DC Heroes in Marvel

After realizing the key issue, Eddie and Phil were short of breath. They looked at each other and instantly displayed expressions of disbelief.

Even though they had vaguely guessed the outcome, it was still hard to believe. Could the iron Soldiers really riot?

Justin Hammer might occasionally be a little foolish, but he wasn't an idiot. In fact, he could even be considered a rare wise man in certain circumstances. 

How could someone like him jeopardize his future by doing something so reckless?

As they watched the iron Soldiers behind Justin Hammer adjusting their barrel centers, forming a ready-to-fire stance, Eddie and Phil were left speechless.

This was practically a real trouble!

Justin Hammer was about to be hammered to death!

Meanwhile, the crowd around the booth erupted in enthusiastic cheers at Justin Hammer's speech.

The appearance of the iron Soldiers was as shocking as Harry Osborn announcing that he would become a superhero to help New Yorkers fight crime.

The atmosphere grew electric. The entire expo had reached another climax.

But no one realized a massive crisis was approaching—and it had already arrived silently.

"Do you know why I came to tonight's fair?"

Suddenly, Anton spoke.

A sly smile played on his face as he kept his eyes fixed on Justin Hammer and the iron Soldiers behind him. Without turning his head, he instantly drew the attention of Eddie and Phil.

"Why?" Eddie and Phil asked simultaneously.

They were genuinely curious.

"I came here just to watch Tony," Anton said with a smirk. "The target of the Iron Soldiers isn't anyone else—it's Tony Stark. Don't worry, someone will handle it."

"Tony Stark..." Eddie murmured in surprise.

He could tell that Anton knew far more than he was letting on.

"Exactly," Anton replied, then turned to Phil with a thoughtful expression. "Didn't you say you wanted a chance to become famous and make your official debut? This is your moment. Are you interested?"

"Of course I am!" Phil's eyes lit up with excitement—only to immediately frown. "Damn it! I didn't bring my equipment!"

When Phil first received the Goblin Suit, modified from the Green Goblin's design, he would carry it everywhere in his car, ready to spring into action in case of a sudden crisis in New York.

It made him feel like his boss, who had transformed into Batman to save the city.

But Phil hadn't expected that, except for being sent undercover to the foot clan, he would miss every single major crisis in between.

A few months ago, Phil's closest opportunity to debut was during the alien invasion of New York. He'd hoped to share the stage with Batman and Iron Man in front of an awe-struck crowd.

Instead, S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken him away, confiscated his equipment, and only released him after the invasion was over.

Even the retrieval of his equipment required Anton's intervention with S.H.I.E.L.D. to get it back.

Unacceptable!

Since then, Phil had been disheartened, but he refused to give up. He was determined to find the perfect opportunity to debut in front of New Yorkers.

After all, he knew New York was never truly peaceful, and opportunities could arise at any moment.

Yet, after waiting several months, not even a ripple of crisis had surfaced in New York.

Dammit it! Usually, minor robberies were dealt with by Daredevil or Spider-Man. When would it ever be Phil's turn to step in?

Frustrated, Phil eventually gave up and left his equipment at home.

He hadn't expected that just a few days after leaving it behind, something would happen!

"Are you kidding me?" Phil groaned, almost in tears. "Boss, is it too late for me to go back and grab my equipment?"

"Forget it. You'd better just stay here," Anton said with a shake of his head.

You were given a chance, but you blew it yourself!

"The Iron Soldiers are on the move!" Anton squinted as he watched the activity on stage. 

His expression turned slightly serious. "Eddie, make sure to take pictures later. Tony Stark getting beaten—now that's front-page material for tomorrow. Then, go help evacuate the crowd. Get these people out of here quickly and leave enough space for the Iron Soldiers and Iron Man to fight."

"Anton, why are the Iron Soldiers rioting?" Eddie asked, noticing that Anton seemed to know more than he let on. "Justin Hammer isn't dumb enough to cause this, is he?"

"How could it be Justin Hammer?" Anton replied, raising an eyebrow. "But think about it—how do you suppose Hammer solved the Iron Soldiers' energy problem? With the complexity of the Arc Reactor's technology, do you really think Hammer cracked it this quickly?"

"You mean... it wasn't Justin Hammer who caused the Iron Soldiers' riot, but the person who broke the Arc Reactor's technology?" Eddie suddenly understood.

Beside them, Phil, still feeling downhearted, chose to stay silent.

"Who is it?" Eddie asked, his curiosity growing.

Boom!

Just as Anton was about to answer, a figure descended from the sky, landing heavily on the platform in front of him.

It was a silver-armored figure with a long, slender barrel mounted on its back.

From the outside, it looked no different from Iron Man's Mark model armor, but everyone knew the person inside this armor wasn't Tony Stark. Tony was seated in the audience.

"This is the pilot of our Hammer Industries armor," Justin Hammer announced proudly. "Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes of the Air Force."

As he spoke, the silver figure and the Iron Soldiers behind it saluted the audience.

Under the stage, Tony narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized the armor on Rhodey. He immediately recognized that the internal structure and weapons had been replaced with Hammer's modifications.

But... it looked hideous.

Tony curled his lips in disdain.

Moments later, Justin Hammer continued his presentation.

"This armor is named War Machine. As the name suggests, it's designed for real combat. It's equipped with Hammer's finest weapons, primarily the armor-piercing Ex-Wife missiles."

"Of course, in addition to the armor-piercing model, the Ex-Wife missiles come in various versions. They're inexpensive, versatile, and boast impressive range, accuracy, and power. No one can ignore the brilliance of Hammer Industries' Ex-Wife missiles!"

As Justin spoke, Rhodey, in the armor, suddenly moved.

"Damn it!" Rhodey's face changed inside the suit as he realized he couldn't control the armor. On the virtual screen in front of him, the targeting system had locked onto someone in the audience.

This person was all too familiar.

"Tony!"

Rhodey was horrified. He quickly used the armor's loudspeaker to shout a warning: "The armor is aiming at you! Get out of the way! I can't control it!"

As he spoke, a sleek missile appeared on his shoulder.

It was unmistakably the same Ex-Wife missile that Justin Hammer had just bragged about—cheap, efficient, and unfortunately, impossible to ignore.

…

patreon.com/Vks_sh