DC hero at Marvel

In the end, Anton and Betty booked two tickets back to New York.

As for his private jet, he'd arrange to retrieve it once he found new staff, though he wasn't expecting to fly back and forth between cities anytime soon.

Upon exiting the airport, a group of reporters was waiting for him, tipped off well in advance.

American airlines remained as unscrupulous as ever.

Luckily, Anton had prepared, arranging for someone to hold off the reporters.

Though people no longer thought of him as Batman, everyone knew he had a close connection with him.

That alone was enough to keep reporters interested.

Additionally, as Hollywood's rising star director and the new owner of a company, he couldn't stay out of the limelight.

Since Tony Stark's disappearance, Anton had taken Stark's place as the tabloids' new favorite.

Even his long-forgotten Twitter account had amassed millions of followers.

Although it was still far from Tony Stark's tens of millions, his rapid rise to popularity was comparable to that of some of Hollywood's biggest stars.

"Anton, Batman appeared in New York last night. Did you know about his actions beforehand?"

"Anton, can you tell us what your relationship with Batman is?"

A barrage of questions reached his ears.

Anton sighed.

A few minutes later, he finally settled into the car The Bugle had sent to pick him up.

Vroom!

The car sped away.

The reporters, a bit disappointed but not empty-handed, would still have enough material to write their gossip columns.

[System Alert: Mission accomplished—Brotherhood dismantled, Bullseye apprehended. 4 million Justice Points awarded.]

[Current Justice Points: 6 million]

Seated in the car, Anton appeared to be resting but was actually reviewing his system notifications.

After spending 8 million on the Rabbit Armor, he'd recouped half the cost, so it was a net gain.

With the remaining 6 million Justice Points, he could redeem another special suit!

Though, for now, Anton didn't plan on spending it.

Justice Points were best saved unless absolutely necessary.

Ideally, he wanted to save enough to go all out, potentially unlocking suits like the Hellbat or the Ultimate Armor. Then he'd have the confidence to take on Thanos—assuming Thanos didn't have the Infinity Gauntlet.

That Gauntlet was a cheat code, like the Dragon Balls from Dragon Ball Z, where you could wish for anything. These "law-defying" abilities could only be described as overpowered.

Before long, the car left the airport.

Finished with his thoughts, Anton opened his eyes and gazed out the window.

Moments later, he frowned, noticing something odd.

They were being followed!

A black car trailed closely behind, shadowing them.

Anton's instincts, coupled with Bruce Wayne's inherited experience, confirmed that the car's movements were classic signs of a tail.

This was a premeditated pursuit.

"Who could it be?"

A few names flashed through Anton's mind, though none felt certain.

The Life Foundation, which had previously been a threat, was now preoccupied, in talks with Oscorp for a potential acquisition.

Could this be someone after him due to his Batman activities?

Kingpin?

The thought crossed his mind.

The car then turned onto a narrow, deserted road—a perfect spot for an ambush, without cameras or witnesses.

"Stop the car," Anton ordered, his tone firm and commanding.

Screech!

The driver, sensing the seriousness, followed his boss's instruction.

Betty looked puzzled.

Anton opened the door and told them, "You go on without me."

He glanced back at the approaching black car, his voice calm. "I suddenly have some business to handle."

Betty frowned.

She glanced from Anton to the black car creeping up behind them, sensing something amiss.

"Anton, what's going on?"

"It's fine," Anton replied, waving her off without turning. "Just do as I say. I am the boss."

"Let's go," Betty instructed the driver, trusting Anton's judgment.

The driver, equally aware of the strange situation, hesitated momentarily before pressing the accelerator and driving away.

Screech!

The black car pulled to a stop in front of Anton.

A group of burly men climbed out.

"I must say, you're braver than we expected, showing up here willingly," sneered their leader. "Let's hope you cooperate. Otherwise, we can't guarantee that our genius director will make it out with all his limbs intact."

"Kingpin's men?" Anton asked, catching them off guard.

Their momentary surprise told him all he needed to know.

Without hesitation, he slammed his knee into the leader's groin. The man doubled over in agony, clutching himself and howling in pain.

"Get him!"

"Don't use guns; we need him alive!"

At their leader's furious command, the other goons drew weapons and charged Anton.

Instead of retreating, Anton met them head-on.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

With a few swift punches and kicks, he laid them out flat.

Grabbing a metal bat from one of the downed men, he tapped it on the leader's shoulder with a look of disappointment. "Kingpin clearly underestimated me if he thought you guys were enough to kidnap me."

It was obvious to Anton that Kingpin didn't consider him a serious threat.

He was simply collateral damage in Kingpin's search for Batman.

After all, even if he wasn't Batman, everyone believed he knew Batman's identity.

"P-Please…" the leader stammered, trembling in fear.

He couldn't believe that Anton—the man described in their intel as weak, disinterested in exercise, and completely unathletic—had such terrifying combat skills.

"Enough. I don't want to hear it," Anton said coldly, slamming the bat down on the man's head.

Thud!

The leader collapsed, bleeding and unconscious.

Anton showed no concern over the impact; he'd controlled his strength to avoid lethal damage.

At worst, the man would be bedridden for a year or so with lingering effects. At best, he'd be confined to a wheelchair.

Batman might have a strict no-kill policy, but his treatment of criminals was far from gentle.

It was only iconic villains like the Joker, beloved by editors and fans alike, who managed to survive Batman's most brutal methods time and again.

Everyone knew the rule: no killing was the bottom line.

But as long as he didn't cross that line, anything else was fair game.

With a smirk, Anton added a finishing swing to each of the other goons.

Stepping over the unconscious bodies, he grabbed a baseball cap from one of them and put it on.

He then climbed into their black car and drove off, heading to the Continental Hotel in Manhattan, leaving the beaten thugs as a testament to a one-sided, intense encounter.