C321

Los Angeles

During filming, Anton received a report from the experimental team in New York.

Connors and the others had successfully captured the invading Skrulls.

Even the lookouts stationed outside the New York Police Department weren't spared—the Turtles took care of them too.

"Caught every last one of them? Nice work!"

Hearing the voice on the other end of the call, Anton smiled.

"I told you, we didn't need to make any extra moves. They were bound to walk right into our trap."

The research to decipher the Skrulls' shapeshifting abilities was crucial.

Even if the Skrulls planned to take Earth by force, they would never willingly abandon their greatest natural advantage.

So, destroying this research was their top priority.

Anton only had to wait.

He didn't even need to set up an ambush.

The scientists working on this were already some of the strongest combatants on the planet:

Iron Man. The Lizard. Hulk. Mr. Fantastic.

Once those four let loose, nothing could stop them.

Even if the Super-Skrulls—hiding in the shadows—managed to mimic Captain Marvel's abilities, they wouldn't be able to overwhelm them.

The final outcome might be uncertain, but at the very least, they wouldn't lose.

"Now that we have live test subjects, we need results as soon as possible."

Anton paused, thinking.

"I know I've pushed you before, but you all understand how dire the situation is. The Skrulls are already developing new Super-Skrulls. If they manage to mass-produce them, they'll be able to copy Earth's superpowered individuals endlessly..."

After a brief exchange, Anton hung up.

Then, after a moment's thought, he passed the information to the Men in Black.

Through them, the World Security Council, the U.S. government, the President, and Secretary of Defense John Koehler—who had recently accused Anton of inaction—all received the good news.

John Koehler finally exhaled.

Now, he knew Anton wasn't just sitting around—the Justice League was actively working against the Skrulls.

After considering everything, he picked up the phone and called Anton to apologize.

"Everything is Under Control."

"There's no need to apologize, I understand your concerns."

Anton smiled, holding the phone.

"But you need to have more faith in the Justice League. Everything is under control."

"Right. Got it."

The call ended.

Jim, standing nearby, immediately leaned in.

"Anton, about the final scene—are you going to direct it yourself?"

"Sure."

Anton agreed without hesitation.

He knew exactly what Jim was thinking.

If Anton directed even one scene, they could promote the film as a co-directed project—with some parts shot by Anton and others by the original director.

This would create buzz, making the movie even more marketable.

With Anton's current level of fame, even if he had only directed a single shot, it would still draw massive attention online.

Jim had high hopes for this film.

Even though he was confident it wouldn't flop, he still wanted to maximize its success.

And Anton?

Even though his main goal wasn't money, he wasn't about to turn down the chance to make more of it while achieving his objective.

Two Hours Later

The final shots were completed, and filming was officially over.

"Originally, the plan was to release the movie in about a month. But now that we've finished two weeks ahead of schedule, we can speed up the process and release it even sooner," Jim said to Anton in an upbeat tone.

Thanks to Quentin Beck, the Mysterio Anton had recruited in advance, the film's visual effects production—usually the most time-consuming phase—was drastically shortened. His holographic projection technology had eliminated the need for traditional CGI, making post-production incredibly simple.

"I'll personally oversee the final editing. If everything goes smoothly, we can release it next week," Anton responded without hesitation.

This time, Jim didn't question or try to convince him otherwise.

He had already witnessed Anton's efficiency firsthand.

When Anton worked on Hell Detective, he completed post-production in a single week—something Jim had thought impossible.

Now, with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the workload was slightly heavier, but given Anton's track record, Jim had no reason to doubt him.

"Then I'll ramp up the marketing right away," Jim nodded.

The hype was already immense. Promoting this film would be effortless.

Just the phrase "Batman is back" was enough to grab global attention.

This wasn't some underdog film—it was a return of the king.

Even before the official marketing campaign kicked off, news outlets across Los Angeles, the U.S., and the world were already buzzing with speculation and leaks.

Everyone wanted to see Batman return to the big screen.

But the real shockwave?

The inclusion of Superman.

Superman—the ultimate alien superhero.

Fans had known about Superman from countless DC stories, but now, with Earth having faced multiple alien invasionsin the past two years, the idea of Superman felt more real than ever.

People were desperate to see Batman take charge—on-screen and, in their hearts, in reality too.

The Next Day

After the wrap party, Anton jumped straight into post-production, working alongside his editing and effects team to finalize the film.

At the same time, news spread like wildfire.

The movie was officially set for release next week.

Even without having seen a single frame, fans worldwide were already buzzing with anticipation.

But it wasn't just fans who were paying attention.

Meanwhile…

The World Security Council, the U.S. government, S.H.I.E.L.D., and other intelligence agencies took immediate notice.

"Superman?"

In Europe, Phil Coulson and Maria Hill exchanged glances, their expressions serious.

Both of them immediately thought of Nick Fury, who had left Earth with the Skrulls.

For a while now, they had suspected that Superman—like Captain Marvel—wasn't on Earth.

But then, a shocking report had arrived from Washington, D.C..

Captain Marvel—Carol Danvers herself—had appeared.

Not only that, but she had engaged in a battle against two Justice League members—Wonder Woman and Cyborg.

And then—even Iron Man, Tony Stark, got involved.

The entire situation had spiraled into a chaotic, unpredictable mess.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had been struggling to gather intel ever since their headquarters moved out of Washington. They still weren't sure what exactly had happened.

But one thing was clear—the Captain Marvel who appeared in Washington was the real deal.

Which led to one question—

"Superman... is he really coming back?"

Coulson narrowed his eyes.

His gut instincts were rarely wrong.

"Anton never makes movies for no reason," he muttered.

"Is this his way of preparing the world for Superman's return?"

…

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