Marvel's Iron Lady

Time Magazine aims to produce a publication that is lightweight and easy to read, allowing readers to quickly grasp all the important information without spending too much time.

As the world's most widely circulated and influential news magazine, Time Magazine's cover figures represent the hottest topics in the news.

Those who make it to the cover of Time Magazine are individuals who have sparked global discussions in politics, economics, culture, and other fields.

Among these, the most prestigious is the magazine's Person of the Year—of course, the Person of the Year is calculated on an annual cycle.

Miss Stark appeared on the cover of Time Magazine once again. Yes, once again—this wasn't her first time.

She had previously earned titles such as the youngest female billionaire in America and a top military-tech scientist leading the world.

But this time, she returned to the cover because she became the first to take on the mess left behind by superhero actions. As the leader of a disaster relief company willing to be a strong support for ordinary people, she successfully became a hot topic of discussion across the United States and worldwide.

The existence of superheroes has always been a popular topic in society.

Only those with special abilities can protect more people from the hands of dangerous villains.

However, for a long time, while heroes stand up and fight to protect ordinary citizens, they often cause even greater destruction in the process.

The damage caused during these battles, whether minor or severe, has never been something that superheroes or supervillains care about.

And Disaster Control, the company Miss Stark founded, was the first to step up and offer insurance services to ordinary citizens, businesses, and even national governments.

As long as you've bought insurance, Disaster Control will cover one hundred percent of the losses.

It may seem like you've won, but we'll definitely profit too—

Backed by large corporations, with dual endorsements from the U.S. government and the Pentagon, and a registered capital of $100 million.

All of this gave Disaster Control its confidence, while also pushing Miss Stark into the eye of the public.

While people either supported or mocked this new company, or simply gossiped about it,

A private insurance policy from a large multinational corporation had already arrived on Miss Stark's desk.

Surprisingly, the company's very first big order came from an unexpected individual.

"How interesting. It's the first deal since the company launched, and it's with someone like him."

At the top floor of Stark Tower, in Miss Stark's private office, she stared at a man dressed entirely in black.

Nick Fury, the final piece of the puzzle for Disaster Control, and also the person who knew Miss Stark best.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had also gotten involved with Disaster Control, especially after Miss Stark mentioned there was money to be made.

The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't miss out on any potential profit, particularly when it involved a complete profit chain.

Under such circumstances, Nick Fury was naturally aware of the individual who had reached out to Miss Stark.

Justin Hammer—the CEO of Hammer Industries, and a rival to Stark Industries. Yes, a rival.

Hammer Industries was a strong competitor in the military-industrial sector, particularly with its cheap yet effective weapons.

And this insurance policy? It came from the weapons research department of Hammer Industries, signed by none other than Justin Hammer.

On the surface, Disaster Control was a construction company, but its real profits came from the insurance business and risk investments.

Insurance, and using insurance payouts to invest in other profitable industries, naturally became a major source of revenue for the company.

Hammer Industries chose the highest-level insurance policy. Would Miss Stark not be tempted by such a hefty premium?

And as it turned out, Justin Hammer had been a fervent suitor of Miss Stark for several years.

It was probably because Miss Stark had taken on the role of CEO of Disaster Control that he was the first to give it a try.

Even in a "trial run," he offered a $10 million premium to protect Hammer Industries' weapons research center.

Reflecting on the events that would unfold in another timeline, Miss Stark still had some doubts about this insurance policy.

However, as Disaster Control's first major business deal, it wasn't something she could reject, both in principle and practicality.

So, facing Nick Fury, who had come specifically to mock her, Miss Stark had no intention of showing him a friendly face.

Still… Nick Fury didn't come just to laugh at her; he had another reason for his visit.

"To be honest, I'm really curious—why did you build a secret base underneath your company headquarters?"

Nick Fury leaned lazily on the couch, squinting as he spoke, watching Miss Stark's expression.

"You already know, so how much of a secret base is it anymore? It's just something I need for certain… organizational purposes."

Miss Stark shrugged lightly, her face showing none of the reactions Nick Fury had expected.

As an experienced old spy, he could easily read the meaning behind someone's facial expressions.

Earlier, Miss Stark had approached Nick Fury, asking for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s assistance in building an underground base.

The underground base was meant to serve as a meeting place for future superhero gatherings, located beneath Disaster Control's headquarters.

Of course, at this moment, Disaster Control's headquarters hadn't even broken ground, and she had only just received the land deeds.

Fortunately, Wilson Fisk had transferred several construction companies from Fisk International Financial Group to Miss Stark ahead of time.

While waiting for Disaster Control's headquarters to be completed, she had plenty of time to manage her other businesses.

Especially with—Norman Osborn's upcoming bid for the mayoral race in New York City.

In the United States, any citizen can run for office, but not everyone can succeed.

Mayor, governor, president—these positions at the pinnacle of power are not something ordinary people can easily attain.

Norman Osborn, as the CEO of Oscorp Industries, had enough capital to run for mayor.

He was a natural fit for the Republican Party—after all, apart from heavy industry, Oscorp's second-largest investment was in pharmaceuticals.

Whether Stark Industries officially supported him or not, by standing with Osborn, Miss Stark would inevitably alienate the Democrats.

Only the Republican Party… With the Democrats polling very high, the Republicans were in a rather awkward position.

But when Norman Osborn came with investments from Oscorp and Stark Industries,

The Republicans, who were in an awkward spot, warmly welcomed him and offered substantial cooperation.

The Republicans even promised that if Norman Osborn confirmed his candidacy, they would go all out to support him.

All they wanted was land suitable for Republican development—land where capital could seize its profits.

Especially given that the Democrats had held power for quite some time.

Even though, thanks to his financial backing, Norman was confident he could win the seat of New York City mayor,

The long and tedious election process would still take time.

For an entire month, Miss Stark had been busy behind the scenes, pulling strings to support Norman Osborn's mayoral campaign.

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