The guy was dropping a lot of names, ones well-known to him. Mostly for academic achievements, yes, but they weren't quite in his circle. "I'd say the closest I've come to working with is Banner, but he's hard to find, sounds like." Oh, yes. The team that didn't exist yet. Tony was guarded, now, his expression carefully neutral. How much did they know? "I'm not saying any more. I don't care what world this is, I signed a stack of NDAs about six inches thick." Non-disclosure agreements with S.H.I.E.L.D.. and.. he knew when it was a good time to shut his mouth.

That, and they knew more than he did about himself.

Registration. Heroes. He'd barely met any of them, had barely tipped a toe in their world, yet.. well, he made enemies. He was that kind of man. It didn't bother him, usually, but this was different. He didn't understand what had happened, but it sounded bloody.

"You cleared one thing up for me. I get to meet Spider-man in the future." His lips twitched, as if wanting to smile, despite her hostility. He was just feeling too uncertain at that moment to bluff any better than that. "I don't usually do politics. Never heard of your Act. I'm sorry, but for right now, your resentment's misplaced." A pause, than, as he considered all that, carefully. "I'm sure I'll find something else to do that'll earn all that hostility." A real smile, then. Too bad, too. She had a cute face.

Then the old man spoke, the one with one eye, and he sighed, murmuring under his breath. "Is the cryptic nonsense thing infectious?"