Tony politely didn't mention that it was probably less than three inches, and that he wore shoes with lifts. Instead, he let Peter take his weight and reached for the television remote, turning it to the evening news.

"Okay, first or all, I'm no slouch at a dead lift either." And it was a joke, because next to Steve's seven or eight hundred pounds, next to Peter's three tons, and whatever else, Tony really was a bit of a joke. Out of armor.

"I shouldn't need to be protected, is the issue. When I do, it means I made a wrong decision somewhere. I need to do better."