10 Things You Didn't Know About Ironheart
4. Taking Down An Empire
When the sentient Cosmic Cube Kobik altered reality and created a Hydra-backed version of Captain America that took over the nation’s government, Ironheart was one of the heroes that joined the Underground to work against this “Secret Empire” and fix things. After New York City is trapped within a Dark Force bubble, it was Riri who sent out a distress call to all available heroes to join her in Washington DC.
Champion members Hulk, Spider-Man, and Viv Vision, along with Falcon II and Wasp III joined Ironheart to form a new Red Room under the tutelage of Black Widow. Natasha taught the young heroes tactics and espionage. But the young heroes quickly began to question Widow’s ruthlessness and brutality. Especially when she killed a captured Hydra agent.
The team had infiltrated the Hydra base, but their own Underground base had been destroyed. Widow believed that everyone left behind had been killed and that all that was left for them was to kill Steve Rogers. To stop a prophecy of Spider-Man killing Cap, Natasha locked the young hero up and went after Rogers, only to be attacked by the Punisher and killed by Roger’s shield. Spider-Man beat Cap nearly to death but his teammates stopped him from killing the doppelganger. They were arrested and the evil Cap was defeated when the real Captain America returned.