Chapter Summaries

Luca Stark, kidnapped alongside his brother Tony by the terrorist organization Advanced Idea Mechanics, worked on a human serum while secretly pursuing his own escape plan. After the bald leader ordered a final test, Luca checked the serum’s hidden compatibility progress and recalled how he had become the lab’s head researcher.

• Luca Stark berated the terrorist researchers after their faulty serum mixture killed a test subject.
• The bald leader threatened to kill Luca unless the next serum test succeeded within an hour, and Luca planned to use the leader’s cleanliness obsession to get himself sent outside the base.
• Luca checked a hidden screen that showed the serum had reached 98 percent compatibility.
• Luca recalled joining Tony Stark’s trip to the Middle East, where terrorists attacked their Humvee and captured both brothers.
• Tony survived a chest wound with help from Yinsen while Luca was taken from their cave prison and forced to work on stolen biological research.
• Luca demonstrated his expertise, became the laboratory’s head researcher, and began restarting Howard Stark’s Super Soldier Program.

Luca Stark secretly completed a DNA-locked Superman Serum and injected it into himself, planning to activate it with sunlight while escaping the terrorists’ base. The bald leader returned with a captive test subject, and Luca prepared to stage another failed experiment.

• Luca combined the terrorists’ energy-absorption research with Howard’s Super Soldier Serum formula and designed a serum that would only work for him.
• Luca developed a Photosynthetic Energy Amplifier and planned to use sunlight to activate the serum after the bald leader sent him to the cliff to be killed.
• The serum reached perfect compatibility, and Luca injected it into himself before deleting his genetic data and destroying the remaining evidence.
• The bald leader entered the lab with researchers, armed soldiers, and a struggling terrorist henchman, demanding to see Luca’s results.
• Luca placed prepared waste liquid into the injection device and announced that the captive would witness a miracle.

Luca’s latest experiment failed, and the bald leader ordered his execution, but Luca used the trip into the sunlight to awaken the power in his blood. He broke free, deflected the soldiers’ bullets, and unleashed beams of white light from his eyes.

• Luca injected a subordinate with his latest formula, but the man convulsed and died, prompting the bald leader to threaten Luca with a pistol.
• The bald leader called Luca and Tony useless and ordered soldiers to take Luca to a cliff and execute him.
• Luca let the soldiers strap him into a transport chair and push him outside, where he hoped the sunlight would activate the serum in his blood.
• Sunlight awakened Luca’s power, and he snapped the restraints and rose into the air.
• The soldiers fired at Luca, but an energy field deflected the bullets, and Luca’s eyes turned platinum white before he blasted two beams at them.

Luca discovered his new powers and flew toward Tony’s location while Tony and Yinsen prepared to escape in the Mark I armor. Tony completed the armor’s startup just as terrorists broke into the cave, and he used its flamethrowers to protect Yinsen.

• Luca vaporized two soldiers with energy from his eyes, then discovered his enhanced senses and heard Tony calling for Yinsen.
• Luca sensed the magnetic field around him and flew toward the cave where Tony was trapped.
• Tony and Yinsen prepared the Mark I armor as terrorists approached, and Yinsen decided to buy Tony time by confronting them.
• The terrorists blew open the cave door just as the armor finished starting up, and Tony told Yinsen to get down.
• Tony burned the two attackers with the armor’s flamethrowers, then pulled Yinsen up and told him to see his hometown for himself.

Tony and Yinsen fought their way out of the cave in Tony’s Mark I armor, but Luca arrived in the sky and saved Tony from an RPG. Luca shielded himself from gunfire and wiped out many terrorists, then he and Tony agreed to compete to defeat the remaining enemies.

• Tony and Yinsen rushed out of the cave, where Tony used his flamethrowers to drive back the terrorists as bullets bounced off his armor.
• A terrorist lieutenant fired an RPG at Tony, but Luca destroyed it with a blue-white beam and revealed that he was alive and flying.
• The terrorists shot at Luca, but he stopped their bullets with an energy field and blasted many of them with beams from his hands.
• Luca teased Tony about needing protection, and Tony got back to his feet and defended the Mark I.
• Luca and Tony split the camp into east and west sides and agreed that whoever finished last would abstain from alcohol for a month.

Luca and Tony defeated the terrorists at the camp, reunited with Yinsen, and discussed how Luca had survived captivity. The brothers decided to return to the mountain base to find out who had arranged their kidnapping.

• Luca and Tony worked together to eliminate the terrorists, competing over who had taken out more enemies.
• Tony claimed he had won, but Luca disputed his excuse and declared himself the victor.
• Tony asked how Luca had gained his powers, and Luca said he had improved his father's super-soldier research and activated the serum with sunlight.
• Tony embraced Luca and told him he was glad he was safe; the brothers reaffirmed their bond.
• Yinsen emerged from cover and urged them to leave before reinforcements arrived.
• Luca said they needed to search the mountain base for evidence about who had ordered their kidnapping, and Tony agreed.

Luca, Tony, and Yinsen fought their way through the terrorists’ hidden mountain base and confronted its bald leader, who accused Luca of secretly using the Perfect Serum. Luca defended himself by claiming intellectual property rights over the formula he had created.

• Luca carried Tony through the passage when Tony’s nearly powerless armor slowed them down.
• Luca and Tony entered the vast underground base, where Luca described his two months as a captive and Tony vowed to destroy the place.
• Tony and Luca defeated the soldiers who attacked them as Luca grew more accustomed to using his energy projection ability.
• The brothers reached the chief’s office and found the bald leader preparing to escape with hard drives.
• The bald leader accused Luca of taking the Perfect Serum, and Luca said he had earned the right to use the formula because he had developed it.

Luca tricked the bald leader into injecting a discarded serum, which caused the man’s body to collapse and left the base’s explosive remote on the ground. Tony admired Luca’s ruthlessness and began planning deadly traps for his future armor.

• Tony mocked the bald leader alongside Luca, while Yinsen awkwardly offered to contribute some Arabic insults.
• The bald leader revealed that he had stolen Luca’s serum and threatened to detonate explosives buried in the mountain with a remote control.
• Tony questioned Luca about the serum’s DNA lock, and Luca pretended to fear the bald leader gaining superhuman powers to persuade him to inject it.
• The bald leader injected the serum, suffered a complete genetic collapse, and died as Luca watched.
• Tony noticed the fallen remote and considered adding traps, poison gas, or a self-destruct program to his armor.

Tony and Luca discovered that a senior Stark Industries board member had funded their planned assassination, then escaped the base with Yinsen and destroyed it. Tony contacted Rhodey, who learned that Tony was alive and asked for his location.

• Tony hacked the base computer and found a recording and financial records linking the weapons smuggling funds to a senior Stark Industries board member.
• Tony and Luca realized someone inside Stark Industries had arranged to have them killed and decided to return to New York to expose the traitor.
• Tony took the evidence and rigged the base explosives while Luca carried Tony and Yinsen out through the roof.
• The explosives destroyed the mountain base, and Luca flew Tony and Yinsen to a sand dune as the brothers bickered.
• Tony called Rhodey on the satellite phone and gave him approximate coordinates; Rhodey exclaimed that Tony was still alive.

Tony and Luca were rescued from the desert, and Tony told Luca he planned to shut down Stark Industries’ weapons division. Luca challenged his guilt and persuaded him to keep the division open and develop weapons only the Starks could control.

• Tony and Luca argued over whether cheeseburgers or chicken burgers tasted better while they waited for rescue.
• Rhodey arrived with a search-and-rescue team, reunited with Tony, and thanked Yinsen for saving his life.
• On the flight to New York, Tony told Luca he planned to announce the closure of Stark Industries’ weapons division to draw out a hidden mole.
• Tony confessed that he felt guilty because Stark weapons had killed civilians and been used by terrorists, but Luca argued that they should build stronger weapons to protect themselves instead.
• Tony abandoned his plan to close the division and decided to invest more in a weapons system only the Starks could control.

Luca and Tony identified Obadiah Stane as the likeliest suspect in the attempt on their lives, but Tony chose to trust him until they had proof. After the brothers returned safely to Los Angeles, Luca announced plans to throw a yacht party.

• Luca reasoned that Obadiah Stane had the most to gain if the brothers died, making him the likeliest mole at Stark Industries.
• Tony said he would continue trusting Uncle Oba until they had definite proof, and Luca agreed to wait for the culprit to reveal himself.
• More than a dozen hours later, Tony and Luca landed at Los Angeles Airport, where Happy and Pepper Potts welcomed them back.
• Tony and Luca asked Pepper to get them burgers, then Luca told Happy to charter a luxury yacht and contact Victoria's Secret for a pool party.
• Pepper protested that Luca needed a physical examination, but Luca insisted the party was not up for discussion.

Tony and Luca returned to Stark Industries, where Obadiah Stane welcomed them and tried to take temporary control of the company. The brothers rejected his offer and prepared to address the press, with Luca spotting Obadiah in the front row as the conference began.

• Obadiah Stane greeted Tony and Luca at the landing pad, disguising his surprise at Luca’s strength with a show of affection.
• Obadiah offered to take over Stark Industries while the brothers rested, but Luca mocked him and refused.
• Tony told Pepper to arrange a press conference and headed to the car with Luca, leaving Obadiah furious.
• At Stark Industries headquarters, Tony and Luca arrived at the press conference, and Tony ate a cheeseburger as reporters watched.
• Luca took the podium, saw Obadiah smiling in the front row, and prepared for the show to begin.

Tony and Luca announced a major restructuring of Stark Industries and hinted at an investigation into a traitor, alarming Obadiah. After the press conference, they rebuffed Agent Phil Coulson, and Nick Fury ordered them watched.

• Tony announced that Stark Industries would suspend large-scale arms sales and focus on developing individual soldier defense and attack systems.
• Luca announced an independent audit of senior board members' finances and company funds, prompting Obadiah to panic and plan to erase evidence of his payments.
• Agent Phil Coulson approached Tony and Luca to ask about their escape from Afghanistan and the explosion at the terrorist base.
• Luca mocked Coulson's agency and refused to answer his questions before leaving with Tony.
• Coulson reported the failed contact to Nick Fury, who ordered him to keep the Stark brothers under surveillance.

Luca and Tony blew off the fallout from their return by partying aboard a yacht, where Pepper failed to persuade them to come back and face the company. The brothers spotted Yinsen sitting alone with orange juice and decided to intervene in his refusal to enjoy the party.

• Luca ignored Pepper's demands to return and deal with the board, then hung up and silenced his phone.
• Tony joined Luca on the sofa, and the two traded insults while drinking and celebrating their escape from the cave.
• Luca noticed Yinsen sitting alone in a dim corner with a glass of orange juice.
• Tony and Luca decided to correct what they saw as Yinsen's misguided party values.

Luca and Tony used their yacht party to draw the hidden enemies who had targeted them into making a move. They left the party underway, ready to exploit any assassination attempt to capture and interrogate the attackers.

• Luca and Tony pushed Yinsen to drink tequila and dance with a bikini model so he would enjoy the party.
• Tony admitted he would rather be in the lab developing armor, and Luca explained that the lavish party was meant to make their enemies think their guard was down.
• Luca proposed letting the enemies attempt an attack so he could reveal his hidden power, defeat them, and interrogate survivors for clues.
• Tony embraced Luca's plan and suggested preparing concealed weapons and other defenses for the attackers.
• Luca and Tony toasted the unlucky enemies watching them from the shadows.

After a yacht party, Luca and Tony teased each other as they escorted their companions into a hotel, while Yinsen was reluctantly pulled inside by a beauty. In Washington, Coulson reported the Stark brothers’ partying to Fury, who condemned their behavior.

• Luca arrived at the hotel with three women and mocked Tony for looking exhausted with only two models.
• Tony insisted he could handle the night and privately considered getting supplements from Luca’s pharmaceutical company.
• Luca and Tony pressured Yinsen to go into the hotel with a beauty, and Yinsen eventually gave in.
• Luca and Tony exchanged parting insults before heading to their suites with their companions.
• Coulson told Fury that the Stark brothers had thrown a lavish yacht party after their press conference, and Fury angrily criticized them.

Fury and Coulson reviewed evidence of Luca Stark’s superhuman abilities and Tony Stark’s armored suit, then decided S.H.I.E.L.D. should quietly monitor the brothers. Fury added both Starks to the Avengers Initiative, hoping they would become greater than their father.

• Coulson reported that Luca Stark seemed stronger and taller after two months in captivity, and that he had effortlessly pushed Coulson aside.
• Fury showed Coulson satellite footage of Luca firing an energy blast and photographs of Luca lifting a pickup truck and Tony using a heavy armored suit.
• Fury ordered Coulson not to approach or test the brothers without direct orders and to observe them quietly.
• Fury reviewed the Avengers Initiative file, added Luca Stark and Tony Stark, and marked both names with check marks.
• Fury locked the file away and hoped the Starks would be greater than their father.

Obadiah Stane brooded over Tony and Luca Stark’s plans to investigate Stark Industries and decided he needed to eliminate them before they exposed his role in their kidnapping. A mysterious masked organization offered to help assassinate the brothers that night, leaving Obadiah to consider what they wanted in return.

• Obadiah recalled that Tony had halted Stark Industries’ military orders and Luca had announced an investigation into the company’s books.
• Obadiah admitted to himself that he had arranged the brothers’ kidnapping in Afghanistan and resolved to get rid of them and take control of the company.
• Masked visitors arrived at Obadiah’s villa after contacting him with knowledge of his plan to kill the Starks.
• The visitors’ leader said Tony and Luca were at a downtown hotel after a party and offered to eliminate them that night.
• Obadiah questioned the visitors’ motives and recognized that their help would come at a price.

Obadiah was forced to accept a secret organization’s demand to make Stark Industries its proxy after its leader threatened him with evidence of his crimes and death. The organization sent killers to target Tony and Luca that night, while Obadiah celebrated the brothers’ expected deaths and planned to take control of the company.

• The leader demanded that Obadiah obey the organization and use Stark Industries to produce weapons and equipment.
• The leader revealed evidence of Obadiah’s arms sales and assassination plot, then threatened to kill him if he refused.
• Obadiah agreed to cooperate and asked why the organization had chosen him instead of Tony and Luca.
• The leader said the brothers were too unruly to control and told Obadiah that professional killers would attack them at their hotel.
• After the masked men left, Obadiah smashed a bottle, then toasted the Stark brothers and anticipated taking over the company.

The Mandarin inspected the destroyed Advanced Idea Mechanics base in Afghanistan and learned that Benjamin had kidnapped Tony Stark and Luca Stark. Realizing that the Stark brothers were Howard Stark’s sons and that the kidnapping could provoke S.H.I.E.L.D., he confronted a reminder of his old defeat and feared another clash.

• The Mandarin surveyed the ruins of the Afghanistan base with his armed subordinates and demanded an explanation.
• The intelligence officer reported that Benjamin had ambushed a US military convoy two months earlier and taken its targets captive instead of killing them.
• The intelligence officer revealed that Benjamin had kidnapped Tony Stark and Luca Stark to force them to build missiles.
• The Mandarin learned that the Stark brothers were Howard Stark’s sons and recalled how S.H.I.E.L.D. had defeated him twenty years earlier.
• The Mandarin recognized that kidnapping the Stark brothers could provoke S.H.I.E.L.D., which he had avoided confronting since his defeat.