Superman in Marvel: Multiverse Ascendant

When Leon entered the laboratory, he found nothing special—just a few Arc Reactors and a stack of DC comics on Tony's desk.

Even Tony wasn't here.

"Tony?" He looked around. "Where are you?"

Leon's super hearing wasn't always on, just like Superman in the movies.

He had to concentrate and block out most external noise to enjoy a quiet world.

Getting no response, Leon tilted his head slightly, listening for movement.

"Turns out he's in the garage… but why does it sound so noisy?"

When Leon found Tony in the basement, he had dark circles under his eyes but looked energetic.

Tony was wearing mechanical shoes with exposed wires, holding controllers in both hands while directing his "little assistants."

"Stupid, keep recording. Daidai, move over there—yes, right there. You're in charge of fire suppression."

Then Tony stepped onto his makeshift experimental platform and took a deep breath.

"Alright, let's try this. Activating 10% thrust… preparing for takeoff. Huh…"

Rolling his shoulders, he steadied himself. "Okay… three, two, one!"

He pressed the control device, and a powerful jet of flames burst from the iron shoes.

Whoosh!!

The thrust sent Tony rocketing into the air—

Bang!

—where he crashed hard into the ceiling.

"Argh!" Tony cried out, then fell to the ground.

A nearby robotic arm detected the impact and immediately sprayed fire suppressant over him.

Leon tilted his head, watching Tony get covered in white foam. "Oh, that's gotta hurt."

Hearing his voice, Tony groaned and turned his head, wincing. "Leon? Come help me—I think I just cracked a rib."

Leon sighed. "Here it comes… Next time, maybe ask Daidai to prepare a crash pad."

He stepped forward and helped Tony into a chair, scanning him. "Good news—just some scrapes. You can go back to your extreme sports now."

"That wasn't extreme sports," Tony grumbled, rolling his eyes. "I'm building the Mark II armor."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "So, your second suit of armor is… a pair of shoes? Do you expect people to aim at your feet? Newsflash: your shoes aren't Captain America's shield."

"Of course not! I'm testing the propulsion system. Once I refine this, the whole thing will be much more efficient."

Tony scoffed and added smugly, "Not that you'd understand. Ordinary people with average grades don't grasp the logic here."

Now it was Leon's turn to roll his eyes. "I got into Columbia University. Do you have some weird misconception about 'ordinary' people?"

"Oh? Really? Can't help it—I was already a graduate of MIT by your age, with three doctorates from Cambridge. I simply can't relate to common folk."

Tony waved dismissively. "Anyway, when you get to Columbia, you'll find your professors don't understand my armor either."

Leon smirked. "That's fine. I majored in business—my professors can at least understand the economic benefits of your armor."

Before awakening his abilities, Leon had planned for a corporate career, hence his choice of major.

But now, things were different.

He knocked on Tony's iron shoe. "That's the past. The present is now. Don't forget what power I awakened."

"Power? What power? You just get stronger by standing in the sun," Tony scoffed.

"It's Superman's power," Leon said firmly. "I have everything he has."

Tony made a dramatic face. "Oh, so you're telling me you're a Kryptonian now? And yesterday, your super-intelligent AI Kryptonian dad came to your house and told you to wear red underwear over your pants to save the world?"

He kept going. "Or maybe your Kryptonian cousin got a distress signal and is coming to arrest you tomorrow, and now you need my help?"

Leon sighed. "Tony, when did you get so full of childish theories? Of course I'm an Earthling! You ran tests on me so many times when I was a kid—shouldn't you know that?"

Leon was undoubtedly human.

Nineteen years ago, he had arrived in this world as a baby.

By chance, he was adopted by the Starks.

He had no memory of his first year, nor any knowledge of biological parents in this life.

But his appearance closely matched his previous life, and all medical tests had always returned normal results.

Everything pointed to him being a native of Earth.

"Also, you've been reading too many DC comics lately! There's no 'DC darkness' in our world," Leon muttered.

"So what are you getting at?" Tony asked, tilting his head.

"I mean, Superman has an ability called a super brain—and so do I."

With a super brain, engineering would come naturally to Leon.

He gestured at Tony's boots. "Which means I can understand your research. In fact, I can even surpass you."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Surpass me?" He scoffed. "Leon, April Fool's was months ago. Save the jokes for next year."

Rolling his eyes, he added, "And I don't recall Superman having a super brain. If he did, why would he always rush in and punch things first?"

Leon clicked his tongue. "Maybe his super brain tells him that in times of crisis, brute force is the fastest solution."

"Sounds more like a reckless brain," Tony quipped. "So, you still don't understand my armor."

Leon waved a hand. "Enough! This pointless debate ends here. People like you, who only read half the comics, are the worst. Finish reading Superman's stories before you argue with me!"

Before Tony could retort, Leon raised a finger.

"You—a mere mortal—say I can't understand your armor. Fine! Then let me prove you wrong. Give me one day, and your knowledge will be my knowledge."

He smirked. "And in three days, I'll build a better suit than yours."

Tony was no longer sleepy.

The one thing he couldn't tolerate was someone challenging his expertise—

—especially his stupid little brother.

"That's the funniest thing I've heard in 2008," he said.

His exhaustion vanished. He jumped from his chair and locked eyes with Leon.

"I accept your challenge."

With a confident smirk, he declared, "Human wisdom? I'll be taking that title back in three days."

"Follow me."

He strode back to his workstation, issuing commands.

"DUM-E, clean up the mess. U, fetch materials. Everyone else, standby—I'm designing a new jet system."

Leon narrowed his eyes, watching Tony's enthusiasm ignite.

His own competitive spirit flared to match.

"Jarvis, send all exoskeleton research to my StarkPad. I'll understand Tony's blueprints in half an hour."

"Understood, Master Leon," Jarvis replied.

Then, it added, "But, Master Leon, do you recall Ms. Pepper's earlier request?"

Leon blinked. "Pepper? What about Pepper? Not now."

He cracked his knuckles.

"Today, Tony will learn what a super brain really is."

...

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