MCU: Spider-Man: Rise of Saint

Franklin spread the red spandex across his desk, measuring carefully before making the final cut. Two days of work, and his suit was finally coming together.

The sewing machine he'd borrowed from Gloria's craft supplies hummed quietly. Franklin guided the fabric through, following the lines he'd marked. His fingers were covered in bandages from learning how not to sew.

"Can't believe I'm actually making this," he muttered, finishing another seam.

He'd gotten lucky finding what he needed. The art supply store had screen printing materials. The fabric shop had spandex in the exact red and black he wanted. Even found the right kind of lenses for the mask eyes at a craft store.

The spider design sat ready on his screen printing frame. Took him six tries to get it right, but the stencil came out perfect. Simple but recognizable.

Franklin held up the mask - his best work so far. The angular eyes looked exactly like his sketch. The raised lines followed the contours just right. Even managed to hide the seams where the black met the red.

His phone buzzed. Text from MJ: "Still coming to study group?"

"Can't. Working on something."

"That secret project?"

Franklin looked at the half-finished suit. "Something like that."

He went back to work, carefully joining the top and bottom pieces. The suit had to be tight enough to not catch on anything while swinging, but not so tight he couldn't move.

Two hours later, Franklin held up the finished bodysuit. All it needed was the spider emblem.

He set up the screen printing frame, positioning it carefully on the chest. One shot to get this right.

"Don't mess up," he told himself, lowering the screen.

Black ink spread smooth across the red fabric. Franklin lifted the frame, holding his breath.

Perfect. The spider design stood out sharp and clean against the red. He switched to red ink for the back, carefully printing the matching spider emblem on the black portion of the suit.

While the ink dried, Franklin tested the mask's eye pieces. Took him an hour to figure out how to make them move - just some thin black fabric behind white mesh lenses, connected to a frame that moved when his eyebrows did. They worked perfectly, widening when he opened his eyes wide, narrowing when he squinted.

His phone buzzed again. MJ sending another text: "You better not be bailing on tomorrow's study group too."

Franklin smiled, looking at his finished suit. "Wouldn't miss it."

He tried the suit on once the ink dried completely. The spandex fit like a second skin. Mask worked perfectly - could see clearly, breathe easily.

Franklin looked in the mirror. For the first time, he didn't see just some guy in a hoodie trying to help people.

He saw something else. Someone else.

The red and black design looked better than he'd imagined. The spider emblems on his chest and back stood out exactly how he wanted.

He took the suit off carefully, hiding it in his closet.

Later that night Franklin checked his phone - 11:47 PM. He could feel the cold air go through his new suit as he stood on his roof. After weeks of wearing hoodies and jeans while swinging around the city, he finally had a real suit.

He tugged at the spandex, making sure his web shooters fit snugly under the sleeves. Gloria was working the late shift at the insurance company, which meant no one would notice him sneaking out.

He pulled the mask down, the red eyes adjusting with his movements. Down the street, the corner store where Jerome died was still open, its lights casting a yellow glow on the sidewalk. He pushed the thought away. Tonight wasn't about that.

A group of teenagers walked past his building, laughing about something. Franklin shot a web line to the building across the street and swung.

The cold wind rushed past as he released at the peak of his swing, flipping through the air before shooting another line.

He landed on a rooftop, taking in the view. Cars moved below, people walked the streets, music played from nearby clubs.

Franklin shot another web line, swinging toward downtown. He'd stopped three muggings this week - might as well patrol while testing out the suit.

The temperature dropped as clouds rolled in. His breath fogged inside the mask. Below, people huddled in winter coats, hurrying to get out of the cold.

Franklin landed on a water tower, catching his breath. Two guys argued outside a bar, but the bouncer broke it up before it got serious. A car alarm went off, but it was just some guy who hit his key fob too many times.

Then he smelled smoke.

Franklin turned toward the scent. Orange light flickered against the cloudy sky a few blocks away. One siren wailed, then another joined it.

He shot a web line and swung toward the glow. The closer he got, the more sirens he heard. People on the street below pointed up at something in the distance.

The apartment building came into view - flames pouring from windows on the fourth floor, thick smoke rising into the sky. Three fire trucks already surrounded the building, their red lights painting the street.

Franklin perched on a nearby roof, watching firefighters work. They had hoses going, but the flames kept spreading up the building. The water seemed to have no effect.

People crowded the sidewalk in pajamas and winter coats, some clutching pets, others holding phones to their ears. Steam rose from cups of coffee that someone from the diner next door had passed out.

A woman broke through the crowd, screaming that her kids were still inside. Three firefighters had to hold her back, saying the stairs were gone, saying they had to wait for more equipment.

More sirens approached. More people gathered to watch. Every phone in the crowd pointed up at the burning building.

Franklin stood. "Alright," he muttered to himself. "You got this. Just like any other night."

He shot two web lines to the burning building and launched himself forward.

Franklin aimed for the fourth floor where the mother said her kids were trapped. He shot a web line above a window, using it to lower himself down.

The heat hit him first. Even through the mask, the air burned his lungs.

"Hello?" he called through the window. "Anyone in here?"

A kid's voice answered. "Help! We're stuck!"

Franklin yanked the window open. Two kids huddled in the corner of their bedroom, maybe eight and ten years old. Smoke filled the room.

He jumped in. "It's okay. I'm getting you out."

The younger kid pointed at the door. "The hallway's on fire."

"Then we're taking the express route." Franklin moved toward them. "Ever been web swinging?"

He shot a web line to secure them together, but the heat from the nearby flames melted it instantly.

"Shit," he muttered. That was a problem. His webs couldn't handle the heat.

The flames pushed closer. No time to figure out a better plan.

"Change of plans. Hold on tight." Franklin scooped up both kids. "Close your eyes."

He jumped backward out the window. The kids screamed, clutching his suit as he shot a web line to swing them down. He landed near the ambulances, setting them down carefully.

"My babies!" Their mother broke through the crowd, wrapping them in a tight hug.

More screams came from above. Franklin looked up. A man hung from a sixth-floor window, smoke pouring out behind him.

Franklin shot a web line and pulled himself up. Had to be faster this time - his webs wouldn't last long in this heat.

He reached the man just as his grip slipped. Franklin caught him mid-fall, swinging him to safety.

"There's more people up there!" someone shouted from the crowd.

Franklin didn't wait. He swung back up, going floor by floor. Found three more people trapped in their apartments. Each rescue got trickier as the fire spread.

On the seventh floor, he heard banging from behind a door. The hallway blazed with flames.

Franklin shot webs to clear a path, but they melted before they could smother the fire.

"Gonna need to fix that," he said, running through the flames instead.

He kicked the door open. An older couple crouched by their window.

"Over here!" Franklin waved them over. His suit was holding up, but he could feel the heat through it.

He got them out just as part of the ceiling collapsed.

Two more rescues. Then finally, after checking every floor he could reach, no more voices called for help.

Franklin landed on a roof across the street, watching firefighters control the blaze. Below, news vans had arrived. Camera crews filmed while reporters talked about the mysterious figure in red and black who'd saved multiple people.

"Wait!" A voice called from below. The mother from earlier stood away from the crowd, her kids still wrapped in emergency blankets. "Who are you?"

Franklin looked down at her. At all the phones recording him. At the news cameras turning his way.

"I'm Spider-Man."

He shot a web line and swung away before anyone could ask more questions. His suit smelled like smoke. Parts were singed where he'd run through flames.

"Need to make those webs heat resistant," he said, standing up. Time to head home before reporters started asking questions.

Franklin swung through the city, the cold air feeling good after the intense heat. His arms ached from carrying people. His lungs still burned from the smoke.

Three blocks from home, he went to shoot another web line.

Nothing came out.

Franklin checked his web shooters mid-swing. Empty. Both of them.

"Oh come on-"

He hit the roof hard, rolling to break his fall.

"Real smart," he muttered, picking himself up. "Should've made the cartridges bigger. Or added a way to reload."

Franklin walked the rest of the way home, staying in the shadows. At least no one was around to see him.

He climbed through his window, peeling off the smoky suit. His shower washed away the smell of the fire, but his mind kept working.

"Need to make the webs heat resistant," he said to himself. "Add a reload system too."

"But I got everyone out tonight. That's what matters."

The next morning, Franklin's phone kept going off. Every news app sent notifications about last night - "Masked Hero Saves Families From Fire," "Spider-Man: New York's Latest Vigilante," "Who Is The Man Behind The Mask?"

"Turn your phone off," MJ whispered from the desk next to him. Their history teacher played news footage from the fire.

"And now we see this figure, who calls himself Spider-Man, rescuing two children from the fourth floor," the reporter said. Shaky phone videos showed Franklin swinging between windows, carrying people to safety.

Keith leaned forward. "Yo, that suit is clean though."

The class watched as more clips played. Franklin catching the man who fell. Swinging from floor to floor, getting people out.

"While the identity of this Spider-Man remains unknown," the reporter continued, "witnesses say he saved at least eight people from the burning building."

Mr. Davis paused the video. "This ties into our discussion about how New York has changed since the Battle of New York. First the Avengers, now local vigilantes."

Franklin slumped in his seat while classmates debated. Some thought Spider-Man was cool. Others said he should leave crime-fighting to the police.

"But he saved those kids," someone argued. "Cops couldn't even get up there."

The bell rang. Franklin grabbed his bag, but Keith caught up to him in the hall.

"You see Twitter? Spider-Man's trending."

"Yeah?" Franklin checked his phone. More notifications.

"People got all kinds of theories about who he is." Keith scrolled through his phone. "Some think he's an Avenger. Others say he's just some random dude."

"Random dude in a red suit," MJ said, joining them. "With web powers."

At lunch, every table talked about Spider-Man. Franklin ate quietly while his friends argued about where he came from.

"Maybe he's like Captain America," Mike said. "Some government experiment."

"Nah," Steve replied. "Did you see how he moved? That wasn't military training."

Franklin's phone buzzed again. Gloria had texted: "Coming home late. Left money for pizza. BTW - you see the news about Spider-Man?"

In chemistry, Mr. Thompson discussed molecular structures while Franklin sketched ideas for heat resistant webbing. The regular formula melted too easily near flames.

"That's not chemistry homework," MJ said, glancing at his notebook.

"Just thinking about something."

After school, Franklin walked home alone. Store windows played news coverage of the fire. People on the street debated whether Spider-Man was good for the city.

"Did you see how strong he was?" a kid told his friends. "Carried two people at once!"

"My cousin lives in that building," someone else said. "Says Spider-Man checked every floor for people."

Franklin smiled under his hoodie. His suit hung in his closet, still smelling like smoke. "I'll need to wash that when Gloria is gone" Franklin mumbled

Now he just needed better webs. And a type of reload system for the shooters, It didn't matter if he needed to manually insert them himself.

His phone buzzed with another news alert: "Spider-Man: Hero or Menace?"

Franklin clicked it off. Didn't matter what they called him. He knew why he was doing this.

At home, he pulled out his chemistry notes. Time to figure out how to make webs that could last longer near fire.

He had work to do.