December 31, 1991.
A circular spacecraft descended from the outer reaches of space, heading straight toward Earth. Emblazoned upon it was a large "S"—
A symbol of hope… and the emblem of Superman.
Inside the craft lay a babbling infant. Though outwardly just a child, within resided the soul of a teenager from another world.
At last, after resting for many days within the spacecraft, the child stirred. As he felt the warmth of sunlight for the first time, he slowly opened his eyes, a thought echoing in his mind:
"Where… is this place?"
He tried to lift his tiny arm to shield himself from the sunlight, but the rays that bathed his body felt warm—comforting, even.
"So warm…" he murmured, gazing into the distance at a blue planet. "Is that… Earth?"
Before he could do anything more, exhaustion overtook him, and he drifted back into sleep.
At that moment, the spacecraft disguised itself as a meteor, streaking toward the surface of Earth—its destination: Kansas.
Nearby, a car was parked by the roadside. Outside stood a man and a woman, both appearing to be in their early thirties, enjoying a quiet moment together.
"Ben… what's that in the sky?" the beautiful woman asked, leaning against the handsome man beside her as she pointed at the streaking meteor.
"If I'm not mistaken… that looks like a meteor," the man named Ben replied, studying it closely. "Got a wish, May? Maybe God will grant us a child. I know how much you envy Mary's kid—you even go shopping with her every day, buying clothes for the future."
Hearing this, May closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and tilted her head upward as she made a silent wish.
"God, if you can hear me… please grant my wish. Ben and I… we want a child of our own."
As if in answer, the meteor—once bound for Kansas—suddenly shifted course, veering toward their exact location.
Seeing it hurtling toward them, Ben reacted instantly. He grabbed May, who was still mid-prayer, pulled her into the car, jammed the key into the ignition, and slammed the accelerator.
"Go, May! It's coming straight at us!" he shouted, wasting no time on further explanation.
The car barely escaped the impact zone, reaching safety just as the "meteor" crashed down.
—
Elsewhere, at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in New York—
Alexander Pierce, currently serving as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., had been monitoring the meteor's descent. However, nothing unusual had shown up in the readings.
Still, aware of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations, he dispatched a recovery team to investigate—just in case it posed any threat to Earth.
Recently returned to headquarters under Pierce's command was a one-eyed Black agent—Nick Fury.
As one of the most trusted operatives, Fury was assigned to lead the recovery mission.
—
Back at the forest—
After driving away from the crash site, Ben and May hesitated. As the spacecraft struck the ground, Ben turned the car around, headlights cutting through the darkness, and drove back.
Curiosity was hard to suppress. And like many Americans, they held a deep fascination with extraterrestrial life.
Opening the car doors, the two stepped out and approached the smoking crater. Inside lay a strange craft—clearly not of Earth—marked with that same "S" symbol.
Neither of them recognized it.
Ben slid down the slope of the crater while May stayed above, watching nervously.
Standing before the spacecraft, Ben reached out to touch it—
"Ah—!"
He quickly pulled his hand back, shaking it as he blew on his fingers. "Hot—still really hot…"
"Did you find anything?!" May called down.
"This looks like some kind of spacecraft… probably launched by the government or some private organization," Ben replied, already forming a conclusion.
But just as he turned to climb back up—
Pshhh—!
The hatch suddenly opened.
A bright white light spilled out from within. Ben spun around instantly, and May hurried down to his side. He instinctively stepped in front of her, shielding her despite her curiosity.
Safety came first.
"What… is that?!"
Both of them widened their eyes as they stared into the interior of the craft.
Inside lay a child.
A baby—no different in appearance from a human infant—quietly resting within. No more than a few months old.
"This is… a child!" Ben was in disbelief. Who would place a baby alone inside a spacecraft?
It was inhumane. His first instinct was outrage—this had to be some kind of cruel experiment that needed to be exposed.
But immediately after came something else—
A deep sense of affection… and pity.
The moment May saw the baby, her maternal instincts surged uncontrollably. She stepped forward and gently picked him up, cradling him in her arms.
She had always wanted a child.
And now… it felt as if her wish had been answered.
"Ben… this is God's gift to us. My wish… it came true…" she said softly, her eyes filled with longing as she looked at her husband.
Ben hesitated.
A former soldier with ten years of service, he understood more than most about the government—and even knew fragments about extraterrestrial matters. He had even received an invitation from S.H.I.E.L.D. in the past.
He knew what would happen if the child fell into their hands.
Endless experiments.
No life.
But with him and May… the child could have a home. A real childhood. Maybe even grow up alongside Mary's child.
His hesitation vanished.
"May, we're leaving. They'll be here soon!"
Ben quickly took off his coat and wrapped it around the baby. They had to leave—immediately.
He pulled May back to the car, started the engine, and sped off toward their home, carefully leaving misleading traces along the way to obscure their trail.
Soon, the crater was left silent.
Only the spacecraft remained… waiting for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s retrieval.
—
About ten minutes later—
Helicopters arrived.
Nick Fury stepped out with his team, surveying the scene. The opened spacecraft. The tracks in the dirt.
"Seal off the area immediately," Fury ordered, narrowing his remaining eye. "Find out who took whatever was inside that craft—object or person. We need to know what came to Earth."
"Recovery team—secure the spacecraft. Take it to Base 44."
As one of the world's top agents, this was his domain.
His mission.
What he didn't know… was that Ben and May had already returned to New York City.
At this hour, traffic was heavy—just another ordinary couple caught in the evening rush. With the limited surveillance technology of the time, tracking them was nearly impossible.
By the next morning, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were combing through the city, checking hospital birth records and searching for any unusual activity.
Their experts had already confirmed it—
The craft had once housed an infant.
Following tire tracks led them into New York's streets… where the trail vanished into a sea of identical cars and countless newborns.
And so began a search with no end in sight.
Fortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. took the matter seriously.
Which meant Nick Fury would continue leading the hunt.