Infinity Crisis Aftermath: Ultimate Spider-Man
Disclaimer: All characters belong to their owners. This is just for fun.
New York City, Earth-201217
A man in a red-and-blue costume with black webbing on the red areas, and big white eyes with black borders, and an emblem of a small black spider on the chest. He landed on a rooftop next to a gargoyle.
"Beautiful day, huh Bruce?" Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man said to the gargoyle. "Yup. Another fantastic day. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and there's slightly less noise than normal." He then noticed the reader. "Oh, hey there!" He waved. "It's been a while! How have you been doing? I know it's been way too long since we last hung out. It's been about, oh...wow, eight years since I graduated from SHIELD Academy and became the Ultimate Spider-Man. Things have been going rather well. MJ and I recently got married. And I am also a full-fledged Avenger!"
He shrugged. "Well, a reserve Avenger. But an Avenger none the less. I don't mind it. I've come to like being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. But I haven't just been continuing the Spider-Man gig. I also have been helping train the next generation of heroes." Under his mask, Peter Parker smiled proudly. "Yup, the New Warriors program is still going. In fact, let's look in on the kids, shall we?" A beeping noise was heard. Peter looked at the SHIELD communicator on his wrist. "I gotta take care of something. I'll let you meet the kids! I think you'll love them!" He swung off.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy
A stunning teenage blonde bombshell walked down a hallway of the Academy. Her blonde hair bounced as she bopped to the rock music pumped into her ears by her earbuds.
"Rockin' through Atlantic City, rolling red and black! She tossed her golden hair and said 'I'd be back'..." She sang along. She wore a black bodysuit that had a large red stripe that went over her left arm and right leg, and a stylized silver "R" over her left breast. She wore red gloves and boots, and a black domino mask.
Roulette. Real Name: Jennifer Stavros. Birthplace: Atlantic City, NJ, USA. Affiliation: S.H.I.E.L.D. Physiology: Mutant Human. Powers and Abilities: Can create psionic energy discs that can affect probabilities. Black discs cause bad luck, and red causes good luck. Skilled hand-to-hand combatant. Knowledgeable in card games and con artistry.
"Ahhh, Jennifer Stavros. The 'wild child' of this new incarnation of the New Warriors program. She originally came from another school: The Massachusetts Academy. It was one of those fancy private schools. At least, that's what it seemed like. It turns out their principal, one Emma Frost, was collecting superpowered students to use as soldiers for the Hellfire Club. Let's just say they take the evil rich person trope to another level. Jennifer was one of those students, being groomed to be one of what ol' Frosty called her Hellions."
An image of Emma Frost pointing with an evil smirk appeared, fire burning behind her. In front of her were chibi version of the original Hellions.
"The Hellions ended up going to the Xavier Institute, but Roulette didn't trust Xavier. Can't blame her, really. The X-Men have gotten weird since they made that living island Krakoa into a mutant nation a couple years ago. She grew to love the costumed life, so she signed up for the New Warriors program."
"Are you listening to that musician again?" A voice asked her.
"Hmmm?" Jennifer asked, removing her earbuds. The source was another teenage girl. This girl was tall and statuesque herself, and her dark hair was in braids that reached down to her lower back. She wore what looked like a dark blue one-piece high-collared swimsuit that bore a large emblem of a yellow 8-pointed star. Her costume included a pair of brighter blue leggings and a dark blue domino mask. The costume was completed by a pair of dark blue knee-high boots, and matching shoulder-high gloves.
Lightbright. Real Name: Obax Majid. Birthplace: Mogadishu, Somalia. Affiliation: S.H.I.E.L.D. Physiology: Mutant Human. Powers and Abilities: Flight. Can generate heat and light. Can generate light flashes that calm people.
"Obax Majid. Yes, that is her name." Peter said. "She's a nice kid. Her family came to the US from Somalia when she was 9. When she was 13, her mutant photokinetic powers emerged. She kept them hidden, until she was kidnapped by A.I.M for the purpose of testing. Thankfully, Iron Fist and Triton was able to rescue her before they did anything worse than take her temperature."
"I asked you if you were listening to that musician again?" Obax repeated. Her voice contained a slight Somalian accent.
"Oh, yeah! I love his music!" Jennifer grinned. "Man, that time we got to meet Ace was awesome!"
"If I remember correctly, we ended up fighting the Hypno-Hustler at that show." Obax recalled. A week earlier, the class of S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy students got to attend a concert by the young mutant sensation known as Wildstar. It ended up being crashed by an old villain of the original Spider-Man's: the Hypno-Hustler.
"Ding! You just earned a kewpie doll, babe." Jennifer winked. "That only made it more fun!" The two then heard more footsteps. They turned and saw a teenage boy walk up. He was redheaded and Latino. His musculature and broad shoulders reminded Jennifer of an American football player. and he wore a red armored suit with a golden chestplate, boots, and gauntlets. On the chestplate was a large red number 9. The blonde girl smirked. "And here comes everyone's favorite musclehead."
Red 9. Real Name: Wallace "Wally" Jiminez-Jackson. Birthplace: Baytown, TX. Affiliation: S.H.I.E.L.D. Physiology: Baseline Human. Powers and Abilities: No innate superpowers. Red 9 armor grants superhuman strength, durability, forcefield generation, and energy blasts. Encyclopedic knowledge of the Dallas Cowboys.
"Red 9." The chibi Spider-Man noted. "Nice kid. Some tend to think of him as the 'dumb jock' of the bunch. Kind of like Flash Thompson back in the Web Warriors days." He pulled down a screen, showing chibi versions of Flash and Wally, an equal sign between them. "But that's a bit unfair, in my opinion. His uncle Steve originally built the Red 9 suit for NASA as a prototype spacesuit. Wally may seem a bit dim, but put a wrench or a soldering iron in his hand, and the kid's a magician. He was the one who took the suit and remade it into what it is now. He started using it as a 'local superhero' for his native Baytown when SHIELD found him."
"Oh, hey Jen." Wally waved with a smile.
"Be nice, Jennifer." Obax chided.
Jennifer rolled her eyes. "Aww, you know me. I don't mean it." She gave Wallace a smile. "What you doing, big fella?"
"Well..." The armor-wearing jock mumbled, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I got these tickets to this play about those British guys and the knights."
"...Spamalot?" Jennifer suggested.
"Yeah, that's it." Wally nodded. "I'm hopin' that Sherri will want to go with me to see it."
"You mean, you actually plan to ask her out?" Jennifer grinned. Wally's cheeks reddened as he shyly nodded. "Awl-RIGHT!" She whooped, pumping her fist in the air. "You go, big guy!"
"I hope she accepts." Obax smiled.
"Same here." Jennifer agreed. "If she doesn't, let us know. We'll beat her up." She punched her palm to emphasize her point, a wicked smirk on her face. Obax sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Jennifer, stop." The Somalian mutant groaned. She looked at her wrist communicator. "We are going to be late for our training session."
"Yeah, girl's got a point." Jennifer agreed. "Let's go. I feel like spreading a bit of bad luck." The three walked towards one of the training rooms, where they found two men waiting for them. One was a muscular man wearing what looked like a black armored version of the Spider-Man suit with white highlights. The suit included spiked shoulderpads, and a chest symbol of a white spider, with the legs going over the shoulders and hips.
Agent Venom. Real Name: Eugene "Flash" Thompson. Birthplace: Queens, New York. Affiliation: SHIELD. Physiology: Human mutate (Bonded with symbiotic lifeform). Powers and abilities: All the superhuman abilities of Spider-Man (superhuman strength, agility, ability to adhere to surfaces, etc), limited shapeshifting.
The second man, a brunet, was a bit skinnier in body type, wearing much more civilian-styled clothing: black shoes, brown slacks, a horizontally-striped green shirt.
Sandman. Real Name: Flint Marko. Birthplace: Queens, New York. Affiliation: SHIELD. Physiology: Human Mutate. Powers and Abilities: Sand-like body grants shapeshifting abilities.
"You three are just in time." Flint Marko, the Sandman, smiled at the three.
"Yeah, I came up with this brand new training regimen, and it's totally badass!" Flash Thompson, aka Agent Venom, whooped. "You kids will love it."
"I honestly wonder sometimes if you're trying to kill us." Obax winced. It was an understandable assumption, since Flash Thompson's ideas for training sessions could get a bit...intense.
"She ain't wrong." Jennifer agreed. "I mean, you had us face the Juggernaut, for God's sake..."
"To be fair, it wasn't the real Juggernaut." Wally reminded. "And it did help us when we fought the real deal three days ago."
"Fury just wants to make sure you are ready for anything." Flint assured. "Besides, Flash and I will make sure nothing really bad happens."
"Yup!" Flash agreed. "It's our business to turn you into badass villain-beaters." He smirked wickedly. "And brothers..." Roulette coughed. "And sisters..."
"Thank you!" Jennifer chirped happily.
"Business is booming." Flash finished. He then looked at Wally. "Heard about you asking out that Sherri girl out on a date. Congrats, bro!"
"Thanks, Mr. Thompson." Wally smiled.
"Nah, forget that. Just call me 'Flash', man." Flash said. "If she turns you down, let me know. I'll beat her up."
"Why does everyone want to beat her up?" Wally groaned.
"Because we love you, and we don't want to see you get heartbroken." Jennifer answered, her voice showing no sarcasm. The three teens walked into a training area. There were three more teenagers waiting for them. The first was a Korean-American boy with curly hair. He wore a black sleeveless t-shirt, white pants, and matching boots. He also had a small horn on his forehead.
Haechi. Real Name: Marcus "Mark" Sim. Birthplace: New York City, New York. Affiliation: S.H.I.E.L.D. Physiology: Inhuman. Powers and Abilities: Superhuman strength and durability. Can consume various forms of energy and channel it into concussive blasts. If enough energy is absorbed, Haechi can transform into a bull/dragon-like creature for short periods of time.
"Marcus Sim. Arguably the most reluctant member of the New Warriors." Spidey recalled. "You see, some time back, Maximus discovered that the Inhuman gene was actually in a a small population of humanity." An image of a chibi Maximus appeared, doing a "mad scientist" pose. "He kidnapped a bunch of teenagers and exposed them to the Terrigen Mist, the thing that gives Inhumans their powers. We managed to return most of them to their families. However, in Mark's case, his grandmother was horrified, and basically told him to leave her and her other grandkids. She called him a monster. It hit the kid hard."
The second was a Pakistani-American girl with long brownish-black hair. She wore a blue domino mask, and a red and blue outfit with red leggings and sleeves, blue Converse shoes, and a pair of golden bands around her wrists. Around her neck was a red scarf. Her costume's most defining feature was over the front: A golden emblem that resembled a stylized lightning bolt.
Ms. Marvel. Real Name: Kamala Khan. Birthplace: Jersey City, NJ. Physiology: Inhuman/Mutant hybrid. Affiliation: SHIELD. Powers and Abilities: Inhuman genetics grant polymorphism/shapeshifting. Mutant genetic grant power to create constructs of hard light. Knowledge of superhero history and skilled fanfic writer.
"If Mark Sim was the reluctant hero, then Kamala Khan is the one who sees it as a calling." Spidey pointed out. "Girl is crazy for superheroes. Like Mark, she was one of the teenagers that Maximus kidnapped and experimented on. It also caused her to manifest an X-Gene. Yeah, the girl's a hybrid. Something rather unique. She jumped at the chance to join the New Warriors."
"Hey guys!" Kamala waved at the three.
"Hey, Double K!" Jennifer greeted, giving her a high five. The third teenager was Afro-Puerto Rican, clad in a black-and-red variant of Spider-Man's costume. He had the frame of a gymnast/acrobat, and instead of boots, his costume had a pair of Air Jordan 1s.
Spider-Man II. Real Name: Miles Gonzalo Morales. Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY, USA. Affiliation: SHIELD. Physiology: Enhanced human. Powers and Abilities: Superhuman strength, reflexes, agility. Can cling to surfaces, spider-sense. Invisibility. Can generate bio-electrical blasts called the "venom strikes".
"I know what you're thinking." Peter said. "Didn't he appear earlier in this timeline? Well, yes and no. Yes, I did work with a version of him in the past. This is his counterpart in my universe. The 'native version', if you will." A chibi Spider-Man used a pointer to point at a picture of several Earths side by side. "Yeah, I know. As someone who has done his fair share of dimension hopping, I share the sentiment. The Multiverse is friggin' weird."
"Heard you got Sherri to ask you out, man." Miles fistbumped Wally. "Congrats."
"Thanks." The Texan boy smiled. "I'm hopin' she'll like Spamalot."
"Miles, Kamala, Mark, if she turns him down, I'm gonna need your help to beat her up." Jennifer said.
"Dammit, can ya'll stop that?!" Wally groaned. He glanced at Mark. "Hey Sim, help me out here, man!"
"Leave me out of this, my friend." The Korean-American Inhuman said, holding up his hands.
A confused Kamala blinked. "Why does everyone want to beat up Sherri? What did she do?"
"Beats me, Kamala." Miles shrugged.
"You people are all insane." Mark said.
"I feel the same way sometimes, my friend." Obax smiled at the Inhuman, putting a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.
"Awww, you know ya love it, hornhead." Jennifer grinned.
"Do not get me wrong, I don't mind hanging out with you guys, but is this...really necessary?" Mark asked.
"Part of the job, bro." Miles shrugged.
"I take it that you are about to engage in another training session." A woman's voice said. The group turned and saw a stunning redheaded woman walk up to the group. The woman was clad in a black bodysuit that clung to her curvy frame. The suit had a gray utility belt with a round buckle. The buckle was black ringed in gold with a red hourglass symbol on it. Her wrists and upper arms were lined with black cylinders with blue glowing elements. Her outfit was completed by black boots and gloves. On her shoulders were the Avengers' "A" logo in red.
Black Widow. Real Name: Natasha Romanoff (born Natalia Romanova). Birthplace: Moscow, Russia. Affiliation: SHIELD, Avengers. Physiology: Baseline Human. Powers and Abilities: No innate superpowers. Skills in spycraft, infiltration, weapons expertise, and martial artist.
"Oh my Gawwwwwd, the Black Widow!" Kamala gasped in shock. The others could have sworn that white stars appeared in her eyes. She bounced up and down in joy. "This is so cool! I can't believe she's come to see us!"
"Ah, you must be Kamala Khan." Natasha noted, an amused smile on her face. "Carol told me about you. Said you were...quite spirited."
"She knows my name! This is so awesome!" Kamala whooped.
"Uh, doesn't she know all their names?" Flash whispered to Flint.
"Let her have this, buddy." Flint patted the former jock's shoulder.
"Are you going to watch us train?" Kamala asked hopefully.
"Oh, dear..." Mark stiffened a bit, though he tried to hide it. Oh, geez. An Avenger watching over us. God, this stuff already makes me nervous, but the Black Widow...
The super-spy shook her head. "My apologies, Miss Khan. But I have some business to attend to. Have fun at the training session."
"Awww..." Kamala deflated slightly as the Widow walked away. Mark let out the breath he didn't realize he was even holding. Miles and Jennifer looked at him in concern.
"Hey, you good, man?" Miles whispered. Mark nodded.
"You sure?" Jennifer asked.
"I'm good. For now." Mark said, giving the two a small smile. "It's just...an Avenger. That will wreck the nerves..."
"Well, she's not going to watch over this session." Flint said. "So!" He smiled and rubbed his hands together. "Let's get this training session started."
"Oh, yeah!" Flash whooped. "Let's rock!" The kids groaned in unison.
"We're going to die..." Mark said. Thankfully for the kids, an alarm klaxon blared, and the lights went red.
"Awwww, man!" Flash groaned.
"Thank you, God." Obax and Mark whispered. Their SHIELD communicators activated.
"Looks like you kids got a mission." Flint said. "Good luck!"
"I'm feelin' down, man!" Flash groaned. "I was so looking forward to putting you kids through this new training simulation!"
"Better luck next time!" Kamala waved at the symbiote-enhanced ex-athlete as the kids left.
"Not helping, Khan." Jennifer stated.
Queens, New York City
"Come on, ya ugly mutant!" A bald Southeast Asian man roared as what looked like black-colored chins whipped around his body. On his chin was a brown goatee, and he wore a dark green outfit with light green highlights and boots. "Ya want some more of these chains?! I got chaaaaains for daaaays!"
"RAHHHHHHH!" A woman roared as she angrily tossed a park bench at the chain-wielding man. She was a muscular Black woman, wearing a dark blue leotard with an orange and yellow lightning bolt going across it. She wore lightning bolt earrings, and black gloves. Her boots were black, and knee-high, with the yellow and orange bolts on them as well. "Damned Inhuman!"
The man smashed the bench with his chains. "You'll have to do better than that, you mutant peasant!" He snapped.
"Mutants are the true successors of humanity, you genetic dead end!" Powerhouse snapped at the chain-wielder.
"You mutants are nothing more than a genetic mistake!" Jack Chain sneered. "You lack the grace and class of the Inhumans!"
"Yeah, this needs a bit of explanantion." Spider-Man said. "You see, last year, Maximus made off with some of the Inhumans' Terrigen Mists, what they use to unlock their 'true selves', as they like to say. Remember when I told you about Mark and Kamala? Well, he did that to them as a 'dry run' for his real plan: A Terrigen Bomb. Despite the Avengers and Royal Family's best efforts, he managed to trigger it, releasing the mists all over the world. And a lot of people for their dormant Inhuman genetics activated. Because of the Royal Family's existence, some of these 'New Inhumans' have got it into their heads that they should be regarded as royalty, and mutants are angry because people actually like the New Inhumans." Under his mask, Peter rolled his eyes. "The X-Men really need to hire a PR firm."
A craft landed near the two brawling superhumans. The New Warriors emerged from the craft.
"Aw, great. These two idiots." Jennifer pinched the bridge of her nose. Peter Parker landed in front of them.
"Alright, team. I'm sure you are familiar with these two." He told the group of young heroes.
"Yes." Kamala nodded. "Jack Chain, a New Inhuman. Originally from Singapore, he's a mercenary with the power to create chains made from Darkforce. And Powerhouse, a mutant supremacist. Not much is known about her, but she has a rap sheet as long as her arm."
"Nerrrrrrd!" Jennifer teased with a grin. The two noticed the group.
"Go away, heroes! I'm just reminding this peasant of her place!" Jack Chain snapped.
"YOU ARE NOT MY SUPERIOR!" Powerhouse roared at the Inhuman.
"Okay, let's find a better way to settle this." Peter sighed. The two then charged at the heroes.
"Here we go..." Jennifer muttered, a pair of black bad luck disks appearing in her hands. Kamala's fists grew in size and got coated in purple energy that looked crystalline.
"Blue 42! Blue 42!" Wally's armor started to glow red.
"Here we go again..." Mark sighed.
"Indeed. No rest for the wicked." Obax took to the air.
That night
Peter looked up from his tablet as he sat in his Aunt May's living room. He and his beloved MJ were housesitting while May was vacationing in Florida. The article he was reading made him sigh. The X-Men have gotten weird since making that Krakoa into their new mutant state a couple months ago. Why are they picking a fight with Attilan? He noticed a stunning redhead smiling at him.
"News got you worried, huh?" Mary Jane Watson frowned. Peter nodded in confirmation.
"The tensions between Krakoa and Attilan." Peter said. Mary Jane nodded. Being the girlfriend, then wife of a superhero (as well as some occasional adventuring as the Ultimate Spider-Woman) meant she got to learn about some interesting things and people. Once in the past, Krakoa was an island, with its flora and fauna forming a collective hive intelligence, presumably thanks to mutations from nearby nuclear tests. The X-Men were the first superheroes to encounter the living island.
"I don't get it." Mary Jane Watson said, shaking her head. "Why are the Krakoans being so aggressive towards Attilan?"
"Who knows?" Peter frowned. "I got a bad feeling about this."
KRESH!
The two moved out of the way when a figure crashed through the window and went through the table.
"Oh my God!" MJ yelped. What appeared to be red-and-black liquid flowed over the redheaded woman's body, forming into a black-and-red costume.
"Uhnnnn..." The figure groaned. The two recognized him. He had short brown hair, a facial scar, and as clad in a tattered red-and-black costume.
"Ben!" The two yelled. They tried to help him to his feet.
"Ben, what happened to you!?" Peter asked.
"Ugn..." The half-human half synthezoid groaned. "Punk...MJ..."
"Get him to the couch!" Peter said. The two moved Scarlet Spider over to the couch and laid him gently there.
"I'll call SHIELD. Tell them to send a medi.." MJ's statement was interrupted as the two heard the roar of thunder. "What was-?" MJ asked.
"Some wannabe Dracula attacked me..." Ben said. "Said this world was...rich in Spiders...wanted to feed on me..."
"And it looks like I have found my meal." A voice announced. Peter and MJ turned and saw a smirking white-haired man at the hole he made in the wall. He wore a red jacket and pants with a white waistcoat. His eyes were white with black sclera. He smirked. "Ah, and I have found two more Spiders. This world is so rich with them! Ha, ha! I cannot wait to see the look on my dear sister Bora's face when she learns what I did here. She'll be so mad I got more Spiders than her!"
"Who are you?!" MJ snapped.
"Allow me to introduce myself." The man bowed. "My name is Brix. And I will be eating you three tonight." Thunder boomed, and Brix's eyes widened.
"Oh, he is pissed..." Ben smirked.
"I SAY THEE NAY!" A deep guttural voice yelled.
"Is that Thor?" Peter blinked.
"Sounds off." MJ answered.
KRAKOOM!
"AAAAARGH!" Brix howled as he was struck by a bolt of lightning.
WHAM!
"AGH!" The Inheritor yelled as a hammer smashed into him, sending him flying. The source landed nearby.
"Yeah, that's Dino-Thor." Ben introduced. The three Spiders looked at the Saurian warrior. He was a green-scaled anthropomorphic dinosaur, dressed in armor like that of Thor, complete with red furry cape, and a golden helmet with white bird-like wings on the sides.
Dino-Thor. Birthplace: The Valley of the Flame, Earth-23134. Physiology: Evolved dinosaur with the power of Thor. Affiliation: Illuminati of Earth-030122 (Team Thor). Powers and Abilities: All the powers and abilities of Thor, Norse God of Thunder. Also all the powers an abilities of a dinosaur. Being Awesome.
"Forgive the intrusion, Spiders." Dino-Thor said. "Are thee well?"
"A...dinosaur Thor..." Peter blinked. The world then went gray. He turned to the reader. "Yeah, I shouldn't be surprised by this. I mean, in my years as Spider-Man, I've seen some crazy stuff. Traveled to exotic places, visited other dimensions, so...yeah. A dinosaur Thor. That's actually low on the weird scale for me. I wonder what that says about me?" The world went back to color.
"Uh, yeah. Thanks." MJ answered.
"Thanks for the backup, Big Guy." Ben sat up.
"Ben, you're hurt! You-!"
"Relax, Red." Ben said. "I heal fast."
"Who was the wannabe Dracula?" Peter asked as Dino-Thor caught his returning hammer.
"The knave is known as an Inheritor." Dino-Thor explained. "They consume those who call upon the totem of the Spider for power."
"Basically, real bad news." Ben added. "They've been hunting everyone with spider-powers in the multiverse."
"The whole multiverse?" MJ blinked in shock. Peter's face paled with horror.
"Gwen...Spider-Knight...Miguel...Petra...Web-Beard...Webslinger...Noir...Kid Arachnid...Blood Spider...these Inheritors will be after them, too!" Peter realized.
"Not to mention our world's Miles, Flash, and Amadeus." MJ remembered.
"Don't worry, punk. His bosses know about them." Ben assured.
"Indeed." Dino-Thor smiled. "I work for a group known as the Illuminati. Their mission is to aid in protecting the Multiverse from threats like the Inheritors. They tried to kill the Spider-Rex of my world."
"SCALEFACE!" Brix roared. The three Spiders and Dino-Thor turned and saw a furious Brix growling at them. "I will make you pay for ruining my dinner!"
"I fear further discussion must be tabled for the moment." Dino-Thor spun his hammer. "Get thee to safety! I will, as they say here in Midgard, tear this varlet a new one...They say that here, right?"
"...yeah." Peter nodded.
Miami, Florida, Earth-1992
"Oof!" A bank robber grunted as he was dropped in front of some waiting police officers, who were putting the robber's compatriots in custody. The police officers looked up at the person who dropped them there: A bald black man with a mustache and beard, wearing a green and black uniform floating in the air. His body was sheathed in a corona of green energy.
"I take it you have got it handled from here?" John Stewart, the Green Lantern, asked.
"Yup! Thanks again, GL!" One of the cops waved. John nodded and flew off.
I was hoping for a nice vacation... The ex-Marine thought. He flew over the skies of Miami. Still, as long as I'm in uniform, I'll take a quick patrol around...
"What?" John muttered as a blue line appeared in the sky. The line went downwards, revealing a large red octagonal "STOP" sign. He obeyed the sign. A head peeked out from behind the sign. It belonged to a smiling blond man, his face covered by green, white, and black face paint in the style of professional wrestler Sting during his "Surfer" gimmick of the late-80s/early 90s. The head was topped by a green fedora with a white hatband, and a silver circle with the Green Lantern insignia on it.
"Howdy!" The man greeted.
"What on Earth..." John blinked. The man stepped out in front of the sign...even though it was still in the air. John got a look at the man's costume. A white bandanna around the neck. A green military-style jacket with black sleeves and silver epaulets. On one of the lapels on the jacket, there was a pin styled after a Star Trek: The Next Generation-era communicator badge. The front flap showed the Green Lantern logo. Green jeans, and brown work boots. White gloves over his hands. Over his shoulder was a strap that attached to a messenger bag. The man looked down at the city.
"I visited Florida once. Never did get to see Miami..." The man noted. His smile widened and he respectfully tipped his hat. "Mr. John Stewart, I presume?"
The Lantern noted the man's costume. "...you aren't Corps."
"No, but I am a fan." The man's smile never left his face. "I admit, this is an honor for me. I am a fan of the JLU in this universe, so I'm so happy I got to visit it."
"Who are you, exactly?" John asked.
"You can call me L17, if you'd like." The man introduced himself. "I've been recently spending some time helping rebuild Seaboard City."
"Seaboard...wait..." John blinked for a moment, then the memories came back to him. "That other world..."
"Yup!" L17 grinned. "It's been rebuilding quite nicely." He pulled an apple out of his satchel and started eating it. "They started growing this orchard. Got some great apples out of it. Here, I got one for you, too." He tossed an apple to John, who deftly caught it. "I came here because I remembered that you're a big fan of the superheroes of that world."
"How do you know...?"
"I told you. I'm a fan of this Earth." L17 said. "In fact, I got a gift for you, Mr. Stewart."
"A gift?"
"Yes, sir." L17 reached into his messenger bag and pulled out another object. "I got it in a comic shop here in town. Fresh off the presses." He held it out to John. The Green Lantern took the object and looked at it. It was a white board, sealed in a plastic sleeve. He turned it over, and saw the cover of a comic book. John did not recognize any of the characters on it, but the masthead logo made his eyes widen.
"The...the new Justice Guild?" He read out in surprise.
"That's right!" L17 grinned. "A new generation of heroes inspired by the icons of the past, fighting for justice in a world ravaged by nuclear war. I helped find them and bring them together. I would like you to say hello to them. I told them all about you." He reached into his pocket, and pulled out four communicator badges, like the one on his lapel. "One of these is for you. The other three are for Flash, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter."
That makes sense. They were with me...then. John thought as he accepted the badges.
"When you give those to them, use them to call me." L17 instructed. "Just tap 'em like in the show. And I'll be there to take you to Seaboard. Also...Ray wants to apologize to you. In person."
"Ray? Ray Thompson?! He's still alive?!" John exclaimed in shock.
L17 nodded. "Very much so. I found him, and he and I did some talking. I helped him come to terms with things, and he feels terrible about what he did to Seaboard's people."
New York City, Earth-199999
"Get in the truck!" Captain Brooklyn snapped as he tossed a person in the back of the police truck. The person was a brunet man wearing a brown suit, white shirt, and bolo tie. His head was topped by a white Stetson hat.
"Hey, watch mah hat!" Thomas "Montana" Brice snapped angrily at the superhero. A cousin of the late Jackson Brice, Montana followed his older cousin into crime, being part of a trio known as the Enforcers. The Enforcers were criminals for hire. Montana's specialty was usage of an energy whip. He looked around at the other two members of his group. Like Brice, they were handcuffed, sitting on the benches on the sides of the truck. One was a short Indian-American woman wearing a purple suit and a purple porkpie hat. The other was a Black Dominican muscular man wearing a yellow sweater with a black waistcoat, jeans, and brown work boots.
"We really oughta pick another city to work." Danielle Chopra-Brito grumbled. She was known as "Fancy Dan" for her martial arts and dance skills. "New York is swimming with superheroes."
"Ehhh, all the major cities have wannabe-Avengers protecting them." Raymond Sanchez-Bloch, aka the Ox grunted. He was known for his great strength and was a former amateur and independent pro wrestler before becoming an Enforcer.
"At least we won't have to deal with Spider-Man or Captain Brooklyn." Montana grumbled as he sat down next to Fancy Dan. "Spider-Man keeps making cowboy jokes about me."
"You do look like a cowboy." Ox noted. Montana glared at the powerhouse.
"Or Captain Manhattan." Fancy Dan noted. "He keeps flirting with me."
Ox smirked. "Danny and Manhattan, sitting in a tree!" He started singing. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Fancy Dan glared at her compatriot, despite her cheeks reddening.
"I will kick you. In the mouth. Hard." She threatened. Montana noticed the blushing.
"So, when's the wedding?" Montana teased.
"Will there be cake?" Ox added. "I love cake. Well, except for coconut cake. I don't like coconut cake."
"Last time you ate coconut anything, your face swelled up." Montana recalled. "We had to take you to the hospital."
"I hate you both so much." Fancy Dan muttered. The three criminals rode in the back of the van towards the police station. They stayed quiet during the ride. The van made its way towards the police station.
"Okay, Bill. You can slow down now." The officer sitting in the passenger seat said to the driver.
"I'm trying!" The driver said. "The brakes don't work!"
"Because I cut the brakes!" Montana whooped. Everyone in the van looked at him. "WILDCARD BITCHES! YEEEEEEE-HAH!" He kicked open the door and jumped out of the van. Fancy Dan and Ox's jaws dropped.
"Ohmigod." Fancy Dan muttered, her jaw agape. "He actually did it."
"Hey, what about us?!" Ox yelled.
"BRICE, YOU MOTHERFU-!" Fancy Dan started to scream. The van jerked to a halt.
"What?!" The driver yelped. The occupants of the van looked around. One of the guards peeked out and saw the van was floating. The reason why revealed itself: A Latino man wearing a familiar blue and orange costume with a cape.
"Saw you officers veering a bit." Captain Manhattan greeted as he floated towards the hovering van.
"Oh, not him..." Fancy Dan moaned. Captain Manhattan smiled and waved at the purple-wearing woman.
"Hey, Danny." He greeted. "Your friend is right here." He pointed upwards, revealing that Montana was hanging from a streetlamp...on webs.
"Hey, I found a cowboy!" Spider-Man waved from his perch on top of the streetlamp.
"I hate my life..." Brice grumbled.
New York City, Earth-61065 (This scene is set a couple of days after Spider-Woman's battle with Big Wheel in Movie-Brat's New Discoveries)
"Thanks for helping me out with that project, Mary Jane." A skinny brunet teenage boy said to MJ Watson. He wore a white polo shirt with teal and purple stripes across the chest, blue jeans, and white sneakers.
"Sure thing, Pete." Mary Jane Watson, aka Spider-Woman, smiled. "You've been a big help to me in keeping my science grade up. You make it so easy to understand."
"Yo, Watson!" An English-accented voice called out. "You makin' eyes at my man?" Mary Jane and Peter Parker chuckled at the source. The source was a smirking blonde girl. She wore a green Led Zeppelin t-shirt with the band's Swan Song Icarus logo and "United States of America 1977" in yellow. Hanging over the collar of the shirt was a pair of sunglasses. Over that she wore a blue denim sleeveless jacket with patches of various rock bands on it. She wore blue jeans held up by a black belt, and black sneakers. Standing next to her was a tall muscular Guatemalan-American teenager, dressed like like your stereotypical jock: A letterman jacket, a blue t-shirt, jeans, and black sneakers.
"She's been nothing but a lady, Gwen." Peter jokingly assured.
"Glad to hear." Gwen Stacy smiled, her voice switching back to her native New York accent, as she marched over to Peter and kissed his cheek. "I'd hate to have to punch MJ's lights out. Cuz I like her."
"Nice to see you too, Gwen." MJ smiled. She looked at the other young man. "Flash, how you doing?"
"Doin' good, thanks." Eugene "Flash" Thompson nodded. "Just wanted to thank Parker again for helpin' me with my math homework."
"Think of it as repaying you for helping protect me from Kenny Kong and his dumbass flunkies."
MJ turned to Gwen. "What you been up to? How have things been going with the band?"
"Pretty good, thanks!" Gwen grinned. "The Accelerators got a sweet gig down at the Coffee Bean next week."
"That's my girl!" MJ whooped.
"Yeah, but there is some bad news." Gwen said. "I got a letter from...the egg donor." A sneer crossed Gwen's face as she spat out the last three words. Peter, Flash, and MJ groaned.
"Oh, yeah. Your mother, right?" Flash recalled. Peter and MJ winced and quickly waved their hands in front of them in a "don't do that" gesture. Gwen's face got very dark and her eyes burned with fury.
"Helen Boudreaux is not my mother." Gwen growled at the football player. "All she did was give birth to me. She lost all rights to call herself my mother when she decided to dump my dad to live a life of luxury with that rich Frenchman. As far as I'm concerned, Ronnie Starr-Stacy is my mother." Veronica Starr was a jeweler that married George Stacy when Gwen was five, and Gwen adored her. "And she's a hell of a mom, too."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I forgot!" Flash yelped.
"Dude, you know that Gwen considers that a very touchy subject!" Peter admonished, rubbing Gwen's shoulders.
Unknown to the four conversing old friends, they were being watched by a small drone with a camera attached to it. The drone transmitted what its camera picked up to a computer in a nice house. The computer was in the room of a teenage boy, around MJ and Peter's age.
He was a handsome young man, with neat blond hair and intense blue eyes. He wore a white shirt and beige slacks. A smile crossed his face as he commanded the drone's camera to focus on the beautiful redhead.
"Divine." Jonathan Caesar said to himself. "Mary Jane Watson, you are a goddess." He was there the day MJ got her powers, although it never occurred to him that she was the vigilante superhero known as the Spider-Woman. Caesar had long crushed on the redhead, and it seemed to only grow over the years. He scowled at Peter and Gwen. "I know you two are plotting to keep her from me. You and that Japanese bitch. MJ is mine, not yours."
"Indeed." A voice said.
"Who?!" Caesar turned around and saw a figure smirking at him. It was a wild-haired man in a green outfit.
"Ah, forgive the surprise entrance." The man bowed. "My name is Maximus. I come from a world far different from your own. But similar in many ways."
"What...what do you want with me?" Caesar asked.
Maximus smiled. "I...can empathize with you to a degree. I know what it's like to be denied something that is rightfully yours. For me, it was my rightful throne. For you, it's a young lady." He walked over to Caesar's closet. The teenager's eyes widened.
"No!" He got up out of his seat. "Don't go in-!"
"Don't you worry, boy. I won't harm your precious shrine." The mad Inhuman assured as he opened the closet door. True to his statement, Maximus gently pushed Caesar's hanging clothes aside and noted the little shrine he made to Mary Jane Watson. Photographs and other items connected to the beautiful redhead. One aspect of the shrine caught the Inhuman's eye. He noticed that the shrine also included photos of her friends and of the Japanese girl she was crushing on, Mariko Yoshida. The photos were mutilated in various ways. "I take it you do not think highly of this girl." He noted the photos.
"The Yoshida girl. Yeah." Caesar's eyes blazed with fury. "That bitch. She thinks she can take my MJ from me. And her stupid friends. That whimpering nerd Parker. That idiotic jock Thompson. That wannabe Suzi Quatro Stacy. They're all conspiring to keep my MJ from me."
Hmmm...this boy is clearly somewhat mad. Maximus thought. I will have to approach him carefully. "What if I told you there was a way to...remove those obstacles?"
"...remove them?" Caesar asked, clearly interested.
Maximus nodded. He then frowned. "You will need an...upgrade, though."
"What...kind of upgrade?" Caesar asked. A smirking Maximus held out a small vial. Inside was what looked like some red-and-black liquid. The liquid pulsed and thrashed in the vial as if it was alive.
Caesar's eyes widened. "What...what is that?!"
Maximus's smirk grew more wicked. This boy will be a handy insurance policy, as the Earthmen call it, against the Daleks. Unlike my colleagues, I have no delusion that they will kill me when I am no longer useful to them. "Something that will allow you to cause some real carnage..."
San Francisco, Earth-1
A man stood on one of the Marin Headlands overlooking the city once known as the Paris of the West and the Golden City. The lights shone against the city's night sky. The man was tall and muscular, wearing a frilly white shirt, tight black pants, and black boots.
"This is not my world." The man known as Kabal snorted. The last thing the evil sorcerer recalled was being impaled by a mastodon tusk. He made his hands glow and he examined them. "This world is strong with magic. It is...different, but I can adjust to it." He looked out at the city. "Ah, San Francisco. This world has one, too." He remembered performing there once as part of the band he used as a cover for his activities on his world. He made a newspaper appear in his hand. The blond man read the front page.
Kung Fu Vigilante Strikes Again
The front-page article showed a young Asian-American woman throwing a kick at some thieves.
"I can sense this woman has magical ties." Kabal muttered to himself. He smiled evilly. "This world has many heroes, including this Nicky Shen. Perhaps I can use them to help me return to my world. And then, get my revenge on Anton Mordrid..."
This Earth in the main story's designation, 201217, is a reference to Ultimate Spider-Man being broadcast from 2012 to 2017.
Jennifer Stavros/Roulette first appeared in New Mutants #16 (February 1984). Her costume in this story is meant to be her Hellions uniform from the comics, but with the dark purple and pink switched out with, naturally, black and red.
Obax Majid/Lightbright first appeared in Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #16 (September 1993), created by Gregory Wright, Steven Butler, and Pam Elkund.
Wallace Jackson/Red 9 first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #264 (May 1985), created by Craig Anderson and Paty Cockrum.
Jack Chain first appeared in New Warriors #7 (September 2014), created by Chris Yost and Marcus To.
Brix first appeared in Superior Spider-Man #33 (November 2014), created by Dan Slott, Christos Gage, and Giuseppe Camuncoli. I originally intended to use Morlun himself, but I realized that would be a bit early. So, I went with Brix instead. He didn't have much characterization outside of a rivalry with his twin sister Bora in the comics, so...yeah. Something to work with there.
Dino-Thor first appeared in Spider-Island #5 (October 2015), created by Christos Gage and Paco Diaz. When I first saw the character, I thought, "This guy is awesome and should be in more things." So, when New Discoveries came about, I thought about introducing him as part of the Illuminati's Team Thor.
The Enforcers first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #10 (March 1964), created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. I created Thomas Brice because the MCU used (and killed off) Jackson Brice in Spider-Man: Homecoming. I made Ox Afro-Dominican as a nod to the Ultimate Marvel version of the character.
Jonathan Caesar first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #304 (May 1988), created by David Michelinie and Erik Larsen. I had originally intended to use this Earth's Peter Parker in this role, but I had read some late 1980s/early 1990s Amazing Spider-Man recently and it inspired me to use Jonathan Caesar instead. In the comics, Caesar was a wealthy landlord who was obsessed with MJ, so I thought it would be appropriate to re-imagine him as a rich kid here. Ironically, in the comics, he would be killed by another man who was just as obsessed with MJ as he was.
Nicky Shen is the main character of the 2021 Kung Fu TV show. I enjoyed that show, and I felt that it would fit right in with the Arrowverse. So, yeah. This version of Earth-1 also has her in it. And Kabal was the main villain of the film Doctor Mordrid. I wanted to do this scene for a long time.