Sometimes curiosity can be more trouble than it's worth, as Herman watched the girls crowd around.
Of course, there was no way he could explain to these naive, unknowing youngsters what sort of "game" he and Dark Phoenix were playing—their kind of clash was hardly suitable for children.
After all, aside from Aunt May and Fox, nearly all the women present could still be considered underage... Carrie's ID did say nineteen, but in the U.S., nineteen only counted as physical adulthood. In many ways, twenty-one was the true threshold.
"Kids shouldn't ask about everything. This is grown-up stuff... When you're older, you'll understand!" Herman had no intention of feeding their curiosity.
Even after he turned and went back into his office, the girls kept chattering, still trying to guess what sort of game Herman and Dark Phoenix had been playing.
"They really are innocent."
Fox muttered under her breath as she watched them.
Among everyone there, maybe only Aunt May and Fox had a rough idea of what was going on. But even they didn't feel it was appropriate to explain it to a bunch of little girls.
So they just watched as the group "adorably" debated.
"It must be combat simulation training! The teachers at school are all super strong! Maybe Professor Jean just wanted to do a mock battle with big brother!"
Wanda's imagination was already running wild. She remembered Professor Charles's words—"growth has no limits"—and figured the teachers just wanted to use Herman's strength for training their combat skills.
"That makes perfect sense! Boss just doesn't want us getting hurt!" Skye said with a smug look, as if she had everything figured out.
"Combat training really is dangerous. In our... in our remote region, only adults are allowed to do that kind of training."
Kara nodded earnestly.
The way she spoke struck Carrie as a little unusual... but oddly familiar too, like the times she herself almost let slip certain truths about her own life.
"My dad didn't wait until I was grown before starting me on combat training. He always said a girl has to know how to protect herself out there." Carrie spoke in a careful, roundabout way, painting her childhood in metaphors.
"Your dad must've been really strict with you?"
Kara looked at her with sympathy.
"Yeah, super strict—even about what I ate. A few times I just wanted to eat... eat something that looked delicious, and he punished me by forbidding me for three whole days..."
The topic shifted away from Herman and Dark Phoenix, and soon everyone was sharing childhood stories. They felt they might've uncovered the reason Carrie now had a habit of "binge eating." After she finished, Kara began talking about life with her scientist parents.
Skye listened intently.
Deep inside, she felt a trace of envy at their stories. As an orphan, her childhood was closer to Wanda's and Quicksilver's.
At least living in the U.S.—a relatively developed country—she hadn't been exposed to war and the ugliest extremes of human nature the way Wanda and Quicksilver had.
"The gangs in New York, and even the homeless... they weren't much better. They were always trying to rope in orphans like me for bad stuff."
Skye no longer carried the insecurity she once had. She shared openly, and her tales of outsmarting gangs made the others gasp, listening as if to an exciting adventure they could see unfolding before their eyes.
"What happened next? What then?"
Carrie leaned forward, pressing for more.
"Then... I met the Director. And then I met all of you. I think maybe that was heaven's way of making it up to me."
Skye beamed, her smile bright and unrestrained.
In her eyes, faint tears shimmered.
She truly cherished the happiness she had now. She even realized her obsession with her parents wasn't as heavy as it once had been.
...
While the girls were chattering away outside, Herman returned to his office.
He turned on his computer and checked what was happening online—and that was a mistake. Just one look made him want to make the whole world feel his pain.
Memes of him were flooding the internet. The ones that looked imposing were tolerable, at worst paired with captions dripping with dark humor.
Lines like, "I do whatever the hell I want," came off arrogant, but Herman could still just about accept netizens making fun of him that way.
But only a few hours earlier, Herman had annihilated a swarm of war mechs live on stream—a moment that should have radiated dominance. Instead, it was turned into a GIF that made him want to spit blood.
The first half of the GIF showed Herman's dazzling combat display, a scene so impressive some of his fans had even taken it as a symbol of faith.
But in this mocking version made by netizens, the first half wasn't the problem. It was the second.
Right after showing his overwhelming might, the image cut to a TV drama clip where Herman was holding a cup of human milk, his face glowing with bliss.
The overlaid text cranked the dark humor to the max:
"No one! No one can stop me from drinking milk!"
Creative netizens even spliced in audio, turning the GIF into a voiced video that went viral on social platforms. It now had over a hundred million likes and more than five million comments.
"I always said watching Homelander show off his power felt like something was missing!"
"Hahaha! Now that's the real Homelander! Perfect flavor!"
"Even if the world ended, nothing could stop Homelander from drinking milk!"
...
Let's be real.
Reading those comments and seeing the parody videos and memes left Herman frustrated.
He should never have copied those over-the-top settings just to complete a Bronze-tier mission. Sure, the character had been crafted well, but the netizens had gotten way too into it.
And yes, their jokes had taken the edge off the fear people once felt toward his overwhelming strength.
But as far as Herman was concerned, he would've preferred if they feared him just a little more.
"I miscalculated! I forgot the Marvel Universe already has superheroes!" He felt a pang of regret so strong it nearly brought tears to his eyes.
He'd sacrificed his innocence, even his reputation, only to gain [Unyielding Spear]—a power that was useful only when facing the Dark Phoenix.
"Didn't I make it clear? I like being called Superman!"
Herman kept scrolling through the comments, but almost no one mentioned the "Superman" title he'd used in interviews.
Everyone was calling him Homelander—and the way it rolled off their tongues made it sound so natural. Maybe this was just how deeply first impressions could stick.
He forced a smile as he skimmed across platforms. At least not every post was just about his memes.
The situation had blown up so quickly that news of the villa attack had already spread across international apps, igniting a worldwide sensation in no time.
"Superpowers!? Are there really superhumans in this world!? I swear he's an alien!"
—Netizen from Indonesia.
"A god among men? He's just one god. Our country has tens of millions of them!"
—From India.
"Oh my god! This isn't some special effects video? I love his muscles!"
—Netizen from Great Britain.
"Homelander! Loves peeping, loves milk, what a perv! But I still adore him!"
—Girl from Japan.
"I'm warning you, take this video down now! Homelander is Korean! We have proof!"
—From South Korea.
They said Iron Man's debut had unveiled the curtain on Marvel's extraordinary world.
Now it was Herman who made all of humanity aware of this world and brought them to its edge. His videos were spreading across the globe like wildfire.
Of course, the unveiling of this curtain still had something to do with Iron Man. After all, the battle's backdrop had been none other than playboy Tony Stark's party.
There was news about Iron Man too—but none of it painted him in a good light. At least, not for Tony Stark.
"Where was he when everyone needed him!"
Numerous media outlets on their networks launched the same line of attack against Tony Stark. Yet Tony had no response whatsoever to the journalists' interrogation.
Some netizens came to his defense, pointing out that with countless suits of armor swarming the sky, Tony Stark—who only had one—would've stood no chance even if he had shown up.
"In the face of that kind of disaster! Only Homelander can protect us!"
No need to guess.
That empty rhetoric came straight from New York Television. While everyone else was grilling Tony Stark, this station was busy praising Herman.
Maybe it was because Herman was a billionaire in New York. Or maybe it had something to do with reporter Lois having family ties to the station's executives.
Either way, New York TV's attitude toward Herman and their treatment of Tony Stark couldn't have been more different.
Not that it was hard to understand. After all, every show that sang Herman's praises was hosted by Lois—his die-hard fan.
To say this reporter had no connections to the higher-ups? Herman wouldn't believe it, and neither would anyone in Stellar Tower.
...
Over the next few days, Herman saw Lois on TV constantly showering him with praise. On paper, that should have been something to feel good about.
But whether Lois just had a screw loose or not, the way she portrayed him always felt like she was trying to mold the image of a dictator.
"He should stand tall in the sky, receiving the worship of the world!"
One morning, Herman turned on the TV and was greeted by Lois shouting this exact slogan.
"Damn it! Isn't this just making people think I really am Homelander?"
By now, Herman had given up on searching for online discussions about himself.
Giving up completely? Not exactly.
It was just that he couldn't exactly fly to New York Television and rip the reporter's mouth open—that would only prove to everyone that he really was as arrogant and domineering as Homelander.
So Herman chose the next best thing: out of sight, out of mind.
Even so, plenty of people online were openly supporting the idea of him becoming a dictator—not just of the nation, but of the entire world.
"A society where all are equal under one ruler—wouldn't that be far better?"
Comments like these sparked heated debates across social media platforms.
And Herman couldn't shake the suspicion that reporter Lois was the most active voice among them, hiding behind the handle of his ultimate "Superfan". The way she wrote, the style of her praise—it was all far too familiar.
"Only under the rule of Homelander can we achieve true democracy and freedom! Not this endless exploitation from the politicians in the White House!"
"Even if Homelander has flaws, he's still just one man! Aren't those guys in the White House far more depraved than he is?"
Next, [Herman's Number One Superfan] began listing the disgraceful deeds of politicians in recent years, many of them scandals published in The Daily Bugle.
Wild island parties where people were treated like dirt, countless women dead, even stories of enslaved girls—horrifying acts one after another.
Every single case had solid evidence.
Every single one had already been verified.
Reading through it all, not just the netizens—even Herman had to admit it made sense. Compared to some politicians, Homelander almost looked like a saint.
"Take over the world? Please. I've got better things to do than worry about strangers' daily lives." Herman had no interest in becoming a dictator.
He also didn't believe his current power could really make him one on Earth in the Marvel Universe. There were too many hidden heavyweights out there.
And they would never allow Herman to become a dictator.
To be honest, Herman himself wasn't even sure if the universe he was living in was just the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Too many things had already appeared that didn't belong there—some with no connection to the [All-Seeing Eye] at all.
Maybe what he had seen in the movies and shows back on Earth had only been the tip of the iceberg.
"After all, this is the real world."
He switched his TV to a channel without news and immediately spotted a familiar face—Johnny Blaze, the man he had once controlled.
Johnny was still riding motorcycles.
Now that he was free from Mephisto's shadow and no longer plagued by the Spirit of Vengeance, his career was soaring.
These days he was already breaking into world-record territory. And right there on TV, Johnny Blaze was accompanied by a dark-skinned woman Herman also recognized.
It was Johnny's first love—not particularly attractive, but unmistakably her.
"Tsk tsk, career and romance both flourishing." Herman thought maybe it was about time to put Johnny to work—after all, the guy had never done any real labor in his life.
"Boss! Tony Stark is really here!"
Suddenly, just as Herman was watching Johnny's stunt performance, Skye burst into the office.
"That was fast."
Herman wasn't surprised.
He had been the one to contact Tony in the first place.
The day after the villa incident, Herman reached out to Stark, proposing an exclusive interview with The Daily Bugle.
"No problem! Absolutely no problem!"
Tony had been shockingly agreeable.
Not only did he accept without hesitation, but he didn't even wait for reporters to come to him. Once he'd cleaned up his mess, he rushed straight over to Stellar Tower himself.
"You got all your negative press sorted out?"
Looking at the eager Tony in front of him, practically itching to be interviewed, Herman thought this really didn't match the playboy's usual style.
Still, since the playboy was willing to cooperate, it was one of the best pieces of news Herman had gotten lately.
With an exclusive interview like this, he might even be able to claim The Daily Bugle's exclusive identity reward within a few days.
The interview went smoothly.
But soon enough, Herman realized what Tony was really up to.
"By the way, mind telling me just how strong you are?"
During breaks, Tony would casually slip in questions like that.
He claimed it was just curiosity.
But Herman knew better.
'Heh, so he's working on an [Anti-Herman Armor]?' Herman understood Stark's character better than most.
The more he listened, the clearer it became why Tony had agreed so readily to the interview.
Turns out, the man had ulterior motives all along.
"Is there anything you're particularly afraid of?" Tony pressed, growing bolder with each question.
"Yes. I'm afraid of being canceled online."
Herman gave his answer with perfect "sincerity."