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Steve stares down at the man who is kneeling, sobbing disconsolately into his hands, for a long time. Eventually, he looks up at Doctor Strange, who is fussing over Tony while Tony rolls his eyes and swears up and down that he’s fine.
Clearing his throat, Steve suppresses a flinch when Strange turns to meet his gaze. Steve waves at the sobbing man. “What did you do to him?”
“You could call it psychic surgery,” Strange says, lips quirking like there’s anything amusing about this. “He didn’t have a conscience, so grafted one onto him.”
“And who donated their conscience?” Steve asks.
“Okay, so it’s not a perfect metaphor,” Strange says. “I copied bits of it from here and there. Regardless, he won’t be masterminding any more murder plots.” Steve glances at the man uneasily. Strange raises his eyebrows. “Would you rather I’d killed him?”
The words come automatically. “Of course not. I just…” Steve waves at the man. “He isn’t the same person anymore, is he?” The words Is that really any different? go unspoken.
“Think of it this way,” Strange says. “I just helped him realize the error of his ways.” Strange turns back to Tony, though he seems to have transitioned from fussing to reassuring himself, if the kiss is any indication.
Steve looks back at the sobbing former mastermind.
Maybe the legal guidelines around superhumans really do need some development.