Fanfic / Variant Strain

Variant Strain (discussion thread, continued) is a [PROTOTYPE]/Spider-Man Fusion Fic by scriviner.

Peter Parker was an ordinary teenager until his uncle's house was broken into and the overenthusiastic burglar-chasers, two in military-style uniforms and one in hood, killed Uncle Ben. His immediate vengeance is swift and bloody as he... eats the hooded man? Now he has an inexplicable malleability of body and the mystery of his parents' work to investigate, a mystery that will plunge him into a murky world he may regret ever entering.

This fanfic contains examples of:

• Absurdly Sharp Claws: Comes in several varieties, he can reshape his fingers to have compact finger and toe tip claws to assist in clinging to surfaces and more subtle cutting, then there's the much more impressive foot long blades at the end of each fingers and talons on his feet for causing real damage.
• Achievements in Ignorance: Sort of. By activating MJ's dormant HYDRA infection in order to save her, Peter has managed to succesfully recreate the original Romanov strain, which the Thunderbolts have been trying for the past several decades to do.
• Adaptational Attractiveness: Anna Watson, who in the Spider-Man comics is an older middle-aged pudgy woman, is depicted here as a highly attractive woman in her mid-thirties.
• Adaptational Dumbass: Roderick Kingsley, the original Hobgoblin and Magnificent Bastard par excellence, gets downgraded into one of Oscorp's lackeys before he gets turned by Hydra and killed by Peter.
• Adaptational Heroism:
  • Several of Spider-Man's non powered foes such as Shocker(Herman Schultz), Boomerang(Fred Myers), Trapster(Peter Petruski), and Montana(Jackson Brice) show up as members of the Thunderbolts.
  • Norman Osborn of all people gets this. He was never the Green Goblin and while he was responsible for placing the Chitauri core under his mansion, by the time the story starts he's Locked Out of the Loop thanks to his son. He's still a Jerkass though.
• Adaptational Villainy:
  • According to chapter 58, J. Jonah Jameson is a colonel in the Thunderbolts and apparently as unethical as canon Blackwatch's senior officers.
  • Confirmed in chapter 65: Jameson intends to completely cut Manhattan Island off from the mainland, in order to turn it, and everyone in it, into a breeding ground for HYDRA.
• Adaptational Wimp: Donald Blake aka Thor. He's a far cry from the Physical God of the comics, being a Badass Normal field medic for Thunderbolts Shield Team.
• Age Lift: Harry Osborn is now old enough to be friends with Brian Watson. His father get this as well.
• An Offer You Can't Refuse: Invoked by Hank Pym to get Peter to consume him.

• Badass Bookworm: Peter, once he realizes what he's capable of, as his normal form is that of a skinny, undersized geeky looking fifteen year old.

• Continuity Porn: The author knows his Spider-Man and Marvel characters and there are references to them everywhere.
• Crazy-Prepared: Hey, remember all those kisses Peter and MJ keep having? Turns out he infected her with Hydra. Which he uses to save her life when she's fatally wounded by a Tracker.
• Crazy Sane: Cletus Kassidy is a bloodthirsty serial killer, but he's very good at keeping his composure during stressful situations and often has to help Peter stop panicking. He also theorizes that being crazy to begin with helps people keep their minds once they're infected with Hydra.
• Deadpan Snarker: Peter still snarks to stave off his fear.
• Death by Adaptation: A number of major Marvel characters get hit in the backstory by this including Natasha Romanoff, Captain Steve Rogers, Dr. Bruce Banner, Janet van Dyne,and Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, with Susan and Johnny Storm. Hank Pym dies as well.

• Dude, She's Like in a Coma: In chapter 58 Peter suggests that something of this sort happened between Jessica Drew and Ed Whelan, but specifics are artfully skipped over.

• Evil Knockoff: In chapter 62 we see Jessica has created copies of Peter.
• Evil Mentor: Cletus Kasidy, the Carnage Killer, is both Peter's first kill with his powers and the most prominent voice in his head, doling out advice and commentary on Peter's situation and makes sure his head is on straight during battle.
• Expy: Hank's giant "face" draws inspiration from the MCP of TRON.
• Fights Like a Normal:
  • Invoked in Peter's fight against the Rhino where his use of tools such as a gun rather than relying on his Hydra powers let him win.
  • Also invoked in chapter 55 where he has to refrain from using Hydra so as to not break his cover in front of some Thunderbolts.
• Foe Romance Subtext: Deliberately invoked with Jessica's More than Mind Control abilities, which Peter can resist, but he still can't help but find her incredibly attractive. As the story progresses, Jessica begins to grow obsessed with Peter not only for his ability to No-Sell her powers, but as an equal and potential mate.
• He Who Fights Monsters: Discussed in chapter 67, where in order to defeat Jessica, Peter converts himself into a Hive similar to herself or Hank.
• Homage: There are extended references to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, particularly in chapters 45 and 46.

• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In chapter 65 Peter's hesitation to kill Jessica inadvertently buys her time to wake up.

• Reasonable Authority Figure: Captain George Stacy as usual. Isaiah Bradley, the commander of Thunderbolts Shield Team turns out to be one as well.
• Shout-Out: Used here and there, but several specifically Musical theater and movie-related ones in Chapter 46.
• Something Only They Would Say:
  • Subverted in chapter 47, where MJ tells Hank in Peter's body that telling her something only the two of them would know isn't enough because she knows about the memory-sharing thing.
  • And then played straight later in the chapter when MJ recognises the real Peter by his habit of cracking bad jokes under stress. (The imposter had access to Peter's memories, but wasn't a good enough actor to imitate Peter's conversational style.)
• Stacy's Mom: Peter always had a thing for the older Miss Watson (Anna, not MJ).
• Talking Is a Free Action: No. No it isn't. Unlike in canon Prototype, Peter absorbing the memories of consumed victims actually takes up attention and time, which can make things problematic in a fight.
• Tank Goodness: Some of the Thunderbolts keep grumbling that they should authorize tanks for everything.
• Taught by Television: Peter knows several useful bits of trivia and knowledge, such as quotes from Sun Tzu and the density of pine, all of which he picked up from educational TV.
  Peter: "Sun Tzu."
  Hank: (pleasantly surprised) "Yes. You've read Art of War?"
  Peter: "History Channel, actually,"
• Through the Eyes of Madness: In chapter 65 Peter starts hallucinating things under Jessica's influence. It makes him see the world around him like it's still the 1950s.
• Unlimited Wardrobe: Sort of. Peter can alter himself to look like he's wearing any piece of clothing he's eaten.

• With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Peter's physical upgrades come with voices in his head, murderous impulses and cannibalistic tendencies. Fun. Other infected aren't shown to have much better luck.