[1999: Your hunch was spot on. The intel from Steve Rogers was a real jaw-dropper. Thanks to you and Einstein beating everyone to the punch with the Arc Reactor, Stark Industries in this timeline had leaned more towards biomed. Back in the original timeline, Howard and Maria Stark got whacked by the Winter Soldier because Howard cooked up five batches of Super Soldier Serum, and some Hydra goon lurking in SHIELD's higher-ups got wind of it. But in this world, it looked like Tony Stark might have scored the complete recipe for the Super Soldier Serum.]
[2000: According to official market valuations, your company, Starlight Corp, had hit a market cap of over 1.5 trillion, basically on par with Apple Inc. in the real world. With your 85% stake, you were losing a cool million every minute. At this rate, you'd be broke in a mere 300 years. Not bad, all things considered. In July, you had your first meet-up with Tony Stark at some fancy gala. He seemed like a decent guy, pretty humble for a young'un—though, let's be real, nobody had the right to be arrogant in your presence. But Winston, your AI buddy, told you he didn't vibe with Stark. His reason? Smart people's auras just clash. You: "????" ]
[2001: Even in the 21st century, you hadn't forgotten about finding a bedmate. Aside from your weathered aura, you looked like you were in your twenties. The public was clueless about your vampirism, figuring you were just a war hero and legendary scientist hopped up on anti-aging serums. Meanwhile, after years of practicing the Ripple Breathing Technique and continuous refinement of the Super Soldier Serum, you could feel your intellect, strength, and agility steadily increasing, and you hadn't even hit your limit yet.]
[2002: After 18 years of blood, sweat, and tears, you finally synthesized an isotope of the Tesseract. Way harder than it looked in the movies, let me tell you. As a scientist, you could confidently say that pulling off new element creation like in the movies was a load of bull, a total violation of the law of conservation of energy! To create this "Star Element," you first dropped a fortune on a 4-kilometer-long superconducting supercollider, zapping it with 5 terawatts of power, just to smash subatomic particles and fuse new atomic nuclei. This process alone took at least three days. This new element, which you dubbed [Stellarium], was an incredibly potent energy source. Not only was it safe and clean, but it also boosted the energy output of miniature Arc Reactors threefold, hitting a whopping 6 billion joules per second.]
[2003: You stepped back into the limelight, taking the reins of Starlight Corp once again, and announced your entry into the clean energy sector, focusing primarily on controlled nuclear fusion. Humanity's energy history was about to get a major rewrite.]
[2005: Stark Industries announced they'd successfully developed a human enhancement serum, drawing the attention of the entire world. Your hunch was right on the money.]
[Late 2005: You learned that Bruce Banner, in a freak lab accident, got blasted by a massive dose of gamma radiation, splitting off a second personality—the Hulk. He could now transform at will. The green guy was now on the scene. You tracked down the Hulk and had a little brawl. No clear winner emerged.]
[2006: With the help of Winston and Dr. Zola, you started developing an Iron Suit, using the miniature Arc Reactor as its core. You made it a habit to spar with the Hulk every now and then. You could tell the big guy was starting to get a complex.]
[Late 2006: Tony Stark vanished during a business negotiation, only to resurface half a month later. Upon his return, he immediately fired Obadiah Stane and sued him for attempted murder. Meanwhile, a new superhero decked out in a gold and crimson suit started making waves on the streets of New York. Just like your old-world Batman, this guy had peak human physique, and his suit was packed with all sorts of high-tech goodies. It was ridiculously over-the-top, even equipped with thrusters for flight and gliding. This hero called himself Phoenix Man. Of course, you knew Phoenix Man was just Tony Stark, being as flashy as humanly possible.]
[Early 2007: Sure enough, with SHIELD hot on his heels, Tony Stark casually admitted he was Phoenix Man. Later, during a press conference, he tossed aside the script SHIELD had prepared for him and declared, "I am Phoenix Man!" Watching Tony on TV, Winston remarked, "That guy is way too showy. I'd rather die than pull a stunt like that." You chuckled, saying nothing. Truth be told, you could see that Winston was just lonely and wanted a new friend.]
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[2007: You completed your first Iron Suit, a beast far superior to anything in the movies. Winston took a real shine to it, so you just gave it to him. Winston named it "The Stomper." For the first time, the Hulk actually ran from a fight with you!]
[March 2007: Winston started zipping around in The Stomper, playing the hero and helping folks left and right. People started calling him Iron Man. Because of his unique height and build, some even figured out Winston's real identity. Anyway, you could tell he was having a blast. The Hulk, on the other hand, wasn't having such a great time. You went for another round with him, and he got his green butt handed to him.]
[May 2007: Steve Rogers himself paid you a visit, asking if the Iron Suit was your handiwork. You owned up to it and told him Iron Man was actually Winston. Faced with his old war buddy, Steve didn't have much to say, except to ask Winston to deny his identity at a press conference. But at the conference, Winston, too, ditched the script and belted out, "I am Iron Monkey!" Iron Monkey?! You were having tea at the time, and even your legendary composure cracked. You did a spit-take all over your screen.]
[July 2007: Phoenix Man and Iron Monkey had a throwdown in the streets of New York. Iron Monkey came out slightly on top. Tony Stark started upgrading the Phoenix Armor, aiming to create an Iron Monkey-buster suit. He set his sights on Vibranium. Coincidentally, so did you. You bought up a ton of Vibranium to upgrade the materials for your miniature Arc Reactors, crafting even more advanced Iron Suits.]
[August 2007: With Steve Rogers playing peacemaker, Winston and Tony Stark buried the hatchet and even became buddies. You were happy to see Winston make a new friend. On the flip side, something not so happy happened. When you went to find Bruce Banner, the Hulk refused to come out and play.]
[2007-2010: As the new decade rolled in, you rolled out seven generations of Iron Suits. You even gifted one each to your old pals Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter for their birthdays. Even Tony Stark got one, though he claimed he never accepted gifts from men. Of course, he tsundere-accepted it in the end. As a thank you, he gifted you one of his Phoenix Suits. (You have acquired the Epic-grade item: Phoenix Suit Model 1.)]
[April 2010: Just like in the original storyline, a hammer fell from the sky, landing in New Mexico. You were pretty invested in this, so you and Steve Rogers headed to New Mexico together. What happened next caught you off guard. Steve Rogers easily lifted Mjolnir and gained the power of Thor! A late-to-the-party Thor could only yell to the heavens, "No..." But in the end, things went back on track. After an intense battle, Thor reclaimed his hammer and defeated the Destroyer. The only one worried was Steve Rogers. After witnessing the power of Thor and the Destroyer, he started to think that Earth might be facing more and more alien threats.]
[July 2010: The Hulk and Abomination had a major showdown in downtown New York. But with you and three Iron Suits on the scene, it was hardly a big deal. The Hulk turned back into Banner the second he saw you, and a surrounded Abomination was dumbstruck. With SHIELD's Deputy Director Nick Fury providing backup, the damage was minimal, and there were no casualties.]
[September 2010: After witnessing more and more uncontrollable powers, Steve Rogers invited you to rejoin SHIELD to counter unknown threats. After some thought, you agreed and resumed your position as SHIELD Director. Of course, Steve Rogers and Nick Fury still handled the day-to-day operations. You preferred to have your fate in your own hands rather than being ordered around.]
[April 2011: You started loading up SHIELD's Helicarrier with a bunch of new weaponry.]
[June 2012: Despite all precautions, Loki still managed to lock onto the Tesseract's energy signature, appearing in the underground base and making off with it. Mid-June, at your suggestion, the Watchmen... er, I mean, the Avengers were formed. You, Winston, Thor, Tony Stark, Black Widow, Hulk, Hawkeye, Steve Rogers, and Peggy Carter made up the new generation of Avengers. You even custom-made an Iron Suit for each of them, because money was basically just a number to you.]
[July 2012: Loki still managed to open the portal. But when the Chitauri poured through, they were met with a fully prepped Helicarrier and six Iron Suits... It was a cakewalk, much easier than anyone expected. The hilariously clumsy Loki even face-planted, as usual... Under your leadership, you easily defeated the Chitauri and Loki, even snagging the Mind Stone scepter. Even Thor, who came to assist, was stunned. In the end, the Tesseract stayed on Earth because everyone, including Thor, agreed that Earth was safer than Asgard at the moment.]