After the trouble caused by Ultron had ended, Anton finally relaxed again.
Leveraging the aftermath of this incident, Wayne Enterprises helped Vice President Rodriguez ascend to power.
The Justice League reconciled with Iron Man, Tony Stark, and even Shazam became the guardian of the New York Sanctum.
Although Ultron was not completely eradicated, it was still a fruitful outcome for Anton.
"At last, I can rest..."
He sprawled on his sofa at home, exhaling deeply.
During this time, those who had been implanted with Ultron chips gradually had them removed from the backs of their heads and returned to normal.
However, the enhancements produced by the Extremis virus, under whose influence they were, did not diminish even after the chips were removed.
This was a blessing in disguise.
After passing the buck, Stark Industries decided to disclose the patent and technology of the Extremis virus to the World Security Council.
Many believed that the Extremis virus was a product of human evolutionary thought.
After all, the Extremis virus could help humans enhance their bodies, breaking physical limits at a rate many times faster than normal, making every individual a super-powered being.
This was perfectly demonstrated by those who had been implanted with Ultron chips and had their abilities temporarily enhanced by the virus.
Without needing instructions from Anton, Wayne Enterprises, under the old man and others orders, began to research the Extremis virus.
They planned to develop an independent serum to contribute to human evolution.
Of course, this had little to do with Anton.
What did relate closely to Anton was DC new movie, which had completed post-production and was ready for release.
"Justice League vs. Avengers!"
Anton, busy dealing with the aftermath of Ultron, had not really paid attention to this movie produced under his banner by Jim.
He then went to the cinema.
The plot, creatively adapted from the Hydra exposure incident in Washington, was still shocking with the Justice League entrance, and the Avengers were not to be underestimated.
Especially, it truly included Venom. Cameos by Spider-Man and others.
Needless to say, the effects.
In all aspects being quite perfect, the movie broke world records on its opening day.
DC had another masterpiece.
On a system panel visible only to Anton, even the fan value of Batman and others greatly increased due to this movie.
During the movie release, Anton occasionally sent Shazam clone to check on the New York Sanctum.
But this valuable property in Manhattan had been empty since Daniel left.
Without a way to contact Daniel, Anton could only wait for unilateral communication from him.
As for actively seeking out Kamar-Taj, he would rather avoid the Ancient One.
Presumably, the Ancient One felt the same way, not wanting too much contact with Anton.
Keeping to their own waters was the best choice.
Time passed this way.
Tony made rapid progress in hunting down Ultron.
He caused quite a stir.
In Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, at various places across the continental USA, battles erupted with Ultron avatars.
Footage of these battles was captured by netizens, who conveniently tagged the White House press secretary, the Secretary of Defense, and even the current President Rodriguez, asking them to catch the culprits.
As expected, whenever American agents or special forces arrived at these locations, they were always too late.
Additionally,
It worth mentioning that in the battles between Tony and Ultron, the latter, faced with the former all-out pursuit, naturally only had defeat as an option.
Though artificial intelligence is formidable, once cut off from networking capabilities and hunted by its own creator, it was inevitably trapped.
However, Ultron tenacity was slightly above Tony estimates.
After several encounters and skirmishes, Tony rescued Dr. Helen Cho from Ultron brainwashing.
Dr. Helen Cho was brought to the sewer lab.
The Regeneration Cradle naturally became a project for sewer lab research.
With Dr. Helen Cho lost, Ultron faced difficulties in creating and transferring bodies.
Moreover, its source of vibranium was discovered by Tony.
Ulysses Klaue.
Klaue is an ally, or rather a companion, of Erik Killmonger, the Black Panther.
Through these two individuals, Tony sensed something amiss. He discovered that they seemed to control a vibranium mine, and the vibranium resources in their possession were even comparable to those of the government.
On the black market, eighty percent of the vibranium originated from these two team.
Although surprised, Tony did not dwell on these two, as his current mission was definitely focused on pursuing Ultron.
After handing over their information to the Justice League, Tony no longer paid them any mind.
Anton, upon reviewing the information Tony sent back, was indifferent and casually passed on the details to the World Security Council.
It was like an act of good faith from the Justice League.
Whether the World Security Council would use this information to uncover Wakanda, hidden from the world for so long, was no concern of his.
This would likely be a task for S.H.I.E.L.D.
After Hydra bases in America and Europe were destroyed, they scattered across the world, becoming dogs without homes.
Although they still posed a certain threat, they were no longer the primary force for S.H.I.E.L.D. to track.
Might as well give S.H.I.E.L.D. something to do with these two, to keep them busy instead of letting them meddle back in domestic American affairs.
Now, with the former Vice President Rodriguez successfully in position, the United States officially entered the era of Batman.
Secretary of Defense John Keller was very aware of how much Wayne Enterprises, or rather, the Justice League behind it, had helped Rodriguez during and after the Ultron event.
So, John Keller was now very compliant, no longer harboring the redundant and useless scheming of before.
This was very comfortable.
Anton entered a rare phase of pleasant solitude, with no disturbances.
With others handling the troublesome matters, he lived a true tycoon lifestyle.
Until a problematic individual came knocking.
At DC Comics.
Anton, as always wasting life in his office, saw Betty open the door.
"What up?"
Anton was curious, "Do I have some reports or contracts to sign?"
"No."
Betty said, "Someone wants to meet you."
"Who?"
Anton was even more curious, "I haven't scheduled any appointments lately, and if it some reporter or media wanting an interview, you need to let them know that I own the Daily Bugle."
"He said he an old friend of yours."
Betty paused, then added, "And, he holding a hammer seems indeed like an old friend of yours."
"Thor?"
Anton instantly understood the identity of this old friend wanting to meet him.
"Let him in."
"Alright!"
Shortly after.
Thor, dressed in modern clothing and holding a hammer that seemed almost toy-like, entered Anton office.
"Thor, please have a seat."
Anton looked at the visitor, quite puzzled, but maintained a flawless professional demeanor.
"I don't understand why you've come back to me."
He spoke calmly, "If I remember correctly, we don't have much of an acquaintance, do we?"
Wonder Woman and Thor indeed had a few rather pleasant encounters, but as the original Anton, he had barely interacted with Thor, especially during Thor times of trouble.
Therefore, Anton didn't understand why Thor would seek him out.
"Yes, we don't have an acquaintance."
Thor nodded, unconcerned by Anton coldness, and spoke honestly, "I didn't come to see you, I just want to reach Wonder Woman, Diana Prince. I need her help, or rather, the help of the Justice League."
"Oh?"
Anton said, "What kind of issue requires the prince of Asgard to seek help from the Justice League? Earth shouldn't pose any restrictions for you."
"It about my father, Odin."
Thor smile faded, his tone becoming grave: "My father is missing."
Anton was taken aback.
Missing?
In the plot of Thor: Ragnarok, Odin goes missing and eventually dies, leading to Hela unleashing Ragnarok and the destruction of Asgard, with the remaining Asgardians coming to Earth and settling in a small town...
Anton was certainly familiar with this storyline.
But for it to happen so soon was somewhat unexpected for him.
"I was originally on Earth looking for Loki, who had fled, but a few days ago, I received news from Asgard that my father is missing," Thor said gravely.
"At the same time, my mother told me that my father left Asgard due to senility and she can't locate him now.
She only said that father could be anywhere across the Nine Realms.
After all, with my father abilities, there are indeed few who could stop him from going where he wishes."
"I understand," Anton nodded.
"You hope that we can mobilize the power of the Justice League to help find Odin."
"Yes," Thor nodded.
"I will soon return to Asgard to take charge, and cannot continue to search for my father on Earth.
I hope you can help me with this. After all, Asgard has a good relationship with Wonder Woman, and since she is a member of the Justice League, I thought…"
"Don't worry," Anton nodded.
"We certainly won't let the King of the Gods wander Earth unchecked."
Then, looking at Thor in front of him, he curiously added, "Speaking of which, it quite an eye-opener that even the King of the Gods can suffer from senility."
"It because my father is about to die," Thor said after a moment of silence, not avoiding the topic.
"Death is the ultimate destination for both mortals and gods alike. Although my father is the King of the Gods, he is too old and cannot escape this fate.
Also, due to the injuries accumulated from years of warfare, his body weakened in old age as he could no longer control the divine power within him… In fact, senility is just a symptom."
He paused:
"If Wonder Woman mentioned anything about what happened in Asgard, actually, since the invasion of the Dark Elves, my father was almost unable to control the divine power within him.
But during the battle with the Dark Elves, he had to activate his powers, which only exacerbated his deterioration…"
"I see," Anton said, nodding in understanding before Thor could continue.
"I will have someone keep an eye on Earth for you."
"Thank you," Thor said.
After saying this, Thor swung his hammer and flew out the window.
He turned into a bolt of lightning and shot into the sky, drawing quite a bit of attention from the outside world.
Crack!
Anton only saw that Thor had smashed his window, clenched his fist tightly, and quickly stepped outside.
"Hey, couldn't you watch where you're going when you leave?"
At the door, Betty had just pushed it open, saw the mess at the window, and after a moment of silence, she shrugged.
"Maybe you want to go up to the Daily Bugle office."
Betty suggested, "Your window probably won't be fixed until tomorrow."
"You're right," Anton agreed.
As he walked upstairs, he pondered the news Thor had just revealed.
Odin power in Marvel has always been a mystery.
By definition, Odin is no less powerful than the Ancient One, but in the original storyline, he has always been portrayed as more bark than bite.
As far as Anton is concerned, Odin is just old.
Despite being a god in name, he can't escape the fate of humans.
Senility!
It a rather laughable term.
"Because he exerted himself during the Dark Elf invasion leading to an accelerated deterioration, resulting in senility…"
Anton sorted out his thoughts, somewhat moved.
Odin was truly old.
Every action he took cost him life.
But that brought back to mind, if Odin died, does that mean the events of Thor: Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods, would happen sooner?
Meaning, the Goddess of Death, Hela, would break free from Odin seals, take over Asgard, kill those Asgardians who did not submit to her, trigger Ragnarok, and attempt to dominate the universe…
To some extent, Hela is a character no less formidable than Thanos.
After all, not just anyone can live up to the name of the Goddess of Death.