DC Heroes in Marvel

What?

Jane Foster's research team is missing?

Anton frowned slightly.

This was not what he had expected.

He had assumed that once Jane Foster and the others made progress in their research, they would report back first. Instead, they had taken it upon themselves to step into an unknown dimension—without backup, without preparation.

Were they trying to get themselves killed?

Among the Nine Realms, humanity was the last to rise.

Thousands of years ago, before technology developed, humans were still in the era of primitive survival, living in caves, hunting with crude weapons, and barely scraping by. 

To the other races of the Nine Realms, humans had little value—aside from their intelligence, which at least made them capable of communication.

To many civilizations, there was little difference between humans and monkeys.

Even now, humanity's technology lagged far behind Asgard or the Dark Elves.

Had it not been for luck or sheer coincidence, humanity might have been wiped out long ago.

A single cosmic-scale disaster could erase the entire species.

Of course, that was a discussion for another time.

The real issue at hand was Jane Foster's reckless decision.

Anton had not expected this.

"How long have they been missing?" Anton asked, his voice steady.

"Over 24 hours since they entered the portal," John shrugged. "If it weren't for that, I'd probably have good news for you right now."

The "good news" being, of course, that the research team had safely returned.

"Is the space portal still stable?" Anton asked.

"Of course."

John nodded. "I think what they did was stupid, but I can't deny—they're brilliant scientists."

Anton didn't hesitate.

"Get ready. I'm going in to find them."

"Wait—"

John's expression changed. "You're going in yourself?"

He had called Anton here to discuss countermeasures—to send someone else in to find the missing team. But from Anton's tone, it was clear—he intended to go personally.

That was not what John had expected.

"The fact that they haven't returned means the other side is dangerous," John said firmly. "Anton, I can't agree to this. You shouldn't risk your life for their reckless mistake."

"John, I'm the best choice for this."

Anton's voice was calm, resolute. "And besides, I'll be fine."

As he spoke, he raised his wrist, revealing a teleportation bracelet.

"Look. This bracelet is bound to Earth's coordinates. If anything goes wrong, I can teleport back instantly. Even if the portal collapses, I won't be trapped in another world."

Teleportation technology.

John had been with Wayne Enterprises long enough—and with his Jameson family connections, he was well aware of the advanced technologies the Justice League had at their disposal.

Even so…

"Are you sure?" John asked one last time. "Even with the teleportation bracelet, if something happens too fast, you might not have time to activate it."

Anton smiled.

"I already told you—it has to be me."

His tone was light, but there was a certainty behind it.

"Besides…" He gave John a knowing look. "You do realize—I'm not the only one who has a teleportation bracelet."

Oh?

John's eyes narrowed slightly. Then, as he studied Anton's confident expression, realization dawned on him.

Anton had a plan.

And suddenly, John understood exactly what he meant.

Indeed, all members of the Justice League had a teleportation bracelet.

Once Anton passed through the space portal, he could use his bracelet to pinpoint his location in the other world and, if necessary, summon the entire Justice League.

"Alright."

John sighed, clearly resigned. "But you have to be careful. No matter what happens, your safety comes first."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Anton nodded.

John quickly led Anton to the makeshift laboratory where Jane Foster's team had been working.

It was an ordinary warehouse in New York City, spanning nearly a thousand square meters, now repurposed into a high-tech research facility. The space was cluttered with experimental equipment, humming servers, and multiple computer screens filled with streams of data.

At the center of the warehouse was the space portal.

The air around it shimmered and warped, flickering with occasional bursts of light. From time to time, faint projections of another world appeared through the unstable distortion.

It was a desolate landscape—a barren desert, filled with flying sand and jagged rock formations, devoid of any visible life.

A massive semicircular machine stood in front of the portal, continuously feeding it energy to keep it stable.

"Based on the data," one of Wayne's researchers began explaining as Anton and John arrived, "the portal is currently stable. As long as we maintain power, it should hold for at least another 72 hours."

He gestured to the flickering projection. "From what we can see, the world on the other side appears to be a desert planet—similar to Mars."

Anton listened intently as the researcher continued.

"We sent drones through to gather data," he explained, pulling up images on a screen. "The atmosphere is breathable, similar to Earth. However, we haven't detected any signs of life yet. That said… we suspect something is there."

Anton raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

The researcher hesitated before explaining.

"We conducted an experiment using a live test subject—a mouse. We tied it to a rope and sent it through the portal. But when we tried to pull it back…"he pointed at a severed rope, displayed on-screen. "The rope snapped. The mouse… was gone."

He shook his head. "That's why I believe the world on the other side is dangerous. Even if we manage to find Jane Foster's team, over twenty-four hours have passed… There's a real chance they might not have survived."

There was a heavy pause.

John nodded. "Understood. Thanks for your work."

The researcher gave a respectful nod before stepping away, sensing that John didn't want to discuss the matter further.

Now, it was just Anton and John.

John turned to Anton, his expression serious.

"One last time… Are you sure about this?"

His voice was firm. "You're going alone—to an unknown place, facing unknown dangers. If you insist on going, I can send Wick with you."

Anton shrugged. "That won't be necessary."

He smirked slightly. "Before you even brought me here, I'm guessing you ran this by the old man. And if he didn't try to stop me… well, that means he's fine with it."

John opened his mouth, then closed it.

Because Anton was right.

After learning about the situation, the old man had not tried to stop Anton. Instead, he had instructed John to assist himin whatever way he needed.

John sighed. "Alright, no more arguments."

Anton nodded in satisfaction.

He stepped up to the portal, feeling the strange pull of the swirling space-time distortion.

He took a deep breath.

"I'm going in."

And before John could react, Anton bent his knees, pushed off the ground, and leaped straight into the portal.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished.

"You…?"

John spoke instinctively, his eyes widening as he stared at the space portal where Anton had just vanished. His mouth opened and closed several times before he finally muttered, "Shit, that was way too sudden!"

On the other side of the portal, Anton had already anticipated John's reaction, but he didn't care. His focus was entirely on his surroundings.

He stood in the middle of a vast desert, an endless expanse of barren land filled with jagged rocks and heavy clouds that cast an ominous shadow over the landscape. There was no sign of life anywhere.

Far in the distance, a brilliant starry sky peeked through the cloud cover, its unfamiliar constellation patterns making it impossible for Anton to determine his exact location.

This world lacked any clear landmarks, making it difficult to tell which realm of the Nine Realms he had ended up in.

However, based on his knowledge of the original plot, there was one strong possibility—

The Dark World.

Svartalfheim.

From what little Anton knew about the home of the Dark Elves, this place fit the description perfectly—lifeless, desolate, and shrouded in eternal twilight. If this was indeed Svartalfheim, then things were already bad.

His eyes narrowed.

"If Jane Foster is here… what kind of danger is she facing?"

Countless possibilities flashed through his mind.

It had been less than a minute since he arrived, but he had already begun making judgments.

Right now, his top priority was finding Jane Foster and her team—dead or alive.

More importantly, according to the original story, Jane Foster was the key to locating the Reality Stone.

"I wonder if she'll stumble upon the Aether this time…"

As he thought about it—

Whoosh!

With a single command, his Superman suit materialized around him.

His entire form shifted—his height, build, and facial features adjusting instantly. And with that transformation came a surge of near-limitless strength coursing through his body.

Anton closed his eyes for a brief moment, extending his senses to their fullest.

His hearing sharpened. His vision expanded.

It was as if he could see through the entire planet in an instant.

Then—

His gaze locked onto a distant location.

Not far from his current position.

"...So that's how it is."

He murmured, his lips curling slightly.

"A trap, huh?"

And the next second—

Anton vanished.

BOOM!

The ground beneath him cracked, the shockwave carving deep fractures into the rocky terrain as he launched himself forward at supersonic speed.

Meanwhile, the missing research team—Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, and Darcy Lewis—had spent the past twenty-four hours trapped on this forsaken world.

And at this point, they had nearly lost all hope.

They were stuck.

How exactly had things gone so wrong?

To answer that, they had to look back to the moment they first arrived on this planet.

After stepping through the portal, Jane and her team had cautiously explored the landscape.

Before long, they came across a ruined palace.

It was massive, even in its decayed state, a silent testament to the grandeur it once held before time reduced it to rubble and dust.

Despite its ominous presence, the research team was thrilled.

They could tell this place had been abandoned for centuries, so they approached without fear.

Near the palace, something strange caught their attention—

A group of floating rocks hovering unnaturally in mid-air.

One stone in particular stood out—larger than the rest, covered in strange, crimson markings.

Veins of red light ran across its surface, pulsing faintly.

Jane hesitated.

But curiosity won over caution.

She reached out and touched the glowing lines.

And then—

BOOM!

The floating stones plummeted to the ground in an instant.

At the same time, the crimson markings on the largest rock liquefied—

And poured into Jane's body.

"JANE!"

Erik and Darcy shouted in alarm, watching in horror as the red substance sank into her skin.

But before they could react further—

The other falling rocks came crashing toward them.

They were trapped.

At that moment, as death loomed over them—

Jane Foster instinctively raised her hand.

And then—

A wave of indescribable power erupted from her body.

The falling boulders disintegrated into dust before they could even touch them.

A stunned silence followed.

Erik and Darcy stared at Jane, their expressions a mixture of shock and fear.

Jane, still trembling, looked down at her hands.

She could feel it.

Something inside her had changed.

The Aether had chosen its host.

Shortly after their brief discussion, Jane Foster and her team decided to leave the palace before conducting any further research.

However, what they hadn't anticipated was that, despite the palace being abandoned for centuries, the traps designed to ward off intruders remained intact.

As they made their way out, they accidentally triggered a hidden mechanism.

Before they could react, they fell into a sealed chamber, where they had remained trapped ever since.

The room was completely enclosed, its walls covered in intricate murals.

The paintings seemed to tell a story left behind by the palace's original owner—and the message was chilling.

"Intruders shall remain here… until they turn to dust and bone."

The warning wasn't just words.

Scattered across the floor were countless skeletal remains, belonging to creatures of various sizes.

Jane, Erik, and Darcy—all scientists with no combat skills to speak of—had never expected to find themselves in such a life-threatening situation.

Of course, Jane remembered the strange power she had just absorbed.

At first, she thought she might be able to use it to escape.

But the moment she tried to summon the energy—

Her entire body collapsed like a ragdoll.

A wave of exhaustion hit her, rendering her completely immobile.

Seeing her sudden weakness, Erik and Darcy panicked.

Time passed.

After an unknown number of hours, Jane finally began to regain some strength—though her body still felt drained.

"I can try again."

She gritted her teeth.

"I refuse to believe we're going to die in here."

But each time she attempted to activate the power, her head throbbed painfully, leaving her feeling even weaker than before.

It became clear—

This energy was draining her.

Without rest or some way to replenish her strength, she wouldn't just be unable to use it—

It could very well kill her.

"We have enough food and water to last a few days," Erik said, trying to stay optimistic.

"Wayne Enterprises must have noticed we're missing. They'll send someone to find us..."

Daisy, however, wasn't as hopeful.

"They won't be able to find us," she muttered.

"Who would even think to check for a hidden trap inside an ancient palace? This… this is on us."

Erik shook his head.

"No. Anton won't abandon us."

He glanced at Jane and then at the walls around them.

"He's part of the Justice League. And don't forget—he was the one who asked us to study the alignment of the Nine Realms. That means he has a reason for needing our research. Which means..."

"He still needs us."

Before Jane or Darcy could respond—

A low, unfamiliar voice echoed through the chamber.

"You're very smart."

The three of them froze.

Their exhaustion vanished, replaced by a surge of hope.

They had no idea who was speaking, but one thing was certain—

Anton had sent someone to rescue them.

"Where are you?"

"God, are we actually getting out of here?"

"This is amazing!"

Their voices were filled with relief, as if they'd just been pulled from the brink of death.

But then—

"I'm outside."

The words shattered their excitement.

"You're… outside?"

"Can you find a way to get us out?"

"There are traps everywhere in this palace. Be careful!"

Despite their disappointment, they weren't desperate anymore.

At least someone was here.

Then, the voice spoke again—

"Move to the corner. Don't stand in the middle, or you'll be in my way."

The three exchanged glances.

Then, without hesitation, they hurried to the corner of the chamber.

And then—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion rocked the room.

Overhead, a massive gap tore open in the stone ceiling.

A faint sliver of light streamed down, illuminating the once-hopeless chamber.

For the first time in hours—

They could see the sky.

At the same time, the ground beneath them trembled violently, as if the entire palace had been hit by an earthquake.

Thick clouds of dust and debris filled the air, making it nearly impossible to see.

But none of that mattered.

Because at last—

They had a way out.

…

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