Tony’s faceplate retracted with a smooth hiss. His expression was all sharp angles and exhausted frustration.

A red and blue blur shot down from the rafters overhead. It landed in a crouch between the two teams with a soft thump, one hand planted on the concrete.

In a move too fast to follow, Spider-Man lunged. A web-line shot out, yanked the shield clean off Steve’s back, and sent it skittering across the floor into Spider-Man’s waiting hands.

The standoff shattered. Sam took to the air. Bucky’s metal arm whirred as he charged. And from the shadows of a grounded jet, the rest of Team Cap emerged: Clint Barton, notching an arrow, Wanda Maximoff with her hands already glowing crimson, and Scott Lang, looking wildly out of his depth.

War Machine’s shoulder cannon whined as it powered up. Black Widow and Black Panther melted from the periphery, joining the line. Vision descended silently from above.