DC HERO AT MARVEL

From beginning to end, Anton purpose was crystal clear.

At the moment when the Avengers were at their most proud, and the public felt the greatest fear, he would lead the Justice League into action—swiftly resolving the crisis like cutting through weeds.

This would highlight the importance of Batman and the Justice League while simultaneously dealing a severe blow to S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers.

Although he was allowing the crisis to unfold, the decision-making power still rested with S.H.I.E.L.D..

when John Keller had called him at the very beginning, asking Batman for help, it wasn't to have Batman resolve the issue outright.

Instead, it was to leverage Batman unparalleled intelligence-gathering capabilities to locate Victor Von Doom.

Now, the meaning was obvious—Batman would find Victor Von Doom, and then, a special forces unit under military control would be deployed to reclaim the Tesseract.

In short, as long as the situation hadn't spiraled completely out of control, Batman and the Justice League remained bystanders.

Even though the Justice League and the military had become allies, they weren't truly one and the same.

The military had its own agenda.

They sought to expand their power by forming a special forces unit made up of members from 23 different countries, led by the United States. Their goal was clear—to replace S.H.I.E.L.D.

The consequences were equally clear—if the military succeeded, Batman and the Justice League status in their eyes would decline significantly.

This was an inevitable outcome.

Fortunately, Batman and the Justice League had a distinct advantage—no matter how capable the special forces unit became, they could never replace the Justice League.

After all, the Justice League power and influence were simply beyond the reach of conventional military forces.

Because of this, the alliance between the Justice League and the military wouldn't be broken so easily.

This was also why Anton had no objections to John Keller request.

Half a day later, the special forces unit arrived in New York.

General Hawk personally contacted Anton, requesting a meeting. His tone remained polite but firm.

Anton immediately set out.

He arrived at a secure military safe house in New York.

Inside the spacious, fortified room, he met General Hawk, one of the highest-ranking figures in the military, along with the elite special forces unit under his command.

The team consisted of numerous members, including:

Duke (Deputy Commander)

Scarlett

Ripcord

Breaker

Heavy Duty

Snake Eyes

Cover Girl

Roadblock

Firefly

This time, General Hawk had brought his entire unit, determined to make a name for themselves through this mission.

He extended a handshake toward Anton.

"Nice to meet you, Anton."

Hawk remained calm when he saw Anton arrive, simply greeting him with a nod.

At that moment, all the special forces members turned their attention toward the entrance, scrutinizing Anton.

They were curious—what kind of capabilities did this globally renowned director possess?

How was he the only non-superpowered official member of the Justice League?

And most importantly—how did he have the authority to mobilize them?

"Hello, General."

Anton responded and swept his gaze across the room.

"Glad to meet you all, special forces."

The soldiers nodded in acknowledgment, offering a polite but reserved greeting.

Although Anton wasn't particularly well-known within the military, Batman reputation was legendary.

And Anton?

He was the only person who could communicate with Batman on equal footing.

Even when the military needed to reach Batman, they had to go through Anton first.

This fact alone made John Keller and the special forces acutely aware of Anton importance.

From the looks of it, Anton status in the Justice League might even give him influence over Batman decisions.

After a brief exchange and introductions, Anton didn't linger.

He had no real connection to the special forces, nor did they share any common ground. Their relationship was purely mission-based.

Leaving the safe house, Anton hit the gas, heading straight home.

When he arrived, the house was empty—the old man and John were gone.

As expected.

After Anton warning, both of them had left New York yesterday, taking a few days off to lay low.

After all, the fact that the Avengers had taken Loki meant that the Battle of New York was approaching.

And with Victor Von Doom now identified as Loki ally, there was no telling what unexpected variables might emerge.

Although Anton was confident he could handle the situation, it was still safer for those close to him to stay out of harm way.

Even Eddie had sent his girlfriend, April, away in advance.

Despite not knowing exactly what was coming, he could sense something was wrong.

Just hours ago, the incident in Times Square had set off alarm bells.

Knowing Anton as well as he did, Eddie was sure of one thing—

For Anton to have such an intense reaction, it couldn't just be about a fight in Times Square.

That was merely the opening act.

The real danger was yet to come.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.

Conference Room.

The entire Avengers team was gathered.

"He didn't say a word."

Steve Rogers looked around the room and spoke slowly.

"That was expected," Tony replied.

"He willingly walked into our hands—clearly, he has another agenda. And yet, even now, we have no clue what it is…"

"Not to mention Victor Von Doom whereabouts," Harry added, clenching his fists.

"We don't have a single lead. It like he completely vanished from the face of the earth."

"We have to find the Tesseract as soon as possible."

Suddenly, Thor—who had only recently joined the team—spoke up.

"From what I know, Loki has an army—the Chitauri. They are neither from Asgard nor any specific planet.

Loki intends to lead them in an invasion of Earth. And their price for helping him is undoubtedly the Tesseract."

"Where do they come from?"

Steve frowned. "The Chitauri… They're from outer space?"

"Perhaps from another galaxy," Thor replied, shaking his head.

"I don't know much about worlds beyond the Nine Realms."

"So they need the Tesseract to open a portal," Tony muttered, his expression darkening.

"Just like the previous alien invasion in New York…"

"He needs a space gate to bring his army here," he concluded grimly.

"I believe so," Doctor Octopus chimed in.

A brilliant scientist in his own right, he quickly followed Tony train of thought.

"With the Tesseract limitless energy, opening a space portal wouldn't be that difficult. As for teleportation technology…

Ever since teleportation technology was developed, numerous organizations have been researching similar methods."

"So this means… another war is coming."

Hawkeye and Black Widow exchanged glances.

They recalled the previous invasion—when the alien commander Rang led his circular war fortress to attack New York.

That battle had been disastrous.

And now, another cosmic threat loomed on the horizon.

"If that the case, they'll need iridium metal as a stabilizer."

Tony suddenly spoke again.

"They'll also need a high-density power source—something powerful enough to heat the Tesseract to at least 100 million degrees to activate it and open the space gate."

"Iridium won't be a problem for Doom," he continued, his expression darkening.

"After all, he a billionaire. But a high-density power source…"

His face fell.

"There only one place where he could pull this off."

"Shit."

He suddenly cursed, sensing trouble.

In the midst of their intense discussion, no one noticed something unusual.

Sitting in the conference room—regarded as nothing more than a trophy—Loki scepter was emitting a faint glow.

And as the Avengers stepped out of the conference room, their expressions grim after piecing together the truth, they failed to notice something even more alarming.

Apart from Thor and Captain America, the rest of the Avengers suddenly froze—their bodies momentarily stiffening.

Then, as if sensing something, they exchanged glances.

A subtle yet sinister blue light flickered within their eyes.

Realizing that Victor Von Doom might be hiding in Stark Tower with the Tesseract, Tony rushed back to his headquarters without hesitation.

Activating every surveillance system, he combed through every inch of the tower, leaving no stone unturned.

And yet—Doom was nowhere to be found.

Only then did Tony finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Throughout the process, Harry Osborn was the only one who had accompanied him back to Stark Tower in New York.

The others?

Too slow.

Tony and Harry had left them behind.

"But if Doom isn't here, then where is he?"

Harry frowned, unable to make sense of it.

If Doom needed a powerful energy source, then was there anywhere in the U.S. that was more suitable than Stark Tower?

The arc reactor installed within Stark Tower could power the entire building at full capacity for an entire year—day and night.

If Doom wanted to activate the Tesseract, then Stark Tower power source would have been more than enough.

"Did I miscalculate?"

Tony furrowed his brows.

He immediately contacted his teammates still at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

"He not here."

Tony voice was firm.

"Keep trying to get more information from Loki. If we keep wasting time like this, we're only putting ourselves at a greater disadvantage."

"Understood."

Steve Rogers nodded.

Unlike the original timeline, in this world, he and Tony didn't have any conflicts.

In fact, they got along fairly well.

Maybe it was because the two of them had taken a beating from the Justice League together—giving them a shared target to surpass.

"Since we didn't find anything, we might as well stay here for the night."

After ending the call with Cap, Tony glanced at Harry and poured himself a glass of whiskey.

"This penthouse has plenty of rooms," he said casually. "You could throw a party here if you wanted."

"Forget it."

Harry gave a bitter smile.

"I'm not in the mood for a party right now."

The sun had already set.

The sky had turned into a dark canvas, and soon, night had fully arrived.

The stars shimmered, and the moon hung high, painting a beautiful scene above the city.

Tony and Harry lay in their respective beds, staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep.

But then—

At some unknown hour, as they drifted into unconsciousness, both of them suddenly opened their eyes at the exact same time.

Their faces were emotionless.

Without control over their own bodies, they rose from their beds, their movements mechanical, their eyes reflecting an icy glow.

Meanwhile, at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, a massive upheaval erupted.

This chaos rivaled even the infamous HYDRA incident from before.

Four Avengers members—Black Widow, Hawkeye, Sandman, and Doctor Octopus—had completely lost control.

They stormed into S.H.I.E.L.D. underground base, making their way to Loki prison cell without hesitation.

Then—

Click!

The prison door slid open.

Loki stepped out, his mischievous grin widening as he took his scepter from Black Widow hands.

Just then, a squad of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrived, weapons drawn, rushing to contain the breakout.

Loki merely smirked.

"Go."

His voice was calm, almost casual.

"Kill them all."

Without a moment hesitation, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Sandman, and Doctor Octopus obeyed his command, turning against their former allies.

Shhhk-shhhk-shhhk!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

What followed was a one-sided massacre—a brutal, blood-soaked slaughter.

The agents never stood a chance against four super-powered beings.

Of course, calling them superheroes at this point was questionable at best.

Within moments, the entire opposition was wiped out.

Whoosh!

Hearing the alarms blaring, Captain America and Thor rushed into the underground base.

The sight that greeted them was horrific—lifeless bodies strewn across the floor.

Their faces paled in shock.

"Loki!"

Thor rage ignited, his voice booming through the facility.

"What have you done?!"

Loki shrugged.

"I merely killed a few mortals. What wrong with that?"

His lips curled into a mocking smirk.

"Soon, this world will belong to me. They simply got a preview of my rule."

"Bastard!"

Steve clenched his teeth, his fists tightening as he stared at Hawkeye and the others, their hands drenched in blood.

His expression darkened.

"What have you done to them?"

"You controlled them?"

His voice dropped lower, realization dawning.

"I see now…"

He murmured to himself.

"You let yourself be captured so you could turn our own people against us—to divide us."

Loki chuckled.

"Smart boy."

His tone was lighthearted.

"Took you long enough to figure it out."

"LOKI!"

The Mjolnir in Thor hand crackled with a storm of electricity, divine energy surging violently around him.

The room shook from the force of his fury.

"You have disappointed me beyond measure!"

With a roar, he hurled Mjolnir at Loki—

Boom!

But—

It struck only an illusion.

Loki laughter echoed throughout the underground base.

"This will all be over soon."

His voice was everywhere and nowhere.

"Father will soon see that I am more worthy of the throne than you."

"I shall rule Earth—this world will belong to me."

As Loki words faded, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Sandman, and Doctor Octopus—the four Avengers under his control—fled the scene.

Thor and Captain America attempted to stop them, but the four fought in perfect unison, managing to push them back.

As comrades, Steve and Thor couldn't fight with lethal force.

Thus, the four controlled Avengers ultimately escaped from S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, regrouping with Loki and vanishing without a trace.

Thor and Rogers stood in the ruins of the underground base, their expressions heavy with shock and frustration.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Maria Hill arrived late, her heels clicking against the broken floor.

Her face darkened at the scene before her.

Her gaze swept over the only two remaining figures—Thor and Steve Rogers.

"He did all this?"

There was no need to say his name—she meant Loki.

"Yes."

Steve voice was filled with bitterness.

"We got played."

"Damn it!"

Maria face twisted with frustration.

With Coulson and Nick Fury still in the hospital, she was currently the highest-ranking officer in S.H.I.E.L.D..

And now?

She was staring at a disaster she could never afford to let happen.

"Where did they go?"

Her eyes burned with anger as she gritted out the words.

"We don't know."

Steve shook his head, his expression grim.

"But no matter what, we need to alert Tony and Harry immediately—hopefully, they haven't been compromised by Loki too."

New York – Stark Tower, Penthouse Apartment

Inside the luxurious penthouse, Tony and Harry found themselves face to face with Victor Von Doom.

The very man they had been hunting down…

Had just walked right in through the door.

But something was off.

There was an unnatural stillness in Doom expression.

He met their gaze with an indifferent look, as if evaluating them.

"Come with me."

Doom voice was calm.

Without waiting for a response, he led them to the rooftop helipad of Stark Tower.

There, he gazed into the horizon, where a faint white streak lined the sky—the first light of dawn beginning to rise.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

A phone rang.

Doom answered.

"Don't worry."

His tone was steady—unshaken.

"We'll start constructing the space gate soon."

He glanced at Tony Stark, then at Harry Osborn.

"With Tony Stark here, that won't be a problem."

"…By sunrise, this world will finally meet its destiny."