Superman in Marvel: Multiverse Ascendant

"Ah, I remember now!" Tony feigned realization. "So, you can travel to other worlds?"

"Yeah, that's right." Leon ignored Tony's act—he had clearly just forgotten.

"Oh my God, you're a little genius. You just proved the theory of parallel worlds!"

Tony's initial shock shifted to genuine excitement. "When you travel again, you have to take me with you!"

"And if you're looking for kryptonite, I'm coming too!" he added, grinning mischievously. "At the very least, when you're weakened by it, I'll have a chance to kick you a few times."

Leon was used to Tony's awkward way of showing concern. After a moment's thought, he didn't outright refuse. "We'll see."

"Alright, let's put the power-seeking talk on hold for now."

Seeing that Tony was about to say something else, Leon changed the subject. "Let's head back inside. We need to talk about the things I've wanted to do since I got back."

Half an hour later.

Leon and Tony sat around a workbench in the lab. Tony, dressed in a bathrobe, grew more serious as he listened.

"There are three things I want to accomplish now that I'm back." Leon raised a hand, as if counting off crucial targets.

"First, dealing with Obadiah. That's done. I kept telling you something was off about him, and now we have proof."

"Second, taking down the Ten Rings. They kidnapped you, so I'll wipe them out. That starts tomorrow."

"Third, uncovering the truth behind our parents' deaths."

Tony, who had been following along, suddenly stiffened. "The truth? What truth? They died in a car accident."

Leon couldn't just say outright that he already knew the culprit—Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier. He had no evidence. Besides, Bucky was just the weapon. The real enemy was Hydra.

"I've always had doubts," Leon admitted, folding his hands under his chin. "If it was just a car accident, why was I, the most vulnerable one, the only survivor?"

"Leon, it was because the car caught fire. They were trapped. You were thrown clear, wrapped in a baby blanket," Tony explained, his voice steady despite the unease creeping in.

Yet, deep down, a part of him wanted to believe Leon.

Maybe he had been waiting for someone to tell him, Your parents' deaths weren't an accident.

Eighteen years ago, he had been away, in the middle of a bitter fight with Howard. When the news came, his first thought had been that he should head back home—eventually. He had been too angry to return right away.

Then came the official notice.

Everything changed in that moment. He had wanted to rage, to lash out at himself, at the world, at the cold words on that sealed paper.

Over the years, he had buried the pain, telling himself he had moved on. But maybe, just maybe, he had been waiting for someone to tell him it wasn't over—that there was someone to blame.

If that were true, then he could seek justice. No—vengeance. And perhaps, in doing so, he could finally let go of the guilt and anger festering beneath his playboy persona.

But Tony wasn't a fool. He had learned the hard way that truth mattered more than revenge.

Afghanistan had taught him that much.

"That's what the official reports say," Leon acknowledged. "But what if there's another possibility?"

He met Tony's gaze, his voice unwavering. "A baby should've died in that crash. The impact alone should've killed me. The blanket wrapped around my neck could've strangled me. But the person who staged the accident—the one who walked away—had no idea that I had Kryptonian blood."

Leon had never understood how he survived.

The Winter Soldier was a machine—a weapon that didn't fail. It made no sense that he had botched the job.

But after awakening his Kryptonian heritage, Leon realized the truth.

It wasn't Bucky's mistake that saved him.

It was the blood in his veins.

Even before his powers awakened, his biology had made him just tough enough to survive.

His words hit Tony like a thunderclap.

"You… you mean…" Tony's head was spinning, the implications crashing down on him.

Leon pressed on, ignoring his reaction. "When I was younger, I thought it was just paranoia. The reports were clear. The accident was confirmed by multiple investigations. Why question it?"

"But after awakening my abilities, I realized something—I knew the truth all along. My subconscious had accepted it. I just hadn't been able to put it into words."

Leon's super-intelligence had allowed him to piece together fragments of early memories—faint impressions from before he could even talk.

Memory, after all, was just electrical signals stored in the brain. Before the age of one, his neurons hadn't fully developed, making it impossible to form coherent recollections. But the subconscious? That was another matter.

Even without concrete memories, something deep inside him had always known.

Leon's tone shifted. "Since I got back, I haven't stopped investigating. And now, I have proof."

Tony shot to his feet, eyes wide. "Are you serious?!" His voice was raw with barely contained emotion.

Leon nodded, his expression grave. "I heard them. With my super-hearing. The ones responsible… are still out there."

Tony's breath hitched. "Who?" His tone was sharp, filled with cold fury.

Leon finally gave him the answer.

"Hydra."

Tony recoiled as if struck. "That's impossible! Hydra was wiped out decades ago. They're history."

He wanted to believe Leon. He already did.

But accepting it meant accepting that the world wasn't what he thought it was.

And for the first time in a long while, Tony Stark wasn't sure if he was ready for that truth.

...

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