Adam’s dream had always been different. While all the other kids around him played with their Overman and their Glory action figures, and chattered about how great it would be to save the day, his thoughts were full of darker things: swirling capes, shadowy figures, spinetingling cackles… You could leave those so-called “heroes,” saving the day with their fists and muscles, to the populist masses. Villains were the idol for the truly discerning, for the intelligent man.

But it wasn’t until he was a teenager, full of self-righteousness and hormonal rage, that he finally received the impetus to act.

The world was so unfair. So wrong. How could someone like her become a hero? If anyone deserved to be famous…

But he was going to do it. Finally, he had overcome his natural ennui.

He worked in secret, in darkness. “Fashion” was hardly his strong suit. He preferred substance over style. But he knew how the this culture worked. If a costume didn’t fit what people expected, the super media would tear it apart. Without even waiting to see the super’s true worth.

Finally it was done. He posed in front of the mirror. It was elegant, slim and black with vertical, light purple highlights. No unnecessary ruffles, fins, or extravagances. Just a practical, aerodynamic bodysuit, that left his limbs free to move quickly and efficiently, and a small mask to conceal his identity from the madding crowd.

It was time to test it out in the field.

His dark costume blended seamlessly with shadows of night. It was the villain’s way. His costume had held up to the admittedly brief field test. It was time to head home.

Suddenly, a piercing scream split the night. He frowned.

Was someone honing in on his territory?

He darted from shadow to shadow in the murky light provided by the yellowed streetlights. He finally reached the dark alley whence the shriek had issued forth.

A bulky, muscular man had a small teenage girl backed against a wall. As he watched, the girl slowly reached behind her and… drew out a notepad?

As the two dark figures emerged into the light, he realized that the girl was wearing a formfitting white and black costume, while the man was clad in a t-shirt and jeans. The girl finished scribbling on her pad, tore off the page and handed it to the man. The man bounced up and down in excitement as he received the page. “Oh my god! I can’t believe I really met Materia!”

Adam’s eyes narrowed. It was her. The undeserving hero. His archnemesis.

He prepared to slink off into the night. She was the last thing he wanted to deal with during this test run. He watched for a moment as Materia’s effervescent fan walked off into the darkness.

But his stealth skills weren’t great enough. Materia turned as she heard his sneaker crunch against gravel that had overflowed from a planter. “Hey!” she shouted.

He turned to flee. “You! Yeah, who else would I be talking to?” He sighed. He really didn’t want to deal with this, but he also didn’t want to lead her to right to where he lived. Turning back, he raised his hand in vague greeting, his eyes directed at the ground.

“You don’t have to be so shy! I’m just excited to meet another hero around my age!”

In the darkness, Adam gritted his teeth. Materia truly embodied all the things he hated most about heroes: their fake cheerfulness and their presumptuousness, just to start. He rallied himself to give a short, minimally polite reply. He was just starting out; it was hardly time to get into a fight.

“What’s your name?” Materia blurted out. “I mean, your code name, or, assuming you have a code name… I don’t want to violate your privacy…”

He had of course thought about code names—but he hadn’t settled on one, and besides he hardly wanted her to be the first one to hear it. Well, the great thing about being a villain: the smart ones, at least, had no qualms about being… less than honest. He decided to spin a cunning web of lies.

“It’s, um…” hmm “Ener… gia.” Whatever, it was sufficient for his purposes.

“Cool!” She squinted at him in the half-light. “Is your… costume based on mine? I mean, if it is that’s completely fine, it just kind of—”

Adam stopped paying attention to her babbling as he looked down at himself in a panic. He had thought his design was completely original, but now that he could see them side by side—his costume was almost a color-inverted version of Materia’s. On some deep level, his hatred of her must have subtly seeped through.

She must have seen the panic on his face. “Oh no, it’s fine. I’m actually really complemented. I’m just still always amazed that I have fans at all. Honestly, inspiring others to become heroes is the best thing I could possibly hope for.”

Adam needed to scrap this entire thing and just start completely over. The person he hated most in the world mistaking him for a fan—this was the most humiliating situation he had ever experienced. He was posed to run when she approached him and laid her hand on his shoulder. “You know, if you ever want to work with me…”

A grin suddenly overtook his face—the kind that pushed up on the corners of his eyes. He just had an idea.