The Marvel Superman

The first thing Howard did after waking up the next day was instruct Jarvis to properly arrange young Adam's identity.

After more than a week of planning, Jarvis finally devised a solution. He first made a seemingly discreet trip to Hong Kong, where he searched for a woman who had once had a close relationship with Howard. Then, just as discreetly, he returned with a baby from Hong Kong.

With this, the media keeping an eye on Howard finally had a juicy story—Howard Stark's illegitimate child. Within no time, all sorts of bizarre news reports flooded in, leaving Howard in an embarrassing situation. Several women even came forward, bringing children to the newspapers and claiming to have had love affairs with him.

---

Stark Tower

Howard's business partner, Obadiah Stane, pushed open the door to Howard's office, walked in, and slammed a newspaper onto the desk. His tone was irritated as he said, "Howard, what the hell is going on? Look at this! Since the rumors about your illegitimate son started, our stock price has dropped several points."

Howard chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. This will all blow over soon. Trust me."

Obadiah frowned. "This is a serious loss for us. If you ask me, you should just deny that bastard outright."

Howard's smile faded, and his expression turned stern. "Stane! Listen to me. I said I'll handle this, but that boy is my son. Don't ever let me hear you insult him again. I may not have known about his existence before, but now that his mother is gone, I won't let him lose his father too. He is Howard Stark's eldest son, and one day, he will inherit my company."

Obadiah was stunned. "Oh no, you've got to be joking!"

Howard's tone remained calm but firm. "You know I don't joke about company matters. Now, leave. I'll take care of this. Don't worry about the stock."

Obadiah was secretly furious but had no way to argue further. He stood up and said, "Fine, I got it. I'll take my leave." Then, he turned and left the office.

Once Obadiah was gone, Howard let out a wry smile. "Jarvis, I don't even know what to say about your plan. Look at this mess... Sigh. Good thing Maria understands me, or you'd really be in trouble."

At that moment, the phone rang.

"Sir, it's done. The child is now officially registered as a Stark."

Howard nodded. "Good. Well done, Jarvis. Also, it's time to put an end to this circus. Send a few legal notices to the newspapers making the most noise—I believe they'll quiet down soon."

"Understood. I'll take care of it."

"Oh, and order a bouquet of roses and a diamond ring for me. I need to apologize to Maria."

Jarvis chuckled. "Always happy to serve, sir."

Hearing Jarvis's laughter, Howard grumbled, "Alright, enough. I'm hanging up." Then, he ended the call.

And just like that, the unexpected arrival of this new family member earned him a new name and a place within the Stark family. Maria Stark, feeling sorry for the boy (Howard had told her that the mother had secretly loved him, and after one thing led to another, the child was born—but he had no idea until her recent passing), accepted Adam as her own.

---

18 Years Later

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, 18 years had passed. Our protagonist, young Adam, had now grown into a promising 20-year-old man.

A lot had happened in those years.

At seven, Adam discovered he was different from others. At first, he thought he was a monster and feared his powers. Fortunately, Howard noticed and reassured him by telling him stories about Captain America, explaining that his abilities were a gift from the heavens, nothing to be afraid of—he just needed to learn to control them.

With Howard's careful guidance, Adam overcame his fears and learned to hide his powers. At ten, he discovered another ability—super strength. At fifteen, he awakened yet another—super speed—and even used it to save Tony from being hit by a car. Then, in biology class, he accidentally triggered his heat vision and nearly set the entire room on fire. At seventeen, his super hearing awakened, leaving him so sleep-deprived that he looked like a walking panda the next day.

But overall, despite all these events, Adam had learned to protect himself. He had managed to avoid being exposed, kidnapped, or forced into anything dangerous over the years.

---

Graduation Day

Today was a special day—Adam had finally graduated from Empire State University. He had been admitted at sixteen, and after four years of hard work, he had successfully completed his courses. Today was the day everyone would don their gowns, toss their caps into the air, and celebrate their achievements.

In a villa by the Manhattan waterfront, Adam was abruptly awakened by the sound of his phone ringing. As he opened his eyes, a slender arm beside him picked up the phone and handed it to him.

Frowning, he took the phone and saw that it was Tony calling.

"Hey, Tony, calling me this early—what's up?"

Tony's annoyed voice came through the receiver. "Hey, man, you didn't forget what day it is, did you? We're all ready to go!"

Adam thought for a moment before snapping awake. "Oh, shit! Today's graduation! Alright, no more talking—I'm on my way. Let's meet at school. Gotta go!" He hung up immediately.

A soft voice beside him murmured, "Honey, who was it so early in the morning?"

Adam turned slightly, glancing at the girl lying beside him—one of the girls from last night's graduation party. He must have gotten carried away and brought her here. Normally, he never brought strangers to this villa. Her name? Oh, God… Susan? Mary? Who knew?

Getting up, he said, "Listen, I have to go back to school for the graduation ceremony. Do you want a ride, or will you head back yourself?"

The girl stretched lazily. "Oh, honey, you go ahead. I'm only a junior, and I'm exhausted from last night. You were amazing. I'll be waiting for you when you get back."

Adam's expression darkened slightly. In a cold tone, he said, "Listen, sweetheart, I don't want to see you here when I return. Of course, if you want to meet up again, we can set a time and place elsewhere." Without looking back, he walked straight into the bathroom.

As soon as he closed the door, he heard the girl mutter an expletive before storming out. Smirking, he quickly freshened up, then grabbed a sleek black suit. Looking into the mirror, he saw a tall, striking young man with tousled black hair, piercing blue eyes, and a charming smile. Satisfied, he nodded at his reflection, then reached into a drawer and pulled out his car keys, adorned with a T-shaped pendant.

Leaving his room, he asked, "Athena, has that girl left?"

A soft, ethereal voice answered, "She just left, master. Hehe, you really have no sense of chivalry."

Athena was an AI system Adam had designed himself—the caretaker of this villa.

Shrugging, Adam replied, "Chivalry or not, I was drunk last night. If she had discovered this place's secrets, that would've been trouble. Next time, if I ever bring someone back while drunk, use an electric shock to wake me up."

This villa held secrets that only he knew—not even Howard or Tony were aware of them. This incident had been a wake-up call. Even with his powers, he had been too caught up in the party to resist intoxication. He needed to be more careful next time.

Athena giggled. "Understood, master. I'll remind you! Hehe."

"Good. I'm heading out now. Activate Level 1 security after I leave."

With that, Adam left the house, stepped into his sapphire-blue Ferrari Enzo, and sped off toward his graduation ceremony.