Obadiah Stane did not completely fall out with Tony Stark as in the original story—he did not smash his own golden goose. Instead, he worked hard to conceal all evidence of his attempt on Tony's life.
Because from Tony, he had discovered immense profit.
The Arc Reactor was one.
The Mark I armor was another.
The latter was already in Obadiah's possession, but the former—the Arc Reactor—was the key to activating the Mark I.
And that key was firmly in Tony's grasp.
Since he couldn't get the Arc Reactor from Tony, Obadiah decided to look elsewhere.
After much maneuvering, he finally found Olivia Octavius, known more simply as Otto—Doctor Octopus—who was conducting research on a "man-made sun."
Although Otto was a leading figure in his field, and had the luxury of choosing his own partners, when faced with the cooperation request of a giant like Stark Industries, he naturally wasn't foolish enough to refuse.
It went without saying that with Stark Industries' support, the success rate of the "artificial sun" project would greatly increase.
Thus, the two quickly reached an agreement!
Obadiah waited for the day the artificial sun would be realized—to use it as a power source for the armor he had dragged back to New York and renamed "Iron Monger."
At the same time, if the "Iron Monger" could be mass-produced, Stark Industries would dominate the weapons industry.
And with the investment into the artificial sun, Stark Industries would naturally rise to become the undisputed leader of the global energy sector.
As for his collaborator, Doctor Octopus—Otto—he would, through the success of the artificial sun, revolutionize the energy industry and change human life itself, becoming one of the greatest scientists in history.
Two villains had now joined forces.
Would Tony be able to handle them?
Originally, Anton had planned to leave Obadiah for Tony to deal with, to let him grow through the confrontation. But with Doctor Octopus now involved, it was no longer just an Iron Man issue.
Of course, both Stark Industries and Otto's company, Oscorp Max, were based in New York.
Heroes like Spider-Man, Daredevil, and even the Ninja Turtles were all active there—so there was little concern about things getting out of control.
Since nothing had broken out yet, Anton decided to let events develop on their own.
After all, there was no evidence to convict the two for now.
Most importantly, in terms of combat strength, neither of them posed any real threat. Anton could crush them with a flick of his hand.
He closed his eyes, quietly gathering his thoughts.
Soon after, he and Betty boarded a plane back to New York.
The next day.
A red-haired woman walked into DC Studios.
Her beautiful face and curvaceous figure drew the attention of many as she passed.
Only when she entered Anton's office did the onlookers reluctantly avert their gazes, sighing with envy.
It seemed this woman was the new assistant the boss had hired.
"You must be Natasha Romanoff?"
Seated in his chair with one leg crossed over the other, Anton looked at the woman before him, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
The real Black Widow was even more alluring than the photo on her résumé.
"Yes."
Natasha smiled gracefully, exuding the confident air of a professional city woman.
She even wore a full office-lady outfit—clearly someone who took her role seriously.
Though honestly, Anton mused, the catsuit from the Batman movies might suit you even better…
Shaking the thought away, he composed his expression and nodded. "Go get familiar with the job. I hope you'll adapt quickly."
"Understood."
Natasha nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
For a first meeting, she took no special action—deciding instead to work diligently for a few days.
First, she needed to build rapport with Anton and gain his trust.
There were many ways to do that—but as a woman with her looks, Natasha believed earning a man's favor wouldn't be difficult.
Moments later, she had already grasped the rhythm of her duties.
Exuding a professional aura, she clicked across the floor in high heels, holding the first-day box office report for Cyborg, and returned to Anton's office.
The domestic opening day box office for Cyborg was $54.3 million.
The number didn't surpass Batman Begins, and was even quite a bit lower—but Anton was still satisfied.
Batman's success came from many factors—and much of it owed to Tony Stark's involvement.
When Batman Begins premiered, Tony Stark was a major investor, providing endless publicity material.
Then, during the release, when box office numbers began to dip, Tony Stark went missing in Afghanistan—his fate unknown!
Naturally, Anton branded Batman Begins as "Tony's Final Work," instantly drawing massive public attention.
Countless people entered the theater because of those four words—and walked out as Batman fans.
With Tony's level of support, it would've been stranger if Batman Begins hadn't been a hit.
Cyborg, however, didn't enjoy that luxury.
The only investor with any overlap to Tony, Harry Osborn, was too caught up in Oscorp's internal power struggle to promote the film.
Still, as marketing expanded and the film began resonating with the African-American community, Anton believed Cyborg—a movie with a strong black lead and solid quality—could rival or even surpass Batman Begins in influence.
In his past life, Marvel's Black Panther, with a similar theme, had exploded far beyond anyone's expectations.
Niche appeal has its audience; mainstream appeal has its own!
Cyborg managed to capture both—it had blockbuster spectacle and deep cultural resonance. Failure was almost impossible.
Anton felt confident about the film's future box office performance.
He checked the system space for Cyborg's fan count.
4.7 million!
Clearly, the success of the novels, comics, and other related media had already drawn much attention to the character. With the movie serving as a fuse, the Cyborg IP was about to explode, sending fan numbers skyrocketing.
Moreover, the film had already been arranged for simultaneous international release.
If it performed well domestically, the overseas box office would naturally follow—at least above average.
By Anton's estimate, at this growth rate, it wouldn't be long before Cyborg's fan base surpassed 20 million.
At that point, his second "persona" would emerge naturally.
While he was at it, he checked the fan stats for other heroes.
He was stunned by what he found.
Stories about Wonder Woman, The Flash, Superman, and Aquaman were all being serialized on the Daily Horn's online novel platform, with their comics also gaining traction online.
But among them, the most popular—the one with the most fans—was neither Superman, nor Wonder Woman.
It was—
Green Arrow!Oliver Queen!
Green Arrow's fan count: 6.89 million.Superman: 3.2 million.The Flash: 2.6 million.Wonder Woman: 2.16 million.Aquaman: 1.98 million.
All other heroes, aside from Cyborg and Batman, barely broke a million.
Green Arrow's nearly seven million fans left the others in the dust.
Anton was shocked.
Film adaptations were usually the biggest driver of fan growth for heroes.
Yet even without any screen presence, Green Arrow had managed to achieve such an incredible following.
It was something Anton truly hadn't expected.
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(End of Chapter)