American Comics: Something's Wrong with This Superhero World

Chapter 59 The Atmosphere of the Superhero World

"Is what you mean by the fastest man, the same thing I was thinking?" Xiao Xian asked incredulously. The Flash is the fastest man in the world?!

This is quite a lot of information, isn't it?

"That's exactly what you mean. Iris couldn't stand him anymore and broke up with him a long time ago, but she didn't make the breakup public to save Barry's face, plus there are many benefits to being the Flash's girlfriend."

Catherine covered her mouth and laughed.

"Wow, that's a sad story." Xiao Xian couldn't help but ask curiously, "Just how fast?"

"That's what Iris told me. Once she asked Barry, 'Have you started yet?'" Catherine mimicked both Iris and Barry's tone. "Barry replied, 'Oh? I've already finished.'"

"Pfft!!! Hahahaha~!" Xiao Xian laughed when he heard this. He thought it was a joke, but he didn't expect it to actually happen to Barry.

"I heard that Barry was bullied and injured by a school bully when he was young, and later his drug abuse caused both psychological and physical problems, so he's basically ruined," Catherine shrugged. "We've advised him to cut down on drugs for a long time, but he won't listen."

"Wow~ Even speedsters can get... you know... from drug abuse?" Xiao Xian said with some surprise. "I heard that their metabolism is much faster than that of ordinary people, so theoretically they should metabolize drugs much faster as well."

"That's why they take much larger doses of drugs than the average person, and they usually choose much more potent drugs. If they weren't speedsters but ordinary people, that amount of drugs would be enough to kill them," Catherine replied.

"No wonder America is the country that abuses drugs the most." Xiao Xian couldn't help but sigh upon hearing this. Perhaps it was because this world was a dark version, but so far Xiao Xian had already encountered two characters in the story who had been ruined by drug use.

One is Harry Osborn, who was so overdosed that he had brain damage and wanted to shoot people in the head while watching fireworks. The other is The Flash, who was so overdosed that he randomly attacked people and became the world's fastest man.

"Then call Iris over, we can do an exclusive interview." Xiao Xian said, putting his arm around Catherine. This thoughtful girl is really nice. I just don't know if Iris in this world is black.

Judging from the appearances of Catherine and The Flash, they should be from the CW TV series. However, this is not necessarily the case. After all, Spider-Man and Aunt May are not the same version in terms of appearance. Mary Jane is not from either version. Instead, she is more in line with the description in the comics, a red-haired beauty.

"She must be asleep by now, it's already three in the morning, and it's not really appropriate for a reporter to come to a superhero party like this," Catherine explained. "You heard what's going on outside."

"I thought she was someone in the industry, after all, she's The Flash's girlfriend. Oh well, I have to go back to New York early tomorrow morning. I'll do an interview another time."

Xiao Xian scratched his head, almost forgetting that not every superhero is as unafraid of reporters as he is. He has always been clean in his dealings and would never do drugs or cause trouble when drunk.

"In the eyes of people in the superhero world, boyfriends and girlfriends are unreliable, especially since she's an ex-girlfriend."

Catherine felt somewhat helpless. As a PhD in biology, she actually had little in common with these drug-using and promiscuous guys. Heatwave, Captain Ice—they were all petty criminals before they debuted, completely from a different social class than her. But since she had taken this job, Catherine had no choice but to deal with her peers.

"I think the superhero world is almost catching up with the entertainment industry, and some people even live a more extravagant lifestyle than those in the entertainment industry. Most of the people in the entertainment industry, even those from poor families, have been handsome men and beautiful women since childhood, and most of them have been popular since they were young."

"Many people in the superhero world were not only losers before they gained superpowers, but were also often bullied. Once they gained superpowers and achieved a leap in social class, many of them lost themselves and were capable of doing all sorts of crazy things. Barry said he even witnessed Aquaman and an octopus doing *that*."

"Huh?" Xiao Xian's eyes widened upon hearing this. This was a big bombshell. Was it really the Boys? But wasn't Aquaman married to Mera? How come he still had such an ambiguous relationship with Deep Sea from The Boys?

However, it seems that this topic has been mentioned in DC movies and TV shows, such as in The Peacekeepers, but that was a joke. Now, Xiao Xian thinks it's not impossible.

After all, Spider-Man would assassinate someone to steal their girlfriend, Harry Osborn would blow someone's head off just to satisfy his curiosity, and The Flash abused drugs to become the Hawaiian God of War, and is still yelling about the universe. Xiao Xian really thought it wasn't impossible for Aquaman and the fish to have something happen.

Catherine is right about one thing: many people in the superhero world, such as Peter Parker and Barry Allen, were ordinary people who were frustrated and unsuccessful before they gained superpowers. They weren't even considered normal ordinary people. They were the kind of losers who were often bullied, and whose childhood sweethearts would run off with someone else while they could only silently wish them well or even help them.

In most comics and movies, superheroes don't turn evil even when they are beaten down by society, and they still have a heart for justice even after gaining superpowers. But in this world, without this setting, these oppressed lower classes are lucky if they don't become supervillains after gaining superpowers.

Barry Allen fared slightly better, perhaps due to his adoptive father's better upbringing. The goddess he secretly admired also had a reliable job that didn't require him to make money. He joined the company, became a superhero, achieved upward mobility, and won over the goddess. Although he eventually became addicted to drugs due to his hedonistic lifestyle, which caused health problems, and the goddess ran away, at least The Flash didn't end up in jail.

Peter, in his quest to woo Mary Jane, was caught burglarizing a house before being recruited by any major company, making him a street hero. In the end, under Tomie's temptation, he used his superpowers to try to kill Xiao Xian and force himself on Tomie, which landed him in jail.

"I don't know if it's true or not. After all, Barry has been knocking on the head so many times that he can't tell east from west. Last time in the Hawaiian Islands, after he assaulted someone, the company sent a special team to handle it and bailed him out. The matter was supposed to be suppressed, but after he got out, he assaulted the people the company sent."

Catherine said with a hint of helplessness

"Fortunately, the company spent a lot of money and used both kindness and force to deal with the employee who was beaten. In addition, with Reverse Flash in the same ecological niche, the Flash's popularity did not rise. Otherwise, the Flash might have flopped. The Star Labs group would definitely disband without him. At that time, I would either go solo or find another group."

"Speaking of speedsters, Quicksilver, who just debuted in Xavier's School of the Rising Sun, is really popular. Does he have any older sisters who didn't debut?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Xian thought of Quicksilver, and then of Scarlet Witch Wanda. Although it's a bit scummy to be thinking about other women while holding Catherine, who can resist Wanda?

"I've never heard that Quicksilver has a sister, but I have heard that he might be Magneto's illegitimate son. Professor X is pushing him to debut and giving him a lot of resources because of his old buddy."

Catherine spoke mysteriously, as if this was explosive news.

(End of this chapter)