Naturally, the largest shareholders of this new Stark Industries were the governments of the UN Security Council's Big Five. Various secondary global powers held minor stakes. Nations below that threshold didn't even get a seat at the table.
The sheer scale of the forces currently backing Stark Industries was terrifying. Tony's status as the richest man on Earth was jointly guaranteed by the most powerful political entities in the world.
Tony took the lion's share of the profits, but the remaining dividends paid out to the shareholders were still astronomical. The global clean energy revolution hadn't even fully launched yet, but its future dominance was already set in stone.
The only reason Tony was allowed to hold so much centralized power was his irreplaceability. Any other CEO could be swapped out or assassinated, but Tony Stark was the sole pioneer of this technology. This was the exact reason the world's governments turned a blind eye to his vigilante activities as Iron Man.
But Lucas knew Tony's true troubles were just beginning.
Not only had Iron Man bled today, but a far greater geopolitical threat had emerged. A viable substitute had appeared.
Even if Ivan Vanko's reactor was incredibly crude and vastly underpowered, it was still a working product of the exact same era. Suddenly, Tony Stark was no longer the only man on Earth capable of building a miniature nuclear fusion reactor. Alternatives existed.
With alternatives on the table, Tony holding an absolute monopoly over all those unfathomable profits would suddenly make him a massive, glaring target for every greedy superpower on the planet.
Lucas sighed. Just thinking about the endless corporate warfare and political maneuvering gave him a headache. No wonder Tony aged so fast. He spent every waking moment battling vultures.
Lucas cast a profound look at the billionaire. Enjoy your ego trip while it lasts. You are about to learn what real trouble looks like.
"Alright, my work here is done," Lucas announced. He launched himself straight up into the sky, disappearing into the clouds in the blink of an eye.
"I will never stop being jealous of that," Tony muttered, staring at the sky with blatant envy.
At that exact moment, Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan finally broke through the crowd, sprinting over with the Mark V suitcase in hand.
To be fair, the entire confrontation had played out in a matter of seconds. Lucas had resolved the crisis before Happy could realistically react. They were only ordinary people. Expecting them to keep up with superhero-level combat speeds was impossible.
"No, this isn't going to work. It's nowhere near fast enough," Tony murmured, waving off the Mark V suitcase Happy held out to him.
He used to think the suitcase armor was a stroke of absolute genius. He thought it would be enough to keep him safe on the go.
Today's ambush proved him entirely wrong. If Lucas hadn't miraculously intervened, Tony likely would have died on that track. Relying on a bulky suitcase he couldn't realistically carry everywhere was a massive security flaw.
"What's the alternative?" Tony muttered to himself. He needed something drastically different.
"Nanotechnology."
The thought hit him like a lightning bolt. It was one of the most cutting-edge fields in modern theoretical science. Nanotech could flawlessly bridge this gap.
He could theoretically house millions of nanobots directly on his person. He could store them inside the Arc Reactor housing itself. When danger struck, the nanites could flow over his skin and assemble the armor in real-time.
"Wow. That is cool."
Tony was genuinely impressed by his own brilliance. As expected of me. An absolute genius.
It was the ultimate solution. A double-tap to his chest, and the suit would deploy in a matter of seconds. If he had possessed that technology today, Ivan Vanko wouldn't have stood a chance.
Of course, conceptualizing the tech and actually inventing it were two completely different realities. Given the current global progress in material sciences, achieving true nanotech armor bordered on pure science fiction. But Tony Stark was never one to be deterred by the impossible. If he lacked anything, it certainly wasn't raw talent.
"Are you okay?!" Pepper demanded, frantically checking Tony for injuries.
Once she was certain he wasn't hurt, she let out a massive, shaky breath. "Didn't I tell you to stop doing these dangerous stunts? What would we do if something happened to you?"
"Uh, honey..."
Tony had a notoriously sharp tongue and could debate anyone under the table, but seeing the raw, unfiltered terror in Pepper's eyes completely silenced him.
He could see she genuinely cared about him. In his world, that was incredibly rare. His immense wealth meant everyone pretended to care, but they were almost always just after his money or his tech. It made trusting people nearly impossible.
"Don't ever do something like this again! Stop making us worry," Pepper scolded, her voice cracking slightly. "You're not Superman! You don't have bones made of steel!"
"I know, I know," Tony replied, offering a sheepish, apologetic smile.
"But speaking of Superman, why didn't you stop him from leaving?" Pepper shifted gears, crossing her arms in annoyance. "You know I wanted you to get his autograph. You two are both superheroes, it shouldn't be that hard to ask!"
"My niece absolutely adores him," she continued. "She thinks he's the only true superhero for the common people."
"Well, I can only say your niece has terrible taste," Tony grumbled, his face instantly souring. "I am incredibly handsome and a literal genius. Why isn't she worshiping me?"
In every other field, Tony Stark was the undisputed number one. But in the superhero community, it infuriated him that Superman—Lucas's alias—had a vastly larger fanbase.
Lucas had no official PR team, no verified social media accounts, and never did press tours, yet his popularity never waned. The absolute mystery surrounding him only made the younger generation love him more.
It annoyed Tony to no end. Since when was he ever willing to settle for second place?
"Alright, alright," Pepper laughed softly, her anxiety fading as she watched the great Tony Stark get genuinely jealous over a little girl's crush.
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