-Broadcast-
Tony stepped fully into the street, his mind already calculating tactics. "Friday, evac anyone south of 43rd Street. Notify first responders about the threat."
Behind him, Strange walked forward, his hands wreathed in golden magical energy. The dust and debris still swirled through the air from the ship's downdraft. Strange gestured with both hands, and the magic swept outward, pushing the dust cloud away and clearing their line of sight.
Tony glanced back, impressed despite himself. The guy had skills.
Strange caught his look and gave him a slight wink.
Tony turned back to face forward, allowing himself the briefest smile before his expression hardened again.
From the spacecraft, a beam of light shot downward—a transport beam. Two figures materialized on the street in front of them.
The first was tall and thin, with elongated features and fingers. His skin was gray, and his eyes held an unsettling intelligence. Robes flowed around him as if moved by an invisible breeze.
The second was massive—easily eight feet tall, built like a tank, carrying an enormous war hammer that looked like it weighed half a ton.
Tony's eyes narrowed as he continued walking forward, undaunted by their size.
The thin one—Ebony Maw—spoke, his voice smooth and condescending. "Hear me, and rejoice. You are about to die at the hands of the Children of Thanos. Be thankful that your meaningless lives are now contributing to—"
"I'm sorry," Tony interrupted, his tone flat. "Earth is closed today. You better pack it up and get out of here."
Ebony Maw's attention shifted to Strange, ignoring Tony entirely. "Stonekeeper. Does this chattering animal speak for you?"
Strange stepped forward, his hands moving in precise gestures. Twin golden shields—Tao Mandalas—materialized before his hands, spinning with mystical energy. His voice was calm but firm.
"Certainly not. I speak for myself." The shields flared brighter. "You're trespassing in this city and on this planet."
Wong moved to stand beside Strange, forming his own magical shields.
Tony added helpfully, "That means get lost, Squidward."
Ebony Maw turned to his companion with a disgusted expression. "He exhausts me."
Cull Obsidian—the Black Dwarf—responded in a guttural alien language, the words incomprehensible but clearly aggressive.
"Bring me the stone," Ebony Maw commanded.
Cull Obsidian grunted again in his alien tongue, then began walking forward, dragging his massive war hammer behind him. The weapon scraped across the asphalt, leaving a deep groove.
Tony didn't move. Instead, he called back over his shoulder. "Banner, you want a piece?"
Banner looked uncomfortable. "No, not really. But when do I ever get what I want?"
"That's right," Tony agreed.
Banner closed his eyes, concentrating. "Okay. Come on, big guy..."
His skin began to turn green around his neck, the transformation starting—
Then it stopped. The green faded back to normal skin tone.
Banner's eyes snapped open in confusion. "I gotta... I need to concentrate here. Come on, come on, man!"
Cull Obsidian drew closer, casually swatting aside a parked car with his hammer. The vehicle flipped through the air and crashed into a storefront.
Banner strained harder, veins standing out on his forehead and neck. But the Hulk refused to emerge.
"God," Banner muttered.
Tony glanced back, concerned. "Where's your guy?"
Banner threw up his hands helplessly. "I don't know. We've sort of been having a thing."
"There's no time for a thing," Tony said urgently.
"I know!"
Banner tried again, his face contorting with effort. Nothing happened.
Strange and Tony exchanged a look, then both turned to stare at Banner.
Tony's expression was pained. "Dude, you're embarrassing me in front of the wizards."
"Tony, I'm sorry," Banner said desperately. "Either I can't or he won't—"
"It's okay," Tony said, making a decision. He put his hands on Banner's shoulders and physically moved him aside. To Wong, he said, "Hey, stand down. Keep an eye on him. Thank you."
Wong nodded, moving to position himself protectively near Banner.
Banner looked down at himself in frustration. "Damn it."
-Real World-
"Why? Why doesn't Hulk come out? Wasn't he fine in Asgard?" Tony frowned and looked at Banner.
Banner also looked confused.
Rocket raised an eyebrow and said, "Could it be that he became a coward after being beaten by Thanos?"
Banner's face immediately turned green, and Hulk appeared and yelled at Rocket: "No!!!"
"Whoa! Whoa!" Everyone jumped back, startled. Strange's Cloak of Levitation immediately wrapped around him protectively, lifting him into the air.
Fortunately, Hulk only appeared for two seconds before turning back into Banner, who fell to the ground.
Banner climbed up and complained, "God! You can't just come out like that!"
Then his face turned green again. "Hulk is never afraid!"
Banner tried to placate his alter ego. "Okay! Okay! No one said you were scared!"
Natasha studied the situation thoughtfully. "I think it's because he hates Earth! Remember his conversation with Thor on Sakaar? Earth hates him, and he hates Earth too, so he's unwilling to work for the people of Earth!"
Captain America nodded. "Yeah! That makes sense!"
-Broadcast-
Cull Obsidian broke into a run, his massive frame thundering toward them.
With Hulk refusing to help, Tony stepped forward himself.
He grabbed the zipper of his jacket and pulled. The garment immediately contracted, becoming skin-tight. Then Tony tapped the arc reactor on his chest.
Nanoparticles exploded outward in a metallic wave, flowing across his body like liquid mercury. Within seconds, they formed armor plates, joint actuators, repulsors—a complete suit.
Tony pulled off his sunglasses just as they too dissolved into nanoparticles and integrated into the helmet forming around his head.
The Mark 50—bleeding-edge nanotechnology armor—was fully deployed.
Cull Obsidian brought his hammer down in a devastating overhead strike.
Tony shifted his stance, and nanoparticles immediately flowed to his left arm, forming a large shield. The hammer struck the shield with tremendous force, but Tony's stance and the shield's design dispersed the impact. His feet barely moved.
The shield dissolved back into nanoparticles the instant it was no longer needed.
Tony countered with a punishing uppercut, his armored fist connecting with Cull Obsidian's jaw. The alien stumbled backward, caught off guard by the force.
Tony didn't give him time to recover. Four small repulsor cannons emerged from his back, floating independently on thruster jets. His palm repulsors expanded, forming larger cannon barrels.
Cull Obsidian roared and charged again.
Tony fired everything at once.
Six beams of concentrated energy converged on Cull Obsidian, the combined force lifting him off his feet and hurling him backward through the air.
As the massive alien flew toward Ebony Maw, the sorcerer simply waved his hand with casual grace. Telekinetic power caught Cull Obsidian and redirected his trajectory, sending him crashing into a line of parked cars instead.
The alien plowed through multiple vehicles before finally coming to rest atop a pile of crumpled metal.