DC Heroes in Marvel

Anton was oblivious to the deep sense of anxiety within S.H.I.E.L.D., and even if he had known about it, he wouldn't have cared.

While the lower limit of the Extremis Virus is relatively high, its upper limit remains underwhelming. 

Even if Hawkeye and others were injected with it, the most they could achieve would be enhanced lower-body strength, faster recovery, and slightly increased attack power. 

In the context of the middle and later stages of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they'd still amount to nothing more than stronger cannon fodder.

Take Avengers: Endgame as an example: Hawkeye and Black Widow may seem pivotal in their missions, but you could replace them with almost any two competent individuals, and the tasks would still get done. 

Their prominent roles in the movie stemmed more from the need to give the original Avengers team a proper send-off. And let's not forget how gloriously Black Widow's death was portrayed.

In today's Marvel era, characters are becoming increasingly eccentric and otherworldly. 

You either stick to the path of technology, like Tony Stark's pursuit of mechanical ascension, or delve into "mystical powers" that defy logic, such as Scarlet Witch's Chaos Magic, Captain Marvel's power, or Loki's Scepter and its Mind Stone.

It's clear that even with the Extremis Virus, Hawkeye and Black Widow could only ever be strong supporting characters, not main protagonists. 

Their potential doesn't even compare to the likes of Dr. Otto Octavius, whose fate was dramatically altered. After all, Otto is one of the rare geniuses in the Marvel world.

As a scientist, he may only fall short of Marvel's legends, like Tony Stark.

Meanwhile, Anton was busy preparing for his Wonder Woman movie. Under his guidance, the script came together quickly. 

Next, attention shifted to casting, particularly for the role of Wonder Woman herself—the male lead was secondary. 

Anton had someone in mind: an old acquaintance from his Batman movie days. She was the actress who played Rachel, someone with whom Anton had frequently discussed scripts.

Her long legs rivaled Gal Gadot's, but what set her apart was her "murder weapon"—a term Anton jokingly used to describe her physical attributes, which were closer to the original comic design. 

Anton had seen her unleash the power of these "weapons" in action during Batman rehearsals, leaving him convinced she was perfect for Wonder Woman.

At the same time, during the Wonder Woman pre-production, Anton took the opportunity to discuss DC's future with Jim and others. 

Simply relying on movies to grow a fanbase was effective but tedious, with overly long production cycles.

"A few months per project is too much trouble!" Anton declared. After all, in today's world—especially in New York—it seemed like something major happened every one or two months.

Even Transformers had made an appearance, so it wasn't far-fetched to think other chaotic movie crossovers might happen in the future.

Beyond just making movies, Anton realized he needed to find faster, more cost-effective ways to capitalize on fan engagement. In other words, he needed strategies that balanced quick results with minimal investment.

After brainstorming with Jim and the team, a promising idea emerged.

"TV series?" Anton mused, stroking his chin. "Filming and airing simultaneously… sounds good."

TV series offered a shorter production cycle and quicker payoffs. Even if ratings were mediocre, they could still serve as excellent marketing tools.

In fact, DC executives had considered producing TV series before, with several discussions and brainstorming sessions over the years. But none of the ideas had gained much traction or clarity—until now.

Jim's suggestion reminded Anton of two popular superhero TV shows from his previous life: Arrow and The Flash.

While both shows had their issues (Arrow, for instance, was infamous for dragging its storyline), they still garnered strong audiences.

"The Flash," Anton decided. "We'll focus on Barry Allen."

"Toby," he continued, turning to one of his team members, "work with the editorial department and get me a first draft of The Flash script ASAP. Use the outline I gave you earlier, but this time, include Wonder Woman—Diana Prince—as part of the story. Understand?"

His plan was to kick things off with The Flash and weave in Wonder Woman, replacing Green Arrow from his previous life as the Flash's ally. This connection would create a linked narrative between the two characters.

However, Anton wanted Wonder Woman to maintain an air of mystery. The power difference between her and Barry Allen was significant, and care was needed to keep the story cohesive. 

The solution? Make Wonder Woman Barry's mentor.

This would limit her screen time while preserving her larger-than-life persona. It also tied back to Anton's movie: once The Flash TV series gained traction, it would effectively double the promotional impact for Wonder Woman.

Anton discussed the concept further with Toby, refining how Wonder Woman would appear in The Flash as a cameo role. The goal was to enhance her allure—she had to be captivating enough for audiences to fall in love with her at first sight.

This, of course, would naturally draw in fans, especially those inclined toward her strong on-screen presence. And if some fans admired the actress, their positive feelings would inevitably extend to the character.

A few days later, after a much-needed break, Anton resumed shooting Wonder Woman. The production had moved to a small island in Italy, the setting for the story of "Paradise Island."

During this time, Toby completed the first two episodes of The Flash script. After a quick review, Jim, acting as producer, began assembling the TV series crew and working on casting.

Two weeks later, the Wonder Woman team wrapped up filming on Paradise Island. The actress playing Wonder Woman then made a brief appearance on The Flash set, shooting a small but impactful cameo for the first episode—a linkage scene intended to tease audiences.

The cameo only lasted a few minutes, but the combination of Wonder Woman's dazzling armor and long legs was more than enough to grab attention, especially from certain demographics.

As time marched on, momentum for both projects continued to build.

Halfway through the shooting process, Anton had been on set for almost two months.

During this time, the first episode of The Flash was uploaded, garnering modest attention within a limited audience. 

Based on the fan value statistics displayed on the system panel, the impact of TV shows was noticeably less significant than that of movies. 

However, their cost-effectiveness made them worthwhile, outperforming comics, novels, and other mediums in terms of attention gained.

As the Flash TV series gradually gained traction among fans and started to expand its reach, Anton felt confident it would eventually achieve good results.

On another note, the past two months had been unusually quiet in New York. After nearly a year of constant chaos, the city's typically wary residents found themselves feeling strangely uneasy in the relative calm.

Meanwhile, something big had happened in Monaco!

Monaco, a small European country, is home to the Monte Carlo Circuit, one of the world's most famous racing tracks. The circuit, which primarily consists of streets, is the shortest on the F1 calendar. It's known for its slowest corners and iconic tunnels.

For reasons unknown, Marvel's favorite genius, Iron Man Tony Stark, had suddenly taken an interest in racing. 

He went so far as to sponsor Monaco's F1 race and even organized a friendly match and a supercar race ahead of the official F1 event.

During the friendly match, Tony was about to cross the finish line in his Audi R8 when he was attacked by a long-time pursuer—a Russian wielding an electric whip.

Yes, Tony Stark was attacked at nearly 300 kilometers per hour. A crackling electric whip lashed out from the side of the track, shattering the curb with terrifying ease. It was about to slice through Tony's R8 when, in a dramatic twist, the car transformed into a 5-meter-tall mecha.

Without hesitation, the mecha delivered a single powerful punch, knocking the attacker off the side of the track.

For a moment, the audience was stunned into silence. But then, the stands erupted in deafening cheers as Tony waved to the crowd.

MVP, of course!

…

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