Tony Stark never imagined that Norman Osborn would barge into the plan he had just finished coordinating with Peter Parker.
Peter had already disconnected the communication link. Left in the dark as to whether this was part of the kid's arrangement, Tony chose to simply brace himself and draw as much of Kingpin's attention as possible.
"Me, partners with him? No, no, no." Tony maintained that signature nonchalant smirk. "I mean, I'm Iron Man, which makes me sound like I'd be tight with Batman... but I don't know the guy."
Kingpin's massive frame loomed over Tony, completely eclipsing the light from the crystal chandeliers above and casting a heavy shroud of shadow. Tony could even see the lines of muscle bulging beneath the strain of Kingpin's tight white suit.
"Is that Daredevil?" Kingpin asked, closing in on Tony step by step.
Kingpin was exuding pure malice, his entire body tensed as if he truly intended to take Tony Stark down right here, in the middle of a crowded victory gala.
Tony's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively took two steps back.
Kingpin refused to yield an inch. For every step Tony retreated, Kingpin stepped forward, maintaining a distance of less than a meter between them. To the surrounding photographers, this scene was gold; the air filled with the frantic clicking of shutters.
Just as Tony's mind was racing to find a way out, a hand pressed against Kingpin's chest, halting his forward momentum.
Tony turned his head. The man intervening was, once again, Norman Osborn.
An inexplicable sense of security rose within Tony as he watched Norman Osborn hold Kingpin back. Veins bulged on Norman's hand, and for a fleeting moment, they seemed to pulse with a faint, ghostly hint of green.
"Do you really want to stand in my way?" Kingpin curled his lip at Norman, revealing rows of stark white teeth.
Norman Osborn met Kingpin's gaze. His mouth split into a wide grin, looking up to return the smile.
Half of his face was illuminated by the chandelier light, while the other half remained submerged in Kingpin's shadow. As Norman's lips pulled back, his slightly crooked teeth gave him a ghastly, sinister appearance.
"Mr. Stark doesn't seem to have any substantive evidence of your illegal activities, Kingpin. But you seem to have forgotten—I do."
"How did you frantically buy up shares from the board while my Oscorp Industries was in turmoil? You should know the source of that money better than I do... and it just so happens I kept a portion of the evidence."
Kingpin froze for a split second, staring at Norman Osborn's eerie, terrifying face.
Though he was an old man with hair turning white and one foot in the grave, Norman Osborn's chilling aura at that moment utterly shattered Kingpin's own display of raw power.
"That was evidence from the past. I have since turned over a new leaf and become a legitimate businessman," Kingpin said, practically clinging to the phrase "legitimate businessman" as he did whenever he needed a shield.
"It seems you haven't truly reformed at all." Norman's grin stretched nearly to his ears, his eyes crinkling into a wicked, unnatural angle.
From Tony Stark's perspective, he almost doubted whether it was humanly possible for a person's features to contort the way Norman's did.
"Let me introduce myself formally: I am the head of Oscorp Industries, Norman Osborn. You'd best reach out and shake my hand, or the newspapers tomorrow will be nothing but scandals."
Norman extended his hand. Kingpin hesitated for a second, glanced at the eager photographers surrounding them, and took it.
Norman's smile deepened. He gripped Kingpin's hand tightly and pulled him closer, narrowing the gap between them. To the photographers, it looked like the two were sharing an intimate embrace.
Lowering his voice to a whisper, Norman Osborn finished the final sentence of his introduction:
"Also, I have another identity you might have heard of."
"...They call me the 'Green Goblin'."
In an instant, Kingpin's pupils dilated. Beside them, Tony Stark—who had been straining to listen—wore a look of sheer disbelief.
Aside from Batman himself, almost no one in the outside world knew that Norman Osborn was the Green Goblin—the madman who had bombed the Manhattan Police Department, slaughtered the scientists on the third sub-level of Oscorp, and driven the Spencer family to their deaths.
Even someone as well-informed as Tony only knew that Norman had been committed to a psychiatric hospital in the northern suburbs recently for mental health issues. He had no idea the Goblin was Norman himself.
Tony Stark's hand, hidden behind his back, began to tremble slightly—not out of fear, but tension. He was holding a remote trigger. If the Green Goblin and Kingpin started a fight, Tony planned to summon his Mark VI armor immediately.
Kingpin's eyebrows knitted together. Looking at the sheer evil radiating from Norman Osborn, he knew the man wasn't lying.
"We could join forces. You have the identity of the Green Goblin and Oscorp; I have government-backed policies. We could—"
Kingpin's first instinct was to recruit Norman. But he was cut off before he could finish.
"No, no, no. I have no need to cooperate with you. My goal isn't to be some 'Underworld Emperor' like you. To be honest, your ambitions strike me as somewhat laughable."
This blatant mockery caused Kingpin's burgeoning thought of alliance to vanish instantly.
"Laughable? ...Wait, how do you know—"
Kingpin stopped mid-sentence. He could neither deny his goal of becoming the Kingpin of crime in New York, the U.S., and the world, nor could he admit to it. No matter how he answered, Norman Osborn would have the leverage.
The situation fell into a stalemate once again, only this time, Kingpin was the one in the crosshairs.
Tony Stark knew he had to do something. He couldn't let the Green Goblin and Kingpin continue this standoff; he had to step up.
"Listen to me," Tony began. "Kingpin..."
The moment Tony spoke, Kingpin snapped his head toward him. This time, there was no hesitation.
"I will release Luke Cage and Jessica Jones."
With that, Kingpin turned and walked away. The guests and waiters along the path scrambled to make way, watching as Kingpin threw open the heavy doors of the gala hall, climbed into a parked Land Rover, and sped off.
Only after Kingpin's car had completely vanished from sight did Tony Stark look at Norman Osborn. Tony's hand remained behind his back, not relaxing even slightly after Kingpin's departure.
Kingpin was gone, but a much greater threat remained: Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin.
"You needn't worry." The Goblin gave Tony a faint smile. He then discreetly hitched up his suit trouser leg, allowing Tony to see a metallic band around his leg glowing with a green light. On the band was a pitch-black Bat-symbol.
"Like Kingpin, I am currently a legitimate businessman. And I am nowhere near as stupid as he is," Norman Osborn said.
Tony Stark stood frozen, feeling his worldview take a massive hit.
"You're... Plan B?"
Norman Osborn smiled thinly, leaving Tony behind as he walked away.
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