The First Meeting of Iron Man and Captain America

"I've never met a more annoying guy. I'd bet my life that if he were on the battlefield, his commanding officer would have shot him countless times already!"

Steve paced back and forth in the middle of the living room in Schiller's psychiatric clinic. With his hands on his hips and fists clenched, he loudly voiced his opinion, looking like an enraged Mighty Lion, his military bearing fully displayed.

Steve said, "I really should have given him a body slam, see if that damn metal shell of his is as brittle as glass!"

The reason Steve was so angry all started last night…

Last night, Peter had finished his final exams. Of course, he was itching to roam around New York. He'd been cooped up for weeks studying and was desperate for the feeling of soaring through the cool evening breeze above the city.

But recently, his relationship with Gwen had been heating up fast. After the exams, Gwen naturally invited him to a party. Gwen felt Peter was a bit too reclusive and should interact more with his classmates, so she insisted on dragging him along to the post-exam celebration.

Peter really wanted to be a superhero, but the allure of a beautiful woman was too strong. He truly liked Gwen too much. In the end, Peter agreed to Gwen's invitation, and the two happily went to the party.

Schiller wasn't the only one who could have predicted Spider-Man would be out and about after his exams; the genius Tony Stark was also looking for him.

Stark had a legitimate reason for seeking out Spider-Man. Peter's self-developed web-shooters had shown Stark his research potential. He planned to talk to Peter, inviting him to intern at Stark Industries during his break. Stark would also make him a new Spider-Man suit along the way.

Although Stark was arrogant, he knew his limits. He understood he couldn't fly his Iron Man armor to Spider-Man's school; that would be too shocking. So, he was waiting for Peter to finish his exams and come out to wander, planning to meet him again above New York City.

His plan was going well, but unfortunately, someone else looking for Spider-Man happened to run into him.

Captain America could leap between buildings without the aid of webs. He wasn't like that hot-headed kid Peter. Captain America's strength had been tempered through countless battles, and his control over his body was stronger than anyone else's.

Before he could find the kid Schiller mentioned swinging around, he saw a flashy gold and red mech fly towards him.

Steve stopped on the rooftop of a tall building. The mech hovered in mid-air, and a voice came from the opposite side:

"Look, another little hero from who knows where. Isn't one swinging spider-kid in New York enough? What's your code name? Aryan Superman?"

Steve said, "I thought people in modern times would be more polite. So, who are you? A steel warrior in a turtle shell?"

"You don't even know Iron Man? Where are you from, an ancient relic? Don't tell me you're blinded by the brilliance of my cool mech, haha."

Iron Man was indeed quite famous in New York at the moment. Although Stark's rescues were often simple and brutal, his armor was incredibly cool. Countless bystanders had recorded Iron Man's heroic figure, and there was even a small group of fans who had organized a website, making him quite well-known across America.

"I am indeed an ancient relic," Steve said.

"But at least you should know how to be polite. Before speaking, shouldn't you tell me your name first?"

Stark didn't mind revealing his true identity because he could tell the person in front of him also possessed special abilities. After all, ordinary people couldn't leap more than ten meters.

Since they were both in the same line of work, there was no need to hide anything. He said, "As you can see, I am Stark. Besides being the owner of Stark Industries, who else could develop such a powerful mech?"

Steve's expression suddenly changed. He said, "You are Stark? …Your surname is Stark?"

"Then what's your relationship with Howard Stark?"

The mech in front of him descended, and he said, "Don't mention that name to me, you weirdo. What does that have to do with me?"

"You have no relation to him, yet you inherited Stark Industries…" Steve's expression became even stranger.

Before Stark could continue his taunts, he was hit by a tremendous force and sent flying backward.

Indeed, Captain America was not like the current Spider-Man. In the comics, he had shattered Stark's mechs more than once. Stark's current mech hadn't undergone multiple modifications and upgrades yet, and Iron Man was far from his peak. But Captain America, he always remained at his peak.

Sparks flew from inside the Mark V, and Jarvis issued an emergency alarm. Stark was shocked and tried to control the mech to break free. He had never encountered such a monster. Steve's strength made the advanced metal alloy exterior as brittle as cookies.

Steve grabbed him by the waist and pinned Stark to the ground. Then, he swung his fist, shattering the mech's faceplate in a few blows. Jarvis frantically issued alarms, and Stark yelled in anger, "Electric shock, now!"

Jarvis said, "An overload current will cause the mech to be scrapped."

"I said, activate the electric shock now!"

With a loud bang, the Mark V emitted bright electrical sparks all over. Steve was directly blown away, and Stark fared no better; he was ejected by the mech's emergency system and fell to the ground.

Both of them were blackened and their hair stood on end from the electric shock.

"You damn thief!" Steve said.

Stark said, "You lunatic! Why did you suddenly attack? I don't even know you!"

"But I'm friends with Old Stark!"

Steve quickly got up, grabbed Stark by the collar, and said, "How did you get Stark Industries? Where did Howard's descendant go? What did you do to him?"

Jarvis suddenly said in Stark's ear, "According to the micro-expression analysis logic provided by Mr. Schiller, there might be a huge misunderstanding here."

Stark shut off his earpiece with a flick of his wrist. "Do we still need to read micro-expressions in this situation?!"

He looked at Steve. Even with his collar grabbed, he shook his head proudly and said, "I suspect you don't understand English. When did I say I had no relation to Howard…"

Steve looked at him with the expression one would give an idiot, as if he were a forgetful Alzheimer's patient.

"Damn it! I said it, but I didn't mean it like that!"

Stark averted his gaze and reluctantly admitted, "He's my father, but my genius creations have nothing to do with him…"

Steve flicked his hand forward, throwing Stark to the ground with a yelp.

Steve crossed his arms and said, "You're nothing like Howard. Your father was a valiant warrior, and you… do you know how annoying you are?"

Indeed, Stark's arrogance was ingrained in him. No one would think he was easy to get along with upon seeing him.

Stark sat up and said loudly, "Are you suffering from hysteria? How could you possibly know my father? Is it from a past life?"

Steve couldn't be bothered to explain. He had come out tonight without meeting his target, only to encounter Howard's descendant. Moreover, his old friend's descendant seemed to have gone astray, which made Steve very annoyed.

Suddenly, Steve heard the sound of wind, but being immersed in thought, his reaction was a bit slow. A suit of armor directly grabbed him and rushed out, throwing him down to the building below.

This height wouldn't kill Captain America. Steve, after landing, rolled a couple of times, and then saw Stark on the rooftop looking at him with a mocking expression. Then, the new armor equipped itself onto him. The faceplate lifted, and Stark said, "It seems you might indeed have been friends with my father. After all, my friends wouldn't be as slow to react as you are."

After saying that, he flew away.

Angered, Steve slammed his fist into the ground.

And so, the scene unfolded of Steve in Schiller's psychological clinic, furiously cursing Stark.

If Stark were just a stranger, Steve certainly wouldn't be so angry. But he had fought alongside Howard. Thinking that the son of an old friend had become like this, Steve felt both angry and a little ashamed, believing he hadn't fulfilled his duty to educate him.

After Steve left, Coulson called Schiller.

"Dr. Schiller, I have to admit, my previous compliments might have been polite formalities, but now they are absolutely genuine."

"Captain has suddenly become full of vigor. Right after returning, he went to the training room and took down over a dozen coaches. Director Nick spoke with him about preparing a special operations team, and he agreed immediately. He even requested that the agency prepare a special training room for him."

"My God, Captain America, he's been reborn!"

Schiller smiled and said, "The emotions that drive people to be proactive and strive forward don't necessarily have to be a sense of responsibility or lofty ideals. It could also be anger."

Coulson said, somewhat confused, "Captain does seem a bit angry. What happened to him? Did he run into any trouble?"

"He does have a bit of a minor problem, but it's not something you can solve."

With that, Schiller hung up the phone. His doorbell rang. Peter, wearing his school uniform jacket and carrying his backpack, opened the clinic door and waved at Schiller, saying, "Hey! Doctor, you absolutely won't believe what an amazing party I just attended..."

Schiller sized him up. Peter had clearly been drinking and had likely just come from a party. He probably didn't dare go home with the smell of alcohol on him, so he ran to Schiller's place. Schiller said, "You should really thank Stark. He took a beating for you..."

Spider-Man looked utterly bewildered and said, "What?"

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