Marvel: I am Iron Man

What caught Tony's attention was the data showing that this AIM lab was primarily focused on certain projects.

The core of the project is the development of war robots. It seems that AIM has realized that exoskeleton armor, mech soldiers, and the like will become trendsetters and hot topics in the new era.

The robots Tony just saw were merely byproducts of this research; they were experimental products developed by AIM at this stage to evaluate data such as the neural networks and combat intelligence programs of unmanned mechs.

The actual finished product in the AIM concept, and the project currently under development, is called "Adaptoid".

Upon seeing the name, Tony immediately woke up. He remembered the name.

This is the name of a supervillain robot called "Super-Adaptoid" developed and designed by AIM in the original Marvel comics.

This super intelligent entity is truly remarkable. Its creation stemmed from AIM's consideration that Earth was entering a superpowered era, with superhumans emerging all over the world like mushrooms after rain. Thus, AIM, dedicated to the development of cutting-edge technology and top-notch weapons, conceived this audacious idea.

Is it possible for us to design a machine that can replicate and learn the superpowers of any superhuman? Wouldn't that make us invincible?

Thus, the super-fit body came into being.

Although Marvel hasn't yet introduced the classic villainous Superhuman into the MCU movies, if this machine were to be brought to the big screen, the effect would likely be similar to the Sentinel robots that appeared in the live-action film "X-Men: Days of Future Past".

The Sentinels in the movie Days of Future Past can adapt to and replicate the abilities of any mutant, evolving almost indefinitely until they wipe out all mutants in the world. Their abilities are very similar to those of the Avengers' villainous superhumans.

If superhumans were to be adapted into live-action movies, their performance would likely be similar to that of Sentinels.

If this thing is successfully developed, it will be an incredible invention.

And Tony's mind quickly became active.

He wondered if the adaptive body technology was developed to maturity, and if he could find an opportunity to snatch it from AIM, would there be a chance to apply it to armor?

If all goes well, they might be able to develop an Iron Man suit with the same functions as the Sentinel in "Days of Future Past"—capable of adapting to and replicating any superhuman ability, both cool and practical, and also enhancing his combat power.

Of course, this idea is clearly still a bit far off.

Firstly, although the project he found was named "Universe," a quick glance at the research materials revealed that AIM's current development progress was still somewhat different from what he had imagined a Universal Being to be.

Currently, they only envision designing a super combat machine that can adapt to any extreme environment and perform any kind of mission; the idea of ​​"replicating all superpowers" has not yet been proposed.

But then Tony thought about it again and realized it was actually quite reasonable.

The background to the birth of superhumans in the comics is that Earth has already ushered in an environment similar to a spiritual resurgence. Superhumans are everywhere, and all kinds of superhumans are constantly emerging in various countries and regions around the world. Even the major world powers have already begun to develop a new pattern of "superpower armaments".

In contrast, the world now seems more realistic in terms of both superpowers and technology. AIM's technological level is also inferior to its own, and its current adaptation program is only a basic concept.

In the original movie, Tony's line "I am Iron Man" was already a landmark event of the new era. However, the Tony who has traveled through time has not even made Iron Man's existence public yet. At least on the surface, the world is still calm and peaceful, and the concept of superpowers is still quite rare.

In such an environment, there is simply no fertile ground for the birth of "super aptitude".

But that's alright. The fact that this project already exists means it has a promising future.

"Jarvis, create a new to-do list and increase the priority of 'AIM' on our list."

Tony's thrusters blasted out of his feet, propelling him skyward as he gave the order to Jarvis.

His mind was now filled with ideas about the adaptive body technology. He couldn't wait to find AIM, and the thought of "secretly assisting and promoting AIM's development and then snatching it away in one fell swoop" even flashed through his mind.

His mind was filled with all sorts of ideas, so much so that he had no time to exchange pleasantries with the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Captain America. He simply set off and flew away.

Of course, before leaving, he didn't forget to make sure that all the data left behind by Ivan's reactor was destroyed, and incidentally, he also blew up the entire archive on one side of the base with a heavy missile, burning all the paper data to ashes.

He was curbing the arrogance of terrorists and protecting his company's intellectual property rights, something even Nick Fury couldn't say much about.

The disheveled S.H.I.E.L.D. agents stared at the trailing flames disappearing into the sky, momentarily bewildered in the wind, all feeling that what they had seen and experienced that day was rather unreal.

Captain America looked up at the vanished Iron Man, a strange feeling inexplicably rising in his heart.

He felt a bit like he was encountering a familiar stranger in this red and gold armor.

He couldn't explain why; it was just a gut feeling. But he had a sense that they would probably meet again someday.

...

...

Elsewhere, the location is unknown.

AIM headquarters.

At the round table radiating a cold, icy blue light, an AIM executive wearing glasses slowly began to speak.

"Lab C-29 has been destroyed."

Across from them, a female officer spoke up: "S.H.I.E.L.D., is it? Nick Fury is a troublesome old bastard. I had a feeling he was after us, but I couldn't be sure..."

The bespectacled officer frowned: "No, it might not be S.H.I.E.L.D."

A slightly aged voice from around the round table asked in surprise, "Not S.H.I.E.L.D.? Then who could it be?"

"Some images were transmitted back before the lab system completely crashed. I don't know how to describe it... just take a look anyway."

As the bespectacled official spoke, he picked up the remote control and activated the projection screen in front of the round table.

Images quickly appeared on the screen.

The footage was very blurry, but one could vaguely see the red and gold afterimages falling from the sky, and the astonishing firepower that burst forth from that small humanoid body, which almost instantly blasted AIM's mech army into pieces.

The expressions on the faces of the other cadres immediately became quite interesting.

"What is this?" the old man asked, his voice filled with undisguised surprise.

"I don't know," the bespectacled executive said coldly, "but one thing is certain: S.H.I.E.L.D. is definitely not at that level."

Are you kidding me? Where would S.H.I.E.L.D. get that kind of power? Even AIM doesn't have it.

When AIM was founded, it touted itself as a world-leading technology developer and an expert in cutting-edge technology fields.

But what they are witnessing now is clearly beyond their current level; it is an invention capable of rewriting the world's military landscape.

After a brief moment of surprise, the female cadre said, "If it were just a laboratory, its loss wouldn't be a big deal. But the key is the research data..."

She paused, then emphasized her point.

"...especially regarding 'fitness'."

The aged voice said, "Yes, none of us want our hard work to benefit S.H.I.E.L.D. or anyone else."

"I have a very bad feeling," the bespectacled executive frowned. "It feels like... like I'm being targeted by a thief."

Even he himself felt strange saying that.

After all, strictly speaking... we ourselves are thieves, aren't we?