Certain events in the Marvel Universe are immutable.
Just as Doctor Strange could only become the Sorcerer Supreme after losing the use of his hands, some stories must happen to preserve the stability of the Marvel Universe.
Tony Stark's disappearance is one such fixed point. It marked the beginning of the Marvel Universe's age of chaos—the prologue that opened the curtain to turmoil. From then on, all manner of supernatural forces began to emerge.
A closer look at Marvel's history shows that before Iron Man appeared, supernatural incidents worldwide were rare. That scarcity allowed S.H.I.E.L.D., with only a small team, to maintain the illusion of peace and stability across the globe.
"If I'm not mistaken, from the birth of Iron Man to Thanos' invasion, it was only a few years, right?"
Remembering these details, Herman sighed to himself, sparing a moment of silent mourning for the humans of the Marvel Universe.
In the years that followed, Earth's people endured one disaster after another. It was a truly high-risk world, unforgiving to ordinary humans. If we were comparing tragedies, only the Dragon Ball world—with its frequent global near-extinctions—could surpass it.
But if we singled out New York City within the Marvel Universe, it might not lose even to Dragon Ball. As ground zero for catastrophe after catastrophe, its yearly reconstruction budget alone could sustain several struggling nations.
[Breaking News: Stark Industries director Obadiah is offering $30 million for information on Tony Stark!]
The TV screen cut to a reporter's interview.
"Tony is like a nephew to me. I refuse to believe he died in such a place. No matter the cost, I will find him!"
Obadiah, a bald man with a full white beard and the oily charm of a politician, wept on live television, selling the image of a grieving uncle. But Herman knew the truth—Tony Stark's disappearance was this man's doing.
"Talk about crocodile tears."
Herman marveled at Obadiah's performance. Bald men really did excel in some areas—this one had clearly maxed out his acting skill.
"Thirty million for clues about Stark? If I just bring him back myself, won't he have to hand me his entire fortune?"
Herman chuckled, grabbing the remote. Every channel showed Obadiah, so he finally switched to the kids' channel.
He had no interest in the thirty million. Watching Peppa Pig was more worthwhile. He didn't believe for a second Obadiah would ever pay that money.
More likely, anyone who revealed Stark was alive would find assassins sent to silence him. Obadiah would order Stark's death first, then tack on a second job to erase the informant as well.
"I'm not interested in that pocket change either."
Herman opened his office computer and logged into the account linked to his [Top-Tier Tycoon] identity.
As a billionaire pulling in hundreds of billions annually, this status gave him far more than just Umbrella Corporation. It came with assets to match, and from a worldly perspective, it offered Herman enormous convenience.
"Matt!"
After reviewing his portfolio, Herman called his personal lawyer into the office. He needed legal advice.
Umbrella's in-house legal team was solid, but Herman trusted his own "home base" subordinates more—not every lawyer doubled as a superhero.
"Boss, you called?"
Matt had been slacking lately.
Originally, he'd planned to investigate the company's strange operations, but he'd gotten swept up in the "one big family" atmosphere.
And honestly, when he wasn't moonlighting as a superhero, working here wasn't bad at all.
His only real question was how Herman actually made money, considering the company's only product so far was a TV show that still hadn't aired.
"Heard about Stark Industries?" Herman asked while scanning his computer, rubbing his chin.
"Of course. Who would've thought that playboy would fall this far? The shockwaves are already hitting several industries hard."
Matt's expression grew serious.
"His downfall… it'll definitely impact the upper echelon." Herman nodded in agreement.
Stark Industries wasn't just an arms dealer—it had its hands in countless industries, with cooperative projects across the board.
And Tony Stark was the backbone holding it all together. Without him, it was an earthquake for every partner company tied to Stark Industries.
Whether the company could maintain its former glory without Stark was anyone's guess—and that uncertainty was why its stock price had collapsed.
"Boss, did you call me in because you're holding Stark Industries stock?" Matt made a reasonable guess.
For many wealthy people, investing in Stark Industries had always been a guaranteed win—at least before Tony Stark went missing.
If Herman really owned a large number of Stark shares, that would explain how he could afford to support so many people around him.
Matt had speculated more than once about Herman's financial resources.
Though he always felt Herman was dangerous, he was sure this man wasn't some bloodthirsty villain. After all, true villains wouldn't watch Pocoyo, Boohbah... or, wait—was that Peppa Pig playing on TV right now? The voice alone was unmistakable.
"I don't own any Stark shares at the moment, but I've seen a lot of people dumping theirs. I'm planning to buy in while the price is low."
Herman wasn't tempted by a mere tens of millions because he had his eye on a much bigger opportunity. Stark Industries stock was crashing fast. Since no one else knew Stark was alive, most assumed the company was finished.
Even the so-called stock guru of the Marvel Universe, Warren Buffett, had joined the sell-off.
After all, Stark had been blown up in Afghanistan by a missile manufactured by his own company. Who would believe he was still alive?
"Boss, if you've got money burning a hole in your pocket, you could just give it to people who actually need it," Matt muttered after a long pause.
What kind of logic was this?
Everyone else was desperate to unload Stark shares, yet his boss wanted to buy more? Blind to the situation and still trying to play the stock market? Matt was already wondering where he'd work next after Herman inevitably went bankrupt.
"I'm not joking. Before, it was hard enough to even get your hands on Stark stock. Right now is a golden opportunity."
Herman spoke with complete seriousness. Unlike the others, he knew Stark wasn't dead and would eventually return with inventions that would change the world.
Buying Stark stock now was like mining Bitcoin back in 2009—it was an easy fortune waiting to be made.
Of course, money wasn't his only goal. Herman wasn't particularly interested in wealth; the profits from Umbrella Corporation already gave him more than enough to spend freely.
"If I held a large enough stake, could I become a major shareholder of Stark Industries and influence the choice of CEO and Chairman?"
This wasn't some twisted scheme on Herman's part. It came from something every boy dreamed of—wearing a suit of armor.
Who wouldn't want to put on an Iron Man suit? Faced with steel armor and the chance to become Iron Man himself, no boy would hesitate.
"I don't think that's a good idea. With the playboy gone, Stark Industries has lost its pillar. Its decline is only a matter of time." Matt didn't answer Herman's question directly, instead voicing his opinion cautiously.
"That's not the answer I want to hear."
Herman turned to Matt.
His tone wasn't sharp, his gaze wasn't piercing, yet Matt—blind though he was—still felt an immense pressure pressing down on him.
Matt let out a heavy sigh before speaking again.
"Even now, getting enough shares to influence the board isn't easy."
He phrased it carefully, but the implication was clear: he didn't think Herman had that kind of money.
"True. A starving camel is still bigger than a horse." Herman agreed, glancing at his bank account with a hint of concern.
"Tony Stark holds forty percent of Stark Industries shares, while Obadiah controls another twenty."
"To gain enough influence to rival Stark's position, you'd need at least over forty percent yourself."
"And even then, you still couldn't shake Tony Stark's dominance. Obadiah has always stood firmly with the Stark family."
"Now that Tony Stark is gone, with no relatives to inherit, it's almost certain that Obadiah, that incompetent fool, will end up with Stark's shares."
Matt had finally shown a bit of his professional expertise, while at the same time making it clear to Herman that Stark Industries no longer had a future.
"So you're saying only 35% of the shares are in circulation right now?" Herman's focus was on something else entirely.
"To be precise, only about 10% are actually on the market. A large portion is tied up in the hands of major capital groups."
Matt explained patiently. He thought Herman had sounded disappointed earlier. Did he really not understand how much 35% would cost?
"Ten percent… I saw even Buffett dumping shares. I'm guessing those big investment banks will be selling theirs soon too, right?"
Herman watched the stock fluctuations on his computer. "At this rate, do you think a hundred billion would be enough to buy up everything being sold off?"
His tone held some uncertainty. This was his first time trying something like bottom-fishing, so he felt a little inexperienced.
"…"
Matt's face was a sight to behold.
"What did you just say?"
Even with his sharp hearing, Matt thought he must've misheard.
Seeing Matt's stunned expression, Herman assumed he thought the money was too little. With a sigh, he said, "Right now I only have a hundred billion in cash. If I had some time, I could liquidate a few properties and pull together a few dozen billion more."
But time wasn't on his side.
If S.H.I.E.L.D. confirmed Stark was alive, those dumped shares would become impossible to buy. After all, Baldy didn't set up safehouses everywhere on embezzlement alone.
"Boss, are you kidding me?" Matt was completely thrown off, his face a mix of disbelief and shock.
Listen to this.
One hundred billion—and he said that's all he has!?
And if he sold off some property, he could casually add a few dozen billion more!?
If Herman was telling the truth, Matt realized he didn't need to wonder anymore why this company ran so leisurely. This was real money. The kind of wealth where feeding thousands of people wouldn't even be a problem.
But… was that even possible? How many people in the world had assets in the hundreds of billions?
"I don't joke about things like this."
Herman was already buying up Stark shares in bulk. They weren't quite at rock-bottom, but they were still a steal.
"Where the hell did you get that kind of money?!"
Matt was starting to question whether Herman was in some shady business. Wasn't this place supposed to be a Mutant base?
"Didn't I tell you I also own a publicly traded company? Umbrella Corporation. Ever heard of it?"
Herman kept clicking away calmly. "My name should be on the Forbes list. Not sure what rank though."
Not even knowing if you're on the rich list?
That was next-level humble bragging.
Matt admitted he'd been hit hard by that one.
But Herman really wasn't lying.
He had only gained the [Top-Tier Tycoon] identity from the [All-Seeing Eye] about ten hours ago. He genuinely hadn't checked the Forbes rankings yet—though in the Marvel Universe, that list carried even more weight than on his past Earth.
"Of course I know Umbrella Corporation. The cane I'm using was made by them… A giant pharmaceutical company like that belongs to you?"
Matt was floored, enough to slip back into formal speech.
"Oh? We make canes too?"
Herman glanced at the cane in Matt's hand. Sure enough, it now bore Umbrella's unique logo. Another reminder of the [All-Seeing Eye]'s power. Shaking his head slightly, he refocused on buying up more shares.
Matt didn't even know what to say anymore. He had always thought his boss was just a spoiled rich kid, but now he realized he was looking at a financial giant.
Yes.
Umbrella Corporation was so massive that "capitalist" didn't even fit—"tycoon" was closer to the truth. In the medical field, Umbrella stood where Stark Industries did in weapons.
"If you're serious about stepping into arms and heavy industry, investing in Osborn Industries or Hammer Industries would be a solid choice."
"Stark Industries' current head, Obadiah, isn't a competent manager. He lacks Stark's genius and vision."
Matt hadn't realized Herman really had that kind of wealth. Now that he did, he felt compelled to stop this reckless stock-buying spree.
"What if Stark isn't dead?"
Herman smiled faintly.
After a quick string of trades, he had already snapped up a large number of dumped shares.
"Huh?"
Matt froze.
The thought had never even crossed his mind.
"That's unlikely. I've got journalist friends in Afghanistan. They said the blast site was way too close. The chances of survival were basically zero."
As someone connected to the industry, Matt had access to plenty of inside news. He didn't think Herman's channels should be worse than his own, even if he was just a struggling lawyer.
"Maybe. But you could call it a gamble—I'm betting Stark survived." Herman, of course, couldn't reveal the truth.
He just gave Matt a knowing smile, likening himself to a gambler. That confidence left Matt unsettled.
Did this boss know something deeper? Was he certain the playboy was alive?
Daredevil, Attorney Matt, wasn't stupid. His instincts guessed part of the truth, though he had no idea what he was really missing.
...
Over a month later, when Tony Stark returned to New York, Matt would finally understand. The only thing that had stood between him and becoming a billionaire was his lack of faith in Herman's judgment.