You Might Not Remember

You might not remember, if you saw Tony Stark working in his lab late one night, that he is kept alive day to day only by the ingenuity of a fragile generator embedded in his chest.

You might not remember, if you heard one of his interviews regarding peace talks or arms agreements, that weapons bearing his name once served as instruments of death to those all over the world, and that the fate of those victims weighs on him every waking moment.

You might not remember, if he gave you one of his signature harsh commentaries, that he grew up under the guidance of a father who loved his work more than his son.

You might not remember, if you saw him partying in the lavish excess of his wealth and popularity, that he once lost everything at the hands of terrorists who imprisoned him in a waking nightmare of torture and brutality.

You might not remember any of these things.

**

You might not remember, if you saw Steve Rogers exercising his superhuman physique, that he had once borne the scars of confrontations in which he could not defend himself, and that some of those scars will never go away.

You might not remember, if you heard of his heroic acts and daring rescues, that he had watched his best friend die just out of arm's reach and been powerless to help.

You might not remember, if you saw women swooning over him in the public eye, that he missed the only date he ever had by seventy years, and could never apologize to the one woman he ever loved.

You might not remember, if he gave you one of his warm and genuine smiles, that he lives with a kind of homesickness that can never be cured, for a place to which he can never return.

You might not remember any of these things.

**

You might not remember, if you saw Clint Barton assessing a target with keen and emotionless eyes, that his target had once been the only human being with whom he shared any feelings of love and companionship.

You might not remember, if you heard him discussing a job, that his line of work had left his conscience punctured and wounded like the victims he had so often been dispatched to eliminate.

You might not remember, if you saw him fighting valiantly alongside comrades who endeavored to save the Earth, that there was a time when he fought against them under the hand of their greatest enemy.

You might not remember any of these things.

**

You might not remember, if you saw Bruce Banner doctoring scars or wounds of innocent patients, that he was himself responsible for more injuries and blood than he could ever hope to treat in a lifetime.

You might not remember, if you heard him quietly and calmly explaining some scientific process, that his pursuit of knowledge and experimentation had cursed him with a burden he could never undo.

You might not remember, if you saw the pain in his eyes at the mention of the Hulk, that he is the one that caused himself to become what many regard as a monster.

**

You might not remember any of these things.

But they will never forget.