The Marvel Superman

New York—on a private island off its coast.

Howard Stark was vacationing on this secluded island with his wife, Maria. The reason for choosing this particular retreat was evident—just look at the tiny figure crawling around on a picnic blanket nearby.

Yes, that was Howard Stark's child. At over seventy years old, Howard had finally become a father, and he cherished this child immensely. You read that right—Howard Stark was indeed in his seventies, though anyone unaware of his true age would assume he was in his thirties. Those who knew him, however, understood that his life had been nothing short of legendary.

During World War II, Howard had been involved in the Super Soldier Project and was a close friend of Captain America. Together, they left behind countless wartime legends. While Howard primarily focused on providing equipment for Captain America and the Howling Commandos, his contributions earned him significant recognition.

The secret behind Howard's youthful appearance lay in a serum he had developed by studying Captain America's blood. Though not as potent as the original super-soldier serum—lacking the ability to transform an ordinary person into a superhero—it did significantly extend one's lifespan.

Unfortunately, when Howard injected the serum into himself, he fell into a month-long coma. The military and the Stark family held the research team responsible, leading to their execution, and all related data was destroyed. When Howard finally awoke, there was nothing he could do. At the time, the serum seemed ineffective, but years later, after discovering the Tesseract and conducting further research, he realized that the serum had actually worked—the coma had been caused by an energy deficiency. However, with all the research lost, Howard chose to keep his findings secret, knowing the catastrophic consequences if such a serum were mass-produced.

Thanks to the serum, Howard's aging process slowed dramatically, almost as if his body remained in a state of suspended animation. Though he didn't gain Captain America's superhuman abilities, he could live significantly longer—a fact that thrilled him. As an inventor, his greatest fear was having ideas but not enough time to bring them to life.

For a long time, Howard was content with his work, but about a decade ago, a new concern arose—he had no heir. He was still human, and he didn't want his life's work to end with him. While he didn't know how much longer he would live, he understood that death could come unexpectedly. This realization led him to step away from his lab and seek a partner.

Fate was kind. Five years ago, he met his future wife, Maria. At the time, she wasn't Maria Stark—she was Maria Collins Carbonell. The rest was simple: using his signature charm and charisma, he quickly won over the then-campus beauty. Within a month, they were married.

Now, the little bundle of energy crawling around was their one-year-old son—adorable, with brown hair and eyes—Tony Stark. One could only imagine Howard's emotions when Tony was born. So, when Maria mentioned that Tony was getting restless being cooped up at home, Howard immediately dropped everything and brought his family to the private island. This trip was all for Tony.

Maria noticed her husband had drifted into thought and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Is something urgent at the company?"

Howard snapped out of it, kissed his wife, and replied, "No, not the company. I was just looking at this little guy and remembering my past."

Maria chuckled. "Oh? The famous playboy Howard Stark reminiscing about life? That doesn't sound like you."

Howard laughed. "You're right. I should be focusing on the present. Look—our son is staring at me." He lifted Tony and gave him a kiss.

Tony, unimpressed, immediately burst into tears, making Howard awkwardly pass him back to Maria.

She rolled her eyes and took the baby. "You really should trim your beard; it's scratching him."

Howard grinned. "Ah, my bad. I was supposed to shave yesterday, but my research reached a critical point, and by the time I finished, it was already morning."

Maria gently rubbed his face. "You need to take better care of yourself."

Howard smirked. "I will. Oh, look, our little guy is smiling again."

Maria sighed softly. She knew she couldn't change Howard—he was a man born for science. He was charming and romantic when not working, but once engrossed in research, he became completely absorbed. Today's picnic was only happening thanks to Tony.

Time passed peacefully, and the day slowly came to an end. Maria, cradling their sleeping child, leaned against Howard, her eyes half-closed, a soft smile on her lips. She was clearly content. Howard glanced at her, a hint of guilt in his eyes. He knew he had been neglecting her lately, but once he got lost in his work, he lost track of time. Instead of saying anything, he simply held her close, enjoying the rare tranquility.

Suddenly, a sharp whistling noise shattered the serene moment. Howard's eyes snapped open, and he frowned. He saw a massive fireball streaking across the sky, hurtling directly toward the island. A loud crash followed as it impacted the nearby forest.

"Waaaaahhhh—!"

The deafening noise woke Tony from his dream—a dream in which he had been surrounded by adorable baby girls. Discovering they had vanished, he voiced his displeasure with an impressive wail.

Howard quickly refocused and said to Maria, "Stay here with Tony. I've already called Jarvis—he'll be here soon. I'll go check it out."

Maria bit her lip but nodded. "Be careful!" She knew she couldn't stop him, so she didn't argue.

Howard smiled, kissed his wife and son, and then rushed toward the forest.

It didn't take long for him to reach the crash site. There, in the middle of a smoking crater, he found something utterly unbelievable—a small child, no older than two, wrapped in a red cloth. The boy's bright blue eyes gazed up at him.

Howard was stunned. He had expected a meteorite, drawn by the scientist's innate curiosity about the unknown. But instead, he found a living, breathing child—an unharmed infant who had just fallen from the sky.

A soft giggle snapped Howard out of his shock.

Looking at the child, he smiled slightly. "You're lucky, kid. A few years ago, or a few years later, I might have taken you straight to a lab for research. But things are different now. From today on, you're my son."

With that, he stepped into the crater and picked up the child.

Strangely enough, the baby showed no fear of strangers. The moment Howard lifted him, he let out a cheerful laugh. Any lingering doubts Howard had vanished at that moment—he couldn't let anyone else discover this child.

As he held the boy, Howard noticed the red cloth was actually part of a uniform. Examining it closely, he saw that it was a skintight blue suit with a flowing red cape, much like Captain America's costume but featuring a large S emblem on the chest.

Howard's eyes narrowed. "Looks like you're no ordinary child. Hmm… if this is a uniform, where's the rest of your gear?"

He glanced around and soon found a pair of dark red boots nearby.

After collecting everything, he took out his phone and called his butler. "Jarvis, come alone. I need you here."