The trickster moved forward and threw back Wanda's powers towards her and her team. They were knocked off their feet, but not for long. They quickly regained their footing. The fight broke out as both teams charged at one another. It had been a long time coming.
"You really can't look past your ego at least once in your life? This is bigger than you!" shouted Romanov with her usual disdain.
Everyone knew that Romanov was trying to play on Tony's insecurities once again, just as she had done since their very first encounter and, oh boy, was it the wrong thing to say. Hope wasn't something to mess with. She had heard of Natasha's attempts to infiltrate Stark Industries. The spy's honeypot techniques and constant undermining of the genius in every way, shape or form had done nothing to make her endearing. Hope wasn't the king to stand by while her friends were being harmed and she would do anything to prevent that.
Evidently, the spy had no idea who Tony was. Not his true self. Romanov had not attempted to see past the masks that the genius had to wear on a daily basis, even though she should have known a bit about it. Hope was more than sceptical that the other woman had any training in psychology at all. Shield had been trying to conduct a secret job interview on Tony for a position he didn't apply for and decided to reject him for the start. For what reason? Because they wanted access to the genius' money whenever they wanted. It was time to repay the great Black Widow for all her kindness.
"Who are you?" asked Romanov.
Wasn't that woman meant to know everything, to always be two steps ahead of everybody? She was looking at Hope with disdain. She likely believed that Hope was of no consequence and she would easily get through her. The Black Widow had a reputation for being a skilled fighter after all, but she was in for a big surprise. Hope didn't even need her suit to take on Romanov. The spy's fighting techniques were unorthodox, kind of all fashioned in a way. She was relying on her legs and also, had many telltale signs for anyone who would bother to look closely.
Natasha Romanov was well known for her ability to manipulate, and these skills were particularly effective on those who were attracted to that type of woman. If Hope had been that way inclined, she would not have been attracted to the Black Widow in the first place. Miss Van Dyne had standards, thank you very much. She would never stoop to that level. Outside beauty might capture the attention maybe, but only the character would get her heart.
Rhodey was trying not to give those boys a lap with his armour for their stupid choices. Wilson, with his military background, clearly still had some moves left. Some things were not as easily forgotten. He wasn't a bad fighter either, but the exoskeleton with its wings served primarily as a defensive measure. His previous missions had all been about rescuing people rather than killing them. The Falcon was not on the same level as War Machine, just like Sam Wilson did not not match James Rhodes. While he had a lot of potential, he was wasting it all by taking Captain America's side no question asked. Rhodey really wanted to have a proper conversion with Wilson and to open his eyes.
The other guy was clearly not a fighter. Rhodey didn't even know why he was there if not for his suit. There was no doubt that the man had no idea what he was doing, how to move his body or how to avoid being hit. The suit, just like the Wasp, allowed him to go very small and he had the intelligence to try and make the most of it.
When Hope had joined their lives and their team, she had brought a suit of similar capabilities and even more. The woman was intelligent enough to suggest to Tony to find a countermeasure against her. Of course, she would never betray them, they knew that now. Even though they all had trust issues in their own right, none of them would have asked that of her. Unfortunately, Hank Pym was not above such things, and he was the man who had created the suits in the first place. Her reasoning was sound of course, and it helped build mutual respect among them.
