Author's Note: My Marvel Academia is a cross-over of the heroes from Marvel, and the My Hero Academia. Characters and all elements related to either franchises belong to their respective owners. On a further note, this story was heavily inspired by art from DuckLordEthan on Devianart. Check out his stuff.

Furthermore, for anyone interested in Marvel, this story blends MCU and Marvel comic events and characters. If there are any events or characters that didn't appear MCU, check the comics.

Enjoy

"Stop it Eugene! You're making him cry!" Peter cried. Behind him, a young boy was shaking on the ground. He hugged his knees like a three year old while three kids stood sneered at him. Their leader smile stretched from ear-to-ear.

"Or what nerd?" He asked. He smashed his fists together, a dark liquid flowing between them. Peter stepped back.

"Ooh, he's scared out of his mind!" One of them said.

"Yeah, he's pissing in his pants!"

"I'm not! And you s-shouldn't be c-cussing!" Eugene's peers just laughed. "H-hey, if you don't stop this, then I'll, I'll." Peter raised his fists. "I'll s-stop you m-myself!"

Eugene Thompson just laughed. He clenched his fist and the dark liquid formed a boxing glove on his hand. "Nice hero work, but without a quirk, you don't stand a chance, spider boy!" The entire group lunged at Peter.

Several minutes later, Peter laid defeated on the ground. Bruised to the point that Uncle Ben wouldn't recognize him, Peter's heart beat like a jackhammer. The kid he'd been defending stood over him. His eyes were stained with his tears.

"Wow," he sniffed, "I'm pretty sure half the things they did to you weren't legal,"

"Ughh..." Peter moaned.

Nine years later and he still remembered that fight. It had taught him that not everything in life was fair. Some kids were born with more power than others, some with less. And those with the power over others were destined to change the world. But that wouldn't stop him. If anything, it made him strive to do better.

Peter checked the time. He still had another 10 minutes to go until school started. He still had time. Peter felt the adrenaline course through him as the traffic light finally turned green. He sprinted down the road and rounded the corner to the scene of the crime. What he saw made him gasp.

On a set of suspended train tracks a massive figure in red-clad armor. He swung his massive fist through a set of supports, and the heap of metal came crashing down on the audience below. A human figure flew over them. Shield in hand, he crashed into the debris, knocking it aside.

"Was that Captain America?" someone in the crowd yelled.

"No, it was Falcon!"

"Idiot! He changed his name, remember?"

"Really?" Peter asked, "Where?" the man ignored hm. Peter would just have to go see for himself. Like a deep sea diver, Peter held his breathe as he squeezed through the sea of people.

"How did this happen?" someone said.

"I heard the guy up there was caught trying to steal someone's purse. I guess he just snapped and used his quirk." The other shook their head.

"What a waste."

Peter reached the front of the crowd. Before he could get closer to the fight, a long blue arm stopped him in his tracks.

"Attention everyone, you should stay at least a foot away from the barrier," at the center of the crowd, the famous Mister Fantastic stretched his arms into a makeshift barrier.

"Wow! Mister Fantastic is here too?" someone in the crowd yelled.

"Can you sign my autograph?"

"Sorry folks, a little tied up at the moment," Mister Fantastic joked. "Still, please step a foot away from the barrier. There's not much it can take against a man like the Juggernaut."

"That's not the Juggernaut," Peter interrupted. Mister Fantastic twisted his head around.

"I don't know if those glasses are foggy, but that is clearly the Juggernaut." Now that Peter was closer, he saw that the 'villain' in particular was a man the size of an adult bear, with arms as thick as bridge cables. He wore the classic dome-shaped helmet that was always associated with the Juggernaut. There was one major difference though…

"No it's not. The Juggernaut has a slightly darker red to his armor, and his knuckles are supposed to be bigger. Also, how would he have been able to get so close to a busy place without being spotted?" Peter added. "The only way he could've gotten this far is if he transformed while he was here." Mister Fantastic stared at him.

"Wow, you sure know your stuff."

"Thanks!" Peter replied. "So…who's dealing with the villain?" As if on cue, a chunk of concrete came hurtling towards them. Mister Fantastic pulled himself taut to catch the debris but then it exploded into fine powder.

"DON'T THINK I CAN'T HIT TWO THINGS AT ONCE!" Peter's heart almost leapt out of his chest.

"Oh my god!" Peter jumped up and down, "Is that who I think it is?"

"A raccoon?" someone cried.

"I'M NOT A RACOON!" with a massive BOOM, the furious furry Rocket Raccoon and his partner Groot leapt onto the top of a train carriage. Yelling, Rocket fired another round at the 'Juggernaut'. The tank of a man laughed as he walked out of the smoke.

"Don't you know who I am?" the villain beat his chest, "I'm the F**cking Juggernaut B*tch!"

"I don't care who the hell you are, Mary Poppins!" Rocket Raccoon yelled on top of Groot, "I was having such a NICE day relaxing in New York. Oh the foggy skies, enslaved animals, and crappy guns, ESPECIALLY the crappy guns that EVERYBODY seems to love were a joy to shoot!"

"I am Groot," Groot said.

"Well of course it sounds horrible branches-for-brains, it's Earth!" Rocket replied to his partner, "The people are crummy towards animals, the technology is a joke, heck, the only good thing about Earth is all the goddamn abominations you can shoot without anyone giving two sh*t's!" As Rocket talked, the copycat heaved a train carriage at the duo. Rocket calmly blasted the carriage in a thundering explosion. "Point. Proven."

"I am Groot."

"Whaddya mean stop cussing because there are children around?" Rocket finally noticed the crowd that had gathered. "Hey kids! You better get this on Facebook!"

"I am Groot," Groot shook his head.

"Aww, you suck the joy outta everything."

The two charged at the fake Juggernaut. As Groot got closer, he began to grow until h he matched the Juggernaut's size. The two head-locked each other while Rocket pumped round after round straight into the Juggernaut's head. The Juggernaut tried to swat at Rocket, but the little critter leapt over his head and shot his right knee, causing the Juggernaut to lose balance.

Groot then gave the Juggernaut a vegetarian knuckle sandwich to the face before he uppercuted him into the premium carriage. The blow also knocked his helmet off. Now Peter could see that he'd been right all along. The man under the mask wasn't the Juggernaut. It was the face of a completely different man. A very angry one, at that.

"HAHAHA!" Rocket laughed, "Juggernaut? More like Jokernaut!" Rocket looked at Groot," heh, see what I did there?" Groot shook his head. "Aw c'mon!"

"You'll pay little mammal!" The faker screamed.

"That's…better than a Raccoon. I STILL HATE IT!" Rocket climbed onto Groot's back as he fixed a second gun onto his first one. "Groot, keep him still for me, wouldya?"

"I am Groot!" Groot's arm began to separate into a forest of branches.

"I can't believe I'm actually watching two members from the Guardians of the Galaxy!" Peter exclaimed. "They only come to Earth several times a year!"

"Oh really now?" An old man in bronze shades chuckled at Peter. "Well, what else do you know?"

"Rocket was a normal ra…I mean…Mammal illegally tested on to be an expert at flying and unmatched in his weaponry. Star Lord, or Peter Quill, was born on Earth in the late 1980's. And, if memory serves, he also has a slight pimple on his left…"

The man laughed, "Kid, you some kind of fanboy?"

Peter blushed. "Y-yeah. They've got all sorts of cool technology that I'm just dying to see how it all works. A-and it looks like they're both doing their signature moves!"

While Peter had been talking, Groot's arms had grown into dozens of separate branches.

"I'll say it for you fella," Rocket said. "Iron-stalk,"

"Target," Peter repeated.

"PRISON!" Groot yelled (To everyone else, he just said his name really loud.) Groot pulled his arms back, and thrusted it at the lone Juggernaut.

Who then fell off the bridge?

All the superheroes stared speechlessly as the Juggernaut crashed on the road below with a heavy THUD.

"What in the name of Celestial's crap just happened?" Rocket yelled.

On the unconscious body of the fake Juggernaut, two figures appeared, or grew, on top of the man's chest.

"See Ant-man? I told you we didn't have to get big to knock him out." The size-shifting hero Wasp said to her partner.

"Sure, but then I could've made a pun about how the Wasp and Gi-ANT man had arrived!"

"Ugh, Scott, that might be find with you but…" Wasp pointed to the crowd of camera-wielding-and-predominantly-male cameramen behind her.

"Oh shoot, you're right! Hey you perverts!" He accused the crowd, "Stop taking pictures of her! It's creepy!" With that, the two shrank down.

"H-hey! Where'd she go?" One of the camera men yelled.

"They're too small! I can't get a good photo of them!"

"Oh bother," sighed the old man, "you know, back in the 90's, we didn't look at superheroes like that before. Then again, they used to be pictures on a paper."

"Yeah," Peter said. "You're right." He turned his attention to the fake Juggernaut.

The heroes were wrapping the Juggernaut up in chains. He now looked like a human-sized bodybuilder. So he was just using a quirk to make him look like the Juggernaut. Assuming the armor changed with him, then he could've hidden it under some clothes. Weird how a quirk would allow that, but not impossible. Now, time for other important matters. Peter took out his up-to-date ironman notebook.

Alright, he thought, so I've already cataloged Rocket and Groot, but I haven't really written much about the Wasp's abilities.

She has the ability to shrink her size, yet her strength only increases. Possibly by increasing decreasing the space between molecules? Wouldn't that increase density?

Her powers are on the same level as Ant-man's; whether they're achieved through a quirk or rumored 'pym particles.' Though if they're caused by said particles, then they would need to be a level 8 oxidizer with electrons but no protons in order to move particles. Possible solution: theoretical 'pym' particles;

Besides the problems of the ability, it's great for dodging focused attacks, but what about big spread-out ones like an explosion? Or if they had to outrun someone? Their powers wouldn't be able to beat that, though I've heard she's able to fly…

Hey kid!" The old man shook him by the shoulder; snapping him out of his trance. "Taking notes on the superheroes? Hoping to be a big-shot villain someday?" He chuckled.

"No sir! It's just, the heroes are all so amazing!"

"And you want to be 'that amazing' too, huh?"

"Yes! Yes I do!" Once again, the old man laughed. "Hey, what's so funny?"

"Sorry to tell it to you kid, but you ain't being anyone's hero if you can't save your own grades!"

"What do you mean...Oh!" Peter checked the time. Only another 5 minutes until school started. As much as he hated it, he would have to leave right now if he wanted to keep his GPA on track. He turned to face the old man, "Thanks for the reminder mister!"

"Don't mention it kid. Say, before you go," The old man held out a card, "I'm hoisting this club at my place every Wednesday. We're all old fans of comics and such. I was hoping if you could pitch in." Peter looked at the card. It read:

NAME: STAN LEE'S HERO CLUB

TIME: EVERY MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY, 4-5 PM

AGE RANGE: ?

ADDRESS: West Side of Queens, 14th maple street.

MARTIAL STATUS: TAKEN LADIES.

"Okay, I'll go ask my Aunt if it's okay,"

"So you'll come?"

"Sure, if I can," Peter replied.

"Excelsior!" the old man cried, "See you there kid!"

Peter waved goodbye at the man and ran off; leaving the crowd, superheroes, and two pissed-off space heroes behind. Well, one pissed-of space hero.

"Dammit!" Rocket Raccoon repeatedly kicked the train tracks, "Dammit, dammit, dammit! Why does she get all the credit! We were the ones who wore him down!"

"I am Groot"

"So what if she caused less 'collateral' damage! They can call a couple of Nano bots or something to fix it up!"

"I am Groot,"

"Wha-no Nano bots on this stinkin' planet!" Rocket Raccoon began kicking at the dirt. "How does that feel you sorry excuse for a planet!"

"I am Groot,"

"IKNOWWEAREN'TONTHEGROUNDSTOPTALKING!"

Generations ago, the only superpowers anyone knew about were in the hands of people (or things) that had gained extraordinary powers through lineage or chance. They were the heroes or villains of the world. Mutants, Inhumans, test subjects, they were the savior or murderers of thousands of lives. That all changed when a hospital reported a baby floating above the ground. At first, doctors and nurses simply mistook the child as another mutant and thought nothing of it. Then, suddenly, random people all over the world began receiving these powers, or 'quirks.'

Nobody knew where they were coming from, or why, but nobody really cared. No longer did you have to be blasted by a gamma bomb or be possessed by an evil ghost in order to get powers. Even better, the once isolated and ostracized abnormalities of the world-like-mutants were finally able to blend into society. The supernatural became the natural way of life, despite the differences in how they were gained.

As the number of super-powered individuals rose, crime around the world reached an all-time high. While governments tried to (again) adapt their laws and police force to handle these problems, groups of courageous people began to use their abilities to keep our cities safe. Eventually, through major public support, they gained an official status, and were even paid by the government based on their work; granted they used their powers for good.

Now with an official status and place in society, the duty of a hero was treated like any other job. Soon, independent companies around the world began to form. Whether it was enlisting the best superheroes they could find, providing gear to those who needed it, or simply trying to pay their bills. Since anyone could as easily become a villain as a superhero, the government and independent companies pooled their resources together in order to establish a system that would 'validate' someone as a superhero. They called it the MARVEL program:

Mutant, Inhuman, Quirked,

And other super-powered individual's hero

Registration,

Verification and

Enlistment according to

Legislation 451.

The MARVEL program funded, inspected, and catered to hundreds of independent schools to make sure they could mold a person into the superhero standard. And the best of all the schools was none other than MARVEL Academy: An entrance exam with 0.2% acceptance rate, a campus built and handled by some of the best superheroes, it was the unparalleled breeding ground where the world's greatest superheroes were born.

And it was the school Iron Man, the most powerful superhero ever, went to.

"All right class," Raymond Warren, Peter's science teacher, sighed, "We're in the last term of your last school year here. Now I hope you'll be mature and know that you should be spending this time thinking about what you really want to do in your lives, because this is where all your hard work comes to fruition," Suddenly, the teacher fell into a fit of laughter.

"But why the hell would that matter? It's obvious what you all want to do," Raymond pointed to his massive Periodic table chart. In its place, a massive picture of Raymond in a tight spandex suit stood. "You all want to be superheroes!" The class began cheering and showing off their quirks. Soon, the room was filled with bright explosions, fire, and limbs.

"Yeah!"

"I'm going to kick some villain's butts!"

"Society is going to come to ruin because of our lack of workers," whispered one of the students.

"Shut up Squidward."

"All right all right, calm down class," Raymond chided. "You know the rules. No use of quirks in class or public," then he smirked, "except THIS!" Raymond took two objects in each hand: fertilizer and charcoal, and crushed them together. A dark smoke enveloped him. When it cleared, Raymond had changed out of his teacher's uniform for a white lab coat and safety goggles. The rest of the class cheered at the arrival of their favorite 'hero.'

NAME: RAYMOND WARREN

HERO NAME: CHEMICAL Z. he's, not actually a hero…yet.

HIS QUIRK: The ability to chemically combine any two object simply by crushing his hands! Granted he knows the reactants and product's chemical composition.

"Hey Chemical Z, where's Mr. Warren?"

"Well, my dear citizen," 'Chemical Z' said in a deep voice, "I believe he's off to the registration office for his hero license!" The whole class laughed before he took of his safety goggles. "But in all seriousness, how about we take this period to see what hero school's you're signing up for," he pulled out a clipboard. "This board has the list of names of people who are going to hero schools. Anyone want to share?"

"Don't bother teach," one of the boys jeered, "Most of them will probably end up as sidekicks to some D-listed superhero. Let's not waste precious time with all these rejects." The boy stretched his legs out on the top of the table; pushing his chair back as far as it would go.

"Hey! You're not better than us!" The class screamed.

"Oh yeah? Well why you don't prove it, you third-rate sidekicks." Flash Thompson pointed at the whole class, "I'll TAKE YOU ALL ON!"

"Now now class, as a science teacher, I advise you to look at this from a factual, un-biased standpoint. Let's see what schools he's planning to enter before we make any rash word choices. Is it that okay Mr. Thompson?" Flash nodded smugly. Mr. Warren read the clipboard, "Wow, he does have impressive test results. Considering where he's going, he's got a good chance of making it into MA."

"Flash's going international?"

"That place only has a 0.2% acceptance rate! It's near-impossible to get in!"

"That's exactly why it's the perfect place for me," Flash jumped onto his chair. "I passed all the exams. I aced all the physical tests. I was the leader of the school's quirk football team. Once people see how I graduated as the best and only student from this school to MA, I'll become a better superhero than Iron Man ever was!" as Flash went onto how he'd best them all, Mr. Warren was still scrolling down his clipboard.

"Huh. Hey Peter, you're applying to MA too?" Everyone turned to face Peter. Suddenly, the whole class erupted into laughter and jeered at Peter. "Oops,"

"Really Smarty pants? Don't you know you need a Quirk to become a hero?"

"No way someone like you could pass the exam, let alone survive!"

"W-well," Peter stammered, "they removed the no-quirkless rule. I could be the first! Besides, I've heard that Iron Man is possibly q…" Before he could finish, Flash slammed a his arm onto Peter's desk. The shock caused Peter to fall off his chair.

NAME: Flash Thompson

Age: 13

QUIRK: Symbiote: Flash can produce a liquid-like organic material that he can utilize to improve his overall physique, along with creating weapons. It can also be used to heal his body.

"You shut up about that, bug boy!" Flash glared at him. "Iron man's too powerful to be a quirkless loser like you! Besides, why would they choose a loser like you when they could choose someone like me!"

"B-but I'm not there to compete with you!" Peter backed away from Flash, "Eugene, I"

"IT'S FLASH YA DUMB SS!" Peter squealed as Peter backed up into the class wall.

"Sorry, sorry. Flash, it's just that…" Peter stared at the ground, "I've always wanted to be a superhero ever since I was a kid. I may not have a quirk, powers, or anything really, but I can still try, right?"

"IDIOT! You'd never be able to handle fighting alongside the best of the best! Knowing you, you'd probably die of heart failure during the exams." Flash went back to his seat, "You're really an idiot, bug boy." Peter didn't move and kept his fetal-position. The whole class was shrouded in silence.

In the front of the room, Mr. Warren glared at Flash. "Alright everyone, before homeroom ends, let's get our textbooks out and flip to page 202."

"But you said we'd…"

"I said page 202," Mr. Warren repeated, "We'll be learning about the numerous uses of Vibranium and Carbon in artificial intelligence. I know you have a test about this coming up, so get on it!" The whole class moaned while Peter gave Mr. Warren a small smile.

"Give that back!" a red pile of goo burst out of a grocery store and barreled down the block. Behind him, a man was grew-and-threw knives out of his knuckles. "That's my wallet!"

"Sorry sucker!" Carnage yelled, "This naughty boy just got out of time-out, and he's looking for some toys to play with!" He laughed as the two of them ran down the street. They passed a convenience store filled with bystanders.

"Man, where are all the heroes? Are they all tuckered out from the fight this morning?"

"Probably," As he said this, the automatic doors opened as a fine black gentlemen walked out of the store behind him. "Still, remember when we didn't have to worry about lunatics with quirks running amok?"

"Yeah. As if dealing with magnetic mutants weren't enough, now we have to worry about idiots that can blow up buildings? Like, what the hell? Where's Captain America? Wolverine? I see the f*cking Antman more now than Iron Man, and he's the size of a f*cking ant!. What the hell happened to him?" While the two talked, the figure's form flickered. For a second, the man was covered in a black-and-gold metal suit. Silently, he stepped out of the armor and stretched his arms out. Out of his chest, a brilliant blue glow emerged. Metal began to seep from it point, encasing him.

The material began to grow denser and formed muscles along his arms. Biceps thickened on his legs. Pulsar rays glimmered on his palms. A soft click sounded as the iron mask sealed on the man's face.

"Yeah. Things were soo much better when Iron Man did JackSh*t." The bystander felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned around. Behind him was an 8-foot tall war machine.

"You were saying?"

Peter packed up his things as he prepared to go home. He checked his phone.

Wow, today's battle is all over the news. Great thing I got to see it in real life! Unable to stop grinning, Peter shoved his phone into his bag. Just as he was about to grab his notebook, somebody snatched it.

"You know," Flash dangled the book in front of him, "we're not done yet, arachnid head."

"H-hey, give that back!" Peter said, but a viscous hand pushed him back. Flash paid no attention to him as he examined the notebook.

"What's that Flash?" his friends looked at it. They burst out laughing, "Dude! You're taking notes on superheroes? How much more pathetic can you get?"

"Ha ha," Peter stammered, "funny, n-now could you plea…" before he could finish, Flash covered the book in his black ooze and easily crushed it. Peter squealed.

"Oh, sorry Pete," Flash grinned, "I had to make it fit into my pocket. Thanks for the notes, bug boy." Flash stuffed the bent notebook into his pockets. "Fits like a glove. Now, speaking about notes, I think it's time for a lesson."

"W-which one? The health risks of a high school toilet?" Peter slowly backed away from Flash, but Flash gripped him on the shoulder.

"Aw, Peter, you always know what I'm thinking. But no, it's a new one. It's called, the 'basis for a superhero.'" Peter tried to look for an escape route, but Flash's friends were surrounding him.

"You see," Flash began, "Being a superhero is a lot like a football Quarterback. Not many people can properly step up to the plate, but the ones who do have the potential to become one can be seen a mile away. You can just tell by looking at them that they're destined for the role. When I make it into MA, people'll be looking at my records and see that I was that type of kid. And when I graduate, people will be looking at me with this kind of respect," he jabbed his finger into Peter's chest. "They'll be calling out my name. And, before you know it, they'll forget about Ghost Rider, Mockingbird. Heck, they'll even forget Iron Man! And they'll name me the true number one hero!"

Flash's friends were laughing. "Someone's a little to in love with themselves." Flash took no notice.

Peter felt Flash's grip tighten. He turned and saw that the symbiote now covered his entire arm, squeezing his shoulder.

"Likewise, the same'll happen to you. Except you'll be the laughing stock of whatever third-rate school MA kicks you into." Flash smiled as Peter's heart went into overdrive; his mouth quavering with fear. "I think we're done now." Flash let go of Peter and began walking out the door; his friends following him. He stopped halfway through the door.

"You know, Parker, there is one way you gain a superpower," Flash pulled out Peter's broken notebook. With the arm of a Quarterback veteran, he flung the notebook out the classroom window.

"Go fetch, bug boy. Maybe you'll stick to the wall like a proper freak. It'll make crushing you much more satisfying." Flash snorted as he left the classroom.

"That's it?" his friends followed him, "he isn't going to even put up a fight?"

"No. He finally knows his place in the world. Underneath someone's shoe!" As Flash and his friends cackled in the hallway, Peter grabbed his phone and ran into the hallway. Before he could even wield his makeshift weapon, Flash turned around; his fist wrapped in a basketball-sized boxing glove.

"Something wrong, insect?" Peter's body froze as Flash gave him a warm smile.

"That's better." Flash said. He continued walking like nothing ever happened. Listening to the sounds of his friends jeering at Peter, and the sniffling of a defenseless nerd as he tried not to cry.

"Awntie, Awntie! It's Iron Man time!"

"Already?" Aunt May sighed, "I've barely started the dishes. Can you wait?"

"No! I want it now now now!" As Peter whined, two large hands lifted him by the chest into the air.

"Don't worry hon, the superhero Uncle Ben is here!" Uncle Ben and Peter both laughed as Peter rode on Uncle Ben's back all the way to the computer room. While he turned on the computer, Peter impatiently rocked his chair to the limits.

"Hey, hey. Calm down kiddo, I'm just as excited to see this as you are. Still. I can't believe you'd be okay watch something like this. I think it's terrifying, actually." he muttered. His eyes turned to look at a glass tank full of Spiders. On the top-right corner a label read "Property of Richard Parker". Beneath it were scribbles that barely spelled out '+ Peter.' Peter had insisted they bring it from Richard's house. Saying it was for "research."

"Then again…" The video played before Ben could finish his thought.

The whole screen was covered in ash. The video shaked like it was in an earthquake; the cameraman to terrified to check his grip.

The video Peter liked had been filmed years before he was born. The hero had already been a somewhat well-known hero before, but to Peter, this movement was when he truly began to shine.

Smoke filled the air as a crowd of peopled cowered behind the police line. Likewise, the cops stood behind a makeshift barrier; their guns at the ready.

"This….this is crazy! Some villain showed up to wreck the place, then he came! He's saved what, 20,30, 50 people and it hasn't even been 5 minutes! W-what the hell is this?" a small explosion erupted from the fiery wreckage and the camera caught several human-sized robots jumping out of the burning buildings. They ran towards the barrier, carrying survivors draped over their shoulders; sometimes inside the very suits themselves. Behind them, a giant ironclad robot lumbered towards them, shaped like a massive metal sumo wrestler.

The massive robot pointed at the crowd as it arm transformed into a Gatling gun. As the barrel began to spin, another large figure emerged out of the smoke and shot the robot. The robot exploded in a bright-blue light.

The man responsible for the shot walked out of the wreckage.

It was a 7-foot tall human robot, and Tony Stark's first Zeta-series suit. It was dressed in the classic red-and-gold paint, and had defined muscles along the body. Parts of the armor were torn off in places, and a pulsar ray flickered like a broken lightbulb. The faceplate was cracked; the usual sea-blue glow of the eyes were now dim.

He carried multiple unconscious survivors. On his shoulder, being cradled in his right arm, foam-glued to his back, he had to be carrying at least a dozen of them. Despite his face-plate being cracked, Tony didn't need a microphone to amplify his voice.

"Everyone stay calm! Help has arrived!" Tony yelled as he walked towards the police.

"Make sure these people get to the nearest Stark Industries building I have several world-class doctors (some of them robots) there. Oh, and if you meet this red-haired girl, tell her she owes me dinner!"

One of the police gave a small laugh. "You'd need magic to fix some of these injuries."

Tony shrugged, "Got that covered too. Just put the critically injured into any Iron man suits. I can fly them over."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Every suit needs a test drive." Tony grimaced as he walked to some of the survivors. His suit began peeling off into multiple drones that formed themselves into a stretcher around the injured. As he did this, police were resting the injured into the other suits, as if the suits were their coffins.

The man holding the camera grabbed Tony's shoulder. "Who are you?"

"Me? Tony Stark, handsome entrepreneur, richest and biggest philanthropist since the gilded age, and a superhero. Or a real menace, according to the Daily Bugle."

"Yes. But as a superhero, who are you?"

Until this point, Tony Stark had simply used his normal name whenever he did any superhero work. But where he was going, 'normal' wouldn't fit. Tony stared at his Iron Man suits move people towards the hospitals.

"I'm…the Iron Giant." The man shook his head.

"I was actually thinking something like 'Iron Man,' like the same name of your suits?" Tony Stark paused, thinking the name over.

"Are seriously one-upping me? After what I did? Are we doing a d*ck contest now?"

"Wha-no-"

"Because if you are, it's working. That's a good one" He rubbed his beard, unaware it was still beneath his mask. "You know, that name is really good. I'll have to buy it off you."

"R-real-"

"In court of course. You named a product. My product. I'm legally obliged to sue you. Soo, Sunday works for you right? Ok? Ok." Iron Man and the other suits blasted off into the sky, leaving a crowd of astonished bystanders to witness the rise of the strongest superhero in the world.

"He's the coolest ever!" Peter yelled, "And once I get my superpower, I'll be just like him!"

"That's right," Uncle Ben hoisted Peter onto his back. "You won't just be like Iron man, you'll be better than him! I just know it!

"Your nephew won't have a quirk." The doctor sighed.

Peter's heart skipped a beat.

"What?" Aunt May gasped. Beside her, Uncle Ben stared at the ground silently.

"It's the hard truth. You see, since quirks began to appear, scientist have studied the relationship between a quirk and the body. One strong correlation is the number of joints in a person's foot. A person with a quirk would have one joint." The doctor pointed at an x-ray of Peter's foot. "Your nephew has two."

"Furthermore, we've done blood tests: there is no sign of a meta-gene, mutant-gene, or any kind of abnormal characteristic. Your son is perfectly normal…relatively."

"Just so we are clear, could you describe the quirk the boy's parents had? And yours too."

"Well," Aunt May began, "His father had a second set of eyelids that acted like x-ray vision, and his mother could heat her hands to cook food without using an oven." She sighed, "oh her homemade lasagna."

"Other than that, my quirk lets me shoot water out of my hands. And, Ben doesn't…you know."

"Doesn't have a quirk," he muttered. "That's why he's got no powers, isn't it?"

The doctor nodded, "Usually, if a child had parents with quirks, the offspring would have a combination of the quirks, or an entirely new quirk. Peter should've had some uncanny ability appear by now."

"Unfortunately, recent data suggests the possibility that if a child has siblings that, unlike them, have no quirks, the original child's offspring may also be born without a quirk. It's the same principle as brown-eyed parents having blue-eyed children; a trait in a person which doesn't affect the initial individual, but can be passed on and affect their offspring. Your….disability, is evidence of such a trait."

"Of course, you can't blame yourself. Science is a fickle thing, and we can't change the past. You could be optimistic and say that the 'data is inadequate,' but the fact of the matter is that Peter will likely never have any sort of superpower. Even with the numerous power-giving accidents that can occur, people are getting smarter. By the time he's 6, Gamma bombs will no longer be thing. And please, if he ever asks, don't set him up for some Canadian secret experiment. His body is, frankly, too weak to handle any such procedures.

Uncle Ben slowly nodded his head. "Understood. Thank you, Dr. Octavius, you were a real help."

Doctor Octavius returned a warm smile, "anything for an old friend."

As Uncle Ben and Aunt May left the room, Peter turned to look at the X-ray on the wall. Wondering how something so small could make such a big impact on him.

"Peter!" Uncle Ben called out. He had been sleeping with May until he heard a loud CRASH from the computer room. Uncle Ben ran into the room, slamming the door aside.

Peter stared at the computer; blue lights flickering over his tear-filled face.

"Everyone stay calm! Help has arrived!" the computer said. Slowly, Peter turned to face Uncle Ben.

"I…I can still be like Iron Man, wight?" Peter cried.

Uncle Ben ran over and hugged Peter. "Peter, Peter," he whispered into his ear, "You're a smart boy with a lot of talent."

"But, no quirk."

"Yes." Uncle Ben was silent. "But…it's my fault. For making you believe in heroes. For filling your heads with daring heroics. For not seeing the signs earlier. For…for making you believe in a dream I could only have every time I slept. Peter…I'm…I'm" suddenly, Uncle Ben hugged Peter; crying. "I'm so sorry Peter!"

Silently, the two of them cried their sorrows away. Several minutes later, Aunt May came in and she, too, began crying alongside Ben.

But Uncle Ben, present-day Peter thought as he looked back on that moment, you never answered my question.

That's not what I needed you to say. I wanted you to say that it didn't matter that I didn't have a quirk. I could still become a superhero…

One as great and amazing as Iron Man.