DC HERO AT MARVEL

Aquaman may not be a true god, but his half-human, half-divine physique rivals any deity.

Judging from his portrayal in the films, even without his legion of sea creatures, as the King of the Seven Seas, Aquaman could still surpass an unenhanced Thor.

It worth noting that although Aquaman domain is the ocean, Arthur Curry is no slouch on land—he a beast through and through.

In terms of raw strength, he might even hold his own against Superman.

However, with a price tag of 50 million fan points, Anton had to reluctantly let go of the idea.

Aquaman character wasn't particularly popular in the current DC Comics lineup, ranking near the bottom in terms of fan value. Producing a film to unlock him wouldn't be cost-effective, and it wasn't guaranteed to be an instant hit.

The Flash, on the other hand, was a solid contender. His popularity within DC was that of a second-tier hero. Yet, his steep price—50 million fan points—was still a significant hurdle.

Why was The Flash so expensive?

Anton pondered for a moment and concluded that it was likely due to his ability to traverse time and space.

Time travel was an established concept in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This raised an intriguing possibility: if Anton unlocked The Flash, would he also gain the ability to traverse time and space?

This left Green Lantern as the next viable option at 40 million fan points.

It wasn't impossible to work with.

However, there was one glaring issue: the infamous failure of the Green Lantern movie in Anton previous life. Its dismal performance had forced Ryan Reynolds to pivot to Marvel, where he reinvented himself as Deadpool, successfully salvaging his career.

Currently, Green Lantern popularity within DC was only slightly higher than Aquaman—mediocre at best.

Unlocking him was an option, but compared to Wonder Woman, it would require more effort for potentially lesser returns.

Why was Wonder Woman priced lower than Green Lantern?

It was likely because the second Wonder Woman film had been a disaster in terms of power scaling, squandering Gal Gadot iconic portrayal. Even the system seemed to have accounted for this discrepancy.

"Wonder Woman currently has 4.38 million fan points, just 2.5 million short..."

Anton stared at Wonder Woman panel and briefly imagined himself dressed as her. The thought made him shudder.

"Then again, it just a clone."

After a moment, he entertained the idea: "Having a female avatar could be... an interesting experience."

As Anton considered his options, another thought struck him: Thor would soon arrive on Earth.

As a god, Thor presence would provide the perfect opportunity to position Wonder Woman as his equal—or rival.

Another two weeks flew by.

The Dark Knight concluded its theatrical run, amassing a global box office total of $1.42 billion.

During this time, Anton finally mustered the resolve to begin work on Wonder Woman.

He reached out to Jim to assemble a production team and enlisted star screenwriter Browning to discuss the script.

The storyline for Wonder Woman was relatively easy to pin down.

In Anton previous life, the first Wonder Woman film had been a tremendous success, grossing $822 million worldwide. While the plot leaned on familiar tropes, it was well-crafted and memorable.

By sticking to a similar framework and casting the right actress, Anton was confident he could once again bring Wonder Woman iconic presence to life.

The remaining 25 million fan points needed to unlock her were also within reach.

Casting the perfect lead actress would undoubtedly win over fans and generate the hype necessary.

Anton plans to produce Wonder Woman didn't stay secret for long.

Interestingly, the first to catch wind of the project wasn't Hollywood entertainment press but S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Wonder Woman?"

Upon receiving the intel, Coulson wasted no time heading to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters to brief Nick Fury.

Given what they knew about Anton, producing Wonder Woman was unlikely to be just a business decision. There had to be a deeper purpose.

In other words, was the Justice League preparing to introduce a new superhero?

—Wonder Woman.

"Even though Superman hasn't shown up yet, we can't rule out the possibility," Fury said gravely.

After the release of Man of Steel, things didn't unfold as they had anticipated.

Superman didn't appear in reality!

To be fair, Man of Steel wasn't a film directed by Anton himself, so perhaps it could be considered an exception.

At that time, Anton had been working on Cyborg.

And Cyborg—Victor Stone—had indeed manifested in the real world, quickly becoming a highly influential figure in recent months.

Now that Anton was preparing to produce Wonder Woman, did this mean… it was a preview of things to come?

Just like when Anton produced Batman and Cyborg?

In other words, once the film concluded, would someone step forward to embody the protagonist in the real world?

Nick Fury, ever cautious, wasn't ready to dismiss this possibility.

"Keep a close watch. Report any developments to me immediately."

Fury ordered, "And investigate Anton production crew. Wonder Woman… Diana Prince… she might already be hiding among them."

"Understood."

Coulson nodded seriously before leaving the director office.

As Fury watched him go and the door closed behind him, cutting off any view, the grave expression on his face didn't fade. Instead, his gaze fell to the intelligence file on his desk.

"Diana Prince. Amazon. Themyscira, an island inhabited only by women. Daughter of Zeus, king of the gods, and Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons… Greek mythology!"

Fury brows furrowed deeply.

He believed in the existence of aliens—not only because he had seen them with his own eyes but because he trusted in science.

But now, theology was entering the picture!

Greek mythology!

Zeus, king of the gods, and Hippolyta daughter, Diana Prince.

Was this true or false?

Even though Fury found it hard to believe, he couldn't outright declare it false.

After all, Batman, Cyborg, and Green Arrow—these troublesome figures—had all appeared one after another.

Fury had already deployed S.H.I.E.L.D. full resources to dig into Anton personal connections, turning over every possible lead, yet they hadn't uncovered any ties between Anton and these individuals.

Now, he couldn't be entirely confident in dismissing the notion as mere fiction.

"Theology…"

Nick Fury gazed out the window, his thoughts drifting to Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, the cosmic protector who was likely off somewhere fighting the good fight.

If gods truly existed in this world, could they also be extraterrestrial beings?

Perhaps, thousands of years ago, when humanity was still primitive and unenlightened, these powerful aliens were revered as deities?

Various possibilities flashed through Fury mind.

In the end, he sighed deeply.

It too much.

The situation Earth was facing was growing increasingly complex.

The feeling of being overwhelmed, of having the will but not the means, was becoming stronger by the day.

"The Avengers' formation needs to accelerate. The current lineup isn't strong enough… If Extremis can enhance human bodies, we need to perfect it as soon as possible."

Fury pondered this as he planned his next move.

Before long, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and the newly recruited Dr. Otto Octavius stood before him.

"Nick, what going on?"

They looked at Fury expectantly.

"What are your thoughts on the Extremis virus?"

Fury didn't bother to hide his intentions.

He fixed his gaze on the trio, openly sharing his idea.

The three exchanged glances.

Hawkeye was the first to speak.

"I'm willing to inject Extremis," he said firmly, his eyes burning with determination.

"I don't want to be a weak link. And I definitely don't want Batman, Green Arrow, or any of those other show-offs strutting around in front of me anymore."