-Broadcast-
Banner stared at the four repulsor cannons floating independently behind Tony, his scientific mind momentarily overriding his panic. "Where'd that come from?"
Tony turned slightly, a hint of pride in his voice. "It's nanotech. You like it? A little someth—"
Before he could finish, Ebony Maw raised his hand with a graceful gesture. The ground beneath Tony erupted, a geyser of pulverized concrete and asphalt shooting upward and catching Tony in its blast. He was hurled backward through the air.
Ebony Maw continued the assault, his telekinesis ripping trees from the sidewalk—roots and all. He flung them at the remaining three defenders like javelins.
Wong immediately stepped forward, his Tao Mandala expanding to massive size. The trees struck the magical shield and shattered into splinters.
Strange glanced back at Banner, making a quick decision. "Dr. Banner, if the rest of your green friend won't be joining us..."
He drew a circular portal in the air with swift hand movements. The gateway opened directly beneath Banner's feet.
Banner yelped as he fell through, tumbling out of another portal that deposited him in a nearby park, away from the immediate danger.
A taxi—sliced cleanly in half by Ebony Maw's telekinesis—fell through the portal after him. Banner rolled aside just in time to avoid being crushed.
Back on the main street, Strange and Wong refocused their attention on Ebony Maw. Strange's hands moved in complex patterns, forming defensive spells, preparing for the next attack.
Neither of them noticed Tony flying toward them from behind until it was too late.
Tony crashed into both sorcerers, sending them stumbling. Their concentration broke, and the magical constructs in their hands dissipated in showers of golden sparks.
A car hurtled toward them. Tony recovered first, firing a repulsor blast that knocked the vehicle off course.
Ebony Maw caught it with his telekinesis, slicing it neatly in two with an invisible force. The halves fell harmlessly to either side.
Tony looked back at Strange. "Get your wizard ass out of here!"
"No!" Strange's response was immediate and firm.
"Alright then," Tony said, and immediately rocketed toward Ebony Maw.
The alien sorcerer extended his hand, and chunks of concrete broke free from the street, forming into sharp spears. They shot toward Tony in rapid succession.
Tony weaved between them, his flight path erratic and unpredictable. Repulsors fired, destroying several projectiles. His body twisted and rolled, dodging the rest.
But while Tony focused on the immediate threat in front of him, he failed to notice what was happening behind Ebony Maw.
Cull Obsidian drew back his arm and hurled his war hammer. A long chain extended from its base, keeping it connected to the wielder.
Tony formed a blade from nanoparticles on his right arm and dove at Ebony Maw, going for a killing strike.
The hammer struck Tony from the side before the blade could land.
The impact was devastating. The hammer's momentum carried Tony completely off course, smashing him through the glass facade of a building, then out the other side. He crashed into the ground in a park area, the hammer still locked around his torso. His body plowed a deep furrow through the grass and dirt, finally stopping when he slammed into a tree trunk.
The chain went taut, and the hammer retracted, dragging back toward Cull Obsidian.
Banner ran over, breathing hard. "Tony, you okay? What's the play?"
Tony pushed himself up slowly, dirt falling from his armor. "Yeah. Really great plan. Why don't you try that bonding thing right now?"
"I'm trying! He's not coming out!"
A wall exploded outward in a shower of bricks. Cull Obsidian stepped through the hole, his massive frame silhouetted against the dust. He spotted Banner immediately and hurled his hammer.
"Look out!" Tony saw it coming, lunged forward, and shoved Banner aside.
Banner hit the ground hard and rolled. Tony launched himself into the air to engage Cull Obsidian directly.
He fired a sustained beam from his chest arc reactor. Cull Obsidian's hammer immediately transformed, nanoparticles—alien nanotech—reshaping it into a large shield. The beam refracted off its surface, splitting into multiple directions.
Tony circled Cull Obsidian, trying to find an angle. Each time he fired, the alien shifted his shield position, deflecting the beams. One refracted shot sliced through a nearby tree, and it began to topple.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Banner scrambled out from under the falling tree, barely avoiding being crushed.
He crawled free from the branches, his frustration boiling over. He started slapping himself in the face. "Come on, Hulk! What are you doing?! Come out! Come out! Come out!"
Half of Banner's face suddenly turned green. Hulk's eye appeared, and his voice roared from Banner's throat: "NO!"
Then the green faded, and Banner was alone again, lying in the dirt.
"What do you mean, 'no'?!" Banner yelled at himself.
-Real World 1st Gen Spiderman Universe-
"How tragic! Hulk refuses to help on Earth, so Dr. Banner has no fighting power!" Otto shook his head regretfully.
Peter heard this and said, "No! He now has a suit of armor! Tony Stark helped him research it! Didn't I tell you?"
"No! You didn't, Peter!" Rosie glanced at him pointedly.
Peter turned his head in surprise and looked at Gwen, who nodded in confirmation. He really hadn't told Dr. Otto about this.
"Tell us about that armor? Is it the same as Tony Stark's?" Otto looked at Peter with interest.
"Okay!" Peter then explained what he knew about Banner's armor from the battle with the Elemental.
But he didn't know that Banner's armor had been modified by Rocket and was very different from the one he had seen before.
-Broadcast-
Tony and Cull Obsidian continued their battle, trading attacks. The moment Tony's chest beam ended, Cull Obsidian shifted his shield back into hammer form.
He blocked a volley of micro-missiles with the hammer's head, then saw his opening. With a mighty swing, he caught Tony mid-flight and smashed him into the ground.
Tony hit hard, half his faceplate buried in dirt. His armor plowed a trench as momentum carried him forward.
Cull Obsidian didn't waste the advantage. He strode forward, raising his hammer for a finishing blow.
The hammer came down—
—and struck something that wasn't Tony.
A figure in red and blue had interposed himself between the hammer and its target, catching the weapon with both hands. The ground beneath his feet cracked from the force, but he held firm.
Spider-Man looked up at Cull Obsidian's surprised face. "Hey, man. What's up, Mr. Cull Obsidian, sir?"
He turned his head toward Tony. "Mr. Stark? You okay?"
Tony stared at Peter in shock. "Kid? Where'd you come from?"
"Field trip to MoMA—" Peter started to explain.
Cull Obsidian grabbed Spider-Man by the torso, lifted him like he weighed nothing, and hurled him across the park.
Peter crashed through a concrete barrier, bounced once, and slammed into the low wall surrounding a fountain. He lay there for a moment, dazed.
Cull Obsidian turned to pursue him, but a repulsor blast struck him in the back. His skin sizzled where the energy hit, and he stumbled forward a step.
Peter pushed himself up, already shooting webs toward Tony. "What is this guy's problem, Mr. Stark?"
Tony fired two more micro-missiles at Cull Obsidian—they barely fazed him—then had to dodge as the hammer came swinging at his head.
He flew in a circle around the alien, calling out to Peter. "Uh, he's from space. He came here to steal a necklace from a wizard."
Peter swung in on his web, winding up for a haymaker punch. "Oh!"
Before his fist could connect, Cull Obsidian's hammer caught the web line. He yanked hard, and Peter was jerked off course.
The alien spun in a circle, using Peter like a wrecking ball, slamming him repeatedly into the ground. Then, with a final swing, he released Peter.
Spider-Man flew through the air, tumbling end over end.