You Could Make a Case for That

I find it interesting that prop-Tony folks demand forgiveness for Tony, but deny forgiveness for anyone else. Four years after Civil War and still the woobie!Tony, Team Cap-bashing fics continue. Five years after Age of Ultron, and still fics claim the Maximoffs are irredeemable villains and Tony is absolutely blameless (even though he's the one who wrote the Ultron program and plugged the scepter into the Internet).

These prop-Tony folks don't seem to recognize their double standard, especially when you consider the total damage done. Pietro fought them and wanted to kill Tony (but did not act on it). Wanda had each Avenger view their own worst fear. The Hulk's rampage wasn't intentional (he traveled 300 miles from where he was triggered), but that was the most damage the twins caused. As soon as the twins knew Ultron was lying they switched sides. Every action since then has been to clear the red in their ledger. Contrast that with Tony, who after 17 years of criminal negligence, went on to: endanger innocents in Iron Man 2; hide the fact he was using the scepter and unleashed Ultron onto the Internet; support the human-rights-violating Accords; commit child endangerment, extortion, and Accords violations; attack unarmed people; do NOTHING about the treatment of prisoners on the Raft; mutilate a man he knew was innocent; refuse to call for help when the universe was in danger; deliver the Time Stone to Titan (and Thanos); do NOTHING to help the devastated world after the Snap; insist that all of the collateral damage and deaths be kept so his perfect life would stay the same; create Insight 2.0 for his own personal use. There was a recent story where Tony declared an ultimatum: Wanda or him. I think the Avengers would be better off with Wanda and should call Tony out on his hypocrisy.

Note: I don't remember if Pietro was alive in that story, but let's have him survive here.

Vision gently deposited Wanda on the deck of the helicarrier. He said, "Your brother is in the infirmary."

Wanda ran to her brother's side, tears streaming down her face. She was stopped inside the triage area by Captain Rogers. He gently grasped Wanda's shoulders and said, "Pietro is in surgery. He was shot by Ultron when he shielded Clint and a child from being strafed."

As Rogers let go, Barton wrapped an arm around her shoulders and said, "He'll be all right. He seems like a tough kid."

Wanda sniffled and nodded. Rogers pulled out a large handkerchief from a pouch on his utility belt and offered it to her. She smiled at the old-fashioned item, then took it to wipe her eyes and blow her nose.

Romanov walked over with a frown and said, "We need to have a meeting--all of us. Now."

Rogers and Barton shared a look with Romanov that Wanda could not interpret. But she followed the others down a corridor. She could hear Stark's voice through an open door as he shouted, "It's them or me!"

As the group entered, Wanda saw Iron Man looming over a seated black man with a trenchcoat and an eyepatch. Thor, Vision, and Colonel James Rhodes--War Machine--were seated at a large conference table. All of them were frowning.

Rogers looked around the room and asked, "What's going on here?"

Stark whirled around and said, "What's going on here is that WITCH and her Hydra brother should be locked up in the deepest dungeon we can find."

Wanda swallowed as the three adults all stepped in front of her, as if shielding her from the Iron Man. Barton said, "Hold on there. That kid is in surgery because he saved a child's life, as well as mine. And we would never have been able to stop Ultron without their help. They're not going anywhere."

Wanda said, "We are not HYDRA. Baron Von Strucker asked for volunteers for SHIELD. We wanted to protect our country."

Stark's helmet slid back as he pointed at Wanda and said, "SHE is responsible for Ultron."

Vision asked, "How is that possible? Neither Ms. Maximoff nor her brother were in the United States when the Ultron program escaped onto the Intranet. And Ultron was YOUR program."

Thor nodded and said, "These children did not LIE to me about studying the scepter and then use it without informing the rest of us of the plan."

Stark scowled and said, "She forced me--with her visions or something."

Romanov tilted her head and asked, "When? And why didn't you mention having a vision?"

Stark shifted and said, "When I got the scepter. And I didn't want to talk about it."

Romanov shook her head and said, "Then you weren't forced. You were definitely yourself for THREE WHOLE DAYS while you were hiding your use of the scepter from us."

Rogers stepped forward and said, "We all had visions, Tony. They were horrible..."

He turned to Wanda and said, "And we will definitely talk about the difference between what you did to stop us and what you did to help get people to evacuate the city."

Thor nodded and said, "The visions were not compulsions. The actions you took were your own."

Stark threw up his hands and said, "So you're just going to forgive them and welcome them into the club? Forget it! I will NOT work with these people."

He turned to the black man and said, "Like I told you, Popeye: It's them or me."

Rogers looked at the black man and asked, "Nick?"

Nick leaned back and said, "Tony was telling me--very loudly--that the twins aren't Avengers material. He's conveniently forgetting how HE wasn't Avengers material either."

Rhodes said, "You gotta admit, Tony, you weren't exactly Mary Poppins when you put on the Iron Man suit. Or even afterward."

Barton said, "Most of us have done things we regret. But we all got second chances. I don't think I can deny the kids theirs."

Stark said, "What they did was UNFORGIVABLE. Don't you get it? They can NEVER redeem themselves for this."

Wanda cringed behind the others.

Thor stood and walked over to Stark, step by careful step. He said, "Please help me to understand, Stark. Going by your treatment of these twins, I should now take my vengeance upon you, yes? You betrayed my trust and used the scepter knowing it was wrong and none of us would agree to it. According to you, we should NOT have forgiven you, and your actions against Ultron make no difference. You can never redeem yourself, correct?"

Rogers nodded and said, "There's no double standard here, Tony. Either all three of you redeemed yourselves, or none of you did. If you're making us choose between the twins and you..."

Romanov said, "Do you really wanna make this play, Tony? Because I don't think you've got a winning hand."

Stark looked around the room. Everyone stared at him except Rhodes, who looked at the table.

Wanda wanted to be strong enough to step forward and say she didn't need the Avengers. But she did--as did Pietro. They literally had no where else to go. But also...the way the others were standing up for Pietro and her offered her the first warmth she'd felt since the day the Stark bomb destroyed their lives.

Nick stood up and said, "I suggest we table this. Cool down, rest up, and talk about it again after the kid is back on his feet."

Wanda didn't know what the future would hold. But as Barton and Rogers--and Vision--accompanied her back to wait for word of Pietro, she let herself hope.