AN: Hey, I'm Invictus! This is obviously my first story, so any feedback you guys have would be amazing. That being said, don't be assholes please. By the way, this is an amalgamation of different Marvel universes, so if you guys have any recommended characters or events that you think would make interesting additions, let me know.

It was a late night in the Bronx, and as silent as could be. However, everyone knew there was always something going on in the darkness. Maybe a gunshot here, or shrill scream there, but nobody paid it any mind. That's the type of silence that permeated the air within the borough. Within this darkness and silence, there stood a man on a roof. He wore a black trenchcoat, a white shirt, black combat pants, and black combat boots. To finish the ensemble, he wore a black skull mask with purple engravings, only covering the upper half of his face. You may wonder, "Who the hell is standing on a roof in the Bronx, dressed like that?". That's a simple question to answer.

His name is Invictus Noir. He's a broken man, with everything to lose. Most would say he was a nutcase, others call him an ally. He didn't give a damn, as long as they minded their's, he'd mind his. Though it was never that simple for him. He had a pension for destroying crime as he saw fit. He didn't believe he was above the law, but what could the law do, if they didn't catch him? Noir was constantly on the run, always looking over his shoulder, and never trusting those around him. This all explains why he's on this roof, somewhat.

The building he stood on top of was the base of operation for a gang of druggies. Their leader was a man named Deon Rollins. Rollins himself wasn't a druggie, but he did help those sick with addiction indulge. Meth, crack, PCP, you name it, Deon Rollins would sell it. Our late night vigilante couldn't give two shits about a bunch of idiots getting high until they drop, but when kids got involved, that's when he drew the line. That's why he began to tail Rollins a week ago, marking his hideouts, and recording his every move. After a week of investigating, he knew the man's home address, drug dens, close friends, cops he had on payroll, even the women kept to warm his bed. Now he stood over Rollins' safe haven, his little lockup. Basically, it's where he keeps everything. Be it guns, drugs, or women, it all went here.

Inside Rollins and his men were laying around, getting high, drunk or both. That is until a giant purple skeletal hand burst through the ceiling. Rollins fell out of his desk chair, dropping the bottle of whiskey he was downing. He was a man of average height with a pot belly. He also had yellowing eyes alongside his chattering yellow teeth. He quickly stood up, dust falling off his low-fro. He opened one of the drawers at his desk and pulled out a glock. Rollins was genuinely scared. His heart was pounding like a jackhammer and he was sweating bullets. Hell, he could barely grip the gun because of his sweaty palms and shaky hands. The reason for all of this, is due to the fact that he'd seen that hand before. It was in his nightmares. A giant skull, with looming skeletal arms reaching for him. The feeling of his chest tightening, his body feeling as if he'd been dunked in an ice bath, all this contributed to the piss running down his leg.

He thought it was all just in his head, but right now that same skull was staring at him intensely. He fired five rounds, all ricocheting off. Suddenly a hand wrapped around him, squeezing as tight as possible without killing him. Rollins screamed in pain as he felt his bones breaking. "Well look at what the dog shit out! I've been waiting on this one! Time to pay your dues boy! Look into their EYES!", the Stalker roared at the shit stain of a man. Then suddenly Rollins' world went black. The only thing he could hear was his own breathing. Then he saw hundreds of sickly green eyes staring at him. He began to hyperventilate, as heard hundreds of voices whispering for help. He began to see the faces of the people he had sold to. An old man, a teacher, a college student, a middle schooler. All their pain and suffering flowed through his very core. Rollins began to convulse and foam at the mouth. Eventually his mind went blank and all he could see were those haunting eyes.

In the real world he was in a catatonic state. The former drug peddler simply stared blankly and barely breathed. Still standing on the roof, Noir saw that his work was done. He knew someone most likely had already called the cops, so he raised his hand, and a swirling mass of black and purple energy appeared. He walked through it and disappeared into the night. The mass of energy reappeared over the Brooklyn Bridge, just over one of the pillars. Noir walked out of the swirling mass. He stared at the New York skyline and sighed.

I've been at this for a year, and I've barely made a change. The Avengers made this shit look simple. It's almost like criminals don't want to stop doing illegal shit., he thought to himself as he surveyed the cars below. The vigilante reached up and removed his mask. Revealing the rest of his caramel skin alongside his hazel eyes, complimenting his long dreadlocks with purple and gold beads at the ends of each lock. This young man was Olivio Romero, known to most of the Bronx as The Shadow Man. A year ago he decided he'd use his powers to deal with the rising crime rate within the Bronx, but so far he didn't have much to show for it. Most people just saw him as another criminal and his actions have caused those he hasn't caught to go further into hiding. Things were simple back in Delacroix. Work the farm and take care of Carlos. Well…it was., Olivio thought to himself, as he looked back at a simpler time.

Two Years Ago…Delacroix, Louisiana

Outside of a large red barn next to a quaint home, was Olivio Romero. The young man was tending the cows, making sure they were healthy enough for milking later on. This was one of the numerous tasks Romero used to numb himself from the world. He'd lost his parents, Santiago and Octavia, a year ago. They'd died in a car accident on the way back from a business meeting in New Orleans. Olivio's mother was a pillar of the community and always looked for ways to help develop their small fishing town, but that all ended on the night she died. Now the town was in the hands of the new mayor, Robert Verdalinde, an older businessman from somewhere up north.

Though Olivio could care less about the town and what the old white guy would do with it. He only cared about making sure his little brother, Carlos, got through highschool and taking care of his family's farm, which at the moment was a sore topic. Recently the mayor paid the farm a visit, requesting Olivio and Carlos move out, so that the city could use the land for some project they didn't want to speak about. Of course both brothers gave a resounding no. Verdalinde left peacefully, appearing to be understanding of their situation. Both boys simply forgot about the event and moved on.

Within the next few months that had changed. The Mayor began to buy up land all across the town. Families who had lived in the small town for years were selling their homes and leaving. Businesses were selling their property and new buildings replaced the old ones. Verdalinde was taking over the town, piece by piece. The last holdouts were the Romero brothers and the old fishermen who weren't giving up their docks. Neither Carlos or Olivio were worried. They knew they weren't selling their home to some businessman turned politician.

One day Olivio was out on the water. He was helping Old Man Miller, a fisherman who'd been on the bayou for decades. Santiago had taught his sons to always lend a helping hand where they could, so when Miller asked for help, Olivio was happy to help. He was simply helping the older man set up his crawfish cages, and later on they'd go fishing. While they were in the more shallow parts of the river, Olivio could see one of Verdalinde's new power plants up stream. Verdalinde's company, Genesis Corp., dealt in experimental applied sciences. The plant was experimenting with some type of energy source that would be able to power the entire town and the neighboring New Orleans. Of course the fishing community complained about the possible pollutants flowing into the waterways, but Verdalinde simply brushed off their concerns.

"That damn thing is driving all the fish away!", Miller yelled walking out of the cabin within the hull. "Hell, it's probably killing 'em too!", he snapped as he walked up to Olivio. "Yeah probably, the damn thing lights up every damn night too. You can even see it from the farm. Nothing going on in there can be good for the water.", Olivio agreed with the older man, as he pulled a net from the water below. Suddenly, the boat began to rock, the waters began to get choppy, which was odd on a clear day.

"What the hell is going on!?", Miller yelled, as he grabbed onto a rail for support. "I-", Olivio was interrupted by a large explosion. Both men looked up the river to see the power plant was on fire, while some type of energy was emitting from it. "What the hell have those bastards done now!?", the older man yelled as he tried to make his way to the ship's wheel. Before Miller could make it, another explosion went off. The explosion was large enough to reach the boat. Sending trees, water, and all matter of debris flying. The boat was capsized as both men fell into the river.

Miller was crushed between the ship and a rock, while Olivio was thrown back first into a large rock. He attempted to push himself up, but the force of the current kept him flush against the stone surface. As he felt the last vestiges of air leave his lungs, he felt complete despair. He wouldn't live to see his little brother graduate, and he wouldn't be there to support him. As he blacked out and his last grasp on life began to slip, wisps of purple energy flowed around his body. The energy flowed into his nose, mouth, and eyes. Finally, Olivio's whole body was encapsulated within a ball of the purple energy. Then, as if nothing had happened, Olivio and the purple energy disappeared.

Invictus Noir

Olivio awoke with a start as he found himself within a cave. He was laying on a small patch of land in the middle of a pond. He slowly rose to his feet as he scanned his surroundings. He had a migraine from hell and he was definitely pissed off after what happened on the boat. "Welcome back to the land of the living boy!", exclaimed a deep rumbling voice. Olivio flinched as he searched for the owner of the voice, but was further confused when he saw nothing to identify them. "Who're you, and where the hell am I!?", the young man snapped, as he had finally had enough. "Look here boy, don't go gettin' snappy' with me, ya here?", the voice lowly rumbled, as a large glowing purple skull materialized in front of Olivio. "Holy shit!", he exclaimed as he jumped back from the skull.

The skull wasn't just glowing purple, but it had yellow glowing engraving, a top hat, and a feathered plume at the top. Without arms it somehow tipped its top hat, "Some call me the Rougarou. Others the Gris-Gris. You however, will know me as Chaus Noir, first and last of his name.", the skull, now named Chaus, introduced himself. Olivio was confused beyond belief. He was trapped in a cave talking to an eccentric glowing skull. "Well okay, but what the hell do you want?", he asked frantically. Chaus began to chuckle at the naivety of the human in front of him. "Come on now boy. Don't be dumb. I saved your life and now you're going to pay me back.", the ethereal skull explained.