Nick Fury quickly arranged Tony Stark's release, realizing that while the U.S. military couldn't detain Tony indefinitely, others might try. Hydra, tempted to snatch Tony, held back, lacking confidence in facing Nick Fury directly. With Project Insight underway, Hydra decided to bide its time as Fury whisked Tony away.
Once free, Tony endured a lengthy lecture from Fury, though he mostly tuned it out. Back home, Tony mulled over the recent radar detection, questioning whether Zod's radar upgrade had outpaced Jarvis' ability to evade. Frustrated, Tony planned to overhaul the Mark 3 suit, determined to keep ahead of Zod's technology.
Meanwhile, the arrival of Zod's second engineered monster rocked the city. A colossal creature dubbed "Elder Centipede" rampaged through, its tough, dark carapace deflecting damage with ease. Panicked citizens fled, and the police could only watch as the enormous centipede tore through buildings.
Just as Elder Centipede targeted a crowd, a blast of webbing struck its face, delivered by Spider-Woman. "Go!" she urged the civilians, using her webs to buy them a few precious moments. The centipede roared, lunging forward, and Spider-Woman barely avoided its path as she was flung into a wall by the resulting shockwave.
A bus smashed into the creature's face, courtesy of Venom, who had latched onto its head. "Eddie, are we sure we can handle this thing?" he muttered, just before Elder Centipede flicked him away with a swipe of its tail.
Soon, Thunderbolt arrived. "Not another monster! And this one's even tougher than the last one!" He tried scorching it with flames, but the centipede's shell proved resistant. Fortunately, Susan Storm and Reed Richards joined the fight. Reed, who had developed a new energy weapon after their last encounter with the Deep Sea King, now aimed his futuristic device at the centipede.
"Boom!" The energy blast tore through Elder Centipede, nearly severing it in half. Thunderbolt stared, dumbfounded. "Reed, when did you come up with that?!"
"This weapon was designed after our last encounter," Reed replied, aiming for another shot. However, Elder Centipede shed its damaged skin, regenerating before their eyes. Now wary, it dodged Reed's next blast and lunged at him.
"Reed!" Susan shouted, straining to hold it back with her force field.
"Hold on, it needs to recharge!" Reed muttered, desperately adjusting the weapon.
Just then, a dramatic soundtrack echoed over the scene. Hovering above them in a gold-and-red suit, Tony Stark made his grand entrance. "Looks like you could use some help," he announced, catching everyone's attention.
The monster paused, briefly transfixed by Tony's Mark 4 suit, now equipped with anti-radar capabilities and an advanced targeting system. "Tony Stark!" he introduced himself, already preparing for a strike.
Elder Centipede rushed forward, and Tony, narrowly dodging with Jarvis' assistance, unleashed a volley of armor-piercing missiles. Each struck the creature dead-on, and the area trembled as explosions rocked the monster's body.
"Hey, Tin Man!" Venom called. "That thing regenerates—you'll have to take out its head completely!"
Acknowledging the warning, Tony adjusted his targeting and prepared for a decisive strike, determined to end the centipede's rampage once and for all.