The Shadow of Tony Stark

Fanfiction
Title:	The Shadow of Tony Stark
Author(s):	Teyke
Date(s):	05 December 2012
Length:	94,935 words
Genre(s):	Action/Adventure, gen fanfiction
Fandom(s):	The Avengers (Marvel), MCU
Relationship(s):	Tony Stark & Steve Rogers
External Links:	The Shadow of Tony Stark (AO3) cover art by Ibrahil
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

The Shadow of Tony Stark is an Avengers story by Teyke. It was written for the Big Big Bang 2012 and is the second major part of The Undone Universe series and a sequel to Saga.

Summary: Tony kills himself. Steve struggles to deal with being left behind once again. But he doesn't have much time to spend grieving, because it quickly becomes apparent that Tony was working on a secret project before his death, one with the potential to change the world – and he wasn't working alone.

The art for the story - cover photo art, chapter headers, divisors and icons - is by Ibrahil.

Recs and Reviews

So, first reaction to this was "OMG! YOU ARE A GENIUS!!!" Not only did you write a great sequel full of little Easter eggs of awesomeness, you also wrote it about one of my favorite Avengers while hardly having him in the story at all. I...I'm not quite sure how you did that, haha.

I was scared to read this because of the summary, I will admit. "Tony kills himself," it said, and all I could think was 'nooooo...' But then I remembered that you wrote an excellent fic before this, and an interlude to go with it that was pretty awesome, and I told myself to trust you. And you did not disappoint. While I was sad that Tony was not alive for most of this fic, he permeated it quite thoroughly.

I don't think this was a sequel any of us expected, so good job on you! You took this in a completely unexpected direction. I think, while many of us thought that Tony would slowly be going mad, no one expected that he might take his own life. I think we all hoped someone would catch him in time, or that he would just disappear, save the day, and then come back. I don't think anyone as expecting him to, well... And also, we're really still not sure about what happened in that lab, especially if he was researching Extremis and was possibly made immortal by Other!Loki [...].

I have...SO, so many theories for what will happen next: All sorts of thoughts about what really happened to Tony, about Steve's exposure to Extremis, and about what trail TonytheSorcerer was following and why? I am only posing a few of the questions though. I'll keep my theories to myself, lol. [...]

Um, part I liked best...The emotions portrayed by everyone surrounding Tony's death. I think you handled it very well, everyone's reactions, especially Steve's and Pepper's. Oh, and Steve's POV was pretty awesome in general. I think he is a great character to do a POV with as he tends to need things (usually tech things) explained to him and it helps the reader out also without taking away from the story. It makes random explanations seem natural.

Oh, and ZOMBIES!!! Zombies are awesome. [...] Anyway, to sum up: Great fic! Very unexpected sequel, which kept it interesting and fun, while also being heart-wrenching and mysterious. I think you played it out masterfully. Can not wait until the next one comes out!

I literally did not sleep last night because I was reading this whole series. It all was really, really good. AHHH its so good. You win the originality award for having Tony transported to an alternate universe and not any alternate universe either but the original. Idk where you got that idea of pan dimensional beings (I've never heard of it in the Marvel verse but I'm nowhere near and expert) but it was brilliant. I don't know what your next step is but since it was magician Tony at the end I feel like your not bringing original Tony back but you will explain his death. [...] I really liked the time jump to the 6 months later and how well you focused on all the other characters. I think it worked really well and was unexpected, but kept the story moving and keeps you desperately interested because you want to know what the hell happened on top of wanting to cry with the rest of the Avengers.

I wish I had better words, or would sound less bitter about how upset I've been reading this. Because it is amazing, but in being so amazing, it also was able to absolutely devastate me. Your use of marvel root material to world build in your own universe, the layers and detail and complexity, and the raw, hideous pain of loss and grief, are mind blowing.

I don't know where you're going with it all, and part of me still clings to the faint hope that somewhere, somehow, our Tony isn't really dead, but while I am sure that you will continue to break my heart getting there, I can't wait to find out where it ends up.

I am in awe of the sheer scale of your imagination, and your capacity to express it.

I just. WORDS CAN'T DESCRIBE HOW WONDERFUL THIS FIC IS. It's so long, but so well-paced, and nothing dragged. I can't remember the last time I read a fanfic where I just HAD to keep on going because I needed to know what was going on. And I am in love with the way you wrote all the characters, particularly Steve, Rhodey, and Natasha - they were all spot on. And Extremis! I've seen a lot of Extremis fic popping up recently, and I was a little wary when I saw it here because I wasn't really a fan of how it's been portrayed elsewhere so far, but this was amazing and really drove home the horror that was touched on in the comics. I had trouble reading this alone at 4am because the tension and suspense were putting me on edge.

Header for chapter 4, art by Ibrahil

This comment would be written all IN VERY DRAMATIC CAPS OKAY if hadn't given myself a chance to cool of. Because, BECAUSE. It completely stole my heart. This whole series is one of the best things I've in the Marvel fandom, like, ever. Seriously. The way you decided to cross ALL THE WORLDS IS. BRILLIANT. You see, I can't help but slip into those goddamn caps. It's because of feelings, really. [...]

Okay, so thoughts. Forgive me for writing about the whole series in one comment, but I really do perceive it as one, so it'll be easier. In the first installment, I absolutely adored your 616!Steve. I think this is actually my favourite Steve in the whole multiverse and I like the way you portrayed him from MCU!Tony POV. Their doomed friendship, Tony's promise to avenge a friend he lost, Steve admitting that he will always love Tony, no matter what, it all broke my heart. I like how Tony's relationship with his own Steve progressed from that point, as if he decided that every Steve deserves a chance, that this Steve can maybe become that other Steve, I dunno. It was still very lovely. Also, Tony's love for Pepper that did not vanish in the presence of Steve's abs as it so often does in fanfiction was wonderful and believable and very IC for Tony.

I was very excited for Steve's POV in this part and you didn't disappoint me. This whole thing broke me, okay, it just did. Steve and the team, and Pepper, and Rhodey, and Happy, and even Nick "Don't Fuck This Up" Fury (I love that you made Tony's death somehow personal for him, probably reminding him of Coulson, like Coulson undoubtedly reminded Tony of Yinsen) grieved and searched for answers, and I literally couldn't stop reading until I knew how it ended. God. There were moments my eyes watered, even, and I usually don't cry while reading fanfiction so it had to really hit me in the guts. Till the very end, of course, I hoped that you'll bring Tony back because a) Loki cursed him with immortality, b) I thought it was heavily hinted that Tony can't be hurt or regenerates and doesn't sleep at all (just like he later didn't in Asgard) and c) IT'S MARVEL, OKAY, PEOPLE DIE HERE ALL THE TIME, THEY JUST DON'T STAY DEAD FOR LONG. So it's not like blowing one's head off necessarily means they're gone. Boo-hoo. Worse things happened and people still got better :)

I think that apart from Steve's and Pepper's break downs and Rhodey "I want in" and "I don't blame you" moments (hopeless Rhodey fan, here), the death of Tony's robots was the most tragic for me. The very thought of DUM-E and U and JARVIS destroyed beyond repair is chilling because it means that whatever Tony did to himself, he thought it was going to be permanent. At least that's how I see it. And just like Steve said in the end - not only Tony himself is gone, everything that was a reminder of him was gone, too. Tony erased himseld on Earth-19999 just like he did on Earth-616 during the World's Most Wanted arc, only less literally.

But the ending, GOD, THE ENDING. Tony The Sorcerer Supreme showing out of nowhere, being all "Oh, hi, Steve" like nothing's wrong and Steve kind of hitch-hiking with him to whatever world he was going... WHAT NOW? Will there be more Tonys from other worlds? Did they all managed to communicate with each other to form some kind of a multiverse anti-Loki alliance? Will our Tony come back from the dead? Will his and Steve's relationship progress into something else entirely?

And can I haz Director Fury meeting The Sorcerer Supreme Tony, pliz? Lol, just kidding, but I have to admit, that I am amusing myself with the very thought of 9810!Tony and 19999!Gang meeting, that cracks me up so much you have no idea :D