Criminals were getting more international and more diverse. As times changed, Gotham City seemed a bit too small a stage for them.
Bane was the first. Batman caught him and recovered the original virus in time to develop an antidote, stopping Bane's bioweapon plan. Then came Penguin, showing up in Metropolis chasing wealth and fame, hoping for support from big-shot Lex Luthor.
So who was really the king of gear in this world? Not Batman—he was more like a detective. Iron Man counted. His Iron Suits updated faster than computer systems. But another top contender was Lex Luthor. His company's weapons, designed to take on Superman, were no less advanced than Tony's—maybe even better.
When it came to gear, Luthor was currently ahead of Tony. Tony started off without a real goal and only later developed the Hulkbuster. But Luthor targeted Superman right from the beginning. Of course, in the end, both Luthor and Tony would learn the same lesson—no armor stands a chance against Superman or Hulk. They'd just get ripped apart.
Luthor, though, was smart. He had been secretly stockpiling Kryptonite. But Kryptonite wasn't something you could just find anywhere. Penguin showing up with some in hand? That was the cherry on top.
The plan was simple—kidnap Lois Lane, lure Superman out, kill him. Straightforward. No twists. No games.
With Kryptonite in hand, nothing else really mattered.
But Batman wasn't going to let Penguin run wild. Even outside of Gotham City, Penguin was still his problem.
So Batman came to Metropolis. At night, he prowled the city, interrogating anyone who might know where Penguin was hiding. But this rubbed Superman the wrong way. Even though they'd fought together under the name of the Justice League, mostly because of Kaitou Kid, trust between the members hadn't really formed yet.
So when Batman stormed into an underground bar and grabbed a gang boss for questioning, Superman stepped in and rescued the gangster. Superman's interference pissed Batman off too.
"Bruce, what are you doing? This is Metropolis. My city," Superman said. He'd already seen through everyone in the Justice League the last time they met. Whether it was rich boy Bruce or rookie cop Barry.
"It is—for now. But if you keep messing with me, maybe it won't be anymore," Batman replied. "You and I both know you're not invincible."
Batman pulled a tiny shard from his utility belt—thinner than a toothpick. Even though the piece of Kryptonite was that small, the radiation was enough to make Superman stagger backward. He had to grab the bar counter just to stay on his feet.
"Where'd you get Kryptonite?"
"It's not mine. It was left at a crime scene. Clearly, more than a few people know your weakness. And they know exactly how many enemies you have. Penguin brought even more Kryptonite into Metropolis. If we don't find him, you know what's coming." Batman could see Superman understood how serious this was. He tossed the shard into a glass of Bloody Mary. The dark red drink dulled the radiation, letting Superman regain his strength.
Superman looked at the Kryptonite in the glass with lingering fear. But when he turned back around, Batman was already gone.
It was just too much. Superman was exhausted. A blast of Kryptonite wore him out more than any battle.
Batman hadn't really disappeared—he was just hiding. He'd planted a tracker on Superman and could now follow him using his satellite. Batman wasn't going to be the only one exposing his identity. He wanted to uncover Superman's too.
Superman got back to his apartment and took off his coat. That's when he spotted the tracker on his cape. Looking far into the distance, he saw Batman, on a tall building, watching him through binoculars.
Batman already figured out Superman's identity. Just look around the guy's bedroom—personal stuff everywhere, plus a just-finished news article. "Clark Kent, reporter for the Daily Planet." Batman thought, 'What's up with reporters lately? First Kaitou Kid, now Superman? Everyone's using the press as a cover.'
Even Superman was stunned by how fast Batman cracked it. He hadn't expected his identity to be exposed so easily. Yeah, tonight was a mess.
The day after the exhibition ended, Liu A'dou didn't really have anything else to do. He planned to let everyone hang out in Metropolis for a couple more days while he took a break at the South Pole base. But then his wife messaged him—she was coming to Metropolis. That caught him completely off guard but thrilled him.
Turns out, Luthor Group's national space orbital missile defense system got the most votes and was officially selected as the core of America's future space defense.
There were tons of things to consider for a space defense system—budget, tech, feasibility, construction time. In the end, long-range missiles were still the best option.
No one knew when the next invasion might come, so Congress wasn't willing to throw too much money at it. As for space battleships and such? That tech just wasn't there yet. It'd take at least 10 more years to build one. After ruling out the bad options, missiles were the best fit. And they could be tipped with nukes too, which made them even more effective.
Alongside Ada Wong came a heavyset Black woman named Amanda Waller. She used to be the warden at Metropolis's Lescott Prison, then got promoted to Congressional aide. Now she's the head of the A.R.G.U.S., an organization that handles metahuman affairs.
Nick Fury forming the Avengers clearly upset some people. To keep him in check at S.H.I.E.L.D., the U.S. government pulled together a group of elite members to create the A.R.G.U.S., splitting off part of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s authority.
The A.R.G.U.S.'s job was to monitor metahumans, whether heroes or villains. They were also responsible for keeping tabs on mutants. Amanda came to Metropolis in person to meet with Luthor because they had some history. She was looking for support—and funding. Congress's budget for A.R.G.U.S. was peanuts, and she needed way more. She figured Luthor, with his…generous personality, might be interested in helping out.
Ada was there on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D., to negotiate the use rights for the national space orbital missile defense system. The higher-ups at S.H.I.E.L.D. were honestly surprised that someone beat them to proposing a working defense plan. Clearly, when it came to brains and creativity, Luthor outclassed Tony. Why? Because Luthor was bald. Absolute genius. Tony still had hair.
Ada and Amanda had flown out from Washington together. The top brass clearly wanted some healthy rivalry between S.H.I.E.L.D. and A.R.G.U.S.. Let them fight for control—made the people upstairs feel safer.
Amanda was already in her early forties. For a Black woman, climbing to this level wasn't easy. She started out as the warden at Lescott Prison in Metropolis and then worked her way into Congress. It was a rough road. And her personal life wasn't any better. Her husband and child died in an accident when she was young. Alone, she climbed her way up through sheer determination. So she didn't think much of Ada—this pretty girl who got promoted through sheer luck. In fact, she kind of hated her.
So now Ada had two strong rivals. One was the Hydra villain Madame Hydra. The other? Political threat Amanda Waller. Clearly, her protagonist template had kicked in.