1 A New Life and Taking Advantage of it

"You love him more, don't you, Rebecca?" my father glowered over my mother's more petite frame and I found myself gritting my teeth as I looked around the room, looking for something to use to defend my mother:

It was about to happen.

You may be wondering 'What's about to happen?' well, to give you the short answer, it's quite easy. My father is about to murder my mother.

The long answer is a little more...complicated. One day, in my past life, I died. I don't know why but honestly, I'd suspect it was something to do with my heart. I never did take care of my body and with the amount of junk food I ate...I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. Anyway, after that, I had thought it was the end. I thought I was dead and either darkness of the afterlife awaited me.

But, that wasn't the case. I woke up in a child's body.

I was around 2 years old at the time, or at least the body was, and I remember taking a few weeks to really realize what had happened. It was hard to get used to, I'll be honest. But when I got used to it, an even bigger problem came; certain names, certain companies...it all added up and gave me a slight impression that I may have been transmigrated into a different world from what I had been in before.

For one, my name was Bruce Banner. The same name as the man who gets angry and becomes the Hulk. I know, I know, bit shoddy, right? Could be anything or simply just a coincidence. But then a few other incidents happened. I found out my mother was called Rebecca, the mother of Bruce Banner in the Marvel comics. My father was also called Brian, who was also the name for Bruce's father in the comics. Even worse...he was just as abusive as he was in the comics. He always looked at me as a monster from the first time I saw him after I woke up in my new body.

I'd heard him speaking into a recorder about my behavior and how it proves that I was a mutant like he thought. I'd heard him trying to convince my mother that I was a deadly mutant but luckily she wouldn't have any of it.

...Anyway, I also discovered, through newspapers and such, that companies such as Stark and Hammer Industries were both real. Oscorp was also around. I'd seen articles about Dr. Connor aka The Lizard, winning awards as well.

So, I easily came to the assumption that I was THE Bruce Banner. That I was in the Marvel Universe. Though I'm not sure which one, honestly. Because I look nothing like Mark Ruffalo but I've seen articles about Tony Stark and he looked exactly like Robert Downey Jr. It was confusing but I could only assume that I was in the MCU with only myself being different.

Much different, I would assume as well. Why? Because I was waaaay younger than the MCU version of Bruce. I was born in 1988, so I'd be 20 when the MCU started.

"Brian," mom said, putting her hands gently on my father's face, trying to calm him from his drunken rage, "I love both of you equally. Please don't try and start an argument," she begged as she looked toward me. Though that look seemed to light the fuse to the powder keg in the old bastard's head and he landed a solid strike on mom's nose and she went down, covering her face.

I instantly went into action.

I was only 10-years-old, there's no way I could overpower my father. But I could incapacitate him with hard enough blows in certain places. Even then, I'd been lightly working out my body with push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and running whenever I could, so I wasn't the average 10-year-old I would have been in canon.

"Don't you dare look at him while we're talkin--GAH!" he was cut off as I slammed my child-sized fist right into his nuts. He dropped his hands to his groin and bent over. The pain had taken away most of his brain functions, not that they were all there anyway, and I picked up a solid marble statue with a solid base before lifting it up with both my hands. I looked through my glasses at the man who'd abused me and my mother for years...if I weren't already an adult, I'd have been scarred for life. Even with my adult mind, it was hell to live with this man.

His green eyes stared back, filled with anger and hatred but I didn't pause any further and simply brought the statue down onto the top of his head and he was out like a light and fell to the floor like a bag of bricks.

Unconscious, not dead. I couldn't have him getting away so easily.

I rushed to the phone and quickly picked it up, dialing a specific number before holding the phone to my ear, "Hello, I'd like to speak to the police, please."

. . .

"Rebecca! Bruce!" my Aunt Susan rushed over to us and pulled both of us into a bone-breaking hug, "How are the two of you--What a stupid question, you must be exhausted! Let me take your bags and then we can go back to my apartment and order some pizza, okay?" she forced a smile before taking my bags off of me.

This is Susan Banner, my father's sister. This mustn't be nice for her either, to be honest - her brother's been sent to jail for Child Abuse and Grievous Bodily Harm, after all.

Mom just smiled at her before nodding with red-rimmed eyes, "That'd be great, Sue," she smiled before ruffling my hair, "But you'd better ask this one. He's only been eating healthy super foods since he was around 3--Whatever a super food is. I just know they're quite expensive," she laughed and Susan joined her as she looked down at me with the same green eyes my father had. Though instead of the dazed and drunken anger, they were filled with love and patience.

"What will it be Brucey? Fancy giving up the Olympic Athlete diet for a single night so we can have some pizza?" she teasingly looked down at me and I just rolled my eyes before pushing my glasses up and nodded in reply. "Good, a kid should act like a kid, you know?" she joked, obviously trying to keep the mood light.

And with that, my life living with my Aunt and my mom began. Though I must say, it was pretty odd that my Aunt lived in New York. Shouldn't she live nearer to New Mexico where we used to live?

Guess it's another diversion from canon, huh?

. . .

"Another PhD to add to the collection..." I muttered as I leaned into the back of my chair and rubbed my eyes underneath my glasses.

Everything was coming together.

I'd been priming my body for the Gamma Accident ever since I could tell my mom about what food I wanted. I'd pushed my body as far as it could go with specifically made workouts and exercises. With the facilities at my college, I'd been putting together serums that supported my body and upped my strength to high-end human levels. Like Batman levels of physical ability.

Sadly, it didn't do much for my body in terms of shape.

I was taller than in canon. Around 6'1". But I was quite skinny. Still covered in muscles, but unless I had a top that was either skin-tight or I wasn't wearing a top at all, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between me and any other lanky 19-year-old.

*Knock knock!*

A quick tap of a fist against my college dorm's door caused me to raise an eyebrow.

This early? I'd only just given in that paper on using radiation to promote muscle growth...Well, I guess it works for me.

Getting up, I walked to the door and opened it, not forgetting to push my glasses up - how do they even keep falling down my nose like that? I've had them perfectly fitted to my face, after all - and I looked through the gap in the door and at the three people in the hallway.

Each of them were dressed in casual military fatigues, and all of them had serious yet attractive faces. Probably to help them 'recruit' people for whatever project I'm about to find myself in.

It was currently 2007. A year before canon.

You might think the gamma accident might have happened before now, right? Wrong. They need my mind. My expertise, so to speak. Without it, they'd probably end up killing more soldiers than actually saving them.

"Bruce Banner?" the person at the forefront of the trio, a blonde woman with piercing blue eyes, spoke up to me with a inquisitive tone.

Nodding, I answered, "Yes, that's me. Who's asking?"

"Please, sir, come with us," the woman asked and putting on a confused face as if I didn't expect this, I opened the door fully and exited my room.

Other people in my dorm were looking to me, whispering about what was happening but I ignored them and simply followed after the soldiers.

My entire life, planning for this moment, and yet despite knowing how prepared I was...I was feeling quite nervous. Not quite shaking in my boots scared but not cool as a cucumber either, is how I'd put it. But I knew I couldn't miss this opportunity.

The resources and facilities of the entire US Army. That Gamma 'Accident' will help me survive this world. And if I play my cards right...Getting that defunct super soldier serum they injected into Emil Blonsky and fixing it up so I can mix it with the Gamma empowerment I'm going to go through as well...

I will become the Ultimate version of myself. If not for my own safety but for my mom and aunt's.

I couldn't let Thanos snap those fingers, so I'd be sure to break his whole goddamn hand for good measure. Maybe even his whole arm...Hm, might as well...go for the head as well.

Huh? Huh? Get it? Go for the head?

...God, I really am nervous. Speaking to myself and joking. I'm like Spider-Man all of a sudden.