DC Heroes in Marvel

Indeed, Anton never joked about such things.

And in the face of such a major event, everything he predicted had become reality.

Eddie called George immediately.

At the same time, Anton sent a voice announcement to the Justice League in the name of Batman through the teleport bracelet, instructing all members to be on alert and to send their families away—there was a fierce battle on the horizon.

He also sent a text message to the old man and his own cheap old man as a precaution.

After handling that, he finally called John Keller.

"You know everything?"

Keller's first words didn't surprise Anton at all.

"Yes," Anton nodded. "S.H.I.E.L.D. has made a big mess again."

"The Tesseract holds unimaginable, infinite energy. If used for the wrong kind of research, it could pose an unprecedented threat," Keller said solemnly. "I don't need to tell you how dangerous this is. Anton, I hope you can contact Batman immediately—have him use his intelligence network to help us locate Victor Doom."

"Mr. Keller, this might be easier than you think," Anton said. "Batman will act, but not yet."

"Not yet?" Keller was taken aback. "When is the right time?"

"When things are in complete chaos, and S.H.I.E.L.D. has no way to recover, that's when we step in to turn things around."

Anton was blunt. "Given the relationship between the Justice League and S.H.I.E.L.D., it would be difficult for us to suddenly abandon our past grievances and help them out of this mess. Besides, wouldn't it be better if S.H.I.E.L.D. owed us a favor?"

Keller was silent for a moment. "...You're that confident you can handle this? From what I know, Victor Doom has already mastered the Tesseract. With his abilities, he can convert its energy into limitless electricity—his power is beyond imagination."

"If you're focusing solely on Victor Doom, you're looking in the wrong direction," Anton said. "As far as we know, Doom has an accomplice. He isn't the real threat—his accomplice is."

"Oh?" Keller narrowed his eyes. "It sounds like you understand this situation better than I do."

"This isn't a simple matter," Anton admitted. "Even Batman wouldn't claim to have full control over it. But if you're counting on S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers to fix their mistakes, they'll only make things worse."

"And that's exactly what we want to see."

"Understood," Keller said, immediately grasping Anton's intent—to use this crisis to strike a heavy blow against S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers.

After a moment of thought, he nodded. "We have one condition."

"Go ahead," Anton said.

"When this is over, the military must be involved in the entire process," Keller stated.

"No problem."

Anton knew Keller and the others wanted to claim credit, but that was a small price to pay. The military had been part of Project Pegasus from the start, even if S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken the lead.

 If the military joined forces with the Justice League, they could sidestep public criticism under the pretense of damage control.

In the end, only S.H.I.E.L.D. would suffer—and that was exactly the outcome Anton, Keller, and their allies wanted.

"Good," Keller said decisively. "Do what you need to. But we'll have to cooperate with some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s actions… you understand, we can't be seen doing nothing."

"It doesn't matter. Rest assured, everything is under control."

Anton nodded.

"By the way, since you seem to have an extraordinary understanding of this matter, can you tell me—who is Victor Doom's associate?"

Keller was about to hang up but paused suddenly to ask.

"Loki."

Anton thought for a moment before answering truthfully. " Loki. Strictly speaking, it's the most profound version of Loki you remember."

"...What?"

Keller was stunned, almost thinking he had misheard—but he knew he hadn't.

" Loki?" he murmured, but before he could ask further, the call ended.

Beep, beep, beep.

Anton had already hung up, leaving John Keller with a head full of unanswered questions.

Time passed quickly. The moon set, and the sun rose.

A day had gone by.

Project Pegasus had failed once again. The Tesseract had been stolen. Victor Doom, a key member of the Avengers, had defected.

A series of crushing blows placed S.H.I.E.L.D. under immense pressure.

This time, the situation was even worse than the fallout from the Battle of Washington or the Hydra scandal.

S.H.I.E.L.D. faced the full fury of both the military and the World Security Council, which issued an ultimatum:

Recover the Tesseract and capture the culprit within three days—or there would be no future for S.H.I.E.L.D.

As a subsidiary of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers were held equally accountable for the disaster.

However, two of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most senior figures—Director Nick Fury and Deputy Director Phil Coulson—had been severely injured. 

Both were hospitalized, wrapped in bandages like mummies, and wouldn't be in any condition to operate for at least ten days.

With them out of commission, all responsibility now fell on Secretary-General Maria Hill and the remaining Avengers.

At S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, every available member of the Avengers had gathered.

They had been awake for over 24 hours, deploying vast resources and personnel in a relentless search for Victor Doom.

They knew Doom hadn't left the United States.

With such a massive surveillance effort tracking every entry and exit, fleeing the country would be nearly impossible. That meant he had to be hiding somewhere within the mainland.

"Found him."

Suddenly, Tony received an alert from J.A.R.V.I.S. He immediately pulled up the data on his computer, displaying footage from multiple surveillance feeds.

Before the entire team, he zoomed in on a figure in Times Square, New York. The person wore a hat that obscured most of their face, leaving only their chin visible.

"There he is."

Tony's eyes darkened as he scanned the footage. "He's in New York."

"Then we move together," Captain America said, glancing around at the team.

"Agreed."

"Let's go."

Without hesitation, the Avengers boarded a S.H.I.E.L.D. transport plane and set off for New York.

Upon arrival, they were met with an unexpected surprise—Victor Doom hadn't moved.

He was still in the exact same spot J.A.R.V.I.S. had locked onto earlier.

It was almost as if…

He was waiting for them.

It was a new workday in Manhattan, and Times Square was bustling with life.

Nicknamed "the crossroads of the world," the iconic landmark was one of the busiest intersections on the planet.

And right there, in the middle of the crowd, Victor Doom stood, unmoving.

Waiting.

At that moment, Times Square—filled with towering billboards and flashing advertisements—welcomed the arrival of the Avengers.

The transport plane descended slowly.

"Everyone, step back and leave the square immediately."

Steve Rogers' voice echoed from the aircraft, amplified across Times Square.

The crowd's reaction was instant. Countless people turned pale with alarm, their expressions shifting to fear. They knew this drill all too well.

Over the past year, New York had faced multiple crises.

The citizens, by now well-practiced, wasted no time evacuating from the center of the square. Once they reached what they deemed a safe distance, they turned their eyes skyward.

Fifty to sixty meters above the ground, the transport plane's hatch slid open.

One by one, figures leaped from the aircraft, descending gracefully into the square.

They landed in a clearing, steady and composed.

One figure, in particular, made their identities unmistakable.

His uniform.

His shield.

Captain America.

And with him… the Avengers.

Boom!

Under the watchful gaze of the crowd, Rogers made a powerful landing, his sheer strength causing the pavement beneath him to crack slightly.

Afterward, the others who couldn't fly descended with the assistance of Tony and Harry, landing safely alongside him.

Clad in their battle uniforms, they looked every bit as formidable as the legends they were.

The crowd, now gathered at a safe distance, watched in tense anticipation.

The Avengers stood in formation, forming a circle.

At the center of their encirclement stood a lone man—wearing a peaked cap, his face mostly obscured, save for his exposed chin.

"Victor," Rogers called out firmly. "Hand over the Tesseract and come with us peacefully."

Though none of them understood why Victor Doom had remained in place, waiting for them, one thing was clear:

If he hadn't shown himself, tracking him down in such a short time would have been nearly impossible.

Which meant…

Even knowing it was a trap, they had no choice but to walk straight into it.

….

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