The last day of September 2012 was a Sunday, but media professionals don't get days off. On this day, J. Jonah Jameson once again unleashed his fury on the big screen.
"Just yesterday, we confirmed that Mr. Luke Cage, the super-powered vigilante codenamed Power Man, who had been illegally detained by the New York Police Department, has regained his freedom. This is due to Spider-Man's successful raid on an illegal super-soldier laboratory located at the bottom of the Hudson River, where over a dozen citizens forced into super-soldier experiments were rescued."
"Spider-Man has proven he can fulfill the duties of an Avenger, at least for now. It seems for stealth, he donned a brand-new black suit—which, frankly, makes him look more like a villain than a superhero."
At this point, Jonah Jameson on the big screen paused slightly before changing his tune.
"But that's not the real issue! The real issue is, why can a department illegally conducting human experiments operate under federal authority, employing a private security company? And why can this company use armored vehicles and helicopters in New York City? Can we truly still trust our government? Or, could this be intentional retaliation from an opposing political party? Don't forget—this is an election year!"
The politically neutral Daily Bugle was the first media outlet to receive Spider-Man's tip. They went to the Hudson River to photograph the lab's remains. Thanks to Matt Murdock's earlier strategy, New York's major media outlets had already been tracking Luke Cage. The subsequent battle between New York's street-level heroes and Serpent Solutions also became part of the story.
The confirmation of the underwater super-soldier research facility and Luke Cage's claims that the US government had been illegally experimenting on homeless people and prisoners caused a frenzy. However, for now, no one knew that Hydra was actually behind it all.
Everyone engaged in fierce discussions and even heated debates over who was responsible for the illegal human experiments. Especially since it was an election year, this incident likely meant that President Ellis of the Democratic Party was facing an uphill battle for re-election and would probably be forced to step down.
But for now, none of this concerned the street-level heroes who had triumphed over their enemies. The freed Luke Cage joined everyone in celebrating at the underground bar Daredevil frequently visited.
"We saved New York—that might be an overstatement, but at the very least, we saved a dozen lives. Perhaps such terrifying things will still happen elsewhere, but not today, and not here."
Matt, still in his uniform, raised his glass and drank. Black Cat sat to one side, swirling a glass of red wine, while Peter next to her asked, "Are you old enough to drink?"
"Nope, I don't turn eighteen until tomorrow," Felicia said, knowing what Peter wanted to ask. She swirled her red wine glass. "This is pomegranate juice."
"Really?" Peter naturally expressed his doubt. Felicia didn't explain, offering the wine glass to Peter. "Want a taste?"
Peter wasn't sure how to respond, but a helpful voice from Venom rescued him.
[That's red wine.]
"That's red wine."
"Hmm... that's odd. Before you said anything, it was definitely pomegranate juice."
Felicia smiled, narrowing her eyes, and sipped her red wine. "What about you? Orange juice or milk?"
Peter hadn't actually ordered anything. He quickly changed the subject. "So, what are your plans next? Maybe you could become a street-level hero like them, or just go back to normal life? Anyway, your father's situation can't be resolved anytime soon..."
Felicia simply raised an index finger and placed it on Peter's lips, signaling him to be quiet—even though his mask was in the way.
"Let me guess, you're worried I'll get bored with a normal life and go looking for thrills? Or follow the old path of the Cat and become a thief?"
Felicia chuckled, withdrawing her finger. "How could I?"
Peter breathed a sigh of relief.
"He's not a super-soldier, after all."
Peter: ...
"Don't worry, I won't make a little boy uncomfortable. But if one day, you or your friends need something tricky stolen, you can come find me. Consider this one a favor I owe you."
Peter's thoughts suddenly shifted: "So if you owe me many favors, I can ask you for help many times?"
Felicia raised an eyebrow.
"Trust me, you won't get that chance."
The Punisher didn't come to the gathering. He was alone, probably in some dark corner, preparing for his next "cleanup" operation, which others wouldn't approve of. The others chatted about recent events, and Peter watched them, then suddenly thought of something, stood up, and walked over to them.
"Hey, guys, I just thought of something."
He looked at these four street-level heroes, deciding to push things toward their intended course.
"Even though we've now taken down a base for illegal human experimentation, it's also a fact that with Kingpin in prison, New York's major gang factions are fighting among themselves, escalating the scale of gang warfare. Even I can't look after all of New York at once, and the Avengers have to be deployed worldwide."
"But here, I see you all. New York has its own heroes. Perhaps... one of you alone isn't strong enough, but if you can form a team, maybe a single outing could prevent a street war."
"That's what I wanted to say too." Matt nodded, looking at the other three. "We have a detective, a lawyer, a millionaire, and a former gang member. We know this city very well. If we unite, we can help more people."
"Fisk believes that with him in prison, new gangs will rise in New York, bringing new chaos. He's trying to prove to us that so-called masked vigilantes can't make New York better; they'll only make it worse. So we need to tell him he's dead wrong. We'll bring a brand-new New York. We'll prove him wrong."
Iron Fist was the first to applaud, then asked a crucial question: "So what should we call ourselves? 'The Avengers' Unwanted Scraps League'?"
Everyone laughed, and Luke Cage then offered a suggestion: "How about 'Heroes for Hire'? A lawyer, a detective, I can moonlight as a security guard—we're all hired help."
"The Defenders. We defend this city from its enemies."
Ultimately, it was Daredevil who offered the best-sounding name: "We'll call ourselves The Defenders."