar personality. Even setting that aside, beyond being competitors, didn't Justin Hammer harbor a personal grudge against Stark?
In the third movie, the backlash from the man enhanced by the Extremis virus was entirely Stark's fault. If he hadn't left a devoted fan waiting all night in the cold on a rooftop, only to disappear into a hotel room with reporters, Killian might not have ended up attempting suicide only to return later as a villain, creating chaos for Stark.
Captain America's solo films were about saving the world. Thor's focused on his relationship with Loki. But Iron Man's solo movies? They were always about someone coming after him.
"A genius like me never lacks admirers... or enemies. It's perfectly normal for some stranger out there to hate me," Tony Stark muttered bitterly.
However, noticing the cold stares from Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, he quickly raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay... I apologize. I know I was a jerk. But at least tell me why!"
"Let's head to the town first," Shin interrupted. Tony gestured at the tattered Iron Man armor he was still wearing. "Are we seriously walking in like this?"
Shin extended his hand and immediately absorbed all the Iron Man armor into the dark dimension, leaving only the Arc Reactor. "How about now?"
"That's wild... What even is that ability? That black mist sucked away the hammer too, right?" Stark asked in awe, but Shin had already turned away, heading toward town.
It was a typical small town in the New Mexico wilderness full of gossip-prone locals where even trivial matters spread like wildfire. If Thor had passed through, he would have left a lasting impression. It should have been easy to gather information.
Sure enough, Shin quickly confirmed that Thor had never been there.
Considering SHIELD had already arrived, albeit a little late, their trained agents would have discovered Thor's presence if he had shown up. In all likelihood, he would already be in SHIELD custody by now.
"So, that guy must've gone the other way. And still no word about Thor's hammer?" Shin frowned, deep in thought. While he himself wasn't tired, the others showed clear signs of fatigue after a long night.
With no major hotels in town, Shin found a modest roadside motel for the group. He also hoped this would prompt them to have a proper conversation.
Inside one of the rooms, Shin stood with arms crossed, leaning against the door. His eyes remained alert. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver sat on one side of the room, while Tony Stark took the other.
Shin had to keep a close watch on Wanda and Pietro. Everyone knew how loose Tony Stark's mouth could be. If he provoked the siblings, Shin might need to intervene.
But in reality, Shin was overthinking it. Tony Stark understood the value of knowing when to back down.
And in truth, Tony was pretty good with young people. In the original timeline, he wasn't particularly sharp-tongued when speaking to Spider-Man or even to Wanda and Pietro.
The feud between the twins and Stark had a very straightforward origin. They were born in Sokovia, a small, war-torn country in Eastern Europe where rival warlords constantly battled for control.
Initially, Wanda's family lived a relatively peaceful life. But when the conflict escalated, a missile, manufactured by Stark Industries, struck their home. It crashed through the ceiling but failed to explode.
Wanda and Pietro, just children at the time, spent two or three days trapped in the ruins, staring at that unexploded missile.
Living in terror, powerless, and on the edge of death, the experience left them with deep psychological scars.
As a result, the two harbored immense hatred toward Tony Stark, the man behind the missile that had nearly destroyed their lives.
"I want to clarify something the missile made by Stark Industries would never fail like that!" Tony declared passionately. "Someone must've faked one of our designs!"
"I'm Tony Stark. I would never manufacture defective products!"
Wanda and Pietro exchanged glances, unsure whether to believe him.
Shin's expression remained neutral as he interjected, "This isn't about the missile. This was the fault of the warlords."
"Whether that missile was produced by Stark Industries or imitated by someone else, blaming the weapons manufacturer for this is misguided."
Though Tony Stark had been an arms dealer, he was comparatively ethical at least relative to others in the same field. Unlike many, he didn't deliberately instigate wars, nor did he supply both sides, arming the weaker one to keep conflicts going indefinitely.
Honestly, by arms dealer standards, his actions could almost be called saintly. Most others deserved a firing squad.
And let's not forget, even without Stark Industries, would the world lack weapons? The missile that hit Wanda's house would've just had a different label. The result wouldn't have changed.
"It's like a bank being robbed, and instead of going after the robbers, people blame the gun manufacturer. Completely ridiculous," Shin said plainly.
Wanda opened her mouth but hesitated, then finally sighed. "The warlords in Sokovia have changed three times since then. We can't take revenge on a bunch of corpses."
"Right," Shin said with a shrug. "Then it's just bad luck for Tony Stark. Since you couldn't find the true culprits, you took it out on him."
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