The day of the Stark Industries Expo closing ceremony had finally arrived.
The weather in New York was decent. The sky was neither cloudless nor crystal clear, but it was more than good enough for an outdoor event.
Sure enough, Justin Hammer was out on the green of a golf course early that morning.
Beside him stood Congressman Stan, who had something Hammer needed.
"Nice shot!" Stan said, admiring Hammer's swing.
Hammer waved off the praise modestly, though he couldn't hide the smugness on his face. The shot had been nothing special, but who cared? What mattered was playing golf together and building a relationship.
It was easy to see why Justin Hammer was so hopeless at his actual job. Unlike Tony or even Ivan Vanko, who devoted vast amounts of time to research, Hammer was more politician than scientist.
After the round, Hammer stepped aside, pulled out his phone, and dialed a number. It rang several times before someone answered.
"Ivan, Congressman Stan is with me. I want to show him the Iron Soldiers. How are things looking on your end?"
"They're not ready." Ivan Vanko rejected his sponsor's request without a second's hesitation or embarrassment.
Ivan was busy tinkering with a new Electric Whip. It was thicker and longer than the two he had used in Monaco, and the arcs across its surface were steadier. He barely paid attention to Hammer on the phone.
Hammer's smile froze.
"What do you mean? How are they not ready?"
"I can show them, but I can't demonstrate them. They can't fly or fire. They can salute, though," Ivan replied casually.
Hammer gave an incredulous laugh.
Salute? He had spent all that money and called in all those favors to get this lunatic out of prison. He had given him a lab,