As to why Hancock used to resemble a "flying Hulk" more than he does now, it's simple: both Hulk and Bruce Banner in his Green Lantern Hulk form not only have flight capabilities now but also their own energy output abilities! This development left Hancock's skill set feeling a bit inadequate. Fortunately, Tony Stark's new mech enhancements have bolstered Hancock's abilities, allowing him to use the suit as an external power source for energy-based attacks.
"I'm just stating the facts. You know me; I'm a serious scientist, not prone to personal jabs," Reed Richards replied nonchalantly, pulling up all of Frank's records for the Avengers to review.
"Seems like he's definitely faster and stronger than Hancock," Tony Stark noted, analyzing Frank's metrics as displayed by JARVIS, "though his thunderous god-energy isn't as intense as Mary's lightning powers or even Peter's enhanced venom-boosted electricity."
"Hey, hold up! That sounds like you're saying I'm weak," Peter Parker protested. "Even without Venom, I could still hold my own against him!"
Peter wasn't exaggerating. His strength had advanced significantly, and even without Venom, he could easily surpass Hancock in terms of raw power.
Hancock, meanwhile, muttered to himself: "So I'm a benchmark for strength now, huh? Wasn't Steve supposed to be the benchmark?"
Steve responded, "If I use the Green Lantern ring, even you wouldn't be able to beat me. Looks like you're the real strength gauge here, Hancock."
Robert, ignoring the debate, squinted at Frank's image on the screen, particularly focusing on his pre-transformation state. "This kid... I feel like I've seen him before."
"I remember now! He's the one who almost got killed by vampires!" Kara's super-powered mind quickly recalled the detail.
"Ah, that kid's all grown up," Robert said with some nostalgia.
His comment about Frank "growing up" wasn't a reference to age; Frank's appearance was still youthful, albeit slightly older than Miss Martian. But beyond that, he had the air of a young warrior—a quality that was quite rare at his age.
The conversation didn't escape Miss Martian, who muttered to herself, "I'm grown up too; why can't I be an Avenger?"
Having learned Earth's culture rapidly with her superhuman intellect, Miss Martian was frustrated. If Frank, a true child, could become an official Avenger, she felt she should be able to as well.
Robert, overhearing, gently reminded her, "For now, your focus isn't on fighting. Don't forget you came here to find the Martian Manhunter."
In truth, though the Avengers would have preferred finding the Martian Manhunter, they were wary of sending her out due to the danger involved. It was likely Lex Luthor, who'd previously exploited the Doomsday creature, knew enough about Martians to potentially set a trap using her as bait. The Avengers, while eager to face Luthor head-on, had no intention of risking Miss Martian's safety, especially with her innocence and youth.
After sensing their genuine concern, Miss Martian sighed. "Fine, but who knows how strong I'll have to get before I can finally find him…"
On another note, the footage continued to play, revealing Frank's knowledge of the Seven Deadly Sins Demons. Tony Stark frowned, displeased. "Why were these demons sealed away for so long? Isn't that just leaving a danger for future generations?"
Tony, who was always proactive in crisis prevention, couldn't comprehend why anyone would choose to imprison rather than eradicate the demons, especially since the wizard Shazam had gone to such lengths to seal them.
In truth, Tony's reaction came partly from his experience with the Mafūba sealing technique he'd seen Robert use—every time Robert employed it, he annihilated the sealed entity immediately afterward. Tony had forgotten that not all sealing methods had such absolute outcomes; they were designed to contain enemies, not eliminate them outright.
In Shazam's case, it was likely he had the power to destroy the demons but faced challenges with the host bearing the sins, making it necessary to seal both. Unfortunately, the massive power drain eventually led to his deep slumber for centuries, awakening only when the demons' seals weakened.
"So, we're dealing with top-level demons who aren't quite Hell Lords," Johnny Storm remarked, glancing at Hulk. "One of the sins is Wrath, right?"
The Avengers, who now knew about Hulk's new powers, were curious about how Wrath would react to Hulk's rage energy.
"Hulk? They're talking to you!" Banner reminded Hulk, who had been fixated on him with an inexplicably disgruntled expression since returning to Oa.
Pietro asked, "What's up with him? Why's he staring at you like that?"
"Ever since he saw me in the Green Lantern form, he's been acting this way," Banner explained with a sigh.
Apparently, Hulk, in his simplistic view, believed green was the epitome of beauty. He had no issues with the Green Lantern uniform, even finding it stylish, and thought Banner's Green Lantern transformation made him look especially "cool."
"Hulk?" Robert called out to get Hulk's attention.
Hulk snapped out of it, glancing back, slightly confused.
"Try to sense if you can pick up on someone with a high level of anger using your rage energy," Robert instructed him.
Hulk nodded. Channeling his rage energy, he began scanning for a high concentration of fury. In Hulk's view, everyone around him appeared faintly red, but his gaze soon shifted beyond the Avengers, focusing on a distant spot.
Through the anger energy, Hulk now had a sort of "rage vision," able to detect beings with high levels of anger over a vast area.
"Got it! There's a strong source of anger in that direction!" After a short search, Hulk located a bright "flame" of rage, far more intense than that of thousands of average people combined.
"Inform Frank. Let him take on these demons for practice. He could use a real challenge," Reed Richards instructed JARVIS.
"Seven Deadly Sins Demons? I've found them! And they're hunting other demons?" Robert, now aware of their location, raised an eyebrow. "Their energy is stronger than I expected—almost at Hell Lord level."
Meanwhile, in Fawcett City, Frank received word from the Avengers. Excited, he exclaimed, "I've been searching for these demons for days, but they were nowhere to be found. Finally, they've shown themselves!"
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+100 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]