Chapter 294 - My SI Stash #94 - Sunshine Superman by Stranger (MarvelComics)

-Some old school 1960's Marvelverse SI~ Before y'all go into this one, our MC's power is actually light manipulation. Title's just a reference to a song, Sunshine Superman by Donovan and it's a bop!

Synopsis: An SI finds himself in Marvel, more specifically, the Marvelverse of the 1960's, with all the bizarre adventures, space weirdos, counter-culture references and Silver Age comic book science that entails.

Rated: ???

Words: 18K

Posted on: forums.spacebattles.com/threads/sunshine-superman-1960s-marvel-si.847345/ (Stranger)

PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀) -I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Chapter 1-3 (exceptional)

AN: Yep, another Marvel SI story from yours truly, this time using a setting I've been wanting to try for a while now; the original 1963 timeline and the earliest days of Marvel. I've been wanting to write this for a while but had trouble getting the tone right. I'm going to try to follow the actual 60's comics as much as possible plot-wise, while also adressing the social stuff the Comics Code made them leave out.

Change is rarely easy or pleasant, and September of 1963 seemed like just another chapter of turmoil for the United States of America. In Alabama, governor George Wallace tried to use violence to keep segregation alive, and Birminghams streets burned to satisfy the appetites of the hateful and ignorant. General Maxwell Taylor approved secret military actions against Vietnam, beginning another bloody story of war. And in Washington, President Kennedy chose Dallas as a destination that in other worlds, other Earths, would have proved to be disastrous, both for him, and for the world at large.

In difficult times, people often look for heroes, but those were a bit thin on the ground since the end of the Second World War, as what seemed to have been the beginning of something big had just...faded away. Captain America and Bucky Barnes lost in action, The Human Torch voluntarily deactivated himself to keep his power from the wrong hands, and Namor, Prince of Atlantis, seemed to vanish off the face of the Earth. Even the heroes that remained, such as The Whizzer and Miss America, seemed content to settle down to a normal life rather than continue their heroics, and it seemed like the Age of Heroes had ended before it had really begun.

That is, until an ill-fated attempt at beating the communists into space through an unsanctioned space flight in 1961 saw the creation of The Fantastic Four, and from that point on, it was as if something had shifted in the world. In January of 1962, a scientist named Hank Pym discovered a new type of particle that allowed for size-shifting abilities, in May, Bruce Banner would find himself transformed into the monstrous Hulk while attempting to save a teenager named Rick Jones from a bomb test, and in August, a spiderbite would change the life of downtrodden high school student Peter Parker, while half a world away, Dr. Donald Blake finds out there was far more to his past than he could ever have dreamed while on vacation in Norway.

Those were just some of the fantastic events unfolding in the first few tumultous years of the decade, and as if super-powered families, radiation mutants and Norse gods weren't insane enough, things were only just getting started...

....

Somewhere In Arizona, September 1963

Well, if there's one positive about being ripped away from everything I've ever known and thrown into an era I've only read about in books and seen on TV, it's that atleast it's easier to find somewhere private to freak out without needing three different kinds of photo ID and a note from your mother to prove your identity. The guy running the seedy little roadside motel where I've holed up for the past week barely even looked at my face when I asked for a room, just hissed the rates at me and tossed a rusty key my way when I handed over a few dollar bills I had... borrowed from a gas station on the way here.

Not my proudest moment, but I don't think they accept Swedish money from the future, and if the newspapers are correct, from another universe.

Because unless the history books I read in school had left some glaring omissions, I don't think there was an actual Fantastic Four operating out of New York in the 1960's, but the newspaper I found by the side of the highway sure seems to think so. So either someone is pulling a very elaborate prank, or... Yeah.

And then there's the other thing that's been happening to me.

I'm pretty sure I'm a mutant.

I stare down at the glowing light pulsing beneath the skin of my hand as I focus, searching for the power. I'm not sure exactly what it is, it LOOKS like sunlight, but I was terrible at physics in school, and photonics was no exception. It gave me a hell of a start when I was already pretty freaked out after waking up in the middle of the desert a few days ago, only to suddenly blur halfway across the landscape in a burst of light. It took me hours to calm down enough to not just randomly let out blasts of light or speed halfway across the state every time I panicked.

I've been going out in the desert every morning, as far as I can get to make sure no one sees me doing this, just to figure out exactly what these powers let me do. Speed and light blasts were easy enough, but I also found myself becoming more energized the longer I spent under the beating sun, so maybe I'm storing it up rather than just generating it myself?

The motel is already in the middle of nowhere, but I'd rather not any passing motorists or any of the other two guests staying there see me. Metahumans might be around already, but Arizona isn't the most welcoming place even in my own time, and I don't think that's going to be any different 50 years in the past. And it gave me some time to think about what to do next. My first idea had been to either try and find Professor Xavier, or try and ask Reed Richards for help, that is, until I found out what day it was. Because if I remember the date correctly, something big is about to happen. But there's something I need to get first...

The motel clerk barely looks away from the crappy little TV sitting on his counter as I step through the door, letting in the noon heat, which even in early fall is pretty opressive. "Ya checking out, kraut?"

I roll my eyes, apparently he assumed I was German from my accent when I first came here, and I never bothered correcting him. "Not just yet, I got some business left to take care of. You know where there is an electronics store, or atleast a pawn shop around here?"

The clerk gives a wheezing laugh, showing a mouth with far too few teeth "Sure kraut, 'bout 20 miles down the road, it's the closest place around that can be called a town that ain't just a few shacks and a gas station. Better start hitchhiking!"

"Nah, it's cool, I'll walk..." I stride back outside, ignoring the puzzled look he gives me, and walk behind the building, before focusing,, feeling the light begin to build inside me, and the world becomes a blur...

....

I did indeed manage to find what I was looking for in the next town over, a rather banged up radio I found in a pawn shop run out of an old trailer someone had built a ramshackle store around, which reminded me of a settlement from Fallout 4. Well, post-apocalyptic look or not, the elderly man behind the counter was all too happy selling me the radio, though I really need to get a job or something if my idea falls through, because the money I got from the gas station is running low, and I really don't want to have to steal again. There's probably some way to use my powers to make money, but again, not so good with the physics.

The newspaper I pick up in the town confirm my suspicion, both about the date, and exactly what is about to go down.

"The Hulk Destroys Train Tracks! Nation Shocked! Army to Mobilize!"

This is it. This is when The Avengers first meet.

It's been a very long time since I read that comic, but I do remember that they all responded to an emergency transmission by Rick Jones and that weird little superhero fanclub he ran, problem is, I don't know where they were located, and even with my speed, literally searching the entire Southwest for their clubhouse seems impractical. Not that trying to find their frequency with the radio is any easier, but it's atleast worth a shot.

I leave the radio on as I begin looking over my meager possessions. Other than the clothes on my back, I currently only own the radio, a wallet with cards and money that won't even exist for decades, my old backpack, and a pair of sunglasses. Hell, I don't even have a costume! Or...damn, I should atleast try to find something to use as a mask.

The radio suddenly crackles to life.

"This is The Teen Brigade calling The Fantastic Four! Hulk spotted! Please respond! Our location is..."

Crap. Whelp, guess I'll have to improvise...

Clubroom Of the Teen Brigade, September 1963

"Uh, hi, sorry to interrupt...whatever the hell is this is supposed to be, but is this were the emergency transmission was coming from?"

The argument peeters off as the mismatched group inside the room finally notice my arrival. A group of teenage boys sit cl.u.s.tered around a large ham radio set, all of them with various levels of disbelief as they stare between the colorful individuals that just arrived, only briefly snapping out of it when I catch their attention. It's easy to see why, as the room is dominated by both a man dressed in a bulky suit of golden armor, and a tall, muscular blonde man wearing a winged helmet and a cape, a large hammer hanging from his belt. I barely catch two small humanoid dots nervously circling around near the ceiling.

Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man and Wasp. The first Avengers under one roof. With one glaring exception...

Iron Man is the first to speak, giving me what I think is an unimpressed look from underneath his helmet. I can't exactly blame him, considering the impressive costumes everyone else are wearing, my improvised disguise consisting of a pair of sunglasses and an American flag bandana I grabbed from a street vendor on the way here and tied over the lower half of my face, probably doesn't impress. Not that I really have an identity to protect, but still...

"I'm sorry, I think there may have been a misunderstanding, Mr..." Man, his voice sounds weird coming from that helmet.

Shit, I never really settled on a good name for myself either. Finally, I decide to just go with the first thing I came up with. "Oh, just call me... Mr. Sunshine!"

"...very well, Mr Sunshine, I'm afraid you don't realize the danger we're facing, Mr Jones and his friends attempted to contact the Fantastic Four for assistance with tracking down the Hulk, but for whatever reason, the transmission was misdirected, and reached the four of us instead."

"I know, I picked up the same transmission you did, that's why I'm here. Look, can we do the introduction thing later, we should really get going-"

He shakes his head "Son, this isn't a game, and we don't have time to waste, so if you could please just-" He almost jumps out of his metal boots when I suddenly vanish in front of him, only to pop up right next to him, draping an arm over his shoulder pads.

" See, I feel like we're on the same page, we just need to stop talking over eachother. Now, let's start over. I'm Mr Sunshine, and I heard there's a Hulk on the loose. Now, what say we go look for him?"

.....

"Impossible!"

It's unsettling to hear someones voice from right next to you even when you can't see them, even if I know it's just because Pym is currently shrunk down and sitting on my shoulder. After giving the group a brief explanation of my powers, or my powers as far as I understand them atleast, Pym immediatly went into science mode, and seemed to forget we were here to stop The Hulk from wrecking anything else.

"You know, you're pretty closeminded for a guy who can talk to ants"

Pym sounds agitated "But what you're describing is scientific nonsense! Even if it was possible for humans to somehow... "control" sunlight like you're describing, it shouldn't give them the ability to... what was it again?"

"Hank..." Wasp admonishes in a long-suffering voice.

"Well, so far I've figured out super speed, light control, flying... I mean, that's how I managed to get here so fast when I heard the radio transmission about the Hulk. And I don't know how or why it's possible, but hell, I'm not going to complain! These powers sure are...groovy." I can't help but wince a little, I've been trying to add 60's slang to my vocabulary to fit in better, but the results are mixed to say the least.

Before Pym can argue any further about the apparent impossibility of my powers specifically, Iron Man suddenly notices something. "...hey, did any of you see where Thor went?"

....

"HULK SMASH GLOWY MAN!!"

I flashstep backwards, out of the way of another one of the Hulks punches, catching a glimpse of Iron Man making his way through the fleeing circus visitors. Somehow fighting the Hulk when he's dressed up as a clown is actually WORSE than it would have been if he had just been his usual barely-dressed self.

I can see why they didn't put this particular moment in any of the Marvel movies.

After Thor disappeared, Pym picked up a signal from one of his ants that someone that looked a lot like the Hulk in clown makeup was performing at a nearby circus. I figured either the ant was going senile, or Pym wasn't as good at interpreting their language as he thought he was, but sure enough, once we actually got out there, it turned out to be true, no matter how ridiculous it was.

If I manage to get through this without anyone dying, which I wouldn't bet on, I'd really like to know why running away to join the circus was Hulks idea of laying low.

I open my hand and a blast of light sears into Hulks face, making him roar in pain and anger, just in time for Iron Man to slam into him from behind, and actually making the behemoth stumble on his feet!

"Hulk, please calm down! We know you weren't responsible for the tracks, we just want to clear your name! And preferably keep you from smashing anything else in the meantime!"

"LIES! PUNY MEN ALWAYS LIE TO HULK! LEAVE HULK ALONE!!" Hulk stands up, tossing Iron Man away with a shrug and takes off into the air with one leap, aiming for the hole at the top of the circus tent... where he promptly finds himself tangled in the synthetic net Pym and Wasp had been setting up throughout our fight.

"We got him!" Iron Man says with a note of relief.

I sigh "Trust me, we didn't"

Sure enough, the nets keep the Hulk in place for a few moments... at which point the bearings of the entire circus tent tear loose from the foundation and lift into the air along with him as he disappear over the horizon. Pym lands on Iron Mans shoulder as we stare after our target.

"... I really thought the nets would work..."

I try to sound supportive "To be fair, the nets held, that's actually pretty impressive." I turn to Iron Man. "Hey, you got anything in that suit that could tell us where he's headed next?"

Iron Man is silent for a moment "...I've got some radio chatter from an airliner, they saw him heading towards Detroit."

"Oh perfect." I rub my face tiredly, this isn't working, we can keep chasing the Hulk all we want and he's either going to beat us to a pulp, or keep running, and now he's headed into one of the most populated cities in the U.S. If it was the Detroit from my own time and world, he could trash it all he wants, and I doubt anyone would notice a difference, but I think him doing that now would be a problem. I really wish I could remember how this turned out in the comic, but it's been years...

Then something occurs to me.

"Guys, I'll have to meet you in Detroit. I just got an idea."

There's a flash of light, and I'm gone before they can get a word out.

.....

Even in a city this size, spotting the path the Hulk took isn't exactly difficult, it's just a matter of following the trail of panicking civilians and damage to the streets. Thankfully, it doesn't seem like he made it into the city itself, as I spot something very large and green vanishing into a huge factory on the outskirts. I flash down, materializing next to the hole in the wall the Hulk just tore open, and dart inside.

"W-what the f.u.c.k is going on?! What the hell was that thing?!" Several men dressed in overalls and hard hats are huddled next to a ruined assembly line, with the damage leading further into the factory. "That-that thing just... it just broke through!" I nudge the shoulder of the man who seems the least shellshocked. "AHH!"

"Jesus, calm down! I just wanted to ask if there's any way to get the rest of the factory to clear out. I'm going to try and deal with Hulk, but it'll be hard enough without having to worry about any of you getting caught in the crossfire!"

He stammers "Th-there's a P.A system in the foremans office..."

"Great, get there and tell everyone to make a run for it. Oh, and if a guy in gold armor shows up, just tell him to follow the path of destruction" I quickly dash further into the factory, leaving the workers behind.

"Hey, uh, Hulk? Sorry about that mess back at the circus, we could probably have handled that better. Look, can you just calm down so we can talk this out? I know you just want to be left alone, but that's not going to happen unless we can prove you didn't destroy those tracks! If you'll just come with us peacefully, we can fix this!"

My response comes in the form of a massive truck tire that comes flying out from a hole in the wall leading to the warehouse storage. I flashstep to the side, letting the tire smash into the machinery behind me. "I take it that was a no?" Two more tires comes flying out in case I missed the point of the first one. "Look, Rick Jones contacted us because he was worried about you, he knows you didn't do it, you don't want to upset your friend, do you?"

"HULK NEED NO FRIEND! HULK NEEDS NO ONE, GLOWY MAN!" Finally, he comes stomping out from the warehouse "GO AWAY! STOP HOUNDING HULK!"

I hold up my hands in what I hope is a peaceful gesture "Hulk, please listen to me, you had to hide in a friggin CIRCUS because of this nonsense, what were you planning on doing if we hadn't discovered you, spent the rest of your life as a clown?"

He actually seems to hesitate. "TINY MEN WON'T LEAVE HULK ALONE! HULK HIDE, HULK RUN, BUT THEY ALWAYS FOLLOW! SO HULK SMASH!"

I sigh "Hulk, they think you destroyed a train track on purpose, and it's not the first time something like this has happened. Bad guys keep pinning their crimes on you, and it never gets resolved because you get angry and either smash everything or try to leave. The tiny men keep following you because as far as they know, there's a rampaging monster tearing across the country, and a handful of people knowing the truth isn't enough to prove otherwise. They're never going to stop chasing you if you keep doing things this way. Can you atleast let us try our way?"

Hulk just blinks for a few moments, unused to people talking to him for this long without screaming or trying to shoot him. "...HULK...NOT SURE..."

I smile "Well, it's a start."

Chapter 2

"Now, I don't want any misunderstandings when Iron Man shows up, so please try not to smash him if he doesn't immediatly trust you, okay?"

"HULK WON'T SMASH GOLDEN MAN FIRST"

"Close enough." I send up a flare of light, catching the attention of the flying golden object in the sky. I've managed to lead Hulk away from the city back into the wilderness to atleast try to preserve the fragile peacefire I settled with him, which would probably fall apart if the National Guard started shooting at him. Iron Man spots the signal and begins descending, stopping a few feet away when he sees who I got with me.

"I'll admit this isn't what I was expecting to find when I finally tracked you two down. What exactly did I miss?"

I motion towards Hulk "I tried talking it out with Hulk instead of blasting him, it wasn't working very well so far. He's willing to hear us out, but reserves the right to smash further. I paraphrased that part, but you get the gist."

Hulk nods "HULK LISTEN. YOU SPEAK."

Iron Man looks between the two of us for a few confused seconds, before snapping out of it "Well, not how I was expecting this to go, but I'll take it! Hulk, you do know why we were chasing after you, don't you?"

Hulk huffs in annoyance "HULK NOT WANT SMASH TRAIN TRACKS."

"It seems unlikely, and both your friend Mr Jones, and Mr Sunshine here seems to agree, but the fact is, you were seen breaking the tracks, but you also held them together again. Can you explain exactly what happened?"

"HULK SEES BOMB ON TRACKS. TRY TO SQUISH IT. BOMB VANISHED."

"Wait a minute..." the voice of Pym suddenly cuts in, and Ant-Man suddenly appears, growing to visible size "You're saying there was an explosive on the tracks? And it just disappeared when you tried to stop it from exploding?" Hulk nods "Strange, that sounds like..."

"A set-up!" Wasp adds, appearing next to Pym "I bet someone wanted to trick Hulk into destroying those tracks, just so he'd get the blame for it!"

"SOMEOME TRICK HULK?!" Hulk snarls "HULK WILL SMASH!"

"If we can find them, we'd happily help you with that, Hulk" Iron Man says thoughtfully "But who would have the ability to do this? Or even the motive? Who'd even want to set you up?"

"That line is starting to form around the block at this point" I give Hulk an apologetic shrug "Sorry dude, but you've got a bad habit of making enemies. We'll have to work on that too. The real question is, are we sure the Hulk was the point behind the setup? I've followed the Hulks... career, such as it is, in the news..." close enough to the truth "And as far as I know, illusions aren't really the style of the kind of people after him."

"You're suggesting the setup was intended to draw OUR attention..." Iron Man puts the pieces together.

"Exactly, or if not all of us, than one of us atleast. I'm guessing between us there should be atleast one jerk with illusion powers who'd like to see the Hulk smash us to a pulp."

There's a pause as the assembled heroes look between eachother uncomfortably, racking their brains for anyone they could have pissed off enough to set up this whole scheme, but nothing seems to spring to mind. And considering I've only had powers for a week, and this is my first actual outing with them, it's not like I have anything to offer.

Pym seems to be about to ask something, when a loud thunderclap echoes from the clear sky, and a familiar figure appears in a flash of light above us.

"Worry not, friends! For I have exposed the true cause of this mischief!" Thor lands in the middle of the clearing with a large thud, and holds up the captive struggling against his grip, another familiar figure dressed in green, with a truly gaudy golden helmet adorned with two massive horns.

Loki.

.....

"So let me get this straight" Iron Man says in a tired voice "This is your half-brother Loki, as in, the evil guy from Norse mythology. He's the one who set this whole mess up?"

"Indeed, Man of Iron!" Thor responds with a booming voice "Loki had hoped to frame the Hulk in hopes that I would be drawn into battle with the behemoth, and either perish in the attempt, or taint myself by destroying an innocent! It was only by pure luck that his wicked scheme drew your attention as well as my own, and I sought him out in Asgard while you were busy pursuing the Hulk! Only he could have created the Hulk illusion that drew me away from our assembly!"

"THAT'S where you ran off to? You thought you saw the Hulk and went after him yourself? Why didn't you ask for our help?"

Thor actually looks a bit ashamed "I apologize, Man of Iron, it has been a long time since I fought side by side with brothers in arms, I have grown used to facing the threats of the cosmos alone."

"You know, we're almost lucky he did run off on his own like that" Wasp says, flying up to eye level with the snarling Loki "If Thor hadn't gone after this creep himself, we might all have tried fighting the Hulk, and who knows how that would have turned out."

"GREEN GOD WAS THE ONE WHO TRICKED HULK?! NO MORE TALK, HULK SMASH PUNY GOD" Hulk takes a massive stomp towards Thors captive, when Loki suddenly springs to life in Thors grip, his body pulsating with a sickly green glow, the sudden force knocking Thor backwards and loosening his grip.

"Back! BACK, you human dolt! No mortal may lay a hand on Loki! I have powers you never dreamed of!" His grin quickly fades as he sees his attack has seemingly no effect on the enraged Hulk, who lashes out with a swing, sending Loki crashing into the treeline.

"GREEN GOD TALK TOO MUCH"

"W-what just happened?" Wasp asks shakily.

I stare after Loki's disappearing form "I..think he was trying to drive us back with radiation? I mean, against the Hulk, that's basically like trying to put out a volcano with a flamethrower."

Loki is struggling back to his feet among the ruins of the trees, the glow disappating "Bah, no matter, if the powers of radiation has no effect on you, perhaps the magic of Asgard will! I summon the-" he cuts off suddenly, clutching his eye with a yell of pain, as a swarm of insects surround his face, stinging and biting at his exposed skin "WHAT IN DAMNATION-"

Using the distraction provided by Ant-Man's insects, Thor once again grabs his brother by the neck, throwing him to the ground, and stops his struggle with a well-placed blow to the back of his head, finally knocking him out. "That's enough of your mischief, brother. It's time to return you to your prison."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding "Okay, evil god down for the count. Quick thinking with the bugs there."

Iron Man nods "I couldn't agree more. Do you need help securing Loki, Thor?"

"I do not believe so, Man of Iron, my brother should remain senseless until I can return him where he belongs."

"Wait!" Ant-Man says, as he returns to normal size "Before we go our separate ways, me and Wasp have something to say. Each of us have a different power, if we combine our forces, there's no telling how much good we could do together!"

Here we go.

"Work as a team, eh?" Iron Man looks thoughtful "Never been on one of those before. Sure, count me in!"

"Aye, you speak much truth, Ant-Man and Lady Wasp. It has been far too long since I enjoyed the company of fellow warriors. I would be honored to fight side by side with all of you!"

It takes me a moment to realize that the silence that follows is because everyone is looking at me for my answer"...oh, you want ME on your team too? Sorry, I wasn't sure if that invitation included me. I mean, you guys are all established heroes, and I'm just the guy who showed up and gatecrashed your meeting."

"Maybe, but this isn't exactly a business that requires a resume, Mr Sunshine. You not only heard about a dangerous situation that needed to be stopped, you also tried using your head instead of your fists, even when it was risky. I'd say that earns you a place with the rest of us."

"Hey, like I'm going to say no to this? Sign me up. But with one condition..." I turn to the Hulk "Hulk, you in too?"

He actually looks puzzled at being included "GLOWY MAN WANT HULK TO JOIN? WHY?"

"Well, like Ant-Man said, we all have a different power, and I'd think you'd make a great addition to this... whatever this is. What do you say?"

Hulk thinks for a moment "...HULK TIRED OF BEING CHASED. TIRED OF ALWAYS RUNNING. HULK WANT TO BELONG."

"Excellent! Mr Sunshine, Mr Hulk, welcome to the...the" Iron Man pauses "Say, what should we call ourselves?"

"It should be something colorful, and dramatic" Wasp chimes in "Like..."

"The Avengers/The Beat-Alls!"

The group turns and stares at me "What, not a fan of the Beat-Alls? No one? Okay, well, Wasp's idea is pretty good too..."

"The Avengers it is!"

"AVENGERS!!"

And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth's mightiest heroes and heroines found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, the Avengers were born—to fight the foes no single super hero could withstand! The Earth's Mightiest Heroes... well, them, and one other guy...

Chapter 3

"Welp, I'm checking out, you can clean out my room for the next drifter and/or serial killer who passes through"

The motel clerk looks up from his newspaper as I toss a few crumbled bills on the counter, "So, finally moving out, kraut? Almost sorry to see ya go, always nice to have renters who pay the damn bill, even if they spend most of their time out in the desert doing god knows what."

Huh, he's a bit more observant than I gave him credit for.

"Well, I appreciate the sentiment, but I've found somewhere slightly less terrifying to live."

....

Pretty much the first thing Iron Man did once the initial rush of post-battle victory had settled was to offer up his... I mean, his "employer, Mr Stark's" mansion as a club house for the new team, and a place to live for anyone who wanted it. Honestly, I can't think of a worse cover identity, considering that the whole point of a bodyguard is to, you know, GUARD your employer, which is a bit of an issue when you can't be in the same place at once, but I can't exactly point fingers in that department. While both Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne have their own homes, and so does Thor in his Donald Blake identity, I for one was not going to turn down the chance of moving out of the motel/future meth lab that I was currently stuck in.

As such, after a quick dash across the state to pick up the few things I owned in this world, I found myself standing on the lawn in front of a massive, gilded-age mansion in the middle of Fifth Avenue in New York City. Moving from the middle of Bumf.u.c.k, Nowhere Arizona to one of the biggest and most iconic cities on Earth was a bit of a shock, to say the last. I wonder if having the Avengers and Fantastic Four living here would offset the frankly terrifying amount of urban decay New York went through in my own world? I mean, living here will be cool and all, but I could do without getting a personal tour of The Warriors in ten years...

"Quite a place, isn't it?" Iron Man's echoing voice brings me out of my thoughts "This is Mr Stark's family mansion, I'm afraid it hasn't seen much use since... his parents died, but he seemed quite happy that it will be inhabited again."

I nod "Sure as hell beats my old apartment, not to mention the place I was staying before. So it'll just be me and Hulk staying here then?" I like my space, but a six-level mansion seems a bit much for two people, even if one of them is a giant gamma mutate.

"Well you and Edwin Jarvis, he's Mr Stark's butler and caretaker of the mansion, if you need anything and neither me nor Mr Stark is around, just ask him." he pauses "I admit I'm surprised The Hulk was willing to move here as well, he's not too fond of cities from what I've heard..."

"Well, he wasn't happy, but..."

.....

"HULK HATE CITY OF TINY MEN! TINY MEN SCREAM AND CHASE HULK"

"Dude, I get it, believe me, New York is big, and it's full of very breakable things, but I think this could be good for you! You spend all your time all alone out in the middle of nowhere, it's no wonder you're anti-social. Well, that and people try to shoot you whenever you go anywhere, but you get my point. Besides, it's not like I'm asking you to take a stroll down Time Square, just come along and hang out at our new clubhouse for a while!"

Hulk thinks on it for a moment "HULK STAY, BUT HULK NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT!"

"Fair enough! Now, as of moving you in, I have a suggestion of how to do that quietly, but you might not like it..."

....

"Tell me, Iron Man, what exactly do you know of the Hulk's origins?"

He thinks of his answer for a second "...surprisingly little, now that I think of it. All Mr Stark has managed to find out was that he first appeared on a military testing ground last year, after some sort of secret weapon test, but anything else was buried so deep in the government files even he couldn't access it. Other than that, I doubt I know anything they haven't shown on the news. Why do you ask?"

"Because, since your employer opened up his home to us, there's someone I think you should meet." I lift my sunglasses, allowing my eyes to glow with light for a moment, and a slightly built, unassuming man with brown hair and glasses, dressed in a plain grey suit, suddenly rises from a bench outside the gates and makes his way through the opening towards us.

"Ah, hello, Iron Man, it's a pleasure to meet you..." He offers his hand, and Iron Man takes it after a moment of confusion.

"Um, hello... Are you the one Mr Sunshine thought I needed to meet?"

"Hrrm, well, yes. Sorry for my rather abrupt arrival, but Mr Sunshine suggested it might be better I arrive this way. My name is... Dr. Bruce Banner..."

I notice Iron Man's eyes widen in recognition through the lenses of his helmet.

"...but you know me better as... The Hulk."

.....

"...I've heard of your work of course, I mean, Mr Stark has told me about it, your work on gamma radiation was groundbreaking, but... no one's seen or heard from you for over a year! Mr Stark thought you may have been involved in a top secret military project of some sort, but..."

Iron Man is giving us a rather spotty tour of the mansions ground floor, though most of the actual touring has given way to his almost fanboyish gushing over Dr. Banners past work. He really needs to work on that if he's going to try to keep a secret identity, since there's no reason for Iron Man to be this enthusiastic about science. My guess is that Iron Man is going to make himself scarce as soon as possible, allowing Tony Stark to make an appearance in person.

Banner looks slightly surprised by Iron Man's enthusiam "Ah, well, I suppose he was right for the most part, I WAS involved in a top secret project... I don't want to go into details, but it involved weaponizing gamma radiation, but there was an incident... I did something stupid-"

"He saved a kid who accepted a stupid dare and wandered onto the test site." I interrupt. Banner turns around, shocked.

"How did you find out about that?"

I raise an eyebrow at him "You've met Rick Jones, right? He's not exactly shy talking about what a hero you are and how much of this is all his fault, that kid would go the whole sidekick route if you let him."

Iron Man chuckles "Mr Sunshine is quite right about Jones, I only met him for about ten minutes, he really is quite taken with you"

Banner pulls off his glasses, and rubs his forehead "That boy... I've told him repeatedly to stay out of the Hulks way, he just doesn't understand how dangerous all of this is..."

I shrug "If he was good at grasping risk, I don't think he'd have wandered onto a test site in the first place. Being a teenager is all about doing ridiculous and dangerous things. In Rick's case, that was a bit of an extreme, but still!"

"Too true, but now, let us speak of more pleasant things!" Iron Man steps in, motioning for us to follow as he stomps down the hallway "On such short notice, Mr Stark has only had time to prepare your living quarters, but he's got some plans for further development of the mansions lower floors that I think you'll both find quite impressive...."

....

Iron Man ends up leading me to a luxurious room that's literally twice the size of my old apartment, filled with old and expensive-looking furniture. Granted, that's not exactly a high bar, but it still feels almost intimidating. I sit down on the huge, four-poster bed and let my backpack slip down by the side, staring out through the panoramic windows that take up most of the eastern walls, overlooking a second-story balcony with a view of the grounds outside, and New York City beyond. It's almost eerily quiet, with only the muffled and distant sounds of traffic coming from the outside, and almost no sound from inside the mansion itself.

I pull the bandana down from my face, and lie back on the bed, staring up at the dr.a.p.es surrounding the bed itself, probably some silk monstrosity that cost more than I'd make in a year. For a moment I feel so out of place in the room I almost miss the creepy motel. I hold my hand up, letting the light sparkle between my fingers as I let my mind wander.

And I realize I hadn't really thought of what to do after this.

Thinking about it now makes me feel ridiculous, but it's only now, after the dust has settled, that I didn't really think of what to do other than "join the Avengers", because that was the first idea that popped into my head once I realized where I had ended up and what date it was.

It's 1963, I'm a mutant, and as of right now, a founding Avenger. Jeez, when I actually think of it like that, it sounds insane!

Do I tell anyone where I came from? Do I tell Stark, or Banner, or even Pym? They might believe me, it's not like it's the craziest shit that's ever happened in this world, hell it's not even close! But then what? Would that change anything? I mean, I got a bunch of metaknowledge no one else does, but a lot of it is pretty vague...

I sit up with a start, the lights in my hand dissapating. Shit, forget the superhero stuff, what about all the historical events? There's so many good people who are going to die in the future, and I could stop all of it! Martin Luther King, the Kennedy's... wait, did JFK even die in the Marvelverse? I remember a story where he was saved, but that might have been a What If...

There's also Vietnam, but I don't think I can stop a war by myself, even with these powers... Maybe I can convince the other Avengers to come out against it, maybe that would take away some of it's support if nothing else.

Shit, I gotta start watching a lot more news, if I'm going to do this...

A knock on the door breaks me out of my thoughts "Uh, yeah, come on in!"

The door creaks open, revealing a handsome man with dark hair and a goatee, dressed in a sharp business suit.

"Hello there, I'm Anthony Stark! I thought I'd drop by to see my new tenants in person!"

To Spacebattles we go~!