The next five years became a legend in both MIT and Columbia University—so much so that professors whispered Alex's name with the same reverence they had once reserved for Einstein and Hawking.
The Stark Meteor
Alex grew from an 11-year-old prodigy to a terrifyingly accomplished 16-year-old polymath, surpassing every standard set before him.
Degrees Completed at MIT
Mathematics – PhD
Physics – PhD
Chemistry – PhD
Computer Science – PhD
Finance – PhD
Business – PhD
Classmates could only watch in disbelief as Alex aced courses meant for graduate students while attending multiple departments simultaneously. Some thought Tony was helping him. They were wrong.
Alex was simply Alex.
Columbia University – Medical Department
While MIT was handling the scientific prodigy, Columbia was wrestling with another problem:
A 16-year-old who could dissect at the speed of a surgeon, diagnose faster than a machine, and debate professors until they were sweating.
Alex completed his Doctor of Medicine (MD) before most students finished their first residency rotation.
He was officially:
—The Youngest Doctor and Youngest Multi-Discipline PhD Holder on Earth.
The media called him:
"The Stark Polymath.""The Boy Who Outran Time.""The Stark Super-Prodigy."
Tony called him:
"My little brother who makes me look like a college dropout."
He bragged at every press event, every interview, every board meeting—sometimes even in the middle of product launches.
The Gwen–Helen Cold War
Gwen Stacy and Helen Cho had started as friends.Now… not so much.
The two brilliant women found themselves constantly orbiting Alex. And orbit inevitably leads to collision.
Gwen Stacy (23):A genius in biophysics, always smiling, warm, supportive… except when Helen was around Alex.
Helen Cho (26):Doctor of molecular biology, precise, disciplined, elegant… except when Gwen got too close to Alex.
Their arguments became campus-famous:
Gwen:"Alex belongs in my department today. He promised to help with genome imaging!"
Helen:"You must be confused. He's assisting me with stem-cell reconstruction. Or do you have memory issues?"
Gwen:"Oh? And here I thought you're just jealous he likes my experiments more."
Helen:"Jealous? Of an undergraduate? Sweetie, please."
Students secretly filmed them and posted clips online. The internet went wild.
Alex, completely unaware:
"I don't understand why they keep glaring at each other."
Tony:
"Buddy… that's because they're glaring over you. Trust me."
Tony Stark: Loudest Brother in the World
Tony took any opportunity to boast.
Board meeting?He slid in Alex's GPA.
Press conference?He talked about Alex's latest publication.
Shareholder interview?He mentioned Alex's medical license.
The board of Stark Industries suffered quietly until Pepper started enforcing a limit:
"Tony, only three Alex-brags per meeting."
Tony didn't listen.
Alex's Hidden Power Growth
During these five years, Alex spent nights quietly leveling his system:
Swordsmanship (Yamato):
From beginner swings to Vergil-level precision.
Ope-Ope Domain:
Expanded from room-scale to small-building range.
Healing Flames:
Now strong enough to regenerate major wounds.
Perfect Mind + Perfect Body:
His reaction time rivaled superhumans—though he stayed low-key.
He occasionally sparred with Tony's training drones, slicing them apart with Yamato while blindfolded.
JARVIS once muttered:
"Sir, statistically, the young master is… problematic."
Tony smirked proudly.
The World Begins to Notice
By year five, governments, universities, and corporations worldwide began sending letters, invitations, offers, and even covert recruiters.
Alex ignored all of them.
He preferred:
Research
Training
Spending time with Gwen and Helen
Teasing Tony
Studying medicine deeper
He didn't realize he was building a reputation that would soon shake the world.