DC HERO AT MARVEL

"Don't worry. I'll let Batman know right away. He'll help us figure out the truth," Anton replied confidently.

Hearing this, George felt reassured. He smiled and said, "I trust Batman completely."

Soon after, per Anton request, the car stopped outside the Daily Bugle building.

It was already late at night.

The cool evening breeze swept through the streets, and the dim glow of streetlights added a sleepy charm to the city.

"Huh," Eddie muttered as he looked around, sensing something amiss.

"Where Phil?"

"…"

Anton thought for a moment before waving dismissively.

"He'll find his way back on his own. For now, let focus on discussing Justin Hammer."

"Right!"

Eddie eyes lit up.

"You still haven't said who exactly took Justin Hammer!"

"Sandman," Anton replied.

"His name is Flint Marko. He was a petty street criminal who, after breaking out of prison and evading the police, accidentally stumbled into Hammer Industries' physics lab.

He fell into a particle accelerator… and, lucky for him, the radiation granted him the ability to control sand."

Technically speaking, Sandman has two names.

His real name is William Baker, but he used the alias Flint Marko during his crimes.

In the original Spider-Man film series, the name Flint Marko became the character primary identity.

Subsequent versions of Sandman backstory remained largely unchanged, following a similar trajectory: a criminal on the run who gets caught in an experimental accident, survives, and gains superpowers.

In Anton current world, his understanding of Flint Marko was limited.

However, thanks to his enhanced memory, the events of the day triggered a recollection.

Months ago, while assisting Osborn Corporation on Norman Osborn request, Anton Green Arrow persona had reviewed a file related to Hammer Industries.

At the time, Hammer Industries was Osborn Corporation biggest rival during Harry efforts to reclaim control of the company.

The file included a mix of detailed reports and news clippings—some sourced from Eddie and others from the High Table.

The file briefly mentioned Flint Marko.

Back then, Anton hadn't paid much attention, given how common names like Tom, Jack, or Tony were in America.

But now, connecting the dots, Anton was almost certain that Flint Marko was none other than the classic Spider-Man villain, Sandman.

"Sandman being mixed up with Hammer Industries… interesting," Anton mused, stroking his chin.

Although the full truth remained unclear, Anton was almost certain that Justin Hammer kidnapping by Sandman was nothing more than a staged act.

Justin was using this "abduction" as a cover to evade capture, hide in the shadows, and continue pulling the strings at Hammer Industries while waiting for an opportunity to clear his name.

The longer he stayed under the radar, the better it would be for him.

As for Sandman, he wasn't a pure villain.

In the original comics, Sandman even turned over a new leaf for a time, joining the Avengers. However, ideological differences led him to abandon the team and return to his criminal ways.

In the first Spider-Man movie, Sandman was tied to the death of Spider-Man uncle, Ben Parker, though he wasn't the actual killer. After being forgiven by Spider-Man, he left to care for his ailing daughter.

From a certain perspective, Flint Marko wasn't purely evil.

But that didn't matter to Anton.

Not being pure evil didn't make Sandman innocent.

To Anton, a guy like Sandman wasn't worth pitying, no matter where or how he met his end.

Anton current plan was to track down Sandman whereabouts and capture Justin Hammer.

If Sandman got in his way, Anton wouldn't hesitate to take him down.

In truth, even if George hadn't requested his help, Anton would've been intrigued enough to investigate.

Sending Justin Hammer to prison would be highly advantageous for him.

Hammer "kidnapping" was clearly a desperate move to save himself and his company.

Hammer Industries, like Stark Industries and Osborn Corporation, revolved around its leader.

If Justin Hammer were captured, Hammer Industries would collapse overnight, leaving its assets vulnerable to being devoured by Stark and Osborn.

Business was ruthless like that.

Especially now, with the newly established Wayne Enterprises entering the scene.

Though no one took Wayne Enterprises seriously yet, Anton wouldn't forget his ambitions of transforming it into the powerhouse Wayne Group.

The collapse of Hammer Industries presented the perfect opportunity for Wayne Enterprises to claim a significant piece of the pie.

If Justin Hammer landed in jail, the vacuum left by Hammer Industries would be massive, enough to propel Wayne Enterprises to new heights.

"Hmph!"

Lost in thought, Anton turned to Eddie.

"Oh, no, no, no," Eddie stammered, swallowing hard as he noticed Anton expression.

His face practically screamed refusal.

"I've already planned to stay up all night writing about the Stark Expo for tomorrow headlines… You're not seriously thinking of sending me to investigate Justin Hammer kidnapping, are you?

That a tricky mess—there no way I can crack it in one night!"

After a pause, he added, feigning misery, "Anton, I can't lose more hair. For an aging man, hair is everything!"

"Fine."

Hearing Eddie plea, Anton, who also valued his hair highly, thought for a moment before a solution dawned on him.

"Let call Phil back.

Hasn't he been wanting a chance to make his superhero debut?

This is the perfect opportunity!"

A moment later.

Phil finally arrived, late as usual, looking thoroughly dejected.

He glanced at Anton and Eddie with a face full of grievance.

"Boss, Chief… you forgot about me again, didn't you?"

"How could we?!"

Anton and Eddie exchanged a glance and, as if rehearsed, spoke the exact same words in unison.

"Don't overthink it!"

Eddie paused, noticing that Anton wasn't speaking, and quickly added, "We just ran into some minor issues."

Anton followed up smoothly, "Which have already been resolved!"

Eddie chimed in again, "Now, we're calling you over because there a tricky matter that needs handling."

Anton adopted a serious tone, "Didn't you always say you wanted to debut as a superhero?"

Eddie nodded, "This is your best chance yet!"

Anton agreed, "You won't want to miss it!"

"What is it?"

Phil asked, skeptical and feeling like he was being set up for something.

But looking at Anton and Eddie serious expressions, he didn't see the slightest hint of annoyance.

In fact, they looked like seasoned operatives handing down a top-secret mission, their words carefully crafted and convincing.