A sudden video showing Tony Stark's unexpected death left many players and viewers stunned.
After all, Iron Man was supposed to be the heart of the Avengers — the central figure, with plenty of screen time ahead. Yet here he was, gone before the Avengers had even formed.
Once the video ended, the light screen immediately displayed a new question:
[Among the following, who killed Iron Man/Tony Stark?]
[A: Natasha Romanoff
B: Nick Fury
C: Ivan Vanko
D: Hank Pym]
Tony, Erik, Bruce Banner, and the Homelander all turned to look at Natasha the moment they saw the question.
They couldn't help it — the video had all but spelled out that Natasha was the killer.
Instinctively, Natasha protested, "It wasn't me!" Then she frowned and added, "At least… not the me standing here in front of you."
She had only just learned from Tony about the concept of parallel universes, and the "future footage" shown by the quiz game seemed to confirm their existence. But the information was overwhelming, and Natasha was still in a daze.
The other players exchanged glances in silence. Normally, without the Homelander present, veterans like Tony and Erik would have shared their own analyses. But with him there, both were holding back.
It was Bruce Banner who broke the quiet, asking curiously:
"Of the four options, the video only showed two of them. I don't know the people in options C and D. Why isn't there an introduction video for them?"
Tony hesitated slightly before replying:
"Ivan Vanko is an enemy of mine and my father's. Hank Pym… well, let's just say he and my father didn't get along either. Even now, I can't sit in the same room with him."
Bruce mused, "So… both C and D have a motive to hurt you?"
"You could put it that way," Tony said with a raised eyebrow, offering no further explanation.
From the footage alone, A and B seemed the most suspicious. But Tony had already ruled out the seemingly obvious choice, option B.
It was a familiar trap — in these quiz games, the most "obvious" answer often turned out to be a deliberate misdirection. Many had fallen for it before.
If forced to choose between A and B, Tony would pick A. Fury was always up to some covert schemes. He claimed they were for the greater good, but his methods were questionable — the kind of guy who could be either hero or villain depending on the day.
Still, Tony felt C was the most likely suspect. In his own world, Ivan Vanko had already attacked him directly, albeit with electrified whips powered by an Arc Reactor.
Maybe, in this animated parallel universe, Vanko had switched to more underhanded methods.
When the countdown began, no one rushed to answer — not after the Homelander had taken a heavy loss in the first question. Everyone stayed patient, waiting until the last seconds before pressing their buttons.
In the end, Bruce Banner managed to secure the answer slot. Scratching his head, he frowned and said, "Alright, I'll just pick one at random… D."
"Good luck, buddy," Tony said with a shrug, selecting C.
The Homelander and Erik chose B, while Natasha picked the same as Tony — C.
But instead of revealing the correct answer, the screen flashed a new question:
[Among the following, who single-handedly wiped out the Avengers?]
[A: Hank Pym
B: Ivan Vanko
C: Nick Fury
D: Stephen Strange]
Tony and Erik exchanged a look, both frowning deeply.
As the only two veteran players present, neither had ever encountered this before. Back-to-back questions weren't unusual — even three in a row had happened — but never before had a new question appeared without the previous one being resolved first.
It didn't feel normal at all.
The sharp-minded players quickly caught the implication: both questions might share the same answer.
Thinking it through, it made sense — Tony was a core member of the Avengers, personally recruited by Nick Fury. Yet he died right before the team's formation.
That could mean the killer's true goal wasn't just Tony, but the destruction of the entire Avengers.
Bruce glanced around and said, "I think someone here picked an option that answers both questions. What do you guys think?"
Tony shot the Homelander a side glance and said evenly, "Anything's possible, Bruce. All I can tell you is — these quiz games love to set traps, luring us into the wrong choice. Stay cautious."
In truth, Tony agreed with Bruce's logic. The correct answer should lie within A, B, or C.
By working backward, A could probably be eliminated first. On the previous question, everyone had avoided it.
Tony began to doubt his earlier choice — sure, Ivan Vanko had a personal grudge against him and his father, but would he go so far as to take out the entire Avengers? Hank Pym seemed just as unlikely.
That left C: Nick Fury.
But why would Fury — the man who founded the Avengers — want to destroy them? And even if he did, did he have the power to pull it off?
Unless he called in Captain Marvel… but she was unlikely to help him slaughter innocent teammates.
The more they analyzed, the murkier the mystery became.
Even the smartest players were left frustrated — they could see the connection between the two questions, but there still wasn't enough to make a precise judgment.
_____
T/N:
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