DC HERO AT MARVEL

"First, you need to find someone..."

"His name is Flint Marko!"

"He your enemy!"

Anton and Eddie seamlessly alternated, their brief but pointed words leaving Phil with no room to react as they laid out his mission.

"Flint Marko?"

Phil froze.

The unfamiliar name left him utterly confused, his expression blank as he struggled to process what he'd just heard.

"Flint Marko is a petty street criminal," Anton explained.

"After escaping from prison, he accidentally mutated while evading capture.

Now, he can turn into sand and control it.

We call him Sandman. He kind of like Electro—" Anton paused, recalling, "Oh, right. You left too early to see Electro."

He shook his head and continued, "Anyway, your enemy is Flint Marko.

But your real target isn't him. It Justin Hammer, who been kidnapped."

"Justin Hammer been kidnapped?"

At this, Phil finally snapped out of his daze.

His pupils dilated as he stared at Anton and Eddie, utterly dumbfounded.

"You call that a minor issue?"

Anton and Eddie exchanged a glance, both letting out a small sigh.

Clearly, Phil had only absorbed about half of what they'd just said.

"Go back to your work," Anton told Eddie with a wave of his hand.

"I'll explain it to him properly."

"Got it."

Eddie turned and headed into the building.

Anton led Phil to his office in the Daily Bugle.

Taking some extra time, he finally managed to get Phil up to speed on the current situation.

"...So you think the 'kidnapper' who took Justin Hammer is Flint Marko.

And if we find Flint, we'll be able to locate where Justin Hammer is hiding?"

Phil repeated back, his tone a mix of incredulity and reluctant acceptance.

Phil thought for a moment before nodding firmly.

"I understand!"

He finally realized why Anton had said this was the best opportunity for him to debut as a superhero.

This wasn't a matter of national security, but it did involve the survival of a multinational corporation and a military-industrial giant.

Justin Hammer was the key!

And Flint Marko, the Sandman, was the hurdle Phil would need to overcome to achieve his goal.

When the time came, he would don the Goblin Armor—now modified into the Demon Armor—and face off against Sandman.

Then, under the spotlight, he would expose Justin Hammer crimes for all to see.

Phil eyes sparkled with excitement.

As Anton had said, this was the perfect moment for him to step into the role of a superhero.

Just imagining the scene made him tremble with anticipation.

"Boss!"

Phil looked at Anton with unwavering determination.

"This mission has to be mine!"

"Don't worry, it yours. No one will get in your way," Anton replied with a smile.

"Alright, get to work. Start gathering all the information you can on Flint Marko and find out where he hiding.

When the time comes, you'll know exactly what to do without me needing to spell it out."

"Understood!"

Phil wasted no time and sprang into action.

This time, he was smarter about it.

While dialing the Continental Hotel to request Flint Marko files from its internal network, he also made his way home to retrieve his gear.

After all, Sandman was a mutant, and facing him would require every advantage he could get.

Why call the Continental Hotel?

As an official member of the Justice League, it was one of the privileges of his position.

The next day.

The New York terror attack—specifically the chaos at the Stark Tech Expo—naturally became the hottest topic in the news.

Countless people began discussing Hammer Industries' rogue steel soldiers.

Simultaneously, the mysterious kidnapping of Justin Hammer also grabbed public attention.

Hammer Industries' stock price plummeted in response, although it appeared to remain within the company ability to withstand.

Despite the absence of its central figure, the company executives acted decisively, securing their military contracts by making significant, painful concessions to the government.

As a result, they avoided a complete collapse.

While the storm of negative publicity raged on the surface, it was merely a reflection of public discourse, not the deeper chaos roiling beneath the surface.

The situation fell into an eerie calm.

New York Police Commissioner George Stacy, however, was livid.

The fact that Justin Hammer was kidnapped right in front of the NYPD was supposed to be classified information!

George was confident that those privy to this intel—Harry Osborn included—wouldn't have leaked it casually.

Yet somehow, this story spread like wildfire, entwined with the broader fallout of the Stark Tech Expo incident.

Clearly, someone was deliberately stoking the flames.

"Justin Hammer, you bastard!"

George was nearly certain that Hammer himself was behind this scheme.

He was equally convinced that the kidnapping was a farce orchestrated by Hammer to facilitate his disappearance.

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Anton—at least, not yet.

After instructing Phil to track Flint Marko whereabouts and apprehend Justin Hammer, Anton boarded a flight back to Los Angeles the next day to continue filming Wonder Woman.

Time flew by.

Over the next ten days, Osborn Corporation capitalized on Hammer Industries' troubles, seizing numerous non-military contracts from them.

However, as long as Hammer retained its military deals, the damage remained superficial rather than crippling.

The two companies were locked in an intense battle for dominance in the arms industry.

Meanwhile, Anton stayed out of the fray, fully immersed in finishing Wonder Woman.

At last, only minor scenes and finishing touches remained.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Anton stepped back from the chaotic grind, delegating the remaining tasks to his assistant director.

He then reached out to Jim to discuss a detailed plan for the next several films from DC Studios.

Having temporarily lost interest in directing, Anton decided not to helm the next project himself.

However, this upcoming film was particularly significant.

Batman v Superman

Yes, Anton decided to temporarily shelve the production of the third Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, opting instead to go straight for the jugular with something big: strengthening public perception of Superman in this world.

After all, The Dark Knight Rises—the concluding chapter of the Batman prequel trilogy—had a somewhat lukewarm critical reception, despite its blockbuster box office success.

But for Anton, money was no longer the primary objective.

He could easily leave the project for a later date when he had more time and interest.

In Anton vision, using Batman popularity to boost Superman visibility would undoubtedly bring a surge of fan interest to the Man of Steel.

To further enhance audience immersion, Anton also planned to produce a TV series as a lead-in for Batman v Superman.

The TV series would be titled Superman Early Years, with Lex Luthor as the central antagonist.

Batman, meanwhile, would appear as a cameo in his civilian guise as Bruce Wayne, CEO of Wayne Enterprises.

This approach would not only generate buzz but also effectively set the stage for Batman v Superman.