The Comprehensive Evolution of American Comics

"Around 1999, at a technology gala in Switzerland, I met a female plant researcher," Tony said, his eyes distant, as if reminiscing about the past.

"Her name was Maya Hansen. We had a great conversation, and she invited me to her room to see her research results."

"Just to see research results?" Thor asked, feigning innocence, but the mischievous grin on his face betrayed him.

"Thor," Steve interrupted, "now is not the time for jokes."

"Sorry, my bad," Thor said, suppressing his smile and adopting a serious expression.

Tony shrugged and continued, "She showed me her research, a technology that re-encodes and modifies genes through chemical means. She called it Extremis, and she wanted to use it on the human body to activate the immune system and create regeneration."

"But her technology wasn't perfect," Pooba interjected. Transforming into Pooba had filled Yang Le's mind with a massive amount of chemical knowledge, knowledge that could even turn Ben Tennyson into a chemistry expert, and of course, allow him to analyze Extremis.

"From the video, you can see that she did achieve some success, but that man's body didn't complete the reprogramming. Before it could create regeneration, he turned into a bomb."

"Believe me, when I first met her, this technology was even less complete. Using it on humans was just a fantasy," Tony said, taking a sip of water. The lengthy explanation had made his throat dry.

Tony put down his cup and continued, "We talked day and night, and I gave her a few suggestions before leaving."

"That's all I remember."

Tony thought long and hard, finally piecing together his fragmented memories. Though embarrassed, Tony still recounted his history as a playboy.

"Sigh~ A playboy," Hawkeye couldn't help but sigh.

'Honestly, I'd rather hear about the 'talking day and night' part.' Of course, Hawkeye wouldn't say it out loud; it was just his inner thought.

"It seems your help didn't do much good," Natasha said.

"The man's name was Reynolds. He was a veteran who retired because of a disability in his right leg. He was injured in battle, which resulted in the amputation of his right calf."

Steve's expression was grave, his eyes complex. Even after hearing about such topics countless times, he was still moved.

"Since his retirement, he's behaved like any other veteran. As for the man who traded with him, I've delegated the investigation to others at S.H.I.E.L.D.," Natasha sighed. It was one problem after another. Ultron had made a mess of Avengers Tower, and even information gathering had become difficult.

"I think I can help you. Are there any other electronic devices here that can connect to the internet?" The shapeshifter reverted to its original form, returning the tablet to Natasha.

"Uh, there are some downstairs," Natasha pointed behind her.

"Thank you." The shapeshifter curled into a ball and quickly rolled into the building.

"Follow the shapeshifter," Diamondhead said, leading the way into the building. The others followed suit.

When the group arrived, they saw the shapeshifter already burrowing into the computer. They were all amazed that such a large object could fit into a small computer.

"Okay, okay, I'm in," the shapeshifter said, having completely entered the computer, which was now covered in a layer of white circuits.

"Give me a moment, let me check."

"Uh, what is he doing?" Hawkeye asked, puzzled, looking at Diamondhead beside him.

"Infiltrating the network," Diamondhead explained.

"I thought he could only merge with machines," Banner said, remembering the large color TV earlier.

"Merging is just one of the shapeshifter's abilities," Diamondhead said, a slight smile on his face.

"Like network infiltration right now, it's just the tip of the iceberg of his abilities. That's why I requested his assistance. He can be said to be Ultron's nemesis."

In fact, the shapeshifter has an advantage against most mechanical enemies. Although it's difficult for the shapeshifter to control conscious machines, couldn't he just break them instead of controlling them?

The shapeshifter can merge into the interior of machines and destroy them from within, making it the natural enemy of all machines. Even Ultron is no exception.

Moreover, even if Ultron infiltrates the network, the shapeshifter has a way to deal with it because he can also infiltrate it.

"I found it, guys," the computer fused with the shapeshifter flashed white as it spoke.

"This Reynolds contacted that man a few days ago. It seems they are old acquaintances. The man who gave him Extremis is called Savin, and he works under Dr. Killian of AIM. Oh, by the way..."

'AIM, Advanced Idea Mechanics, is a well-known organization in the comics. It's a pity the cinematic universe isn't as good.' Yang Le's various clones thought silently.

"Stark, does this Killian ring any bells?" Steve asked, not blaming him for thinking of Tony first, but Tony had too many priors.

"I think I have some impression," Tony said, rubbing his temples in distress, carefully searching his brain for keywords related to Killian.

"Okay, I don't seem to remember."

Tony tried hard for a while before announcing his surrender. It's easy for him to remember the name of a beautiful woman, but he really has no impression of this Killian.

"Then Dr. Killian might be sad," the shapeshifter pulled up Killian's profile.

"He's your fan."

He used to be, but not anymore. He's gone from love to hate and has become your hater, the kind who can't wait to kill you.

Everyone's eyes converged on Tony, as expected, it's related to you.

"How is everything related to you?" Thor blurted out.

"Oh, I remember," Tony said, ignoring Thor, suddenly realizing something after seeing Killian's photo and profile.

"He seemed to be at the gala in '99, but he looks a bit different now."

Tony frowned. The Killian in the photo differed from the one in his memory. The Killian in his memory was unkempt, had a limp, but was somewhat talented.

However, the Killian in the photo was high-spirited, well-dressed, and obviously well-groomed. Looking at his movements in the photo, it was clear that his leg was no longer lame.

"I remember him being a cripple," Tony scratched his head. Killian and his memory didn't match up.

"This is a recent photo of Killian attending an event, and this is a photo taken at the 1999 technology gala," the shapeshifter explained, then pulled up another photo and placed the two photos together for comparison.

The group discovered that Killian was indeed using crutches in '99, but in the recent photo, the crutches were gone.

"By the way, Miss Maya Hansen, who spent a night of passion with Mr. Tony Stark, is also a researcher under Killian," the shapeshifter said.

"It seems Mr. Killian's research on Extremis is quite successful."