"Motherfucker!" Nick Fury slammed his fist on the table. "Who the hell is he?! What does he think he's doing? A show?!"
"Sir," a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent pushed up his glasses, "no matter who he is, he's strong. Extremely strong. And look at the public reaction."
In the corner of the screen were live broadcasts from various television stations.
"...We're seeing it! An unbelievable scene! This mysterious Superman, he just blew up that monster!!"
"Who is he? Is he really Superman? But he doesn't have an 'S' on his chest!"
"Mommy! It's Superman! It really is Superman!"
The cheers of the public were clearly audible, even through the screen.
Ding! Gained Popularity Value +501
Ding! Gained Popularity Value +442
Ding! Gained Popularity Value +641
...
Current Popularity Value: 150,124
Popularity value skyrockets! New York City Popularity: Emerging Star!
Power Up! Heat Vision temperature increased!
Jack Banks felt the mighty power surge through his body, a feeling so good he almost groaned.
The battle continued.
With the addition of Jack Banks, the Chitauri invasion force was clearly suppressed and unable to gain ground.
He was like a red and blue lightning bolt, streaking arbitrarily across the battlefield.
He wasn't just fighting; he was performing.
Every punch had to be delivered with the most spectacular pose.
Every Heat Vision blast had to be the most precise cut.
Every rescue had to happen at the most perilous moment.
He saw a bus full of office workers about to be crushed by a collapsing building.
With a flash, he instantly appeared on the roof of the bus, holding up—
Rumble!!!
Half a sliding concrete slab of the building was held aloft by his single hand!
"Oh my God..." The passengers in the bus watched the man above them in shock through the glass.
Jack Banks's figure, like a god descending, and that fluttering Star-Spangled cape, formed an incredibly impactful image.
He even had the presence of mind to wink at a child inside the bus window.
"Wow..."
"He saved us!!"
"Superman! It's Superman!!"
"I'm posting this on my Facebook!"
The crowd erupted in fervent cheers.
Phones, cameras—every recording device was aimed at him.
"Yes... just like that!" Jack Banks greedily savored it all. "Look at me! Worship me!!"
Ding! Gained Popularity Value +550
Ding! Gained Popularity Value +601
Ding! Gained Popularity Value +666
...
Current Popularity Value: 170,124
Another huge wave of Popularity Value gained!
He casually tossed the half-slab of concrete at a Chitauri squad, then elegantly flew off, looking for the next "shot."
At this moment, he was like a graceful butcher, sometimes using Heat Vision for precise surgical strikes, sometimes using absolute strength and speed to tear enemies apart before they could react.
He even had the leisure to fly above Black Widow, landing in front of her when she was surrounded.
"Need some help, ma'am?" He smiled, then his eyes flashed red, slicing through a dozen Chitauri soldiers in front of her.
Natasha gripped her weapon, watching him warily. "Thanks! But you're too close."
"My pleasure." Jack Banks winked with his left eye, crouched slightly, and shot up into the sky.
"...Bastard." Natasha muttered under her breath, but she had to admit, the guy was a huge help.
"That guy in the cape is stealing the show," Hawkeye commented from a tall building, exploding three Chitauri soldiers with one arrow.
"He looks like he hits harder than Thor," Black Widow calmly assessed while fighting.
"He is strong," Captain America replied gravely over the comms. "But we don't know him, and we need to talk to him. For now, anyone who can help is a friend!"
"Let's deal with Thor's dramatic little brother first!" Stark's voice cut in. "I'm almost at Stark Tower. Loki is there."
At that moment, Loki was on a Chitauri flyer, holding his scepter, enjoying the invasion he had orchestrated.
"Found him!" Hawkeye spotted him from his vantage point, shooting a specialized explosive arrow.
Loki caught the arrow with one hand without even looking back, a scornful smile on his face.
"Wait...?"
BOOM—!!!
The blast's shockwave sent Loki flying through the air in a miserable arc, and with a crash, he landed right inside Stark Tower...
Jack Banks saw it, and flew over with keen interest, following him inside.
Inside Stark Tower.
Loki was thrown around, dizzy and covered in dust.
He staggered to his feet, just in time to see the man in the flag-cape looking at him with a mocking expression.
"Ugh..." Loki clutched his head, his dignity as an Asgardian prince insulted.
"Enough!" Loki stood up in a fury. "What are you! I am a God! You foolish, lesser creature!"
"You dare insult me! I will not be defeated by a—"
Before Loki could finish, Jack Banks's figure instantly vanished from the spot.
Loki's pupils contracted.
Too fast!
The next second, Jack Banks was in front of him, one hand clamping his neck like an iron vice, lifting him high into the air.
"What did you just say?" Jack Banks smiled, but his eyes were ice cold.
"You dare—!" Loki struggled, his face turning red.
Jack Banks's smile grew even wider.
He lifted his hand and violently tossed Loki up, then, moving even faster, he flashed above Loki and delivered a flying stomp to his stomach! CRASH!!!
The marble floor instantly cracked, leaving a giant, human-shaped indentation.
Before Loki could catch his breath, Jack Banks grabbed his ankles again and swung him around like a wrecking ball.
With a whistling sound, Loki's body became a blur, smashing violently into the columns, walls, and ceiling of Stark Tower.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each deafening crash was accompanied by the sound of twisting rebar and shattering concrete, making the entire tower tremble.
Loki's helmet was long gone. He was frothing at the mouth, disoriented, and seeing stars.
"You said you were what?"
BANG!!
Jack Banks slammed Loki's head fiercely into a load-bearing alloy column, caving the entire column inward.
"A... God?"
BAM!!!
He then smashed Loki like a ragdoll into the steel frame of a glass curtain wall, the enormous impact shattering the entire wall.
Jack Banks stopped, holding the half-dead Loki in his hand as if he were a bag of trash.
He flexed his wrist, then flashed a perfect, "righteous" smile.
"Alright, one last shot."
Jack Banks leaped high with Loki, bursting through the ceiling. He flipped in the air, grabbed Loki's arms, and executed a perfect vertical piledriver!
BOOM—SMASH!!!
With a tremendous crash.
Loki's entire upper body was driven completely into the concrete floor, leaving only his two legs twitching unconsciously outside.
"..."
Iron Man, who had just arrived, along with Captain America and Black Widow who rushed out of the elevator, saw this exact scene.
All three froze.
Natasha: "...He, he planted Loki?"
Stark landed, opening his faceplate: "Okay, I have to say, that was impressive."
"..."
"LOKI!" Thor descended from the sky, landing heavily on the ground.
He saw his brother, only two legs sticking out of the floor.
Thor's face instantly flushed red. He raised Mjolnir, pointed it at Jack Banks, and roared, "You mortal! How dare you, you dare to be so... so..."
He fumbled for a word for a while, unable to find one.
After all, his brother invaded Earth first.
"You dare to so humiliate my brother!"