DC Heroes in Marvel

Constantine wrapped up production faster than Anton had expected.

With the Satan scenes completed, only minor details remained, and Anton no longer needed to oversee the process constantly.

A few days later, as the film entered post-production, Anton finally took some time away from Los Angeles and returned to New York.

Harry had asked to meet him to discuss a few things.

OsCorp, New York

Anton sat across from Harry, realizing it had been two months since their last meeting.

"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s recent operations have been focused on dismantling Hydra's forces," Harry began. "Nick Fury got some intel from Alexander Pierce. He spent the past two months verifying it, and now the Avengers are taking action. I was involved in several missions."

He paused before adding, "Also, regarding Project Pegasus—S.H.I.E.L.D. is on the verge of success."

Anton's eyes flickered with interest, ignoring the first half of Harry's report and focusing on the latter.

Project Pegasus is nearing completion?

That meant Loki would soon arrive with the Chitauri army—or perhaps, he was already on Earth.

"Not just that," Harry continued, his tone serious. "The Tesseract contains an infinite energy source. If humanity can harness it, civilization will advance at an unprecedented rate. But S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military clearly have no intention of sharing that power with the world."

Anton exhaled slowly. "It's coming."

He looked at Harry, whose expression was conflicted. Anton knew he was caught between two worlds—technically an Avenger, but in his heart, still loyal to the Justice League.

After all, this was the same Harry who had once spent $150 million just to invest in a Batman movie for the sole purpose of obtaining a signed photo of the Caped Crusader.

When Harry inherited OsCorp and found himself in danger, it was the Arrow who had saved him. Ever since, he had been fascinated by the Justice League.

Yet, despite Anton publicly revealing his superhero identity, Harry had never asked to join the Justice League.

 Instead, by sheer coincidence—or perhaps fate—he followed Anton's advice and joined the Avengers.

Anton leaned forward slightly. "Harry, Project Pegasus won't go as smoothly as they expect. A crisis is coming."

"What kind of crisis?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"Keep an eye on S.H.I.E.L.D.," Anton instructed. "Especially on the Tesseract."

"Why?" Harry pressed. "What does Project Pegasus have to do with a crisis?"

"It's not Project Pegasus—it's the Tesseract itself," Anton clarified. "The Tesseract is one of the universe's most valuable artifacts. It only ended up on Earth by accident. Last century, the failure of Project Pegasus was linked to extraterrestrial interference. Now, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military have reactivated it, lighting a beacon for the entire galaxy."

He met Harry's gaze.

"Any alien species that desires the Tesseract's power will be coming for it."

"Why don't we just stop them in advance…?"

Harry spoke hesitantly, then sighed with a helpless smile. "No, you're right."

"If they don't experience a real beating, they won't understand the consequences."

Anton's tone remained calm. "But Earth isn't as simple as you think. Don't worry—this crisis is within our control. One of the reasons I pushed for you to join the Avengers was to make it easier for us to manage the situation. Once this crisis unfolds, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers won't be able to maintain their current status."

Harry inhaled sharply, his expression subtly shifting to one of shock.

Anton was right.

If Project Pegasus, led by S.H.I.E.L.D., failed again—especially if it resulted in an alien invasion—the fallout would be catastrophic. 

S.H.I.E.L.D., as the driving force behind the project, would face consequences far worse than what they endured in the Battle of Washington.

That battle had severely damaged S.H.I.E.L.D., but under Nick Fury's strategic maneuvering, the organization had managed to survive.

However, an intergalactic invasion sparked by the Tesseract was a crisis of an entirely different magnitude.

Opening a gateway for an alien army to invade Earth?

That wasn't something S.H.I.E.L.D. could talk its way out of.

In the original timeline, S.H.I.E.L.D. had survived the Battle of New York because the Avengers successfully repelled the Chitauri. 

The World Security Council had backed S.H.I.E.L.D. afterward, recognizing the necessity of a superpowered response team. The crisis had, in an ironic way, solidified the Avengers' importance.

But this time, things were different.

The Avengers weren't the only superteam anymore.

The Justice League, led by Batman, had captured the public's admiration far more effectively than the S.H.I.E.L.D.-backed Avengers.

Without their monopoly on Earth's superhero defense, the Avengers' significance had diminished.

Which meant that after the Battle of New York, the World Security Council wouldn't necessarily protect S.H.I.E.L.D. like they had in the original timeline.

On the contrary, they might seize the opportunity to punish S.H.I.E.L.D. severely—possibly even dismantling both the agency and the Avengers entirely.

Anton smirked. "Heh."

He had never been the forgiving type.

Even though the Battle of Washington had ultimately been Hydra's doing, Nick Fury had faked his death, manipulated the fallout, and even dragged the Justice League into the chaos.

That alone had irritated Anton to no end.

The only reason he hadn't crushed S.H.I.E.L.D. back then was that, at the time, they weren't a wounded enemy ripe for defeat.

They had been a warrior that had barely escaped with a broken arm.

Still, looking at the bigger picture, Nick Fury's actions made sense.

In the original timeline, long before the Avengers formed, Fury had been actively pushing for their creation. 

Perhaps, deep down, he had anticipated the risks of restarting Project Pegasus. Maybe he had always known that tampering with the Tesseract would eventually lead to an alien invasion.

Otherwise, why would he push so aggressively to assemble a superhero team before the project even resumed?

Even after the Kree invasion during Captain Marvel's era, Fury hadn't immediately pursued the formation of the Avengers.

Yet, by the time Project Pegasus was back on the table, he moved quickly.

From that perspective, it was clear—restarting Project Pegasus had always been Fury's goal.

And he knew the risks.

That was why he had scrambled to assemble a team strong enough to handle the consequences.

That was why he had created the Avengers.

Nick Fury, that old fox, might have had everything under control.

But he made one crucial mistake.

He underestimated his opponents.

And, thanks to Anton's influence, the Avengers ended up recruiting the wrong people.

"Doctor Doom, Sandman, Doctor Octopus..."

Anton scoffed.

The latter two might genuinely have a chance at redemption. But as for Doom?

Anton would never believe that a selfish, power-hungry villain—one who lost control the moment he gained strength—would ever willingly serve S.H.I.E.L.D., let alone risk his life for justice.

"Harry, let me give you a piece of advice."

A thought crossed Anton's mind as he turned to Harry.

"Keep an eye on Victor Doom. That guy is dangerous. He could become a serious threat inside the Avengers."

" Doom?"

Harry was caught off guard.

Why was Anton so sure?

From what Harry had seen, Victor was arrogant, sure—but aside from that, he hadn't noticed anything particularly alarming.

If Anton had warned him about Sandman or Doctor Octopus, that would've made sense. After all, both of them had criminal pasts.

But Victor Doom?

Did he have some dark history Harry wasn't aware of?

Harry hesitated.

"That's all I have to say for now. Just keep it in mind."

With that, Anton left.

Harry remained seated, deep in thought, Anton's words echoing in his mind.

Beep-beep!

Not long after Anton left, Harry's Avengers communicator buzzed urgently.

"Emergency directive!"

Agent Coulson's calm yet serious voice came through.

"Everyone, please activate your communicators. We need to discuss an urgent matter."

Hiss!

Harry tapped his device, and a virtual screen projected in front of him.

The screen split into multiple sections, displaying the current members of the Avengers, along with Coulson and Nick Fury.

"We need all personnel to report to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base immediately," Coulson announced. "Project Pegasus—our joint dark matter energy operation—has encountered an incident. A group of agents suddenly lost control and attacked the base. Fortunately, Barton and Natasha intervened in time to neutralize the threat."

"Wait—agents?"

Tony Stark's voice cut in sharply.

His tone was skeptical, his face slightly haggard, as if he hadn't slept in days. The usual confidence—the smug, charismatic flair—was gone. He looked exhausted.

Everyone knew that ever since the Battle of Washington, Tony had isolated himself, burying himself in his lab, obsessively working on new armor.

No one knew exactly what he'd been developing.

This was the first time in two months that he'd responded to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s call.

And whatever he had been working on, if it had kept Tony Stark awake night after night, it was bound to be something big.

"These agents," Tony continued, "are they actually ours? Or are we dealing with Hydra?"

Coulson's expression remained grim.

"After investigating, we confirmed that they're our own. Not Hydra."

A heavy silence followed.

"But here's the real problem," Coulson added. "When we interrogated them... we realized something unsettling.

"They had no memory of what they did."

"So, it's superpowers again?"

Captain America- Steve Rogers, frowned, his expression serious.

After his encounter with the Justice League, he had gained a deeper understanding of just how vast and unpredictable the world truly was.

"Yes, it is."

Coulson nodded. "We believe someone is targeting the Tesseract. That's why we need to assemble a team to help secure it. Project Pegasus has reached a critical stage, and this period is extremely important."

Harry's mind raced.

Anton's words echoed in his head—he had warned that Project Pegasus would lead to a crisis.

But Harry hadn't expected something to happen this quickly.

Was this the beginning of that crisis?

"I'm in."

He spoke up suddenly. "I'll participate. I'm very interested in Project Pegasus… and I'd like to see the Tesseract up close."

"I'll join too."

"Count me in."

"...Same here."

To Coulson's satisfaction, every Avenger agreed to report to the base and help guard the Tesseract.

On the screen, Nick Fury remained silent, his gaze unreadable.

Somewhere in New York.

Victor Doom shut off the virtual screen projected by his communicator, his eyes gleaming with intrigue.

"The Tesseract..."

A small, ambitious smile curled at the corner of his lips.

It had been nearly two months since he joined S.H.I.E.L.D., and in that time, he had gained a solid understanding of both the agency and the Avengers.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was undeniably powerful, wielding law enforcement authority across multiple countries.

As for Project Pegasus and the Tesseract, Doom was already well informed.

After all, the project involved collaboration between the military and the space agency, mobilizing numerous personnel. It wasn't exactly a heavily guarded secret.

And Victor Doom, being an exceptionally talented scientist, had naturally caught S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention.

In the comics, he was a genius—a master of physics, robotics, cybernetics, genetics, weapon technology, biochemistry, and even time travel. 

He had studied countless ancient European magical texts, becoming a self-taught sorcerer—a rare fusion of magic and science.

But the movie version of Doom had been significantly nerfed.

He had no magical knowledge, only his scientific expertise. He was a former classmate of the Fantastic Four, a brilliant mind, but far from his comic book counterpart's terrifying potential.

Even so, his intelligence was undeniable, which had earned him a place on Project Pegasus, where he had made valuable contributions.

Yet, despite his position, Doom was surprised by just how much emphasis S.H.I.E.L.D. placed on the project—and on the Tesseract itself.

Although he worked on the project daily, his role was limited to calculations and data analysis based on instructions from higher-ups.

Within the team of scientists, only one person had direct access to the Tesseract: Dr. Erik Selvig, the project's lead researcher.

Doom was forced to admire the artifact from a distance.

Every suggestion or request related to the Tesseract had to go through Selvig.

Even if Selvig did approve a scientist's request, they were only allowed to assist him during experiments.

And that was unacceptable.

Under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strict management system, Doom had no real access to the Tesseract—he could only study it from a distance.

The base was heavily staffed, with watchful eyes monitoring everything day and night. After realizing he had no way to get close to the Tesseract under normal circumstances, Doom abandoned any immediate attempts and decided to wait for a better opportunity.

And now, finally, that opportunity had come.

"If I can obtain the Tesseract… harness its energy… combined with my current abilities…"

A fire burned in Doom's eyes.

"I can become a god."

Even with his limited understanding of the Tesseract, his calculations suggested that the energy within it was powerful enough to destroy Earth with ease.

Ever since he had survived the cosmic storm on the space station—just like the Fantastic Four—he had developed superhuman abilities.

His body could transform into metal, and he could generate and manipulate electricity.

If he could convert the Tesseract's energy into a current he could control…

He would have limitless power.

Whoosh!

Without wasting another second, Doom packed his belongings and drove straight to New York's airport. 

From there, he flew to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in Washington. 

With Coulson's arrangements, he was then transported to the Joint Dark Matter Energy Operations Base, where Project Pegasus was underway.

He wasn't the only one making the trip—his fellow Avengers were also en route.

A Few Hours Later

All the Avengers gathered at the entrance of the base.

Doom, eager and impatient, didn't bother greeting anyone. Without looking back, he strode into the base with purpose.

Harry, who had just exchanged greetings with Tony and Rogers, caught sight of Doom's hurried steps. His brows furrowed as he remembered Anton's recent warning:

"Victor Doom is not ordinary…"

As the thought crossed his mind, Steve Rogers patted him on the shoulder.

"Let's go. We should head in too."

"Right."

Snapping back to reality, Harry followed the group through the entrance.

None of them noticed the base guards exchanging meaningful glances as they passed. One of them, in particular, kept his gaze locked on Doom's retreating figure, his expression unreadable.

Then, as Doom disappeared inside, a sly smile curled across the guard's lips—one that was far too mischievous for a mere soldier.

Had Thor been present, he would have recognized him instantly.

This was no ordinary guard.

This was Loki, the God of Mischief.

"This one is far too ambitious..."

As Doom passed him, Loki twitched his nose slightly, sniffing the air.

"I do love the scent of ambition and conspiracy."

…

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