Chapter 113

Doctor Strange didn't refuse, "Tell me your plan. Tony's legacy can only be inherited by the person he designated, as being Iron Man isn't a role anyone can assume."

As he spoke, his gaze was profound, subtly revealing a hint of severity.

He wasn't of the Spider-Man type, with strong moral values and an unwavering commitment to a no-kill policy. As the former Sorcerer Supreme, he had dealt with quite a few villains that he then crushed under his hands.

For the sake of avoiding debts, he even attempted to eliminate his creditors.

He could be considered the ultimate debtor dodger.

Mark explained, "Not long ago, Max and I encountered another Mysterio from a parallel universe. He mentally controlled many innocent civilians to attack us, and in the end, he died due to a missile launched by his companion, the Vulture."

"What's there to work on in this?" Doctor Strange questioned.

"It's simple. Cancel the existing magic, maintain the status quo, simultaneously release information that Mysterio is alive, expose his true identity, and finally, reveal his death scene." Mark quickly articulated his plan.

"Hmm," Doctor Strange pondered for a moment. "This can indeed clear Peter's name of the undeserved blame and reverse his identity. However, spreading such unfavorable news for 'them' might not be easy."

By "them," he naturally referred to those individuals trying to tarnish Spider-Tom's reputation and lay hands on Stark Industries. They could be an underground organization, a wealthy and powerful family, or ambitious individuals—Marvel's reality was not short of such characters. Regardless of who they were, they undoubtedly wouldn't want to see the hard-earned ruined reputation of Spider-Man being washed away.

Yes, here they constantly preached about democracy and freedom of speech, but that was merely a slogan. When it came to fundamental interests, you could always trust in how low their ethical standards would go.

According to Mark's proposed method, the likely scenario would be: a video released on one end, followed by restricted views, takedowns, or even account suspensions.

On a more serious note, perhaps the F.B.I. would pay a visit to inquire?

"That's easy. Find someone bold and unafraid of consequences, stir up the matter, and generate public opinion." Mark said with a smile.

"Bold and unafraid of consequences? In the media?" Doctor Strange raised an eyebrow. "Forgive my directness, but unless you give them enough money, I'm afraid you won't find such a person."

Before becoming a sorcerer, he was just a brilliant person with a good job, well aware of how society operated.

He quickly concluded that Mark's idea was too far-fetched.

Mark chuckled, "Coincidentally, I do know someone. Oh, by the way, Mr. Parker here also knows him."

With that, he pointed to Middle-Aged Tobey Spider-Man.

Middle-Aged Tobey Spider-Man was initially puzzled, then suddenly exclaimed as he realized something. "You mean J. Jonah Jameson? Is there a J. Jonah Jameson in this world too?"

Mark nodded, "Expose someone without any fear? That's JJJ!"

Middle-Aged Tobey Spider-Man suddenly realized, "If he has the same personality as JJJ from my world, he could indeed help."

JJJ, whose full name is J. Jonah Jameson.

He's a legendary figure present in various Spider-Man universes, devoting his entire life to tarnishing Spider-Man's image consistently for decades. This initially led many to dislike him.

However, JJJ's disdain for Spider-Man actually stemmed from his distrust of masked vigilantes; he saw Spider-Man as a disruptor of established law. Interestingly, he didn't harbor as much malice towards openly public superheroes like Captain America or Iron Man.

Moreover, in the comic version, Spider-Man underwent JJJ's interviews, revealing his identity and sharing many personal experiences. Following that, JJJ became Spider-Man's loyal fan, understanding the true meaning of Spider-Man's existence.

What's even more interesting is that, in Tobey Spider-Man's version, he once wore Spider-Man's suit, imitating Spider-Man's actions for self-amusement, indicating deep down, he was a fervent Spider-Man fan.

For Middle-Aged Tobey Spider-Man, who had more experienced years, the grievances and conflicts between him and JJJ had long dissolved over time, and he indeed gained JJJ's friendship and support.

So, he knew what kind of person JJJ was in his world.

And the JJJ in this world was practically identical to the one in his world.

If nothing unexpected happened, the JJJ in this world, as a parallel entity, wouldn't have a personality too different. So, he had enough confidence to persuade him.

"This is just the first step of the plan," Mark said, extending two fingers, "there's a second step: extract Peter's identity from Spider-Man. After all, he's still young, and public opinion can have a significant impact on his life. Therefore, my suggestion is to bring 'Spider-Man' into the public eye, becoming the heir to 'Iron Man's will,' while Peter Parker remains Peter Parker."

Doctor Strange questioned, "How can that be done? Peter Parker and Spider-Man have long been intertwined in the public eye."

"Well, I have two methods, both achieving the same effect. You can discuss which one to use," Mark said.

Doctor Strange and the others nodded.

"The first one is the Doppelganger Technique. Start a live broadcast, have Peter appear in person, and at the same time, let the Iron Spider suit enter full automatic mode, combating crime elsewhere. For the public unfamiliar with Iron Man's technology, this should be enough to make them believe that Peter is just a substitute for Spider-Man," Mark explained.

This move was also used in the comics when Peter Parker's identity was exposed.

Doctor Strange considered the options.

Adult Andrew Spider-Man said, "But Peter's identity has been exposed for a while now. Using this trick depends on how many abilities he has shown in public. If he has already appeared as himself with superpowers, it might be a bit challenging."

Middle-Aged Tobey Spider-Man nodded, thinking the same.

Mark pondered for a moment. From the original work, although Peter's identity was revealed, Spider-Tom mostly appeared in his suit when outside. He didn't completely give up his secret identity and openly use superpowers in front of the public.

The only ones who seemed to have seen him climbing walls were his classmates.

"If we perform a small-scale memory manipulation on a few people, I think it should be easy with your abilities, Stephen," Mark suggested.

Doctor Strange nodded, "Indeed, it's quite simple. Just a mental suggestion to make them not think about this matter."

"That's simple then. Just ask Peter in front of whom he has revealed his true identity. That should solve it in one go," Mark said.

Doctor Strange frowned, "What about the other option?"

He still found this plan a bit unreliable.

Mark explained, "The other one is also a doppelganger, but this time, it's about shifting blame."

"Shifting blame?"

"Yes," Mark nodded and continued, "Stephen, you should have paid attention to Peter's battles in Europe, right?"

"Yes."

"Then you should know where those two Skrulls, disguised as Nick Fury and Hill, are, right?" Mark asked.

"I can try to find them," Doctor Strange said. "Are you planning to make the Skrulls transform back into Nick Fury's appearance and publicly endorse Peter?"

Although Doctor Strange was surprised that Mark even knew about the Skrulls, he didn't ask. After all, Mark could freely travel across parallel universes, so knowing some secrets wasn't surprising.

Mark nodded, "I know. The real Nick Fury is currently in outer space, establishing S.W.O.R.D. with the Skrulls. So, the Skrulls on Earth should be allies. Since they are allies and the situation between Peter and Mysterio was caused by them, shouldn't they take responsibility for it?"

Doctor Strange frowned, "Nick Fury is indeed collaborating with the Skrulls, but the Skrulls on Earth may not necessarily be allies."

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Mark asked, slightly puzzled.

Doctor Strange explained, "Skrulls have the ability to freely change their appearance, disguising themselves as anyone. So, their infiltration into Earth has a long history."

"Secret Invasion?" Mark said instinctively.

This was an event from the comics where Skrulls disguised as Avengers, making it difficult to distinguish friend from foe, leading to a major crisis. It resulted in the disbandment of the Avengers and later the Dark Reign event.

However, this concept wasn't present in the movies.

Yet, from the current situation, although the term "Secret Invasion" wasn't used, Skrulls were not fabricated; they likely infiltrated as Earthlings a long time ago, remaining dormant without causing significant impact.

Doctor Strange also hesitated, "Secret Invasion, that term is quite accurate. Skrulls indeed secretly invaded Earth for a long time. Their morality remains to be observed. However, since they are cooperating with Nick Fury, we can consider using their power."

"Firstly, let a Skrull transform into Nick Fury, issue an official statement, and declare that Mysterio, Quentin Beck, is a supercriminal, and Spider-Man is assisting the authorities."

"Simultaneously, have another Skrull wear the Spider-Man suit, engage in a public battle, intentionally reveal the face, have someone capture an image of Peter inside, and then transform into another person. This way, Spider-Man will no longer be Peter Parker."

Mark laid out his entire plan.

"That's not a bad idea," Middle-Aged Tobey Spider-Man and Adult Andrew Spider-Man agreed. Although they didn't know what Skrulls were, they could analyze that if this plan succeeded, it could indeed achieve what Mark described.

"Well then, I'll start by looking for those two Skrulls," Doctor Strange contemplated for a moment, nodded, and began the search.

°°°

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