Ch.232 Secrets Unveiled

"Since you've grilled me with so many questions, it's my turn to get some answers."

Ronan had a laundry list of his own curiosities.

At least this Kang seemed chatty enough to deal with.

So, he figured he'd clear up his doubts.

"Of course, that's only fair."

Kang nodded, no hint of dodging.

They'd already been shooting the breeze pretty smoothly for a while.

"Let's start with you."

"You say you're from 616's future—then you must know this thing, right?"

Ronan lifted his left hand, showing off the controller.

From the moment he'd clocked it, one name popped into his head.

Tony Stark.

Yup, him.

Simple reason—the round controller screamed Stark's time-travel locator vibes.

If Tony's version was the rough draft, this thing on Ronan's wrist was the final cut.

Same time-targeting tricks, same traversal chops.

Made Ronan wonder if Kang's tech was built on Stark's bones.

"I've said it a bunch already, but damn—you're sharp."

"Sometimes I think the council got it wrong."

Kang didn't answer straight—went for a sidestep with a sigh.

Didn't matter if he dodged.

His words already tipped Ronan off.

Back at the castle, Ronan had a hunch.

Right there on a shelf? An Iron Man helmet.

Stark's exact make, no less.

Kang keeping that in his office boiled down to two options.

One: war trophy.

Kang offed Stark, snagged the helmet as a keepsake.

Could work, maybe.

But holes galore.

Age didn't line up—Kang's era was centuries past Stark's death.

Them crossing paths? Slim odds.

Unless it was a Stark descendant rocking the Iron Man gig.

Except Ronan had scoped the helmet—it matched Tony's to a T.

A descendant's rig would've evolved generations past that.

Or some Kang time-hopped, smoked Tony.

New snag—Steve Rogers and the Avengers wouldn't just sit there.

If Kang wiped the whole crew, where's Steve's shield? Thor's hammer?

Why just Tony's helmet?

So, option two: memento.

Pair that with "He Who Remains" and his controller looking like Stark's locator on steroids.

Stark's time tech got jacked and juiced by Kang—bam, timeline-hopping powers.

"Just like you figured."

"Tony Stark's kinda my mentor."

"Never met the guy, though."

Kang shook his head, reading Ronan's face.

No point hiding it—smart folks would connect the dots.

"Before, your other self said when one of you cracked time travel, you used tech to rule the timelines."

"Your freewheeling spawned countless parallel universes."

"Then you all met up, set a rule: you're the timeline kings—no one else gets to jump."

"Spot a trespasser? Kill on sight."

Ronan eyed Kang, fishing for confirmation.

Thing is, "He Who Remains" never spilled that.

Ronan pieced it together himself.

Logic's simple.

If Kang could hop timelines, someone else could too.

Yet, all these years, only Kang stood out.

Obvious conclusion.

"Didn't expect him to spill that to you."

"Yeah, that's our call."

"Future, past—anyone trying to cross timelines gets smoked."

Kang nodded, greenlighting Ronan's guess.

"So Tony and crew jumping timelines—you let that slide?"

"No—had to happen."

"If they didn't, Stark's locator wouldn't stick around."

"Then your controllers wouldn't exist."

Ronan kept spinning his theory.

This time, Kang didn't nod or nix—just tossed a curveball.

"What else you got?"

Kang's brow furrowed.

Ronan knowing this much was starting to itch him.

"I'm guessing you let them hop and grab the Infinity Stones 'cause you didn't give a damn who lived or died."

"You just needed two things locked in."

Ronan looked up, the full picture of Kang's old plan clicking.

"First: make sure the locator works and stays behind."

"So future you could snag it and time-hop."

"Second: ensure Tony dies fighting Thanos."

"That way, no one digs deeper into the locator."

"If Tony lived, he'd keep tinkering."

"And then…"

Ronan's lips curled into a smirk.

Kang's face darkened—harder by the second.

By Kang's script, it was airtight.

Tony dies, his stuff gets mothballed.

Morgan might inherit the Iron Man mantle or Stark Industries, sure.

But outsmart Tony? Maybe—different flavor of genius, though.

Gave Kang the window to swipe the locator and run with it.

Except now, glitch in the matrix.

616 Tony didn't die!

Ronan's meddling meant Thanos never snapped.

Everyone made it out alive.

So, would Tony keep poking at the locator?

Ronan didn't know.

"You're here to stall me—no, convince me to sit out 616's fight."

"'Cause Tony has to die."

"Right now, he's probably chilling with family, not touching the locator."

"But you're sweating—with his brain, he could spark up anytime and dive back in."

"So you've gotta kill him before he does."

"But here's the new snag."

Ronan squinted—another puzzle piece popped up.

Why hadn't Kang made a move?

By rights, this Kang could still time-hop—future's not locked yet.

Anyone who gets the butterfly effect knows futures shift.

One flap, big storm—rough gist.

Ronan was that butterfly.

Saving Tony was the flap.

No storm yet 'cause the wind's still brewing—other variables in play.

Say a ship blocks the breeze, or another gust redirects it—effect's dead.

Kang's scared Tony's curiosity becomes that ship or gust.

Storm fizzles, his controller's gone.

He's gotta off Tony before that variable hits.

So why no action?

Hop to Endgame, kill Ronan the butterfly, let Tony snap—script holds.

Even now, he could take Tony out.

Then it hit Ronan.

Kang didn't show at the big fight 'cause he couldn't beat Ronan!

Yup—nailed it.

More precise: he couldn't counter the Time Stone.

Kang's multiverse conquests leaned on tech centuries ahead.

But that tech? No match for Infinity Stones.

Science is human-made, sure.

Stones? Cosmic rule-makers, birthed with each universe.

Kang watched Thanos snap once, trash the stones—cleared his path.

Thanos' snap cost Tony's crew—pushed him to build the locator.

Scripted perfect.

Then Ronan crashed it.

The Ancient One didn't let Bruce nab the Time Stone solo—she sent Ronan with it.

Ronan flipped the ending—Tony lived, Nat too.

One move, script in shambles.

Kang probably itched to hit Tony tons—but feared Ronan showing up.

Ronan rolls in, Stones in tow—Kang's toast.

He didn't dare hop to Ronan's universe to stop him heading to 616 either.

Simpler reason: the Ancient One was still kicking.

A centuries-old mage, Kamar-Taj artifacts, time-guarding Stone?

She was tougher than Ronan back then.

So, he set a trap.

"He Who Remains" dies in front of Ronan, hands over the controller.

Ronan's nosy ass would sniff out the TVA.

That death unleashed the Kangs.

Ronan hits the TVA, Kangs sense it.

Their job? Stall him, buy time for the others.

Kill Tony, future's safe.

They didn't time-hop to Earth-Ronan either.

Easy why.

Even with the Ancient One gone here, Ronan's too unique.

Like she said—he only exists "now."

Past or future, they can't pin him to kill him.

Only spot they can?

The TVA!

The second Ronan stepped in, the trap sprang.

Buzz.

Kang hit a button on his wrist—a force field snapped up, caging them both.

"This field's custom for you."

"One of us cracked the Space Stone after years—found a way to mess with it."

"Not 'beat'—just limit."

"With this up, space vibes go haywire."

"Space Stone or not, you'll port somewhere random."

"Big odds? Endless cosmos—or twisted dead by the chaos."

"Wanna roll the dice?"