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News of DC's latest movie being finalized—and its imminent release next week—didn't just catch the attention of the public. It also sent ripples through S.H.I.E.L.D., particularly to Coulson and Hill.

With this, Anton had essentially hammered in the existence of Superman.

A few days ago, the conversation that took place in the White House had already been relayed by John Keller to the representatives of the World Security Council.

These officials weren't oblivious to Superman's power.

Based on the works released by DC, it was clear: among all the major superheroes of the Justice League, Superman was, without question, the strongest. Not just one of the strongest—the strongest.

During that discussion, Anton had never once denied it.

In fact, he had immense confidence in Superman, as if his return would solve any problem.

This prompted many to analyze the DC works further, drawing a key conclusion:

Batman might be the absolute leader of the Justice League, but he wasn't the ceiling of the League's combat power.

That title belonged to Superman—Clark Kent.

Delving into Superman's backstory, they discovered that he was supposedly born and raised in a small town in Kansas.

But there was one problem—there was no Smallville in this world.

The name Smallville literally translated to "small town," and over time, due to Superman's popularity, it had become a proper noun. DC had even previously produced a series titled Smallville.

Taking this information seriously, the World Security Council, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the U.S. government launched a thorough investigation.

They combed through every Kansas farm and small town, searching for any trace of the Kent family.

Yet, they found nothing.

There were farmers with the last name Kent, sure, but none of them knew a Clark Kent.

There were no records of a spacecraft crash from decades ago.

And certainly, no reports of an alien baby arriving on Earth who looked exactly like a human.

Had it not been for their absolute trust in Anton, they might have even begun to doubt whether Superman was real at all.

"The story might be correct, but the background has been altered..."

In the end, they abandoned their search for Superman's hometown on Earth.

They came to a realization: in the DC works, the backgrounds of major superheroes had all been changed.

Perhaps the general storyline and the characters themselves were accurate, but their exact names and locations couldn't be relied on.

Anton and his people weren't foolish enough to leave such direct clues.

Fortunately, instead of obsessing over the details, they decided to wait for the movie's release.

Anton's previous works had already hinted that the relationship between Batman and Superman wasn't as united as some had assumed.

There seemed to be an underlying conflict between them.

And soon, the movie would provide answers.

A week later, Anton successfully wrapped up all the post-production work on the film.

With Jim handling the remaining tasks, Anton had little to worry about.

The film's distribution company—having worked with Anton before—was already prepared for his unpredictability, so there were no hiccups in the release process.

A few days later, the premiere finally arrived.

At a packed venue in Los Angeles, Anton walked down the red carpet, flashing a confident smile under the blinding camera flashes.

He gave a brief interview before happily making his way inside.

One by one, celebrities—like products on an assembly line—took their turn walking the red carpet, each basking in their moment before heading inside for the grand unveiling of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

During the premiere of Anton's latest film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, one notable figure was missing—Tony Stark.

Tony had rarely missed any of Anton's film premieres, but this time, he was nowhere to be seen.

Anton, however, understood the reason.

The research into cracking the Skrulls' shapeshifting ability had reached a critical stage and had encountered some major challenges.

At this moment, Tony had no time for movies.

If they could overcome this hurdle, the research would finally yield preliminary results.

This progress was largely thanks to the Skrulls who had practically delivered themselves into their hands a few days ago.

Having live test subjects significantly accelerated the experimental team's work, increasing their confidence in solving the problem.

Meanwhile, Coulson and Hill—stationed in Europe—would have to wait until after the premiere to watch the film.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s situation was dire, and they couldn't risk returning to the U.S. so easily.

They also avoided attempting to access the movie's content through backchannels, fearing that Anton would find out.

Offending Anton was not a risk they were willing to take.

After all, it was just a movie. They would see it sooner or later—there was no point in stepping on Anton's toes for it.

However, some agents from the World Security Council, along with U.S. Secretary of Defense John Keller, attended the premiere in secret.

The agents needed to analyze the film's content as soon as possible, compile a report, and submit it to their superiors.

As for John Keller, his purpose was similar—he wanted to understand Superman better and discuss Justice League affairs with Anton, as well as check on the progress of the experimental team.

The lights dimmed.

The screen lit up.

As the DC logo flashed, the first scene appeared—Bruce Wayne's confession.

The film opened with young Bruce witnessing the murder of his parents.

This was a well-known backstory.

After the tragedy, Bruce stumbled into a bat cave, where a swarm of bats flapped their wings and surrounded him.

As he stood there, dazed, memories of his parents' deaths played in his mind.

Then, he turned to look at his lifeless mother and whispered her name:

"Martha..."

The original film ran for 2 hours and 25 minutes, with director Zack Snyder's signature romanticized storytelling style.

Anton didn't make major changes, but he did slightly accelerate the pacing.

Snyder's slow rhythm and emphasis on dramatic storytelling had always been a point of criticism.

Thus, Batman's childhood memories were trimmed down, and the film transitioned into the events of Man of Steel.

The audience now saw the battle between Superman and General Zod, where Bruce Wayne's old friend and Wayne Enterprises employee, Jack, was caught in the destruction.

The building collapsed.

Employees died.

Others were gravely injured.

In the wreckage, Bruce Wayne—now Batman—rescued a young girl whose mother had perished in the battle.

As he stood among the ruins, staring at the battlefield in the distance, his eyes darkened.

He clenched his fists.

His hatred for Superman had begun.

Eighteen months later.

A fisherman salvaged an object from the wreckage of an alien spacecraft at sea.

A glowing green stone.

Anton had added a new scene here—one that didn't exist in the original film—to make it undeniable.

Bruce Wayne, having spent a fortune to acquire this stone, soon discovered its properties.

Kryptonite.

A substance capable of weakening Kryptonians.

Clearly, Batman had found a way to take down Superman.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the story…

Superman was speaking with his mother.

As the conversation ended, he softly called out her name:

"Martha..."

Another Martha.

…

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