Character Refs For My Marvel AU Pt. 1
Alright, last post for today (I promise lol), mainly because this is all the art I have for this AU so far. These are my character refs for Peter Parker and Matt Murdock for my Earth 74295 AU (an AU that I plan on making some oneshots on Ao3 for sometime soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that). Peterās ref was featured as one of my Artfight characters this year, and Mattās was drawn shortly after Artfight concluded. Iām relatively new to the Marvel/MCU fandom, but Iāve always loved the trope in fiction of mutations/genetic splicing (Brand New Day was a treat for me), so I thought where better to start with my mutation heavy AU than my favorite friendly neighborhood hero and the vigilante whose series Iāve been binge-watching 10 years late to the party in recent weeks (itās actually a problem). Both characters characterizations are relatively close to their canon counterparts, but they do differ in several ways, namely in the events surrounding their lives:
Peter: After the tragic loss of Aunt May (she dies in a car crash in my AU) and the near loss of Tony (he survived via amputation/Wakanda healing donāt question it; a ref for him will be coming soon), Peterās stress levels are at an all time high. Believing the stress to be some sort of new threat, the spider DNA in his body begins to mutate again, resulting in his appearance and behaviors becoming more spider-like.
He has six arms (the extras can retract at will; think Stitch), hollow fangs with a potent paralysis venom, spinnerets for organic webs, heightened senses (especially his ability to sense vibrations), and night vision. Now you may be thinking, āgosh Eclipse, he sounds too OP. How could any of this have a downside?ā One word: overstimulation. After these mutations, Peter feels like heās drowning in the amount of sensory input heās receiving, to the point that itās painful for him (ironically, since heās in the same post, just like Matt was before Stick showed up). Additionally, the venom glands above his fangs put extra pressure on nerves in his head when they swell, leading to not so fun headaches. Oh, and of course, the fact that his spider instincts keep trying to pull him in thirty different directions. Peterās having a great time. (Donāt worry it has to get worse before it gets better. ;D)
Matt:
Mattās story doesnāt deviate quite as much from canon as Peterās (although that might be because right now Iām still actively watching through the Daredevil series). His main difference is that in this AU, he was born with the X gene, making him a mutant. Heās still blinded by the chemicals as a kid, and they still give him heightened senses, but less in the sense (haha unintentional pun) that they came from the chemicals, and more in the sense that the chemicals altered his X gene. In a universe where he wasnāt hit by the chemicals, the only thing that wouldāve been different about him was his appearance (and the fact that he growls when grumpy), but when they hit him they essentially mutated his mutation gene. Like Matt, Jack Murdock also possessed the horns, fangs, claws, tail, and growl-y tendencies (the Murdock boys are said to have the devil in them, after all). Having experienced anti-mutant discrimination and stereotypes firsthand throughout his own childhood, he was highly protective of Matt, and wanted to ensure that he got a good education so that people would see him for what he wasāan extremely bright boy, not just some ādemon mutant.ā He also wanted Matt to keep out of fights, not only because he didnāt want him to end up in the same situation as his old man, but because he didnāt want Matt to add any fuel to the stereotype fire (the stereotype being that mutants, especially ones that look like Matt, are more aggressive by nature).
Fast forward to the Nelson and Murdock era. Foggy and Karen both know that Matt is a mutant, but they have no idea he moonlights as Daredevil. Whether in his āman in the maskā outfit (which looks basically the same as it does in the show except for the fact that heās got black strips of fabric wrapping around and concealing his horns and tail) or his Daredevil suit, he makes sure both his horns and tail are covered so as not to give himself away. Two mutants with the same traits in Hellās Kitchen is coincidence, but those traits being the exact color? Itād be a dead giveaway.
And there you go! Earth 74295ās Matt Murdock and Peter Parker! Assuming I donāt change mind for some reason, Tony should be next, and then probably Wade (once I watch Deadpool, of course).
Thanks for checking this post out, and have awesome day/night!