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“Oh, here we go with the diplomatic reasoning again,” Jen sighed good naturedly. “Please, Andy, we’re all waiting on pins and needles for your explanation.”
“Well,” he began, speaking to his friends like he was in debate class (though I’m sure the lot of them took these discussions just as seriously), “for starters, they’re both genetically enhanced. Even though Koil wasn’t injected with his superhuman strength, he was exposed to it and absorbed the Earth’s energy as a child. Secondly, they both have crazy amounts of endurance and can take a beating.”
“Right, but Cap is older and has been fighting longer and could kick Koil’s ass.” That was from Arnold, the Koil nay-sayer.
“Just because Cap’s had his powers since World War II, doesn’t make him stronger. Koil on the other hand has spent his life honing his skills and learning the true potential of his abilities,” Andy pointed out.
Each character seemed to have an impressive stat sheet, and as foreign as the conversation was to me, I found myself becoming invested in it. I wasn’t able to participate, but it did make me more interested and curious as to Jake’s role.
“Ok, but what about the fact that Koil tries to suppress and ignore his powers, where Cap has only ever wanted to do good with his?” Arnold had shifted in his seat, tucking a foot under his butt. He was getting comfy, a sure sign he was in this discussion for the long haul.
Why would Koil want to ignore his powers? Wouldn’t all superheroes want to help others?
Jen answered my unspoken questions. “Unlike Captain America, Koil was too young to understand his abilities. It scared him; it was the unknown and growing up that would be enough to make you feel like an outcast. All Koil wanted was to feel normal,” she explained. “Throw in the flashback from the second movie where he accidentally killed an innocent because he wasn’t aware of his powers, it made for the perfect excuse. Anyone would probably shut down and want to ignore that.”
That made sense. I decided I was Team Jen.
“In addition,” Andy assured, holding a finger in the air, “Cap had a team of scientists surrounding him. He was trained. He was monitored. He knew ahead of time what he would become. Koil didn’t. He had to learn it all on his own.”
Jen and Andy high fived each other when Arnold didn’t have a comeback.
The guy directly in front of me, who had remained quiet until now, added his two cents. “But most importantly, let’s take a look at the leading ladies…!”
Andy and Arnold got a far-off look, undoubtedly conjuring the women’s faces in their minds.
Jen groaned beside me. “Peggy Carter versus Peyton Powell,” she murmured under her breath.
“I think we all agree that they’re both incredibly smokin’,” Arnold said.
“And they’re both incredibly smart,” added the dude in front of me.
“Of course, they’re hot and smart,” Jen inserted. “The only debate is whether you prefer a blonde or a brunette. Peggy is a badass agent whereas Peyton is a brainiac marine biologist. Take your pick.” She sounded exacerbated at the turn the conversation had taken, and if I had to bet, this wasnotthe first time they had discussed this topic.
The guys continued to deliberate on their preferences when Jen turned to me.
“Sorry.” She gave me a sheepish grin. “We tend to go full-on nerd mode sometimes.”
I shook my head, lifting my upper lip at the corner in indifference. “Don’t apologize. Are you all headed to VelCon, then?” There was no way they couldn’t be, given their screen printed Velram and Marvel tees.
She took a sip from her plastic cup and shook her head. “Yeah, we go every year. The circuit is a blast!”
“But you don’t go to every city, do you?” I reasoned, genuinely curious. That’d be a hell of a lot of money and who could take that much time off work?
“We do, actually. We are glorified nerd groupies. We all have remote jobs,” she explained when I gave her a deer in the headlights look, “so we do a little bit of work on the road and intersperse it with vacation days.”
Wow. These people were dedicated. It brought a whole new meaning to the word fandom. I had absolutely no idea these types of people existed.
You watch a movie or a show, you like it. You might look up the actor or actress and find it cool that they are the same age as you or maybe hail from your state. The end.
But these people centered their lives around a summer circuit and used their hard-earned PTO to follow celebrities around the country.
“Committed much?” I joked.
Jen grinned wryly. “We love it. Plus,” she whispered, leaning a little closer, “Andy and I are planning on eloping in Chicago.”
“Congratulations!” I beamed. I instantly pictured them in their screen-printed tees, professing their love to one another.
“Thanks.” Jen turned shy, eyeing Andy. I don’t know if she even realized she was gazing at him adoringly, but whatever they had, seemed real.
