The high-altitude duel between technology and primal biology reached a fever pitch as the Lizard glided toward Tony Stark, his claws extended like jagged obsidian knives. But as he drew closer, the triangular Arc Reactor in Tony's chest didn't just glow—it pulsed with a blinding, rhythmic intensity. The sudden spike in thermal energy sent a literal shiver down the Lizard's scaly spine. For the first time since his transformation, Dr. Curt Connors felt the cold, sharp hand of a life-threatening crisis squeezing his heart.
The monster's primitive instincts screamed for him to retreat, but physics is a cruel mistress. Suspended in mid-air with no leverage, the Lizard did the only thing he could: he whipped his massive, muscular tail around in a desperate, wide-arc strike aimed at the Mark VI's head.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
The Lizard's momentum halted instantly. Below him, the Spider Trio had finished their frantic reloading. With a level of coordination that felt almost telepathic, Peter, Huang Liang, and Ghost Spider fired three reinforced web-lines simultaneously. Each line latched onto the Lizard's tail from a different angle, pulling taut and locking the monster in a three-way tug-of-war. He was anchored in the sky, a thrashing green target with nowhere to go.
"Not bad, kids! Nice to see you're finally paying attention in class!" Tony shouted, his voice echoing through the street.
The Unibeam erupted from his chest with a terrifying hiss. The high-concentration photon blast encountered almost zero resistance, burning through the air and punching a cauterized, smoking hole directly through the Lizard's torso. The beam didn't stop there; it slammed into the asphalt below, melting the road into a bubbling pool of glass and slag.
Tony hovered for a moment, the heat venting from his armor in visible waves. "See? I told you. Aiming is much easier when the target isn't moving. Now, let's wrap this up. I want to see what this thing really is—and if it's connected to those green-skinned idiots who tried to remodel my house last time."
"Tsk," Huang Liang and Peter Parker both frowned, but they kept their mouths shut. They were used to Tony's "Billionaire Genius" persona. It was like dealing with a grumpy uncle who also happened to be a walking artillery battery.
Ghost Spider, however, wasn't part of the fan club. She landed on a nearby ledge, her white hood fluttering as she glared up at the gold-and-red suit. "Hmph! You're welcome for the assist, Tin Man. If we hadn't spent twenty minutes softening him up and pinning him down, you'd still be chasing your tail up there. Try showing a little gratitude before you start taking bows."
Tony's lips curved into a smirk behind his HUD. "Ooh, a sharp-tongued one. What do they call you? Spider-Woman? Or are we going for something more '90s like Arachna-Girl?"
"It's Ghost Spider," Gwen retorted, her voice cold. "And don't forget it."
"Right, right. You don't like the boy wonder here. Got it," Tony said sarcastically, gesturing toward Peter. He then descended toward the motionless heap of the Lizard. "He's not a mutant, you know. Scans show a messy, forced genetic rewrite. This is high-level bio-engineering gone wrong. It warrants a very thorough investigation..."
Peter and Gwen both flinched, instinctively leaping back a step. The word "investigation" coming from a man with a private army and a thirst for data sounded a lot like "dissection" to them.
"Whoa, easy there, Tiger and... Ghosty," Tony chuckled, noticing their tension. "Why the long faces? Do you think I'm going to put you in a petri dish? I'm not that suicidal. If I tried to examine you two, that Huang Wen guy would probably tear my suit open like a can of sardines just to see what makes me tick."
Across the city, sitting comfortably in the Wing Chun school, Huang Wen let out a soft chuckle. "Well, at least he knows his place," he murmured to himself.
Huang Wen hadn't been watching the battle through some mystical crystal ball. Instead, he had tasked his "Silly Girl" AI and the Puppet to create a global supernatural tracking grid. The moment the Lizard crawled out of the sewer, a silent alarm had pinged in the dojo. He hadn't intervened because he knew his students needed the "grind." If he solved every problem with a flick of his finger, Huang Liang would never become a true master.
He was, however, genuinely surprised by Gwen Stacy's appearance. He didn't remember a "Ghost Spider" being in the original MCU timeline, but then again, this world was already a blender of realities. "If Belle can run a gym and Logan can be a bodyguard, I guess a girl in a white hoodie isn't that far-fetched," he shrugged, taking a sip of tea.
Suddenly, Huang Wen's eyes sharpened. His perception, far more accurate than any Stark sensor, felt a flicker of life from the street. "Oh? Tougher than he looks..."
CRACK!
In the street, the "dead" Lizard suddenly exploded into motion. His tail, thick and powerful, slammed into Tony's midsection before the billionaire could even finish his sentence. The Mark VI was sent flying like a discarded toy, crashing through a storefront window in a shower of glass.
"Warning! Armor integrity at 79%!" Jarvis's voice was frantic in Tony's ear. "Internal hemorrhaging detected in your left side, sir. I strongly suggest we terminate this engagement with extreme prejudice."
"I... I got it, Jarvis! Shut up!" Tony groaned, pulling himself out of a pile of mannequin limbs. He felt a sharp pain in his ribs. He'd come in as the hero, and now he felt like a chump who'd been caught monologuing.
"You lizard monster down there! I'm giving you one chance to surrender. You've turned a public street into a disaster zone. Surrender now, or death will be the only mercy I offer!"
The voice didn't come from Tony. It didn't come from the Spiders. It was a woman's voice—commanding, resonant, and echoing with an authority that seemed to vibrate the very air.
Huang Wen, still watching from afar, nearly choked on his tea. "No way... Did she really come back now?"
Floating in the sky, illuminated by a faint, golden-purple aura of cosmic energy, was a woman with short blonde hair and a suit that looked like it belonged in a star-chart. It was Carol Danvers. Captain Marvel.
The "Strongest Avenger" had arrived.
Tony Stark stared through his HUD, his jaw dropping as he watched her hover effortlessly without a single thruster or jetpack. "Another woman? And she can fly? Seriously, are there any male heroes left, or am I just the diversity hire?"
Carol turned her head slightly, her eyes glowing with a faint, terrifying light. Her hearing was sharp enough to catch Tony's mutter from a hundred feet away. "Do you have an issue with women in the workplace, Stark? Or do I need to drop you back into that storefront?"
Tony's heart skipped a beat. He went into an immediate "triple-denial" mode. "No! Not at all! Big fan! Love the glowy eyes! It's a great look!" He instinctively felt the same "survival alarm" he felt when talking to Huang Wen. This woman was dangerous in a way that technology couldn't quantify.
"Sir," Jarvis's voice was hushed, almost reverent. "My sensors are failing to find the upper limit of her energy output. It's... it's limitless. She makes the Arc Reactor look like a double-A battery."