DC Heroes in Marvel

Chapter 312: C272



Two days had passed since the Battle of New York.

The New York Police Department task force was still busy with post-war reconstruction efforts.

The battle had left Manhattan in ruins—the damage was severe, and early estimates placed property losses in the tens of billions. 

The ripple effects on the global economy could amount to hundreds of billions.

But if anything rivaled the property damage, it was the question of casualties.

Surprisingly, the number of civilian deaths was astonishingly low—fewer than a hundred.

Given the scale of the invasion, this was nothing short of a miracle.

The credit?

Batman.

His early warning before the battle and the citywide emergency broadcasts ten minutes before the attack had saved countless lives.

Meanwhile, Anton was stuck at home, utterly bored.

Eddie Brock and Phil Urich, along with the rest of the Daily Bugle staff, were busy covering every angle of the New York War.

As Batman's designated media outlet, the Bugle had dominated the news cycle. Every report they released was met with praise and overwhelming support—not just from Batman fans and Justice League supporters, but from all of New York.

And since Batman himself rarely made public appearances, people redirected their admiration to those closest to him.

That included Anton.

As the owner of the Daily Bugle, the Justice League's most visible member, and Batman's official spokesperson, his online following exploded.

On social media, his fan count skyrocketed, even surpassing Tony Stark's—whose popularity plummeted due to his loss of control during the battle.

Meanwhile, John Keller and the old man had fully embraced vacation mode.

With New York in ruins and business operations restricted, they extended their vacations indefinitely. They weren't planning on coming back for at least a couple of weeks—maybe even ten days, or longer.

As for S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers, their punishments remained uncertain.

However, according to John Keller, Coulson and Nick Fury—both wrapped up like mummies—had struggled back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in wheelchairs to join Maria Hill at the World Security Council meeting.

The first round of negotiations?

A disaster.

Anton could already picture the scene—Coulson and Fury, both strapped up like medical patients, sitting in wheelchairs with only their mouths free to argue.

John didn't share the details of the meeting, but it was obvious: whatever happened, it wasn't good news for S.H.I.E.L.D.

He also hinted at something that might require Anton's involvement—but refused to reveal any details.

Anton didn't care.

The only thing that mattered was that S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers were doomed. Even if they survived this mess, they would barely be hanging on by a thread.

That was enough.

From this moment on, the Justice League and the Avengers were no longer rivals.

After this battle, the Avengers had lost their prestige—they no longer deserved to be compared to the Justice League.

Of course, things had played out differently than the original timeline.

Unlike in the original events, Thor never officially joined the Avengers—he had merely fought alongside them as an ally.

As a result, Captain America became the only Avenger who didn't lose control during the war.

In the eyes of the public, he was the only real hero left on the team.

But that wasn't the biggest shock.

Harry Osborn had made waves online—publicly revealing inside details about the battle and announcing his resignation from the Avengers.

As one of the mind-controlled victims, he had been arrested alongside Tony Stark and several others.

Of course, he and Tony were different from the rest.

They could afford bail.

Thanks to Osborn Industries and the Stark Group, the two of them spent only one night in jail before their legal teams bailed them out the next morning.

It was Norman Osborn who bailed out Harry Osborn.

Norman's sudden reappearance in the public eye caused a sensation.

At OsCorp, the reaction was one of pure relief.

As the chairman, Harry's bad press from this battle could have seriously damaged the company's reputation.

They had barely begun to figure out a strategy when Norman Osborn—who had been missing for nearly a year—suddenly returned.

With swift and decisive action, he took back control, shut down any internal dissent, and publicly revealed OsCorp's ties to Batman and the Justice League.

The shareholders rallied behind him instantly.

Meanwhile, the Stark Group wasn't so lucky.

Thanks to Pepper Potts' leadership, she insisted on bailing out Tony first—coordinating the move in sync with OsCorp.

That left four unlucky Avengers still behind bars:

Black Widow Hawkeye Doctor Octopus Sandman

Until the World Security Council and S.H.I.E.L.D. reached an agreement, these four would be stuck in prison, eating whatever was served to them.

Anton pondered for a moment, then shook off the distractions and smiled to himself.

Business was looking good.

His Constantine fan count was nearly at the threshold for an exchange.

While the New York War had caused fluctuations in theater attendance, it was a localized event—it hadn't significantly impacted global box office numbers.

Right now, Constantine's fan value stood at 28.7 million—just 1 million more to go before the exchange was possible.

As his first magical hero, Anton was eager to see John Constantine in action.

Meanwhile, in Hollywood, production on Batman v Superman had officially begun—completely unaffected by the New York War.

Los Angeles and New York—two powerhouses of film and television, one on the West Coast, the other on the East Coast—rarely cared about each other's problems.

If one was in turmoil, the other was more likely to celebrate than sympathize.

So Anton wasn't surprised that the movie was proceeding as scheduled.

But the real victories weren't just external.

Inside the system, Anton had gained significant rewards from the war.

Batman's fan count had soared past 140 million.

Cyborg followed with 78 million.

Wonder Woman ranked third, holding at 50 million.

Green Arrow had the lowest count, but still an impressive 38 million.

Each Justice League member had achieved extraordinary results.

On top of that, the justice value awarded by the system after the New York War had reached a staggering 20 million—breaking records set by the Transformers battle at the Hoover Dam.

At present, Anton's total justice value stood at 25 million.

That was 20 million less than his pre-war balance of 45 million, but considering that he had already redeemed the batman beyond Armor, it was well worth the price.

During the Battle of New York, Anton had personally experienced the armor's power.

While it didn't make him an overwhelming force, it still allowed him to compete with most high-level opponents.

And against ordinary enemies?

He could crush them with ease.

This boosted Batman's combat capabilities significantly—ensuring he would never again be undermined by a lack of raw power.

RING!

Anton's thoughts were interrupted by a phone call from John Keller.

He picked up, surprised.

"Mr. Keller, what's up?" Anton asked. "I thought you were busy chasing after S.H.I.E.L.D., stabbing them in the back."

John chuckled.

"Oh, don't worry. The knife is already deep enough."

"The World Security Council's final ruling on S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers is nearly complete. You'll hear the good news soon—but I won't spoil the surprise just yet."

Anton raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you calling?"

John's tone shifted.

"Because there's something else I need to talk to you about."

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