The trickster moved forward and threw back Wanda's powers towards her and her team. They were knocked off their feet, but not for long. They quickly regained their footing. The fight broke out as both teams charged at one another. It had been a long time coming.
"You really can't look past your ego at least once in your life? This is bigger than you!" shouted Romanov with her usual disdain.
Everyone knew that Romanov was trying to play on Tony's insecurities once again, just as she had done since their very first encounter and, oh boy, was it the wrong thing to say. Hope wasn't something to mess with. She had heard of Natasha's attempts to infiltrate Stark Industries. The spy's honeypot techniques and constant undermining of the genius in every way, shape or form had done nothing to make her endearing. Hope wasn't the king to stand by while her friends were being harmed and she would do anything to prevent that.
Evidently, the spy had no idea who Tony was. Not his true self. Romanov had not attempted to see past the masks that the genius had to wear on a daily basis, even though she should have known a bit about it. Hope was more than sceptical that the other woman had any training in psychology at all. Shield had been trying to conduct a secret job interview on Tony for a position he didn't apply for and decided to reject him for the start. For what reason? Because they wanted access to the genius' money whenever they wanted. It was time to repay the great Black Widow for all her kindness.
"Who are you?" asked Romanov.
Wasn't that woman meant to know everything, to always be two steps ahead of everybody? She was looking at Hope with disdain. She likely believed that Hope was of no consequence and she would easily get through her. The Black Widow had a reputation for being a skilled fighter after all, but she was in for a big surprise. Hope didn't even need her suit to take on Romanov. The spy's fighting techniques were unorthodox, kind of all fashioned in a way. She was relying on her legs and also, had many telltale signs for anyone who would bother to look closely.
Natasha Romanov was well known for her ability to manipulate, and these skills were particularly effective on those who were attracted to that type of woman. If Hope had been that way inclined, she would not have been attracted to the Black Widow in the first place. Miss Van Dyne had standards, thank you very much. She would never stoop to that level. Outside beauty might capture the attention maybe, but only the character would get her heart.
Rhodey was trying not to give those boys a lap with his armour for their stupid choices. Wilson, with his military background, clearly still had some moves left. Some things were not as easily forgotten. He wasn't a bad fighter either, but the exoskeleton with its wings served primarily as a defensive measure. His previous missions had all been about rescuing people rather than killing them. The Falcon was not on the same level as War Machine, just like Sam Wilson did not not match James Rhodes. While he had a lot of potential, he was wasting it all by taking Captain America's side no question asked. Rhodey really wanted to have a proper conversion with Wilson and to open his eyes.
The other guy was clearly not a fighter. Rhodey didn't even know why he was there if not for his suit. There was no doubt that the man had no idea what he was doing, how to move his body or how to avoid being hit. The suit, just like the Wasp, allowed him to go very small and he had the intelligence to try and make the most of it.
When Hope had joined their lives and their team, she had brought a suit of similar capabilities and even more. The woman was intelligent enough to suggest to Tony to find a countermeasure against her. Of course, she would never betray them, they knew that now. Even though they all had trust issues in their own right, none of them would have asked that of her. Unfortunately, Hank Pym was not above such things, and he was the man who had created the suits in the first place. Her reasoning was sound of course, and it helped build mutual respect among them.
That 'Ant' guy was attempting to break through the armour. It was not going to work. Tony was an expert at what he was doing, the best out there. Jarvis was watching every move the small man made. Agatha and Loki had also placed additional shields on their own. They had all made sure that the suit's would be impenetrable. Tough luck for the guy.
Two supersoldiers against one regular man in a fancy suit of armour, they thought it would be an easy victory. Barnes and Rogers weren't giving it their all in the fight. Rogers clearly thought he was too good for the debauched Tony Stark. The man had spent his life sheltered, wasting his life in his tower. So what if he was meant to be a genius? Steve had seen the footage. Stark was only fighting for himself and he was clearly oblivious to the bigger picture and what it could mean for the future. Those rich people were so out of touch. Tony had no idea how the rest of the world was doing, especially not the little guys. Steve would bet that Stark wasn't even an effort to try, not even now that he was Iron Man.
Barnes looked like he wanted to be anywhere but on that tarmac, in that airport, at that precise moment. Yet, he was doing what he always did, protecting the punk. He had no idea what or who he was protecting him from or whether it was the right thing to do. His mind was simply too scrambled for him to remember anything. He had memories of back then, before the war and before the years in the hands of Hydra, when Steve and he were still young and naive. Bucky was just doing more of the same.
Tony would do everything in his power to stop the two supersoldiers, but he had no hate for them in his heart. He felt indifferent towards them. Rogers was a whole pile of annoyance and stupid. Tony wouldn't give a damn about them if it wasn't for the fact that each of Steve's decisions put the general public in danger. For a very long time, Barnes had been a victim. The genius had needed some time to realise that, but it was no less true. Both men now had the opportunity to do the right thing, the decent thing, and surrender. Sometimes, battles could be fought with words rather than with their fists. The victims of the Winter Soldier deserved justice too. They should have the right to know the truth and to be able to put that horrible chapter of their lives behind them.
The armour was much more powerful than Tony's enemies always seemed to think. It was so much more than an iron can protecting him. He had never really used his suit at full capacity, not even after Afghanistan when he had been destroying his own weapons, feeling guilty and mad. Iron Man had the capacity to destroy entire cities without a scratch on the paint job. He could kill Barnes and Rogers right here, right there if he wanted to. Tony was not a violent man. He would do what was necessary to protect himself and others. The genius took no pleasure in fighting.
Finally, Rogers understood that he needed to give it his all, not holding back in his attacks or the use of the shield. He had realised that his opponent was not that weak, and that in order to come out victorious and free, he would have to do everything in his power. His enemy was not that weak. If he wanted to get out here free and on his own two feet, he would have to use the abilities that made him Captain America. For a split second, Tony wondered what Howard would have thought about seeing his shield being used to harm his own son. Would he have to protect Tony or would he have sided with Rogers like all those other moments when the son couldn't compare to the legend? There was no point in speculating on these possibilities. He would never know and perhaps it was better that way.
The goddess of death was toying with the archer. Those kinds of warriors were not particularly popular among Asgardians. The Aesirs fought face to face, not at a distance, believing that any other approach would be cowardly. They were always eager to charge into battle. She did not fully agree with those kinds of strategies. When it came to protecting their loved one and preserving their way of life, everything was fair game really. The Aesirs dreamed of Valhalla, and in order to reach it, they needed to die honourably during a battle. The centuries spent in a dark prison had renewed her will to live, and she would use any means necessary to survive and protect her brand new family. Valhalla could wait. She wasn't in a hurry to see anybody she cared about get into her domain, the land of the dead.
But she was let down by the archer's fighting abilities. That man had most probably grown complacent over the years. His arrows were probably good enough that he didn't have to deal with his opponents up close. Hela could have won that fight in the first few seconds. The man was trying hard, but his rage was making him sloppy. She could see that his team wasn't doing all that well either. They considered themselves as superheroes. They certainly loved the title more than the hard work that came with it. Perhaps she wasn't a good person, playing with him like that, but then again he wasn't dead. Yet.
Out of nowhere, a figure clad in black entered the fight with one clear goal. He was intent on reaching Barnes. They immediately recognised T'Challa and his cat suit. The Prince had made no secret of his desire for revenge. He was going to get it no matter the cost to him or to others. Having lost their king, his country undoubtedly needed the prince. They certainly deserved time to mourn rather than to quickly lose another monarch.
"I didn't kill your father." stated Barnes as a defence.
"Then why did you run?"
T'Challa's rage was reignited, and he fought the Winter Soldier with even more energy. He wanted to kill the man, there was no question about that. Tony and his team were not going to let that happen. The Prince would certainly come to regret his harsh decision after properly grieving his father. Killing the Winter Soldier would not bring him true closure. Barnes was not guilty of the crime in question. T'Chaka wasn't the only victim, and Wakanda wasn't the only nation that wanted to speak with the Winter Soldier. They could understand the feelings, especially Tony. It could have been him if the genius didn't have his family to help him. Two wrongs didn't make a right. Despite being a cliche, it was nonetheless true.
In a way, T'Challa precipitated the end of the fight. Rogers lost focus and abandoned the fight against Tony to assist his oldest friend. The rest of the Avengers followed suit, even if it was the wrong move for the team. One by one, the Avengers were defeated and restrained with specialised manacles designed to neutralise their unique abilities and powers. T'Challa was apprehended after landing a few successful strikes. Hopefully, this would be the final failed mission of the Avengers.