S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Assessment

A mocking Phil Coulson gave a wry smile and said, "Sir, you knew this would happen, but you didn't stop me."

Nick Fury said, "Someone could try it out, there's nothing to lose. And you're just being ushered out, not shot, and carried out by medics. Isn't that better?"

"Besides, I already told you that before you think you can label that man as ' Superman,' you should first investigate the creators of the Superman comics. Find out what they actually know."

Phil Coulson, still sporting a wry smile, said, "Jerry Gorr, the original author of * Superman *, and cartoonist Joe Schuster..."

They passed away in 1996 and 1992, respectively.

"Moreover, since the creation of Superman, there have been new works, new enemies and new settings, and many creators have been involved in it."

Tracing the original creator is pointless.

With a "I've got it" look on his face, Nick Fury said, "So, the Superman comic isn't an artistic creation with a specific reference point. What's the point of taking a comic book and asking a living person this question?"

"How is your behavior any different from those fortune tellers who freeload off others? They spout nonsense without specifying the time or place, and then smugly claim their divination was accurate after the fact."

Speechless, Phil Coulson thought for a moment and then asked, "Sir, may I ask your opinion on Henry Brown?"

"Yes, this is just my personal opinion, not the opinion of those people in the department."

If it were anyone else, Nick Fury might have let it slide. But Phil Coulson was a promising newcomer whom he intended to nurture, which is why he said:

"His information isn't classified at a high level within the bureau. As long as you apply for permission, even you can access it. So telling you this doesn't violate the bureau's policy."

"There are some additional things that haven't been filed yet. You'll forget them once you hear them; they have no source, and I won't admit to ever saying them."

"His blank experience before 90 years ago was living in an alien research base in Siberia. But as you know, with the collapse of the Red Empire, many things are different now."

"So in 1990, Henry Brown appeared in Alaska. It wasn't until 1991 that he became Audrey Hepburn's assistant and bodyguard, possessing Mutants qualifications."

"The desert emergency landing of a small passenger plane that same year was the first unusual crisis he was involved in."

Phil Coulson then said, "Assuming he really does possess Superman's abilities from the comics, then he should be the protagonist who solves this problem."

"That's right. It's just a pity that Professor X, who cooperated with the government, although he assisted in the investigation of the participants' behavior and stance afterward, only gave the answer that no one betrayed them, and refused to say more details."

Phil Coulson asked, "Even the department can't request the X-Men's cooperation?"

"The Mutants issue is complex, and the department's policy is to avoid deep connections. Therefore, we only request X-Men support when anomalies occur that we cannot handle. However, that's a last resort; after all, they are also targets we must be wary of."

"Learn."

Nick Fury continued, "Back to Henry Brown's situation. In 1993, Audrey Hepburn passed away, and he returned to Los Angeles."

He was implicated in the murder of State Representative Mike Liddell Halton's family.

"According to inside intelligence, he was neither the killer nor directly involved in the state legislator's death. He was just someone caught in the crossfire. Most importantly, this incident conveys a very important message."

What message?

"It's pointless to force him to do things he's unwilling to do. State Representative Mike Holden State hoped Henry Brown would use his talents to protect him, but the state representative still died, along with his family, secretary, and bodyguards."

"Hmm, failure to rescue in danger is a crime? I don't think California has that law?"

Nick Fury explained, "What If...? there is a duty to care for or protect the deceased, such as a security guard employed by them, manslaughter may be applicable in California. Abandonment may be applicable to young children."

"But Henry Brown wasn't employed. And the state legislator was legally missing, without a registered address, so his death couldn't be used to investigate. And the person who did all this was someone from the Continental Hotel, not Henry Brown."

Phil Coulson asked, "Then the Continental Hotel ---"

"That's not the point of today," Nick Fury continued. "Also, it's inside information that Henry Brown later worked as a ' Tinkerer ' in the South Los Angeles as a clandestine doctor."

"The tinker played a significant role in the Tinkerer. However, he also took about six hundred thousand dollars in illicit funds, which made him a target for the police and the FBI."

"But the problem remains: there's no direct evidence that he's the Tinkerer. The FBI searched his house during the Skrulls disturbances, but there was no trace of the money."

Phil Coulson then mentioned, "Still the Continental Hotel-- "

"Don't mention the Continental Hotel; it represents another side of the order. The United States can declare war on the whole world, but it can't afford another Civil War."

"Okay. Is he still operating as a ' Tinkerer ' now?"

"Now? Of course not. The CEO of Stark Studios still carries considerable weight. His Umbrella has shifted from Continental Hotel to Stark Industries, an even more powerful backer. This is, of course, the consensus among most people."

"What most people think?" Phil Coulson asked, puzzled.

Nick Fury said, "At the beginning, who wouldn't have thought that cinematic digital imaging technology was Tony Stark's doing?"

But does anyone still think that way today?

"Although Stark Industries is backing them, who wouldn't want to test the stability of that backing? Perhaps the cooperation between the two sides is just a facade. That's why Sony, with its urgent needs, stepped in."

Phil Coulson interjected, "Then came the bombing of the Sony Building in Los Angeles."

Nick Fury said dismissively, "Yes. The moment the lost and found list was signed, the Sony Building exploded."

"Who else could be the prime suspect besides him? But there's no direct evidence to prove it. The FBI, for its own protection, is unwilling to investigate further."

"And this incident also sends a warning: his things aren't so easy to take. At least until they figure out how Henry Brown detonated the bomb, no one will dare to take his stuff."

"In fact, if the Skrulls hadn't interfered and exposed his weakness, do you think this person would have ever suffered a loss in his life?"

"He doesn't need Superman's abilities to live a good life. Perhaps he has already used Superman's abilities, but there's no evidence, not even indirect, let alone direct evidence."

"If you want to doubt him, you can't just question whether he jumped out of a comic book based on the fact that it existed before he came to Earth."

"Is there really no evidence at all?" Phil Coulson asked, exasperated.

"Actually, there's some evidence to support the existence of Superman."

Phil Coulson's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Oh, really?"

Nick Fury said, "In 1992, the Joker, who helped the X-Men defeat the aliens, did indeed have abilities very similar to Superman, according to eyewitness testimonies from U.S. military soldiers."

"But the Joker only appeared once. And the department even reconstructed the Joker's face, resembling Hollywood star River Phoenix. However, that young man also committed suicide."

"Then there was the final battle between the Skrulls and the Kree. In space, when Maria Rambo, the Skrull refugees, and I were trying to return to Earth from space, we were pursued by small Kree aircraft."

"Back then, there was a mysterious figure in black who could fly freely in a near-vacuum environment and shoot down many enemy planes. He was the second person who seemed like Superman. Unfortunately, I couldn't catch up with him, and there was no eyewitness information on the ground."

Phil Coulson asked, "Is it him?"

Nick Fury shrugged and said, "Like I said, without direct evidence, we can only suspect. Henry Brown should have been in Louisiana at that time, while we were in California."

"Unless it is confirmed that he is Superman, can fly, and has Super Speed, it is extremely difficult to prove the connection between Henry Brown and the Man in Black given the distance between the two places."

"But this kind of thing is irreversible. We can't use it as evidence to prove that he is Superman, the man in black I saw, because that doesn't make sense."

"Besides, he's not the kind of super-criminal we need to deal with. We can only conduct a non-contact investigation and minimal surveillance on the grounds that he poses a threat."

Phil Coulson then asked, "But I've heard that quite a few people in the department support this, and we should take action, even if the evidence is insufficient. That's why I want to confirm that he's Superman, not Ultraman."

Nick Fury chuckled and said, "With only circumstantial evidence, we can have doubts, we can investigate. But without direct evidence, a decision that violates human rights cannot be agreed to."

"What If...? the action against Henry Brown is approved today, tomorrow we can use the same reasoning to suspect the people in the White House, the Pentagon, and Capitol Hill of treason and then purge them."

"Edgar Hoover's actions blocked the way for those who followed. No other investigative body has ever been able to obtain such power. After all, no one wants to experience the twelve years of McCarthyism again."

"What If...? who dares to issue such an order should be prepared for a counterattack. He's a confirmed alien with Steel Body, and he's not Mutants."

"This means that the Mutant Power-Suppression Collar we once thought was feasible is ineffective against him, making it impossible for him to solve the problem easily. He's still the CEO of Stark Studios, not some nobody who disappears without a trace and nobody cares."