To be fair, the Nova gear isn't actually bad. Although his origin copies Green Lantern and his powers are essentially a budget version of Superman's—superhuman physique, flight, and energy projection—from a pure numerical standpoint, the Nova helmet is a truly powerful piece of equipment.
But precisely because of this, its user can be even more dangerous.
Peter didn't want to play the seasoned veteran and criticize Richard Rider's capabilities. He knew lack of experience was natural; not everyone is like Spider-Man, grinding "Hell Mode" dungeons every day to push their experience points so high. Everyone starts as a novice. Back when he first fought Shocker, hadn't things been a mess too?
However, that didn't mean Peter intended to do nothing. On one hand, these young heroes were indeed inexperienced, and their battles sometimes easily harmed innocent bystanders. On the other hand, a significant number of so-called heroes—especially those who appeared later—shared a common problem.
They didn't actually know why they wanted to be superheroes.
With the constant increase of superpowered individuals in the world and the subsequent rise of superheroes, a "celebrity effect" had formed. A vast number of powered individuals chose to become superheroes, but if you asked them why, they couldn't give an answer.
Or rather, the reason they became superheroes was simply because they discovered they had powers, much like how someone who finds they are good at sports or acting becomes an athlete or an actor. It had become a mindless trend and a pursuit of fame.
But the issue lay in the fact that the essence of a superhero is a vigilante, not a star. In reality, many participants would soon realize one thing: they gained nothing.
In fact, all they would receive is public condemnation and verbal abuse, regardless of the reason. The superhero business is actually quite thankless. When a massive influx of powered people enters the fray wanting to be heroes, only to find that people aren't grateful but instead complain about their actions, what happens?
"So I have to ask, why exactly did you decide to come out and help?"
Peter, who had lunged forward to catch Nova and set him aside, inquired: "I noticed you looked quite disappointed when no one called out your name. Are you a superhero for the applause?"
"Of course not—"
"Then you must have a reason. Even an absurd one will do."
Nova seemed to suddenly realize something, but as Spider-Man officially joined the fray, the Frightful Four shifted their tactics. First was the Wizard, who threw out dozens of gravity discs. These discs scattered through the air, releasing gravitational forces with completely different directions and intensities, constantly shifting their orientation.
He intended to prevent Spider-Man from utilizing his mobility, using this chaotic gravity field to trap him completely!
Peter drew a Sling Ring portal. In the next instant, a deluge of water from Atlantis swept away all the gravity discs, returning to the ocean through another, larger portal. Floating in mid-air, the Wizard's expression stiffened, utterly unable to comprehend what had just happened.
What was this? How did Spider-Man make all his high-tech gear vanish in a flash?!
Flash Thompson, on the side, cheered, though Peter suspected Flash didn't understand it either. Nova watched for a long while before finally firing back a question: "Aren't you Spider-Man?"
"Firstly, yes, I was bitten by a magical spider. Secondly, I know what you want to ask, but I don't have time to tell you right now. As for why, it's because a guy everyone calls Trapster—but who actually hasn't said a single word—is silently aiming at my back."
Four mechanical claws emerged from Spider-Man's back, firing lasers that pierced through Trapster's prosthetics. Then, Peter continued to question Nova: "So why do you come out to do this thankless work? I mean, being a superhero and all. You seem to have a fairly happy life, no tragic past—I don't mean anything by it, I'm just curious."
Richard Rider opened his mouth, realizing he truly couldn't answer. He couldn't help but ask in return: "What about you then? Why do you do this? Why are you Spider-Man? Watch out!"
Titania had already charged forward. This burly woman, strong enough to go toe-to-toe with the Thing, lunged at Spider-Man with a speed that even Nova found unbelievable. Yet, the man in front of him seemed oblivious: "Me? I'm quite pitiful. I do this entirely because I have a psychological disorder."
A psychological disorder?
Richard still hadn't processed that, but Peter had already performed a backflip into the air. His wrist fired a web, netting Titania mid-flight and tripping her flat onto the ground.
"A very serious psychological disorder. An obsessive-compulsive need to help whenever I see someone in trouble, otherwise I feel sick. How about you? Do you have OCD?"
In that moment, Richard Rider suspected Spider-Man was messing with him, but he suddenly realized it might not be the case. He looked toward the others, only to be preempted by Peter's rebuttal.
"Don't look at the others. I know them better than you do. Cloak and Dagger were human test subjects for an evil organization; out of hundreds of subjects, only four survived, and even then they nearly drowned in that base... Uh, Agent Venom is a bit of an outlier, but he was a man willing to stand up for others even when he had no powers at all."
"So, what about you? Do you have a reason?"
"Are you here to ask me for my reasons?"
"No, I'm just telling you that if you don't have a reason that keeps you in this line of work, you definitely won't last, friend. Our job isn't as glamorous as you think. If you do poorly, people curse you. If you think you've done well, people still curse you. Some people don't care how many you save or how terrifying an enemy you stop; they only care about the ones you didn't save, or the losses you didn't prevent."
"Like J. Jonah Jameson?"
"Like J. Jonah Jameson... uh, sort of."
As Spider-Man spoke, he fired a web behind him and yanked hard. He then heard Dagger's surprised cry, only to turn and see the Trapster had stepped on his own super-adhesive. It had conflicted with the webbing; the man was yanked over, but his pants remained stuck to the glue.
...The perception of the Noir Spider-Man suit still had some flaws—for instance, it couldn't sense super-glue on the floor. Peter sighed, webbing the Trapster up to the side, and turned back to Nova.
"So, shall we talk? Buddy? Like I said, I know a place that's perfect for someone like you right now."
Richard Rider finally gave an answer that wasn't a question.
"Where?"
"Up there. S.W.O.R.D., my friend."