New York was ablaze with chaos again. In Brooklyn, Graviton-a villain whose gravity manipulation turned streets into a battlefield- wreaked havoc. Cars floated, buildings cracked, and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents stood no chance. Graviton, hovering over the rubble, laughed, crushing everything with invisible force.
Then the sky lit up with a figure in a black-red-gray suit. Brandon, now fully Brightburn, descended like a predator. His eyes burned red. Graviton spotted him and sneered.
"Another hero?" he growled, unleashing a gravitational wave that should've crushed Brightburn.
Brandon didn't flinch. His telekinesis deflected the attack, and with blinding speed, he lunged at the enemy. One punch sent Graviton crashing through a skyscraper's wall. The villain tried to rise, but Brightburn's eye lasers sliced through his gravity field, and another blow shattered his ribs. Graviton fell, defeated in under a minute. The crowd froze, and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, including Nick Fury watching from afar, narrowed their eyes.
Fury, intrigued, muttered to Maria Hill:
"Who the hell is this kid?"
That evening, Brandon met Gwen on the roof of their favorite building. And Gwen, still in her Ghost-Spider gear, eyed him with a spark in her gaze.
"This suit…" she started, touching the red accents on his shoulder. "Where'd you get it?"
"Found it," Brandon replied, a slight smile tugging at his lips. "Fits, right?"
"Fits? It's badass!" Gwen laughed, shaking her head. "You took down Graviton like it was a warm-up. People are already talking about you."
Brandon shrugged, but her excitement thrilled him. He felt… seen, not as Brandon from the farm, but as something more.
Meanwhile, in Kansas, Caitlyn sat in her small apartment, staring at the TV. The news showed the Brooklyn fight-a figure in a black-red suit effortlessly defeating Graviton. Caitlyn froze, her hand tightening on her mug. It was Brandon. She recognized him instantly, from the way he moved, the aura that had terrified her as a child. She set the mug down and turned off the TV, unwilling to watch any longer.
Back on the roof, Gwen leaned against the edge, glancing at Brandon.
"So, what do they call you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Every hero needs a name."
Brandon looked out at the city, then at her, his lips curving into a smile.
"Brightburn," he said, the word ringing like a vow.
"Brightburn. Sounds cool."
They both smiled, standing side by side, gazing at the glowing city, unaware that the world was already noticing who Brightburn was-and what he might become.