Tony Stark deflated instantly when he heard Peter Parker claim he didn't know him.
Turning around, he complained to Thor, "I can't believe there are people in this world who don't know me!"
"Haha!"
Thor laughed loudly and patted him on the shoulder.
Nick Fury, who had been silent the whole time, stepped forward. He looked at Peter, who scratched his head sheepishly.
"Sir, may I know where you're from? Of course, if answering this will expose your identity, you don't have to."
Peter didn't hesitate. "It's fine. Everyone knows I'm Spider-Man—the friendly neighborhood hero of New York. I'm pretty popular back home!"
"…What? New York?"
Tony, who had just recovered from his small breakdown, immediately stepped forward.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you? You pretended not to know me just to get my attention! Fine—congratulations, it worked!"
Peter ignored Tony's dramatic accusation.
Nick Fury's expression grew serious. The kid's voice was young—immature even—and everything about him suggested he was telling the truth.
But something didn't add up.
A New Yorker who had never heard of Tony Stark?
A New Yorker who claimed "everyone" knew Spider-Man, yet he, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., had never heard of him?
And Nick knew street-level heroes like Daredevil.
There was only one explanation.
Nick pointed at Steve Rogers.
"Alright then. Mr. Spider-Man—do you know him?"
Peter gave an awkward shrug.
Nick snapped his fingers. "Knew it!"
He turned to Tony and Steve. "Obviously, this Spider-Man is not from our universe."
"Huh? You mean multiverse?"
Tony blinked, finally connecting the dots.
"No wonder he doesn't know me… Hey! Spider-Boy! Do Captain America and Iron Man exist in your world? Does Tony Stark exist?"
—
Not far away, Wanda—who had been chatting quietly with Natasha—looked over when she heard "multiverse."
Natasha smiled gently at her. "Don't mind them. These guys are obsessed with multiverse theories."
She leaned closer, like a caring older sister. "Come on, let's go back to talking about Linen."
For an agent like Natasha, reading a seventeen-year-old girl—especially one intrigued by Linen and comfortable around her—was easy.
The two quickly became close.
—
While everyone was chatting, the system voice echoed across the theater:
[Please return to your seats. The video is about to begin.]
The lively room instantly quieted as everyone hurried back to their assigned seats.
Peter Parker, who had just learned these people were from parallel universes, blinked in confusion. He still had a thousand questions to ask.
"Hey, Spider-Boy!" Tony called out. "Don't just stand there. The video's about to play. Find your seat!"
"Or else the system will kick you out!"
Startled, Peter quickly obeyed. His seat was next to Steve.
After sitting down, he hesitated for a moment, then said, "Well, I'm not Spider-Boy. You can call me Peter."
The theater went completely dark—and then the screen lit up.
The first scene looked like it came straight out of the 1940s.
A skinny Steve Rogers sat on a bed, facing Dr. Erskine.
Everyone immediately realized this was Steve's past.
Steve's eyes softened with nostalgia.
"Can I ask you something?" young Steve on the screen said. "Why… why did you choose me?"
Dr. Erskine nodded. "That is the most important question."
The scene shifted. In the back seat of a car, Steve sat stiffly beside a beautiful woman—Peggy Carter—trying not to panic at their closeness.
The car drove past city streets as he explained how he'd been beaten up in an alley.
"So, you won't run away again?" Peggy asked with curiosity.
Steve paused. "If you run once, you'll always run. But if you stand and fight… you might win someday."
The camera flashed.
Thin, fragile Steve stood in an alley, using a trash-can lid as a shield while a bully knocked him down repeatedly. Every time, he got back up.
Then the scene shifted again—now Steve Rogers in uniform, charging into Hydra bases with the Howling Commandos.
On battlefields lit with fire and smoke, he was always leading from the front.
Everyone watched intently—even though they already knew Steve's history.
Peter, sitting next to Steve, felt like he was watching a blockbuster in an IMAX theater.
When Steve smashed a massive Hydra tank using only his shield, Peter burst out cheering.
"Hey, Peter—quiet."
Steve said softly, half embarrassed, half amused.
"Oh—sorry! Sorry! The visuals are just… Oh my god, it feels like I'm actually there."
"This looks even more real than a movie!"
Then Peter froze.
He looked at the legendary Captain America on the screen…
Then at the real Steve sitting right beside him.
And he clasped his head dramatically.
"Oh my God… the hero from the movie is sitting NEXT to me!"
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