DC Heroes in Marvel

Anton's expression turned strange. He wasn't particularly surprised, though. The chaotic plots he had encountered earlier had already made it clear—this was a Marvel movie universe, stitched together like a tailor's patchwork.

Still, the appearance of the Fantastic Four made more sense than some of the other elements he had encountered, like wanted or Transformers. 

After all, the Fantastic Four were a cornerstone of Marvel, created by the "Father of Marvel," Stan Lee, and a defining milestone in comic history.

In Marvel's darkest days, it was the Fantastic Four that had kept the company afloat. In many ways, they were the saviors of the Marvel Universe. 

However, when the 21st century rolled around, Marvel realized that most of its valuable superheroes had been sold off.

 Forced to choose from the remaining roster, they gambled on Iron Man—a second-tier hero at the time—and somehow struck gold. 

The rest, as they say, is history, with Iron Man leading the charge into the modern era of superhero cinema.

"How long until John gets back?" Anton asked, his tone casual but his mind racing.

The return of his "cheap dad" John signaled that the Fantastic Four had already gone to space and that their story was about to begin in earnest. It wouldn't be long before New York found itself in the midst of chaos.

Whether or not John would get dragged into the turmoil remained to be seen.

As for the villain behind the upcoming chaos, there was no doubt—it had to be Victor von Doom, better known as Doctor Doom. A truly formidable adversary.

Unlike the villains from the Iron Man trilogy, Doctor Doom wasn't just another corporate rival or technological thief. He was a force to be reckoned with.

In the comics, Doctor Doom didn't start with any superpowers. Instead, through relentless study and seizing countless opportunities, he became a master of magic, rivaling even Doctor Strange. 

However, the movie version of Doom was different—less powerful. Here, he was reimagined as a billionaire and former classmate of Reed Richards, who had joined the Fantastic Four's space mission. 

Like the others, Doom gained unique abilities after their exposure to cosmic radiation.

Though the movie version of Doctor Doom wasn't as fearsome as his comic counterpart, he was still a classic villain. Dealing with him could provide a substantial boost to Anton's justice value—a resource he had been struggling to accumulate lately.

Half a month ago, he had apprehended a minor criminal at the Stark Expo, earning a measly 2 million justice points. 

After raking in 10 million points from the Transformers incident, such small rewards barely felt worth the effort.

But the Fantastic Four incident? That was different.

Doctor Doom was iconic. Even if the movie version wasn't at full strength, Anton was confident the system would grant significant justice points for taking him down. 

Just like Marvel Studios had once done, the system would likely reward the "taller among the short ones."

"It'll be at least another two weeks," the old man replied. "Just because the job is finished doesn't mean he can leave right away. I'll let you know when he's back."

"Good. Let me know the moment he returns," Anton said, waving his hand dismissively.

With John's return marking the start of the Fantastic Four plotline, Anton estimated he still had enough time to prepare.

The residents of New York, however, were in for a rough ride. They had barely recovered from the chaos of the Stark Expo, and today's battle at Manhattan Pier had only added to the tension.

In about a month, the Fantastic Four's next major event would inevitably unfold.

"This city," Anton muttered, shaking his head, "is truly terrifying."

After some thought, Anton returned to the DC company to handle his daily work, temporarily setting aside his concerns. Over the next few days, he flew to Los Angeles.

The Wonder Woman movie had finished filming and officially entered post-production. Since Anton himself had directed the film, Quentin Beck, the future "mystery guest," personally took charge of the movie's special effects out of respect for his boss.

With the groundwork and technical support already laid, post-production was smooth and efficient. 

Quentin's holographic technology, which had become a cutting-edge tool in Hollywood, greatly enhanced the realism of the film and even eliminated several traditional post-production steps, accelerating the timeline.

Today, Quentin's technology is regarded as a groundbreaking advancement in the industry. The special effects studio under the DC company is now valued at hundreds of millions, though there are few competitors or avenues for reinvestment. 

Quentin, holding a significant stake in the studio, had skyrocketed to billionaire status—at least on paper.

Despite his newfound wealth, Quentin remained loyal to Anton, ensuring Wonder Woman's post-production was flawless. 

Anton was more than pleased with the arrangement. He believed the final product would far surpass the original Wonder Woman film starring Gal Gadot in his own timeline.

The industry buzz around the film was undeniable, and many anticipated its success. Jim, ever the forward-thinker, strongly pushed for pre-production on a sequel to Wonder Woman. However, Anton firmly declined.

He had no intention of making a second installment, for two main reasons:

In the original timeline, the second Wonder Woman film had flopped spectacularly, with weak storytelling and poor reception. By the time his version of Wonder Woman released, Anton was confident it would push Diana's fan value beyond 30 million. Once that milestone was reached, he could redeem the Wonder Woman template for himself, rendering a sequel unnecessary.

For Anton, making money was not the primary goal—fan value was.

The decision to greenlight a sequel for Batman had been different. Part of it was personal bias, but the other reason was strategic. 

It served to better connect the audience to Batman v Superman, generating anticipation for Superman's storyline.

However, Anton knew Superman wasn't particularly well-received in this universe. In a world already wary of aliens due to real-life invasions, the idea of an alien superhero didn't resonate well with the public. 

While Superman brought buzz to the movies, he failed to evoke a strong sense of connection with audiences.

As a result, Superman's fan value grew more slowly than Anton had anticipated, leading him to adjust his strategy.

Soon, under Quentin Beck's tireless efforts, post-production on Wonder Woman was complete.

The final cut was ready, and Anton led Jim and the team to a private screening. Everyone was impressed, and Anton was satisfied with the result.

Jim wasted no time ramping up the promotional campaign. Trailers and teasers flooded the market, generating immense hype for the movie and further bolstering Wonder Woman's popularity.

….

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