DC Heroes in Marvel

"You… you… you…" Eddie stammered, stunned. "Do you know who he is?"

As a star reporter in New York, Eddie prided himself on being in the know. Few secrets in the city escaped his grasp. 

But once again, Anton had one-upped him, leaving Eddie both impressed and frustrated.

"Of course I know," Anton replied casually, unaware of Eddie's inner turmoil. He shot Eddie an enigmatic glance. "That's Max Dillon—nickname: Electro. He used to work for Osborn Industries."

"An Osborn employee?" Eddie's confusion deepened. "Then why is he attacking Harry Osborn? Did he get the wrong guy?"

"I wasn't finished," Anton said, shaking his head. "Max Dillon was an electrical engineer at Osborn Industries, but his time there was… less than ideal. What happened to him now—his powers, his anger—it's all tied to Osborn. Understand?"

"Ah, another disgruntled employee war," Eddie muttered, unsure of what else to say. "Again?"

Anton paused, his thoughts drifting. The parallels between Max Dillon and Ivan Vanko struck him. Both men's hatred stemmed from their fathers' or their own troubled histories with powerful companies. 

Ivan's vendetta against Tony Stark began with Howard Stark's actions. Now here was Max, another former employee, lashing out at Harry Osborn.

Eddie's comment wasn't far off—another employee war indeed.

Anton smirked to himself, considering the irony. "So that's why Osborn thought it'd be a good idea to turn Harry into a superhero—a PR move to clean up their reputation."

It was a bizarre idea, to say the least. Harry's transformation into a superhero wasn't conventional, but neither was Tony Stark's rise to Iron Man. 

The appearance of Electro, however, made Anton suspect deeper problems within Osborn Industries.

Meanwhile, Harry, who had been struck by Max's lightning, staggered to his feet.

Thanks to the symbiote that formed his biological armor, the lightning had caused little damage. In fact, Pepper had suffered more harm from her fall than Harry had from the attack.

Harry's black symbiotic armor had covered his body completely, including his face. No one could see his expression, but his tone betrayed his calm anticipation of this confrontation.

"You finally showed up," Harry said, his voice steady as he approached Max.

Max's face twisted with hatred. "A superhero? You? A representative of a filthy company like Osborn dares to call himself a superhero? Don't think you're Batman!"

"Filthy company?" Harry retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Stop playing the victim, Max. Osborn gave you more than most. You had privileges others could only dream of, and yet you wanted more. Your greed brought you here."

Max's anger erupted. "You experimented on me! I became this because of Osborn!"

"No," Harry countered coldly. "We were going to hand you over to the police and draw a vial of blood for research. You overreacted, killed a security guard, and ran. Everything that's happened to you since then is your own fault."

"Enough!" Max roared, his eyes burning with fury. "You and your self-righteous tone make me sick. Today, I'll make sure you die—and send you to hell to meet your father!"

"Then you're in for disappointment," Harry shot back.

He raised his hand, summoning his fallen glider. With a cold glare, he launched himself at Max.

Click! Click!

Lightning crackled across Max's body. As Harry charged, Max didn't flinch. He stepped forward to meet the attack, his body glowing with electric light that cast him as a demonic figure from hell.

The sheer intensity of his presence sent shivers through everyone present—except Anton.

The battle was about to begin.

….

"This is getting interesting," Ivan Vanko muttered, his gaze fixed on the unfolding chaos. 

Though the situation had spiraled beyond his initial plans, his eyes finally locked onto Tony Stark, who was still contending with War Machine.

"Tony, looks like you've run out of helpers!" Ivan taunted.

As his words echoed, War Machine opened fire again, unleashing a relentless barrage of bullets toward Tony.

Duh duh duh!

Though the missiles had been rendered useless, the machine's ammunition was still plentiful. Piercing bullets accompanied by flashes of fire rained down on Tony like a deadly storm.

Tony's expression darkened. He noticed movement—every steel soldier under Ivan's control was now mobilizing.

"Damn it," Tony cursed under his breath. He quickly realized that staying put would lead to disaster. These mechanical attackers had to be drawn away. 

Without hesitation, he soared into the sky, heading toward the small park next to the Expo.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

In unison, War Machine, Ivan's upgraded whip armor, and the steel soldiers all took off, pursuing Tony.

The battlefield shifted, leaving behind Anton, Eddie, Pepper, Harry Osborn, and the sparring Max Dillon, aka Electro.

Pepper finally managed to reach Anton, her face a mix of worry and frustration.

"Where's Batman?" she asked, panting as she came to a halt. "Why hasn't he shown up to help?"

"Uh…" Anton shrugged, spreading his hands. "Batman knows what's happening, but come on, this was pretty sudden. The guy's not omnipresent—it takes time to get here."

"Damn it," Pepper muttered under her breath, anxiety etched across her face. Her worry for Tony, now facing Ivan, War Machine, and the steel soldiers, was palpable.

Meanwhile, Eddie watched Harry's battle with Electro. He hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Anton, this is getting out of hand. I've got to help."

"Go ahead," Anton said, nodding. Then he turned to Pepper. "In that case, I'll get you out of here."

"What?!"

"Don't argue. You'll only get in the way if you stay here," Anton said firmly, grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the scene.

As they left, Eddie set down his camera, rolling his shoulders as he loosened up. Seconds later, Venom's black tendrils emerged, enveloping his body.

"Oh, it's been a while since I've had some fun!" Venom growled, his deep, guttural laughter echoing.

Now fully transformed, Venom turned to face the battle between Harry and Electro. Sharing Eddie's vision, the symbiote assessed their enemy with cruel amusement.

"Electro," Venom hissed. "Hmm… I bet his meat tastes pretty good. No seasoning necessary!"

A few minutes later, Anton and Pepper had reached a more open area. 

Anton glanced around, his eyes lighting up when he spotted a fire truck parked nearby—a vehicle sent by the New York Fire Department in anticipation of potential emergencies at the Expo.

"Perfect," Anton said, a plan forming in his mind.

"What are you doing?" Pepper asked, her tone laced with concern as she watched Anton survey the truck.

"You find a safe spot and stay there," Anton replied. "I'm going back to help."

"Help? How exactly are you going to help?" Pepper shot back, incredulous. "You're a director, Anton. A glorified showman, just like Tony—but without Tony's armor or genius. What can you possibly do?"

Anton ignored her, heading straight for the fire truck.

Pepper's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait… Are you seriously planning to drive that fire truck back into the fight? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

…

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