Chapter Summaries

Leon told Tony he planned to pursue greater strength by learning magic, qigong, and science, eventually studying his Kryptonian genes. Tony warned that the research could turn Leon into Doomsday, but Leon said he would proceed after obtaining Kryptonite from the DC Universe through his Space-Time Travel ability, leaving Tony stunned.

• Tony joked about how he would use Superman's powers, and Leon said he intended to keep living as he had before while pursuing greater strength.
• Leon told Tony he planned to learn magic, qigong, and science, then study his Kryptonian genes to raise his body's limits.
• Tony warned Leon that Kryptonian gene research could create Doomsday and destroy Earth, prompting Leon to admit the plan was extreme.
• Leon said he would still study his genes after getting Kryptonite from the DC Universe, and Tony was surprised to learn Leon believed he could travel there.
• Leon reminded Tony that he had mentioned his Space-Time Travel ability before, but Tony admitted he had never believed him.

Leon told Tony that he had three goals: dealing with Obadiah, wiping out the Ten Rings, and discovering the truth about their parents’ deaths. He revealed that Hydra had murdered their parents and infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D., leaving Tony stunned by the scale of its control.

• Leon told Tony he planned to deal with Obadiah, destroy the Ten Rings, and investigate their parents’ deaths.
• Leon argued that their parents’ car accident had been staged and that his dormant Kryptonian Bloodline had allowed him to survive.
• Leon said his investigation had uncovered their parents’ murderers and identified them as Hydra.
• Leon explained that Hydra survived its supposed defeat and infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. through former Hydra members absorbed after World War II.
• Leon told Tony that most of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s more than ten thousand members were Hydra, its former director had been Hydra, and its current director was deeply compromised.

Leon and Tony planned to expose Hydra within S.H.I.E.L.D. and uncover the truth about their parents’ deaths while Leon prepared to reveal his powers publicly. Leon and Tony decided to go to Afghanistan to take down the Ten Rings, with Leon set to debut as Superman.

• Leon showed Tony his compiled list and evidence of Hydra members in S.H.I.E.L.D. and told him to send it to Nick Fury anonymously.
• Leon explained that he planned to provoke a response with weapons of mass destruction, withstand an attack, and destroy a military base to demonstrate his power.
• Leon showed Tony his Superman uniform and said he would wear it while eliminating the Ten Rings in Afghanistan.
• Tony insisted on joining Leon, saying he wanted to deal with the Ten Rings while continuing to investigate their parents’ deaths.
• Leon explained that exposing Hydra and displaying his strength could deter the world’s powers from testing him after his identity became known.
• Leon rejected Tony’s proposed name for their hero duo, the Super Iron Brothers, and left with his uniform.

Leon flew to Afghanistan and began eliminating the Ten Rings, first rescuing a family from two terrorists before attacking the organization’s largest base. He had killed half the base’s forces when the surviving terrorists prepared a concentrated barrage against him.

• Leon killed two Ten Rings terrorists threatening a Pashtun family and reassured them that nearby terrorist groups would be gone by morning.
• Leon comforted Shafika Mazzari, who mistook him for Superman, then flew away to continue his mission.
• Leon eliminated terrorists harassing civilians across Afghanistan in less than ten minutes.
• Leon reached the Ten Rings’ largest base, spotted Stark Jericho missiles, and ordered JARVIS to record the weapons for Tony.
• Leon crashed into the base and used Heat Vision to kill terrorists until half the force was dead.
• The surviving terrorists hid behind cover and gathered heavy weapons, including Jericho missiles, to attack Leon.

Leon fought the Ten Rings terrorists in Afghanistan while a local reporter filmed his debut as Superman. After surviving the missiles and rescuing the reporter, Leon returned to stop a swarm of Jericho missiles and emerged unharmed.

• Leon asked JARVIS about surveillance and learned that a U.S. military satellite and a local reporter were watching the battle.
• Leon flew into six vehicle-mounted missiles and survived their explosions without injury, astonishing the reporter and the terrorists.
• Leon recognized that the terrorists were preparing to launch three Jericho missiles and had JARVIS record the attack for Tony.
• Leon rescued the reporter from the hillside and moved him three kilometers away before returning to face the missile swarm.
• Leon detonated the Jericho missiles with a flurry of punches and emerged from the blast unharmed.

Leon destroyed a Ten Rings base in Afghanistan and asked reporter Hafizollah Abdullah to publicize footage of his demand that foreign armies leave the land. After Leon planned to attack more bases, Nick Fury watched the footage and learned that the powerful stranger was called Superman.

• Leon met Hafizollah Abdullah, praised his courage, and asked him to share the footage and call for foreign armies to leave.
• Leon sent combat footage to Tony through JARVIS and planned to clear the remaining Ten Rings bases before investigating American bases.
• Coulson showed Nick Fury satellite footage of Leon destroying the Ten Rings base and surviving Jericho missiles.
• Nick Fury asked who the stranger was, and Coulson identified him as Superman.

Leon finished destroying the Ten Rings bases in Afghanistan and planned to target Eagle military bases next, aiming to demonstrate his power and destroy weapons rather than harm soldiers who were only following orders. Tony saw Leon’s footage of Stark weapons being used by the Ten Rings, then flew toward the Middle East in Leon’s armor; JARVIS reported that Tony had reached Afghanistan and was trying to contact Leon.

• Nick Fury sent Coulson and Barton to Afghanistan to investigate Superman, while the military decided to monitor him and consider negotiations.
• JARVIS woke Tony with Leon’s footage of the Ten Rings using Stark weapons, including Jericho missiles, and Tony realized the missiles came from the sole batch he had sold.
• Tony put on the Mark III armor and flew toward the Middle East with JARVIS controlling Leon’s Super Mark 1 armor.
• Leon surveyed the ruined final Ten Rings base and said he would next target Eagle military bases, intending to destroy weapons and demonstrate his power.
• JARVIS told Leon that Tony had entered Afghanistan and asked whether to connect the call.

Leon attacked a United States garrison base in Afghanistan, freezing its buildings and weapons and warning the soldiers that the United States had a week to withdraw from Asia. He flew toward another base while Tony followed, complaining that Leon had taken the job he wanted to do.

• Leon flew to a United States garrison base and froze its buildings, weapons, ammunition, and soldiers with Freeze Breath.
• Leon shattered the frozen base with a punch, leaving the soldiers alive but unconscious in the ice.
• Leon thawed the soldiers with precisely controlled Heat Vision and warned them that the United States must withdraw from Asia within a week.
• Leon flew toward another base, aiming to destroy the United States installations before the satellites monitoring him could react.
• Tony flew toward the scene and complained to JARVIS that Leon had taken the chance to attack the base, while Tony wanted to demand an explanation for the United States giving Jericho to a terrorist organization.

Tony learned that Leon had attacked U.S. bases to protect a young Afghan girl and avenge Tony, then raced to catch up with him. After finding Leon had already destroyed every base, Tony headed west to fight the remaining Ten Rings while Leon warned him that satellites were tracking Superman.

• JARVIS told Tony that Leon had attacked a U.S. base after helping seven-year-old Shafika Mazzari escape the Ten Rings.
• Tony flew to the destroyed U.S. bases, hoping to reach Leon before he could destroy them all, but arrived too late each time.
• Leon teased Tony for arriving after the fighting and told him to target the remaining Ten Rings members in the Middle East if he wanted revenge.
• Tony took the Super Mark I and flew west to fight the Ten Rings, determined to make amends for his past actions.
• Leon spotted satellites moving into position and warned Tony not to approach him while he was wearing his Superman uniform.

Leon tracked his growing strength through daily thrust tests and sunbathing while Tony fought the Ten Rings. When Tony was pursued by Air Force fighters in the West Coast Mountains, Leon prepared to intervene in Mark II, as the military watched the encounter and mistook the armors for something distinct from Superman.

• Leon continued his month-long experiment with Tony, reaching a total thrust of four hundred thousand tons after several days of sunbathing.
• JARVIS alerted Leon that Tony was being pursued by an Eagle flight formation in the West Coast Mountains and showed him footage of the battered Mark III armor under fire.
• JARVIS explained that Tony was too exhausted to sustain Mark III's maximum speed, and Leon decided to go help him despite Tony not asking directly.
• Leon headed to the garage to put on Mark II and planned to teach Tony a lesson while turning the fight around.
• Rhodey told the military officers watching the satellite footage that the two armors were not Superman and that Superman could easily defeat their flight formation.

Leon joined Tony while they were pursued by fighter jets and demonstrated how to use the Mark II armor against them without relying on his own powers. He attached Mark II to a missile and accelerated with it, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• General Ross ordered the fighter jets to shoot down the two suits of armor, and a silver-white suit appeared beside them.
• Leon caught up with Tony and explained that he intended to demonstrate the proper use of the Mark armor.
• Leon deployed Mark II's flaps and entered the fighter formation, prompting the jets to surround him and launch missiles.
• Leon shut down Mark II's propulsion to evade the missiles, then used its targeting system to track their trajectories.
• Leon maneuvered beside a missile, used electrical current to attach Mark II to its casing, and accelerated while towing it.

Leon used Mark II to evade a fighter formation and escaped after rescuing a downed pilot. Back at the seaside villa, he and Tony discussed the test and agreed Tony should warn Rhodey about his armor.

• Leon caused the pursuing missiles to explode together, then used the smoke to maneuver the fighter jets into colliding.
• Leon rescued the unconscious pilot from Aircraft Seven and left while the remaining fighters mounted a rescue.
• Ross ordered more Air Force squadrons, but Rhodey told him they could not catch Mark II.
• Leon reunited with Tony and teased him about how effectively he had controlled the armor.
• Leon and Tony decided to order takeout, and Leon suggested Tony tell Rhodey that he was the metal man the military had pursued.

Leon watched news reports debate Superman’s appearance while Tony complained that the media ignored his campaign against the Ten Rings. Leon said the media would speak for him once Hydra was destroyed and his strength was revealed.

• Leon watched KNKV report testimonies and footage confirming Superman had appeared and saved people in Afghanistan.
• The news anchor presented opposing views of Superman and introduced a sociologist who portrayed him as a paranoid milk-drinker.
• Tony criticized the coverage for focusing on Superman while barely reporting on his efforts against the Ten Rings.
• Leon suggested Tony pay the media to report on him, but Tony questioned whether that was necessary.
• Leon said the media would speak for him after Hydra was destroyed and his strength was on display, and Tony agreed.

Leon learned that Tony planned to reveal himself as Iron Man at a press conference, then went to space to sunbathe. At S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury and Coulson reviewed Abdullah’s footage of Superman and debated whether Superman’s personality might require containment.

• Tony told Leon that Abdullah planned to spend his money buying Warner stock, prompting Tony to acquire Warner through Stark Industries.
• Tony admitted that Rhodey had let his identity slip, then revealed that his press conference would take place the next day and left for the Middle East to eliminate the Ten Rings.
• Leon guessed Tony planned to publicly reveal that he was Iron Man, then changed into Superman and flew into space.
• Nick Fury criticized Coulson’s investigation report, and Coulson showed him Abdullah’s video of Superman surviving missiles and delivering a warning to the Eagle side.
• Coulson recommended befriending Superman and keeping him calm, while Nick Fury asked whether Superman’s personality might make suppression necessary.

Nick Fury agreed with Coulson that S.H.I.E.L.D. should approach Superman cautiously, while Leon returned from his sunbathing and discovered Natasha hidden beneath Tony’s bed. The chapter ended with Leon questioning how she had entered the sealed mansion.

• Coulson advised Nick Fury not to attack Superman because they did not know the full extent of his abilities and might make him stronger.
• Nick Fury ordered Coulson to monitor Superman, seek contact and recruitment, and manage online public opinion.
• Leon returned to his Los Angeles mansion after his regular space sunbath and planned to test his strength before dinner.
• Leon used his X-ray vision to find Natasha lying beneath Tony’s bed.
• Leon asked JARVIS whether anyone had entered the mansion, and JARVIS said he had sealed all entrances after Leon left.

Leon used JARVIS to draw Natasha out from beneath Tony's bed, then pretended to be knocked unconscious so he could learn who she worked for. After Natasha received approval from General Dreykov to kidnap Leon instead of Tony, Leon revealed that he was awake.

• Leon entered Tony's room with JARVIS's help and pretended to investigate the foul smell beneath the bed.
• Natasha attacked Leon with a whip, knocked him down, and tied him up while threatening JARVIS with a gun.
• Natasha reported to General Dreykov that Leon had discovered her and requested permission to use him to threaten Tony and obtain his technology.
• General Dreykov approved the change of plan, but Leon opened his eyes and questioned whether Natasha was working for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Leon subdued Natasha after she attacked him in Tony's bedroom, then brought her to the laboratory to investigate why she seemed controlled by the Red Room. He discovered a chemical affecting her consciousness and began developing an inhibitor, hoping she would reveal more when she woke.

• Leon broke free of his restraints and blocked Natasha's surprise attack before pinning her against the wall and knocking her unconscious.
• Leon carried Natasha to the laboratory, refused JARVIS's offer to call the police, and said he needed to study her.
• Leon used X-Ray Vision to find a tracker in Natasha's leg and a self-destruct device on her wrist, then removed both.
• Leon examined Natasha's brain and discovered a foreign chemical in her cellular fluid that affected her basal ganglia and divided her consciousness.
• Leon began creating a targeted inhibitor to counteract the chemical and planned to question Natasha after she woke.

Leon injected Natasha with an inhibitor that had an eighty-seven percent success rate and waited to see whether it would free her from the Red Room’s chemical mind control. Natasha regained her consciousness and realized Leon had saved her, though she was overwhelmed with remorse and anxiety about attacking him.

• Leon developed a bright-red inhibitor and warned that it carried a one percent risk of brain death.
• Leon restrained Natasha and injected her with the inhibitor while joking about the dangers and the lack of consent.
• Natasha’s expression calmed, and Leon waited as the inhibitor took effect.
• Natasha woke confused, then instinctively escaped her restraints and locked Leon in a rear naked choke.
• Leon lifted Natasha onto the workbench, and she recognized him as her rescuer and apologized for attacking him.

Natasha thanked Leon for saving her and offered to help him, but Leon exposed her attempts to manipulate him into joining her fight against the Red Room. The chapter ended with Natasha promising to grant Leon any request, even an intimate one, if she survived.

• Natasha thanked Leon for saving her and the other Widows, then said she had to leave to avoid drawing the Red Room to him.
• Leon stopped Natasha and revealed that he knew her identity and background, explaining that her farewell kiss seemed like a seduction tactic.
• Leon and Natasha exchanged coffee while discussing her time under the Red Room’s control and why she had tried to get close to him.
• Leon confronted Natasha for secretly trying to recruit him, and Natasha apologized for treating him like an ordinary rich heir.
• Natasha promised Leon that she would help him with any request if she remained alive, and agreed even when he suggested an intimate favor.

Leon learned that Natasha’s failed defection from the Red Room had been exposed because Stark Industries’ new technology let the Red Room monitor her communications. Natasha asked Leon to make inhibitors so she could rescue other Widows, and he began proposing a broader plan to help her destroy the Red Room.

• Leon asked Natasha how the Red Room had controlled her, and she explained that chemicals had been used after she resisted its brainwashing.
• Natasha revealed that her communications with Hawkeye had been monitored after the Red Room upgraded its devices using Stark Industries technology, leading to her capture and chemical control.
• Natasha described the people she had been forced to kill and asked Leon to make inhibitors so she could save other Widows.
• Natasha told Leon she intended to gather rescued Widows and declare war on the Red Room, and Leon warned that the organization would quickly notice their actions.
• Leon said he had a win-win-win idea for helping Natasha carry out her plan.