Chapter 172 Ivan Vanko

The five Avengers plus the Fantastic Four were a match that even the notorious Doctor Doom could not handle. The battle instantly turned into a one-sided affair, and Doom's defeat was merely a matter of time.

However, one of the most famous villains in the Marvel Universe would not surrender so easily.

Finding himself battered and bruised by the Thing, who charged like an anti-aircraft gun, this self-important supervillain finally could not help but cry out for help.

"Damn Russian! How much longer are you going to watch? If you don't make a move now, you'll never get your revenge for the rest of your life!!!"

Doom's frantic and exasperated voice startled the surrounding combatants. What did that mean? Did Doom have an accomplice?

Gu Chongyan, observing from the shadows, felt a flash of understanding. As expected, lacking Mr. Fantastic's machine, Doom had encountered other opportunities. The arc reactor on his body must have been provided by his accomplice.

Thud, thud, thud!

Following Doom's cry for help, the sound of missile launches echoed through the air.

A flash of fire streaked across the sky as a dozen indiscriminate bombs rained down. Bang, bang, bang! They plunged this bustling modern metropolis into a battlefield reminiscent of the Middle East.

Too busy seeking cover, the heroes could no longer maintain their encirclement of Doom.

Taking advantage of the opening, Doom burst out of the circle. More violent arcs of electricity surged across his body as he materialized three basketball-sized electrical orbs in his hands, hurling them fiercely toward Mr. Fantastic like a mortar.

This clearly demonstrated the status this archenemy held in Doom's heart.

Amidst the barrage of artillery fire, another suit of iron armor fell from the sky, hitting the ground with a heavy crash.

Unlike Tony's fiery and dazzling gold-and-red color scheme, this bright silver armor was cut from the same cloth as Doom's metallic physique, exuding a chilling aura of murderous intent.

Connected to each of its mechanical arms was an ultra-energy whip, crackling with blue electricity. Before anyone could parse its precise construction, the whips lashed out like dragons emerging from the sea, whistling as they swept toward Tony.

The explosive electrical current grazed the gold-and-red armor with a sharp hiss, instantly leaving a scorched mark. The invading current rapidly wreaked havoc on the iron suit's operational systems, dealing a massive amount of damage in a split second.

Gu Chongyan was taken aback. Wasn't this Ivan Vanko? When on earth did he hook up with Doom?

Ivan Vanko was a supervillain from Iron Man 2, codenamed "Whiplash"—a Russian scientist who loved wielding a little electric whip.

He was a technological genius, and his father, Anton Vanko, had been a friend of Tony's father, Howard Stark.

Later, Anton Vanko attempted to use the Tesseract for illicit gains and was banished by Howard. After returning to Russia, he died of depression. Convinced that Howard had stolen his father's technological achievements, Ivan resolved to bring down the Stark family to avenge his father.

In the original plotline, relying on the arc reactor technology left behind by Anton Vanko, he built a custom set of Whiplash armor and ambushed Tony on the racetrack. However, because his arc reactor had a lower rotational speed, he was defeated by Iron Man and sent to prison.

Later smuggled out of prison by Justin Hammer, he collaborated with him to wreak havoc at the Stark Expo, ultimately perishing at the hands of Iron Man and War Machine.

However, due to Gu Chongyan's intervention, many plot points had already shifted.

For instance, in Iron Man 2, Tony's reckless behavior caused by palladium poisoning had given Whiplash the opportunity to ambush him at the racetrack.

Yet previously, after Gu Chongyan rescued Tony from Afghanistan, he not only informed him about Obadiah but also told him about the clues to the new element left in Howard's notes, prompting Tony to contact S.H.I.E.L.D. early and invent the new element.

With the new element and no palladium poisoning, Tony naturally refrained from reckless escapades. Deprived of the chance to approach Tony, Whiplash had stumbled by chance into Doom, who had lost Mr. Fantastic's machine.

When two frustrated supervillains met, it was like fire meeting dry firewood; they hit it off instantly.

You provide me with energy, I provide you with machinery, and the two major villains both received significant upgrades.

One relied on an arc reactor to transform into a thunderstorm overlord.

The other gained armor enhancements, mastering a secret technique of rapid-fire electric whip strikes.

Seeing Whiplash once again brandish his electrical whips in a horizontal sweep toward Tony's neck, Captain America's expression shifted as he hurriedly stepped forward, raising his shield to block the strike.

Simultaneously, the Hulk let out a roar and lunged, grabbing hold of Whiplash's other electric whip in an attempt to completely shut down his assault.

Unfortunately, this Whiplash was not the Whiplash of the past; he was a Whiplash bolstered by armor.

With a burst of jet propulsion, he took off vertically from the spot, dodging the Hulk's enraged grab, and then swung both arms to weave a brilliant electric net, viciously lashing down toward Captain America and Iron Man.

Meanwhile, the Gatling gun mounted on his back—akin to War Machine's arsenal—flashed with merciless fire, wildly sweeping explosive bullets across the surroundings and forcing the others attempting to render aid to temporarily retreat.

Seeing Whiplash hold off the entire Avengers team single-handedly, Doom reclaimed the imposing aura of a supreme supervillain.

Raging thunder roared, shattering the earth and relentlessly pursuing the Fantastic Four.

Seeing the two supervillains regain the upper hand, Gu Chongyan shook his head and finally decided to step in.

One Doom alone would have been fine; spending a little effort would eventually secure him. But now, coupled with an upgraded Whiplash, the two thunderstorm overlords joining forces meant that even if the heroes eventually won, they would likely suffer quite a bit.

If he hadn't been here, it would be one thing, but since he was present, it wouldn't do to just stand by and watch.

With a rustling sound, the Darkhold unspooled, and a dark, shadowy figure condensed into a giant octopus behind him, overlooking the war-torn city like a mythical demon beast.

"Blade-bone Snares!"

With a single spell, eight chains instantly surged across the battlefield. Neither the two supervillains nor the two superhero factions realized how these blade-like, intertwining chains had appeared.

By the time they reacted, the chains had split into two groups of four, darting like lightning toward the two supervillains.

Doom and Whiplash felt a jolt of alarm and scrambled to evade, but as individuals only in the early stages of their power, how could they possibly contend with Gu Chongyan, who was only a step away from the Fatherly tier?

The four chains suddenly tightened, like a fishing net rising from the water, effortlessly binding the two supervillains into the shapes of rice dumplings.

Dark energy coiled around both men. Neither the energy of Whiplash's iron armor nor the terrifying electrical current surging through Doom could resist the dark force; both were instantly and completely devoured.