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Due to Spider-Man's appearance, Roger had to take another trip to New York City.
Although it wasn't clear whether this Spider-Man was from the original movie universe or an alternate world derived from What If...?, Roger's theory suggested that if all the cinematic characters crossing over were related to him, then this Spider-Man was most likely from the zombie universe.
If this Spider-Man indeed ca from the zombie universe, Roger figured explaining the situation to him would be easy. After all, they had a good relationship—this Spider-Man had even helped Roger remove a tracker hidden by Vought International inside his body.
That is, assuming Spider-Man believed Roger was who he claid to be.
After all, Roger's current appearance was vastly different from Holander's. Spider-Man might not recognize him right away.
The video of Spider-Man fighting a Parademon had briefly surfaced online.
However, thanks to the influence of certain corporations, the video was quickly removed and replaced with a slew of similar-looking CGI videos, dismissing the original as special effects.
Since very few people had witnessed it firsthand, many believed the explanation.
After all, the idea of Spider-Man jumping from a movie universe to fight a creature from the DC Universe seed far-fetched. Saying it was CGI was much easier to swallow.
Even Roger and Luna would've had trouble believing such an absurd occurrence if one of them hadn't just returned from the comic book world and the other hadn't seen "Superman" appear in front of her own eyes.
But the truth was undeniable.
.....
Once he arrived in New York City, Roger soared high above, searching for Spider-Man.
With his superhuman hearing and vision nearly fully restored, Roger could see and hear everything in New York from tens of thousands of ters up, almost at the edge of the atmosphere.
Thanks to this, it didn't take long for Roger to find Spider-Man sitting atop a clock tower, staring blankly into space.
Descending from the sky, Roger landed right next to him.
Startled—no, more accurately, triggered by his spider-sense—Peter Parker spun around and warily asked the man who had just descended, "Who are you?!"
"Peter Parker? Relax. My na's Roger. Have you heard of ?"
Roger introduced himself imdiately.
Spider-Man froze for a mont, then asked, "Roger... sir?"
"So it is you, Peter."
"Wait, hold on! I an, I know a Roger, but I rember him being, uh, quite old... At least, he looked adult. Why do you...?"
"It's a long story. This is my real appearance. Besides, is there anyone else out there with my powers?"
As he spoke, Roger turned and used his heat vision to shatter an empty bottle nearby.
"!!!"
"You really are Roger?!"
Spider-Man gasped in disbelief, quickly rushing to Roger's side and speaking at breakneck speed, "Roger! What's going on? I still don't understand how I ended up in this world. One mont I was chatting with Ned—you know, Ned, the one who lost a leg. I've been spending more ti with him for his ntal health. But on my way ho, suddenly I'm here! And then people started shouting 'Tom' at , and I told them I'm Spider-Man, not Tom, but they got even more excited—"
"Stop, stop, STOP!"
Roger interrupted Spider-Man's rapid-fire chatter, his head pounding. "I know you have a lot of questions, but this isn't the ti. If you don't mind, co with , and I'll explain everything."
"Sure! Of course! I an, absolutely!"
Spider-Man agreed enthusiastically.
For soone stranded in an unfamiliar world, eting a familiar face was like finding an old friend in a foreign land—an imnse relief.
Knowing he might be a fictional character had left Spider-Man on the brink of depression, but Roger's sudden appearance, even if slightly different from the Roger he rembered, lifted his spirits.
Besides, Spider-Man had no idea where else to go. He had no ho, no friends, and no Avengers in this world.
Well, there was a film studio, but it certainly wouldn't have the Avengers—at least, not the real ones, just actors who looked like them.
....
With Spider-Man's permission, Roger hoisted him over his shoulder and flew toward L.A.
He made sure to land discreetly to avoid drawing attention.
"You... actually brought him back?"
Seeing Roger return with Peter Parker, Luna asked in disbelief.
Putting Spider-Man down, Roger replied, "What? I told you we were close, didn't I?"
"But... wasn't it still unclear whether this Spider-Man was the one you knew?"
"Well, now it's clear."
"..."
Luna had no response.
....
Roger began explaining everything to Spider-Man.
"Take a seat. It's a long story, but I'll explain everything."
"No problem. I'm in no rush!" Spider-Man replied quickly.
Although he claid to be patient, his anxious deanor suggested otherwise.
Once Spider-Man was seated, Roger organized his thoughts and began recounting his experiences in detail. Naturally, he focused on the topic of interdinsional travel.
Spider-Man's arrival was undoubtedly tied to Roger. In fact, his ability to return ho planet likely depended on Roger's efforts.
The concepts of "character setting" and "fictional creation" were sowhat comprehensible to Spider-Man, but the idea of being a comic book character was a hard pill to swallow.
For a normal person, accepting this reality would be nearly impossible.
If he weren't a central character whose life had been so tragic, it might have been easier. But the Spider-Man from the zombie universe... His story was nothing short of harrowing.
His ntor, Tony Stark, was dead. His loved ones, dead or injured. Aunt May perished in the zombie outbreak. His best friend, Ned, lost a leg.
Though Spider-Man had co to terms with his reality, resolved to move forward, and embraced his role as an Avenger, learning that his entire life was a scripted drama created by so writer or director was a devastating revelation.
....
"Why…"
Peter sat on the sofa, his eyes filled with confusion and his face clouded with despair.
"...Why did they write my life that way? Mr. Stark, Aunt May... Were they just tools to advance the plot?"
Luna, Gently nudging Roger, she said, "I'll go make so coffee... Do you think he's okay with instant?"
"Anything's fine," Roger replied, then turned back to Peter, choosing his words carefully before speaking.
"Peter, you shouldn't think about it like that. We don't even know if the story ca first or if your world existed first… It's possible your world existed before the story and inspired the creators.
"There's a theory that all creative works are projections of other worlds into the minds of creators. Maybe that's how your story ca to be."
"Thanks, Mr. Roger, but... I'd like to be alone for now."
Peter's smile was forced as he spoke.
Roger glanced at Luna, who was returning with coffee, shrugged, and said, "Alright. I'll leave the coffee here."
He gave Luna a knowing look, and the two of them stepped onto the balcony, leaving Peter alone with his thoughts.
....
On the balcony.
Roger sighed as well. "I tried comforting him with that theory. Hopefully, it helps him cope."
"What theory?"
"That creators' works are projections of other worlds."
"If you suddenly develop new abilities in the next few days, that theory will be debunked. Are you sure it's okay to comfort him with it?"
"...I couldn't think of a better way," Roger admitted helplessly.
Luna nodded in understanding before adding, "By the way, if more people connected to you keep showing up in our reality, what are you going to do? You can't just bring them all to my house. There's no space."
"That's... definitely a problem. I'll figure sothing out."
Spider-Man's arrival was proof that others connected to Roger might also appear.
If they were villains, it would be simple—Roger could just take them down.
But if they were friends, he'd need to find a way to accommodate them while keeping the real world from descending into chaos.
Though, in so ways, Roger and Spider-Man's presence had already started changing this world.
Rubbing his temples, Roger asked Luna to take care of Spider-Man for now. anwhile, he called his friend Dan.
To house these "familiar faces," Roger needed a new place—not just any place, but a large one. Ideally, it would have a basent that Roger could transform into a secret base using Athena's resources once he found her.
That way, the space could serve as both a functional headquarters and a secure hideout.
Dan, who had made plenty of connections while finding a studio for his own work, was Roger's best bet for finding such a place.
As for the truth about Roger, Luna, and Spider-Man, Roger decided it was ti to let Dan in on so of it.
After all, with Dan's wealth, financial concerns would be one less thing to worry about.
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