Chapter Text
This is another gem from the prop-Tony "genius" who thinks nuking Wakanda is okay if Tony does it. In this, Steve (who in canon believes in justice and standing up for the little guy) convinces the world governments to abolish all laws in the name of "freedom." Tony flees with orphans to Mars to create a perfect society and lets Earth burn. What's a more likely scenario?
***
Tony wandered through Supply Dome #3. He had all of his alcohols there. He frowned as he noted how low the stock of his favorite single-malt scotch had gotten.
He said, "Friday, when will I need to send a drone back to Planet Wasteland to scavenge for more Glen Moray?"
Then he wondered out loud, "I wonder if there IS any Glen Moray left on that cesspool Cap created?"
Friday paused a moment and said, "Boss, at your current rate of consumption, you will run out of Glen Moray single-malt scotch in five years. If you reduce your consumption to 3 times a week, it will last eleven point five years."
Tony nodded to himself and said, "Better safe than sorry. Create a schedule for me then. Glen Moray with a different meal package ONE day a week. I'll have plenty of time to enjoy it then."
He smirked to himself as he picked out a merlot to have with the beef stew one of the bots would reconstitute for his dinner.
When he reached the door to the dome, he stepped through and heard it shut behind him. As he walked along the sealed walkway that connected the domes, he looked out at the barren red rock and dust of Mars.
He stopped for a moment and clutched the neck of the bottle. He was ALONE on this planet, except for his 'bots and Friday. NO ONE had come with him. Not even HAPPY would abandon Earth, much less Pepper or Rhodey. And the spider kid's aunt had somehow found out about Leipzig and made sure Tony never got NEAR the kid to make his offer.
Tony hoped they'd all burned in the wars and chaos that Cap no doubt unleashed on the planet. Cap coming forward with what Ross and the Accords panel were doing to enhanced beings around the world led to protests and calls for the Accords to be abolished. Which of course led to the anarchists insisting ALL laws be abolished.
Tony had bailed before Iron Man got called in to clean up the mess.
He shrugged and walked into his Entertainment Dome. He was FINE by himself. He had plenty of research and tinkering to do, plenty of shows and movies he'd never had a chance to watch, and Friday to play chess or cards with if he wanted. (Although he'd had to tweak the algorithms so he would always win.)
Tony Stark would be absolutely fine.
***
Shuri turned to her camera and said to the heroes on the other end of the video call, "As far as I can tell, Stark hasn't even bothered to check on the PLANET, much less America or even any of you."
Happy frowned and looked down as he muttered, "I should have gone with him."
Pepper put her hand on Happy's shoulder and said, "You had to do what's right for you. Tony might not have let you come back. You wouldn't have lasted long with nobody else to talk to."
Rhodey sighed and asked, "So as long as his equipment keeps running, you think he has enough supplies for decades?"
Shuri nodded and said, "He cleared out a whole warehouse of those emergency meals, and they're supposed to last for 25 years. He tapped into an underground aquifer, so he has water. And the plants that he put in are enough to keep his air breathable for the foreseeable future."
Steve and Natasha stepped forward. Steve said, "Thanks for monitoring, Shuri. We know that this is what Tony wanted, but it's hard to believe he's all right out there."
Natasha nodded and said, "Although some part of me somehow thinks everything will be all right, in the end."
***
Natasha was right. With Tony off on Mars, Pepper and Rhodey were the ones who kept in touch with Team Cap. When Bruce landed back on Earth, Strange contacted Rhodey, who immediately called Steve to warn him about the danger to Vision. With Vision uninjured, the Black Order was defeated, and an underpowered Thanos was killed without ever gaining the Mind Stone or Time Stone.
Tony never knew about any of it, because he never bothered to check on the planet--or people--he'd left behind.