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The screen was filled with surprises.
The video continued to play.
[In the underground lab.]
[Tony opened the briefcase left by Director Nick Fury.]
He took out each item one by one.
[Arc reactor blueprints.][Photos of the arc reactor's first concept demonstration and newspaper clippings.][And a videotape of Howard introducing the arc reactor.]
Tony flipped through his father's notes and inserted the tape.
[Howard spoke freely on the video.]
Howard: "Everything is possible. Through technology, we can achieve a better life and healthier bodies, even bringing peace to humanity for the first time in history. I am Howard Stark. Here, you can see everything needed for the future—future cities…"
Tony didn't pay much attention to what Howard said on the tape.He focused more on the handwritten notes left behind.
The notes were meticulous, almost without mistakes or scribbles.[This alone proved Howard was a true engineer.]
Meticulous, rational, and precise—that was his hallmark.
Even though Tony had complicated feelings toward his father,the clarity and structure of the notes made them a pleasure to read.
[At that moment.]
[Tony heard his father Howard's voice from the tape.]
Howard: "Tony, what are you doing here? What do you have in your hands? Put things back where they belong."
On screen, young Tony carefully placed the items back into a city model.
Howard was relentless.
Howard: "Where's your mother? Where's Maria?"
[Staff nearby quickly took young Tony away from the scene.]
Howard waved to the staff and his son, signaling them to leave quickly.
[Tony watched his father on the screen, wearing an expression that said, 'Of course, I expected this.']
He knew his father too well.
[Full of passion for work, but lacking the education or patience to deal with children.]
[Such a man, when his child inadvertently interrupts his work…]If the child turned out attractive, that would be the real surprise.
[So.]
Tony returned to the notes and continued flipping through them.
[At that moment.]
The tape flickered, revealing a new segment.
Howard appeared composed, speaking to the camera.
Howard: "Here, on behalf of all Stark Industries employees and in my personal capacity…"
He didn't finish the sentence. He took a deep breath and muttered a curse under his breath.
Tony was surprised.This was not the father he had imagined.
Howard inhaled several times, leaning on the table with the city model.
Howard: "Tony, you're young. There are many things you don't understand yet, so I want to record this for you. Everything behind me—the city model—is designed for you. One day, you will understand. This is more than human invention; it represents my life's work. It's the key to the future. Limited by current technology, I cannot achieve it yet. But Tony, my son, I believe that one day you will complete it. On that day, you will change the world. Always remember: my greatest invention is you, Tony."
[Howard smiled at Tony through the video, as if welcoming him into adulthood.]
Stark Tower.
Tony was moved.
Thanks to the screen projection,his father's words felt as if Howard himself were standing in front of him, speaking directly.
Until now, Tony had always believed that his father only cared about shattered inventions, not the family.
Unexpectedly, he heard his father say that his greatest invention was Tony.That he had placed such profound hope in him.
One could only say:A mother's love is like the sea;a father's love is like a mountain.
Howard's words moved Tony deeply.It seemed he could finally set aside some of his obsession with his father.
Asgard.
King Odin watched Howard's words on the video and nodded in understanding.
Although Howard and Odin were worlds apart—one a mortal, the other a high god—they shared a universal experience: love.Specifically, paternal love.
Before their children, fathers often struggle to express affection.They know their children dislike sternness, but they don't know how to change.They can only work hard to provide a good life.
Odin was such a father:giving Thor and Loki a solid foundation, fighting wars to bring peace to Asgard, but sometimes neglecting the expression of love.
If not for seeing this scene on screen today,Loki, deprived of love in history, would grow angry and withdraw into himself.He might even deceive Thor into believing he was exiled forever.Odin sighed, glancing at Loki in the audience, his eyes full of love.
He resolved silently: I will try to treat this child better.
Behind the military camp.
Howard had never truly been a father, so he didn't care much about what he said on the tape.He felt slightly awkward, even outdated.
What he did relate to deeply was this:Due to the limits of the era and technology, he knew certain things could benefit humanity but couldn't yet realize them.
He understood this deeply.Though an arms dealer, he was first and foremost an inventor.He had intimate knowledge of cutting-edge technology and the scientific frontier.
With the expansion of scientific boundaries, knowledge accumulates faster.By the time a person reaches 30 or 40, they might only then be learning what predecessors had accumulated decades earlier.
Yet, a scientist's youth—their prime—is precisely in those years:peak knowledge, energy, and experience.
As knowledge expands, even a brilliant mind may only grasp what others had already discovered, while the body and brain begin to deteriorate.
Howard clearly saw that many inventions were documented in notebooks, passed down for the next generation.
Like in the video, he left a box for Tony.It was a legacy.
More poignantly, Howard touched his hair while watching himself on the tape.Decades had passed. His hairline receded; he now resembled a barroom scholar, no longer the youthful genius he once was.
He recalled predecessors in physics:Faraday, Einstein, Planck…handsome in youth, yet their appearance aged dramatically over time.
Howard touched his collagen-rich face and thick hair and sighed.