Chapter 1
My name is David Stark, or rather that is the name I was given ever since I was planted in a familiar world from an unknown entity calling itself the Presence. My real name is Joseph Myers and I'm practically a nobody. I'm a pretty chubby Hispanic male who suffers from acne, who is sometimes antisocial, have low self-esteem and have difficulty talking to girls. I wasn't always like this I was a pretty happy kid until I was bullied. I was always called a loser as well as other names I don't wish to repeat. It's made me cynical over the years but I do socialize when I need to.
I know what you're thinking: "this guy sounds like he's the life of the party!". Oh yeah I'm the poster boy for normal teenage life. If you haven't guessed I'm also snarky. But enough about me, it's time I tell how I somehow got myself into the DC universe and became Iron Man.
It was Monday morning of September 3, 2018, it was Labor Day so I had no class. I'm currently a senior in college and I'm heading out to meet my best friends for a little lunch. Their names are Markus and Ian. I met these guys freshmen year during one of those fairs to join some clubs. I'm pretty smart or rather book smart so I joined a lot of the academic clubs since I believe knowledge is power. After I signed up for those, I saw this comic book club that caught my attention. I've always been a comic book fan especially when they made movies on them.
I've always loved Marvel's Iron Man since Robert Downey Jr. plays him in the movies and he has this charisma that drew me to his character. He reminded me a little of Batman but not as angsty or depressing. Plus it helps that he can get a lot of women that made me wish to want to be him since I like the confidence to talk to one to go on a date.
Anyway, it was as I was looking to join this club that I met both Markus and Ian. Markus was a white Caucasian male, 5'10", same as me, and had the appearance of a jock. He loved sports and was physically fit to perform a lot of maneuvers that could take him to the Olympics one day. He also loved comic books always dreaming to become like Batman or Captain America which led him to study martial arts.
Next was Ian, he was a Hispanic male like myself, who was more antisocial than me and had the appearance of your typical geek, a genius level geek. I wouldn't say that he loved comic books like me or Markus but he did like the world comic books create. The freedom to be not in the real world and pretend to be somewhere else.
Ever since we joined we became best friends. We even taught each other things over the years. Markus taught me and Ian some martial arts. Help me lose some weight but I still looked a bit chubby but hey it's a win in my book. Ian taught me and Markus how to hack into servers and do whatever we want in it as well as some engineering skills since it's good to know how make and build original stuff from time to time. And I taught them several academic techniques to study and retain information. I also taught them philosophy so that they can know how to look at things from a certain point of view and find different options to solve your problems. I know it's not the most useful thing to teach but in hindsight it's certainly useful when dealing with a difficult situation.
Now here we are meeting in a local deli near the college gonna talk about how we are gonna decide our future when we graduate.
"Yo, what's up guys how have you been?" I asked them when I entered the deli.
"Dude you just saw us last week and we give you the same answer." said Ian with a smirk. "Always with the sarcasm, guess that's how we got along so well" I thought.
"We're good bro how have you been?" said Markus said with a smile
"I've been good. I read that the newest comic for DC will finally explain the reason Catwoman left Batman at the alter and I've read that they are gonna recast Iron Man after Avengers 4." I told them.
We converse back and forth on these topics ever since we've met and it does make me happy to know these. Soon we had to finish eating and head back to our respective homes to get ready for class tomorrow. I wish them farewell and then I start driving home. I stop at a red light in the intersection of my town and think to myself with a smile "this year is gonna end with a bang". The light turns green, I press my foot onto the gas and then unexpectedly I get hit by 14 wheeler truck that drove through a red light. My vision goes dark and I don't feel pain. I think I just died.
Then something interesting happens. There's this light at the end of the darkness and it's slowly growing brighter. I'm thinking that I'm probably in the hospital about to wake up but the light grows brighter and brighter I feel the urge to cover my eyes but I can't move. Now I can't see but soon I realize that I'm not in a hospital but in a white room and there's this man sitting on a chair wearing a suit that looked like it was made in the 50s with a top hat and a umbrella on his lap. He looks at me with sad eyes and I stare at him wondering what is this place.
"Hello Joseph, it's an honor to meet you but I had hoped to meet you when you're in your 90s." Said the man.
"How do you know my name and what is this place" I asked him worryingly.
He says "I am known by many names over the centuries. Many of you call me God but I often preferred being called the Presence and this place is what I call the nexus of worlds. The afterlife is apart of the nexus but that is that where you are going"
I just stared at this man dumbfounded. This is God, the beginning and ending of all things. The one being that 90% of the world worship. I just had one thing to say that summarizes what I'm feeling.
"Holy shit" I said with awe
The Presence, as he calls himself, laughs and says "Yes, I have heard that reaction an infinite amount of times and it still makes me laugh. But please be mindful of your language."
"Sorry." I said with embarrassment "I just never thought you actually existed but I had some faith that maybe one day I would meet my maker but what did you mean that I'm not going to the afterlife I'm dead aren't I?" I questioned.
"Yes you are Joseph I'm afraid you died sooner then what I had planned for you and so I came up with a compromise. I am willing to send you to another world where you can relive your life and hopefully live it better and longer than your old one." The Presence told me
I stared at him and asked "Wait, can't you just resurrect me to the moment I died? I have family and friends to go back to."
With sadness the Presence said "I'm sorry Joseph I can't do that. I can't send you back to your world because you have already been buried in the ground for several months now. Many mourned your death but I can give you a new life with a purpose if you do wish."
I am saddened to know that I hurt a lot of people with my death even if it was not my fault, I still feel responsible. Ian always said that I cared more about other people's feelings than my own but it's who I am. The idea of living in a new world does sound intriguing so I asked the Presence "Do I get to decide the world I want to be born in?"
The Presence looks at me with a smile and says "Yes, you do have a choice and when you do I'm also willing to give you two gifts of your choosing to help you in your new life."
Now that is just too good to pass down. So now I gotta decide where to be born in. Well obviously it's gotta be a world with superheroes. That's a must so now I have to choose either Marvel or DC. I know Marvel better but DC has the more cynical realism feel when it comes to heroes which I can definitely fit in with. Plus, it would be cool to be apart of like the Teen Titans or Young Justice. But if I did who would I become someone completely new or would I be someone from canon like nightwing or something. So many choices and I'm starting to go crazy about the decision. Me meeting Iron Man and helping him create the Avengers or me meeting Batman and robin and help form Young Justice.
As I think I stumble upon an interesting idea. What if I chose to go to the DC universe and form Young Justice as Iron Man. I've read a lot of fanfics that don't have Iron Man as the main character in the Dc universe. Maybe this is my opportunity to become my favorite hero in one of my favorite tv shows. Maybe I can help the team with all of the gear I can create and make them better heroes. I can make there lives better. Ok I've made my choice.
"I've made my decision." I said with confidence "I'm want you to send me to the DC universe where I can form and become apart of Young Justice if you have seen the tv show. Also, I want to become that worlds Iron Man."
The Presence looks at me with a smile and says "Very well. I am aware of the show you speak of and of the character you wish to become. Now what would be the gifts you wish for me to bestow upon you?"
I think quickly on what I want and then I say "I want to be super smart since majority of the characters are practically genius level intellects so it'll be good to match them. Also I want to have the AI Friday with me when I get there."
"Why do you want the AI Friday specifically? Why not Jarvis?" The Presence asked me.It's a good question whenever you think of Iron Man you think of Jarvis the AI butler.
But I tell the Presence "I'm not gonna completely copy Iron Man from suits to AI. Friday has become more apart of the Iron Man story nowadays than Jarvis and she can definitely help me in both in the field and social life when I have to work with girls. It'll be good to have a female companion for once since girls are like impossible for me to talk to without some guidance." I said logically "It also helps that she is pretty cute for an AI when I saw her comic book picture"
The Presence goes in a thinking pose and says " I see. Well I will grant you your requests and I am sorry for your death as well as the struggles of the life you had."
He says sadly but then he looks at me with certainty "I am confident that you will become the hero you have always wanted to be. Also, one last thing you're problem with girls that you say you have will be rectified once you are born in your new life." He says to me with a smile and then winks "Have fun."
"Wait. What do yo-" I try to say but I am pulled forcefully to a portal within the nexus and am sent to the world I asked to go to.
December 1st, 1996
Gotham General hospital 3:30 am
I see darkness again which annoys me but then I hear voices. I wonder what is going on and then I see a light at the end of it as well as rubber hands on my head pulling me out of this dark place. The light is brightening and I try to cover my eyes then I feel something weird about my body as my eyes adjust to the light.
"Holy sh- I mean crap, I'm a newborn baby" I thought. The voices become recognizable.
"Congratulations you two. You have a healthy baby boy. Although it is odd that he is not crying but it is not that uncommon that this happens but overall he is fine" said a man that I assume to be a doctor
"Can I hold him" says a woman I don't recognize.
The doctor passes me to her and I get a good look of her face. She is a beautiful white woman with long brown hair. I can guess that she is around her late 20s, early 30s. She has dark blue eyes and a smile that can just warm your heart.
"Look at him, Robert. He is beautiful" says the woman
The man, who I assume is Robert, says "He sure is Maggie".
The woman, Maggie, passes me to Robert. I observe him he's around the same age as Maggie. He has short black hair, a goatee and brown eyes. He looks lean and gives off an aura sophistication.
Maggie, or should I say mom, asked Robert "What shall we name him Rob?"
Robert, or dad, looks at mom with a smile and says "David. Named after your father. David Samuel Stark"
Once I heard the name Stark, I just giggled and then fully laughed thinking to myself "Presence if you can hear me, I want you to know that you are awesome."
My laughs become infectious which means that my parents laugh too. They love that I'm laughing and I love that I'm a Stark. Now let's go have some fun shall we.