The mention of an organization filled with superhuman member sent both Harry Osborn and Peter Parker into barely contained excitement, their eyes lighting up with the kind of enthusiasm typically reserved for Christmas morning or the announcement of a surprise three-day weekend.
With theatrical ceremony, he produced two gleaming badges bearing the distinctive symbol of the Plumbers organization and formally appointed both teenagers as official members.
Peter's hand shot up immediately, his expression puzzled.
"Why 'Plumbers'?" he asked with genuine confusion. "That doesn't sound particularly... heroic. Are you telling me Spider-Man is destined to spend his career in sewers and storm drains?"
"Dad work often as a Plumber to provide for us," Ben explained with a shrug. "I figured we should honour him."
The truth was that Ben had simply inherited the organization's name from his memories of the Ben 10 universe, but the cover story served its purpose.
"Look, you have two career paths to choose from," Ben continued with mock seriousness. "Scientist or Agent.. Pick your poison."
"You're both starting as junior members," he explained, settling into his role as organizational leader. "Technically, you should begin at trainee level, but Earth's roster is pretty thin right now, so I'm making an exception and fast-tracking you to full membership."
Ben moved to his computer setup and began calling up files with practiced efficiency.
"Your immediate superior will be one of our sheriffs," he said, pressing enter to display a gallery of character profiles on the main screen.
Images of Loki, Brunhilde, Looma, Beta Ray Bill, and Caiera appeared in a neat arrangement, each accompanied by detailed biographical information and capability assessments.
"These are our current sheriff-level operatives," Ben explained with obvious pride. "Fair warning—none of them are currently stationed on Earth. The Plumbers is an interstellar organization with responsibilities across multiple star systems."
Harry felt his worldview expanding at a rate that threatened to give him vertigo.
Peter nudged his friend's shoulder with obvious excitement.
"Just wait until I tell you the story of how Ben helped liberate an entire planet from tyrannical rule," he said with the enthusiasm of someone who had witnessed genuine heroism in action.
His attention was immediately drawn to Princess Looma's profile image.
"Hold on," he said with sudden recognition. "She looks exactly like your Four Arms! Are they related?"
"Same species," Ben confirmed. "Tetramands."
Peter's expression shifted to one of mischievous speculation.
"Is she going to become my future sisters-in-law?" he asked with a grin. "Because I'm pretty sure she could crush Mary Jane or Felicia's head like a rotten orange without breaking a sweat."
Ben's response was a swift backhand to Peter's shoulder that carried just enough force to make his point.
"What about your position in all this?" Harry asked, redirecting the conversation toward more practical matters.
"I'm the Chief Sheriff," Ben replied with matter-of-fact confidence.
The title represented the highest operational rank within the Plumbers hierarchy, making him the direct superior of all sheriff-level operatives across known space.
"So you're only two levels above us," Harry noted with satisfaction. "That's not too intimidating."
"Actually, there's a complication," Ben admitted. "The Chief Sheriff identity needs to remain classified for operational security reasons. When other people are around, treat me as just another sheriff."
He proceeded to explain the complex system of code names and alternate identities he had developed for his various alien transformations, allowing different forms to be treated as separate individuals when necessary.
"It's a bit convoluted," Harry observed with mild frustration.
"Welcome to intergalactic law enforcement," Ben replied with a shrug.
He outlined the theoretical scope of sheriff-level authority—planetary oversight, establishment of branch operations, recruitment of local personnel, formation of specialized task forces, and other responsibilities that came with managing entire sectors of civilized space.
The possibilities sent both teenagers into daydreams of space adventure and interstellar heroism.
"So what's our first assignment?" Harry asked, practically vibrating with eagerness to get started.
"Patience," Ben cautioned. "There will be opportunities soon enough, but right now we need to focus on preparation."
His expression grew more serious as he considered the larger strategic picture.
Somewhere in the universe, a purple-skinned titan was systematically collecting artifacts of unimaginable power. Despite Loki's not going to join them, Thanos's weakest military asset—the Chitauri invasion force—remained fully operational and would likely still target Earth according to the movie timeline.
Before that inevitable confrontation, the Earth branch of the Plumbers needed to accumulate significantly more combat capability.
"Equipment upgrades first," Ben announced, dismissing the personnel profiles and calling up technical specifications instead.
The Spider-Man suits retracted into their wall displays, replaced by detailed schematics of the Green Goblin armor system.
"Priority one: we're changing your codename," Ben declared without hesitation.
The "Green Goblin" designation had always struck him as poorly conceived, and the fact that Mandel Stormm had previously used the identity made it even more problematic for Harry to adopt.
"What do you suggest?" Harry asked, clearly having no particular attachment to the name.
Ben briefly considered creating an insect-themed partnership with Spider-Man, then remembered that spiders weren't technically insects and abandoned that line of thinking.
"We'll workshop the name later," he decided. "Let's focus on the hardware for now."
He began manipulating the three-dimensional projection, systematically removing outdated components and replacing them with more advanced alternatives.
"Manual wrist controls for the glider? Seriously?" Ben shook his head in disbelief. "What happens if your hands are restrained? We're switching to neural interface control. Don't worry—no brain surgery required. Everything will be integrated into the helmet systems."
Following the design philosophy of Tony Stark's Iron Man technology, the upgraded helmet would read bioelectric signals and translate them into control commands for the armor's various systems.
"The pumpkin bombs pack decent explosive power, but hand-throwing them is primitively inefficient," Ben continued, his fingers dancing across the holographic interface. "We'll miniaturize the payload and add integrated launch systems. Actually, let's just switch to directed energy weapons entirely."
He paused, reconsidering his own suggestion.
"On second thought, we'll keep the pumpkin bombs as backup ordnance but add laser projectors to the gauntlets for primary offensive capability."
Ben produced a collection of disc-shaped devices from his equipment cache.
Peter's eyes widened with recognition and alarm.
"Are those neurotoxin disc?" he asked, covering his mouth reflexively.
"Heavily modified and significantly weakened," Ben assured him. "Non-lethal dosage, designed for temporary incapacitation rather than permanent damage. The downside is reduced effectiveness against targets with enhanced physiology or natural resistance."
He turned his attention to Peter's equipment needs.
"Speaking of upgrades, I'm adding electrical discharge capability to your web-shooters. Should give you some additional tactical options."
"As for the glider systems," Ben continued, his enthusiasm building as he worked, "true anti-gravity is still beyond our current technological base, but supersonic flight is definitely achievable. We could also integrate sonic weapons if you're interested in crowd control applications."
Harry and Peter found themselves relegated to observer status as Ben's creative energy took over, his hands moving across the projection controls with the fluid confidence of someone who genuinely enjoyed solving complex engineering problems.
Meanwhile, across the city, Police Captain George Stacy arrived at yet another crime scene that had been reduced to smoldering ruins and scattered debris.
When the fire department finally extinguished the industrial blaze, their search revealed only one survivor: the Rhino, unconscious and critically injured but alive thanks to his enhanced durability.
Wilson Fisk received news of his operation's complete failure through his network of police informants, and the report filled him with a mixture of rage and grudging respect for his opponent's capabilities. While his communications had been severed during the actual battle, Kingpin understood the tactical realities well enough to piece together what had occurred.
The Green Goblin alone didn't have enough firepower to wipe out an entire strike team—so the only explanation was that Spider-Man… no, Prime had been there, actively involved in the carnage.
After experiencing repeated defeats at Prime's hands, Kingpin found himself approaching a moment of uncharacteristic strategic clarity. He was many things—criminal mastrate, ruthless businessman, master manipulator—but he wasn't an idiot who would continue throwing resources into a losing proposition.
Spider-Man and Prime could wait. Hell's Kitchen was only a few city blocks, while Fisk's empire stretched across the entire Eastern Seaboard. Sometimes tactical withdrawal was the wisest course of action.
For SHIELD operatives who had been monitoring the situation from a distance, the outcome hadn't been particularly surprising. Targeting someone under Ben Parker's protection was roughly equivalent to robbing an armored car instead of an undefended bank—the risk-to-reward ratio made no logical sense.
"This incident reinforces an important lesson," Nick Fury observed to his assembled team. "Ben Parker is not someone you want to antagonize."
Captain America nodded emphatically, his own encounters with Spider-Man having left him with considerable respect for the young hero's capabilities. Steve Rogers was confident that Peter Parker was fundamentally decent—a good kid with strong moral principles who would never cross certain ethical lines.
Ben Parker represented a different category entirely.
When Ben decided to eliminate threats, he did so with thorough efficiency that left no room for second chances. The villains who had survived this encounter were alive purely by accident rather than mercy.
The memory of his own recent infiltration of Primus made Nick Fury's blood run cold. If Ben had decided to treat SHIELD as an enemy rather than a potential ally...
"We need to recruit them for the Avengers Initiative," Fury declared with absolute conviction. "Spider-Man's demonstrated capabilities speak for themselves."
Coulson and Captain America voiced their agreement immediately.
"Having them on our side would provide incredible strategic advantages," Rogers added with obvious enthusiasm.
"But the inverse is equally true," Natasha interjected with characteristic directness. "If they ever become our enemies, we'd be facing an almost impossible tactical situation."
"Then we make sure that never happens," Fury replied with finality.
Natasha's expression suggested she found his confidence somewhat naive.
"I seem to recall someone almost making that exact scenario inevitable just a few weeks ago," she observed dryly.
Fury cleared his throat and deliberately ignored the comment, instead gathering his paperwork with the kind of purposeful efficiency that suggested the conversation was over.
"I'll handle this personally," he announced with growing confidence. "Just watch me work my magic on Spider-Man."
His research had revealed Peter Parker to be exactly the kind of idealistic young hero who would respond positively to the right approach. Unlike Ben Parker, whose motivations remained frustratingly opaque, Peter was refreshingly straightforward—a fundamentally decent kid who respected authority, valued justice, and had already demonstrated his willingness to work alongside established heroes like Captain America.
Fury's recruitment strategy was elegantly simple: deploy Natasha for subtle social manipulation (nothing too obvious, just enough to make a favorable impression), bring Steve Rogers to provide moral authority and peer validation, then present the opportunity as a chance to serve a greater cause.
Coulson thought the plan was slightly manipulative, but had to admit its psychological sophistication.
Nick Fury felt no shame about using every available advantage to secure such valuable assets for the organization.
"Consider it done," he said with absolute certainty. "This is going to be easier than taking candy from a baby."