Chapter 242 About the Justice League Dark

After hearing the old man account, Anton caught a key phrase: Project Pegasus.

According to the timeline, this project first appeared in Captain Marvel, spearheaded by Dr. Lawson (a disguised Kree operative) and Howard Stark, as part of their research into the Tesseract.

Later, in the post-credits scene of Thor and throughout The Avengers (2012), Nick Fury revived Project Pegasus.

It was during SHIELD attempts to harness dark matter through the Tesseract that Loki infiltrated and stole it.

The military was no stranger to Project Pegasus.

From the beginning, it was a joint initiative between NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and SHIELD, aimed at developing alternative energy sources and a faster-than-light engine.

The project was shelved after a series of chaotic events: the Kree interference, Dr. Lawson death, Captain Marvel absorbing the project entire energy source, and the Tesseract disappearance.

No one expected that decades later, the Tesseract would resurface, leading SHIELD to revive Project Pegasus—setting the stage for the Battle of New York.

From Anton perspective, it was unsurprising that the military agreed to restart Project Pegasus, lured by the promise of infinite energy and faster-than-light technology.

Even with limited understanding of the Tesseract, the military could recognize its extraordinary value.

"No wonder SHIELD managed to walk away unscathed after this incident," Anton murmured, piecing things together.

Nick Fury, the cunning old fox, had baited the military with the Tesseract.

But this also meant that when Project Pegasus inevitably caused problems, the Justice League close ties to the military would provide a valid reason for their involvement.

For Anton, this was ultimately a good thing.

"By the way, Wick has gone to take over the Ares Factory. You should hear something soon," the old man said, shifting gears.

"What are your plans? If you're not continuing with movies, why not join Wayne Enterprises with John?"

"No, my next film is already in pre-production. I'll be heading to Los Angeles in a few days," Anton replied.

"I have no intention of getting involved with Wayne Enterprises. You know as well as I do—corporate management isn't my forte."

Turning to John, he added, "Your convenient son is back now. I'm confident he can take on the role of your successor and help you build Wayne Enterprises."

"A new movie?"

The old man raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

Anton rise to fame carried an air of legend.

The most fascinating aspect was the peculiar pattern: every time Anton directed a film, a new superhero would appear in the Justice League.

This blatantly obvious trend had been analyzed to death by countless observers.

No one suspected this was all thanks to Anton "golden finger."

There was even a popular theory circulating online:

The Justice League wasn't a new organization but rather a long-standing secret group. Batman was merely one of its founders.

Perhaps, as times changed, Batman decided the Justice League was ready to step into the spotlight. He enlisted Anton to direct Batman as an introduction and then gradually built a new Justice League.

Seeing Batman meteoric rise, his old allies supposedly had a change of heart and began rejoining him, one by one.

To reintroduce these allies, Batman would instruct Anton to make a biographical film for each, formally announcing their return to the public.

While not universally accepted, this theory had gained traction online, sparking significant discussion.

After Batman debut, people had slowly begun to realize that the world wasn't as simple as they had thought.

Aliens, mutants, tech geniuses, and magical beings—it seemed there was no end to the strange and extraordinary.

Who could predict what the future would hold?

"What are you planning to shoot?"

Even John couldn't contain his curiosity.

"Constantine," Anton said, unafraid of spoiling the plot.

"A story about demons, involving God and Satan."

"What?"

The old man and John froze in unison.

God and Satan!

Just hearing those names made it clear this would touch on Christianity.

Previously, Anton Wonder Woman had been tied to Greek mythology…

Was Anton developing an obsession with the occult?

"Are there really demons and gods in this world?"

The old man eyes locked onto Anton, and John expression mirrored his, their curiosity burning brightly.

"I'm not sure about demons, but gods definitely exist," Anton said after a brief pause.

"Isn't Wonder Woman a god? Soon, you'll even meet two more 'gods'… though it more accurate to call them aliens."

"Aliens…"

The old man and John exchanged a glance, nodding as they began to understand the scientific interpretation of these so-called deities.

"Is this Constantine also a member of the Justice League?" John asked.

As the pattern had gone, every movie Anton directed seemed to introduce a new Justice League hero.

But Constantine?

John wasn't deeply familiar with DC roster, so he'd never heard of the name.

"No, Constantine isn't a member of the Justice League. Strictly speaking, he more of an acquaintance of Batman—a somewhat distant one," Anton explained.

"If you really want to categorize him, he belongs to the Justice League Dark."

Anton elaborated: the founding members of the Justice League Dark included Madame Xanadu, Constantine, Zatanna, Deadman, and Shade the Changing Man.

Over time, more supernatural heroes joined their ranks.

What set the Justice League Dark apart was that all its members wielded magic or had supernatural abilities.

Because of this, they were considered ill-suited for the traditional Justice League led by Batman.

In his previous life, the most iconic members of the Justice League Dark were Wonder Woman, Etrigan, Man-Bat, Zatanna, and Swamp Thing.

"Justice League Dark?"

Hearing this, the old man and John exchanged glances again, feeling as though they'd just uncovered another crucial piece of information.

They couldn't help recalling the online speculation that the Justice League wasn't a new group but rather an ancient secret organization gradually stepping into the public eye.

The old man and John decided not to ask further, satisfied with what they had learned.

Meanwhile, in a laboratory within a New York skyscraper:

"Reed, all our investors have pulled out. Without funding, we can't continue the experiments,"

Sue Storm said, looking at her partner, whose furrowed brow suggested he was under tremendous stress.

She thought Reed Richards might be on the verge of a breakdown.

But to her surprise, Reed turned to her with a wide, triumphant smile.

"Sue, we did it!"

The future Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, clenched his fist, his expression radiating an unprecedented mix of excitement and euphoria.

He repeated, this time with even greater emphasis, "We did it! We succeeded!"

"What?"

Sue Storm still thought Reed might have been overwhelmed by their setbacks and was about to say something when Reed suddenly swung his arm outward.

To her astonishment, his arm stretched out like rubber, extending several meters in an instant.

"This..."

Sue eyes widened in disbelief, her thoughts immediately jumping to their friend, Ben Grimm, the researcher who had accompanied them into space.

After their return from space, Ben body had undergone drastic changes, transforming into a rock-like form with immense strength—but at the cost of his appearance.

Sue had assumed Ben transformation was a one-off anomaly. She never imagined Reed would experience something equally bizarre.

Which meant...

"Sue!"

Reed gaze burned intensely as he looked at her. "Something must have changed in you too—just like it has with Johnny and even Victor Von Doom.

We've done it! The cosmic storm radiation has caused some kind of mutation in our bodies."

"It not exactly what we predicted... but we've succeeded!"