Who Is the Next Superhero

"Ding! The Homelander-Queen Jones couple topic has reached the global trending list!"

"Ding! Gained Popularity Points +310510!"

"Ding! Gained Popularity Points +268853!"

"Ding! Gained Popularity Points +188854! (From Queen Jones)"

"Ding! Gained Popularity Points +173112! (From Queen Jones)"

"..."

"Fuck... fuck... motherfucker!"

Tony Stark, sitting below the stage, was completely dumbfounded.

Jealously, he clutched at his hair.

"What is he doing?! That bastard is shipping a couple!" Tony growled at Steve.

"What?" Steve looked utterly bewildered. "What does... shipping a couple mean?"

"It means... it means... shit!" Tony snapped. "He's using that poor girl in the bodysuit... to hype up his fucking romance! He's using a relationship to rake in Popularity Points! He... he..."

Tony suddenly could not go on.

Because it fucking... worked.

"That guy... is a devil!" Tony's face twisted with envy. "He gets all the benefits! Fame, power, money... and girls!!"

"Tony, you don't need to envy him. You have all that too, don't you? Playboy." Steve teased.

He looked at the woman called Queen Jones onstage, at the shy expression she showed before Homelander, then at Homelander's gentle gaze, and smiled in relief.

"He found a partner, Tony. He isn't alone anymore."

"Look at that girl. She's powerful, but she looks... nervous. And Anthony is protecting her, guiding her. He's sharing his light with her."

"This..." Steve sighed. "This is good."

"So what?" Tony said disdainfully. "So she got tricked by that blond bastard into becoming... becoming one of his Seven Dwarfs?"

"That isn't important, Tony." Steve's expression remained calm. "What matters is that they're doing good things now."

"Doing good things?"

"Yes." Steve looked at Tony. "Homelander saved the president. That's a fact. He catches robbers and puts out fires. That's also a fact. Now he wants to build a team to save even more people..."

Steve turned and looked at Tony seriously. "...That's a good thing too."

"As for how he does it," Steve shrugged, "whether he starts a company, makes movies, or even... hypes up a scandalous romance. Tony, times have changed. We can't demand that everyone be like... like they were during World War II."

"Wow." Tony was speechless after hearing that. "Old popsicle, when did you become so... understanding? I thought you'd be the first to jump out and accuse him of turning heroes into a brand."

"I've figured it out, Tony," Steve said calmly. "I don't care about the brand. I care about what the people beneath that brand are doing."

"At least for now," Steve said as he looked at Wu Yanzu onstage, "what he's doing is right."

"...Okay, you really are a... boring old goody-two-shoes, Captain." Tony Stark gave up on communicating with the old popsicle.

In the press section, a reporter from the Daily Bugle, which Vought had acquired, asked:

"Queen Jones! Hello! We know nothing about your past! May I ask how you obtained your superpowers? Did you undergo some kind of experiment, like Mr. Homelander?"

This was a prearranged question.

Jessica steadied herself. She gripped the microphone tightly and tried to recall the lines Ashley had taught her.

"I... I used to be lost. I didn't know what this power meant. I... I..."

She was too nervous and forgot her lines.

Just then, Wu Yanzu stepped forward again and took over.

"She doesn't need an origin story, and she doesn't need anyone to save her."

He looked at Jessica, his azure eyes seeming to hold a sea of stars.

"The moment I first saw her in that sea of people, I knew she wasn't a monster, nor was she a lost lamb."

"She..."

"She was born a queen."

"Fuck..." Jessica stared at his affectionate face. She knew it was all bullshit acting, but her fucking heart still thumped uncontrollably.

"Ding! Gained Special Popularity Points +10000!"

Wu Yanzu was already ecstatic inside. He cleared his throat and brought the topic back on track.

"Queen Jones is only the first piece of The Seven's puzzle!"

"We need more! This country, this world, needs more heroes!"

"There are too many people like her, gifted yet overlooked, misunderstood, and discriminated against!"

"And I," Wu Yanzu said, spreading his arms, "will give everyone... an opportunity!"

"An opportunity... to become a hero!!"

He raised an arm and pointed toward the giant screen!

On the screen, a polished logo burst into flames—Who Is the Next Superhero?

A voice-over began:

"This is a nationwide audition across the United States!"

"Whether you're a strongman who can lift a car, or the girl next door who can talk to animals!"

"Whether you're a retired soldier who can turn invisible, or a deliveryman who runs faster than a high-speed train!"

"As long as you have superpowers, as long as you dream of becoming a hero!"

"Come sign up! Vought's doors... will always be open to you!"

"The audition registration portal will officially open at... midnight on Christmas Eve!!"

"The registration website..."

Wu Yanzu's voice drowned out the background music. "Vought International will join forces with the All-American Television Network to launch this reality show!"

"That's right! You heard me!"

"We don't care about your past! We don't care about your background!"

"As long as you have ability! As long as you have the heart of a hero! You could become the next member of The Seven!!"

"We will select the strongest one hundred people from across the United States! They will undergo the harshest trials! And the final winner..."

Wu Yanzu pointed at the camera, at every person watching the live broadcast.

"...will be chosen by your own votes, the viewers of the entire United States!!"

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH—!!!"

"This is insane! The whole world has gone completely insane!!" Tony Stark drained the last of his cola. "Fuck... he wants to make a superhero version of... American Idol?!"

The bucket of popcorn in Steve's hands fell to the floor with a clatter.

"...Chosen by the viewers... voting?"

"Oh my God..."

"This..." Steve frowned as well. "Isn't this... too hasty?"

"Hasty? No, Captain." Natasha had appeared behind them at some point, her voice drifting over quietly. "He's... absorbing them. He's using that fucking American Dream... to absorb every superpowered person in the world. While S.H.I.E.L.D. is still treating them as 'threats' and 'subjects to be monitored,' he..."

"...is already handing them job offers," Tony finished for her.

"All right, ladies and gentlemen. Our movie... is about to begin. Please enjoy."