บท 287: 287 The Boys: Stealing the Spotlight from Homelander and The Monster Behind It All, Stan Edgar.
Outside the bank, Sergeant Martinez received information that the SWAT armored transport had arrived.
It parked not too far away. The heavy doors opened, and a dozen SWAT agents disembarked. Their movement was swift and uniform despite their heavy gear. All of them were equipped with heavy protection and armed with weapons and calibers prohibited for civilians.
They wore helmets with visors and had their faces covered. This type of response indicated that the NYPD was taking things seriously. They handled dangerous situations, but in the eyes of the Sergeant, and in this case, it seemed futile after seeing a man turn into a golem and attack a woman while being showered with sniper bullets.
Martinez did not have time to give orders because the situation changed again when a man in a cape appeared. A few moments later the bank exploded.
"Damn it, the civilians!" Martinez shouted, not bothering to shield himself from the explosion.
But it didn't end there; the attacks continued relentlessly. The Supes, the robbers caused all the bank windows to shatter.
A laser beam shot out of the bank, slicing a patrol car in half, there were no injuries. The police outside were stunned and frustrated; the robbers' abilities were so strong, how were they supposed to confront them?
The dust cleared. Everyone expected a massacre, but it did not come.
The intruder blocked all attacks with his body, people began to recognize him by his white hair and striking cloak.
"He is the one who saved the plane!!!"
"Wait wasn't he still a villain?!"
Amid the violent attacks, an elderly man got up and ran towards one of the injured guards.
"What are you doing? We need to get out of here!" the elderly man shouted, with two others helping him.
The hostages didn't stay still but began to exit the bank unharmed.
"Thank you, young man..."
The old man's voice was low, but he thought that even amid constant attacks and enemy explosions Allen would hear him and so he did, Allen nodded in his direction with a half smile.
More than one of them glanced back one last time at the young man who saved them and wanted to thank him, but they understood that with them here Allen could not fight.
Allen smiled. He was pleased that people weren't like in the movies, standing around in shock until the end.
Seeing no reaction from Allen, the robbers felt they had a chance.
"He must have some power protecting him from damage, but it can't be eternal! don't stop attacking him!!" shouted the cigarette-smoking robber.
The other two intensified their attacks. Despite one suffering from a shattered arm, they were encouraged by the feeling that they might win.
The smoking robber grinned maliciously at his companions' increased attacks. 'Come on, idiots, be a distraction, I'll escape. Facing this guy wasn't part of the plan!'
"There's no honor among thieves, is there?" said Allen. They made a mistake, Allen did not attack because he still lacked more skill with his power and it was better not to fight with civilians nearby and not because he couldn't.
The robber didn't have time to react as Allen was already by his side.
"How to-?!!"
Before he could finish, the robber was struck in the face by a punch that shattered several bones and sent him flying into the vault.
"Urgh!!"
The man crashed into the vault's alloy. Of course, he couldn't break through it with his body and fell to the ground after a tremendous impact.
"Damn it!!"
The Golem appeared above Allen with his large rock fist, angry. Allen observed and extended his hand to hold the fist. He noted the man's rage.
Allen stopped the rock fist again without much effort.
"It's strange, you can kill a defenseless woman but can't stand to see a partner injured?" Allen mocked the robber's hypocrisy. "What did you think would happen if you lived a life like this?"
The golem almost retreated in fear, but hearing Allen's words made him angry and he started to grow. "Shut up, you don't know anything about me! You don't know how I grew up! You don't know what it's like to be a monster!"
The golem grew twice his original size, surprising both Allen and Chat.
Rogue – Did he just evolve his power?
Ruby – I don't know, maybe he just awakened his latent powers.
This situation was very strange in The Boys, where the Supes were sinking in their desires and depravities, but there were still exceptions. Starlight and Kimiko experienced growth during the story, as did several young Supes from the Godolkin Academy.
"AAHHHH!!"
The golem roared and attacked Allen in fury. Allen stopped defending himself and the punches landed on his body, but without causing injury.
"That's enough..." Allen said.
"DAMN IT!!" The golem looked at his other companion. "Take Jonny and get out of here!!"
"Are you going to sacrifice yourself?" Allen closed his eyes. 'It's a shame...'
There are two types of villains: those who choose to be one, like the fire robber, with no qualms about being cruel and ruthless, and those who become villains due to circumstances.
Unfortunately, many of these villains were created by Vought purely out of whim and to be evil. Of course, most of them chose the path of being "villains" for the sake of the benefits Vought offers them. But others like Kimiko were simply forced into it.
Superman – What will you do?
"There's no need to ask. I'll defeat him!" Allen's expression grew serious. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you go knowing you're a ruthless killer!"
"Haha, that doesn't matter! I know I'm going to die!!, but at least I'll hold you back for a moment!!!"
The golem prepared to attack again.
'It's really a shame...' Allen thought.
In DC and Marvel, the line between villains and heroes is well-defined, and you know who should be defeated, most of the time. But in this world, in this world where everything is madness, where superheroes are depraved orgy-loving, murderous, addicted, and insane.
Knowing who to point your sword at in this world is complicated. "However, I can't back down!!" Allen shouted as his foot dug into the ground.
Artoria – 'Don't doubt.'
It was rare to hear her at moments like these, but there they were, always with Allen.
"...!" Allen felt his spider-sense tingling, but it wasn't due to danger to himself. It was...
The golem was pierced by a beam of energy much more powerful than the previous ones, the attack hit Allen knocking him back.
"You!" Allen looked at the culprit: the third robber, still standing. Instead of escaping, he used the distraction and sacrificed his partner to attack by surprise.
"DAMN IT!! MONSTER!! WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!" the robber exclaimed, seeming to grow thinner as he used his powers.
The upper half of the golem fell to the ground as the transformation stopped, and he returned to being a robust man.
Allen's gaze grew colder. He tightened his fist and destroyed the laser, which at that moment resembled more of an energy cannon.
"IMPOSSIBLE!"
Allen disappeared and struck the robber in the stomach, making him spit blood. Then, he hit him in the jaw, shattering his teeth, and finally threw him against the wall, sending him through it, unconscious.
"..."
Allen looked at the man on the ground, whose name he never knew. Feeling pity for a killer was disrespectful to those he killed, yet Allen saw something he hadn't seen in another supe so far: loyalty.
He covered the man with a blanket. He might be a killer, thief, and villain, but at least he valued his allies. In this world that seemed as rare as a five-leaf clover.
Allen left the bank after finishing the job. There were police, media, and the public watching. He also sensed the presence of several Supes in the sky, but none approached.
"I guess for now they've been ordered not to confront me..."
The reporters gathered, waiting to interview Allen and take photos. Allen felt odd seeing the police clearing a path for him. There were even people with notebooks as if they wanted an autograph.
Kara – It feels so strange to see something like this...
...
(Don't worry Kara you are very photogenic 🍷🗿)
...
Allen ignored all of it and flew off, avoiding any reporters. This left the observing Supes in shock.
"What's up with that guy?!" said Great Wonder as he floated.
"Idiot, he missed his chance to get famous!" mocked another supe, Jack The Jupiter. He had once been part of the Seven but was replaced by Translucent and was now a hero with another team.
They didn't notice Homelander above the clouds, struggling to restrain himself from descending and killing Allen. He couldn't do it in front of the cameras. At the moment, Allen's image was ambiguous, but one fact remained: he had saved the plane and now stopped the robbers.
Homelander should have beaten them.
"I SWEAR THAT I WILL KILL YOU!!!"
Homelander left before committing an act of madness.
...
[Our Charming Rey as always supports his Master even if she doesn't talk much.]
...
(Allen's Apartment)
Allen sat at his desk one night. He received a message from Butcher—apparently, MM had a contact who tracked down the account number for the empty Compound V boxes which were in the same place where Kimiko was held.
Butcher – I didn't want to deal with Ezekiel...
Allen – You're talking about the elastic guy who likes to make sandwiches Of men?
Butcher – Oh, you know him?
Allen – I saw him at the place where I exploded.
Butcher – I knew it was you! He's got a burn on his face now!
Allen – I hope you are lucky this time...
Butcher – Yeah...
Of course, Allen could simply tell Butcher that A-Train had Compound V, but that would be rushing something inevitable without reason. In critical matters where someone's life is at risk, Allen didn't mind altering the canon, but there were two problems.
One was that this world wasn't faithful to his knowledge as such—the existence of 'that' Black Noir in this universe confirmed that. The other was that Allen might regret it; every minor alteration produces a change in the world.
Because Allen saved Robin and publicly confronted A-Train, he unintentionally pressured Vought International into presenting Starlight, and as a result, he barely arrived in time to save her. So, altering the natural flow of events shouldn't be taken lightly.
...
Inside one of Vought's underground facilities, Stan Edgar walked down a long corridor. The place was well-lit, with walls, floor, and ceiling reinforced, giving the feeling of being in a bunker.
Stan was accompanied by a man in a lab coat who was escorting him.
"How is he?" Stan asked in a cordial tone, though his authoritative position was evident.
"Do we need to ask? Black Noir's resilience and vitality are terrifying. I wouldn't be surprised if he survived even if he were cut in half. However, he shouldn't be able to be damaged."
Stan frowned. Unlike Homelander, more experiments had been conducted on Black Noir, of course, that was before they could no longer cause him any harm.
Could anyone besides Homelander hurt Black Noir to that level?
Stan reached a reinforced steel door, which opened as he approached. The first thing he saw, aside from a dozen men and women in lab coats, was a container with green liquid holding a person floating inside.
This was Black Noir in all his splendor. If this man walked down the street, it would cause a huge commotion, as he looked exactly like Homelander, like a twin, or even more so.
Black Noir opened his eyes inside the container and surfaced, lifting his head above the liquid.
"How are you?" Stan Edgar asked Black Noir.
"How could I be after having a hole in my stomach... father?"
The exchange of words was brief but would have given chills to many. Stan Edgar? The Stan Edgar who was concerned about someone?!
Black Noir, the complete psychopath, addressing someone with affection?!
"If you have strength now to joke, recover quickly," said Stan before turning to leave. It might have seemed cold, but Black Noir laughed. He knew there was only one person Stan Edgar would show concern for, and that was himself.
...
The conversation with Butcher left Allen deep in thought. After thinking for a while Allen went to his room where he had a desk.
At that moment the question of how Vought was keeping Black Noir under control crossed his mind and that inevitably led him to think of Stan Edgar.
Allen decided to do a short stream to ask his Chat for their opinions. By "Chat," he meant those with world knowledge or the intelligent ones.
Rick – That guy is the classic villain who thinks everyone is under his control... he's not. That little plan will blow up in his face.
Aizen – Is that a hint? hehe, Stan Edgar is cunning... brilliant in a twisted sense.
Urahara – Looks like I'm not the only one who noticed...
Nikky – Stop talking like mysterious old people from a movie and be clear!!
Allen aligned his thoughts about Stan Edgar after reading the comments. He needed to shift his mindset from what he thought he knew and analyze the information about this world.
"From my viewers, not geniuses, what do you think of Stan Edgar?"
McDragon – He's an idiot. He's got two crazy Supermen on his hands!!
PercyJ – I just don't understand why Stan Edgar took such a big risk...
Felicia – In the live-action timeline, Stan Edgar seemed to have formed a bond of affection/dependency with Homelander, making him seek approval and thus ensuring he wouldn't kill him and would work for Vought.
Carol – That... sounds dangerous...
Raven – So basically, the only thing protecting Stan and ensuring the obedience of a psychopath is brainwashing?
Atena – At this point, it seems our Allen has figured it all out~
Allen covered his mouth in a look of shock and disbelief. "It's macabre and brilliant..." he murmured.
This reaction confused the Chat, but instead of answering their questions, Allen pulled out a whiteboard from his inventory and began writing the names Stan, Homelander, and Black Noir.
Allen began to explain everything.
On one side, they had Homelander. You know he'll eventually become a monster, but you refuse to simply discard him. This monster needs a limit, an anchor, and a purpose.
Homelander is raised with promises of glory and dreams of being a superhero.
Homelander has a maternal figure in Madelyn Stillwell; despite everything, she is the closest thing he has to a mother, forming an emotional chain for Homelander.
He also has a paternal figure in Stan Edgar. For Homelander, Stan has always been the man in the sky, someone who can decide whether the sky is blue or red. This creates a chain of authority—someone whom Homelander respects and fears despite his own power.
Unlike Madelyn, Stan isn't actively close to Homelander. However, he will be the one to make the final decisions in his life, teaching Homelander that despite Madelyn being closer to him, he still needs Stan Edgar's approval to be considered successful.
Only with that, it would be considered a brilliantly wicked and manipulative plan. However, it doesn't account for the fact that this way of raising Homelander would drive him to lose his mind.
You can't control or predict all the actions of someone mentally unstable. It was simply a flawed plan, and this was demonstrated when Madelyn was killed by Homelander in the TV series.
But in this world, there was something else, a more dangerous element than Homelander himself.
Black Noir, the clone is five times more deranged and dangerous than Homelander.
People might think Stan Edgar is a complete fool for raising two monsters, but he is quite the opposite.
Imagine being Black Noir.
You see someone with your own face every day.
That person is loved and adored by everyone. he gets what he wants when he wants and only has to smile at the cameras.
Meanwhile, you can only watch from a distance. You can't speak, you can't remove your mask if there are witnesses, you can do nothing but follow that guy with your face every day... for the rest of your life, as long as he doesn't become a threat to Vought.
Would you go mad at those who make you do this? Perhaps... but what about Homelander? Would you hate him? Would you despise him? He has everything, and you have nothing. This could pit Black Noir against Homelander, giving a reason for all the atrocities Black Noir committed, making Homelander believe he did them himself, thereby pushing him further into madness.
Until that moment, everyone in the Chat, with a few exceptions, was taken aback.
However, they also realized it was quite foolish because it would only push Homelander to lose his mind faster and create resentment in Black Noir.
Allen smiled a bead of sweat on his cheek. This was the most brilliant and malevolent part of Stan Edgar's plan.
Black Noir has two things that Homelander does not.
One is power. The reason Black Noir doesn't go insane and kill Homelander is because he is stronger, faster, more skilled, and an expert in many things Homelander has no idea about. This is "pride." In Black Noir's mind, no matter what Homelander does, he can do it better. No matter how famous Homelander becomes or how incredible he believes himself to be, Black Noir knows deep down that he is superior.
This makes Black Noir harbor resentment towards Homelander, but never too much, explaining why he chose to "annoy" Homelander rather than do something worse.
Damn!
The Chat was stunned. Stan Edgar was manipulating two uncontrollable monsters as if they were mere toys.
But it wasn't over. How did Stan Edgar manage to make Black Noir so obedient?
It's because Stan gave Black Noir what he never gave Homelander: "Approval."
Stan went so far as to call Homelander a "defective product". This makes no sense in a universe where Black Noir is not Homelander's clone, as it seems Stan Edgar simply doesn't fear Homelander and is confident he wouldn't kill him due to Homelander's need for his approval. But it goes further.
Allen took a deep breath. "Now imagine that scene with Black Noir listening up close."
Gwen – ...!
MJ – Huh?!
Felicia – F*uck!
That's right...
In a world where you have nothing, you have Stan's affection and approval, the closest thing to a father. That's why Black Noir would never kill Homelander, because that would defy "daddy's" orders, and there's no need to as he is better.
In a world where you have everything, you constantly fight for the one thing you don't have: approval from the closest thing to a father you have. That's why Homelander hasn't become a mad tyrant like Superman in Injustice and focuses on fulfilling that need for affection with public adoration.
Raven – Wait, Allen, but there's a flaw. What if Black Noir gets tired of Stan? What would stop him from killing Stan, given he's much stronger than Homelander?
Allen paused and took a sip of his coffee. "I've certainly said many times that Black Noir is stronger than Homelander, but I'm not underestimating Homelander. He is very strong, especially in this world. As seen at the end of the comics, Black Noir would kill Homelander... but not without a cost. He literally ended up on the brink of death..."
Homelander remains the original. The only reason Black Noir is stronger is that Homelander never trained in his life. Under similar conditions, Homelander would definitely win.
Stan is a cunning man, a bastard who has spent his life raising two monsters capable of bringing about the apocalypse, yet he never feared them.
If Homelander loses his mind, Black Noir will end him. But what if it's the other way around?
The moment Stan senses the slightest possibility of betrayal from Black Noir, he will make a complete turnaround and use Homelander against Black Noir. How? By offering him what he has always wanted: his "approval." This way, both will end up killing each other and when Black Noir wins, Stan will simply deliver the final blow.
All the Chat with you while breathing.
They thought Stan was insane for not fearing Homelander and raising something worse, but that wasn't the case. No matter what the two most powerful beings in the world did, they would always be in the palm of Stan Edgar's hand...
There was a flurry of emotions in the Chat, but one prevailed: fear.
In some way, a man without powers held the world in his hands, and people around him believed he was just an old man too decrepit to run a company like Vought, having delegated all responsibilities and only dedicated himself to drinking by a window.
Felicia – Allen, this Stan Edgar is far more dangerous than the original.
Certainly, just by the existence of Black Noir as a clone, Stan has proven to be someone completely different.
Kara – This son of a bitch...
Superman – Kara?! *Sigh* Unfortunately for Mr. Stan, there's a variant he didn't expect.
Atena – Hehe, it's true. He never expected that all his plans would be useless with Allen around~
Rick – I bet old Vought must be gathering information on you at lightning speed, but it's futile, haha!
Aizen – What terrifies men the most is the unknown, and Allen, you are basically the embodiment of the unknown in this world.
===
A/N: I hope the second part of the chapter was not confusing :3
PS: This chapter is also huge lol
My new patreon is: Patreon.com/_Aizen
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