There was a reason the Defenders were so weak...
Luke Cage had acquired his superpower in a prison experiment a few years ago. He'd obtained it in a short time, and after his release from prison, he'd been in a mentality of avoiding conflict. Whether it was using his ability or training with it, he was very lacking.
Before he had superpowers, he was just an ordinary person—he had no fighting skills and no corresponding training.
And Jessica Jones... Although she'd acquired superpowers as a child and was even active as a superhero, her superhero career hadn't been smooth sailing. It could even be described as miserable—her whole life had been dark and hopeless.
Although she'd escaped by luck, her belief in life had collapsed.
If it weren't for so many recent events, she'd still be drinking herself into oblivion, let alone studying to improve herself.
Danny was well-trained.
However, it was the Chinese extraordinary force "K'un-Lun" that had trained him.
Although powerful, with master teachers who'd taught many outstanding disciples...
Danny was a Westerner. He couldn't understand Chinese culture at all. During the learning process, much of it went over his head.
Although after a long time he could understand somewhat, there were still many things that felt baffling.
As one of K'un-Lun's trump cards, "Dragon Power"... Its source, "Shou-Lao," a giant dragon that went through cycles of life and death, had entered deep sleep at this moment, about to enter its next reincarnation state. This caused the dragon's power to weaken like never before.
In Danny's trial to obtain the power of the dragon, he'd failed to strengthen his physical fitness to the minimum standard of all previous Iron Fists.
This caused Danny to become a half-baked martial artist with average physical fitness (relatively speaking), super weak dragon power, and the weakest Iron Fist who couldn't even use it properly yet.
Daredevil had the corresponding knowledge and training.
After being trained by Stick, his martial arts had reached their peak, and he was very experienced in various combat skills.
Coupled with his heightened senses, he was formidable.
But unfortunately, his software was professional level while his hardware body was at ordinary human level. His mindset was too naive. Even protected by a bulletproof suit, he could only match these amateur heroes' level.
In the original timeline, they'd also temporarily formed an alliance because of their immaturity and difficulty fighting Kingpin and the Hand together.
Compared with the Avengers, they had neither logistics nor intelligence sources, and no one to provide weapons, equipment, and strategic plans. Everything depended on their own amateur-level fumbling... If it weren't for Daredevil's human radar, they'd really struggle even against ordinary gangsters.
It could be said that without Daredevil, the rest of the Defenders couldn't compare to the Punisher, an ordinary person.
In the system's comprehensive strength evaluation, these guys with superhuman physiques were only E-rank, while ordinary people like Daredevil and Frank had strength levels of D-rank.
But this was only temporary.
After all, their hardware conditions were there. As long as they continued experiencing and honing themselves, things like combat experience, combat skills, and combat awareness would grow sooner or later.
In the comics, they'd also grown into new Avengers after experiencing global events one after another.
"It's not a pleasant experience to be crushed because your skills fall short!"
A smile appeared on Quinn's face, and his vision passed through the system to look at Guo Haihuang and Liu Subaru who were stationed in Queens.
"We're here."
Coulson checked the information, parked the car on the roadside, and got out with his passenger—a woman with blonde curly hair wearing a black bodysuit made of interlaced fibers and leather.
He and the woman came to the edge of the alley and looked at the passage blocked by buildings on both sides where sunlight couldn't enter. Even in daytime, it was still a dark alley. After taking a deep breath, he pulled out the delicate wisteria flower.
"Let's go, Bobbi!"
"Okay!"
The woman called Bobbi nodded and followed Coulson inside.
Quinn had reminded him not to bring small devices like locators, or it would provoke the other party's anger.
Since that was the case, he'd bring someone openly.
If the other party didn't mind, they'd meet with both of them. If they minded, then he'd come alone.
Moreover, considering the other party was a woman, there might be obstacles in male communication or topics inconvenient to discuss, so bringing a woman made things much more convenient.
Of course, these reasons were secondary.
The biggest reason for bringing Barbara here was as a bodyguard.
After Nick Fury learned from the Vongola Family that they possessed information from a parallel universe, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s analysis department speculated that Quinn, Otto, and even those demons were likely from a parallel world.
And the Tamayo he knew was very likely the same.
Quinn, Vongola, demons... These people or creatures from parallel worlds all possessed extremely powerful supernatural abilities.
Then this Tamayo was very likely the same.
No, not very likely—definitely.
After all, Quinn's words had already made it clear.
I searched this morning but couldn't find her because she didn't want to be found... Being able to make senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agents unable to find someone despite knowing the approximate location already demonstrated extraordinary power.
Without a bodyguard, it would be very dangerous.
In their thoughts, the two had already entered the alley.
The alley was completely silent with no movement at all. Only the sound of their footsteps echoing in the distance could be heard, making them feel a chill.
"What the hell is this place?"
Bobbi couldn't help shivering. She crossed her arms and looked around as she walked.
Coulson was also a little nervous.
But as a qualified agent, he wouldn't show his feelings on his face... unless he couldn't help it.
"I don't know. It's my first time here!" Coulson shuddered, patted his face, and after clearing his head, continued walking deeper.
Bobbi gritted her teeth and followed.
The two walked silently for about half an hour and finally came to... a dead end.
"..."
The two looked at the high wall before them, speechless.
Coulson smiled reluctantly. "It seems Miss Tamayo doesn't like me bringing people with me. Next time I'll come alone."
"Isn't it that you took the wrong way?"
Bobbi asked in confusion.
Coulson had only told her they were meeting a potentially dangerous target and asked her to help remember the route and protect him if necessary. He hadn't given specific details.
"No, Miss Tamayo didn't want to see me, so she hid the way."
After speaking, as if afraid of being proven wrong, he added, "If Quinn wasn't lying to me, that's what happened."
"Quinn? Who is this Quinn you're talking about?"
"Quinn is me... eh!?"
Character Notes:
Stick - From: Marvel Comics (mentioned)
Daredevil's mentor who trained him in martial arts A member of the Chaste, an organization fighting the Hand Blind master who taught Matt Murdock to use his heightened senses
Barbara "Bobbi" Morse (Mockingbird) - From: Marvel Comics
S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with espionage and combat training Skilled in hand-to-hand combat and various weapons Often serves as a field agent and bodyguard for missions
The Punisher (Frank Castle) - From: Marvel Comics (mentioned)
Vigilante who uses lethal force against criminals Former Marine with extensive military and combat training Despite being an ordinary human, highly effective due to skill and experience