Stark Industries' Hidden Predicament
"Oh, it seems that Stark Industries, whose market value is skyrocketing towards the top of the world, also has forces that you can't afford to offend. I thought you were fearless after daring to slap a four-star admiral." Henry said, pressing his face close to Tony Stark's.
Tony Stark said sourly, "After all, Stark Industries is a military-industrial complex, and the military is our only customer. If I don't want to sell weapons to street urchins or terrorists, I have to give the military some respect."
"Respect? Does it really exist?" Perhaps fueled by alcohol, or perhaps driven by deep resentment, James Rhodey spoke loudly and agitatedly. "Tony, I'm begging you, just show those generals a little more respect."
"Really, just a little bit more. For example, regarding punctuality, don't be more than an hour late. Honestly, the generals can tolerate that. After all, you are Tony Stark, an irreplaceable genius."
"But you can't just say you won't come. Do you know how many times I've stood at attention before those generals, my balls clenched, obediently listening to their lectures, all for your sake? Countless times! I can't even remember."
"K! K!" Tony Stark pushed James Rhodey's face, which was practically touching his nose, away and blurted out, "Next time, next time I'll definitely be on time. I won't stand people up."
James Rhodey wasn't satisfied with Tony Stark's promise. Instead, he turned to the person sitting to the side and asked, "Pepper, do you remember how many times Tony has made this kind of assurance to me?"
"Colonel Rhodes, if we have to keep track of this kind of thing, do you know how much more work I'll have?" Virginia Potts, who was serving Catherine Hepburn and the others, didn't look away and added ruthlessly.
Henry, already seated with his legs crossed and sipping champagne, looked on with curiosity, as if he'd just heard some gossip. "Hammer Industries has a powerful background? What If...? you dislike them that much, based on their market capitalization, you could easily kick them out with a simple acquisition."
Tony Stark looked disgusted and didn't want to talk about it. James Rhodey, however, was completely uninhibited, as if he wanted to get it off his chest. "Hammer Industries is generally considered a low-end version of Stark Industries."
"Perhaps we ourselves will choose weapons from Stark Industries, but weapons procurement isn't just for the U.S. military. Where do the weapons for democratic struggles around the world, secretly supported by the United States, come from?"
James Rhodey's remarks are essentially an admission that the United States instigates conflicts around the world and supports "pro-American" individuals in resisting local governments or suppressing anti-American forces. However, whether these pro-American individuals are truly close to the United States is debatable.
Tony Stark, due to his fastidious nature, was unwilling to sell Stark Industries ' weapons to organizations that were no different from terrorists. So, the orders naturally flowed to other companies, such as Hammer Industries.
"Although Hammer Industries ' weapons were of poor quality, weak in power, and of questionable durability, such foreign aid weapons were just right for the U.S. military. If foreign aid weapons were better than those used by the US military, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?"
"So no matter how stagnant Hammer Industries may be, and how little of its own technology it has, as long as it can still manufacture guns and ammunition, it still holds value for the U.S. military."
After listening to James Rhodey ' explanation, Henry gained a deeper understanding of the current ecosystem of companies in the United States military-industrial complex. In short, it wasn't that Stark Industries wasn't good enough; on the contrary, it was too good, which was why it was in trouble.
Tony Stark's reluctance to sell to private armies may have been the main reason why Obadiah Stane coveted Hammer Industries ' market and secretly pursued "export" business to expand his operations.
Perhaps they're already doing it now? But it's just a thought in my mind; Henry doesn't want to get involved.
From the perspective of Stark Industries' CEO, it's not that they're unwilling to sell, but rather that terrorists or extremist groups are without weapons. If that's the case, why hand over the market to others?
And let's not even talk about the military's attitude; it's impossible for it to influence Tony Stark.
What If...? he truly had the ability to ignore all of this and rise above it, then Tony Stark wouldn't have needed to attend the Senate hearings in Iron Man 2, defend his ownership of the Iron Man armor through sophistry, and could have simply given them a piece of his mind.
He can despise any individual, but he cannot ignore the will of the group.
Therefore, Hammer Industries existed because the U.S. military had this need. More importantly, it was because Stark Industries couldn't produce substandard products to fill the lower-end market, Hammer Industries ' products just weren't good enough. During James Rhodey ' explanation, Tony Stark, unusually, didn't interrupt. He, too, seemed to be holding back his anger, and called out to the side, "JARVIS, whiskey."
"Yes, sir." A small, tracked robot then emerged from a hidden space and entered the bar area. It carried a labelless Crystal bottle of whiskey and several empty whiskey glasses on a tray, moving with unhurried speed.
The robot looks a lot like a small excavator, except that its robotic arm is clearly more flexible than the excavator's auger.
Not only can it place the tray securely on the table in front of everyone, but it can also open bottles, pour wine, and precisely pour out one ounce for each of the three glasses.
The whisky served at the Stark Family was certainly not ordinary, nor was it even a commercially available brand. These wealthy people usually went directly to their preferred distilleries and bought entire barrels.
Once back, bottle the wine to the amount you need, so that most of the wine can still be preserved in the oak barrels and its flavor will deepen over time.
Just look at the robot opening the bottle and pouring the wine; the aroma alone is enough to fill the air with its fragrance. Two minors even sneezed twice, their faces flushed an unnatural redness, demonstrating just how strong the aroma was.
After pouring the wine, the little robot immediately retreated and returned to its hidden charging dock. From the outside, no one would guess that a robot was hidden in the space under a certain pillar.
Henry endured it, Tony Stark held back, Catherine Hepburn waited, and Happy Hogan and Virginia Potts mastered the art of being wealthy entourages, minimizing their presence until others treated them as if they didn't exist.
James Rhodey was somewhat puzzled by the atmosphere, but his soldier's instincts and countless life-or-death experiences made him remain silent and observe the situation.
Kitty... Tabby Cat, of course, can't talk. She's also looking for a place to pee.
The two girls, though not as innocent as caged chicks, were also unlike the other seasoned veterans present. Skye, watching the Stark Family robots' performance the whole time, exclaimed in surprise, "Huh, are these the same kind of household robots as BB?"
"The same? Which eye of yours saw the same?" Tony Stark's tone was filled with displeasure. "Things can be compared to distinguish between good and bad. If you think it's better or worse, just say so. Don't say things like 'the same.'"