Chapter 323: C283
The affairs of Wayne Enterprises were handled by the old man, and Anton had little interest in them.
At this stage, while he wasn't as wealthy as Tony Stark, his net worth still exceeded that of 99% of the world's population.
He had established solid cooperative relationships with political, business, and military entities, as well as the World Security Council.
Yet, none of these matters truly captured Anton's interest.
What fascinated him most were the superheroes within the system that he had yet to unlock—like John Constantine, for example, whose fan value had now accumulated enough points for redemption.
[John Constantine Fan Value: 35.12 million]
[Redemption Criteria Met]
[Redeem?]
Seeing the system prompt on his panel, Anton couldn't help but smile.
Needless to say?
Without hesitation, he selected Confirm.
In the next instant, the first magic-based hero was unlocked.
With Constantine now on board, Anton naturally set his sights on his next goal: Superman.
Following the success of the Superman TV series, Superman's fan value had already surpassed 60 million.
Anton figured that releasing one more movie would be enough to push Superman's fan value over the threshold for redemption.
Once that happened, he could easily envision Superman punching Odin, kicking Thanos, and effortlessly dominating beings like Ego the Living Planet.
However, after experiencing countless crises, people around the world had grown wary of so-called aliens.
In such an atmosphere, making the public accept an alien hero wasn't exactly an easy feat.
Thankfully, Thor, the God of Thunder, had already laid the groundwork. Representing Asgard, Thor had built a positive relationship with Earth, especially after his significant contributions during the Battle of New York.
With media coverage of his heroic deeds, the world had come to recognize Thor as an alien from another realm—the so-called god of Earth.
Asgard, being the first alien civilization to establish contact with Earth, didn't hide this fact.
Instead, they actively disclosed the news and collaborated with major media outlets to promote Asgardian culture and the alliance between the two worlds.
Moreover, Thor's human-like appearance and the historical marks left by Asgard's influence on human civilization over millennia naturally fostered a sense of familiarity and acceptance among humans.
This significantly reduced the general public's distrust of alien civilizations.
Of course, this didn't mean the "Dark Forest" theory ceased to exist—many still believed that some alien civilizations were inherently dangerous.
Anton's goal was to ensure that Superman wouldn't be seen as one of those threats.
Thor had the backing of Earth's authorities, and similarly, Superman had the Daily bugle , Batman, and the Justice League in his corner.
Plus, Superman's appearance was indistinguishable from that of a human.
In Anton's view, the chances of Superman breaking through the public's inherent prejudice against aliens and earning their trust were quite high.
"In Batman v Superman, Batman nearly killed Superman before they teamed up to defeat Doomsday..." Anton mused, stroking his chin.
"A pretty standard plot—highlighting the unity of the Justice League..."
After contemplating for a moment, Anton decided to head to Los Angeles to visit the film set.
New York, still recovering from the Battle of New York, didn't have much for him to do at the moment.
The affairs of the Men in Black headquarters were handled by Z, Wayne Enterprises was managed by the old man, the Daily bugle was overseen by Eddie, and DC Media was in Betty's hands...
As the ultimate hands-off boss, Anton could go wherever he pleased.
Additionally, with Constantine now in play, Anton could finally intervene in the inevitable Hell dimension invasion that Johnny Blaze would soon face.
And if things escalated to the point of pissing off Mephisto?
Well, that would be Constantine's problem, not Anton's.
The next day, Anton arrived in Los Angeles via private jet, where Jim personally came to greet him.
"How's the crew doing?" Anton asked casually.
"Not bad," Jim replied. "Quentin's holographic projection technology has been a huge help. We should wrap up filming in about two months... then another month for editing and post-production before the movie's ready for release."
Jim shrugged. "You know, the director isn't a genius like you. To ensure the movie's quality, we've got to take it slow... Especially with Batman in this film—if we screw up, people will say we're tarnishing Batman's image."
Anton chuckled, fully understanding the pressure Jim was under.
Batman v Superman was no small project—especially when it involved Batman.
As a film produced by DC Media, the public viewed this project as almost a direct sequel to Batman's autobiographical film.
If Jim and his team delivered subpar quality, it would inevitably spark backlash from Batman fans and could even lead to boycotts.
So far, the number of Batman fans worldwide was staggering.
With the continued buzz following the Battle of New York, Batman's popularity showed no signs of fading. He had become the most famous celebrity in the world—bar none.
Anton's system panel reflected this surge: Batman's fan count had skyrocketed past 200 million, and Anton felt it was only a matter of time before it hit the 300 million mark before eventually stabilizing.
"Relax, Jim," Anton said with a smile. "Look at it this way—if your final product is accepted by most people, you've basically guaranteed the global box office champion of the year, right?"
"True enough," Jim grinned.
As Anton pointed out, while the pressure was immense, the potential rewards were even greater.
In this era, who could resist watching a Batman movie?
"By the way," Jim added, "after Constantine is done, what's your plan for the next movie? Or are you planning to take another break?"
"Of course, I'm taking a break," Anton replied. "I'm not a workaholic. I'll reach out when inspiration strikes."
"In that case, I have a suggestion."
"Let's hear it."
"I want to make a Justice League movie," Jim said, his eyes blazing with excitement. "After Batman v Superman, I want to bring the Justice League to the big screen."
Anton stared at him, momentarily stunned.
"Do you even know the full scope of the Justice League?" Anton asked.
"Come on, I'm an executive at DC! Of course, I know what the Justice League is about," Jim replied, rolling his eyes.
"But I have an idea…" he added after a brief pause.
"I want to include Venom, Spider-Man, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and more in the Justice League movie. Basically, bringing in real-world heroes from the New York War as part of the League's lineup. Adapting the world we're living in now... you know, it'd be fascinating."
Anton's expression turned amused. "If you're going that far, why not just call it Justice League vs. Avengers? I mean, the Avengers are disbanded now, so it's not like anyone will sue you."
"Hey, that's actually a great idea!" Jim's eyes sparkled. "I'm heading back to start working on the script right away."
Then, glancing back at Anton, he added, "You've got a lot of insider info, don't you? Anton, I'm going to need your help."
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