How It Began
Hey, I'm Peter Parker! Your Friendly Neighborhood... Well, you already know who I am. To say my life is complicated would be a tremendous understatement. I guess you can say it's a reflection of the world I live in. Let me give you a quick rundown of how things work around here.
So for those of you with your head stuck in the ground, the people in this world are born a bit differently. Officially, it all started back in the 1930's, when the military was experimenting with the concept of creating a Super Soldier. But rumors, legends, and random internet theories think it goes back way further than that.
In any case, people started popping up with different special abilities. Super powers, or 'Quirks', to give it a simpler name. Of course, it wasn't long before one of these guys thought, "Hey, I can probably use these powers to put myself above everyone else!"
And for a time, chaos reigned. Regular law enforcement was literally powerless to stop the growing amount of super crime. Fortunately, this trend would be met in kind by the emergence of Heroes; those with Quirks who devoted their lives to keeping the peace, and protecting society as a whole.
Heroes like Ka-Zar, Namor the Sub-Mariner, the original Human Torch, and Captain America along with his sidekick Bucky. They would go down in history as the first in a long line of defense against the chaos, leading the charge for justice.
Fast forward a hundred years later, and now roughly 80% of the world's population has a Quirk of some kind. Whether it was through scientific breakthrough, genetic mutation, or just plain bizarre circumstance, super powers have become the norm. But aside from that, not much has changed. Super crime is still very much an big problem, and with the evolving nature of Quirks, it's even more dangerous to deal with.
As such, the most popular career is to become a fully fledged Superhero. Granted, you have to go through a ton of training, prove you can safely use your Quirk in public, get licensed by whatever state you live in, it's not an easy process.
The best way to accomplish this is to attend one of the specially sanctioned schools run through the world peacekeeping organization S.H.I.E.L.D. It's a long road, but if you've got the right power and the right attitude, you can make it happen.
Seeing super activity is pretty normal around here: some bad guys try to pull something daring and illegal, heroes swoop in and save the day (sometimes with a dose of minor property damage), rinse and repeat. Here in New York City, we probably have the largest number of registered heroes in the country. Although that's probably because we've got the most crime in the country.
I know I sound kind of jaded right now, but honestly, I was in awe of the heroes. Here were these people, devoting their lives into protecting others. They had amazing powers and everyone knew who they were. Even as a kid, I would stop and watch as the heroes did their thing, taking notes on some of the quirks I witnessed in action. I wanted to be just like them. More specifically, I wanted to be like HIM.
Everyone has a hero growing up, I was no different. My parents were scientists, so I admired people like Reed Richards, and Bruce Banner. But the one who stood above them all was Tony Stark, better known to the world as Iron Man.
One of the founding members of the Avengers, I don't think there's anyone in the world who doesn't know who this guy is. I used to love watching this old video of him rescue a train full of injured civilians on his own. He was larger than life and everybody loved him.
To be that kind of hero is something I think everyone should aspire to be like, and I was no different. But here's the sad truth; not all men are created equal. I would learn that some kids had more power than others. And just as quickly, I learned that some would never have power at all.
"Sorry kid, it's not gonna happen."
Pretty harsh, right? But those were the exact words my doctor told me at age six. Somehow, like about 20% of the world's population, I wasn't genetically predisposed to having a Quirk. I was "Quirkless," to put it bluntly. And when you're different like that, the world doesn't let you forget it. One person in particular was a constant reminder, but I'll get to him in a second. I think first, I should start with the day my entire life changed.
It was an average day at Midtown Jr. High. I was 14 years old and in the middle of my last year. Our science teacher, Dr. Connors, was handing back our exams. I remember at the time I was daydreaming and writing in my notebook. On the way to school, I witnessed the debut of the new Ant-Man, even got a couple of pics on my camera. But I guess I should call him "Giant-Man", considering his size at the time.
Anyways, the ball started rolling in my Science Class when the teacher, Dr. Curt Connors, was handing back our recent tests...-
"Not bad, Mr. Thompson," said Dr. Connors to one of the students, setting down a graded sheet of paper. "Much improved, but there's still plenty of room for growth. Especially if you plan on going to Marvel Academy after this year."
"Heh," the boy grinned smugly. "With my power, I don't need to worry about not getting in!" He looked around at the other students in the classroom. "You hear that? I'm going straight to the top, and I'm the only one in this school who's gonna do it!"
- The guy with the blond hair is Eugene "Flash" Thompson. Big guy, star quarterback, and he's got this awesome Quirk that would make anyone jealous. I've known him since preschool, and naturally the guy's ego grew along with his power. Too bad his brain didn't... -
"Before you make such bold claims, perhaps first you should try and get marks as high as Mr. Parker here," the teacher replied, handing him a perfect score. "I understand you're interested in attending Marvel Academy as well?"
Flash looked over incredulously, "You serious? Puny Parker wants to go to M.A!?"
Peter took his graded test from Dr. Connors. "For the Support Course, if you must know," he said, bitterly addressing the upstart boy.
Flash scoffed as a few of his cronies got in on the conversation.
"Just as well, you'd have no chance anywhere else, you Quirkless runt!"
"I bet he won't get in anyways!"
"Even if I wanted to try for the Heroes Course, who says I couldn't?" Peter asked, adjusting his glasses. "There's plenty of heroes without Quirks. Just look at Hawkeye, or Mockingbird!"
One of the boys frowned, "C'mon, Mockingbird's a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, not a full-on hero."
"And the way Hawkeye shoots, there's no way he doesn't have some sort of targeting Quirk!" The other chimed in.
"Alright, enough," called Dr. Connors, tapping his reptilian right hand on the front board with annoyance.
"There's plenty of room at M.A. for someone with the drive and dedication to become a hero, no matter their contribution. I would be proud if any of my students got in, but that's still a ways off. For now, let's move on to our next chapter..."
After class, Flash cornered Peter before he was able to leave his desk. Dr. Connors had left to grab something from his laboratory, so it was Peter alone against Flash and his buddies.
"You're not going to M.A, Parker," he said coldly.
"Says who?" Peter replied, trying his best to ignore him.
"Says me," Flash glared at his classmate.
"Why do you even care?" Peter finally looked up into his bully's eyes. "I already said I'm not trying for the Hero Course-"
"That doesn't matter!" Flash slammed his hand on the desk. "I'm Midtown's star athlete with a boss-level Quirk! I'm supposed to be the first and only student from this crap school who gets into that place! Not some Quirkless bookworm with a Support Course loophole!"
He looked down at the desk, quickly snatching up the notebook Peter was writing in. "What the hell's this?" Flash asked, flipping through the pages. "Notes on Quirks? Shitty pictures? Are you stalking heroes again, you damn nerd?"
"Give it back, Flash," Peter stood up irritably.
"Ooh, Puny Parker's getting mad!" One of his friends teased. "Why don't you try asking him nicely?" Said the other.
"Fine," Peter said, gritting my teeth. "Please give it back, Eugene."
Immediately, Flash slammed him up against the wall. Black tendrils emerged from his back, waving wildly. And a goo-like substance covered the boy's arm.
"You don't get to call me that," he glared into Peter's face. "Only my friends get to call me that, and even they don't call me that!"
"Flash, settle down!" Said the first crony. "You don't wanna get in trouble again, not before the big game!"
"A-And what about M.A?" Chided the other, "You don't need another fight on your transcript!"
Flash narrowed his eyes, perhaps weighing the potential consequences before he threw the boy to the ground. One of his tendrils kept him in place on his back.
"Knock me around all you want, you can't stop me from trying!" Peter said bitterly.
"You know what you are Parker?" Flash asked.
"Enlighten me," he retorted, struggling to escape his grip.
"You're a bug," the bully sneered. "A useless, little Wall-Crawler trying to get to a place he doesn't belong."
"So what does that make you?" Peter asked.
Flash got dangerously close to his face, another of his tendrils grabbing the notebook. "I'm the guy who steps on the bugs," he said. As if on cue, the tendril crushed the notebook like it was nothing and tossed it aside.
"Stay out of my way Parker," he glared, retracting the tendrils. "Or you'll get stepped on too." With that, he walks out of the room, his two buddies following close behind.
Jerk, he thought, struggling to stand up.