Chapter 95: Chapter 95 The Artificial Sun! Obadiah and Doc Ock!
Obadiah Stane didn't completely sever ties with Tony Stark as he did in the original storyline. Instead, he worked meticulously to conceal evidence of his attempts to eliminate Tony.
He had realized the immense value Tony represented.
The Arc Reactor was one part of that value.
The Mark I armor was another.
While Obadiah had already secured the latter, the former—the Arc Reactor—remained firmly in Tony control, a vital key to powering the Mark I.
Since prying the Arc Reactor from Tony grasp was impossible, Obadiah sought alternatives.
After extensive searching, he found Dr. Olivia Octavius, better known as Otto Octavius or Doc Ock, who was in the midst of researching an "artificial sun."
Despite being a top-tier scientist with the credibility to choose her collaborators, Dr. Octavius couldn't ignore an opportunity to partner with Stark Industries, a corporate giant.
With Stark Industries' support, the chances of successfully completing the artificial sun project increased significantly.
Thus, they struck a deal.
Obadiah awaited the artificial sun success to provide a power source for the Mark I armor he had rebranded as the Iron Monger.
Simultaneously, if the Iron Monger could be mass-produced, Stark Industries would dominate the weapons industry.
Moreover, thanks to its investment in the artificial sun, Stark Industries could seamlessly transition into the energy sector, establishing itself as a global leader.
As for his partner, Doc Ock, the success of the artificial sun would revolutionize the energy industry, fundamentally change humanity way of life, and cement her place as one of the greatest scientists in history.
Two villains now joined forces.
The question was whether Tony Stark could handle both of them.
Anton had originally planned to leave Obadiah for Tony to deal with as part of his growth arc. But now, with Doc Ock in the picture, this was no longer solely Iron Man fight.
Of course, both Stark Industries and OctaMax, Doc Ock company, were based in New York.
With Spider-Man, Daredevil, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles patrolling the city, Anton wasn't too worried about the situation spiraling out of control.
For now, since nothing major had happened, he decided to let it play out.
After all, without concrete evidence, neither Obadiah nor Doc Ock could be brought to justice just yet.
More importantly, in terms of raw combat power, neither of them posed a significant threat—Anton could crush them effortlessly if necessary.
Closing his eyes, Anton leaned back in his chair and let his thoughts settle.
Soon after, he and Betty boarded a flight back to New York.
...
The Next Day.
A red-haired woman walked into DC Studios.
Her stunning features and curvaceous figure immediately turned heads, drawing countless admiring glances.
As she entered Anton office, the employees outside reluctantly turned their attention back to their work, their expressions filled with envy and regret.
Clearly, this woman was the new assistant their boss had hired.
"So, you're Natasha Romanoff?"
Anton sat in his chair, legs crossed, a faint smile on his lips as he sized up the woman standing before him.
In person, Black Widow was even more captivating than her photo on the resume.
"Yes," she replied, her voice steady and composed.
Natasha smiled warmly, exuding the aura of a polished city professional.
Her attire—a perfectly tailored office outfit—seemed to say, Love the job you're in, and do it well.
I think the Catwoman suit from the Batman movies would probably suit you better…
Anton brushed the thought aside, suppressing a grin. With a composed expression, he nodded and said, "Get familiar with your work. I hope you can adapt quickly."
"Understood," Natasha replied simply before turning to leave the office.
For this first meeting, Natasha refrained from taking any bold actions. Instead, she planned to work diligently for a few days, building trust with Anton.
She knew the importance of gaining his favor, and as a woman with her looks, she was confident it wouldn't be difficult.
Moments later, Natasha seemed to have already grasped the nuances of her new role.
Exuding a strong professional presence, she confidently walked in high heels, carrying the opening-day box office report for Cyborg. Her elegant figure and precise movements as she entered Anton office spoke volumes about her capabilities.
The domestic opening-day box office for Cyborg was reported at $54.3 million.
While this number fell short of Batman Begins—in fact, it was significantly lower—Anton was still satisfied.
The success of Batman Begins had been driven by several factors, not least of which was Tony Stark involvement.
Tony had not only been an investor but also a valuable promotional asset. The film release coincided with Tony disappearance in Afghanistan, which added a layer of intrigue. Anton had cleverly marketed Batman Begins as "Tony final work," drawing massive attention.
Many viewers had entered the theater due to those three words—"Tony final work"—and left as diehard Batman fans.
With such overwhelming support from Tony, it would have been shocking if Batman Begins hadn't succeeded.
Cyborg, on the other hand, didn't enjoy the same advantages.
Harry Osborn, the closest thing Cyborg had to an influential investor, was mired in OsCorp internal struggles and unable to promote the movie.
However, with expanded marketing and its growing resonance among African-American audiences, Cyborg—centered around a black protagonist and boasting strong production quality—had the potential to surpass Batman Begins.
Anton recalled the unprecedented success of Marvel Black Panther in his previous life. Despite its niche focus, it became a cultural phenomenon and far exceeded expectations.
Niche films have their audience, and mainstream films have theirs.
Cyborg straddled both, with explosive action for general audiences and themes that deeply resonated with specific groups. Failure was not on the table.
Anton felt confident about the film box office trajectory.
Glancing at the system interface, he checked Cyborg fanbase growth.
4.7 million fans!
This confirmed that the Cyborg story had already garnered attention through novels, comics, and other media. Now, the movie served as a catalyst, pushing the character popularity to new heights.
Furthermore, the film was slated for a simultaneous international release.
If domestic box office sales performed well, international sales would likely follow suit, at least exceeding the average benchmark.
Anton estimated that at this rate, Cyborg fanbase would soon surpass 20 million, paving the way for his next persona to debut.
While examining Cyborg stats, Anton also checked on other DC heroes' fanbases and was startled by an unexpected result.
Among characters like Wonder Woman, The Flash, Superman, and Aquaman—all of whom had stories serialized on The Daily Bugle online platform—the most popular wasn't Superman or Wonder Woman but—
Green Arrow!
Oliver Queen!
...
Green Arrow Fanbase: 6.89 million.
Superman: 3.2 million.
The Flash: 2.6 million.
Wonder Woman: 2.16 million.
Aquaman: 1.98 million.
Among the rest of the heroes—excluding Batman and Cyborg—their fanbase numbers barely reached six figures.
...
Green Arrow nearly 7 million fans stood head and shoulders above the rest, a fact that left Anton stunned.
Movies were typically the primary driver of a hero fanbase.
Yet Green Arrow, with no cinematic adaptation, had amassed such an astonishing following purely through serialized stories.
Anton was utterly baffled by this development.
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