The sheer destructive power on display, able to take on an entire army alone, reminded Steve of something Tony had said the last time they'd met. After a brief argument, Tony had told him bluntly that he was too weak.
But that wasn't the key takeaway. Steve also noticed the timestamp on the footage of Tony wiping out the Afghan terrorists—it was from 2008.
As much as Steve hated to admit it, Howard's son, Tony, was undeniably a genius. In the few years that had passed, Tony's Iron Man suits had likely gone through countless upgrades, each one more advanced than the last.
So, Steve continued watching the footage. The next video was dated June 8, 2010, a full two years later.
This time, it wasn't Tony who appeared first on the screen. Instead, a tall, blonde man with blue eyes, wearing old-fashioned armor and a cape, wielding a massive hammer, stood on a beach. He looked strong—very strong.
Steve's eyes narrowed as he watched this blonde man battling a towering, three-meter-tall metal monster that was entirely mechanical, unlike anything resembling a human.
The storm clouds gathered around them, making the scene hard to see clearly, but Steve could just make out lightning striking the blonde man's hammer. It seemed like this guy could control lightning itself, using it in battle. His strength was extraordinary.
Then came the moment that left Steve in stunned silence.
The video switched perspectives, adding a second split-screen from a bird's-eye view. As the blonde man fought the metal monster, Tony got the message. He took off from his estate, more than a hundred kilometers away.
Flying at six times the speed of sound, Tony's Iron Man suit ripped through the sky with the force of a thunderclap, the sonic booms echoing in Steve's ears, reverberating through the jet's cabin.
In just over a minute, Tony crossed over a hundred kilometers and arrived at the beach where the blonde man was fighting the metal creature. Without hesitation, Tony entered the fray, seamlessly joining the battle.
The two of them seemed to know each other, and their coordinated efforts managed to temporarily suppress the metal monster.
Tony unleashed a massive purple beam, easily over a hundred meters wide, that tore through the sea, creating a canyon-like rift in the water. But even that didn't manage to breach the metal monster's defenses.
Steve had no idea what this metal creature was, but one thing was clear: Tony's Iron Man suit had reached a level of power far beyond anything modern human technology could handle.
Even if they launched a full-scale nuclear attack, Tony would likely sense it coming and escape long before it hit.
As for the metal monster, its power far exceeded anything Steve could comprehend, let alone fight.
Just as Steve was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the spectacle, something else happened on the screen that made his jaw drop.
Out of nowhere, a purple vortex appeared in the sky, and from it stepped a tall, handsome man with black hair.
This man walked right up to the metal monster, tore it apart with his bare hands, and then casually disappeared.
"Who the hell is that?!" Steve blurted out, still in disbelief. "Is he part of the Avengers?"
Before watching this footage, Steve had thought of himself as strong—even in the modern world.
In fact, with five tons of strength, the ability to run forty-five meters per second, and bullets barely being able to break his skin, Steve was undoubtedly powerful by modern standards.
But compared to members of the Avengers like the Hulk or Tony Stark, his strength now seemed insignificant.
Even with his vibranium shield, facing off against Tony's Iron Man suit would be a death sentence. If Tony wanted him dead, Steve wouldn't even have time to react before being sent straight to heaven.
Tony's strength, at least, made sense. His power came from advanced technology, something Steve could somewhat grasp.
But that man at the end of the video—the one who tore the metal monster apart with his bare hands—his power was beyond anything Steve could understand.
"That man is Harvey Amberlock," Coulson explained, pausing for a moment as he saw Steve's reaction. "He's currently the most dangerous person on Earth, capable of wiping out an entire country like the U.S. single-handedly."
"If he chose to stand against the world, not even threats from outer space would be able to breach Earth's defenses."
"But no, he's not part of the Avengers," Coulson continued. "In fact, due to some... past incidents, he's not exactly fond of S.H.I.E.L.D. either."
"So, as a bit of advice—don't go looking for him. And whatever you do, don't provoke him."
"Harvey Amberlock..." Steve repeated the name, still in shock. "Is he the same Harvey Amberlock as that famous billionaire in New York?"
"They're the same," Coulson confirmed, his expression turning serious. "Harvey Amberlock is friends with Tony Stark. We don't have access to their private conversations, but we believe that the only reason Harvey showed up at that beach and took out the metal monster was because Tony called him for help."
"So, yeah, they're pretty close."
Steve stood up, pacing around the cabin, visibly unsettled. Then, out of nowhere, he stopped and blurted out, "Is it too late for me to go back to my own time?"
In the past, Steve's abilities were the stuff of legend. History books spoke of him as a symbol of his era.
But now, having been frozen for decades and reawakened in 2012, he found himself in a world where technology far surpassed anything from his time. The dangers were greater, and even though he had his vibranium shield to help defend himself, it hardly seemed enough.
There were aliens and monsters far beyond his comprehension. Compared to regular humans, Steve might have been strong—he was a super-soldier, after all.
But compared to beings like the Hulk, Iron Man, the mysterious blonde guy, and Harvey Amberlock, Steve felt like a regular man again.
No matter how powerful he was by human standards, he knew he couldn't stand toe-to-toe with those forces. To try would be like a grasshopper trying to stop a carriage.
Note: If you are interested, read up to chapter 210 at patreon.com/MythicForge11.