DC Heroes in Marvel

"Oh? What's going on?"

Anton was surprised and puzzled. "Is there something you need from me? Are you planning to contact Batman to give honors at the White House?"

"No," John Keller replied with a smile. "It's not something we can discuss over the phone. We need you to come to Washington immediately. Don't worry, it's definitely good news."

"Alright, I'll be there."

Anton hung up, pondered for a moment, then took out his phone and called Betty.

A Few Hours Later

A plane took off from New York and soon landed in Washington.

At the airport, Keller greeted him personally, and they drove straight to the White House.

"So formal?" Anton remarked. "Why do I feel like this isn't actually good news?"

"If this isn't good news, then your standards are way too high," Keller said.

"Alright, so what is this really about?" Anton asked, genuinely curious. He couldn't imagine what else they could possibly offer him.

"As you know, aliens have visited Earth as early as the 21st century. Of course, your Justice League might be more aware of this fact than we are," Keller said, suddenly shifting the topic. 

"Since the last alien invasion, it's no longer possible to keep their existence a secret. After the Battle of New York, we realized that Earth has entered a new era. The constant visits from extraterrestrial beings pose a significant threat to the planet…"

Anton interrupted. "Hold on—what does this have to do with me?"

"Quite a lot."

Keller continued. "We originally planned to create a specialized department under indirect military jurisdiction. This division would report directly to the White House and handle extraterrestrial crises—potentially even serving as humanity's official representative in alien affairs."

Anton narrowed his eyes. A thought struck him, and he was genuinely surprised.

"Wait… are you asking me to lead this department?"

"That's exactly right."

Keller nodded. "We want you to be the head of this division."

"…"

Anton's eyes widened. This was actually surprising.

"Hold on—you just said you were going to do this. Past tense. What changed?"

He had caught the subtle shift in Keller's wording. Something wasn't adding up.

Keller sighed, spreading his hands. "As you said, things have changed—but not for you. You're still the head of this department."

"Then what changed?" Anton pressed.

"While the World Security Council was discussing how to handle S.H.I.E.L.D., certain… interested parties caught wind of our plans. Some of the permanent members—let's just say a particular nation—decided they wanted a piece of the action. They pushed to transform this from a U.S.-controlled agency into an international organization under U.N. oversight."

Anton's expression shifted in realization. "So now this department doesn't belong to the United States anymore—it belongs to the United Nations? Or more specifically, the World Security Council?"

"Exactly."

Anton was surprised. "That means I'm now a colleague of S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"In a way, yes."

Keller nodded. "But don't worry about S.H.I.E.L.D. They're no longer a threat to you. Your authority is far greater than theirs—you aren't on the same level."

Anton raised an eyebrow. "That's quite the implication."

"It's not that your authority is higher, per se—it's that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s authority has been forcibly lowered," Keller explained. 

"The World Council initially wanted to dissolve S.H.I.E.L.D. altogether, but given their ongoing responsibilities, they backed off from that decision. However, punishment was still necessary. Their final ruling was to strip S.H.I.E.L.D. of most of its authority. They've been reduced to a glorified law enforcement agency, limited to operating within individual nations and focusing primarily on tracking down remnants of Hydra."

There was a pause. "In addition, the Avengers have officially disbanded. Public perception of them is similar to that of the rest of the world—most people see them as uncontrollable factors."

"That is good news."

Anton smiled.

Although he didn't particularly care about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fate, he had to admit that its dissolution would create a mess. Annoying as S.H.I.E.L.D. was, they still handled certain responsibilities.

In other words, they were a necessary evil.

Now that S.H.I.E.L.D. was being stripped of most of its authority by the World Security Council, they wouldn't have the power to dictate international affairs anymore. 

Their new primary objective would be cleaning up their own mess—starting with hunting down the remnants of Hydra.

As for the Avengers, Anton wasn't surprised by their disbandment at all.

At this point, they weren't unique.

The Justice League could easily take over their role in protecting Earth.

Besides, the U.S. military had already developed its own specialized forces, originally intended to counter both the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. In a way, having so many overlapping groups was redundant—more of a liability than a strength.

A burden.

A burden that nobody really wanted.

Their disbandment could be summed up in one phrase: "Good riddance."

"I originally planned for you to find out about this through the news tomorrow," Keller said with a smirk. "After all, the existence of both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers is no secret to the public. But since you were so curious, I figured I'd tell you in advance."

Anton raised an eyebrow. "And S.H.I.E.L.D. just accepted this?"

"What choice did they have?" Keller shrugged. "They've caused one major incident after another. Even the World Security Council doesn't want to keep covering for them. If they didn't accept this punishment, their only other option would've been complete dissolution. They had no leg to stand on."

"Fair point. They brought this on themselves."

Anton nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "That reminds me—now that the Avengers are disbanded, have you considered bringing Captain America back into the military? And what about the Winter Soldier? You got Bucky Barnes back—have you thought about using him to lure Cap in?"

Keller's expression grew serious. "It's complicated. We haven't fully reversed Hydra's brainwashing of Bucky yet."

Then, after a brief pause, he added, "But yes, there is a plan in place. Captain America is a military icon—there's no way we're going to let S.H.I.E.L.D. keep control over him forever."

Just then, the car pulled to a stop.

"We're here."

Keller gestured toward the building. "This is your new office. From now on, this space belongs to you. But don't worry—this is just your Washington office. The headquarters for your department will be in New York, for... various reasons."

Anton looked up.

The sign read: UFO SWAT TEAM.

He frowned. "That name sounds terrible."

"It's already been approved." Keller chuckled. "We've also prepared a special uniform for you. It's a black suit made with cutting-edge technology—highly protective but designed to look like a normal suit. You'll blend into any crowd without drawing attention."

Then, with a grin, he added, "And that's not all. You'll have access to plenty of high-tech equipment, and your budget is... let's just say, more than enough."

Anton narrowed his eyes. A black suit?

Something about this felt very familiar.

"Wait a second… Men in Black?"

Keller blinked. "MIB?"

Anton looked at him, then at the building again. "This is literally just MIB."

Keller paused—then burst into laughter. "'Men in Black'... That's actually a pretty good name."

…

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