Marvel : Mutant God

"Tell me, what did you want to discuss?" Richard asked Daenerys, his tone measured and direct.

Technically speaking, Daenerys was his superior within the corporate hierarchy.

But they both understood perfectly well that this supposed authority was merely ceremonial—a polite fiction that carried no real weight.

"Nothing complicated. I simply wanted to discuss the future leadership of the Seven," Daenerys replied, her posture impeccable.

"If my observations are correct, you're grooming Starlight to eventually become captain. While I don't deny her appealing aesthetics and respectable abilities, she lacks the qualities necessary for that position."

Daenerys didn't bother with pleasantries or circling the topic—her approach was refreshingly straightforward.

"Is that so?" Richard's eyebrow raised slightly. "Don't tell me you have someone more suitable in mind."

"As a matter of fact, I do," she responded without hesitation. "Someone far more qualified than Starlight. If you're interested, I'd be happy to arrange an introduction."

Although Daenerys hadn't specified who this candidate might be, Richard could make an educated guess.

Like Congresswoman Victoria Neuman with her manufactured public image of grassroots activism, Daenerys was another of Edgar's covertly adopted daughters. Though neither woman knew about the other's connection to Edgar, they shared a crucial similarity—both had been enhanced with Compound V injections at a young age.

If his deduction was correct, the "suitable candidate" Daenerys referenced was almost certainly Stormfront, the wife of Vought's founder.

In the timeline Richard was familiar with, Edgar had orchestrated Stormfront's introduction to the Vought public relations machine with meticulous precision.

"What makes you think I'd have any interest in your suggestion?" Richard regarded Daenerys with calculating eyes, his words deliberately measured.

"Because I understand that you aren't particularly invested in being the Seven's captain," she replied with unwavering confidence. "Although you wrested the position from your countryman, my intuition suggests that your true desire isn't leadership itself, but rather the celebrity status it confers."

Since their initial meeting, Edgar had employed every resource at his disposal to investigate Richard's true identity and motivations. While these efforts had yielded frustratingly little concrete information, they had confirmed certain behavioral patterns.

For instance, Richard demonstrated a remarkable indifference toward financial gain.

Edgar had assembled a team of the nation's foremost psychological experts to analyze Richard's every recorded interaction and public appearance. Their unanimous conclusion: Richard exhibited virtually no interest in monetary wealth.

Furthermore, he didn't even seem particularly enthusiastic about the superhero role itself.

Despite joining the Seven and displacing Homelander as captain, behavioral analysis clearly indicated that Richard's psychological profile diverged significantly from figures like Starlight or Homelander.

Simply put, he showed surprising disinterest in the traditional allures of money and institutional power.

The only stimuli that consistently engaged his attention were attractive women and public adoration.

Edgar's psychological consultants had presented numerous theories explaining this unusual pattern of interests.

Some believed Richard's focus on women and fame stemmed from his extraordinary powers—essentially making conventional wealth and authority redundant. Why covet what you've already transcended?

Others suggested it revealed a fundamental lack of ambition—a personality that found satisfaction in simple pleasures rather than complex machinations.

However, the most controversial assessment came from a renowned psychiatrist who proposed that Richard's behaviors manifested an extreme compensatory mechanism—an elaborate psychological framework constructed to counterbalance profound feelings of inadequacy. Under this theory, Richard's conquest of women and public approval served as substitutes for some fundamental deficiency.

The psychiatrist had even ventured a specific hypothesis regarding the source of this compensation: some form of physiological limitation or sexual dysfunction.

Though each expert could cite academic precedent supporting their conclusions, Edgar dismissed them all.

Unlike these theorists working from surveillance footage and interview transcripts, Edgar had witnessed Richard's abilities firsthand.

Richard might not technically qualify as a "superhuman" by Vought's corporate classification system, but when he demonstrated his powers, Edgar had recognized something unmistakable—an absolute, unshakeable confidence that required no verbal articulation.

In Edgar's assessment, Richard's deviation from the behavioral norms established by males like Homelander, A-Train, or Translucent wasn't attributable to physical inadequacies or lack of conventional resources. Rather, it stemmed from a fundamentally different worldview.

The perspective of a deity observing from above!

Or more specifically—the god of a game world!

This was the conclusion Edgar had reached through his interactions with Richard.

Though he lacked empirical evidence to validate this hypothesis, his instinct told him his interpretation was more accurate than those offered by his psychological consultants.

Edgar's intuition wasn't entirely mistaken.

Compared to the theories presented by the psychological experts, his assessment did approach closer to reality.

However, he had erred in one crucial detail.

Richard wasn't a lofty deity or some cosmic being toying with reality. He was a powerful mutant from the Marvel Universe, transplanted into this unfamiliar reality.

Of course, judging purely by capability, Richard now possessed power rivaling many gods—surpassing even some recognized deities across the multiverse.

Observing Daenerys' confident expression, Richard responded with deliberate slowness: "You're correct that I took Homelander's position primarily for its fame."

"But you're mistaken about something fundamental. I won't permit anyone to assume leadership of the Seven except Starlight."

"Since we've reached this point, let me be perfectly clear. You're welcome to relay everything I'm about to say directly to Edgar."

"Both the Seven and Vought Group occupy very little space in my broader concerns."

"When I've accomplished what I came here to do, I'll depart of my own accord."

"At that point, you're welcome to restructure things however you please."

"But should anyone harbor inappropriate ambitions before my voluntary departure, they shouldn't be surprised when I eliminate them."

"Finally, I suggest you abandon this unearned confidence in my presence. I'm well aware you possess superhuman abilities—specifically psychic manipulation. However, those powers are entirely ineffective against me."

"If I catch you attempting to use those abilities on either myself or Starlight again, I'll vaporize your head with a heat ray before you realize what's happening."

Having delivered this warning, Richard turned and walked away without acknowledging Daenerys' increasingly complex expression.

After Vought's photography team had captured sufficient promotional material featuring Starlight, Richard approached her directly and slipped an arm around her slender waist.

Teleportation!

Without hesitation, he activated his power and transported both himself and Starlight back to the luxury suite on the 96th floor.

Specifically, they materialized in the living room of Starlight's opulent accommodations.

Though Richard hadn't verbalized his intentions, Starlight immediately interpreted his demeanor and suggested, "Let's go to the bedroom."

"No," Richard replied firmly. "Right here."

Hearing his response, Starlight's brow furrowed slightly.

Then, with a sigh of resignation mingled with anticipation, she knelt before Richard and raised her hands.

Not long afterward, sounds decidedly inappropriate for younger audiences echoed throughout the spacious living room...

Several hours later, after their extended "discussion" in the suite's living room had concluded, Richard and Starlight retired to the bathroom for a relaxing soak in the oversized tub.

More accurately, Richard reclined in the steaming water to recuperate, while Starlight administered a thorough massage to his taxed muscles.

As he enjoyed her skilled ministrations, Richard contemplated his next strategic moves.

Though he had only officially assumed leadership of the Seven that day, he recognized that even if he took no further action—simply allowing Vought's marketing machine to promote him systematically—he would inevitably become this universe's most celebrated superhero.

The only real question was how long it would take for the system to determine that he completed his mission.

While the system's precise evaluation criteria remained somewhat opaque, he could make reasonable inferences based on public support metrics.

If his approval ratings significantly surpassed Homelander's and the other heroes', then logically, he should qualify as the most renowned superhero in this reality.

This particular world challenge wasn't especially difficult compared to others he had faced.

Apart from the time investment required, the path forward seemed relatively straightforward.

However, this didn't mean he could afford complacency.

Edgar would undoubtedly continue maneuvering behind the scenes.

For instance, introducing Stormfront to the public sphere represented a clear countermove.

Additionally, Soldier Boy—still detained in that Russian laboratory—and the vigilante group forming around Butcher and Hughie constituted potential complications to his plans.

Considering these factors, a brutally efficient solution materialized in Richard's mind.

He could simply eliminate them all!

Not just these specific threats, but every superhero affiliated with Vought!

If he were the last enhanced individual standing, he would unquestionably reign as the most famous superhero by default.

Almost immediately, however, he dismissed this approach.

While he would execute Homelander, Stormfront, A-Train, and the others without a second thought if necessary, the idea of harming Starlight gave him unexpected pause.

Although he had no intention of bringing her back to the Marvel Universe when his mission here concluded, she had nonetheless become his woman.

Killing Starlight merely to expedite a world challenge that would eventually resolve itself anyway struck him as unnecessarily cruel, even by his flexible moral standards.

Starlight, diligently working the tension from his shoulders, remained blissfully unaware that the man beneath her fingers had momentarily contemplated her elimination.

"That's enough massage," Richard announced, reaching up to encircle her waist and guiding her from her position beside the tub until she straddled him directly.

"Alright," she nodded, initiating a different form of physical therapy altogether.

While Richard enjoyed Starlight's attentive ministrations, Homelander paced furiously in his suite on the 98th floor, violently venting his frustrations at the news broadcasts featuring the new Seven captain.

His method of releasing tension might be inappropriate for younger audiences, but for adults with healthy psychological boundaries, such coping mechanisms weren't particularly concerning.

Time moved inexorably forward.

Before Richard realized it, a month had elapsed since his ascension to leadership.

As he had anticipated, after becoming the Seven's captain, much of the public attention and support previously directed toward Homelander had transferred to him instead.

His position also conferred unexpected advantages.

Because he officially led the Seven, even independent actions by Starlight and the others were interpreted by the public as extensions of his strategic directives.

This meant that even when he wasn't personally combating crime, the heroic activities of his teammates continued generating publicity on his behalf.

If he harbored any dissatisfaction, it was that he still hadn't received system confirmation that his world challenge had been successfully completed.

In terms of measurable support and media coverage, he now rivaled Homelander.

However, his relatively brief time in the spotlight meant his fame hadn't yet reached truly global proportions.

His most enthusiastic supporters remained concentrated in New York and throughout the United States.

Internationally, his recognition barely exceeded that of Vought's second-tier heroes.

Despite Vought's comprehensive promotional efforts, transforming someone into the world's most celebrated superhero within a single month presented formidable challenges.

After recognizing this reality, Richard quickly formulated an alternative strategy.

Superheroes and supervillains functioned as complementary forces in the public imagination.

Without a sufficiently compelling antagonist, even the most aggressive marketing campaign couldn't elevate a hero to universal recognition.

If musicians established their credentials through hit songs, superheroes cemented their legacy through memorable confrontations with worthy adversaries.

Richard needed such a villain to catalyze his fame's explosive growth.

In the television series that had documented this reality, Homelander ultimately emerged as the primary antagonist.

But using Homelander in that capacity wouldn't work in Richard's current circumstances.

Unlike viewers watching a fictional show, the people of this universe hadn't witnessed Homelander's true nature firsthand.

Even if Richard exposed Homelander's depravities to the public, audiences who had idolized him for years would likely dismiss these revelations as calculated character assassination.

With Homelander eliminated as a potential foil, only one candidate remained suitable to serve as Richard's defining adversary.

Soldier Boy!

Several factors made Soldier Boy uniquely qualified for this role.

First, he already possessed substantial name recognition from previous decades.

Though Soldier Boy's era had long passed, evidence of his existence hadn't been completely erased from public consciousness.

The fans who had once supported and admired him hadn't disappeared—they had simply aged.

Judging purely by power levels, Stormfront might have been an acceptable alternative.

However, she lacked Soldier Boy's established public profile.

The current iteration of Stormfront remained effectively anonymous to the general public.

Her previous identity as "Liberty" had commanded significantly less recognition than Soldier Boy's.

Even during the 1970s, Liberty had functioned merely as a second-tier superhero, never approaching Soldier Boy's cultural impact.

As for revealing Stormfront's true ideological allegiances, her limited current fame meant such exposures would generate minimal public reaction—at most, earning her dismissal as a detestable Nazi relic.

Soldier Boy represented the perfect solution!

Rather than continuing with incremental improvements to his public image, Richard decided to position Soldier Boy as the final, dramatic component of his ascent to worldwide fame.

Having reached this decision, he determined his next step would be revealing select information about Soldier Boy to Butcher, Hughie, and their growing coalition.

However, before approaching them, he would travel to Russia personally to confirm Soldier Boy's precise location.

While he could simply allow Butcher's team to conduct their own investigation, directly verifying the information himself would prove far more efficient.

With his current range of mental perception, a focused search in Russian territory would quickly yield Soldier Boy's location, even with minimal effort.

The plan was taking shape now, each piece positioning itself perfectly on the chessboard of Richard's design...

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