Marvel: Superpowers in the Marvel World

Madison Avenue, Manhattan, New York. Baxter Building.

"You're something else…"

The Thing shot Alex a displeased glare. During their fight, Alex had sneakily knocked him unconscious—a low blow! "Seriously, man? No class, no decency!"

"Alright, alright! As compensation, I woke you up and brought you here, didn't I? No need to be so petty! You know, overly nitpicky men aren't popular!" Alex waved his hand dismissively, grinning.

The Thing couldn't help but laugh angrily at that. "Woke me up? Buddy, tell me, in what world do you wake someone up with a few tons of slaps!?"

As he spoke, he leaned his large head toward Alex, glaring at him menacingly.

"Haha… haha…" Alex turned his head away, laughing guiltily. He knew he was in the wrong.

After hauling the unconscious Thing out of the ruined factory, Alex wandered aimlessly through the streets. It was only after a while that he realized he had no idea where the Thing could crash for the night.

His house in Flushing was too far. By the time they made it there, it would probably be morning, and he didn't want to frighten his early-bird neighbors. Thus, waking the Thing became his only option.

But the Thing's endurance was extraordinary. Light pats on his face did nothing. Seeing this, Alex increased the force gradually until he hit a staggering five tons, which finally elicited a groggy response. Unfortunately, his hand was still mid-swing when the Thing woke up, landing a mechanical, instinctive slap at over ten thousand pounds of force.

And that was why the Thing was fuming.

"Forget it. Let's just head upstairs," the Thing grumbled, leading Alex into the elevator of the Baxter Building and pressing the button for their floor.

"This place is pretty fancy… What did you do before?" Alex asked curiously inside the elevator.

The Thing thought for a moment before answering, "I… uh, worked with a team of friends and colleagues here. Honestly, the reason I turned into this was because of a solar storm experiment we conducted yesterday."

"Solar storm experiment? That sounds familiar!" Alex frowned, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.

"Well, it should. Before the experiment, it was all over the papers," the Thing said, a trace of pride sneaking into his tone despite the disaster that had transformed him.

"Oh, I remember now! Dr. Reed! You were part of his team!" Alex exclaimed in realization. He had read about their experiment in the news.

"Ding!"

The elevator doors opened, and the two stepped out onto the floor.

The expansive space that greeted them was a mix of cutting-edge laboratory and private living quarters.

"Wow! Renting out a place like this… you guys must be loaded!" Alex said, impressed.

"Actually, it's the opposite." The Thing led the way, sighing. "The rent alone eats up a fortune. Our neighbors always complain about the noise, and the mayor of Manhattan keeps talking about reclaiming the building. Honestly, I have no idea how much longer we can stay here!"

"Ha…" Alex sighed. "Guess it's true what they say: every family has its struggles. Even scientists aren't spared!"

The Thing called out, "Reed! Susan! Johnny!"

There was no response. After waiting for a moment, they confirmed that no one else was there.

"Looks like it's just us."

The Thing shook his head and walked toward a corner of the living room with a liquor cabinet. "There are chairs over there. Make yourself at home. Want a drink?"

"Sure, I'll have… uh, never mind."

Alex had been about to ask for some red wine, but seeing the Thing's clumsy movements quickly changed his mind.

The Thing accidentally yanked the glass door off the cabinet instead of opening it. Startled, he carefully reached for a bottle of wine in the fridge, only to shatter it in his grip.

"Damn it!"

Frustrated, he stood there, unsure whether to try grabbing another bottle. His immense strength was proving hard to control. Earlier that night, after his transformation and subsequent fight with Alex, he realized just how terrifyingly strong he had become. But his ability to manage that power was still severely lacking.

"No need to rush. You'll get used to it," Alex said, approaching with a steady hand. He retrieved a bottle and poured them each a glass.

"Thanks, buddy," the Thing muttered. He joined Alex in the living room and cautiously gripped the glass, which immediately began to crack under the pressure of his fingers.

"Snap!"

The glass shattered. Frustrated, the Thing threw up his hands in defeat. "Alright, spill it. What's this 'truth of the world' you were going on about?"

"Of course."

Alex sipped his drink, a smile playing on his lips. "Did you know that this world isn't just home to humans and animals? There are… others."

"You're talking about aliens?" the Thing joked.

"No, not aliens. New humans," Alex replied seriously.

"New humans?"

Despite his normally straightforward nature, the Thing sensed that what Alex was about to reveal would change everything he thought he knew.

"Due to natural or artificial factors, some humans have undergone genetic changes, gaining extraordinary powers. These abilities range from rapid regeneration and teleportation to body manipulation. I call them 'new humans.' Oh, and before I met you, I took out a bunch of vampires," Alex said with a smirk.

"You're saying there are others like me?" the Thing asked, startled.

"Not exactly." Alex shook his head. "Those born with mutations are called mutants. People like you, whose genes were altered through experiments or radiation, are better classified as ability-users or post-mutants. Globally, there are tens of thousands of mutants, but ability-users are rare."

"You're serious?"

"Why would I lie?" Alex sipped his drink again. "Also, there's a school dedicated to helping mutant kids. Want to check it out?"

"That's… a lot to take in," the Thing admitted.

"Think about it. Those so-called superheroes you see in the news—do you really think they're just normal humans? No amount of training could explain their abilities," Alex said.

The Thing fell silent, digesting Alex's words. If what he said was true, then the world was far more complicated than he had ever imagined.

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