The Villains Make Their Move
"Marvel's Magnetic Field Rotation"
Inside one of Conglomerate B's bases, Ivan Vanko sat on a sofa watching television while holding a screwdriver in his hand, assembling a pile of loose parts in front of him. He wasn't intentionally trying to create anything; he was simply subconsciously choosing parts that seemed suitable and piecing them together. The finished product was astonishing, after all, he was a master craftsman who had handcrafted Arc Reactor.
The television in front of him wasn't playing a TV program, but rather a video that had been collected and edited. The video featured only one protagonist: Tony Stark. In particular, the recent battle with Abomination was highlighted. Although the Hulkbuster Armor version 1.0 was dismantled in just a few exchanges, his act of stepping forward in the face of danger was enough for the media to publicize. After all, he was Tony Stark!
Listening to the female host's adoration for Tony Stark and her lavish praise on him, Ivan Vanko flew into a rage and smashed the assembled device in his hand, destroying the television. What emerged from his hand was a simple Mechanical Exoskeleton device for the hand.
Anton Vanko truly deserves his reputation as someone who co-developed the prototype of the Arc Reactor with Howard Stark. His son, whom he raised, inherited his wisdom and even surpassed his father. However, what was passed down was not only knowledge, but also hatred.
When the first two Iron Man movies were released, it coincided with the inauguration of the first Black president of the United States. His anti-war policies were quite popular in the United States. In order to cater to the public's demands, the movie company portrayed the Stark father and son as pacifists who refused to apply their technological inventions to weapons.
Even though Tony Stark was a complete arms dealer, after experiencing various setbacks, he had a profound realization and chose to shut down Stark Industries' military research and development department, then eliminated the ambitious Obadiah and became Iron Man.
Anton Vanko was a victim of market demand. When the prototype of the Arc Reactor was developed, it was during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. The two superpowers were constantly competing, both openly and covertly, which was reflected in all aspects, such as the aerospace industry.
Today you launch one artificial satellite, tomorrow I'll launch two, and they'll be of greater mass than yours; you plan to send astronauts into space, I'll send mine a month earlier, and they'll stay in space longer than yours...
Although it has nothing to do with people's daily lives, the people of both countries take pride in it, as if the competition, which is regardless of cost, will directly determine the success or failure of the two countries in the contest. In particular, the CCP's lead has made the people, who have been brainwashed by United States, feel uneasy, as if they will go to sleep at night and the next day the white house will not be flying the Stars and Stripes but the red flag.
The people of the CCP are the same; they fear that United States will defeat the unbreakable alliance and turn the great working class into slaves of capitalist sweatshops.
In this context, technological breakthroughs will inevitably be applied to the military first; this is an inevitability that cannot be reversed by individual will. The development and application of the Arc Reactor in military weapons is a natural outcome. From this perspective, Anton Vanko's choice was correct, but Howard Stark disagreed with his partner's approach and expelled him from the United States.
The CCCP's attitude towards traitors is predictable. After all, there's the example of Order No. 270. Being exiled to Siberia to grow potatoes was already a sign of respect for the scientist Anton Vanko.
The stark contrast between the plight of a rising scientist reduced to the hardship of growing potatoes in Siberia and Howard Stark fine wine and food, while Stark possesses nothing but knowledge, his only companion when drinking vodka is the scent of his cuffs, and thus hatred is born.
Early childhood education has a profound impact on a person's entire life. When I was in the first year of junior high school, my biology teacher once told me about a case where a child's understanding of the sensations of "pain" and "itch" was distorted by his or her parents' teachings. What we understand as pain was just itching to him or her.
Similarly, Ivan Vanko was taught from a young age that Stark was responsible for their current predicament, and that if it weren't for Howard Stark's machinations, he and his father should have enjoyed the same glory Stark.
When Howard Stark died in a car accident, this hatred naturally transferred to his son Tony Stark. Even though they had never met Young Master Stark, it did not stop Ivan Vanko, who had never crossed paths with Stark, from Stark endless hatred for Tony.
After being kidnapped and brought to the United States mainland, Anton Vanko received excellent medical care and was provided with ample supplies, allowing him to fully utilize his talents and put into practice the knowledge taught by his father. Most importantly, he and his father were closer to Tony Stark, increasing their chances of avenging their father.
Aside from the limited scope of their activities, those who brought them there did not impose many restrictions on Ivan Vanko father and son, nor did they seem to have any intention of making them do anything.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on Ivan Vanko's door, and before he could respond, the person pushed the door open and entered.
He was a rather strange man, with a burly build, but seemingly allergic to air. His entire body was wrapped in a combat suit made of high-strength composite fiber material, with metal armor plates embedded in the suit to protect his vital parts. In the Middle Ages, he would be a heavily armored knight wearing plate armor over chainmail.
He was also wearing a full-coverage helmet mask, symmetrically divided into two halves, orange on the left and black on the right. However, the black half, around the eye, was not transparent, clearly indicating that he had lost that eye.
"Ivan Vanko, the boss wants to see you. Get ready and come with me. We're just missing you." The man said to Ivan Vanko, his deep voice filled with impatience.
"Who exactly are you and your boss?" Ivan Vanko gripped a screwdriver, his fierce face hardening with an even more ruthless expression.
"Me? My name is Slade Wilson. I work for the boss and am also a shareholder in the company." The man who called himself Slade Wilson introduced himself without any hesitation, "Of course, if you want to call me, please call me Deathstroke."
"As for who my boss is, and what his purpose is in spending so much money to bring you and your father from Russia to the United States, you can ask him yourself when you go to see him. With the abilities you've demonstrated, I think he'll be very happy to answer you—he values talent above all else."
As he spoke, Slade Wilson walked to the sparking television and pulled out the unfinished Mechanical Exoskeleton structure. "But I can give you a private heads-up, my next mission is to attack Tony Stark, and our operation will basically be in pairs. I'd really like you to be my partner."