Become a Homelander and a Marvel superstar

The wind from outside rushed in through the window, ruffling his blood-stained blond hair.

Having lost his super senses, he could no longer hear distant sounds or see things behind the clouds.

But the corners of his mouth slowly curved into a relieved smile.

Starr.

John Starr.

He now has a real name.

[Hint! Gained 50000 special popularity points! (From Homelander John Starr)]

……

New York, Illuminati.

Master Modu sat expressionlessly on the metal hospital bed.

His forearms and wrists were wrapped in a light blue medical gel, a nano-repair solution formulated by Mr. Fantastic Reed Richards.

The nerve reconnection surgery has just ended, and his hands have finally been saved.

But the humiliating feeling of being abused was still slowly eroding his heart.

The anger in his heart, however, burned like a raging fire fueled by oil, growing ever stronger.

"You look terrible, Mordo."

Captain Carter pushed open the glass door and walked in, looking at Mordo's fingertips, which were still trembling slightly.

"I'm fine, Peggy."

Modu didn't look up, but clenched his fists, the gel making a slight squeezing sound.

"You don't look too good." Cattra pulled up a chair and sat down. "Charles is worried about you. We all know Strange is a threat, but what you're doing now... looks more like revenge."

"That guy isn't just a threat!" Mordo glared, his eyes flashing with malice. "He's a monster! Have you ever seen anyone shove a mechanical blade into their own arm?"

"He could injure me without magic. If he breaks free of his handcuffs and regains his magic, who can stop him? The next cosmic collision and annihilation will happen because of him!"

Captain Carter sighed and opened a holographic report. A three-dimensional model of Earth was projected into the air by a blue light.

"Christine not only took him away, but also hacked into the Buster Foundation's security system, erasing their trail." Carter pointed to several flashing red dots on the model. "We sent out a thousand Ultron robots to search every place they might have gone, but found nothing."

Modu sneered and stood up from the hospital bed.

"She was a smart woman, but she made a fatal mistake. She was blinded by her emotions."

Mordo walked up to the holographic report and used his still throbbing fingers to perform a series of operations.

Immediately following, a dense array of red dots appeared, covering the entire three-dimensional model of the Earth.

"I have already applied for the Special Artemis Protocol," Mordo said coldly.

Carter's expression changed. "Are you crazy? That's Tony's ultimate program. All Ultron robots will enter unrestricted search mode! This will cause global panic!"

"Panic is better than the destruction of the universe." Mordo remained unmoved.

"Charles won't agree to you doing this!" Carter said, displeased.

"The Illuminati are decided by vote, Peggy," Mordo said firmly. "Dr. Reed and Black Karga will both support me. Strange must die!"

Carter looked at the almost fanatical Sorcerer Supreme before him, shook his head, and turned to leave the medical room.

Mordo looked at the holographic projection again.

"You can't escape, Strange," he muttered to himself. "This time, I'll cut off your head with my own hands."

……

Valnerina Valley, Italy.

This is a remote and isolated land.

The rolling green hills, the grapevines covering the mountains, and the stone buildings left over from hundreds of years ago make this place seem to have been frozen in the Middle Ages.

The morning sun shines on the ancient cobblestone streets.

Stephen Strange stood in the backyard of a farmhouse, holding a heavy iron axe in his hand.

He was wearing a simple white linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up above his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms.

The magic-suppressing handcuffs on his wrists remained tightly locked, like a curse of fate, or a testament to his self-redemption.

"Snap!"

He raised his axe and swiftly chopped a large piece of oak.

The firewood split in two with a snap.

Sweat dripped down his forehead and onto the soil.

Stephen took a deep breath of the crisp air, which smelled of earth and dew.

He liked this feeling.

There is no magic, no superheroes, and no burden of protecting the world.

All that remained was pure physical labor and genuine exhaustion.

"Your wood-chopping skills are far superior to your magic."

A cheerful voice came from behind.

Stephen turned around, a smile unconsciously playing on his lips.

Christine came over carrying a bamboo basket full of fresh tomatoes and eggs.

She wore a floral maxi dress, her hair casually pulled back, and her face was free of makeup, yet she was more captivating than Stephen could ever remember.

Stephen put down the axe and stepped forward to take the bamboo basket from her hands.

"Is this a compliment, or a mockery of my past magical abilities?" Stephen raised an eyebrow.

"An objective evaluation." Christine smiled, tiptoed, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with her sleeve.

Stephen wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned down to plant a kiss on her lips.

"I like it here," Stephen said softly.

"Me too." Christine leaned against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. "Mrs. Maria said that there was a bumper grape harvest today, and the village will have a celebratory dinner tonight."

Mrs. Maria was the owner of the farmhouse, a warm-hearted Italian widow in her fifties.

A little over a month ago, when Stephen and Christine arrived in this remote village, covered in dust from their escape, it was Maria who took them in.

"Then we need to go help." Stephen let go of Christine and picked up the firewood from the ground.

In this valley, where there were no Ultron robots patrolling and no network surveillance, they spent the most peaceful time of their lives.

Stephen carried the firewood into the kitchen, and Christine began preparing breakfast.

The fire was lit, and the aroma of coffee filled the entire room.

Stephen sat at the slightly rough wooden table, watching Christine's busy figure, his eyes softening with tenderness.

He raised his hand and touched the magic-suppressing handcuffs on his wrist.

For more than a month, he did not try to untie it.

Even though he knew that if he wanted to, he could easily cut through these handcuffs with the mantis knife in his forearm.

But he didn't want to.

These handcuffs represent his promise.

He promised never to use magic again and never to repeat the mistakes of the "Strange" universe.

"What are you thinking about?" Christine carried two plates of omelets to the table and sat down.

"Thinking about how lucky I am, you bastard." Stephen chuckled and picked up his fork.

Christine rolled her eyes at him, but she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes.

"Last night, I checked the Buster Foundation's internal dark web," Christine said in a low voice. "It uses a receiver modified from that old radio at the village entrance."