Electric arcs continued to surge wildly as the young Steve Rogers, in his WWII-era stage uniform, threw his shield with all his might.
Whoosh!
Sizzle!
Before the shield could get close to Max, an arc of electricity shot out, and the shield dropped to the ground, spinning.
Steve: "..."
How on earth did people fight criminals in this time?
He scratched his head, realizing that his half-hooded mask was a bit annoying.
"You look like an old popsicle, seriously."
As bystanders gasped, the gold and red Iron Man suit shot down from the night sky.
Boom!
A pulse of energy blasted down from above, sending the blue-skinned Max hurtling into a storefront.
"Oh, it's Iron Man!"
"It's Mr. Stark!"
"So cool, this time I'm definitely voting for him to be New York's mayor!"
As the Iron Man suit landed, a drone flew overhead, releasing bundles of cash that fluttered down around the street.
"Oh my gosh, look!"
"So much money!"
"We're rich!"
The onlookers, ignoring Electro's threat, poured into the street, grabbing at the raining cash.
Click.
Tony removed his helmet and waved to the crowd with a smile.
"Thank you, thank you for your support. Be sure to vote for me; I'll bring more wealth to New York."
Charlie: "…"
This Tony was acting weird.
Crackle.
The storefront erupted in electric arcs as the menacing Max floated into the air, electricity pulsing around him.
"Iron Man, you've made me mad!!"
Max shouted, and with a raise of his hand, a blue arc of electricity, hundreds of meters long, swept across the street, sending the crowd into a panic.
Sizzle.
Boom!
As the arcs spread, Iron Man's suit soared into the air.
"Electric baby, please calm down. I'll give you money, lots of money, but you've got to promise to vote for me..."
As the suit darted left and right in the air, Tony attempted to calm him, to no avail.
"Sir, Spider-Man has been located nearby."
Hearing JARVIS's voice, Tony lit up with excitement.
"There you are, Charlie Parker."
In the virtual display, JARVIS had identified Charlie's face in the crowd.
It was this guy who saved his life with symbiote cells back then.
"Hey, Spider-Man, we meet again!"
Tony dove out of the path of the lightning arc, landing in front of Charlie.
"Where's that cool black suit of yours?" he asked.
Charlie: "…"
Oh, it's him.
"You've got the wrong guy."
Charlie pulled his hood lower and turned to leave.
He regretted not wearing a mask the whole time during that second Resurrection Match.
He hadn't expected to end up back in symbiote Tony's universe.
Now that he was recognized, things were bound to get messy.
"Hey, old popsicle, I see you too," Tony turned, calling out to the older Steve trying to slip away.
"When you guys left last time, it was pretty memorable. Later, when I saw the young Steve and Natasha, I knew you guys were from…"
Halfway through his sentence, a violent arc of electricity surged, sending him crashing into an alley.
The older Steve blinked at the now-empty space.
"From where?"
In the next instant, a burst of blood-red mist erupted from the crowd, and a familiar figure charged at Charlie.
"Hahaha, found you, Charlie Parker! I know your resurrection secret now."
The blood mist spread quickly as Hydra Steve leaped into the air, red tendrils extending from his spine in a horrifying display.
Boom!!
The crimson tentacles lashed out, and Charlie immediately fired webs to swing away.
Landing on a nearby billboard, he looked at the exhilarated Hydra Steve with a headache.
It's all Tony's fault for shouting so loud.
Meanwhile, young Steve had just picked up his shield and froze at the sight of another "himself," who'd transformed into a blood-red octopus monster.
"Stark was telling the truth?"
He recalled his first meeting with Stark when he'd talked about parallel dimensions.
He'd even claimed to have met another Steve and Natasha.
Looking at the billboard, where the red and blue metal suit quickly covered the young man's body, he realized that this must be the Spider-Man Stark had mentioned.
Though it didn't look like it was black.
Boom!
The billboard was violently destroyed by Hydra Steve's tentacles as the red-and-blue figure shot up to the rooftop.
"Haha, little Charlie, you won last time, but you won't get away this time!"
From the night sky came the Green Goblin, who threw a pumpkin bomb that exploded in a massive burst.
Boom!
A wave of searing heat rolled over him, and Charlie's figure shot out from the flames, pushing through the blast.
"What?"
Bang!
The two collided mid-air, and Norman let out a scream as he tumbled down.
"How is this possible? He's even stronger now!" he shouted in disbelief.
Hydra Steve glanced at the useless Norman, cursing, "Useless. Get after him! This time we can't let him resurrect—Spider-Man must die."
With that, the crimson tentacles clung to the walls, pulling his body forward as he pursued Charlie's path.
"That damn fool, he dares to give me orders."
Glaring at Hydra Steve's back, Norman's face twisted, but he quickly picked himself up and followed.
He planned to use this guy to secure his own resurrection slot.
Meanwhile, Max, who'd been locked in battle with Tony, also heard the word "Spider-Man," and his pupils shrank as his expression darkened.
"Spider-Man, I hate you!!"
With a roar, Max abandoned Tony, instantly turning into an electric arc and disappearing into the night.
"Is this considered an early exit?"
Tony blinked, and then JARVIS reported.
"Sir, suit energy at 300%."
"Wow, Electric Baby didn't disappoint—fantastic."
Tony's thrusters ignited as he rocketed after Max, eager to capitalize on this chance to earn some goodwill.
His shot at becoming mayor depended on this.
But Max was too fast—catching him might be out of reach.
Whatever, Tony thought. Handing out more cash might be more effective.
With the scary bunch scattering, the older Steve sighed in relief.
"Go get 'em, Spidey! Use your powers and wipe them out—I believe in you!"
With that encouraging shout, he turned to face young Steve.
"Hey, you should consider a wardrobe update. That outfit really does make you look like a stage actor."
The young Steve looked at the older man, his gaze falling on the shield in his hand.
"You're…?" He looked stunned.
"Yes, I'm you. Just another version of you."
The older Steve's expression turned serious. "There's a group of dangerous folks in this world. Take me to see Fury. We need to come up with a plan."
"What about your friend—Spider-Man, right? He's alone," young Steve asked.
"Don't worry about him. His powers are terrifying."
"Powers?"
"Oh, yes."
The older Steve leaned in, whispering conspiratorially, "He's got a power that can detect… well, feces."
"What?" Young Steve was bewildered.