-EXT. METROPOLIS SKYLINE – DAY-
High above the city, Lex Luthor hovered in the air in his glowing Lexorian Warsuit, green plasma humming from his back thrusters as he soared toward the Daily Planet. A small transmitter blinked on his HUD.
Lex Luthor: (commanding tone) Engineer. Muse. Rendezvous top of the Daily Planet. We begin phase two now.
Then suddenly...
Iron Man MK II roared in from above like a missile, slamming into Lex's side.
Iron Man (Alexander): (shouting) HEY, SHITTY BALD HEAD! ROUND TWO NOW!!
He grabbed Lex in mid-air and violently tackled him, both of them crashing through a billboard and smashing into the grass of a nearby soccer field, shattering the goal post and sending turf flying.
Alexander rose from the crater, his armor gleaming and alive with blue arcs of energy. He stomped forward, fuming.
Iron Man: STUFF IT, JERK! YOU'VE HAD IT NOW, MISTER! YOU MAY BE STRONG IN THAT ARMOR OF YOURS... BUT MY STRENGTH?
He reached down and lifted Lex Luthor's heavy warsuit with both hands.
Iron Man: (furious) IS A FUCKING LIMITLESS TO END YOU!
With a roar, Alexander raised Lex over his head, ready to break him Bane-style but before he could bring the slam.
"WHAM!"
The Engineer rocketed in like a bullet, tackling Iron Man mid-lift and knocking both of them across the field. Lex dropped to the ground with a metallic thud, groaning.
Iron Man: (recovering, yelling) WAIT!? I KNOW YOU!!
He grabbed the Engineer by the face and slammed her into the ground, denting the turf until suddenly.
"SPLAT!"
Something hit his helmet a thick smear of red paint.
Iron Man: (stumbling back, confused) What the what was that!?
He turned and froze.
A shirtless man walked toward him with eerie calm. His lean, muscular chest was marked with black paint smudges. He wore dark suspenders, a painter's glove, and held a long, red-dripping paintbrush in one hand and a palette smeared with black and red in the other. His smooth white mask had black vertical streaks dripping from the eyes like ink tears.
Alexander stared.
Iron Man: (bewildered) Who the hell are you?
The figure tilted his head slightly.
Muse: (softly, like a whisper through the void) Call me... Muse.
He raised his brush more like a weapon than a tool and took a step forward.
Muse: And your pain... will be my canvas.
Iron Man stood over the eerie figure known as Muse, staring him down, the tension thick in the air.
Without hesitation, Iron Man blasted Muse point-blank with his repulsor beam, the energy strike launching Muse back like a ragdoll. He crashed into the bleachers and slumped motionless.
Iron Man: (dusting his hands) Cheap Rorschach knock-off.
But just as he turned, his eyes widened Lex Luthor, battered but mobile, was already jetting back into the sky with the remaining power of his Lexorian Warsuit.
Iron Man: (shouting) Oh no you don't!
He crouched, ready to blast off after Luthor but just as his boots flared up, Engineer grabbed his leg mid-takeoff.
Engineer: Not so fast.
"WHIRR-CLANK!"
She activated her flight systems, dragging Iron Man high into the air and with a powerful mid-air spin, she flipped and slammed Iron Man down like a meteor.
"BOOM!"
Alexander crashed back into the soccer field, the grass torn up and his armor sparking as he hit the ground hard. Dazed, but alive.
JARVIS: (inside the helmet, calmly) Sir… the tracker you embedded on Luthor's warsuit is active. He's heading toward Superman's location… and according to diagnostics, the damage you dealt to the suit is at 68%.
Iron Man: (groaning, pushing himself up) Good to hear, JARVIS… at least someone had a worse day than me.
As he rose shakily, Engineer landed in front of him with precision, ready to strike again. But before he could react, Alexander's HUD pinged.
JARVIS: Sir… Muse is rising again. Right beside you.
Iron Man glanced to his left and sure enough, Muse was standing up, eerily calm, wiping red paint from his chest like it was nothing. He cocked his head, unreadable behind the mask.
Iron Man: (whispering inside helmet)
JARVIS, scan him. Who the hell is this guy?
JARVIS: Unknown, sir. No records found. No metadata. His appearance and biometric profile don't match any database.
Iron Man: Then I knock him out again.
Iron Man blasted off the ground, aiming straight at Muse but Muse didn't move. Instead, when Alexander threw a punch, Muse caught his fist mid-air effortlessly.
Muse: (softly) Predictable brushstroke.
WHAM!
Muse headbutted Iron Man, cracking the outer visor with inhuman force.
And before Alexander could fully recover, Engineer struck from behind, activating a mechanized chainsaw blade that spun with a shrill screech aimed for Iron Man's spine.
But Alexander's eyes flared with resolve.
Iron Man: Nice try.
He twisted, grabbing the chainsaw mid-spin with both gauntlets. Sparks flew as he ripped it apart, metal screeching under the sheer force of his MK II armor's strength.
Iron Man: You two are starting to piss me off.
He threw the pieces aside, now standing between the two enemies Muse on one side, Engineer on the other.
Iron Man (to JARVIS): Mark these two on my list… I want full power next round. This isn't over.
Muse suddenly darted toward him like a blur of twisted artistry, diving low and grabbing both of Iron Man's legs, clamping on like a vice.
Iron Man: (startled) What in the world!?
Before he could react, Engineer's arms morphed, transforming into a rotating Gatling gun, the barrels spinning with a high-pitched whine.
Iron Man: Holy shit!
The Gatling gun unleashed a torrent of bullets, ripping into Iron Man's armor, sparks and micro-shrapnel flying. Muse, clinging to him, was hit point-blank but didn't even flinch. Unfazed.
Iron Man: JARVIS! This freak's not even reacting!
Muse, expressionless behind his inked mask, calmly reached into a pouch on his belt... and pulled out a spoon.
Iron Man: (disgusted) A spoon!? What the fuck is wrong with you!?
Muse suddenly began stabbing at Iron Man's chest repulsor, targeting the glowing arc core with precise, unnatural rhythm.
JARVIS: (alarmed) Sir, the chest repulsor is sustaining direct damage. Integrity is at 42% and falling!
Iron Man: (gritting teeth) Then let me do it!
As Muse raised the spoon again for a final thrust, Iron Man's chest repulsor charged fully and with a surge of desperate power, blasted Muse at point-blank range.
Muse let out a warped scream as the beam sliced off his right arm, sending blood and paint-like fluid spraying. The detached arm spun in the air.
Iron Man: (panting) Let's see how that tastes, creep.
Grabbing Muse's severed arm, Iron Man launched himself into the air, homing in on Engineer. As she turned in shock, Iron Man grabbed her head pried open her mouth and shoved Muse's severed arm down her throat.
Engineer: (gagging, muffled) Mmmmmm!
Her systems glitched, sparks flying from her neckbthen she snapped, bear-hugging Iron Man, her nanite body beginning to melt and wrap around his armor.
Iron Man: (struggling) JARVIS! What the hell is this!?
JARVIS: Sir these are adaptive nanites. They are attempting to smother the armor completely sealing off all airflow.
Engineer spit Muse's arm from her mouth, her voice now unhinged and rage-filled.
Engineer:
You'll die in my palm of my hands , Ex-Father!
Luthor accepted me but you! You ju-!
Iron Man cut her off, gripping her by the neck.
No words. He blasted off into the sky past the clouds upward.
Higher..
Past the stratosphere. Into orbit...
Engineer: (panicking) STOP! LET ME GO!!
But Iron Man was silent. The MK II suit trembled under the pressure of high altitude, ice creeping along the plates, the AI HUD flickering.
JARVIS: Sir… we are breaching the upper atmosphere. The MK II is freezing. Systems will go offline in five seconds.
Iron Man (grimly):...Brace for impact.
THEY FELL...
Like a meteor, the two spiraled downward burning through the sky slamming back into the soccer field in a massive, earth-shaking crater.
"BOOOOOOM!"
Muse was blown away by the shockwave, tumbling into nearby ruins.
Smoke, fire, and silence followed. Then Iron Man's MK II armor, cracked, blackened, nearly destroyed, powered on again, barely. He slowly rose from the crater, nanite sludge peeling off his body like ash.
He turned to see Engineer, mangled and half-destroyed, sparks popping from her broken form.
Alexander slowly knelt beside her, the wind blowing softly through the wreckage.
Iron Man (quietly): I'm sorry for abandoning you like a clanker... Angela. But Lex Luthor… he's using you. Just like a tool. Like a machine.
Engineer, weak and broken, stared up at him tears welling behind her mechanical eyes.
Iron Man looked away, and with a soft blast, took off into the sky, leaving her behind in silence.
Engineer: (tears falling) I HATE YOU!!!
Her scream echoed in the crater...
-EXT. LEXCORP-
In the dimly lit chamber of LexCorp's secret underground facility, the air hummed with the ominous energy of advanced technology. Lex Luthor, clad in his imposing armor Warsuit stood before a restrained Superman, a smug smirk playing on his lips.
Lex Luthor: (mockingly) Well, Superman, it seems our little game of cat and mouse has reached its conclusion. Say goodbye to your precious Metropolis.
Superman, weakened but defiant, glared back at Lex, determination burning in his eyes.
Superman: You won't win, Luthor. The people of Metropolis will always stand against you.
Lex Luthor chuckled darkly, raising his hand to activate the energy cannon mounted on his suit's arm.
Lex Luthor: (coldly) Let's put an end to this, shall we?
Just as Lex Luthor was about to unleash the devastating blast, a sudden blur of movement caught his attention. Before he could react, a powerful kick sent him staggering backward, his armor clanging against the metal walls.
Lex Luthor: (snarling) You!
As Lex Luthor regained his footing, he beheld a figure standing before him, adorned in a sleek suit of red and gold armor like almost half-destroy. It was Invincible Iron Man, his presence radiating confidence and resolve.
Iron Man: That's right, Luthor. The party's over.
Turning to Lois Lane, who was frantically trying to free Superman from his restraints, Iron Man spoke with a touch of chivalry.
Iron Man: Lady, get Superman out of here. I'll handle Mr. Bald and Dangerous.
Lois nodded gratefully, quickly unfastening the bindings around Superman's wrists as Iron Man faced off against Lex Luthor.