Superman in Marvel – Chapter 29: A Power Unlike Before
The First Test
Ethan Carter stood in the middle of an open field.
The early morning sun cast a golden glow over the grass, the cool wind brushing against his skin.
His family watched from the porch. Tony stood beside them, arms crossed, watching intently.
Ethan clenched his fists.
Time to see what I can do.
He took a deep breath and—
Moved.
The world blurred around him. One moment he was standing still, the next he was across the field, leaving a small crater where he had launched from.
His mother gasped. His brothers muttered something under their breath.
Tony adjusted his sunglasses. "Alright, that's new."
Ethan exhaled. He wasn't even trying.
He turned and—
WHOOSH.
In an instant, he was back where he started.
It was effortless.
Before, even with his speed, there had been some resistance. The wind pushing against him, the force of movement pressing into his body.
Now?
Nothing.
It was as easy as breathing.
And that was just the start.
Strength Beyond Limits
Ethan walked over to an old tractor sitting on the edge of the property. It was heavy, rusted, and had been broken for years.
"Alright," Tony muttered, "let's see what the new and improved Space Boy can do."
Ethan bent down and lifted.
The tractor rose like it weighed nothing.
One-handed.
His father, Jacob, whistled. "Damn."
Ethan frowned. It wasn't heavy. At all.
He closed his eyes, feeling the energy surging through his muscles. It was different from before. Denser. Stronger.
He set the tractor down and turned to Tony.
"Hit me."
Tony blinked. "What?"
Ethan smirked. "C'mon, Stark. You've been dying to test something. Blast me."
Tony grinned. "You had me at 'hit me.'"
He raised his palm. The arc reactor in his hand hummed.
"Alright, don't move."
He fired.
BOOM!
A full-power repulsor blast slammed into Ethan's chest.
Dust exploded outward. The air rippled from the force.
And when the smoke cleared—
Ethan stood there. Completely untouched.
Not even a scratch.
Tony's jaw tightened. "Well… that's terrifying."
Ethan looked down at his chest, then back at Tony.
"I didn't even feel that."
And that scared him.
More Than Just Strength
Ethan closed his eyes.
He focused.
And suddenly—
The world opened up.
He could feel everything.
The heat of the sun against his skin, the tiny shifts in the air, the electromagnetic pulses flowing through the ground.
His senses had expanded.
He turned toward the farmhouse.
And without meaning to—
His vision shifted.
Suddenly, he was looking through the walls.
His X-ray vision had never been this sharp. He could see the structure of the house, the wiring, the smallest details down to the dust settling in the corners.
He focused more—
And suddenly, his hearing expanded.
His mother's heartbeat. The birds in the trees. The hum of Tony's arc reactor.
Then, beyond that—
The faint, distant chatter of people miles away.
The entire world was open to him now.
And he had no idea how to turn it off.
Ethan clutched his head, stumbling back.
"Ethan?" Rebecca, his mother, stepped forward.
He winced. The sounds were too much. The sights were overwhelming.
"I—I can't…" He squeezed his eyes shut.
The sensory overload hit him like a tidal wave.
Everything was too loud. Too bright. Too much.
His breathing hitched.
He felt dizzy.
Tony acted fast. He grabbed Ethan's shoulder. "Focus."
Ethan gritted his teeth.
"I can't—"
"Yes, you can," Tony said firmly. "Breathe. One thing at a time."
Ethan forced himself to slow down.
He focused on one sound.
His mother's voice.
Then, one sight.
The sky. The clouds moving slowly.
The chaos started fading.
His heart slowed.
The world settled.
Tony let go of his shoulder. "Damn. That was close."
Ethan exhaled. His hands were still shaking.
His mother stepped closer. "Are you okay?"
Ethan nodded. "Yeah. I just… need time to adjust."
Because whatever had happened to him—
He wasn't just Superman anymore.
He was something more.
SHIELD's Growing Concern
Far away, inside a SHIELD surveillance room, Nick Fury watched everything through a satellite feed.
Ethan Carter's new abilities. The sheer scale of his power.
Hill stood beside him. "That wasn't just an improvement. That was an evolution."
Fury exhaled slowly.
"I know."
Hill hesitated. "…Sir, if he keeps growing at this rate—"
Fury didn't let her finish.
"We keep watching."
Because if Superman kept changing…
They needed to be ready.