Chương 174: Sunshine Superman (1960's!Marvel/SI) by Stranger
Words: 240k+
Link: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/sunshine-superman-1960s-marvel-si.847345/
The New Frontier
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 clustered 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 fuck 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."
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