Ben had no desire to see the world flooded with individuals possessing superhuman abilities. The proliferation of enhanced humans inevitably led to chaos, regardless of their initial intentions.
Even among those who considered themselves heroes, many lacked the wisdom, training, or psychological stability to handle extraordinary power responsibly.
The potential for villains and unstable individuals to gain similar abilities was a nightmare scenario that Ben was determined to prevent.
This make him remember the event that triggered the Civil War storyline.
In the Marvel Comics Civil War storyline, the conflict begins when a young superhero team called the New Warriors attempts to apprehend a group of dangerous villains while filming a reality TV show.
During the battle, the villain Nitro unleashes a massive explosion in Stamford, Connecticut, killing over 600 civilians, including many children. The tragedy sparks national outrage and leads to the government passing the Superhuman Registration Act, which requires all heroes to register their identities and operate under official supervision.
This divides the superhero community—Iron Man supports the law, advocating for responsibility and oversight, while Captain America leads the opposition, believing it violates civil liberties. The disagreement escalates into a full-blown civil war among heroes, fracturing alliances and leaving lasting consequences across the Marvel Universe.
His words seemed to awaken Dr. Connors from a dangerous line of thinking.
Having witnessed the successful transformations of both Peter and Ben, Connors had unconsciously begun viewing the lizard serum as something equivalent to spider-based powers—a pathway to creating more superheroes rather than simply healing the injured.
"You're absolutely right," Connors admitted. "Focusing on medical applications would be much more manageable."
He paused thoughtfully before continuing, "We could dilute the serum significantly to reduce its potency and eliminate the enhancement effects."
But Ben shook his head firmly.
"Simple dilution won't work, Dr. Connors."
The approach was fundamentally flawed from a business and security perspective. If Primus could dilute the serum, then competitors could concentrate it back to full strength. Even if the concentration process proved difficult, determined adversaries could simply purchase large quantities and reverse-engineer the original formula.
In the biotechnology industry, protecting proprietary formulations was absolutely critical. Once a formula was compromised, patent protections became worthless pieces of paper.
The organizations most likely to attempt such reverse-engineering were precisely the ones Ben wanted to avoid—the U.S. military and SHIELD. If they successfully cracked the serum, there would be no legal recourse available. They would simply claim national security exemptions and proceed with their own applications.
Moreover, dilution didn't address the fundamental problem of psychological side effects. It merely reduced their intensity rather than eliminating them entirely.
"My recommendation is to completely redesign the formula," Ben explained. "We should develop a therapeutic serum rather than an enhancement."
The treatment Ben envisioned would function purely as medicine. By removing the superhuman elements entirely, they could eliminate the dangerous side effects while preserving the regenerative benefits.
Furthermore, the serum should function as a consumable rather than a permanent enhancement. It could heal injuries and disabilities, but it wouldn't grant ongoing superhuman healing abilities to patients.
Ben also planned to develop multiple generations of serum with varying effectiveness levels. Only the most advanced version would be capable of full limb regeneration, while earlier versions would offer more limited healing benefits.
This tiered approach would maximize both the therapeutic value and the commercial potential of their research while maintaining strict control over the most powerful applications.
Connors remained silent for several moments, clearly uncomfortable with the commercial considerations but unable to articulate specific objections.
The original serum hadn't been entirely his creation anyway. His initial research had been conducted with Richard Parker more than a decade earlier, and even the flawed lizard serum had been based on formulations that Richard had developed.
The treatment Ben was proposing would be even further removed from Connors' original work.
More importantly, Connors understood that any successful company had to prioritize profitability to survive. At least Primus remained committed to helping humanity rather than purely pursuing financial gain.
"How do we protect the formula from being stolen or reverse-engineered?" Connors asked, his concerns clearly influenced by recent events.
Although Dr. Animo's final battle had occurred at Stark Tower, the aerial combat between the mutated bird and Iron Man had inevitably endangered civilian bystanders. When Ben had subsequently knocked Dr. Animo into the Hudson River, the resulting waves had nearly capsized several passenger ships.
"We control the supply chain from the source," Ben replied, gesturing toward Dr. Animo's genetic manipulation device.
"All we need to do is ensure that one of the serum's essential components remains exclusively in our possession."
This approach would make reverse-engineering virtually impossible. Even if competitors managed to analyze the serum's basic composition, they would be unable to replicate it without access to the proprietary ingredient.
"Then let's start from the beginning!" Connors said with renewed enthusiasm.
"We'll need to establish a controlled ecological environment for our research," Ben agreed. "I've reserved space for exactly this purpose."
Ben had rented an entire floor of the building, though they were currently only using two laboratory areas. There was plenty of room for expansion, and he anticipated needing significantly more space soon.
Once the Stark Expo concluded and certain business opportunities became available, he planned to acquire much larger facilities. Justin Hammer's company would be perfect for their needs.
Ben and Connors worked together intensively, and Connors found himself consistently amazed by Ben's Grey Matter form.
The transformed Ben sometimes seemed puzzled by concepts that Connors considered fundamental to biological research. Yet he could instantly identify solutions to problems that had stumped Connors for years.
"We don't need comprehensive genetic mutation," Ben observed during one of their sessions. "We only need to enhance specific stem cell populations."
Their progress was remarkable, and they were already developing plans for controlled genetic modifications when a doorbell interrupted their work.
Connors immediately tensed, remembering his status as a fugitive from corporate justice.
"Relax," Ben assured him, jumping down from the laboratory table. "I have an appointment with Norman Osborn."
He slapped the Omnitrix interface while still in mid-air, reverting to human form before his feet touched the ground.
"Norman Osborn?" Connors' anxiety only increased at the mention of his former employer.
"I'll explain everything later," Ben promised. "Just tell him that we've successfully developed the serum. Don't reveal any other details."
Ben had long planned to help Norman and Harry address their family's genetic disorder, but he preferred to use the serum development as cover for his real intentions.
He went to admit Norman and Harry, who had arrived together as planned.
Norman entered the laboratory with obvious appreciation for what Ben had accomplished. While Primus couldn't match the scale of Oscorp's original facilities, Norman recognized the same entrepreneurial energy that had driven his own early success.
Of course, his own beginnings hadn't been nearly as promising as what Ben had achieved.
As they moved deeper into the laboratory, Norman noticed Dr. Connors and stopped in surprise.
"It's been a long time, Mr. Osborn," Connors said with remarkable composure.
After his initial moment of panic, Connors had quickly regained his confidence. When he really considered the situation, he had nothing to fear.
The combination of his expertise and Ben's capabilities made them incredibly powerful. He felt confident they could handle any threat, whether it came from Norman Osborn or even someone as formidable as Iron Man.
What could anyone possibly do to them? They were simply too strong together.
"I recruited Dr. Connors to help complete the serum development," Ben explained, producing a small vial filled with what appeared to be a sophisticated pharmaceutical compound. In reality, it contained a harmless anesthetic solution he had prepared in advance.
"The Oscorp executives told me you were growing impatient and wanted to proceed with human trials using an incomplete formula," Connors said with obvious regret. "You've seen the consequences of that decision."
"I had no knowledge of any such order," Norman replied, his expression darkening.
While his health had indeed begun deteriorating, he was nowhere near desperate enough to authorize premature human testing. Moreover, he had never even seen a sample of the lizard serum throughout the entire development process.
"It seems the board of directors has been hoping for my death for quite some time," Norman said bitterly.
"Well, their hopes are about to be disappointed," Ben said with satisfaction. "Uncle Norman, this serum can eliminate the genetic defects that have plagued the Osborn family for generations. That's why I invited you and Harry here today."
"You're serious?" Norman could barely contain his excitement, his usual composed demeanor cracking under the weight of decades of fear and anticipation.
Harry, who had been kept completely unaware of his family's medical history, looked confused.
"Wait, what genetic defect are you talking about?"
Norman hesitated for a long moment before finally revealing the truth that had haunted him for years.
"There's a hereditary disease that affects every member of the Osborn bloodline," he explained with obvious pain. "No Osborn has ever lived beyond the age of fifty."
Harry's eyes widened in shock. While he couldn't yet fully comprehend his own mortality, he suddenly realized that his father had only a few years remaining.
"That's all in the past now!" Ben declared with absolute confidence.
He raised the vial high, the liquid inside catching the laboratory lights like a beacon of hope.
But Connors understood the truth—the real source of hope wasn't the serum at all. It was the watch Ben wear.
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