Lucas had just returned to Earth, only to immediately stumble right into Tony Stark's self-destructive phase.
But wait, that didn't make sense. Tony Stark didn't have palladium poisoning in this timeline. He had never even been kidnapped in Afghanistan.
Then again, this was probably just Tony Stark's fundamental nature. He was a quintessential billionaire playboy. Ordinary hobbies simply could not stimulate him anymore.
Running off to drive a Formula One car wasn't some impulsive whim. He genuinely loved racing, and his driving skills were professional-grade.
What looked like a death wish to the public was just his daily dose of adrenaline. If he hadn't crossed paths with Ivan Vanko, the race would have been completely uneventful.
Curious, Lucas opened his laptop and did a quick search. Sure enough, news of Tony Stark turning a Senate hearing into a circus had been dominating the headlines recently.
During the Armed Services Committee hearing, Tony had mercilessly clowned the senators. He had also handed his corporate rival, Justin Hammer, a humiliating public defeat.
Tony likely never considered Hammer Industries a real threat. Hammer was a scavenger, constantly feeding on the scraps Stark Industries left behind. Yet, Justin Hammer delusionally saw himself as Tony's equal.
Hammer believed they were two sides of the same genius coin. He thought they were the defining minds of their generation. They had both inherited massive empires from their fathers. Hammer's logic was simple: Yes, Tony, you run Stark Industries well, but I am just as capable. We are rivals on the exact same tier.
Naturally, Tony Stark did not share that sentiment.
Watching Tony blatantly disrespect United States senators made Lucas sigh. This really was a capitalist country at its core. The billionaires were the true masters of the nation.
Of course, the power dynamic played a huge role. If it had been the President of the United States, even Tony wouldn't have been able to treat him like a performing monkey.
But as for Justin Hammer's petty little schemes? Tony just found them amusing. Hammer had manipulated senators into using "national security" as an excuse to steal the Iron Man armor technology.
Unfortunately for them, Tony was ten steps ahead. He had J.A.R.V.I.S. hijack the Senate's monitors, broadcasting Hammer's disastrous, bootleg attempts to replicate the Iron Man suits to the entire world.
Justin Hammer had become a global laughingstock.
Lucas found it hilarious. Where did Hammer even get the confidence to think he could catch Tony Stark off guard? Did he really believe he could force Tony to surrender his core proprietary tech?
Did Hammer not realize that the United States Congress leaked like a sieve?
Every major billionaire had a few senators in their pocket across both political parties. Nothing could ever be kept secret from the true shot-callers of the country.
Thinking back on the plot, Lucas could only view Justin Hammer as a total clown. He lacked Tony's raw talent, but more importantly, he lacked Tony's sheer willpower and mental fortitude.
He was just an average, run-of-the-mill capitalist. His ancestors had built a solid foundation, and if he had just managed it quietly, he would have lived a life of extreme luxury.
Instead, he chose to play with fire. He teamed up with Ivan Vanko, which ultimately led to him being chewed up and spit out with nothing left.
It perfectly illustrated a classic saying. Being incompetent isn't scary. What's terrifying is being completely incompetent, yet hopelessly addicted to playing the game. That toxic combination was the root cause of the ensuing disaster.
To be fair, Tony Stark engaged in plenty of self-destructive behavior too. All these top-tier billionaires shared similar traits. They had never lacked material wealth a single day in their lives, which bred psychological quirks that ordinary people couldn't comprehend.
The difference was that Tony actually had the competence to clean up his own messes.
Justin Hammer didn't. He couldn't even build a functioning missile. His infamous "Ex-Wife" bunker-buster was a complete dud, which directly contributed to Ivan Vanko's ultimate defeat. The missile possessed none of the kinetic power its data sheet promised. It couldn't even manage a basic detonation.
Looking at it from that angle, Hammer and Vanko were a match made in hell. They constantly dragged each other down.
"This is going to be interesting." Lucas smiled, a plan forming in his mind.
Even though Tony hadn't been captured in Afghanistan and didn't have a shrapnel-filled chest or an arc reactor poisoning his blood, he had still ended up in Monaco. The plot was correcting itself.
Normally, Lucas wouldn't have made it in time to watch the show. But things were different now. He decided he wanted a front-row seat to this pivotal Iron Man 2 event.
Lucas raised his hand and drew a circle in the air. Sparks flared, opening a Kamar-Taj portal that connected straight to Monaco.
The attention of the massive crowd was entirely focused on the racetrack. No one noticed Lucas stepping out of thin air.
Naturally, the Masters of the Mystic Arts had long anticipated the problems of public teleportation. They utilized a localized cloaking spell that caused ordinary people to subconsciously ignore their presence. It functioned almost exactly like a Muggle-Repelling Charm from Harry Potter.
It was Lucas's first time using the spell, but it came to him as naturally as breathing.
As Lucas stepped onto the sidelines of the Monaco Grand Prix, the deafening roar of engines and cheering fans washed over him. The crowd was absolutely ecstatic, their eyes glued to the speeding cars.
Having a billionaire celebrity of Tony Stark's caliber personally participating in an F1 race was an unprecedented spectacle.
Amidst the roaring crowd, Lucas activated his Super Vision. His eyes darted through the bleachers and pit crews, rapidly scanning for Ivan Vanko. A moment later, he spotted him. Disguised in an orange worker's jumpsuit, Vanko was locked onto Tony's vehicle.
The grand show was about to begin.
Aside from Lucas, no one in the arena realized that chaos was mere seconds away. Tony Stark's fateful nemesis had arrived.
Meanwhile, on the track, Tony was entirely focused on the race. Pushing the car to its absolute limits made every cell in his body sing with adrenaline.
The sheer, blinding speed allowed him to temporarily forget his crushing anxiety. For a few fleeting moments, he didn't have to worry about the future of the world. He didn't have to carry the weight of Earth's survival on his shoulders.
This was one of the few places he could truly let go.
To hell with the gods!
To hell with the aliens and the supervillains!
To hell with S.H.I.E.L.D.!
To hell with that bald pirate Nick Fury!
To hell with all of it!
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