DC hero at Marvel

"Jim, it seems you've made up your mind. Welcome to DC."

Anton and Jim had a brief discussion, quickly finalizing the operational plan for DC's next steps.

Jim would handle the film division, and their trusted screenwriter, Browning, would take charge of the scripts.

Anton would oversee creative direction and big-picture decisions.

Beyond movies, DC planned to expand aggressively into novels, comics, animation, and other entertainment sectors.

Anton also intended to create a long-form serialized novel forum on The Bugle's website, featuring stories about Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and other heroes. As user engagement grew, he envisioned this forum becoming a standalone "web literature" platform—Marvel's equivalent of Qidian in this world.

The ambitious blueprint left Jim feeling exhilarated.

But he was cautious; after years in Hollywood, he'd heard similar grand plans from others, though few had succeeded.

The difference was that Anton had what others didn't.

First, Anton had proven his talent with Batman Begins. Second, he was backed by the Jameson family and owned The Bugle, a media giant.

Compared to others, Anton's foray into entertainment wasn't a gamble—it was a natural fit.

What Jim didn't know was that career growth was just a small part of Anton's grand plan.

Anton's true goal was to gain fan value corresponding to each hero in the Justice League.

Currently, Batman's fan value was at 14.8 million.

Superman fan value: 0

Wonder Woman fan value: 0

The Flash fan value: 0

…

Apart from Batman, all the other heroes were big zeros.

Unlocking these heroes required fan values of 10 million, 20 million, 30 million, 40 million, 50 million, and even up to 100 million.

Anton knew well that Batman's original price of 50 million fan value had been reduced to 9.98 million—a massive concession from the system.

"Onward, my friend!" Anton was filled with ambition.

Seeing Anton's enthusiasm, Jim mistook it for future aspirations and got equally excited.

If Anton's ambitions came true, Jim could easily become a billionaire with Anton's assurances.

And if DC went public and became the world's largest entertainment company…

Even a hundred billion wouldn't be out of reach.

"Anton, don't worry. I won't let you down."

Jim thumped his chest, making a firm promise.

"?"

Anton blinked, a bit puzzled.

In this positive atmosphere, the party eventually ended.

Anton woke up alone in his room the next morning, slightly regretting not seeking revenge on the actress. He went downstairs for breakfast, where he met Betty.

Betty gave him a curious look.

"What's up?" Anton shrugged. "Come on, Betty, you've seen this handsome face plenty. Just spill it."

Betty replied, "You obviously haven't checked the New York news this morning."

Anton countered, "Why would I waste time on that?"

Betty explained, "Last night, Batman appeared in New York, captured the Brotherhood's leader and their key members, and also took down a mob enforcer known as Bullseye."

"Well, isn't that great?"

Anton took a big bite of his sandwich, feeling quite pleased. "Finally, the Batman rumors are cleared. I am who I am—I'm Anton."

"Maybe…" Betty shrugged, feeling slightly lost with this twist.

But even if Anton wasn't Batman, everyone knew he had some connection to him.

"Alright, Jim's handling things in LA. He'll start preparing for the second Batman movie, The Dark Knight. Meanwhile, we should head back to New York and start working on other things." Anton finished breakfast and waved to Betty. "Have my plane ready."

"Sorry, but you fired the entire crew yesterday, so there's no one to fly it." Betty shrugged.

"What? I thought I said to fire them after we got back?" Anton's face darkened, showing a glimpse of his capitalist side. "No bonus for you this month."

In New York…

The news of Batman's reappearance had spread throughout the city.

Even a brief sighting was enough to excite everyone who knew Batman's name here.

The Bugle's report revealed Batman had dismantled an assassin group called the Brotherhood, capturing both its leader and key members. In the process, he'd also detained a famous mob and handed him over to the NYPD.

Although the NYPD hadn't confirmed anything, the front-page color photo in the newspaper left no room for doubt.

Alongside this news was a photo of NYPD Chief George Stacy standing with Batman.

To be fair, George Stacy had never been this famous before.

He'd been on the news before, but today was something else—the reporters "hounding" him was unprecedented.

As he arrived at work, reporters recognized his car and flocked to him with questions about Batman.

"Has the NYPD formed an alliance with Batman?"

"Is Batman considered an illegal vigilante?"

"Will the NYPD grant Batman authority, or will he be arrested?"

Exasperated, George finally muttered, "No comment," and hurried into the station.

Meanwhile, in a high-rise in Manhattan, two men were also discussing Batman.

"Many suspect that Batman is Anton Jameson, grandson of The Bugle owner Jonah Jameson," Wesley said. "After our investigation, we suspected Anton as well. But since Anton was in LA last night, and Batman was still in New York, we ruled him out… However, it's certain that Batman has a close relationship with Anton."

Kingpin listened, his face darkening as he stared at his subordinate.

"So, you've found nothing?" he said, his suppressed anger ready to burst. "All you've given me is nonsense. I want Batman's identity."

Wesley Welch swallowed nervously.

As Kingpin's trusted advisor, he rarely showed nervousness, but it was clear Kingpin's patience was wearing thin.

When Wesley saw this, he knew that nothing he said or did would ease the tension.

"Anton… Anton definitely knows Batman's identity," Wesley stammered, sweating profusely.

"Then bring him in."

Kingpin's voice was cold and commanding. "I only want results. Don't disappoint me, Wesley."