Homelander: Origins

"Chaos!" Azu nodded. "Not bad, that's cheesy enough, I like it."

"They saw your potential! They used you as a guinea pig!" Writer B launched into a dramatic performance. "They tortured you! They injected you with synthetic chemicals! They wanted to turn you into their most powerful weapon!"

"Oh..." Azu's eyes lit up.

Screenwriter C: "But! Your spirit! Your damn, unbreakable American spirit! It made you pull through! You pretended to give in, learned to control your power..."

Screenwriter D: "Then you fought back! You fucking fought back! You destroyed their base! You ripped their leader to smithereens!"

Screenwriter E: "You've risen from the ashes! You've crossed the Pacific! You're back in New York! You're no longer Antony Starr..."

Everyone, including Ah Zu, shouted in unison:

"—You are a Homelander!!"

"Fack yeah!!" Azu suddenly stood up, downed the drink in one gulp, "This is... exactly what I wanted! This is... me!" (Inner monologue: "So cliché! So cliché! This is fucking Disney! Whatever! The audience loves this!")

"The title!" Ah Zu waved his hand, "Let's call it—Homelanders: Origins!"

He's even started fantasizing about wearing a tuxedo, standing on the Oscar stage, and winning his first golden statuette in this damn Marvel universe.

The screenwriters applauded wildly! They knew the money was in the bag.

The day after the film was officially greenlit, Water International's media machinery began operating at full capacity.

Ah Zu has only one order: maximize popularity.

First Front: Comics and Related Products

"Find me the best illustrator in the entire country!" Azu roared at the head of the comics department. "I don't care which company he's from, just throw money at him! Poach him!"

"I want my jawline to be perfect! I want my muscle proportions to surpass those of a Greek sculpture! Colors! Give me the most vibrant reds, whites, and blues! I want children's eyes to be filled with nothing but these three colors!"

"First issue! *The Adventures of Homelander #1*! It must be in comic book stores across America before the movie trailer is released!"

……

Three days later, pre-sales for "Homelanders: The First Edition" began.

Cover: Homelander punches and destroys a Chaos organization's spaceship, with the Stars and Stripes burning in the background.

Second Front: Derivatives

Walter's toy production line is fully operational.

"We need two dolls!" Azu personally reviewed the design drawings. "One: Hampton Playboy - Anthony, complete with detachable sunglasses and a martini cup."

"Another one: Hero Arrives—Homelander! Must wear LED-lit eyes! Press the eagle emblem on your chest and be able to say my line—You are the true hero!"

"And..." Azu pointed to the villain's design sketches, "Make the Chaos Leader ugly, the uglier the better! That way the kids will want to beat him up!"

Soon, the supermarket shelves were completely occupied by "Homelanders".

Homeland Breakfast Cereal!

Vought Energy Drinks – Drink Your Superpowers!

The trailer for the Homelander-themed video game has been released, and it has topped the charts in pre-registrations.

Ah Zu's philosophy is very straightforward: "People don't just need to see me, they need to buy me, eat me, and impersonate me."

"I want to fucking seep into their blood, their dreams, their damn DNA!"

……

Avengers Tower.

Steve Rogers is sketching, trying to adapt to the 21st century, while Natasha is wiping away her widow stings.

Tony Stark, the billionaire who has just finished renovating his mansion, is enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

Until he saw today's magazine headline.

"Snapped!"

Tony tossed the tablet computer onto the lounge table.

Can you believe it?

"Headline: The Power of Starr! The film *Homelander: Origins* has been greenlit, and Antoni Starr will star in it…himself!"

Tony exaggeratedly mimicked a broadcaster's voice: "My God! This guy's narcissism... it's epic. He's going to act out his own origin story! This is fucking... I have to admit, I'm starting to admire him a little."

"He turned being a hero into a business!" Tony exclaimed in disbelief. "He started a company, made his own movies, and he's even playing himself! Jarvis, get me Vought's stock ticker; I'm going to short it!"

"Sir, Water is not publicly traded; it is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Starr Group."

"Fuck!"

Steve frowned and put down his paintbrush.

"Tony, is this...is this appropriate? He's...commercializing the word 'hero'."

"Commercialization?" Tony laughed, pouring himself a drink. "He knows this stuff all too well! Look at this!"

Tony swiped the screen and switched to the Waters website.

"Damn it, he has his own comic book! Homelander!" Tony pointed at the screen. "Steve, how long after you went to war did your Captain America comic book come out? A year? Or two?"

"This guy, one month! He got the whole supply chain sorted out in just one month!"

Natasha leaned closer and clicked on the leaked plot synopsis online.

"Wait a minute..." she exclaimed in surprise, "Captured by a mysterious shadow organization? Suffered inhuman torture and experimentation? Persecuted, and finally awakened?"

Natasha looked up at Tony and Steve: "This...this is the story he told Fury, isn't it?"

Tony Stark's smile froze.

Then he burst into even louder laughter.

"Hahaha! Genius! This is a fucking shameless genius!" Tony slapped his thigh. "He couldn't even be bothered to write a new story! He just took that melodramatic script he gave to S.H.I.E.L.D. and made it into a movie!"

(A-Zu: This was definitely the screenwriter's idea, I'm not taking the blame for this!)

"Yeah, why bother telling two lies?" Tony exclaimed. "This guy... he's not a hero, Steve. He's a brand! A walking American logo!"

Steve Rogers frowned, his expression extremely serious.

"This is wrong! Heroism... shouldn't be like this. It shouldn't... become a product."

"Really?" Tony pointed to a 1945 Captain America-themed lunchbox, a collector's item belonging to Agent Coulson, in the corner. "Then you'd better talk to that tin box."

"Okay, Tony, uh, you know... I had no choice at the time." Steve laughed awkwardly.

"Listen, Captain," Tony's expression turned serious. "The real bombshell is in outer space. The big green guy is playing hide-and-seek. Right now, in this city, only a few of us can keep an eye on him."