DC: Becoming Doomsday in Marvel Universe

For various reasons, Rook Tanner suddenly became surprisingly cooperative. This caught Fury and the others off guard.

Since he was willing to talk, Natasha let go of her earlier irritation. She quickly grabbed a pen and began scribbling notes at lightning speed.

Of course, they had all kinds of high-tech equipment now, including recording devices. But perhaps to show sincerity and goodwill, Fury hadn't prepared any hidden microphones or recorders, leaving Natasha to write everything down by hand.

There was a computer too, but agents didn't trust computers for things like this. It was simple. What if someone hacked into the system? For something this important, handwritten records were still the safest bet.

So Rook began sharing his story.

He was from Krypton. His Kryptonian name was Rook Tanner-El. The House of El was one of the oldest families on Krypton. Even Krypton's god, Rao, was said to be an ancestor of the House of El.

The legend of Krypton's god dated back one hundred and fifty thousand years before Rook's time, which was twenty-five thousand years before Superman's era. Back then, Krypton still had an ancient, primitive society.

From that time on, the House of El had existed. Maybe that was why Rook could stand toe to toe with Darkseid, and why even after becoming Doomsday, he was still unique. It was also why Kal-El, Superman, was a being unlike any other.

"My planet has already been destroyed," Rook said again. In his mind, Krypton's destruction was inevitable. It might have already happened by now.

"So you don't need to worry about any threat from Krypton. I came to Earth for only one reason, and that is to live here peacefully. I have no ambitions for this planet, as long as no one threatens me or tries to disrupt my life. And to be clear, you can't threaten my safety anyway."

Rook spoke with confidence. People might disrupt his daily life, but no one could endanger his safety or his existence. No one. Not even Thanos. Not even the so-called gods of the Marvel universe. Even the One Above All didn't scare him. Worst case? He'd die a few times, evolve immunity, and then flatten the One Above All. Just the thought excited him.

"I've shown my sincerity. Now it's your turn to show yours," Rook said, having shared what he was willing to reveal—his name, his origins, and his purpose on Earth.

That was what Fury had wanted to know.

Fury understood there was much more to Rook's story, but pushing for more would feel too much like an interrogation. That would only make Rook unhappy.

So Fury nodded. "As long as you have no designs on Earth, we won't be your enemy. And if you're willing, I can personally extend an invitation for you to join us."

"What?"

"Director?"

Coulson and Hawkeye both gasped, looking utterly stunned. He was an alien, possibly a threat to Earth, and yet Fury was offering to recruit him into S.H.I.E.L.D.? It felt reckless.

But Rook refused without hesitation. "I have no interest in joining you or working for you. I'm an alien. I don't belong in any of Earth's factions, and I won't serve any of them."

Work for S.H.I.E.L.D.? What a joke. S.H.I.E.L.D. claimed to serve the United Nations, but everyone knew they were just another tool of a certain country, a lapdog. Why would he want to be part of that?

"No room for discussion?" Fury asked.

Rook shook his head. "No room at all. Like I said, I won't join any Earth force, nor will I serve anyone. Don't even think about it."

"But aren't you already Tony Stark's bodyguard?" Natasha asked, turning her head, her beautiful eyes gleaming with playful mockery.

Saying he wouldn't work for anyone, and yet here he was, guarding Tony Stark?

"First of all, he pays me too well," Rook admitted. With Tony's wealth, what he offered was hard to refuse.

Fury and the others were speechless. His honesty was disarming. So it really was just about the money?

"Second," Rook continued, "on the surface I'm his bodyguard, but in reality, he's providing for me. You could even say he's my caretaker. Rather than thinking of it as me working for him, it's more like he's helping me until I can settle down. I'm just repaying him by keeping him safe, that's all."

His relationship with Tony was a bit complicated. Rook was Tony's bodyguard, but Tony was also his caretaker. Having only recently arrived on this planet, Rook didn't know much about it.

Especially since he landed in a certain country. If he had landed in his original homeland, it would have been a different story. He wasn't familiar with this place. He couldn't even get used to their pizza. And people here didn't cook the way he was used to. Everything was done in a microwave. Oatmeal in a microwave. Anything that needed heating went into a microwave. Can you believe it?

He'd broken several microwaves already. It was driving him nuts.

His connection with Tony wasn't about hierarchy. Rook even felt a little guilty about Tony. Because of him, Tony's original path to becoming Iron Man had been completely derailed. Now he had to help Tony get back on track. He also had to steer Obadiah onto the right path. He had a lot to do, and all of it was unpaid work.

It was more like friendship than anything else.

Fury and his team were speechless.

Natasha's mouth fell open in shock. She actually looked kind of cute like that, and it was a little funny too. Such an elite agent, stunned that Tony Stark, the notorious playboy, was acting as someone's caretaker?

"Well, he saw my power firsthand. It's understandable he'd compromise a little," Rook said, looking away as he spoke the truth.

Now Fury and the others understood. When you had to live alongside a beast that could devour you at any time, like a lion or tiger, you became very careful. You made sure it never went hungry. Otherwise, you'd end up as food.

"One last request. Could you show us your strength? What abilities do you have?" Fury asked. He phrased it as a request, not a demand.

"You sure about that?" Rook asked.

Fury held his gaze. The others quietly tensed.

"Relax, relax," Rook said quickly, trying to calm them. "I won't hurt you. Don't worry."

As he spoke, he began taking off his clothes.

Natasha's eyes went wide. "Pervert."

"I'm not smelly at all."

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