Chapter 1

A/N: first chapter of the new and improved A Superman In Marvel hope you all enjoy

Btw here's the new format I'm using since I see all these popular and better written fics use em

*Thoughts*

"Talking"

Mr poopybutthole

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The dim glow of the computer screen was the only light in the room. Stale air, tinged with the scent of unwashed laundry and takeout containers, filled the small basement where Kade had spent the last several months of his life. He sat slouched in a worn-out chair, his fingers sluggishly scrolling through the same comic book website he had been on for hours. His long, black hair hung in greasy strands around his pale face, and dark bags lined his eyes from years of sleepless nights.

It wasn't always this way. Kade, the youngest of 10 siblings, had once dreamed of something more. He thought, maybe one day, he would find his own path, carve out his own success like his brothers and sisters. But that day never came. Instead, he watched each one of them move on with their lives, becoming doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs. They excelled, while Kade remained stuck in the shadows.

*Always in their shadow.* The words echoed in his mind, stoking a bitterness that had settled deep within him. He had tried to break free. God knows he tried.

The business he started? A disaster. His dream of owning a small comic book store, a place for others like him, crashed and burned, leaving him with mountains of debt and a shattered sense of self-worth. And his fiancée—*Samantha.* Kade's jaw tightened just thinking about her. The one person who was supposed to stand by him, to see him through the worst of it, had cheated on him, leaving him to spiral into a deeper pit of despair.

The betrayal and financial ruin had stripped away any last shred of hope he had left. His family paid off the debts, not out of compassion, but to spare themselves the embarrassment. To them, he was just the *failure*—a problem to be solved and forgotten.

Now, he existed, a ghost of his former self, trapped in the basement of his parents' house. Comics and video games became his only companions. He rarely left, preferring the comforting isolation of his digital world over the harsh realities outside.

"Kade,honey dinner's ready,* his mother's voice rang from upstairs.

He didn't respond, just stared blankly at the screen. She didn't call again. She never did. They all knew he wouldn't come up. It had been months since Kade sat at the dinner table with his family. Even when he did venture upstairs for food, it was in the dead of night when no one was around.

Kade glanced at the clock—2:34 AM. It was quiet enough. He could go out, get some snacks, avoid the looks of pity from his parents and the judgmental stares from anyone else who might recognize him. He grabbed his jacket and left the basement without a word.

Outside, the streets were mostly empty, the cold night air biting at his skin. His reflection in a passing window caught his eye—disheveled, stubble-covered face, pale skin, and a bit of extra weight from months of inactivity. He hardly recognized himself anymore.

*What the hell happened to you, Kade?* he thought bitterly.

As he trudged toward the convenience store, something caught his attention. A crowd had gathered up ahead, and the flickering light of a fire illuminated the night sky. Kade slowed his pace as he approached, noticing the frantic shouts of onlookers. An apartment building was ablaze, thick smoke billowing from the windows.

People stood around, some filming on their phones, others talking in hushed, anxious tones. Kade shook his head in disgust. *Always the same,* he thought, *people watching, but no one doing a damn thing.*

He was about to turn and leave when he heard it—a woman's scream. 

"My son! My son's still up there!"

His heart skipped a beat as he turned back. A woman, her face contorted in sheer panic, was trying to break through the firemen holding her back. "He's still up there!" she sobbed, clawing at the ground as she was pulled away from the building. 

Kade froze. He could hear his pulse pounding in his ears, each beat sending a wave of panic through his chest. Ever since his fiancée left, ever since his life fell apart, he had developed a kind of anxiety—a crippling fear of being out in public, of facing people. That's why he only ever left the house at night.

*Walk away,* he told himself. *You can't help. You're not a hero.*

But the sound of the woman's cries rooted him in place. His breath came in ragged gasps as he stared at the inferno before him. Firefighters were struggling to gain control of the blaze, the building's poor construction working against them. Kade could see the foundation starting to give way, cracks forming in the concrete.

Another scream from the woman. She was inconsolable, collapsing to her knees as she pleaded with anyone who would listen. 

*Do something!* Kade's mind screamed at him. *Why isn't anyone doing something?*

And then, without thinking, he dropped the bag of snacks in his hand, ripping off his jacket. He ran toward the building, pushing past the crowd, past the firefighters yelling at him to stop.

"What the hell are you doing dumbass?!" one of the firemen shouted. "Get back! It's too dangerous!"

Kade ignored them, grabbing a water bottle and soaking his shirt before wrapping it around his face. His legs were trembling, fear coursing through every fiber of his being. He didn't know why he was doing this. He didn't even know if he could.

*You're a coward,* his inner voice taunted. *You couldn't save yourself, how the hell are you going to save anyone else?*

But his legs kept moving, taking him into the burning building. The heat was suffocating, smoke so thick it stung his eyes and filled his lungs. He coughed, gagging as he stumbled up the staircase. It was falling apart beneath his feet, chunks of debris crumbling as he climbed.

He reached the third floor, the air thick with smoke. Flames licked at the walls, and the heat was unbearable. Kade's eyes darted around, trying to see through the haze.

"Is anyone up here?" he called out, his voice hoarse. "Where are you?"

A faint whimper reached his ears, followed by the sound of a child's voice. Kade sprinted toward the sound, dodging falling debris as he entered one of the apartments. Inside, a man was pinned beneath a burning wooden beam.

"Help me!" the man screamed, reaching out toward Kade. "Please!"

Kade rushed over, grabbing the beam. The searing heat burned his hands, forcing him to back away, but he gritted his teeth and grabbed it again. His skin screamed in pain as he lifted the beam enough to free the man.

"Come on, there's a kid somewhere on the top floor we have to find him and get out of here!" Kade urged, pulling the man to his feet. But the man didn't help Kade search for the child. Instead, he bolted, leaving Kade standing there, stunned.

"HEY WHERE ARE YOU GOING,YOU FUCKING COWARD"Kade yelled

*Of course,* Kade thought bitterly, shaking his head. *Figures.*

He moved deeper into the apartment, following the child's cries. He found the boy huddled under a bed, trembling and too terrified to move.

"Hey, buddy," Kade said softly, crouching down. "It's okay. I'm going to get you out of here."

The boy didn't respond, just stared at Kade with wide, frightened eyes.

Kade reached into his pocket, pulling out a small Superman action figure he always carried with him. He held it out to the boy. "You like Superman, right?"

The boy nodded slowly, eyes still fixed on the toy.

"What's your name?"Kade asked 

"Bruce"The boy replied

"Well, Superman needs you to be brave right now Bruce.Can you do that? Can you be strong, just like him?"

Bruce hesitated but then reached out and took Kade's hand.

Kade squeezed Bruce's hand gently, trying to reassure him even as his own heart thundered in his chest. The heat was getting worse, the smoke so thick that he could barely see the outlines of the room around him. His lungs burned with every breath he took, but there was no time to think about that.

"Good job, kid," Kade said, his voice cracking from the smoke. "We're going to get out of here, okay? Just stick close to me, and I won't let anything happen to you."

Bruce nodded again, his small hand clutching Kade's tightly. Kade led him toward the door, but the moment they stepped out into the hallway, the entire building seemed to shudder. The floors beneath them trembled, and with a sickening crack, part of the ceiling collapsed behind them. Kade pushed the boy forward, instinctively shielding him from the falling debris.

*Shit.* Kade glanced back. The stairs—they were gone, completely engulfed by the fire or crushed beneath the wreckage. 

His throat tightened as panic surged. *What now?*

He looked around wildly, trying to figure out a way out. Every exit seemed to be blocked by either flames or rubble. His body screamed at him to turn back, to give up, but there was no way he could leave this kid behind.

Kade's mind raced. *There's got to be another way. Think, Kade, think!*

His gaze fell on the window at the end of the hall. It was a long shot, but it was the only option they had. He pulled Bruce toward it, running as fast as he could without losing his grip on the child's hand.

When they reached the window, Kade's heart sank. The drop was at least three stories high. There was no way they'd survive the fall without getting seriously hurt.

*Dammit.*

Bruce tugged on Kade's hand, his voice small and scared. "Are we gonna die?"

Kade knelt down, keeping his voice as steady as he could. "No, kid. You're going to be fine. I promise." He forced a smile, even though he wasn't sure he believed it himself.

Looking around the room, Kade spotted a pile of blankets and sheets near a bed. *Maybe... just maybe.*

He scrambled over to them, grabbing as many as he could. He ripped the sheets apart, tying them together as quickly as his shaking hands would allow. It wasn't much, but maybe it would be enough to lower the kid down to safety. 

Kade worked as fast as he could, his mind still racing with doubts. His hands were blistered from the heat, his muscles aching from the adrenaline coursing through his body. But he couldn't stop. Not now.

When he finished tying the makeshift rope, he wrapped the boy in layers of blankets, hoping it would provide some cushion. "Alright, listen to me. I'm going to lower you down, okay? Do not look down just keep your eyes on me you just hang on, and when you get to the bottom, you run. Don't look back, just run as fast as you can."

The boy's eyes widened. "What about you?"

"I'll be right behind you," Kade lied. He didn't know if he would make it down in time. But the kid didn't need to know that.

Bruce nodded, still clutching the Superman figure in his hand. "Okay," he whispered.

Kade secured the sheet around Bruce's waist and slowly started lowering him out the window. His arms ached from the strain, but he gritted his teeth and kept going, ignoring the burning pain. He couldn't let go—not yet.

He had lowered Bruce about halfway when the entire building shuddered violently. There was a deafening *boom* as part of the roof exploded, sending shockwaves through the structure. The sudden blast knocked Kade off balance, and before he could react, the sheet slipped from his hands.

"No!" Kade screamed, watching in horror as Bruce tumbled through the air.

Without thinking, Kade leaped after him. He barely registered the sensation of free fall, the rush of wind against his face, his heart pounding in his chest. All he could think about was the kid—he had to catch him.

His arms shot out, grabbing hold of the boy mid-air. Kade twisted his body, wrapping himself around the child, using his own body to shield him from the impact. The ground was rushing up fast—too fast.

*This is it.*

For a brief moment, everything seemed to slow down. The world faded around him, and all Kade could see was the sky. The first hints of dawn were creeping across the horizon, the dark blue of night giving way to the soft pinks and oranges of sunrise. 

It was beautiful.

The most beautiful thing he'd seen in years.

In that fleeting second, memories flooded his mind. Not the bad ones—those were always there, lurking in the back of his thoughts, poisoning everything else. No, this time it was different. He saw the good moments, the rare times in his life when he had felt truly happy.

He saw the day he first opened his comic book shop, the pride in his heart as he unlocked the door and saw the shelves lined with colorful covers. He saw the night he proposed to Samantha, when her smile had been the brightest thing in the world to him.

He even saw moments from his childhood—playing video games with his siblings, laughing as they fought over controllers. His older brother patting him on the back after winning a tough level, telling him he did a good job.

"I wish… I wish things had been different I wish I had the chance to make them proud .*

The ground hit him like a sledgehammer. Pain shot through his body, but it was over in an instant. There was no time to scream, no time to feel anything but a brief, jarring impact.

Then, silence.

Kade lay motionless on the ground, his arms still wrapped protectively around the boy. His eyes were open, staring blankly up at the sky, but there was no life behind them. His body was broken, limp, crumpled like a ragdoll from the fall.

People screamed, rushing toward them. Bruce, still cocooned in the blankets, slowly stirred. His wide eyes blinked in confusion as he pushed the blankets away and sat up. His tiny hand reached out, touching Kade's face.

"...Mister?"

Kade didn't move.

"Mister?" Bruce said again, his voice trembling.

Tears welled up in the boy's eyes as he looked down at the lifeless man who had saved him. His small fingers curled around the Superman figure, clutching it tightly as the realization sank in. 

The boy's mother appeared then, running toward them, her face streaked with tears. She scooped her son into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably as she held him tight. The boy didn't speak, didn't cry—he just held on to the Superman toy, staring at Kade's body in silence.

The crowd was hushed now. The firemen, the bystanders—they all stood in stunned silence, watching as the scene unfolded. 

No one knew who Kade was. To them, he was just some disheveled man who had thrown himself into a burning building to save a child. But to the boy, Kade was a hero—a real-life Superman who had sacrificed everything to protect him.

The sun finally broke over the horizon, casting a warm, golden light over the street. And in that light, Kade's broken body lay still, eyes wide open, gazing at the beautiful sky he had seen in his final moments.

For the first time in years, Kade had done something that mattered.

And it had cost him everything.