Power Man and Iron Fist #111 part one
Author's note;
This is a change up from to my first 13 chapters of WHO IS CAPTAIN HERO? The first 13 chapters were the fan fiction back-story for a VERY minor character from the 1980s Marvel Comics era. I liked the character and would have loved to have used him for a spin off series back in the 1980s.
Bobby "Captain Hero" Wright was introduced in POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #111 in November 1984. It hasn't been reprinted yet in the MARVEL ESSENTIALS series and I am NOT going to suggest you go to bittorrent and find back issues that have been out of print for 30 years. I would much rather Disney keep all back issues from the Silver and Bronze age available. The Marvel Wikia has a good summary of the issue and comicsvine has a write-up on the character you can read.
I'm now going to start rewriting the issues he appeared in from Bobby's point of view, to expand HIS part of the story. After that will be original stories in the Marvel Universe in the style of WHAT IF?
The back story was a LOT harder than I expected going in, since I had to re-set up a lot of the premise to change the INCREDIBLY LAME ending originally done. (Comicsvine has a good writeup if you didn't take a peek yet.) Obviously my two protagonists are going to meet when their parallel story lines meet, which spins the whole thing into WHAT IF...? territory.
I do not own the characters of Power Man, Iron Fist, Captain Hero, The Looter, or a lot of others. The ORIGINAL Golden Age Terry Vance was owned by Timely Comics in the 1940s and hasn't been used since. My 21st Century version is mine except for the name, I suppose.
'Nuff Said! Let the story begin, True Believers! (Stan Lee rules.)
Bobby Wright was nervous as he had ever been in his whole 12 years. This was his chance to team up with Power Man, join Heroes for Hire, make it big as a hero, get the family he was supposed to have… before it all ended. No big deal, these next few minutes just meant EVERYTHING.
He was wearing his best clothes for luck. His lucky red shirt, newish blue jeans and denim jacket, sneakers that were still almost store-bought clean. He'd been his "normal self" since getting into Manhattan from Yonkers early that morning. He had gotten lost a few times looking for the Park Avenue offices that Heroes for Hire had just moved into, but he found the place a little after 9:15 AM. Asking at the newspaper stand and pretending he wanted an autograph, he was told the Luke Cage hadn't come in yet. There were times that being a kid wasn't too bad, like when asking for help.
When Cage came in, he was instantly recognizable despite being dressed in a green business suit. Bobby slipped into the elevator with him. He almost just said to him "Mr. Cage, my mom gave me up for adoption but nobody ever adopted me and now I'm maybe dying. Please help me find her?" But no. The comic books and the newspapers always said the same thing. Two superheroes meet for the first time. They fight. They become friends and team up on adventures. Ever since he found that meteor, Bobby was a genuine superhero. So the best way to get his help would be to beat up Luke Cage.
Comic books wouldn't lie to kids.
Cage got off the elevator, walked through the glass doors, spoke to his receptionist and walked out of sight. Bobby stood in the elevator area, working up his nerve. And when no one was looking he closed his eyes, and saw himself in his imagination. The image changed, and became taller, older, stronger and more confident looking. The clothes changed to a red, blue and gold superhero suit. He added the golden H on a blue disk on his chest last for his personal symbol. When he opened his eyes, he was a good foot and a half taller, far more muscular and he was finally getting the hang of wearing a cape.
Thinking himself into his "ghost body" he passed through the walls at a running speed, took flight and passed through several people harmlessly until he saw Luke Cage standing in front of a huge plate glass window talking to three men in suits. Bobby thought himself into his "man of steel" super tough super-strong self, and flew right at Power Man, pushing him by his chest through the window out into the air twenty stories up. He flexed his left bicep to make himself look even cooler.
"Who.. who ARE you? Where'd you COME FROM?" a bewildered Cage cried as they broke through the glass.
"Relax Mr. Cage… I'm gonna be your new partner! Stick with me and in no time everybody'll will be asking WHO IS CAPTAIN HERO?" Captain Hero caught Luke under his arms from behind, and started flying off down Park Avenue from high above.
"My man, if you're tryin' to impress me, knocking me through the glass wall of my own office ain't the way to go!" Luke didn't struggle, deciding to wait for a better chance than being 30 stories up in the air.
"But I had to show you how fast I am… and strong! I can fly too!" Bobby chattered excitedly.
"THAT I figured out," Luke snarled. "I'm losin' my sense of humor about this REAL QUICK, Jack."
"So you'll let me be your partner?" Bobby said hopefully.
"I don't WANT another partner! I already GOT one! And sometimes I don't want HIM!" Luke tried to turn to shout at the red and blue flying fool.
"I know, you need to see more stuff I can do!" Bobby said excitedly. He had never tried to do his "ghost body" trick holding someone else, but how hard could it be? He impulsively flew right towards and office building wall and tried to shift them both to pass through the wall harmlessly. THIS would really impress Power Man!
Captain Hero passed through the wall. Luke Cage slammed into the wall, solid as ever, cracking the concrete with his steel hard skin. "OH NO!" Bobby thought in a panic. "That should have worked! I should have practiced that first stupidstupidstupid…" By the time he flew through and around the skyscraper, Cage was climbing down the side of the building digging handholds where he needed with his incredibly strong grip. "I can't admit that was a stupid mistake, I better pretend it was on purpose," Bobby thought. "I don't want him to know I'm an idiot…"
Luke jumped the last few feet to the ground and prepared to charge Captain Hero head on. "You messed up man. Got me MAD. I'm gonna do something UGLY to your face."
Maybe if I show him how tough I am, he'll forget about that boneheaded mistake, Bobby thought. He grabbed a streetlight and ripped it out of the sidewalk. "Gee, Mr. Cage don't you see? You NEED me! You should sign me up right away!" He swung the streetlight at Cage's head, which he barely ducked. "I don't want a lot of money… I'm willing to learn…"
"HEY! Watch the civilians!" Cage shouted at the lamp post hit a wall just over the heads of two bystanders who began fleeing. Cage punched at the post, breaking it in half to disarm the caped madman. "Game's over…. My hand… it went THROUGH you?" Cage was momentarily stunned that his punch passed through the lunatic like he wasn't really there.
"You bet! Now watch THIS!" Bobby did his best at a perfect uppercut with as much of his strength as he could. THIS would be sure to make Cage want to be his partner! Cage was caught by surprise by the blow to his jaw, and he sailed up into the air and over the building and out of sight.
Bobby gasped aloud. He had NOT thought he was THAT strong! Power Man was supposed to be the toughest of the tough guys, so THAT punch was bound to impress him! Bobby was sure they'd be best friends from now on, comic books had taught him that much. Bobby flew up, looked for where Power Man had landed, and eventually found him on top of an abandoned apartment building a quarter mile away. Cage was just starting to rouse himself, the roof where he had impacted was broken and shattered, his green suit was ripped and torn.
Bobby landed beside him and stuck out his hand expecting a warm friendly handshake. "So whaddaya say, Mr. Cage, huh? Can I join up, huh? Can I? Put her there!"
"Mister, you should be PUT AWAY!" Luke yelled, ripping up the roof underneath where Captain Hero was standing, knocking him to the ground. Luke rushed the fallen madman, grabbing a handful of his suit around the collar. 'I don't care if my partner and all the super heroes of the world got eaten by Mothra and you alone could help me save the world from and invasion of mutant ducks - NEVER- would I let a jerk like you be MY partner!"
Bobby felt a pain like a knife in his heart. Everything he had built up in his mind fell apart. He felt himself go into his ghost form, and without thinking clearly flew and he passed through Power Man hovering behind him. Luke was still furiously yelling "You got that?! Nuts… Goin' Through me!"
Cold, numb with anger, disappointment and incredible sadness, Bobby raised his hands in what wrestlers call a double axe handle, hands together over his head and DOWN to the back of Luke Cage's neck. "Well if that's how you feel Mr. Cage then the heck with you! I don't need you anyway! So THERE!" The force of the blow drove Cage through all four floors of the abandoned apartment building into the basement. As Captain Hero flew off, holding back tears of frustration, the building collapsed atop Cage.
By the time Cage dug his way out, Danny Rand was there, waiting with his martial arts developed patience. Cage was in a rage and ready to fight but Captain Hero was long gone.
Bobby flew back to Yonkers, towards the Boone's house where he was placed for foster care most recently. His plans for a new life as a super hero were dashed, he couldn't think where else to go. He landed in a vacant lot, made sure no one was looking and felt himself change from an adult super hero back into a twelve year old boy.
As he walked up to the house, he saw Dr. West and Mrs. Boone talking on the porch. "…They might cut his monthly CHECK. Then how am I supposed to make ends meet around here?" Mary Boone said aggressively.
The television was audible from within the house, and Bobby heard a snippet of an announcer. "A savage display of raw superhuman powers destroyed an abandoned west side tenement this afternoon and has left the world asking… who IS Captain Hero?"
"But he must be treated or… we'll never find a cure if we don't get him to… BOBBY!" Dr. West spotted Bobby as he was approaching the front steps. "Bobby, let me help you."
"Sorry doc, I gotta go," Bobby said rushing in the front door to avoid the annoyingly "helpful" health department doctor.
"Where have you been all day?" Mary Boone gave the boy a tug on his elbow to hurry him up.
"What do you care, you're not my mom." Bobby replied sullenly.
"Get up to your room and work on your math, your algebra grades are lousy. Wouldn't hurt you to go to school once in a while either. What are you waiting for?"
"See ya doc," Bobby said as he closed the door. He had the beginnings of an idea that maybe he could save all of this.
TO BE CONTINUED….