The Marvel Universe's Plan!

Marvel Publishing House, in my office.

"Jason, do you always paint like this before you publish it?" Emily, my assistant, massaged my shoulders as she spoke.

If there were flaws in the comics and they needed revisions, wouldn't it delay publication?

"More or less," I replied, enjoying her massage.

If my comic fans knew how casually I usually drew my comics, they'd probably collectively condemn me.

"Aren't you afraid the comics will be too late?" Emily asked curiously.

It was strange, she often watched me draw, and my speed never slowed down. My hands moved continuously, almost as if they had a mind of their own. Despite the speed, the comics I produced were still so lifelike.

Listening to her question, I chuckled internally. The system was helping me draw; I didn't need to control it at all.

"Emily, I'm not an ordinary painter," I said with a smirk.

"How unusual is it?" she asked again.

With a mischievous smile, I replied, "Why don't you try it? Then you'll know just how unusual it is."

Just as I was about to make a move, an untimely knock on the door interrupted us.

I didn't have to guess; it was definitely Mr. Thompson, Emily's father. He had a habit of showing up whenever things got interesting.

The three of us had this unspoken understanding. If Mr. Thompson couldn't see anything, he'd be a fool. He knew why women's colleges didn't stay in the middle, and he was quite pleased with me being his future son-in-law. However, thinking about his daughter being taken advantage of under his nose always made him feel uneasy, so he often came by unannounced.

I opened the door to let Mr. Thompson in, and Emily left the office as usual.

Mr. Thompson came to my desk with a light cough. "I'll take a look at the captain's fourth manuscript. If there's no problem, it will be printed and published."

I sorted out the drawings and handed them to him, though I couldn't help but express my mild exasperation. "Mr. Thompson, this is your fourth trip today. Why are you in such a hurry?"

He looked a bit embarrassed, taking the drawings to divert his attention. "I'm not afraid of problems. After all, the publishing house has seen two generations of your family's efforts. I have to do my best, right?"

As he said this, he suddenly paused, staring at the last drawing. The captain had stopped after defeating HYDRA. It was normal to leave a cliffhanger to attract attention, but the following words were puzzling:

"The captain will suspend the update. To predict the future, please pay attention to the second volume of the Marvel series of comics—'Iron Man' Volume 1. There are captain's Easter eggs on it!"

Mr. Thompson couldn't help but ask, "Why did the captain stop? This is the signature of Marvel comics. Will such a sudden stop affect sales? Besides, what is Iron Man? What's your idea?"

I knew he'd ask these questions and was prepared to explain. "Captain America's success lies in innovation, but we can't rely on this comic forever. If people read too much of the same thing, they'll get tired of it. So, I plan to draw a big series of comics to make Marvel an independent universe. It's called the Marvel Universe, with all kinds of stories in it."

Mr. Thompson seemed to understand. No matter how good a protagonist is, viewers will get tired of seeing the same thing repeatedly. It was a good idea to launch a new comic with the momentum of the captain. Given my talent for creating engaging comics, he had no reason not to support me.

"Then do as you said," he agreed. "I'll send the manuscript to the printing house first!"

Though risky, it was definitely worth a try. If it failed, we could always go back to drawing the captain. At least, that was his thought.

However, my ambitions were much bigger than that.

...