Reborn as the God-Emperor in Marvel

"I have no idea where your hostility toward Americans comes from. Care to enlighten me?" Nick Fury chuckled. "I remember you saying you were born surrounded by gold, frankincense, and myrrh? I almost thought you were Jesus! Given your 'savior' status, I'd like to hear your thoughts."

"Humanity doesn't need saviors, nor gods," Solomon scoffed in return. "The essence of superheroes is just people worshipping gods. This kind of worship is most fervent in America—culturally, with Superman and Batman, and in reality, with Captain America and Iron Man. Humans hope superheroes can do what they themselves can't, idolizing them, treating them as pillars of their faith. They expect superheroes to be omnipotent, like gods, performing miracles. In truth, both religion and the idol industry exist only to fill the void in human souls. The underlying theory is the same. Humans are mentally fragile, which is why the Sorcerer Supreme keeps the dark gods from entering Earth.

"But it's sad because superheroes are human too. They're not perfect, and their hearts are no different from ordinary people's. In such a frenzied environment, any mistake they make gets magnified. Whatever they can't achieve becomes like blood they've spilled. And when gods bleed, countless greedy eyes turn toward them.

"I have no doubt about the shortsightedness of politicians and the stupidity of Christians. Have you ever heard of the 'spiral of silence' theory? In this age where public opinion is manipulated by social media, just a little money can turn that worship into envy—'Why can they do it, but not me? They're just lucky!' 'It's only because they're rich. If I had money, I could do it too!' Soon, all the frustrations of life will be blamed on the superheroes. The more intense the worship was, the more terrible the backlash will be.

"Sounds stupid, doesn't it? Shortsighted? That's inevitable. This is the result of mob rule. Politicians don't need to know how to manage a country—they just need votes and political slogans. The more democratic, the more foolish it becomes. America, as the largest democracy on Earth, is the most foolish of all."

"So, you're clearly dissatisfied with democracy. I get it, given that you live in a more authoritarian environment, but I didn't expect you to be an elitist!" Nick Fury pressed the gas pedal, driving onto the main road, his dissatisfaction evident. "America doesn't have kings or nobles. Whether decisions are smart or dumb, it's the people's choice, and they bear the consequences. At least in this country, people are equal."

"I'm not an elitist, Nick Fury, and equality has always been a false premise, especially in capitalist countries. Don't tell me you've never been watched by a security guard while shopping. How many times have you had to show your ID just to avoid being stopped?" Solomon's expression grew even more disdainful. "Most people are stupid. Letting a bunch of fools decide humanity's fate is a recipe for disaster. Don't forget how the mafia infiltrated politics during Prohibition. And you better not tell me that the President of the United States isn't a puppet of corporate interests, because that would completely undermine your argument."

"Then what do you think is the best form of governance?"

"The Sorcerer Supreme has abandoned all emotions, becoming a ruler with no personal biases. I envision humanity's ultimate ruling class to be similar, but such a state places a huge mental burden on anyone, and it's a form of torment for any human." Solomon said, "Artificial intelligence is the best choice. Only then can each person's value be fully realized, and true equality achieved. I believe the Kree Empire is a model for humanity to learn from, but we need to do even better. I call it the 'Human Intelligence Unification.'"

Nick Fury fell silent for a moment, suddenly realizing something alarming. "Are you…?" He stared at Solomon, disbelief in his eyes. "I didn't think you'd support another ideology. Otherwise, I can't explain your ideas!"

"At least, I think that until Human Intelligence Unification is complete, that's humanity's next step," Solomon nodded. "No nation is perfect because nations themselves are the product of irreconcilable class conflicts. Unless humanity unites all the nations on Earth, we won't be able to enter the next phase. The problem is complicated. The theories I've studied don't provide a clear solution, but I believe that until humanity colonizes space and experiences a production explosion, all of this is just talk."

"You see? Even you don't have an answer. So, don't be so quick to dismiss the current system," Fury remarked, glancing at Big Ben in the distance. The first light of dawn was breaking over the London skyline, warm hues mingling with leaden clouds. It looked like it might rain today. "Leave these questions to the philosophers. This isn't something someone your age should be pondering—at least the Soviet Union's collapse proved that path doesn't work. How about I take you out for breakfast? I know a good place."

"You're wrong, Nick Fury. Ideas never die," Solomon replied. "America can't curb the greed of the capitalists. The working class will keep growing. One day, the thing you fear most will happen—though it might take a while. If humanity hits a dead end, I wouldn't mind giving it a little push."

After their long conversation, Fury and Solomon seemed to reach a slight mutual understanding. Though Fury disagreed with many of Solomon's theories, they were both ultimately fighting for humanity's freedom. A small ideological difference could be set aside for now. As the director of SHIELD, Fury was well-versed in dealing with jet lag, and Solomon was no stranger to it either. After enjoying a traditional London breakfast (paid for by Fury), Solomon was asked to transport Fury back to Washington. So, Solomon teleported both of them—and the car—to the top of the Triskelion.

As for how to get the car down, that wasn't Solomon's concern.

With everything done, Solomon planned to head back to Bayonetta's apartment for a pleasant evening, returning to Oldbridge the next morning. But Fury stopped him, insisting Solomon stay and monitor the military's movements, as Fury had ordered troops to Oldbridge to establish a perimeter. He also planned to send agents to escort Jane Foster and Thor to the desert base in New Mexico for military protection, while evacuating Oldbridge's residents to prevent them from getting caught in the impending battle. Solomon fully agreed with the decision. In his eyes, ordinary people were not worth sacrificing over the Aesir's disputes.

Fury also wanted to know what kind of tactics Loki might use to attack Thor and who might participate in the assassination attempt. Feeling he knew little about Asgard, Fury wanted Solomon to stay close and provide insight if needed.

Fury also secretly kept one eye open. When Solomon wasn't looking, he instructed Agent Coulson to collect samples from the alchemical bomb explosion. In fact, Fury had been researching magic and alchemy ever since meeting Solomon. But despite finding some existing chemical formulas, he still couldn't make heads or tails of alchemy. Even the alchemical potions Solomon had traded to him were beyond SHIELD's labs to analyze. With Tony Stark's deteriorating health, the remaining samples were running low.

When Fury attempted to negotiate another trade with Solomon, the mage flatly refused—after all, Tony Stark was also under Solomon's observation. While Solomon wasn't about to let Stark die from palladium poisoning, he wanted to first find out what was alleviating Stark's symptoms.

Whatever it was, it couldn't have been lithium dioxide—unless SHIELD wanted to kill Stark.

"Thanks to your potions, Stark's symptoms have improved," Fury revealed in a private conversation with Solomon after sealing his office. "Agent Romanoff directly injected the recovery serum into Stark's body. It worked great."

"But that was meant to be taken orally! Injecting it would cause a full-body infection!" Solomon shot a skeptical look at Fury. "Don't try to fool me. What's the real story?"

"The real story is that we disinfected the serum and found no change in its physical properties, so we opted for direct injection. If you ask any more questions, all I can say is: it's classified." Fury raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat smug. For the first time, he felt like he had outsmarted Solomon. It gave him a rare sense of accomplishment—something he hadn't felt since his days as a low-level agent, long before becoming SHIELD's director. Usually, such intelligence showdowns were handled by other agents.

"Fck you, Nick Fury!" Solomon glared at him, disgruntled, and downed a vial of a rejuvenating elixir. Solomon wasn't foolish enough to let his guard down in SHIELD's territory, where he played both ally and adversary.

"And by the way, that Howard Stark box you wanted? We gave it to Tony Stark," Fury added, seemingly enjoying dropping one bombshell after another. However, this time Solomon showed no sign of disappointment, as if he didn't care much about the box. This left Fury puzzled—was the box important to Solomon or not?

"I have one small question," Solomon's eyes gleamed as he lowered his voice, "Have you ever done a paternity test between Howard Stark and Tony Stark?"

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