DC Heroes in Marvel

"First, you have to find someone..."

"His name is Flint Marko!"

"He is your enemy!"

Anton and Eddie exchanged a glance, and with just a few words, they laid out the situation for Phil before he could react.

"Flint Marko?" Phil blinked in confusion.

The unfamiliar name left him dumbfounded, unable to respond.

"Flint Marko is a street gangster. He escaped from prison, was accidentally mutated, and now has the ability to turn into and control sand. We call him the Sandman. Kind of like that... electric guy. No, wait, I think we've missed a few things if you don't know him yet. Anyway—"

Anton paused, then continued, "In short, your enemy is Flint Marko. But your real target isn't him—it's the kidnapped Justin Hammer."

"Justin Hammer was kidnapped?"

Phil's expression shifted as he processed this, his pupils dilating. He stared at Anton and Eddie, stunned. "You call this a small situation?"

Seeing his reaction, Anton and Eddie exchanged another glance and sighed. Clearly, Phil hadn't absorbed half of what they'd just said.

"Go work on it first," Anton instructed Eddie with a wave.

"Alright," Eddie replied, heading into the building.

Anton then led Phil to his office at the Daily bugle.

After spending some time explaining the details, Phil finally grasped the situation.

"...So, you think the kidnapper behind Justin Hammer's disappearance is Flint Marko. If we find Flint, we'll find where Hammer is being held?"

Phil thought for a moment before nodding. "Got it!"

Now he understood why Anton had said this was the perfect opportunity to make his debut as a superhero.

The situation, while not world-threatening, was still significant—it involved the life and death of a multinational corporation and an arms giant.

Justin Hammer was the key! Flint Marko, the Sandman, was the obstacle Phil had to overcome to achieve his goal.

Phil's mind raced. He imagined donning the demon-themed suit, derived from the Green Goblin's design, battling the Sandman, and then exposing Justin Hammer's crimes to the world.

His eyes lit up at the thought.

Anton had been right. This was his best chance to debut as a superhero.

Just imagining it made him tremble with excitement.

"Boss!"

Phil stared at Anton with unwavering determination. "This mission has to be mine!"

"Don't worry," Anton replied with a smile. "It's your mission. No one will get in your way!"

"Alright!"

Phil wasted no time.

"Gather all the information on Flint Marko as soon as possible and find out where he's hiding. I don't need to tell you what to do after that!" Anton added.

"Understood!" Phil replied, immediately springing into action.

This time, he was smarter. While contacting the Continental Hotel to pull Flint Marko's files, he also stopped by his house to collect his gear.

The Sandman was a mutant, after all. If he ran into him, Phil needed to ensure he had the tools to handle the fight.

As for calling the Continental Hotel?

As a full-fledged member of the Justice League, it was his privilege.

The next day…

The terrorist attack at the Stark Technology Expo dominated the news.

The riot involving Hammer's Iron Soldiers and Justin Hammer's mysterious kidnapping quickly became the talk of the town. The news sent Hammer Industries' stock plummeting, but it was still within their tolerance.

Despite the absence of its leader, the company's senior executives acted swiftly. They reached out to the military and seemed to have made several painful concessions to secure ongoing contracts.

For now, the fallout was contained.

On the surface, the torrent of negative news appeared to be nothing more than a heated public debate, but it masked the chaos brewing behind the scenes.

For now, the situation had settled into a strange and uneasy calm.

The Captain of the New York Police Department, George Stacy, was furious.

Justin Hammer had been kidnapped right under the noses of the NYPD. This information should have been tightly contained by the department!

George was certain that no one with access to the news would leak it carelessly—not even Harry Osborn.

But somehow, the information had inexplicably spread. Following the incident at the Stark Technology Expo, the news of Hammer's kidnapping was everywhere, talked about in every corner of the city.

Clearly, someone was fanning the flames.

"Justin Hammer, you bastard!" George muttered under his breath.

He was almost certain that Hammer himself had orchestrated this entire event. The so-called "kidnapping" reeked of a self-directed publicity stunt.

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Anton—for now. Things hadn't yet reached the point where he needed to get involved.

After assigning Phil the task of locating Flint Marko and tracking down Justin Hammer, Anton boarded a plane back to Los Angeles the very next day to resume filming Wonder Woman.

Time flew by. More than ten days passed.

In the arms industry, Oscorp had taken advantage of Hammer Industries' vulnerabilities, snatching several non-military contracts from them. 

However, as long as Hammer retained its military orders, these losses amounted to little more than a scratch—not enough to critically harm the company.

The rivalry between the two corporations grew increasingly fierce.

Meanwhile, Anton remained in Los Angeles, staying out of the fray and focusing entirely on the production of Wonder Woman.

Finally, the majority of the filming was complete, with only a few leftover scenes remaining.

Anton breathed a sigh of relief, stepping back from the chaos of production. He handed over the remaining schedule to the assistant director, freeing himself to plan future projects.

Reaching out to Jim, Anton finalized a detailed roadmap for the next few DC films.

Though Anton had temporarily lost interest in directing, the upcoming films were crucial.

The first project on the slate? Batman v Superman.

Anton had decided to shelve The Dark Knight Rises, the planned third installment in the Batman trilogy. He felt it could wait.

After all, The Dark Knight Rises was merely the conclusion to a prequel trilogy. While it had potential to generate significant box office revenue, Anton's current priorities had shifted. Money was no longer his primary goal—it was impact.

By leveraging Batman's immense popularity to boost Superman's presence, Anton aimed to introduce the world to the Man of Steel on an unprecedented scale.

To build anticipation for Batman v Superman, Anton envisioned an accompanying American TV series, tentatively titled Smallville.

The series would focus on Superman's origins, with Lex Luthor serving as the primary antagonist.

As a bonus, Bruce Wayne would make a few cameo appearances as the CEO of Wayne Enterprises. These Easter eggs were designed not only to draw attention but also to seamlessly tie the series into the larger narrative of Batman v Superman.

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