As evening settled over the Kent farm, Martha's car pulled into the driveway, her headlights cutting through the gathering dusk. She'd spent the day visiting her sister in town, and as she stepped out of the vehicle, she immediately noticed something that made her frown: the outdoor grill had been moved out again.
"Jonathan Kent," she muttered under her breath, preparing to deliver a lecture about their agreement regarding excessive barbecuing. But as she approached the backyard, her irritation melted away into surprise.
"Marcus? You're back!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up with genuine joy.
Marcus looked up from where he'd been sitting with Jonathan and Clark, all three of them still finishing the remnants of their impromptu barbecue feast. "Yes, I came back to see how everyone was doing. Besides, if I don't visit regularly, Clark here will completely forget who I am."
At this comment, Clark's cheeks reddened with embarrassment. He ducked his head slightly, still feeling awkward about not recognizing his godfather initially. If Jonathan hadn't reminded him, he might never have figured out who Marcus was.
Martha laughed warmly, the sound carrying across the yard. "Well, how old was he the last time you visited? It's perfectly normal for a child to have fuzzy memories from when he was younger."
Since Marcus was responsible for the barbecue session, Martha decided to let the grill violation slide. She picked up a fork and tried a piece of the beef from the plate. The moment the meat touched her tongue, her eyes widened in shock.
"This is... incredible. Did you make this, Marcus?"
She'd eaten countless examples of Jonathan's barbecue over the years. While her husband's cooking was certainly edible and often quite good, it had never approached this level of flavor complexity and tenderness.
Jonathan waved his hand with obvious pride. "Actually, Martha, I was the only chef today!"
"You?" Martha stared at him in disbelief. "But this tastes completely different from anything you've made before."
"Marcus helped me fix my marinade recipe," Jonathan explained, his grin threatening to split his face. "Turns out I'd been doing it wrong for years. Now I finally understand how to make proper barbecue."
He was already envisioning entering the town's annual barbecue competition with his newfound skills. Not for the trophy—the contest was really just an excuse for neighbors to share good food and friendly competition—but for the satisfaction of showing off what he'd learned.
The days that followed fell into a comfortable routine. Marcus settled into life on the farm, working alongside Jonathan during the day while Martha took Clark to school in town. It was peaceful, domestic work—repairing fences, tending livestock, maintaining equipment—but Marcus found it surprisingly satisfying after the intensity of training Bruce and Selena.
One particular afternoon, Marcus and Jonathan were returning home on the farm's ancient tractor, both covered in dust and sweat from a day of fixing irrigation lines.
"What should we make for dinner when Martha and Clark get back?" Jonathan wondered aloud, voicing the eternal question that plagued households everywhere.
"We'll wait for Martha to decide," Marcus suggested. "She usually has better ideas than we do."
"Fair enough. I need to work on this tractor anyway," Jonathan said, patting the machine's steering wheel. "The old girl's been making strange noises all week. Probably needs new spark plugs."
"I'll go chop some firewood for tonight," Marcus offered.
As Jonathan drove toward the barn, Marcus's enhanced senses picked up the familiar sound of the school bus approaching in the distance. He set down the axe he'd been about to use and walked toward the front of the house.
A few minutes later, the yellow bus pulled to a stop near the driveway. Martha and Clark climbed down from the steps, but something about their demeanor immediately caught Marcus's attention.
"Something's wrong," he observed quietly. "They don't look happy."
Usually, Clark would burst off the bus with boundless energy, eager to share stories about his day or ask when they could practice fighting techniques. Today, both he and Martha walked slowly toward the house, their expressions troubled and uncertain.
"Hey, you two," Marcus called out as they approached. "What's got you looking so worried?"
Martha and Clark stopped, both turning to look at Marcus with expressions that mixed confusion with something approaching fear.
"Marcus," Martha began hesitantly, "do you think there are people with superpowers in this world?"
The question confirmed Marcus's suspicions immediately. Clark's abilities were beginning to manifest, and from the sound of it, something had happened at school that had revealed them publicly.
"From the way you're asking," Marcus replied carefully, "I'm guessing you've seen evidence of someone with unusual abilities?"
"Yes," Martha nodded, her voice still uncertain. "But I'm not sure if having superpowers is a good thing or a bad thing. What do you think?"
Martha looked genuinely shaken by whatever had occurred during the school day. Her maternal instincts were clearly in overdrive, worried about what Clark's emerging abilities might mean for his future.
Marcus couldn't help but chuckle at the situation. "If I'm not mistaken, you're asking because you've discovered that Clark has superpowers, right?"
Martha stared at him in amazement. "How did you... when did you figure it out?"
"You're probably wondering how I could be so certain about Clark's abilities," Marcus said with an amused smile. "Come on, let's go inside and I'll explain everything. Clark, go get Jonathan—he needs to hear this too."
Clark nodded and ran toward the barn, moving with the kind of speed that was definitely above normal human levels. Within moments, he returned with Jonathan, who looked confused about being summoned so urgently.
"What's going on?" Jonathan asked, noting the serious expressions on everyone's faces. "Did something happen?"
"Jonathan," Marcus began, "do you believe in superpowers?"
A large question mark might as well have appeared over Jonathan's head. He looked around at the group, trying to understand what they were talking about.
"Superpowers? You mean like in comic books?" he asked slowly. "Those are just stories people make up for entertainment. They're not real."
But as he took in the expressions of Marcus and Martha, Jonathan's certainty began to waver.
"You're not... you're not saying that superpowers actually exist, are you?"
"Yes, superpowers do exist," Marcus confirmed with a gentle nod. Martha didn't contradict him, which only added to Jonathan's growing bewilderment. "And you know someone who has them."
Marcus turned and pointed directly at Clark.
"Remember Clark's origins? He's not an ordinary person."
The revelation hit Jonathan and Clark very differently. Jonathan knew the truth about how Clark had come to their family—the mysterious circumstances of his arrival as an infant—so learning that Clark had superpowers was shocking but not incomprehensible.
Clark, however, was completely stunned. What did Marcus mean about his "origins"? Weren't Jonathan and Martha his parents? What was this about not being ordinary?
Seeing their reactions, Marcus smiled and gestured for calm. "Don't look so worried. I'll explain everything clearly. Clark, come here."
Clark approached slowly, his young mind racing with questions and concerns.
"Do you remember me telling you that you would develop superpowers?" Marcus asked gently.
Clark nodded. He definitely remembered that conversation—it had been one of the things he'd been most excited about for years.
"I told you that you would become someone who couldn't be hurt by weapons or fire, right? Someone incredibly strong?"
Another nod.
"Now, whatever abilities you've discovered today—do you think they have anything to do with the Crushing Punch techniques I taught you?"
This made Clark pause and think carefully. The fighting techniques Marcus had shown him were for combat, for controlled application of force. But the powers that had manifested at school today had been completely different—involuntary, surprising, and definitely not related to martial arts.
"I don't think so," Clark said slowly. "What happened today wasn't about fighting."
"Exactly," Marcus confirmed. "That shows you understand that these abilities are something separate, something that makes you special. But don't get carried away thinking superpowers automatically make someone amazing. Some superpowers are actually less useful than a good shotgun."
Jonathan and Martha exchanged glances. That seemed like an odd thing to say about superhuman abilities.
"What do you mean?" Martha asked.
Marcus reached into his jacket and pulled out a videotape, holding it up for them to see. "After you watch this, you'll understand that superpowers aren't inherently wonderful or terrible—they're just tools. And like any tool, their value depends entirely on how they're used. By the way, everything on this tape is completely real."
The tape contained footage from his experiences in the world of The Boys—recordings he'd made while observing the corrupt superhero team known as the Seven. It would certainly provide a sobering perspective on what superpowers could become in the wrong hands.
"This will show you examples of people who have incredible abilities but use them in terrible ways," Marcus explained. "Power without wisdom, without moral guidance, without people who care about you—that's how you get monsters instead of heroes."
He looked directly at Clark. "The difference between becoming someone who helps people and someone who hurts them isn't about how strong you are. It's about the choices you make and the people who help you make them."
Martha and Jonathan began to understand what Marcus was getting at. Clark's abilities might be extraordinary, but his character—shaped by their love, guidance, and values—would determine whether those abilities became a blessing or a curse.
"So," Martha said quietly, "what happens now?"
Marcus smiled reassuringly. "Now we help Clark understand his abilities, teach him to control them, and make sure he grows up knowing that power is meant to serve others, not oneself. With parents like you two, I'm not worried about how he'll turn out."
Clark looked around at the three adults who cared about him, feeling some of his confusion begin to settle. Whatever these powers meant, whatever his true origins were, he was still part of this family. That much hadn't changed.
"Can we watch the tape tonight?" Clark asked, his natural curiosity beginning to overcome his fear.
"Of course," Marcus replied. "But remember—what you'll see are examples of what not to do. Your path will be very different."