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In March 1997, filming for The Devil's Advocate in New York was nearing completion for Charlize Theron. The production would soon move to Florida for a second round of shooting.
This was also Charlize's first experience with a production schedule stretching over several months. And this wasn't even an action blockbuster—just a dialogue-driven film.
One could easily imagine how demanding the director was regarding every detail in front of the camera. It wasn't just about expressions or acting—if blocking didn't align with lighting, the entire shot had to be redone.
Charlize's long-honed acting skills finally had room to shine in this film.
Whether acting opposite Keanu Reeves—who rose to fame with Speed (1994)—or Al Pacino, a seasoned Academy Award-winning actor, Charlize held her ground without falling behind.
She neither tried to overshadow her co-stars nor faltered like a nervous rookie in the face of Pacino's commanding presence.
Her performance earned not only the director's approval but even a rare word of praise from Pacino himself. As for the other actresses hoping to shake her position—they had no chance.
Around the same time, another film wrapped shooting—Titanic. This marked the beginning of post-production.
James Cameron's Digital Domain even dispatched key personnel to station themselves at the "Hollywood Kid" supercomputing center.
Led by Scott Ross from Industrial Light & Magic and long-time Cameron collaborator, special effects expert Stan Winston, they worked alongside Stark Pictures' newly established CGI department to begin visual effects design.
The physics engine developed during filming had already reached a certain level of maturity. Now it was time to test it in real production and continue refining it.
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As for Henry, the CEO of Stark Pictures—he remained hidden behind Git, occasionally offering guidance to various departments when they encountered technical challenges. In short, he showed up as little as possible.
On the surface, Henry's life in the Marvel Universe seemed to be falling into place.
His career was thriving. A beautiful partner stood by his side. His research into alien technology was progressing steadily, and his underwater laboratory was officially operational.
Though nothing groundbreaking had yet been produced, the technology he possessed had already broken free from the limits of Earth's science and was advancing into the realm of black tech.
It almost felt like all that was left was buying a big house and having a chubby kid—then life would be complete. Who cared how dangerous the Marvel Universe was? As long as this life was comfortable.
But of course—things were never that simple for a Kryptonian.
First of all, Charlize's career hadn't yielded the expected results.
On April 14, a TV movie Hollywood Confidential aired as a pilot on Paramount's UPN network, testing its potential as a series.
Then came another blow.
On May 30, Trial and Error premiered—a comedy starring veteran actors Michael Richards and Jeff Daniels.
This marked Charlize Theron's first leading role in a major film. Although the project was secured after The Devil's Advocate, it was completed and released earlier.
Unfortunately, the results were disappointing.
Despite decent reviews, the film—made with a $25 million budget—only grossed around $14.5 million at the box office. A significant loss.
That said, the failure couldn't entirely be blamed on the cast.
Because just one week earlier, on May 23, The Lost World: Jurassic Park had been released.
With a $75 million budget, it grossed a staggering $618.6 million worldwide.
Charlize's film hadn't failed—it had simply been crushed under the feet of dinosaurs.
Even Superman couldn't have saved that situation. He might be able to save the world, but he couldn't control what movies people chose to watch.
Charlize barely had time to dwell on the failure. By July, she was back on set for The Devil's Advocate, with production shifting from New York to Jacksonville, Florida.
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Meanwhile, another major Stark Pictures investment wasn't making things easy for Henry either.
Don't assume that just because a tyrant leaves the set, he suddenly becomes lovable.
Once Titanic entered post-production, James Cameron personally took charge. After realizing how useful Henry was, he practically camped out—dragging Henry into work every single day.
He even got familiar with the tiger, Katy—so much so that using the tiger to scare him off was no longer an option.
And whenever Henry tried to slack off, Cameron would bring up Stark Pictures' $65 million investment.
If they didn't want the film to lose money, then every frame had to be perfected.
It was a perfect demonstration of a universal truth—whoever owes money is the one in charge.
Thus, the elusive CEO who once hid behind Git now showed up diligently every day at the "Hollywood Kid" supercomputing center—becoming a running joke for Tony Stark.
Every time Tony called, he would enthusiastically ask about post-production progress—not because he cared about the film, but because he wanted to enjoy the spectacle.
Even if the movie ended up losing everything, Tony would still find it amusing.
After all, as a boss who spent his days surrounded by beautiful women and only worked when he felt like it, nothing annoyed him more than subordinates who slacked off while still drawing a salary.
How could anyone live more comfortably than him?
It got to the point where Henry seriously considered sending James Cameron to the moon. Forget shouting "I'm the king of the world" at the Oscars—why not engrave "I gazed upon all of Earth" on his tombstone instead?
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Beyond work, the dark world was anything but calm.
The fall of the Aiden family caused old-money elites who had once considered aligning with vampires to withdraw quickly.
This dealt a blow to the vampires—whether large or small.
According to Jewish business principles: money not yet earned is already considered a loss. From that perspective, the vampires had taken a major hit.
How could beings who believed themselves to be the rightful rulers of Earth accept that?
They had never realized that it was the hidden rules of the Camarilla protecting them. Instead, they believed they ruled their own little world—and by extension, should rule the entire planet.
On top of that, the disdain of old money and the increasing aggression of vampire hunters further agitated them.
Where there is oppression, there is resistance.
Radical young vampires began joining forces with the turned vampires—long discriminated against by the purebloods—becoming increasingly reckless.
Some even used temporary sunscreen ointments to walk openly in daylight, launching attacks on vampire hunters who never expected assaults during the day.
These attacks unfolded in full view of the public. Even those responsible for covering up such incidents were growing dissatisfied.
Henry, who had previously stayed out of the spotlight, was finally noticed due to his connection with the Aiden couple.
Though not yet a primary target—since he posed less of a threat than vampire hunters—he was no longer invisible.
The unrest in the dark world was beginning to spill into ordinary life in Los Angeles.
Just as Henry began considering how to escalate his actions against the vampires, another event—far more consequential to the Marvel Universe—was quietly unfolding across the Atlantic.
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