Starting from the top to deal with Hydra was indeed remarkably effective, but likewise, choosing hard mode from the start meant being prepared for extremely troublesome enemies.
These snakeheads were no pushovers either. Their vigilance was extraordinarily high; at the slightest sign of trouble, they went silent across all channels and vanished along with both their people and the evidence.
What was more, before disappearing, they did not forget to trip Stark up a little. In the past few days, Stark Industries' stock had fallen considerably, Pepper was under immense pressure, Stark himself was facing even worse public opinion, and Obadiah had to clean up after him.
Although the technical methods were advanced, the enemy was on another level. If they fought head-on, Stark still had ways to deal with them, but these people simply refused to confront him directly. The moment they heard the slightest disturbance, they ran.
Thus, Stark found himself in the predicament of catching rats. If he wanted to catch them, he had to personally dig into their nests, but would that not mean falling into Steve's trap again?
In short, whether they destroyed strongholds from below or targeted leaders from above, both methods had their flaws. Stark realized this as well. Just as Banner had said before, perhaps only by joining forces could they solve these problems at their root.
So, although Stark ultimately sat there with a reluctant scowl on his face, he and Steve still sat down at the same table. With Peter and Matt mediating, the two of them were finally able to sit down and talk calmly.
In the original comics, Iron Man and Captain America had once enjoyed a honeymoon period. That showed that they were actually quite compatible in certain ways, which was why they both felt a little