Tony didn't agree with Natasha's words—well, not entirely.
He still believed the Watcher must have been blind not to choose him.
Erik shrugged. "Tony, everyone knows this is eating you up inside right now, but honestly? If the Watcher had picked you, you might've been the team's biggest weak point."
"Why?"
"Simple. Yes, you created Ultron, but once Ultron developed self-awareness, he completely slipped out of your control. In other words, you don't actually understand him. And don't forget, we're talking about another universe's you—which means you'd be even more unfamiliar with that Ultron."
"Meanwhile, Ultron's an artificial intelligence lifeform. He knows you a lot better than you know him. Picture this: you're in your armor, fighting him with your own AI, and Ultron effortlessly hacks it. What do you think would happen?"
Tony shot him an annoyed glare. "Never thought a relic from the '50s and '60s like you would actually know a thing or two about AI!"
Erik chuckled. "Charles shared some of the data he got from your people. Even an old relic has to keep up with the times, right?"
Tony snorted twice. "Charles really didn't think that one through. He should've observed you more befo—" He stopped mid-sentence, realizing Charles had likely read Erik's mind before trusting him.
Just then, the light screen flickered, and a new question popped up:
[The Watcher's Multiverse Guardians successfully defeated Ultron. Among the following, who performed the best in the battle?]
[A: Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange)
B: Gamora
C: Thor Odinson
D: Star-Lord (T'Challa)]
"Whoa! They actually pulled it off!" Natasha Romanoff couldn't help crying out in excitement.
Ultron had caused devastating damage to her and her world, his terrifying power leaving deep scars. Even though she'd just confidently said Ultron would be beaten, she'd had no real certainty in her heart.
Now, seeing the quiz outright reveal that victory was in the future, she couldn't help but feel elated.
Tony grumbled, "Well, without me in the lineup, this one's actually a tough call."
Homelander smirked and jabbed, "If the question was 'Who helped Ultron the most,' you'd definitely be on the list. In fact, I'm sure the correct answer would only be you, Tony Stark!"
Erik shook his head and said fairly, "No, if that question existed, I think the answer would be Thanos."
Bruce Banner joined in with a nod. "Yeah, I agree. Thanos did gift Ultron the Infinity Stones."
From Tony's perspective, these guys were all just waiting for a chance to laugh at him.
'Fine. Your turn will come. The quiz game spares no one.'
While chatting, they still analyzed the question. The new players knew little about the four choices, but veterans like Tony and Erik both remembered Doctor Strange vividly—especially the corrupted, "dark" version of him.
Both felt the MVP should be this darker Doctor Strange, but knowing the quiz game's habit of throwing curveballs, they hesitated.
When the countdown started, no one rushed to hit the buzzer—until Erik struck first. "I pick A!"
Tony glanced at him, then immediately chose A as well.
Homelander, sly as ever, abandoned his original choice the moment he saw the two veterans agree and picked A too.
Natasha and Bruce exchanged a look, then followed suit.
Erik rolled his eyes. "Seriously? None of you can think for yourselves? Why follow my choice?"
Tony shrugged. "Wrong—you didn't start a trend. We did."
Homelander folded his arms and laughed. "Two narcissists arguing about credit. I just happened to think of the same answer as you."
As they bickered, the countdown ended and the correct answer was revealed—
[Correct Answer: A – Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange)]
[Player Erik Lehnsherr answered first and earned 4 points]
[Player Tony Stark and Player Bruce Banner answered correctly and earned 1 point each]
It was Erik's first buzzer win in the game, but he didn't feel much joy—more like everyone else had watered it down.
Tony swayed his head smugly. "Stephen's not bad at all. Even after the Watcher turned down his plea for help, he still stepped up when the crisis came."
Natasha tilted her head. "You know what this parallel-universe Stephen went through?"
Tony sighed. "Let's just say…it's a tragically romantic story." He gave her a quick rundown of the dark Doctor Strange's tale.
While he spoke, the light screen began playing the video for the correct answer.
The footage showed the Guardians of the Multiverse gathered in a cozy tavern—one conjured by none other than the corrupted Doctor Strange himself, who played bartender.
The Watcher appeared and gave them a quick briefing about the multiversal crisis. Thor, looking completely unconvinced, thought it was just another one of Loki's pranks.
But when he pushed open the tavern door, he nearly jumped out of his skin—the outside world was a chaotic maelstrom of temporal rifts!
That sight quickly convinced the others the Watcher was telling the truth.
Captain Carter was the first to pledge her support, and the rest followed suit. After all, it wasn't like they had a choice.
The Watcher's "invitations" were more like abductions—just like the quiz game itself. Whether you liked it or not, you had to play along…or you weren't going home.
After learning about Ultron, they started planning. The consensus: to beat him, they had to neutralize his six Infinity Stones first.
Everyone was focused—until Thor suddenly blurted out something about grabbing fast food…
Outside the screen, Tony's lips twitched and he facepalmed. "See? This is exactly what I'm talking about! The Watcher would rather pick that guy than me? Blind as a bat."
Natasha shrugged. "Come on, Thor's at least a God."
_____
T/N:
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