"Your Majesty?!" T'Challa shot up in shock. Would he really become king in the future? That meant something had happened to his father!
"Father!" Shuri turned to her father, her expression filled with concern.
T'Chaka gave her a calm nod, signaling that she need not worry. He had always known that death was inevitable, but he hadn't expected it to come so soon. Based on Spider-Man's apparent age, he could roughly deduce the timeline of the events unfolding on the screen.
At most, he had four years left to live. The cause of his death was unknown, but given his strength and the enhancements from the heart-shaped herb, it was unlikely to be from disease. Murder was the most probable explanation.
Combining this with what Scott had mentioned about multiple assassins and Steve Rogers's warning about the super soldiers, he quickly pieced together a theory: he would be assassinated. Perhaps Bucky Barnes was responsible, or maybe he was wrongly accused. Either way, T'Challa would inherit the Black Panther mantle and embark on a mission to track down the killer.
Realizing this, T'Chaka began considering whether it was time to establish an alliance with the Avengers. He was no longer certain that Wakanda could remain untouched by the growing chaos in the world.
Meanwhile, Tony Stark, still en route to find Wanda and Pietro, furrowed his brows at the sudden appearance of Black Panther. Who the hell is this guy? Is he a king?
Because T'Challa was fully suited in the Black Panther armor, Tony couldn't recognize his voice. His curiosity was piqued—especially about the suit itself. What kind of technology was he using? Could he analyze it and replicate it in advance?
[Tony had no patience left to listen to Steve Rogers's explanation. With an exasperated sigh, he muttered, "Alright! I'm done with this! Underoos!"]
[The moment he gave the signal, a web shot out and latched onto Steve Rogers's shield, yanking it away. In an instant, Spider-Man's webbing also wrapped around Steve Rogers's wrists, binding him.]
[Spider-Man landed gracefully, looking straight at Steve Rogers. Tony smirked approvingly. "Nice job, kid."]
["Thanks! But—uh—my landing wasn't ideal! Still getting used to this new suit! But hey, these are minor issues, Mr. Stark! The suit is amazing! Thank you!"]
[The moment Spider-Man started talking, his chatterbox personality was in full force. Tony, already regretting letting him speak, rolled his eyes and cut him off.]
["Yeah, yeah—let's not get sidetracked."]
["Right! Captain! I'm Spider-Man! Big fan!" Peter Parker finally introduced himself, giving a clumsy salute.]
[Steve, taken aback by the unexpected recruit, didn't immediately respond. Tony, however, waved him off impatiently. "Yeah, yeah, introductions later!"]
"Wow! What an entrance! That was smooth!" The first-generation Spider-Man looked at his younger counterpart with admiration. Why did all the new Spider-Men have such cool moves?
Compared to them, he looked old-school! He suddenly felt the urge to come up with a flashier way to make an entrance in the future.
Gwen Stacy from his universe giggled at his frustration. She hadn't expected her Peter, usually so reserved, to be this concerned about his image.
Covering her mouth, she laughed for a long time before finally stopping. The first-generation Spider-Man shot her a look of mock resentment. His slightly pouting expression made Gwen think he looked adorable.
Meanwhile, Aunt May looked at the youngest Peter Parker with amusement. "Peter, I didn't expect you to talk this much when you got older," she said, teasing him.
Little Spider-Man blushed furiously and, unable to come up with a response, buried his face into Aunt May's embrace.
["You look pretty busy," Steve Rogers remarked dryly, watching Tony and Spider-Man interact.]
[Hearing this, Tony immediately shot back, "And you're a complete idiot—for dragging Clint into this mess!"]
["You took Wanda from the one place she felt safe! I'm trying—"]
[Tony let out a deep sigh, rubbing his temples in frustration. Finally, he glared at Steve and said, "I'm trying to stop you from tearing the Avengers apart."]
[Steve met his gaze steadily. "You divided us when you signed."]
[Tony exhaled sharply, holding Steve's stare for a long moment before turning away. "Alright. That's enough."]
[Then, in a quieter voice, he gave one last warning. "You need to bring Barnes here and leave with us. Now. While we still have control over this."]
[His voice dropped, more urgent. "Otherwise, a Joint Special Operations Command team will be dispatched—and they won't hold back."]
[Steve remained silent, looking off to the side. Tony clenched his jaw and whispered, "Please." He didn't want to fight Steve. Who would willingly fight a friend—a brother—after everything they had been through?]
[Just then, Sam's voice crackled through Steve's earpiece. "We found it."]
[While Tony had been arguing with Steve, Sam had been quietly deploying a drone to locate the Quinjet. "It's in Hangar 5, north runway."]
[Hearing this, Steve suddenly raised his hands in surrender. Tony narrowed his eyes in suspicion just as Clint fired an arrow from the distance.]
[The arrow struck the webbing binding Steve's hands, snapping it instantly. Realizing he had been tricked, Tony immediately activated his helmet and spun around.]
["Action, Lang!"]
[Out of nowhere, something the size of an ant crawled onto Steve Rogers's shield. Spider-Man sensed something and turned his head. "Wait—something's—"]
[Before he could finish his sentence, Scott suddenly enlarged, kicked Spider-Man away, and grabbed the shield before landing firmly on the ground.]
["What the hell?!" Rhodey's eyes widened in shock. "What is that?!"]
[Scott turned to Steve and held out the shield. "Here you go, Cap."]
"What the hell was that?!" Scott Lang (from the audience) was utterly baffled. He recognized his own voice—but he hadn't expected to be that powerful!
Not only could he shrink to the size of an ant, but he had taken back Captain America's shield right out of Spider-Man's hands. And that was Spider-Man! Anyone familiar with him knew just how strong and fast he was.
Hank Pym was just as surprised. He had never met Scott Lang before, but he instantly recognized the suit. The Ant-Man suit!
Hope van Dyne, upon seeing Scott in the suit, immediately thought of her mother. She turned to her father, a questioning look in her eyes. "Did you give him that suit?"
Pym shook his head. He had no idea how Scott had gotten it.
This sparked yet another heated argument between the father and daughter, ending in another tense standoff between them.
Meanwhile, Darren Cross, Pym's former protégé, had been watching closely. He had long suspected Pym was hiding something from him—but this was proof.
So there really was another Ant-Man suit.
And now, some nobody named Scott Lang was wearing it.
The realization fueled his determination. He had already been planning to oust Hank Pym from Pym Technologies. Now, he just needed to figure out how to convince Hope to side with him.
At the same time, other viewers were processing the situation.
Someone in the audience frowned. "That Ant-Man guy… I feel like I've seen something like this before."
Others were more focused on the real issue.
"What did Tony sign?" someone muttered. Steve Rogers seemed convinced that the signature had caused the Avengers to split. Could it be that significant?
If so, then this document might be the direct cause of the Avengers breaking apart.
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