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In No One's Shadow
by Christine Everhart
Edan Lucio Stark. In the mere months since his introduction to the world, this young man has become a household name. He has taken the world by storm and just as many hearts it would seem. The people love him and for good reason. From his success on the field as Iron Defender to the newest advancements in Stark Industries, Stark is everywhere. He is the people's newest champion. Picking up where his Father, Stark Sr, left off, the newest Stark is handling the mantle well. Many praise him for continuing in Stark Sr's footsteps. But as we have recently learned, there is more to Stark than the legacy he inherited. He is a man in his own right, with the power to back that up. Literally. He has taken the world by storm again when it was revealed that he is also a mutant. Now I have the privilege once again of sitting down with him and getting the full story.Christine Everhart: Hello Edan, it's nice to see you again.Edan Stark: I could say the same for you. Always a pleasure to meet with a wonderful woman such as yourself.CE: And still the flatterer I see. That hasn't changed.ES: Let all this charm and good looks go to waste? Of course not. I haven't changed since the last time we spoke. You're just aware that there is a... little more to me now.CE: A little? I would say there is more there than a little. That was quite the heart stopping moment when you fell. I can safely say that more than a few hearts broke as they watched. But then you got up again and returned the favor. It was all very dramatic.ES: Yes well I'm afraid that dramatics run in the genes. It is second nature by now.CE: Speaking of genes, that's not the only thing in them. Tell me why you decided to hide your x-gene for so long.ES: Out of all the questions I am sure you are going to ask, that one should be the most obvious. Fear and worry mostly. Up until a few years ago it was dangerous to be a mutant. People didn't just hate or fear you. Some attacked you. If you weren't careful, the Men in Black would come and take you away. Being a mutant could mean being stuck in a life or death situation simply for being born.CE: So Stark Sr decided to hide you away.ES: You make it sound so sinister when you say it like that. Dad did what he thought was best to protect me. I don't blame him. I was more than happy to stay out of the public eye, once I understood everything. I already knew how brutal the world could be. With how anti-mutant everyone was, my introduction would not have gone well.CE: Surely you do not think that it would have gone that badly. There was no reason that you had to reveal that you are a mutant after all.ES: Right well a couple of things there. First of all, have you and I lived through the same history? Read and watched the same media? Because I distinctly remember a time when they were calling for blood. There was talk of registration and forced testing – and imprisonment in some cases. Let's not forget one charming idea that essentially boiled down to concentration camps. I doubt even the Stark name could have protected me much when I was a child.CE: It was brutal yes, but none of it went through. Nor did I hear of everything you just mentioned.ES: Fortunately no, none of it passed. Can we take a moment to appreciate how close those people got to reenacting WW2? And not in the fun way either. That was terrifying. Also not all of this hit the mainstream news which is why most people weren't aware of how bad it was. But it was a close call.CE: That does sound terrifying. But you said there was more you wanted to add?ES: Yes. Second of all do you know how hard it is to control your powers at first? Because let me reassure you, it isn't easy. Think of accidental magic in Harry Potter. Unless you have full control then something is bound to happen eventually.CE: Accidental mutant powers?ES: [laughs] Doesn't roll off the tongue does it? But yes that is it – accidental mutant powers. Or flare ups, if that makes more sense. Kids without superpowers get into trouble. Kids with superpowers? Bound to happen.CE: If I recall correctly, wasn't one of those bills proposed a school to teach control over those powers?ES: Teach control right. Sounds good on paper, you're right. But what they didn't tell you was how they planned on teaching that control. Please remember what you know about the treatment of asylum inmates when they began to overcrowd their patients. They share the same methods.CE: Christ you are a bundle of good news today aren't you? Was there anything decent proposed during that time or was it all disguised torture?ES: Oh there was some good stuff. The problem was that there wasn't enough of it. It got drown out by everything else on the table.CE: But now that is over.ES: Mostly yes. Mutants no longer have to fear for their lives, but they aren't exactly loved by the general public either. People are still afraid of them. And of course there will always be people in the shadows watching and waiting. You just did an exposé on one of them recently.CE: Our former Secretary of State Ross, yes. What a despicable man. I am glad I can now say that on the news and not get criticized for it.ES: [nods] Human experimentation – not a real confidence builder.CE: No it isn't. But he is out now and so are you – in different ways of course. Experts have been discussing what your mutation is and just how powerful you are. There is talk that you are an omega level mutant, which is the highest level of power there is. What do you say to that?ES: Flattering for sure. Unfortunately flattery will get you nowhere in this case. I am not discussing it.CE: How about the speculation of what exactly your power is?ES: And not that either.CE: You seem unwilling to discuss your mutation then. Trying to hide something? I had thought you had talked before about being open with people about yourself. So they see you as human. Sound familiar?ES: Now you're just playing dirty. Yes I did say that, but that doesn't mean that I am going to share everything. For one thing I still like having some privacy. Sorry but the public doesn't have a right to my entire life. It's like those people who share what they had for lunch on facebook. Um yeah, no. For another thing I am not going to announce my mutation to the world where anyone can read it – including any villain I might have to fight. That's not good superheroing right there.CE: Superheroing? Is that even a word?ES: It is now. Personally I think it should be – it's a verb isn't it? A verb is something you do. Well I definitely superhero. It's all over the news when I do it.CE: Edan Stark ladies and gentlemen, teenage genius.ES: Thank you, I know I am.CE: And still so modest. Alright then, if you won't discuss your mutation, let's talk about how it is living with one. What is it like?ES: Remarkably like living as a human without the gene. I know everyone likes to act as if mutants are a separate thing from humanity, but we aren't. We're still human too, only with a little extra. Yes the x-gene gives us superpowers, but that doesn't mean we aren't human.CE: There are those who would argue differently with you, even now. What do you say to those people?ES: That they're all assholes mainly. Just because they are afraid or they see these powers as some kind of ultimate weapon doesn't mean you can treat others like shit.CE: Bold words those. Are you sure you can back them up?ES: I was born ready. [laughs] Okay, that was bad. But yes. I have never been one to hold my tongue – even when I should maybe.CE: Like Father like son?ES: Something like that. I still haven't given my home address to a terrorist on national television yet so I still have a ways to go.CE: Some might see your words as an equal challenge.ES: Yeah. Because they're assholes.CE: You aren't going to let that go, are you?ES: No I am not. People say that we are dangerous because of what we can do. Well so is a person with a gun. That doesn't mean that everyone with one is going to go out and kill people. It means that there are good people and bad people, no matter what their genes say.CE: But there is protection against guns.ES: Sure there are. But how many people are going to walk around with bulletproof vests on? It's not practical. Just like anything else, it is a small group of people that give everyone else a bad name.CE: And the name is the Brotherhood.ES: Now who has bold words? Yes the Brotherhood are among those that give mutants a bad name. Not the only ones mind. There are others out there that cause trouble as well. I am aware that Magneto does it because he wants to protect mutants, but that doesn't make it right. As they say – cool motive, still murder bro.CE: Is that what they're saying now?ES: I've heard it from somewhere.CE: But this still hasn't answered my question about how it is living with a mutation. You mentioned accidents earlier so I assume you have experience with that.ES: I have. There have been some... interesting experiences before. Nothing catastrophic or anything, but it's always the little things that add up.CE: Come now, you can't just leave us with that.ES: Alright fine. One story – but that is it. So as people saw on the news I am able to absorb a certain amount of energy – and no this isn't me admitting to anything. But there was one time that I accidentally drained a couple of things I shouldn't have. Like, oh you know, maybe a cell phone or two, maybe a computer, maybe a television. And all of that energy has to go somewhere doesn't it? So it translated as me playing Static Shock for the day. My hair looked like a couple dozen of balloons had been rubbed over it. I kept zapping myself whenever I touched anything. And to add to it, I was bouncing off the walls the entire night.CE: Is that literally bouncing?ES: Think of it as 'I just had a triple espresso dumped into my Rockstar and then I chugged it' level of hyper.CE: I bet that was a sight to see.ES: I have been told there are pictures. There won't be as soon as I find where they are stored.CE: That certainly does sound interesting. But let's move onto the next question shall we?ES: I am almost afraid to ask.CE: Don't worry, you won't have to. I am the one asking. Tell me, does your stance on the Accords change at all now that you are no longer hiding your mutant status?ES: Not at all.CE: And why is that?ES: Because I am still the same person I was before people knew. Because I still believe in the same things I did before. The Accords are not a Registration Act, despite what some people may think. They are a complex set of laws for the superpowered community to follow to protect both civilians and themselves.CE: You say that it is protection for heroes as if they need it. One would think that they wouldn't. That it is the people that need to be protected from them.ES: What if they are accused of a crime they didn't commit? What if another underground human experimentation lab opens up? Or a slave ring? What if, as we were talking about earlier, they have a flare up – or any kind of legitimate accident – and someone gets hurt? This is a two way street here. If there isn't a system of accountability in place then there is an infinite number of things that can go wrong.CE: An interesting way of looking at it. Everyone seems to always focus on the opposite side of it. This isn't something that gets talked about much.ES: [nods] I know. Honestly now that all of the revisions are done, I am thinking of formally suggesting either a summary in layman's terms or a powerpoint or something is made to make it easier to understand. Obviously if you are going to sign it then you will need to read it. And there are now lawyers available to help you understand it. But for the average person? No one is going to go through over a thousand pages of dense text on a whim. Something simpler is needed.CE: You say revisions. And the Council has just announced that it is complete. Can you tell us about some of these revisions?ES: I can. For one thing, the section dealing with minors has been fully fleshed out. If they are under eighteen then there are a number of things different for them – including their secret identities if they have one. Adding to that, any close friend or family member is now entitled to protection as well. Traditionally kidnapping is a thing. Now there are a few different ways they have to protect themselves. More checks and balances have been added to stop any abuse of the document such as what Ross did. Also more details have been added to the emergency clause. Things to cut down on time when time is essential.CE: That sounds like quite a bit.ES: Yes. And that is only the beginning. I'd like to add that schools are going to be opened for minors as well to help teach them. Real schools with periodic checks to make sure everything is running smoothly. All teachers will either be heroes or superpowered themselves so they will have experience in what they are teaching.CE: It seems that minor superheroes are a big issue for you.ES: It is. It is inevitable that at least a fourth if not half of the teenage superpowered population is going to try to be a hero, if only briefly for some. Without proper training or equipment, someone is going to get hurt. Maybe themselves. Maybe someone else. This way they will have experience they need to fight.CE: And to keep track of them?ES: No. Again this is all anonymous. If they want to come in costume that's fine. If they want to use a false name, also fine. This is for them. There will also be resources and materials available to build better suits and such for themselves.CE: What if someone uses this training to become a villain that the others have to fight?ES: It sucks, I know, but that is also the chance we have to take. Is that the best plan? No. But we also can't treat them like criminals when they haven't done anything wrong yet. And maybe, if we get lucky then there is also a chance to convince some of them to stay off of the path before they go too far down it. Not all of them unfortunately because there are always going to be assholes out there. But by giving them a safe place maybe we can help them.CE: You have certainly put a lot of thought into this.ES: I want to help people. That is why I became a superhero in the first place. If I can help by ensuring both that the Accords are helpful and that people will sign them, I will. Being a hero doesn't always mean fighting the bad guy with a ray gun in hand.CE: I see. Well one more question before we end.ES: Alright, hit me with it, I'm ready.CE: Just why do you have hot pink hair?ES: [laughs] The hazards of living with other heroes – you never know what kind of crazy thing is going to happen to you next.CE: Such as waking up with pink hair?ES: I was awake when it happened, but yeah. One day you just might end up with pink hair.CE: And you haven't dyed it back why then?ES: It's growing on me at this point. I think I pull it off rather well, don't you?CE: Edan Stark ladies and gentlemen.