New York.
Anton, the mastermind behind the splintering of the Illuminati and the conflicts between Tony and Captain America, couldn't help but applaud as he watched the thrilling scenes unfold on the screen in front of him.
"Brilliant, just brilliant!"
Anton realized that he had not underestimated Tony.
This godfather of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was using his unique abilities to create miracles.
After being repeatedly beaten down by Batman and the Justice League, Tony had finally emerged from a period of silence with a force not to be underestimated.
An Iron Man army.
Equivalent to fifty Iron Men, that is, fifty superpowered beings.
This was a result that satisfied Anton.
Even the strongest superhero team in the public eyes, the Justice League, could not assemble fifty superpowered beings.
Not even twenty.
This indicated the terrifying force of the Iron Man army led by Tony — only second to the time when the Super Skrull, Kalrt, led an army of Super Skrulls in an attempt to conquer Earth.
"No wonder Tony now has the confidence to stand against the Justice League and contend with Batman."
Anton pondered.
Given Tony Stark intelligence and resources, building such a team was not unimaginable.
"Bucky is as good as dead..."
Anton seemed to see through the outcome.
With Tony relentless fury, there was no reason for Bucky to survive this confrontation.
Although Tony would pay a price for this, that was a concern for later.
As Anton contemplated, the standoff between Tony and the others on the screen was not paused by his thoughts.
After the arrival of Tony Iron Man army.
The tension escalated.
Everyone understood that facing a fully committed Tony Stark, even with the whole special forces united, it would be hard to completely resist the enemy assault.
Unless, nearby stationed military forces were deployed to forcefully suppress the situation.
However, this would undoubtedly trigger national turmoil.
Many people, hearing this news, furrowed their brows and began to weigh the pros and cons.
The White House.
The President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, among other officials, had quickly gathered.
"We underestimated Tony Stark rage this situation is beyond reconciliation now," said John keller.
"Either we deploy the military to stop this battle, or we abandon Bucky to realign with Tony, or…"
He paused, looking at everyone in the room.
Suddenly.
The President spoke up, "Or, should we ask for help from the Justice League?"
"Yes."
John keller nodded. "According to our agreement, they will not stand idly by."
"If that the case, then it up to you," said the President, nodding.
John keller stood up, took out his phone, and walked aside to call Anton.
A few minutes later.
He returned to the President side, his expression grim.
"What happened?"
The President sensed something ominous.
"Anton didn't answer."
John keller felt the situation growing more complicated. "Without Anton, I can't contact the Justice League."
What was most troubling was that he didn't know whether Anton failure to answer was intentional or not.
If it was the former, then the situation was far from simple.
At the special forces headquarters building, a new battle had already begun.
In the sky.
The fifty Iron Man soldiers stared down at all the members of the special forces, their eyes emitting a dangerous glow.
Without waiting for Special Forces Commander Hawk to give an order, Tony initiated the attack.
Captain America and Bucky faces fell.
Even War Machine, Rhodes, felt a sinking feeling in his heart, realizing the situation was irreversible and that he had still underestimated Tony determination for revenge.
Boom!!
Two missiles emerged from the transformed launchers on his back.
Tony faced the missiles head-on, releasing decoy flares to detonate them prematurely.
Amidst a loud boom, flames and thick smoke once again enveloped the area in front of the special forces building, covering the entire open ground.
This time, however, it was Tony Stark who emerged from the thick smoke.
He moved directly towards Captain America and Bucky, his actions decisive and lethal without a hint of hesitation.
Captain America wielded his shield, fighting back with all his might.
Bucky swung his metal arm, covered with synthetic skin that felt almost like a real limb, attempting to counterattack, but Tony easily blocked it.
After being beaten down by the Justice League, Tony power had far surpassed his own at this point in the original storyline.
Fighting against two was not a challenge for him.
On the contrary, it was Captain America and Bucky, who were collaborating against Tony, that felt the struggle.
At that moment.
War Machine, Rhodes, who had intended to assist Captain America and Bucky, was also stopped by the Iron Man army descending from above.
"You've got to be kidding?"
Rhodes looked around and realized that none of the fifty Iron Man soldiers surrounding him appeared weaker than him.
On the contrary, he, painted like the American flag, seemed to be the least technologically advanced among them.
"Tony, you really didn't have to do this to me," Rhodes lamented internally.
"Jarvis!"
He knew who controlled these Iron Man soldiers, so he tried to reason with the AI with whom he had a good relationship.
"How about a compromise? Just one soldier to fight me, how does that sound?"
"Sorry, Mr. Rhodes."
Jarvis responded, "I don't have full control over these soldiers. Ultron controls the other half, and Mr. Stark has instructed us to at least incapacitate you to prevent interference."
"Damn it!"
Rhodes, feeling helpless, activated his suit power, releasing a strong burst of energy and shooting up into the air.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Seven or eight Iron Man soldiers chased after him.
The remaining forty-plus Iron Man soldiers, under the control of Jarvis and Ultron, confronted the entire special forces team head-on.
Commander Hawk and all members of the special forces, seeing the Iron Man soldiers hovering in mid-air, silently swapping out various weapons, glanced at each other.
"General Hawk, good day, I am Jarvis, Mr. Stark AI butler."
Jarvis suddenly spoke.
"Mr. Stark does not wish to cause unnecessary bloodshed. Therefore, if you are willing to cease hostilities, we can wait for this event to conclude."
"Otherwise, we will proceed to neutralize all members of the special forces."
"Not one will be spared!"
Jarvis emotionless, mechanical voice transmitted through the communicators worn by the special forces.
Although the broadcast station had been sabotaged, Jarvis, with his capabilities, could naturally connect to their communicators to issue this warning.
Hawk remained silent for a moment.
Many members of the special forces exchanged glances, readying themselves for battle.
However.
"Cease fire, do as he says."
Hawk sighed, halting the actions of those around him: "We have no place in this battle."
"Why?"
"General, are you afraid?"
"General, we are not afraid to die!"
The faces of Duke and others darkened.
"No."
Hawk shook his head: "We can't change the outcome, there no need for unnecessary sacrifices... Let leave the battlefield to those three Tony has already shown restraint."
As Hawk said,
Tony, though reckless, indeed showed restraint.
With his fifty Iron Man soldiers, it wouldn't have been difficult to annihilate the special forces or even take over the city if he chose to.
Hawk recognized this, which is why he ordered his men to stand down.
He did not want to sacrifice lives needlessly.
Despite Bucky, codenamed White Wolf, being a new member of the special forces, sacrificing one to save the whole team was a necessary decision from a strategic standpoint.
Originally from a military background, Hawk wasn't someone who prioritized benefits above all.
However, now as the commander of the special forces, he had to be responsible for the safety of all his members.
Sacrificing the entire team to save one, Bucky, was not permissible.
"Bucky, White Wolf…"
Hawk exhaled, watching Bucky and Captain America, who were engaged in fierce combat with Tony, and finally decided to stand by and watch.
Both Bucky and Captain America understood Hawk reasoning.
During World War II, they often made similar decisions.
This was entirely understandable.
At least, whether sacrificing any one of them could save the entire team, they were willing to make that sacrifice.
However, Hawk decision, though anticipated by Tony, also drew his mockery.
"It seems you aren't as beloved as I thought."
Tony sneered.
He revealed his trump card for this very scenario.
The military sheltered Bucky simply because they saw a benefit in harnessing his capabilities and in trying to draw in Captain America.
As long as the benefits were sufficient, the military would naturally abandon them.
Therefore, no matter how much chaos Tony caused or how public it became, once he could offer more assistance and support to the military, he naturally had the means to extricate himself smoothly.
The display of the Iron Man soldier legion he showcased was his offer of limitless possibilities to the military.
Tony was certain.
If he provided the military with the technology to produce Iron Man soldiers, they would inevitably overlook any negative impacts from today events and welcome him back as a VIP.
This would compensate for the military lack of superhumans and perfectly offset the loss of Bucky and Captain America.
In this era, the roles of Bucky and Captain America were different from those in World War II.
In a time of peace.
Combat effectiveness is important, but deterrence is even more critical.
A free individual not driven by orders versus one hundred percent compliant Iron Man soldiers – the more valuable asset is clear.
Hearing Tony taunts, Bucky and Captain America both grimaced.
They understood Tony tactics but could find no countermeasure, only continuing to fight in hopes of escaping the situation.
Of course, that was impossible.
Tony had already laid a trap throughout Washington, ensuring that even if they left this area, he could find them instantly.
Moreover, they couldn't escape from him.
Boom!!
Tony threw a punch at Captain America.
The vibranium shield, under Tony furious and fully-powered fist, dented slightly.
Captain America was shocked.
The next moment, Tony spun around, propelled by a blast of air, moving as fast as lightning to face Bucky.
This time, Tony movements were even more ruthless than when he faced Captain America.
His hand morphed into a dagger.
The dagger whistled through the air.
The sharp sound exploded next to Bucky ear.
Captain America, seeing this, was horrified.
"Bucky!"
He shouted a warning: "Watch out!"
"Hmph."
To prevent Captain America from interfering, Tony transformed his back, launching a Sidewinder missile to stop Captain America in his tracks.
Then, his attack on Bucky continued unabated.
Bucky clenched his teeth and raised his metal arm to block.
Clang!!
The sound of metal clashing echoed across the open area.
Under the watch of hundreds of eyes, Tony transformed dagger severed Bucky forearm.
"What?!"
"Look, his hand…"
Under the shocked gazes of the onlookers, they noticed that Bucky arm wasn't damaged instead, it gleamed metallically.
The synthetic skin on his arm had peeled off.
Bucky metal arm was now fully exposed.
His identity was completely revealed.
Although the members of the special forces were opposed to Tony, apart from Hawk, the commander, they weren't fully aware of the details of the situation.
They only knew that an enemy was attacking.
And the enemy was none other than the once universally admired superhero, Iron Man, Tony Stark.
"Who really is this White Wolf guy?"
"General, you must know something, right?"
Duke and others looked towards Hawk.
"He was the Winter Soldier."
Hawk sighed, realizing there was no point in hiding it any longer, "His real identity is actually from the last century, Captain America Steve Rogers wartime buddy and childhood friend, Bucky Barnes."
"What?"
"Bucky Barnes… the war hero?"
The members of the special forces looked at each other in confusion.
Honestly, they were even more baffled by the truth and didn't know what to say.
Of course.
In the heat of battle, Tony, Bucky, and Captain America paid no attention to their discussions.
Tony, having just severed Bucky metal arm, pressed his attack, forcing Bucky to continually backpedal, barely managing to defend against Tony relentless onslaught.
However, Tony combat style was not limited to melee.
While he didn't wish to kill in his fight with Captain America.
With Bucky, his intent was to kill.
Therefore.
His armor transformed to unleash a barrage of weaponry at Bucky at no cost.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
As Bucky dodged the melee weapons transformed from Tony armor, bullets and shells shockingly launched towards him.
Thud, thud, thud!
Bullets pierced his body, causing him to falter.
Following that, shells exploded on his body, tossing him into the air like a rag doll, engulfed in the fire and shockwaves caused by the explosions.
"No!!"
Captain America let out a pained roar.
Unmoved, Tony locked onto Bucky figure amid the black smoke and fire, activating his laser beam emitters.
Red lasers crisscrossed through the smoke and flames until Bucky body reappeared in everyone view.
However, as one might expect, Bucky was by then reduced to a mangled mess.
His body was completely obliterated.