A/N: This one… man I just couldn't not write it.

The MCU is kinda dead right now, I don't have as much of a concrete plan as I do for my other stories, the concept is cliche and overdone, and yet… I want to put it to paper.

Why?

Because I loved watching SupermanTAS. I loved watching JL/JLU. I loved going to each new MCU movie in theaters when they were still working up to infinity war/endgame. I loved feeling the hype, and I loved being part of the community. And despite how everyone is tired of superhero's right now…

I'm not!

I LOVE superheroes. My other two stories are ones I'm more or less taking seriously, actually trying to improve my writing, and actually making concrete plans, but this one?

This isn't that. Not really. This one is an ode to my childhood, plain and simple. I don't expect this will be nearly as popular as my other two. Crossovers are harder to randomly stumble upon, and I don't expect anyone to stick around for what is essentially me banging action figures together and making noises with my mouth. Don't get me wrong, I still plan to absolutely write my heart out, I still hate script copy/ canon rehash, I'm not willing to just shit out a sub par piece of garbage after all, and I want to respect the things I love as much as possible so of course I'll put real effort into it being as cool and fun and heartwarming as possible, but I'm not going to have nearly as much of a stick up my ass about making something that other people will love. I'm not going to write an MC or a plot line that's super edgy or dark or evil or subversive, because that's not my aim. If that's what your looking for, consider yourself warned.

So basically what I'm saying is…

Enjoy! Or don't. I'm fine either way!

Because I loved writing it regardless.

I don't own DC or Marvel

MY TAKE ON KRYPTONIANS:

For story purposes my version of kryptonians will be closer to the SupermanTAS/JL/JLU version, with stuff I like from the comics and movies added in occasionally. In most Superman origin stories, Clark shows superpowers almost immediately upon landing, often lifting the Kent's truck or something. In SupermanTAS, this is not the case. While Clark is notably stronger than a normal baby, with Pa Kent remarking, "what a grip!" as his finger is grasped, Clark doesn't show anything ridiculously superhuman until adolescence, when he starts getting his powers in force. I like this version better, as it's hard for me to believe that anyone could enforce rules and boundaries on a 2 year old who can instantly kill you with a slap. I have made up some kryptonian lore to explain this phenomenon, which will be revealed as the story progresses. While I like kryptonians to be OP, and find it unsatisfying when they are overly nerfed, I also don't like it when Clark is an all powerful unchallengeable god and the only reason he ever has trouble is because he is holding back. Don't get me wrong, I like the 'world of cardboard' reason ALOT, just not when it's the ONLY reason he uses. I prefer a good mix of holding back AND "holy shit this is an actual threat!" Clark will NOT instantly be the top dog in power, not even close, but his potential for growth as a kryptonian will be unmatched. This isn't a power wank/Gary Stu 'I am perfect' show, but it is a bit of a power fantasy. Let's get into it!

I sighed as I looked out the window of Pa's truck as we cruised down a dirt road in Smallville, Kansas.

What was I looking at? Corn. Corn. Corn. Corn. Oh look! What's that?! Oh yeah, more corn.

"Hey Pa, I spy with my little eye something green and yellow. You'll never guess what it is." I said with a deadpan.

Pa chuckled, "Oh? I don't know! Sure is a tough one…" he said with a twinkle of humor in his eye. I snorted, and went back to staring out the window.

I never thought reincarnation was a thing. A cool concept maybe, a great set up for a web novel or a fanfic maybe, but I never seriously considered it would happen to me. I had spent all my life previous to this one struggling to keep my head above water. I was originally born of a teen mom who didn't know who the father was, and gave me up for adoption. Unfortunately, I never really ended up being adopted, and was raised in an orphanage with staff that constantly came and went, kids that never stayed for long, and eventually got bounced around the foster care system with nothing really ever sticking. I had my escapes in cartoons, movies and video games, but eventually I had to face the world on my own. Life was grey and dull, and eventually I died at around 22 years old to health issues I couldn't afford to fix. I had been sick all my life, and it finally caught up with me.

My memories are hazy of the first few years of my life, but it all clicked back into place when I was about 4 years old. All my memories came rushing back, and immediately I recognized the elephant in the room. I wasn't just a kid named Clark. My full name was Clark Kent, my parent's names were Jonathan and Martha Kent, I lived in Smallville, Kansas, on a farm, and I had blue eyes and black wavy hair that seemed to settle into a single perfect curl on my forehead whenever I combed it back.

Holy fucking shit! I'm Superman!

Except… I didn't have any powers. Sure, I was in the 99th percentile for height and weight for my age, and I was surprisingly strong even for my size, but I wasn't super strong. I couldn't run faster than a speeding bullet or leap tall buildings in a single bound. Things didn't heat up no matter how hard I stared at them, and judging from the splinter I got from the fence, I wasn't bulletproof either! Hell, I even had asthma! It had apparently been worse as a baby, but even now there were times where it seemed like the air was thin and it was difficult to breathe.

I was four years old, it was 1991 with no computer in the house, a tv with bunny ears that only showed local news and pbs, and no way for me to know if I was actually Superman or if this was all some big cosmic joke/coincidence.

There was a major upside to all this though. Or rather, two upsides. Martha and Jonathan Kent. My Parents. I had spent all my previous childhood wishing to get adopted, that a couple who wanted a child would point to me and say, "Him. He's the one!" And smile lovingly. It was something I had always yearned for. Most of the foster parents did their best, but it was always me and like 7 other kids with their own shit to be dealt with, and I moved around so much I never had one person I could ever call 'mom' or 'dad'.

But now? I had that. Two adult people who actually loved me, who wouldn't get transferred, who wouldn't switch out, or get burnt out from all the miserable kids they were taking care of, just… my Ma and Pa. And that? That trumped AAAALLLLLLLL the annoying shit I had to deal with as an adult with the privileges and freedom of a toddler. Early bedtimes? I had a mom to tuck me in and sing a lullaby to me every night. Lack of electronics? Had a whole farm to explore. Bored with no social life? I had a dad to teach me how the farm worked and what skills I needed to learn. I went along with everything they expected of me as their son because it was a dream come true just to be someone's son. They weren't checked out or cruel or crazy, just two genuinely good people trying to make their way through life. And every birthday and Christmas I had for years after, I bawled like a baby for what I had.

It was now the year 2000, and I was 13. I had done some serious research as soon as I had access to a school library, but I couldn't find any mention of any DC stuff. Bialia or Kasnia or kandaq or anything. "Metropolis" was just a word for any thriving city, Any mention of a "Gotham" was just an old timey name for New York, there wasn't a Star City or a Jump City or a famous Wayne family or anything. Star labs? Nothing. Lexcorp/Luthorcorp? Zip. Nada.

As I had grown up, I had stayed in the 99th percentile for height and weight for my age, but never really seemed to get any chubbyness. I was just tall and solidly built. Sometime after I had turned 10, I had inquired about sports, as I was interested in the popularity they would bring, but my parents were against it, stating my asthma as a reason. I didn't fight them on it, but did find it odd that they were still worried about it when I hadn't had an attack in years.

This of course inspired another round of thinking I may actually really secretly be Superman, which came with it brand new superpower attempts and library computer searches for anything DC related. Nothing.

Honestly, at this point after all these years, I had basically accepted that this was all just a cosmic coincidence and I shouldn't worry about it.

So I didn't. I enjoyed my new life of honest simplicity. I enjoyed my family. Life was good.

"What are you so smiley about Clark? Thinking about a girl?" Pa's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Hehe, nothing really specific. It's just… life is good you know?"

Pa smiled at my answer, "Ha! Happy to hear it!" He turned the wheel and pulled into the school parking lot. Normally I took the bus, but Pa said he wanted to talk to me before school started, so he had driven me himself. "Hey, Clark. There's something I need to talk to you about."

Pa looked awfully serious, and I got nervous. "You remember the story about how you came to our family?"

"Yeah dad, I remember. Is this something to do with that? Is there something about my bio parents? Did you find them?"

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not exactly. There is a lot more to that story than you know." I had a long suppressed jolt of excitement/fear that I immediately pushed down. It was ridiculous to think I was actually Superman. I paid closer attention to what he was actually saying.

"There's a lot Ma and I haven't told you until now, and we will. Soon. But the important thing is, we love with all our hearts. Blood or not, you are our son, no and ifs or buts about it. And that'll never change."

I didn't know where he was going with this. "Thanks for that, love you too, but where are you going with this?"

"Look Clark. There's a few things. But the first one is, well… do you remember how we thought your Ma and I couldn't have kids?"

I blinked a few times before realizing what he was saying, and a wide grin stretched across my face. "Holy crap! Thought?! As in past tense?!"

He blushed, actually blushed and nodded. "Clark, you're gonna be a big brother. It's early days ahead, but everything is looking good."

The bell rang, and I quickly got my pack and got out of the truck, and started off towards the school. Pa yelled after me, "We'll talk more tonight!"

I flashed a thumbs up to show I heard him, then jogged over to the doors, passing a few other stragglers. I felt a calm radiate over me like the morning sun. In no story I had ever heard of, did Superman have a human sibling. The last of my suspicions flowed down the drain. It was quite freeing actually, to realize I didn't have the responsibility of being Superman. Something in me relaxed, like I had been bracing for something my whole life, and only now had that tension loosened.

I felt… great actually, like I was lighter than before, and I realized something. I didn't actually want to be Superman. There was just too much pressure associated with that kind of power, and knowing I didn't have it, while admittedly a little disappointing, was still a major relief. That kind of power corrupts people, and I was fine missing out on superpowers if it meant I was living in a normal world as a normal human. No supervillains, aliens, or painful terrifying death matches for me! No sir!

I sat down in my desk in my first class, which was social studies. I kept grinning, I couldn't help it! I just felt… good! Like I could take on the world! Not that I'd have to! Ha!

As the class started and everyone settled down, the teacher put a transparent slide on the overhead projector. It was labeled "WWII"

"Today we will be starting our World War Two unit. Now that you are in middle school, we will be going over some things that are a little more mature in nature. It is important that we learn the dirty side of history, so we can avoid making the same mistakes of our forebears."

This actually made me kinda excited! Up until now we had been going over sanitized versions of Columbus sailing the ocean blue, and memorizing capitals and stuff, which had been boring as hell, and I usually just zoned out for it all. This might actually be interesting!

"If you haven't learned any of these things at home, that's fine, we'll all be on the same page eventually. Can anyone tell me about the two main factions within the German army at the beginning of the war?"

I blinked stupidly. Was that really a question for kids who were going in depth into World War Two for the first time? I've gone through high school and I don't know that stuff!

To my surprise, a few kids raised their hands. When the teacher called on one of them, she spoke up. "The Nazis, who were the main army under hitler, and Hydra, who started out as the main science division."

What.

"That's correct! It's argued by some that a great deal of Hitler's paranoia and psychological issues got started because of Johan Schmidt's and Hydra's betrayal, but we'll get into that later."

He kept speaking, but I didn't hear him. I kept blankly looking at the slides he put on the overhead, and I saw more evidence. Old grainy photos of actors I knew including a picture of the howling commandos, including Chris Evans as Captain America, Sebastian Stan as Bucky, and even a shorter stockier version of Hugh Jackman labeled "James Howlett."

The more this went on, the more it was clear it wasn't a joke.

FUCK! I'm such an idiot! The ancient dinosaur computer at the library was shitty to use and didn't even have a properly optimized search function, so I only got results on the exact thing I searched for. I wasn't in DC! I was in some version of the MCU!

Suddenly, the tension in my hand broke my pencil like a toothpick. And it wasn't just snapped in half, it was crushed to splinters.

Ooooooohhhhh. Fuck.

A/N I know it seems kinda unlikely that the MC took this long to learn he was in the MCU/X-men universe, but he doesn't exactly have access to a whole lot of info, and when he has, he has been searching for the wrong stuff.

As for his powers, they start awakening around adolescence anyway, and him finally accepting that he wasn't Superman, and that was ok, ironically dissolved the last bit of mental resistance he was blocking himself with.

As I said this is more for fun anyway. This was mostly a prologue, we'll get into some meat next time.

Ciao!