Melting Pot Concept in Marvel

Aaron casually fiddled with the instruments and reagents in the lab, making Norman's brow twitch nervously. When he heard Aaron's words—

Norman's lips tightened; he glanced toward the doorway and edged a bit in that direction.

"Are you a robber? A corporate spy? How much do you want? Name your price and I'll pay."

"One million? Ten million? I'll do my best to meet your demands."

Aaron shook his head and picked up the incomplete version of the human-enhancement serum Norman had just set down, giving it a rough shake.

Alarmed, Norman hurried to intervene:

"But…if you're planning to do anything else, you'd better think carefully. My name is Norman Osborn!"

"Even if your name is Thanos, it makes no difference to me!" Aaron said with a faint smile.

Norman blinked in confusion. Thanos? Who's that? Is he supposed to be tough? Tougher than me?

He was Norman Osborn, head of Oscorp—one of the most cutting-edge tech companies in America, maybe the world. They specialized in biomedical technology and also had some military contracts. They had close ties with the U.S. military, and even the leaders of other great nations showed them due respect!

While Norman was still puzzling over it, his hand inched toward the alarm button. With one press, armed Oscorp security would arrive within three minutes, and the police would be there in ten.

"If I were you, I wouldn't bother with that," Aaron said, raising his head as if he'd known Norman's intentions all along. He gestured politely with his right hand: "Go ahead and press it if you want. I won't stop you."

Seeing Aaron's calm, unhurried manner made Norman hesitate. He wasn't stupid; the intruder had easily hacked the electronic lock on the lab door, so either he was a top-tier hacker himself or had accomplices. It was all probably part of the man's plan.

Accepting this, Norman walked over. By then, Aaron had already pulled out Norman's office chair and taken a seat, as if he owned the place.

"Who are you, and what do you want? Are you aware of the consequences of what you're doing?" Norman demanded. "General Ross, General Soth—these are friends of mine. You know what that means, right? If you cross Oscorp, you're going to disrupt military plans. There's nowhere on Earth you can hide from the FBI."

Standing face to face with Aaron, Norman's eyes flicked toward a drawer that contained a gun. At that moment, he froze. Aaron, noticing the movement, calmly opened the drawer himself and pulled out the Glock inside. Norman automatically backed up two steps.

Aaron checked the gun somewhat clumsily, then suddenly aimed it at the palm of his own left hand and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

He's insane!! Norman raged silently. What asylum did this lunatic escape from? Arkham?!

After his initial panic, Norman's expression turned to one of shock and disbelief. He stared at Aaron's left hand, which appeared completely unscathed.

"It's about as painful as a mosquito bite," Aaron said. "So that's what you rely on for protection? That's your trump card?"

He flipped the flattened bullet out of his palm, looking disappointed. "I suggest you keep an AK or an RPG around in this lab. A 9mm toy can't protect you."

Gee, thanks for the advice, Norman thought bitterly. You think everyone's a freak like you? Mysterious and ridiculously strong, shooting yourself like it's nothing—and coming out without a scratch!

And he'd bypassed all of Oscorp's security to reach the boss directly. All the safeguards Norman had installed might as well have been nonexistent.

If this guy really wanted Norman dead, turning the lab into an armory wouldn't help one bit. So is there a mole in Security?

"You're very agitated right now—your heart rate's spiking into dangerous territory. Hmm, your brainwaves are too active as well. Maybe you should calm down with a glass of water?" Aaron said with a friendly smile.

Norman nearly exploded. Then why don't you pour me one, buddy?!

Knowing he was dealing with no ordinary man and that he stood no chance by resisting, Norman resignedly pulled out a chair and sat. Typically, this seat belonged to one of his subordinates, but now he was the one sitting there while Aaron occupied the boss's seat, as if he owned the place.

"Don't be so tense," Aaron said. "I'll ask you again: Do you want to live?"

This time Norman caught his meaning. Seeing the incomplete serum in Aaron's hand and recalling the odd, overpowering defense Aaron had just demonstrated, Norman's eyes widened. His voice turned low and urgent: "Are you saying…you have a perfected human-enhancement serum?"

Aaron shook his head, and Norman's face fell. Of course it couldn't be that simple. If a flawless enhancement serum existed, the military wouldn't have come to him in the first place. Not even some secret organization could likely produce a true, perfect formula.

But in the next moment, Aaron spoke again: "I don't have one. But I can improve yours."

"And more than that…"

"Even without the serum, I can resolve your family's genetic defect problem."

Beneath the table, Norman's hands clenched. "You're not lying? How would you do that?"

He was pursuing human-enhancement research not simply to serve the military, but primarily to cure his family's hereditary disease—an affliction that had claimed the Osborns for generations. Although they enjoyed immense wealth, none of them made it to a ripe old age, succumbing to the disease before their time.

He'd poured countless dollars into experiments, collaborating with top biologists, determined to break the family's curse. Yet he himself was nearing the critical age and still hadn't found a viable cure.

In fact, his various attempts had occasionally provided "interesting distractions" for New York's law enforcement.

"That's not your concern," Aaron said flatly. "All you need to figure out is: what price are you willing to pay?"

He'd come here to lay his cards on the table, but he wasn't interested in a few million or even tens of millions. His objective was all of Oscorp!

At its peak, Oscorp rivaled Stark Industries. Its scope was broad, and in biology in particular it was absolutely top-notch. Just look at how many notable villains had ties to Oscorp—Green Goblin, Lizard, and indirectly even Doc Ock, Electro, Rhino…not to mention Spider-Man was bitten by an Oscorp spider. Truly a breeding ground for extraordinary "talent."

Now Norman, calming down, studied Aaron carefully. He had a feeling that this man's demands wouldn't be easily satisfied.

Aaron then spoke. "I want all of Oscorp."

"That's impossible!" Norman snapped.