DC HERO AT MARVEL

Seeing the news about Tony, Anton realized the timeline was progressing as expected.

After Iron Man 2, the New York Battle was likely no more than six months away.

Anton had a strong feeling about this.

From every perspective, the New York Battle seemed inevitable.

As long as S.H.I.E.L.D. held onto the Tesseract, disaster was almost guaranteed—unless they were willing to hand it over.

But that was out of the question.

Shaking off his thoughts, Anton returned his focus to the news.

The attacker targeting Tony was none other than Ivan Vanko—better known as Whiplash.

A rare technical genius, Ivan had used the arc reactor technology left behind by his father to create a makeshift combat suit equipped with deadly electric whips, earning him his comic and movie moniker, "Whiplash."

But Ivan appearance didn't surprise Anton.

What truly caught him off guard was the astonishing transformation of the R8 Tony had been driving during the attack.

It was eerily similar to the way Autobots transformed.

Anton carefully examined the footage circulating online and found Tony car-to-mech transformation strikingly familiar—almost like a scaled-down Transformer.

Clearly, Tony had integrated alien technology from the Transformers into his own work.

"The Decepticon remains at Hoover Dam…"

It didn't take Anton long to piece it together. Tony must have gained access to alien tech through the remnants of the Decepticons, which had been left behind after the Hoover Dam battle.

Anton wasn't particularly concerned about it.

The U.S. government had been studying Megatron since the mid-20th century without producing anything groundbreaking.

Even if they had access to the Decepticons' remains, it couldn't compare to Anton directly acquiring advanced tech from the Autobots.

Still, Tony actions made it clear: the billionaire likely struck some kind of deal with the military, involving the Decepticons' remains.

There was no way Tony had spontaneously "stumbled" upon the concept of car-to-mech transformation.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, a voice called out to him from behind.

"Director! We're ready!"

"Alright, let roll."

Anton set aside his wandering thoughts and returned to work.

Meanwhile, the news about Tony Monaco incident and the ambush spread like wildfire across the globe.

In the U.S. especially, initial shock quickly turned into fascination and admiration for Tony new mech.

As a country deeply rooted in car culture, Americans had a unique affection for automobiles.

Tony display of cutting-edge technology resonated deeply, striking a chord with the childlike wonder inside every man.

After all, cars were the ultimate "big toys" for men.

The "Autobot transformation" spectacle had caused a sensation, and it skyrocketed public anticipation for the upcoming Stark Expo in New York.

Audi, meanwhile, was over the moon.

Everyone captivated by the new mech was convinced that Tony, with his famously flamboyant personality, would reveal this revolutionary car-to-mech armor at the expo.

And they were absolutely right.

Facing the life-threatening palladium poisoning, Tony planned the Stark Expo as his ultimate curtain call—a swan song to leave his mark and make amends for past mistakes.

But that plan took a turn when Nick Fury presented him with a legacy left behind by his father.

In Monaco, Tony ambush incident continued to dominate headlines, gaining traction as a global sensation.

Yet the world was fixated on Tony mech, leaving the attacker, Ivan Vanko, as little more than an afterthought.

Ivan himself had never anticipated being knocked out cold by a towering humanoid mech.

During the confrontation, several of his ribs were broken, his head was bloodied, and his cobbled-together armor was reduced to scrap.

Ironically, it was this same crude armor that saved his life, absorbing enough of Tony devastating punch to keep him alive.

After the incident, Ivan was extradited to the U.S. and promptly incarcerated.

But his troubles were far from over.

Many influential parties took an interest in Ivan.

Those in the know recognized the value of his tech. Despite its rough exterior, Ivan armor incorporated advancements that far surpassed what most researchers could achieve.

These parties sought ways to access Ivan, hoping to glean the secrets of his designs.

The ultimate prize was, of course, the arc reactor technology.

Among them, Justin Hammer was the most audacious.

Surpassing Stark Industries had become his obsession, driving his hostile takeover attempts of companies like Oscorp.

Ivan invention offered Hammer a potential breakthrough.

To him, the arc reactor was the golden ticket to achieving his dreams.

Justin Hammer was determined to get it—no matter the cost.

As a transmigrator, Anton was fully aware of the storm brewing beneath the surface.

However, he was busy filming Wonder Woman and had no intention of getting involved in such messy affairs.

After all, Ivan Vanko was worth, at best, 100,000 Justice Points.

Unlocking Wonder Woman remained the priority.

With the filming process halfway through, most of the outdoor scenes were complete. The remaining work primarily involved shooting on indoor sets, which was much simpler.

Anton estimated that in about a month, they'd wrap up filming.

As for post-production, he had already instructed Quentin Beck, the special effects master, to begin work.

Since leaving Stark Industries and joining DC, Quentin had thrived under Anton support.

His visual effects studio had gained considerable fame in Hollywood thanks to the success of multiple films.

Rather than distribute the studio profits, Quentin reinvested them into advancing holographic technology. His achievements had garnered significant attention in scientific circles.

Quentin was no longer the bitter, overlooked figure who once tried to snatch tech from high schoolers.

Soon, the filming of Wonder Woman neared its conclusion.

Meanwhile, the much-anticipated Stark Expo finally kicked off.

The day before the expo, Anton, still in Los Angeles, received an invitation from Tony.

After attending so many of Anton movie premieres, Tony naturally wanted Anton to visit his event and check out his latest creations.

Anton considered it and decided it might be fun to join the festivities.

Not to admire Tony work, though. Rather, to enjoy watching Tony get beaten up.

While the storyline had deviated slightly, Anton firmly believed that Tony getting his comeuppance was an unmissable highlight.

Capturing photos of Tony getting clobbered and splashing them across the Daily Bugle front page the next day would surely resonate with readers and provoke laughter.

That how you create a headline!

"I truly am the best Daily Bugle boss ever," Anton mused.

With that thought, he entrusted the film crew to his assistant director and treated himself to a well-deserved break, heading back to New York.