Tony Stark was celebrating what he believed would be his last birthday party, surrounded by friends and admirers. He was wearing the Mark IV armor and had already had a few too many drinks.
"I'm telling you, Rhodey, I'm a genius! I've got the best suits, the best tech, and the best parties!" Tony slurred, his words barely intelligible.
Lt. Colonel James Rhodes, aka War Machine, watched with concern as Tony began to endanger his party guests by blasting objects out of the air in their vicinity.
"Whoa, Tony, maybe you should slow down, buddy," Rhodey said, trying to intervene.
But Tony was beyond reason. "No way, Rhodey! I'm just getting started! I've got the best champagne, the best music, and the best... Oh, wait, what's that?"
Tony stumbled and almost fell, but managed to catch himself. Rhodey shook his head and donned the Mark II armor to subdue Tony.
The next day, Tony woke up feeling disgraced and hungover. He was approached by Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow.
"Tony Stark," Nick Fury said, his expression serious. "We've been watching you."
Tony groaned, still feeling the effects of the previous night's party. "Oh, great. Another lecture. Just what I needed to make my day complete."
Natasha handed him a box of his father's old research. "This might be what you need to find a cure for your palladium poisoning, Tony."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Is this thing going to save my life?" he asked, his voice skeptical.
Nick Fury nodded. "We're sure it could, Tony. Your father's research holds the key to finding a cure."
Tony snorted. "Well, that's just peachy. My father's research. Because that's exactly what I need right now."
Tony looked up at Natasha, and his expression turned cold. "You're fired," he said, his voice abrupt.
Natasha's eyes narrowed. "It's not up to you, Tony," she replied, her voice firm.
Tony's face fell, taken aback by Natasha's response. "What do you mean it's not up to me?" he asked, his voice rising.
Natasha's expression remained neutral. "I mean that I'm not your employee, Tony. I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and I take my orders from Nick Fury, not from you."
Tony's eyes widened in surprise, and he turned to Nick Fury. "You're not going to let her talk to me like that, are you, Nick?"
Nick Fury shrugged. "Tony, you're not in charge here. S.H.I.E.L.D. is."
Using his father's research, Tony discovered a message that led him to examine the original 1974 diorama of the Stark Expo. It was actually a disguised diagram for the molecular structure of a new element.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., I need you to help me build a particle accelerator," Tony said, his mind racing with determination.
J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony's computer AI, nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll start working on it immediately."
With the particle accelerator, Tony synthesized the new element(Badassium)(Sythethic Vibranium) , creating a new, perfected Arc Reactor that cured his palladium poisoning.
But Tony's celebration was short-lived. He realized that Justin Hammer was involved with Ivan Vanko, the son of Anton Vanko, a disgraced Russian physicist who had collaborated on the first Arc Reactor with Howard Stark.
"I've got to stop them," Tony said, his determination renewed. "Rhodey, I need your help. We've got a problem on our hands."
Meanwhile, Black Widow broke into the Hammer Industries headquarters, her mission to gather intel on Vanko and Hammer's plans.
"I need to find out what they're planning," Natasha said to herself, her eyes scanning the area. "And I need to stop them before it's too late."