"We have a responsibility to use our powers wisely and make the world a better place."
Peter walked up to Bren's bed, looking at him seriously:
"Because with great power comes great responsibility."
"So?" Bren propped his pillow up a little higher, leaning back, looking at Peter with a different expression. Peter felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze and instinctively shifted his position. He realized that Bren seemed rather indifferent to the things he had said.
"So we can become heroes, like Iron Man!" Peter gestured excitedly, then pinched his chin, lost in thought. "We could pick a cool code name, like...
"...Spider-Man or the Spider Duo, what do you think?"
"If you want to be a superhero, go ahead. Don't drag me into it. I can only wish you success," Bren said, rolling over. He clearly didn't take the idea seriously but wasn't trying to stop Peter. After all, Peter had the right to choose his own path, to become whoever he wanted to be.
And although Bren didn't plan on being a hero, he had no reason to mock someone who did want to be one.
Peter's idea was good, it was just that Bren didn't have the same enthusiasm for it.
"Wish me success? Aren't you coming with me?" Peter asked in surprise, unable to understand why Bren didn't care about becoming a hero.
"Of course not," Bren said. "What's the benefit of being a hero to me?"
He looked at Peter seriously and shook his head. "There's no benefit, only trouble."
"But being a hero is so cool! Like Iron Man! Do you know how many people love him? How many people go crazy for him?" Peter said excitedly. "If we become heroes, there will be so many people who will like us, admire us..."
He thought to himself, if he became a hero, he could be someone else, shiny, dazzling, famous, anything but the nobody he felt he was now. Just Peter Parker.
"Save it, Peter," Bren said, clearly unimpressed. "The people who like and admire Iron Man aren't admiring Tony Stark, they're admiring Iron Man. And you know what? The same thing would happen to you. They'd like Spider-Man, not Peter Parker."
Bren wasn't trying to stop Peter from becoming a superhero, but if Peter went into it with such naïve expectations, he would only be hurt when the harsh reality hit him.
"But Spider-Man is Peter Parker," Peter replied, not fully understanding Bren's point but accepting the name "Spider-Man" for himself.
At this, Bren sat up, his expression turning serious.
"No, Spider-Man can't be Peter Parker!"
Bren's stare was so intense that Peter felt an almost biological pressure, like Bren wasn't his cousin, but his predator.
But Peter still didn't get it.
"You think you can stand in front of a crowd of reporters, shouting, 'I am Iron Man!' like Tony Stark?" Bren mocked, imitating Stark's cocky tone.
"Why not?"
"Please. Tony Stark can admit he's Iron Man because he's Tony Stark. He has the Stark Industries backing him up. Even without his suit, no crime can hurt him or his family. What do you have?"
"Have you thought about what would happen if you took off the mask and told everyone Spider-Man is Peter Parker?" Bren stood up and pushed Peter away from the bed. Peter felt weightless under his touch.
Peter froze, his mind racing with Bren's words, imagining the terrifying and bloody consequences.
"Uncle Ben and Aunt May would be in danger. Those criminals you've defeated, what do you think they'll do when they realize they can't defeat you but hate you with a passion?"
"They... they would target Uncle Ben and Aunt May..." Peter's face turned pale at the thought, his voice trembling.
"I'm glad your brain isn't broken," Bren said.
He knew Peter wouldn't ignore this fact, but the boy had been clouded by his idealistic fantasies. He just wanted to warn Peter, there were universes where Spider-Man's identity was exposed, leading to the injury or death of loved ones like Mary Jane and Aunt May.
Spider-Man was always struggling in pain and ruin. Whenever things seemed to improve, fate would cruelly laugh in his face.
"Alright," Peter nodded heavily. He understood Bren was right, but his thoughts hadn't changed.
Maybe Spider-Man couldn't be Peter Parker, but one thing was clear, Peter Parker was Spider-Man.
He could keep his identity secret, but every person who cheered for Spider-Man was, in essence, cheering for him.
"At least I'm doing good, right? With great power comes great responsibility. And I don't need people thanking me to my face."
But what Peter didn't know was that becoming a hero didn't always bring praise. He couldn't yet understand the bitter taste of doing good and still being misunderstood.
But Bren wasn't planning to continue the discussion.
There was no need to crush Peter's spirit. Some things, Peter would only understand once he experienced them for himself. Of course, Bren knew these hardships wouldn't break Spider-Man, nor would they break Peter Parker.
What's more, Peter truly needed a superhero identity.
For so long, he had been the quiet, overlooked Peter Parker. Small, unremarkable, someone no one would notice, even girls he liked never gave him a second glance.
But now, things are different.
He had the chance to change, the ability to transform. What reason did Bren have to take that away from him?
Although Peter had to keep his powers secret, becoming Spider-Man could still fill the empty spaces inside him.
At least when wearing that suit, he was the powerful Spider-Man, not just Peter Parker.
"So, if you really want to fight crime, you need a cool suit!" Bren grabbed Peter and dragged him to the desk. He pulled out a stack of draft paper and flipped it open.
Peter was stunned by the designs on the paper.
"Wait a minute. You say you don't want to be a superhero?"
"I don't."
"But you secretly designed an entire suit and even thought of the name 'Spider-Man'?!"