In his previous life, the stars and directors on the silver screen were distant figures to Mavi, beyond his reach. But in this life, as an investor and the owner of an entertainment company, he had the opportunity to interact with them directly… and that seemed rather interesting.
After deciding on his next step, Mavi immediately turned on his computer to research Hollywood studios that were severely undervalued.
However, after searching extensively, he realized that the top eight Hollywood studios, along with several others further down the rankings, were completely out of his financial reach. Even the smallest among them had a market value exceeding $900 million.
These studios had already established their reputations, and their prices had soared accordingly. But Mavi didn't need to buy something so expensive. After all, even the most powerful company could still fail if it churned out one bad movie after another.
Instead, his attention turned to a comic book publisher—one whose characters would later become globally iconic, including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man, the Hulk, and Deadpool.
That's right—Mavi had set his sights on Marvel Comics, the company that would go on to create the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
In the year 2000, Marvel was in dire straits. The comic book industry in the U.S. had suffered a massive collapse in the 1990s, and the rise of the internet had further impacted the sales of physical comics. As sales plummeted, waves of Marvel employees left the company, pushing it to the brink of bankruptcy. Marvel had no choice but to sell off character rights to stay afloat.
For example, the widely beloved Spider-Man was sold to Sony at a bargain price out of sheer desperation. The now-famous X-Men and Deadpool franchises were licensed to 20th Century Fox.
As for Captain America, Black Panther, Black Widow, and Ant-Man, they were sold off to Artisan Entertainment. Meanwhile, Iron Man and the Hulk were picked up by Universal Pictures.
These actions made it clear that Marvel's board was in desperate need of cash and had failed to recognize the true value of their intellectual property.
Realizing this, Mavi immediately called his butler into the room and instructed him, "Ivan, send someone to contact Marvel Comics right away. I have business to discuss with their chairman."
He had discovered that, in this timeline, Marvel was struggling just as much in the year 2000. But fortunately, they had not yet sold off their film rights. He needed to act quickly—if Marvel sold its heroes again, he would be extremely frustrated!
"Understood, Young Master. I will take care of it immediately." Ivan nodded and left the room to leverage their family's connections in the U.S.
---
### Three Weeks Later, New York City
In the heart of Manhattan, a Japanese businessman in a tailored suit, accompanied by his female assistant, arrived at Marvel's headquarters to negotiate the sale of superhero film rights.
His name was Taro Ueno, Vice President of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. His mission was to secure the film rights to Spider-Man for $7 million and, if the price was right, possibly acquire the X-Men rights as well.
Taro Ueno appeared to be in his forties, his hair neatly slicked back. He was driving a company-provided Nissan sedan, with his assistant seated beside him, as they headed toward Marvel's headquarters in Midtown Manhattan.
Since they were traveling in the afternoon, they had avoided rush hour, making for a relatively smooth drive. Ueno comfortably steered his Nissan through the city streets.
However, just as he was about to enter the underground parking lot of the Marvel building, he found the entrance blocked by two imposing, dark-gold SUVs.
These massive off-road vehicles had an almost intimidating presence—so much so that even a Hummer would have looked small in comparison, let alone Ueno's modest Nissan sedan.
"President Ueno, what kind of cars are those?" his assistant asked curiously. "I don't think I've ever seen them in Japan."
"I'm not entirely sure… they look like some kind of armored SUVs," Ueno replied, shaking his head. He had no idea who the vehicles belonged to, but judging by their sheer presence, they were clearly not to be trifled with. He didn't dare honk or demand that they move.
The two SUVs in front of them were, in fact, Mavi's personal vehicles—the "Karlmann King Shield" armored SUVs. However, since they were in the U.S., these vehicles had been modified to comply with international regulations and did not include the built-in aviation cannons found in Mavi's private fleet.
The SUVs remained parked at the entrance for quite some time, making Ueno and his assistant increasingly impatient.
"President Ueno, should we honk the horn and see if they'll move?" his assistant suggested.
"Beep! Beep!"
Ueno hesitated for a moment before pressing the car horn. However, the SUVs remained completely still.
Frustrated, he stepped out of his car, intending to confront the owners. But when he approached the vehicles, he was shocked to find that they were completely empty—there wasn't a single person inside!
The only sound he could hear came from around the corner of the parking lot:
"Just push it here, that's perfect. Thank you! I really appreciate it!"
"Sorry for the trouble, and thanks again for your help!"
Following the voices, Ueno turned to see a group of burly Russian men in black suits pushing an old, heavily loaded pickup truck that had apparently broken down. The truck's owner, a grateful bystander, was assisting them and repeatedly expressing his thanks.
The pickup was covered in dirt, and many of the bodyguards' suits had gotten stained in the process. Compared to Ueno's frustration and complaints, their willingness to help stood in stark contrast.
As it turned out, the stalled pickup was the real cause of the blockage. Mavi and his team had not been irresponsibly blocking the entrance—they had simply stopped to lend a helping hand.
Ueno's eyes landed on a young Caucasian man standing among the group. Though the man's attire was simple and unassuming, Ueno could tell that the Russian bodyguards were following his lead.
Three minutes later, after the two armored SUVs had moved into the parking lot, Ueno quietly drove his Nissan in after them.
What he didn't realize was that the young man he had just seen was about to become his biggest competitor in the upcoming negotiations with Marvel.
Marvel's current owner, Ron Perelman, had arranged for both Mavi and Sony to meet at the same time, knowing that they were both interested in acquiring the rights to Spider-Man and the X-Men.
The battle for Marvel's future was about to begin.