Adapting in Marvel

Washington, D.C., White House.

Raven, in her role as the President, was delivering a White House speech.

"As we all know, the inauguration of the Soviet president is currently underway.

In just four hours, the Soviet Union—and the entire world—will witness the rise of its first Mutant president.

The evil leader, Sebastian Shaw, known as Black King Shaw, will use his power to establish an even stronger Mutant nation on the foundation of the Soviet superpower.

According to intelligence gathered by the CIA,

The Soviet Mutant President, Shaw,

Intends to declare war on America and all of humanity during his inauguration ceremony.

There is no doubt—the entire world now stands on the brink of war.

To preserve global peace,

To uphold justice,

Our superhero team, the X-Men, will embark on a mission to the Soviet Union!

With their incredible abilities, they will protect America and all of humanity.

They will thwart the evil plans of Black Emperor Shaw, whose conspiracy threatens to destroy the world.

Let us witness the heroic actions of the X-Men together.

And finally, may God bless America!!"

Raven had become increasingly skilled at delivering speeches,

Her passionate words drawing cheers from the American people watching on TV.

She had effectively framed the X-Men's operation in the Soviet Union as an act of justice.

Boom.

Amid the roaring cheers of the crowd,

The X-Men boarded their supersonic jet, aptly named the "Statue of Liberty."

The supersonic plane soared into the sky.

"Fuck this! If I have to wear this ugly X battle suit again, I swear I'll be a dog,"

Magneto grumbled, glaring at the yellow X battle suit with disdain.

The other X-Men exchanged glances, but their eyes couldn't help drifting toward Brian, who stood out in his sleek and stylish blue battle suit.

Unlike the yellow X battle suits that everyone else wore, Brian's uniform was a perfect blend of the Superman and Homelander designs.

The blue suit highlighted Brian's muscular physique perfectly.

The X logo was engraved on his golden belt, while red combat boots and a red chest emblem complemented the blue of the uniform.

To add a touch of majesty, both shoulders featured decorative red accents.

Brian had also customized the cape—Finding the plain red too monotonous, he had added five red five-pointed stars to its design.

This small but striking detail made him look even more commanding, reinforcing his image as a true Homelander.

At this moment, Brian looked exceptionally handsome, creating a stark contrast with the rest of the X-Men, who were stuck in their plain yellow suits.

"Hey, Hank, I think your sense of aesthetics could use some serious improvement.

Look at Brian's uniform—it's amazing! And these X-Men battle suits? They're just awful,"

Even Professor X chimed in, offering his rare and honest opinion.

Brian sat comfortably in his chair, a smile on his face, and turned to Beast Hank.

Beast Hank looked embarrassed.

He was a top scientist and inventor among Mutants, but designing fashionable uniforms was not his specialty.

The X battle suit worn by the X-Men was the best he could come up with after much effort.

But now, seeing Brian's Homelander-inspired uniform,

Hank had to admit—it truly looked impressive.

"Brian, what's the purpose of the five-pointed stars on your cape?"

Alex asked, staring curiously at the back of Brian's uniform.

In truth, Alex wasn't the only one wondering.

Professor X and the others also looked puzzled.

"Each of these five stars holds a different meaning,"

Brian began, speaking solemnly.

"The red five-pointed star in the center symbolizes hope and light.

The other stars represent unity, peace, revolution, and struggle.

I hope that this five-star cape will fly proudly over America, inspiring its people to embrace peace and hope."

Brian's words carried a weight that left the group momentarily silent.

"Hope, unity, peace, revolution, struggle... That's a truly beautiful message,"

Professor X said, standing in admiration.

The meaning behind the five red stars stirred a sense of aspiration in him.

"Alright, let's go over the mission details one more time,"

Professor X said, his expression becoming serious as he shifted his focus back to their objective.

He glanced once more at the five-star cape with a hint of envy before addressing the team.

"This time, we are heading to Irkutsk Oblast in Siberia. On the central island of Lake Baikal, there is a Soviet military base.

Our mission target—the Mutants who have joined Sebastian Shaw's camp—are hiding there,"

Professor X explained as he introduced the mission details.

According to intelligence gathered using the brainwave enhancer, over the past few days, 10 Mutants had joined Shaw's camp.

Due to his involvement in the Soviet presidential inauguration, Shaw had temporarily stationed these Mutants at the military base on Lake Baikal.

This served two purposes:

First, it ensured the safety of the newly joined Mutants.

Second, it allowed Shaw to focus fully on his inauguration without distractions.

"Ten Mutants? What abilities do they have?"

Cyclops, the newest member of the X-Men, asked curiously.

"Because these Mutants have mental shields, I cannot directly sense their presence,"

Professor X replied, a hint of helplessness in his expression.

"I've had to rely on the eyes of ordinary people within the military base to gather what information I could."

Professor X's telepathy was undoubtedly powerful, but it had a critical weakness.

When faced with items or abilities that provided mental shielding,

His powers became limited, leaving him frustrated and sometimes even helpless.

"It is clear that there are Mutants with mental shielding abilities within Shaw's camp.

So far, I've only been able to identify three of them,"

Professor X added, his tone somber as he shared the limited intelligence.

The first Mutant, named Armstrong, is a Soviet.

He is suspected to have super strength and can easily lift a heavy tank with one hand.

The second Mutant, named Duncan, is an African American.

He is referred to as "Spider-Man" by the soldiers at the base.

His hands have barbs like those of a spider, allowing him to climb walls, and he can spit out highly sticky webs from his mouth.

The third Mutant, named Roderick, is a white American.

He has a pufferfish-like appearance and can release a neurotoxin from his mouth that instantly paralyzes anyone exposed to it.

Professor X shared all the information he had about these three Mutants.

The X-Men began to discuss their abilities.

"Super strength... That's an impressive ability,"

Magneto remarked, clearly intrigued.

Among the X-Men, no one currently possessed super strength.

The idea of lifting a heavy tank weighing hundreds of tons with one hand made Armstrong's power stand out as formidable.

"Don't spiders release webs from their abdomens? Why does this Spider-Man spit them from his mouth?"

In contrast to Magneto's serious contemplation, Sean Cassidy found himself distracted by a strange observation.

Sean Cassidy wasn't focused on how to defeat the enemy at the moment, but rather on why Spider-Man could spray webs from his mouth.

"Why can you emit sound waves from your mouth?"

Alex mocked him directly, earning chuckles from the rest of the team as they exchanged amused glances at Sean's peculiar question.

"Uh, okay, just ignore what I said,"

Sean Cassidy replied, smiling awkwardly.

"The third Mutant, the one who releases toxins, should be easy to deal with,"

Hank said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"We just need to wear gas masks, and that should be enough to handle him."

Everyone else nodded in agreement with Hank's reasoning,

Except for Professor X and Brian, who remained silent.

"In fact, Hank, the Mutant who can release toxins is the most difficult to deal with,"

Professor X finally said, drawing puzzled looks from the rest of the X-Men.

"Why is that, Professor?"

Hank asked, clearly confused.

"Because the toxin released by this Mutant can enter the human body through the pores,"

Professor X explained.

His words caused all the X-Men to collectively draw a sharp breath.

If what Professor X said was true.

Then this Mutant was far more dangerous and challenging to handle than they had initially thought.

___________

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