"I–I don't want to die! I want revenge! Hammerhead! The Maggia! The experiments! I want them all dead!"
Martin Li shouted hoarsely, his tone erratic. In an instant, his entire demeanor changed, filled with a nearly tangible sense of malevolence.
It was as if… a different personality had emerged.
"I want you dead!" Martin glared at Fenris with malice.
Fenris curled his lip in disdain. His heat vision locked onto Martin's shoulder, and the sizzling sound of burning flesh instantly filled the air.
"Don't yell at me. I was scared by a dog when I was a kid."
Martin gritted his teeth and tried to endure the pain while activating his negative energy powers to influence Fenris. But Fenris raised his eyebrows and punched Martin hard in the stomach.
Even without going all out, Fenris's strength was terrifying. The punch froze Martin's expression, made his eyes bulge, and forced blood to seep from the corners of his mouth.
Because Fenris still held him by the throat, the blood and bile couldn't escape. Choking and stomach-wrenching pain made Martin's face swell as if it were about to burst. His body twisted, arms and legs flailing in desperation for freedom.
Though Martin possessed superhuman strength, it was nothing compared to Fenris's.
Not all superhuman strength is created equal.
Fenris had the strength of Jessica Jones, Queen Maeve, Alligator Loki, and Thor stacked together. There was no contest. Mr. Negative's power was like a child's in comparison.
Not to mention that Fenris had near-invincible durability, just shy of Superman's invulnerable body.
Martin's desperate struggle yielded nothing. His resistance weakened, and his eyes began to roll back.
Thud.
Just as he was about to pass out, Fenris let go.
Martin collapsed to the ground, no longer yelling or radiating evil, only gasping desperately, clinging to life.
"Talk. Why did you apply for this job?"
Fenris's "persuasive method" had worked perfectly.
If you ask nicely, the answer is probably a lie. But if you ask after a good beating? Nine times out of ten, you get the truth.
And if not, you beat them again.
Martin Li explained.
He had once been a minor member of a human smuggling ring, responsible for ferrying undocumented immigrants by boat.
One time, the crew scheduled to receive the shipment never showed. Afraid of getting caught, he forced the captain to dock the boat.
But then, the boat started taking on water. Crew members jumped ship, and the immigrants threw themselves into the freezing sea in panic.
When Martin reached the meeting spot, a safehouse, he found all the other smugglers had been slaughtered.
Returning to the headquarters in Chinatown, he was ambushed by the Maggia and knocked out. While he had been at sea, the Maggia had taken over the entire district and wiped out his organization.
He was taken to a secret underground lab and became a test subject in a twisted drug experiment by a mysterious doctor.
Those days were hell. It felt like his body was splitting apart. Eventually, he escaped.
From then on, two distinct personas lived inside one body: the kind-hearted Martin Li and the evil Mr. Negative.
As for why he applied to Nowhere Unlimited? It was simple. He needed a job to survive. He saw the ad and came.
No one cares about your morals if you don't have the looks.
Honestly, if Fenris weren't worried that this future villain might use his powers to manipulate other employees, he'd already be off to Kamar-Taj by now.
Martin Li was a double-edged sword. Used right, his abilities could greatly aid the company's early growth.
Jessica Jones and the others were good as muscle, but management and strategy?
They had ten holes in their heads and still couldn't think straight.
But if Martin wasn't managed well, it could be chaos.
"I really don't mean any harm. I wouldn't dare. I just need a job!"
Martin sounded genuinely aggrieved. He hadn't done anything yet and had already taken a brutal beating, almost dying in the process.
But hey, his boss was Fenris.
First, if you want people to respect your rules and bottom line, you must have strength.
If you don't show it, they won't think you're kind. They'll think you're weak, and they'll trample you for it.
That's human nature.
Second, legality is secondary. What matters is whether something is reasonable.
If you already know someone isn't a good guy, then eliminate potential danger at the root. Deal with it before it happens.
Regret after the fact? Too late.
"I'll let you stay. But if you ever do anything you shouldn't, I'll kill you."
"Control yourself. Stay alive."
"I will!" Martin swore instantly.
"Go back."
"Yes, sir."
Martin staggered out of the alley, hunched over and limping.
Fenris didn't return to the company. Instead, he activated invisibility and flew toward Nepal.
Kamar-Taj was located near Kathmandu, Nepal.
Martin had mentioned Maggia. Their leader was Hammerhead, another Spider-Man villain.
He had suffered a massive head injury, and doctors replaced his skull with metal, giving him a nearly indestructible head.
Aunt May might have left Queens and come to Manhattan for work because she feared the chaos of Hammerhead's new regime.
Speaking of work, in the comics, Aunt May once volunteered at a charity shelter run by Martin Li and got along well with him.
Also, the lab that turned Martin into Mr. Negative created two more superheroes:
Cloak and Dagger.
Although in the MCU, their origin was tied to an oil rig explosion owned by Roxxon Corporation.
Roxxon wasn't spotlighted like Stark Industries, Hammer Industries, Pym Technologies, or Oscorp.
But it was quietly woven into the fabric of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It appeared in Iron Man, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Daredevil, and Cloak & Dagger, its logo and Easter eggs were everywhere.
In the comics, Tony Stark's parents were assassinated for opposing a Roxxon acquisition.
Some also suspect Howard Stark may have had an affair with the company's CEO's wife.
And get this, Roxxon once sued Thor.
The lawsuit forced the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. to fight a legal battle, and Thor was ultimately barred from approaching Roxxon or any of its properties.