Life for the superheroes gradually settled into a quiet routine—at least on the surface.
In the online world, however, a wave of debates regarding the "legitimacy of superheroes" burned hotter by the day, particularly focusing on how the destruction caused by superheroes during battles far outstripped that of the criminals themselves.
This was an inevitable outcome. The Hydra and Latverian criminals were out to kill from the very beginning, making it almost impossible for superheroes to prevent destruction while stopping them.
Even with the intervention of the Parker Group's charitable and insurance arms—which ensured Manhattan residents received compensation far exceeding their losses and were content not to press charges—people outside of Manhattan could hardly overlook the issue of widespread destruction.
Iron Man, Tony Stark, had been troubled by this state of affairs for quite some time.
Fortunately, the intervention of two individuals extinguished this public opinion storm right at its inception—a storm that could have led to catastrophic consequences if left unhandled.
The first was Captain America. Photos and videos of him and Jack Monroe mingling with construction workers on the frontlines of post-disaster reconstruction were posted online.
This wasn't Batman's doing. Captain America and Jack Monroe hadn't hidden their faces during the Battle of Manhattan, and their physical capabilities on the reconstruction site far surpassed those of ordinary humans.
Under the deliberate observation of the construction workers, their identities naturally ceased to be a secret.
When an iconic figure from World War II resurfaced in the twenty-first century—an era where the US government had devolved into political factionalism and where anyone could become president just by delivering a moving speech and having enough money—people realized Captain America hadn't changed at all. He remained steadfastly beside his working-class brothers, fighting for the America of his ideals.
Thus, what began as support for Captain America from Manhattan workers quickly spread. More and more people chose to stand by Cap's side, leading to widespread acceptance of Jack Monroe as well, cementing his place as a true "second-generation Bucky."
The second factor was Batman. His approach was equally straightforward: he had Tony Stark—who held the dual identities of superhero and top-tier billionaire—establish an organization.
This organization was the Damage Control Fund. It served not only to rapidly repair destroyed buildings, but more importantly, to immediately advance medical expenses for injured citizens and even compensate local businesses for their financial losses.
On the surface, funding came from Stark Industries and the Osborn Corporation; behind the scenes, Batman's Parker Group and Silver Sable's Silver Sable International contributed as well.
Batman delegated the specific commercial operations to CEO Iris.
By now, even though Batman had never stated it outright, Iris had faintly guessed that her boss had countless intricate ties to superheroes.
However, because the contrast in image and aura between Batman in and out of his suit was so vast, it never crossed her mind that her boss, Peter Parker, was Batman himself.
Tony Stark had lacked a plan at first simply because his brain was still rebooting from alcohol poisoning.
Once he fully cleared his head, he immediately drew inspiration from Batman's suggestions and pushed Captain America, Steve Rogers, into the public eye as the face of the Avengers.
Captain America didn't resist this move. In fact, upon hearing Iron Man's proposal, he readily agreed and hosted a charity press conference themed around "The Avengers."
Its core message could be summarized in a single sentence—a slight modification of the statement Tony Stark had envisioned when first designing the name "The Avengers":
"Perhaps we cannot stop everything; perhaps one day we will fail; perhaps our enemies will be evil gods from mythology, threats from outer space, or monsters from the core of the Earth.
"Perhaps we might not even be able to protect the Earth.
"But if that day truly comes, we will board our ships and track down the culprits no matter how far they run, ensuring those monsters face the full fury of our vengeance!"
With Captain America standing at the forefront as their public face, Tony Stark's subsequent moves proceeded much more smoothly. Though an official partnership with the US government had not yet been established, Tony held a private phone call with the President.
No one knew what they discussed, but the issue of superhero "legitimacy" was temporarily resolved.
Even so, certain individuals with ulterior motives still attempted to stoke conflict between superheroes and ordinary citizens. However, Tony no longer needed to headache over this.
Captain America had not only declared the purpose behind establishing the Avengers to the entire world, but he had also added a key remark:
"When war comes, no one is spared. Countless innocent civilians suffered during World War II. Who was at fault? It was the Nazis and Hydra.
"The Avengers stand in natural opposition to them. They may disguise themselves as ordinary citizens or meddlesome bystanders to drive a wedge between us, but that will not work.
"Because no matter the time or place, the Avengers' primary mission will always be to protect civilians and steer battles toward uninhabited areas whenever possible."
Captain America's words sounded dignified and noble on the surface, but when Batman and Tony heard them, they couldn't help exchanging a knowing smile.
Ever since they first met him, Captain America had maintained a flawless, heroic image, yet his latest statement contained a subtle piece of mischief.
The underlying implication was: If you show hostility toward the Avengers without being a victim yourself, I might suspect you're Hydra.
Nobody could bear having that label pinned on them. While it couldn't be stated explicitly, delivering it as subtext was immensely effective.
The results were immediate: starting the very next day, negative commentary about the Avengers online dropped by more than half.
Even Norman Osborn managed to successfully infiltrate the inner circles of the New York local government thanks to a series of pro-superhero actions.
Days passed quietly like this. Half a month later, toward the end of November, on a Friday evening...
"Professor Miles Warren, I'd like to know what your recent experiment is about."
Clad in his Gargoyle Suit, Batman appeared silently inside Professor Miles Warren's home.
"Batman, you're an Avenger. You shouldn't be interfering with a scientist's research."
Having long been discharged from Metropolitan General Hospital and back at work inside the Osborn Tower, Professor Miles Warren didn't even turn his head. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at a massive culture pod along the wall.
The culture pod was large enough to hold an adult human—and indeed, an adult body was currently submerged inside it.
There were as many as twenty to thirty such culture pods in Professor Miles Warren's home. The figures inside each one differed—some male, some female—all unclothed with eyes tightly shut.
"These are bodies I cultivated using cloning technology, not human experimentation," Professor Warren said.
"I'm afraid it's not as simple as cloning technology, Professor," Batman said, gazing at the back of Warren's head. "There are things in here beyond your understanding. I need you to destroy them."
Cloning technology aside, the technique itself wasn't inherently problematic.
The issue was that the samples Professor Miles Warren used to clone these bodies originated from blood cells left behind by the superheroes and Hydra agents during the Battle of Manhattan.
"And if I say no?" Professor Miles Warren turned around, his bloodshot eyes staring at Batman as he enunciated every single word.
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