The words seemed to echo the scene from years ago, on that aerospace carrier, when Captain Rogers had asked him, "If you were stripped of this suit, what would you be?"
He could still be a philanthropist, a playboy, a super-genius, a scholar. In short, even without the suit, he would still be an exceptional figure, one of the elite few at the pinnacle of human society.
If Peter Parker couldn't reach that level, then he didn't deserve the suit—he'd just be someone who relied on it to act with impunity.
"Damn it, this tone sounds just like my dad!" Tony Stark couldn't help but mock himself. It was eerily similar to his father's attitude back then.
He was increasingly becoming like the father he once despised.
Questioning his father, understanding his father, becoming a father himself.
Perhaps, back then, his dad had been right.
Though he still disagreed with his father's parenting methods, many of his father's words had been proven true years later—they were, in fact, the right course of action.
Watching this scene from off-screen, Tony Stark found himself lost in thought. Though he hadn't reached that age yet, he recognized the familiar patterns of thought.
At their core, they weren't even different people, but the same person.
"Tony, have you considered the flaws in your approach to his upbringing?" Nick Fury said. "You're shouldering everything yourself. You want to protect him, but you're shielding him too well."
"Is it wrong to protect him better?" Tony Stark retorted. "How old is the kid? Fourteen? Fifteen? He's just a child his age. He should be obedient, go to school, and maybe handle the occasional street brawl. Then, step by step..."
"And step by step toward the future you've envisioned for him?" Fury interrupted. "Just like you did. Did you follow the path your father laid out for you? Yet in academics, business, and scientific development, you've surpassed his expectations by leaps and bounds!"
"You have very high expectations for him, yet at the same time, you don't give him real opportunities to train. You know, being a superhero isn't an ordinary profession. You can't just follow a step-by-step training process. He has that kind of talent—you can't treat him differently just because he's a kid!" Nick Fury said. "And as you yourself said, you don't have many years left. Or rather, none of us do. The final battle against Thanos will be a life-or-death struggle. In this environment, a teenager should be learning to grow up on his own. After all, he'll have to face a world without you or us. Even though he caused trouble, he ultimately cleaned up the mess himself, didn't he?"
Everyone nodded in agreement. On this issue, Tony Stark was the perfect example of human double standards. He wanted Little Spider to grow up properly, yet he also wanted him to shoulder the responsibility of becoming the next Iron Man.
He hoped Little Spider would simply follow the path Tony had laid out for him. It was hard for the others to imagine that the usually calm and rational Tony Stark could be so irrational and unrealistic.
"I disagree with you on this matter," Tony Stark said earnestly. "Children should be in school. For example, about that future event—even if he hadn't come with me to Titan, he might not have died!"
The others exchanged glances, naturally understanding Tony Stark's anxiety. Especially since, in the future, Tony Stark had personally witnessed Little Spider Peter Parker die in his arms—a truly devastating moment.
For this timeline's Tony Stark, it was also a profound psychological trauma.
This made him even more convinced that children should grow up normally, like children. Saving the world?
Before his own death, he didn't need to worry about such things.
Seeing that they couldn't persuade him, the group reluctantly gave up.
Meanwhile, on the rooftop, Little Spider Peter Parker felt a warmth in his heart. Though the scene was distorted and Tony Stark was scolding him, that sternness laced with care felt like a father's love—exactly the feeling he had always lacked.
In this world, Uncle Ben died even earlier than in other versions, so he never had the care of a father. While Aunt May took very good care of him, it could never truly replace the feeling of having a father.
So, even though he was being scolded at that moment, he still felt a warmth in his heart.
Ultimately, it's because Tony Stark died too soon. He wasn't prepared for his death at all. Not just Pepper Potts, but even Little Spider were caught off guard. They rashly accepted Tony Stark's vast assets, making themselves targets.
He's been deprived of fatherly love since childhood, first having Uncle Ben, then Tony Stark. In some parallel universes, they say he even had a Venom version of a father. In short, he's always been a well-protected child.
He just wants to escape, which is why he's been so easily deceived. He can't even see through a simple trick!
Perhaps if Tony Stark were still alive, things wouldn't be this way. He hasn't met the person who gave him three moles—*Ugh, no, that's not it.* He hasn't met the person who truly taught him that with great power comes great responsibility.
Ah, this... everyone watching fell silent!
They had just watched Tony Stark scolding Little Spider, a scene filled with fatherly affection and filial piety. How had they suddenly jumped to Tony Stark's death?
Tony Stark shrugged slightly and said, "It's normal. Didn't we all analyze this before? I'm going to die at some point in the future."
Although everyone understood this—and some of them might even die themselves—seeing it happen was still deeply painful.
Tony Stark wondered if he had set the bar too high for this kid.
*With great power comes great responsibility?*
The phrase lit up their eyes, because it was precisely the philosophy they were now living by.
Tony Stark also began to doubt whether his original plan was right or wrong, his resolve wavering.
But he soon learned the reason.
Another video appeared, showing two men drinking in a tavern. One was Peter Parker, and the other was the mysterious figure who had briefly appeared before.
Tony Stark had already investigated and discovered the identity of this mysterious figure: Quentin Beck, an employee of his own company.
Tony hadn't figured out how Beck planned to scam him, and he didn't want to tip his hand, so he'd been holding back until now.
But now, it seemed he finally had a chance to see the whole picture.
Mysterio looked at Peter Parker, who was wearing a worried expression, and said, "Hey, you should be celebrating. We did a good thing tonight!"
"Yeah!" Peter Parker replied. "Fury was right. Tony's done so much for me. I owe him, I owe everyone!"
"Is that so?" Mysterio asked, feigning concern.
"Yes, I mean, Mr. Stark gave me a chance to grow. He wants me to do better, and Fury doesn't want me to let him down!" Peter Parker carefully shared his inner turmoil, continuing, "I want to be better, to prove I'm worthy of his trust."
"And what do you want, Peter?" Mysterio asked.
"What do you mean?" Peter Parker asked.
"What do you want?" Mysterio pressed.
Peter Parker shrugged. "I don't know..."
This answer stumped him. He truly didn't know what he wanted. Or rather, he was just a kid, still figuring things out. The only thing he'd ever truly wanted was not to disappoint his parents.
And now, his parents were Tony Stark. He didn't want to disappoint Tony Stark, not even now that Tony was gone. He didn't want to disappoint his spirit in heaven.
But now, everything had failed. He couldn't live up to what Tony had hoped for him, nor could he meet the world's expectations of him as Iron Man's successor. This was why he was so deeply consumed by self-blame.
The crushing weight of this pressure was palpable even to the audience watching from beyond the screen. The immense pressure Peter Parker was facing was so great that even Tony Stark himself might have wondered if he had put too much on the boy.
He didn't want to raise his own children the way his father had, with a belt, but he held immense hope for Peter Parker's future.
He quickly suppressed that sympathy, knowing that such compassion had no place here. While he could afford to be compassionate now, his future enemies certainly wouldn't show him any.
Just look at the lives of the other Spider-Men—none of them had anyone to rely on. They had to design their own suits, face every enemy alone, and trust no one.
Take The Amazing Spider-Man, for example. Even with bullets shattering his legs and leaving him in agony, he had to limp to Osborn Tower to stop Dr. Lizard from turning all of New York into Lizardmen.
Compared to them, this kid had experienced far too little. If he were content to be a street-level hero, handling minor threats like Kingpin, that would be one thing.
But in the eyes of many, he was Iron Man's successor.
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