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Chapter 26: Superhero or Super Criminal? A Thin Line
🕑 Added 2025-03-25 17:12:47 +0000 UTC"Superhero Registration Act?"
The moment Nick Fury received an update about the diary, he rushed to his office, skipping dinner entirely. Alongside him was Natasha Romanoff, as well as a few of his most trusted S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives—Phil Coulson, Maria Hill, and Clint Barton (Hawkeye).
These were the people Fury trusted completely within S.H.I.E.L.D.
For once, he didn’t even bother complaining about Luo Chen’s strange habit of writing in his diary during dinner. After all, Fury himself had done similar things—like jotting down notes first thing in the morning, treating it like just another part of his daily routine.
It was as if keeping a diary was merely a task to be checked off.
Some people kept diaries to record their thoughts and experiences. Luo Chen, on the other hand, treated it like a login system.
There were even times when he was too lazy to write anything meaningful and would simply scribble "sign in" for the day’s entry.
The sheer level of indifference made Nick Fury’s hopes of extracting valuable intel from the diary seem almost impossible.
"This bill appears to be aimed at future superheroes," Phil Coulson noted.
Although he, Hill, and Barton didn’t have access to the diary themselves, Fury and Natasha had shared its contents with them, ensuring they were all on the same page.
"It seems likely," Fury agreed. "If Luo Chen is right about the sudden surge in superheroes, then it makes sense that the government would introduce a registration act to regulate them."
The others nodded in agreement. They had been analyzing every diary entry in detail, making sure not to overlook any crucial information.
"But if superheroes are increasing in numbers, then surely the number of super-criminals is rising as well," Hill pointed out. "And from what we’ve gathered, this all seems to begin when Tony Stark becomes Iron Man."
"Then we need to keep a close watch on Stark," Fury decided. "We need to know the exact moment he becomes Iron Man."
"But superheroes are already beginning to emerge," Coulson added. "For instance, there's one calling himself Superman."
"Superman?" Fury muttered, already feeling a headache coming on. "So the superhero explosion has already started. What do we know about him? His abilities?"
"Not much," Coulson admitted. "So far, all we know is that he's of Asian descent. But strangely, people who have seen him can’t seem to recall his exact appearance."
Fury frowned. "Some kind of magic or psychic ability?"
"Possibly," Coulson nodded. "We suspect it could be a form of hypnosis, mind manipulation, or some other unknown ability that prevents people from remembering his face."
"Very cautious," Fury muttered. "What about his powers?"
"Based on our investigations and the physical evidence left at the scenes of his actions, he seems to live up to his name. He possesses super speed, super strength, and enhanced endurance."
Coulson pulled out a file and continued, "Some gangsters he attacked were left with injuries comparable to being hit by a heavy truck. Multiple fractures—legs, ribs, hands—you name it. From this, we can confirm his super strength."
"As for his speed, witnesses say they barely saw him move. One second, they were standing; the next, they were on the ground. And after finishing an entire fight, he wasn’t even out of breath. That suggests enhanced endurance."
"In terms of overall physical capabilities, he's far beyond ordinary vampires and werewolves."
"Another troublesome character," Fury sighed.
"Our assessment places him above the average supernatural entity," Coulson went on. "But what’s notable is that he hasn’t killed anyone. At most, he’s inflicted serious injuries—crippling criminals for life but not outright executing them."
"That means he's exercising restraint," Natasha Romanoff observed.
"Exactly," Coulson agreed. "Some criminals had their hands broken, others their legs, and some were paralyzed entirely. Each punishment seemed carefully chosen."
"This suggests that his true power may be far greater than what we've seen so far. He could be stronger than Blade."
"How does he compare to the Hulk?" Fury asked.
"Hard to say," Coulson admitted. "Hulk's strength grows with his anger, and he has no control over it. This guy, on the other hand, clearly does. So in a raw strength contest, Hulk will surpass him over time. But right now, we simply don’t have enough data to make a direct comparison."
"And we still don’t know whether his powers come from science, magic, or something else entirely."
"Put together a full report," Fury ordered.
"Understood, boss," Coulson nodded.
"Let’s keep reading," Fury said, returning his attention to the diary. "The Superhero Registration Act must be a response to the sudden increase in superheroes."
The others nodded. That conclusion was simple enough.
They all understood that governments, regardless of ideology, had a deep-rooted mistrust of unregulated power. Even if superheroes acted with noble intentions, they were still unpredictable and difficult to control.
After all, the line between a superhero and a super-criminal was razor-thin.
Just as ordinary people could switch between being good and bad, so too could those with superpowers.
Take Tony Stark, for example. According to the diary, he was just a normal man with a suit of armor. If his moral compass ever shifted, what would stop him from becoming a major threat?
Superheroes might be idolized by the public, but to government officials, they were nothing more than potential loose cannons.
And then there was the collateral damage.
The destruction and loss of life caused by superheroes often weren’t much different from that caused by super-criminals.
The best example of this was the Hulk.
Abomination had rampaged through Harlem, causing countless deaths and leveling buildings. The cleanup had taken years.
But could anyone say that the Hulk had done significantly less damage?
The reality was, whether hero or villain, the impact on the world was often the same.
