Have you read the Superior Spider-Man?
Did you like it?
Did you hate it?
Whatever your feelings are, welcome to the Superior Legacy!
I know you have a lot of questions.
I know you are afraid and would rather be anywhere else.
I also know that all of this is for the sake of us both. I know that you will find yourself grateful to me once you see the results of my gift.
Before I go any further, I want you to know that the things I am about to tell you are not for the weak of heart or mind. And though my upbringing does not excuse my crimes, I love to think it may at the least explain them.
I wasn't born into the lap of luxury and prestige like Osborn or Stark. My name meant nothing. My family was nothing. My father was an abusive drunkard. My mother an overbearing hypocrite. My peers unwashed and uneducated sadists.
I honestly believed that I could prove all of them wrong through the use of my mind and work ethic. But alas, despite my clear superiority, I still found myself an object of ridicule and abuse from those around myself. Nevertheless, I persevered.
But a man can only endure so much until he snaps and turns into something hideous. I used to tell everyone it was the explosion that messed with my brain. But now I understand it was simply an excuse.
An excuse to shed the skin of a meek and pathetic man and be reborn into someone greater.
My name is Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius.
Doctor Octopus.
The Superior Spider-Man.
And if you are here, then that means I have chosen you.
Be thankful for I shall make you a part of something bigger than you can imagine.
§
Izuku felt the air leave his lungs. Doubling over in pain, the teen didn't dare raise his eyes. He knew better than risk pissing off Kacchan any more.
"You really don't know when to quit, do you, Deku?" the blonde scoffed before pressing his face down into the dirt. "Who the hell told you you could cheat me out of the top spot, huh?"
He didn't cheat! Izuku bit his tongue before the bitter words made it past his lips. He didn't cheat. He never cheated.
But it didn't matter to Kacchan. All that mattered was that he didn't have the top ranking while a Quirkless little nobody did.
"What's the matter, Deku? Got nothing to say?" he pressed down harder, the dirt mixing with tears on his eyes. "God, whether mumbling or holding your tongue, you are a fucking annoyance anyway."
Kacchan chuckled, "Heh, maybe that's your Quirk? Being fucking annoying?"
Izuku gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to lash out. How many times did Kacchan have to rub it in his face? How many times would he put him through this until he was satisfied?
"Tell me, Deku... Do you honestly think you can be an actual hero?" Izuku lifted his face off the ground. Staring into Kacchan's face, he saw the blonde's lips twisted in a smile. A condescending cruel smile. "Without a Quirk? With your weak body and no fighting skills?"
Kacchan spat.
"Fanboys like you should just become salarymen and leave the world-saving to people with real power!" He roared out, the explosions going off at his right palm. With his left, the blonde grabbed one of his notebooks off the ground. "Seeing a useless weakling like you think he is my equal..."
His notebook was torn into shreds and ashes.
"... makes me sick."
Izuku snapped and screamed as he pushed himself the ground. There was nothing cool or gracious about the way he moved. Tears and snot running down his face, Izuku drew his fist back ready to make Kacchan feel all that he did.
If only his fist connected before Kacchan slammed him into the ground.
"Really? That's all you can do?" Another punch to the guts. Another kick to the chin once he was down. "You know what, Deku... If you want to be a hero that badly, then you should take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a Quirk in your next life!"
With one last kick to his stomach, Kacchan turned to leave. His two lackeys gave him pitiful and condescending looks before following after their leader.
Left all alone in the dirty alley, Izuku clutched his bruised stomach and wept.
§
It's infuriating, isn't it?
To be mistreated and mocked because you are different from the rest of the people. I know such pain all too well. No matter how much further advance as the society, we still long to achieve that sickening conformity where we all feel safe.
Mutants. Inhumans. Freaks.
Now Quirkless.
It is unfortunate and unpleasant truth but humans will always cling to the status quo. Either because it directly benefits them or because they are far too terrified of exploring the world beyond their little boxes.
Which is why those that defy the fragile social order will inevitably be crushed.
§
"Are you sure you didn't provoke him?"
"You shouldn't be lying about your classmates like that, Midoriya-kun."
"Bakugou-kun is the pride of our school. If I ever hear any more of this nonsense and you will be suspended."
Izuku slammed the door behind himself, his breathing uneven and eyes watering. Ten years. He had endured the bullying by Kacchan for ten years. All this time he was always afraid of telling on Kacchan. Bully or not, Izuku worried for what his allegations could do to the blonde.
Turns out he worried over nothing.
None of the teachers believed him. None of them cared. And the principal would rather throw him under the bus than Kacchan. Why, he wondered bitterly. Why did nobody believe his bruises and burns?
The answer came to him the very next second.
He was Quirkless.
What good could a Quirkless person do in the society of superhumans? What fame and status would he bring to Orudera Junior High? No matter what he did, he would never be the hero like Kacchan. He would not bring the school any honor or renown.
And this made him expendable. A collateral damage on the way to improving the reputation of their shabby little middle school.
Izuku laughed. A small bitter sound. He was so afraid of hurting Kacchan. And for what? To hear how little his torment mattered? If he were to take Kacchan's suggestion and take a sean dive off a roof... Would they even care?
Or would they simply cover it up and move on?
He honestly didn't want to think on that another second.
He would prove them all wrong. Whatever it takes, he would see that he not just passes the UA entrance exam but also graduates from the school with honors. He would surpass everyone and prove that he didn't need a Quirk.
Yes... He didn't need a Quirk. No matter what the world said, there was one person who believed in him. Izuku smiled as he played the video on his phone. An interview from a couple years back.
There, sitting with the same bright smile, All Might said, "It doesn't matter whether you have a Quirk or not. As long as you have the resolve to help those in need, you can always become a hero!"
Who cared what Kacchan thought? Who cared what his teachers and classmates said? As long as he had All Might's words of encouragement, Izuku would never give up.
"Oooh, what have we got here?"
The voice sent the chills down Izuku's spine.
In the dark of the tunnel, he didn't notice the mass of green sludge until it had swallowed him whole.
§
The only way not to end up a victim is to have enough power to fight back. Not just physically but mentally. You must be ready to take on the world. Or you will end up depending on the mercy and the pity of those stronger.
I relied on the Sinister Six. I relied on the Spider Army. I relied on my robots and tech. And in the end, all of them turned on me and contributed to my demise.
Don't trust anyone but yourself. Don't look for help in the skies. Don't pray for your idols to save you.
Because eventually, no matter how much you may trust them, you will be betrayed.
One way or the other.
§
Izuku lost count of how many times he imagined this day. He always that meeting All Might in person would be the turning point of his life. The moment when all his hopes and dreams would be encouraged by his idol.
He never imagined it would go like this.
"I am sorry, kid... But without a Quirk, your dream is impossible. You should give up on it."
To his credit, the top hero sounds sincerely sorry. But his words hurt just as deep. Suddenly, bruises and burns left by Kacchan didn't hurt at all. In fact, Izuku didn't feel anything. Slumped against the wall, he stared down at his notebook with hollow broken eyes.
All these years he told himself nothing was impossible. That it didn't matter that he was born without a Quirk. Even as everyone around him dismissed his dream, he always had All Might to keep him going.
Izuku choked back the sob as he watched the interview that was his sole source of hope all this time. Except now everything about it looked fake. From his muscular body to his confident smile, everything in the video was fake to Izuku.
"You are a liar, All Might," he spat bitterly.
Izuku shut the video down and tossed his phone into his bag. How many years had he spent clinging onto the man's empty words? How long had he told himself All Might believed in him?
He should have realized it sooner. He should have known the world's strongest man had no idea what it was like to be weak. Why did he even trust the man's words during the interview?
Because Kacchan was right...
Because he was an idiot.
He never should have trusted All Might.
§
The next thing I am about to tell you is the hardest. It took me years in being locked up in here to admit it without excuses or delusion.
I was the villain of the story.
For years, I saw myself as the unsung hero. A victim of the world that only wished to prove himself. I let the anger and the pride fester inside me, turning me into the monster even worse than all my tormentors combined.
After my last failed attempt at immortalizing my name, through deception and technology, I have successfully cheated death. I gained the second chance at life by stealing the body of my greatest foe: Spider-Man. I had the new life. A brand new opportunity to prove myself.
And I wasted it.
Because when it came to making right choices, I always chose wrong.
§
As he passed through the street, Izuku wondered if there was any point in even applying to UA. He had only a year until the exam. He could train like crazy but it would only do so much. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be?
But how was he supposed to just give up and get-
"Out of the way!"
Izuku yelped as he got knocked down. The fall was fast and sudden, as was the small crowd of people running past him.
Against his better judgement, Izuku ran towards the danger. It was his nature, he thought, to go where the heroes would be.
Behind the lines, among the flames and smoke, there was a villain whose body was seemingly made of some sort of sludge.
But it was not the villain's appearance or the destruction he caused that made Izuku's heart stop.
It was the person trapped within the villain, struggling against the restraints.
"K-Kacchan..."
§
I achieved the power to fight back.
To never feel vulnerable or weak ever again.
Blinded by my own ego, I sought out to prove myself superior to the man whose life I stole. I told myself I would improve his life. And, for a while, it seemed that I did.
But in the end, none of what I did made me his superior. It didn't matter if I had better tech or minions to do my bidding. Because, at the end of the day, I lacked the one thing that truly mattered.
A hero's heart.
§
Leave him to die.
He deserves it.
What can you possibly do?
So many thoughts like that kept coursing through his brain. Their voices, the distorted mockery of his own, sounded angry, vengeful, apathetic and ecstatic. This was the karma at work, they whispered. The fitting end for the guy who made his life a living hell.
What could he do? He was just a Quirkless kid! Hell, there were five different pro heroes on the scene! And if they couldn't do anything, what good would he be? If he tried to do something... He would die.
"Kid, get back!"
"Somebody has to save him!"
"Idiot, grab him!"
The heat and smoke hit him fast, overwhelming all his senses. The screams and commands faded into the background noise among the roaring flames. He didn't understand why he was doing this. At this very moment, Izuku didn't even think about anything but the crisis at hand.
The streets on fire.
The villain laughing in triumph.
And his childhood friend's body trapped within the sludge.
The thoughts and the world around him mixed into the blur. The cacophony of screams, roars and cries. He made it past the debris and the fire. He managed to make it to Kacchan. He tore at the green slime and managed to free up Kacchan's mouth.
The stuff smelled foul and burned his hands. Izuku ignored it and kept tearing at the restraints. Just a little more. Just a bit further. There! As Kacchan took a breath of air, Izuku let out the sigh of relief.
The blonde said something. Scornful, out of breath, "Why are you doing this?"
Why was he doing this? Hundreds of reasons why he shouldn't be doing this made its way into his mind. Kacchan bullied him. Kacchan beat him. Kacchan made his life a living hell all for the sake of what, his personal amusement?
So why?
Why risk his life like that?
The answer came out in broken sobs.
"You looked like you were asking for help!"
§
A hero's heart... Such a sentimental thing. Once upon a time, I would dismiss it as nonsense.
But I already tried once to build a hero based solely on equations and formulas. And though such hero proved efficient, he failed at being the inspiration a true hero should be.
The Heart is what prevents people like Stark and Danvers giving in to their pride and hunger. It is what pushed Parker to always sacrifice himself and his own for the sake of others.
Body can be trained and modified.
Mind can be sharpened and attuned.
But a Heart, at its core, will always remain the same.
Which is why you were chosen.
§
Izuku sighed as he walked home. He knew he did the right thing when he went to save Kacchan even if ultimately All Might was the one to save them both. Was him running into the fire even necessary?
According the various pros, it wasn't. However, Izuku didn't hold a grudge against them for scolding him. He did put himself in danger and had no way out of it. If it weren't for All Might, the villain would probably have both of them as hostages.
But the very fact that he did the right thing filled Izuku with happiness. He didn't have a Quirk. But he could still help, however little. Maybe he could even become a hero, after all.
Izuku smiled to himself as he started mentally going through the things he could do. He would need to adjust his plans a little. He wouldn't be able to get in proper shape within a year but he could definitely study up to enter the Support Department.
From there, he could work on equipment and make something useful enough to pass during the Sports Festival! Yes, he almost forgot about that opportunity. With the grin, he pulled out his notebook and started writing in it.
He was so engrossed in his notes that he never noticed the figure follow him. In another life, just in five minutes, Izuku would be confronted by All Might and offered to inheir the man's Quirk.
But before the fateful meeting doesn't happen here. Instead, just a block or two away, the man behind him pulls the trigger and Izuku freezes in his place, feeling something bite him in the neck.
His body suddenly feels heavy and numb. He grabs at it and can barely make out the dart before dropping it. What's going on? What's... W... Who... H... He-... l... p.
The man clad in black and gray picks the now unconscious boy up. Just a block or two away, All Might waits for the boy that will not come. Just around the corner, a pissed off blonde is waiting for Izuku to give him a piece of his mind.
Neither of them meet the boy as the black-clad figure disappears into the shadows of the alley.
§
"... which is why you were chosen."
Izuku stated at the man on the screen, frozen in place. When he first woke up in here - half-naked in this cold lab of green metal - he wanted to run. He would have done so if it weren't for the restraints on his body.
But now, even with them gone, he stayed in his place, too engrossed in the tale of Dr. Octavius, the man from another world. And even though Izuku realized he was a villain at some point, he couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards the man's life.
Not when it resembled his so much.
"I don't know how I ended up here. Erasingy consciousness from Parker's body entirely was supposed to kill me. Instead I found myself here, trapped in the poor attempt at artificial intelligence. It was then that I realized the universe was giving me a chance to make up for my failures. Immediately, I began to work."
The bulky robot - the one that brought Izuku here - stepped aside as the wall behind him split apart, revealing the strange construct of metal and glass. The robot motioned for him to approach it. Izuku did just that, looking at the machine in awe.
He could feel something stir inside of him. Call for him to touch it. It felt warm against his skin. Even if his brain recognized the chills running down his spine.
"I wanted to create the machine that would bring me back," Dr. Octavius said. "I planned to start with the clean slate. Create a perfect body for myself. New identity. New equipment. A new chance to be the Superior Spider-Man."
The man's digital copy let out a small sigh.
"But I know better than trust myself with it. I am intelligent enough to recognize the futility of my attempt at heroics. It wouldn't be too long before I gave in to the same hubris and anger that brought me down last time. I am too flawed. Too easily tempted. I cannot be the Superior Spider-Man."
The man turned to him, Izuku could feel the man's eyes burrow into his soul.
"But you could be."
"M-Me?" Izuku spoke for the first time in hours. "But why choose me? I am a nobody. I don't even have a Quirk!"
"Precisely. You are a nobody. You know what it feels like to be powerless. The people like your classmates, who have held the power all their lives, have no respect for that power. But someone like you, who was born without any power, knows the value of strength, and knows compassion."
"But that's not always true, is it?" Izuku challenged the man's words. "There are many who were born without power. And when they get such power, they abuse it."
It was nice to think that an underdog would always do the right thing. But that was not the case in reality. If you were once poor and then rich, would you share your wealth or say it was not your responsibility to do so?
"If you were that kind of person, you would let the blonde kid die, wouldn't you? Yes, you both were saved by All Might. But when the situation seemed hopeless, it was you who rushed in to do something. Not one of the heroes or even adults on the scene. You, a Quirkless little nobody, who was much more vulnerable than any of the pros."
Izuku was silent at that. It was one thing to risk his life in the heat of the moment. But could he honestly say he would do it again? Or that, given the power, he would not succumb to it.
"The man who proved my superior, the real Spider-Man, had this to say about power, Midoriya. With great power, there must also come the great responsibility. And I believe that you can bear that responsibility."
The machine opened up, revealing the hollow space with various tubes inside. It looked ominous. It was calling for someone to step inside. It was calling for him to fill the gap within. And yet there was another voice, begging him to refuse.
Saying that he wasn't ready. That he wasn't strong enough to handle this power.
He squashed the voice down. He pushed the doubt and hesitation away.
He took a step inside the machine.
"You made the right choice, Midoriya. The process ahead is not pleasant but I assure you it is not dangerous either. It took me years to build up the capital and materials needed. There is nothing that threatens your health, physical or mental."
The machine closed, trapping Izuku in darkness. In the cold confines devoid of light, it was Izuku's single-minded determination that kept him calm. Several steel bands protruded from the hidden compartments.
His wrists, ankles and torso were restrained.
A strange metal helmet attached itself to his head.
"The experiment that granted Parker his power was nothing short of a miracle. But that's the thing about miracles: they are not reliable. You can't simply repeat the same thing that happened to him and hope for the same result."
Several needles pierced his skin, pumping the unknown liquid inside him. He felt the serum spread across every cell of his body. Burning him alive. Eating at him with each passing second. Despite the pain, he refused to beg for the process to end.
He could do this.
He refused to step down now.
"Though the base of my serum is still spider venom, I saw it fit to modify it using the strands of different samples of spider DNA. I went the furthest I could without the serum threatening to break down your body."
The helmet came to life. The current of electricity ran through it, flooding his brain with information. As more and more data kept pouring inside his brain, Izuku screamed out in pain.
"It is painful, I know. But I wish to set you on the path to superiority. And in order to get there, you shall need more than just brute strength. I am simply expanding the capacity of your brain. I hope you use this gift well."
Did he become smarter? Perhaps he would notice that if he weren't in so much pain right now. The machine let out low sound before a breather appeared before him.
Shortly after he put it on his face, several vents appeared all over the walls around him. The strange green liquid began to pour inside, filling his already small space with it.
"Now is the time for the final stage, Midoriya. The serum I developed requires a large amount of nutrients to provide the desired results. The compound you are submerged in right now shall stabilize the changes to your body. Think of the machine as your cocoon, from which you shall emerge a changed man."
With those words, Izuku's consciousness faded away.
§
Otto smiled triumphantly.
He knew that he could never be a hero. But in this world, where there were no Avengers or Spider-Man, he would create the hero far superior to them all. That was his ultimate redemption. And the fact that this child would bear his mantle only added to his satisfaction.
Even if he himself would remain in the shadows, Otto would take pleasure in knowing that he set the young Midoriya onto the path of becoming this world's greatest hero.
Speaking of which, now was the perfect time to check up on the boy.
Accessing the camera in the training facility, Otto allowed himself to marvel at the result of his work. It was fascinating how much a man's body could be advanced in just three days. Gone was the skinny pale child.
In its place now was the creature, standing far above a mere man.
He tore through the primitive attack drones like wet paper. His movements were still rough and unrefined, nothing like him or Parker. But the speed and power behind each jump and sprint was undeniable.
He could see the boy's eyes burn with calculations as he took in his surroundings
His accelerated perception coupled with the brain augmentation Otto gave him left the machines no chance to come even near him. As the last robot was reduced into a pile of metal, Otto decided to make his presence known.
"Good morning, Midoriya. Tell me, how do you feel?"
The teen stops looking at the destroyed robots. He turns to the camera, with the brightest most grateful smile Otto has ever seen.
"This is amazing, Dr. Octavius!" He exclaims in excitement. Like a child gifted with the toy he begged for. "At first I thought you just made me stronger and faster, which was already more than I could ask for. But then I was on the ceiling and I could run up the walls like it was nothing! Then one of the robots attacked and it was like everything suddenly slowed down!"
One of the robots rose behind him. Before Otto could warn him, Izuku moved. Knocking the loose piece of metal off the ground and into his hand, Izuku threw the chunk at robot's head. All without breaking eye contact with the camera.
"And then there's this," his grin grew wider. "I can sense danger coming my way! It's a little hard to pinpoint the source when I am fighting multiple opponents but still! I can sense it all! I feel amazing, no, not the right word. Spectacular? Sensational? I feel-"
Otto smiled.
"-Superior."
Izuku chuckled.
"Heh, I wouldn't go that far, sir," Izuku fidgeted awkwardly. Humility, the emotion Otto even now had trouble understanding. "But yeah, compared to the way I was, I definitely feel superior."
Good. Otto would not allow his successor to play down his future achievements. Humility was good, but in regulated doses. There would be times in the future where the child would need to take the credit he deserved.
"Then are you ready to take up my mantle?"
Oneof the walls opened up, revealing the the suit behind. As many bad memories Otto had with the suit, he couldn't help but keep the design the same. It was his. From the black and red pattern to the spider-arms to the spider symbol that took up the lion's share of the chest section.
"Are you ready to become the Superior Spider-Man?"
Izuku reached for the costume. Carefully, he traced his fingers across the chest symbol. Turning around, the teen smiled in excitement.
"When do we start?"
Otto smiled back.
"Now."
I recently reread the entire Superior Spider-Man run and my thoughts didn't change much. I am still not a fan of the story BUT I did really enjoy the exploration of Dr. Octopus and the idea of doing the hero job with villain's mindset.
The last issue where Otto sacrificed himself was a proper end for the character's story and reestablished that Peter Parker, despite his many flaws, is and always will be Spider-Man.
Then, of course, Marvel decided to go and ignore all that character development stick Otto in some machine and make him an asshole again.
Not in this story.
In this story, Otto died and stayed dead on Earth-616. And now trapped in BNHA, instead of reverting back into an egomaniac monster he decides to keep himself locked away in digital world.
Helping Midoriya achieve his dream of becoming a hero is his attempt to redeem the name of Superior Spider-Man. Will he be successful? Or will he simply make Izuku into a twisted copy of himself?
I read a lot of stories where Izuku has a mentor. In all of them, his mentor is someone who is on the pure side of good or evil. But what if he were to study under someone who tried both?
If you are interested in where this story is going, be sure to leave a review! Suggestions are welcome!