America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 572 The Cola Cult Refuses to Watch Marvel

Burbank Hotel, Ballroom One.

At Warner Bros.' New Year's party, the most eye-catching moment was the official debut of the new CEO, Kevin Tsujihara.

All of this sends a signal that Warner Bros. is about to enter a new era.

Martin walked around the banquet hall, greeting and exchanging pleasantries with many people, before finding Louise: "Any new information?"

Louise said, "Barry Mayer's chairmanship won't last long. According to Warner's usual practice, it won't be long before Kevin Tsujihara takes over as chairman."

Martin asked, "What about his attitude towards partner companies like Pacific Films?"

Louise said, "It's unknown for now." She then added, "But one thing is basically certain: he's preparing to follow Marvel Studios' lead and focus on building a DC superhero franchise."

Marvel's already released films, "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk," have already showcased the grandeur of its cinematic universe.

As a DC superhero on par with Marvel, he certainly doesn't want to fall behind.

Martin wasn't surprised and said, "The Justice League series?"

“That’s right,” Louise said softly. “That’s certain. I don’t know the specifics of how it’s being pushed forward, but DC has fallen far behind. I heard that Kevin Tsujihara is getting anxious and wants to catch up. He just took office and definitely wants to achieve something.”

Martin saw Louise reach for the wine and pressed her hand down: "Drink less."

Louise withdrew her hand and said, "I heard Marvel Studios wants you to play Captain America."

Martin looked slightly surprised: "The news spread so quickly?"

Louise said, "There were rumors circulating in the industry after Christmas."

Martin pondered and said, "It seems they're not sincere."

Louise asked curiously, "Why?"

"They haven't contacted my agent or agency, nor have they reached out to me. They might be trying to exploit me." Martin speculated, "Will we find out in the next few days?"

Just after the New Year, an entertainment news story has attracted widespread attention.

At a promotional event for "Iron Man 2" hosted by Walt Disney and Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige publicly extended an invitation to Martin.

"Martin Davis is a real-life national hero; he is an actor and artist who represents the spirit of the United States."

Facing numerous media cameras, Kevin Feige, who has studied Christopher Nolan extensively, tirelessly promoted Marvel's next film, *Captain America*: "Steve Rogers is a national hero in comics, who repeatedly inspired our morale during World War II and is a symbol of the American spirit!"

He exclaimed, "Looking at the whole world, there is no actor more suitable to play Captain America than Martin! We will strongly invite Martin Davis to play Steve Rogers."

The reporters at the scene were in high spirits, and they also believed that no one was more suitable for the role than Martin.

After the press conference ended, the entertainment section of television and the internet was filled with reports about it.

Many media outlets have simply drawn a definitive conclusion.

Martin Davis is set to play Captain America!

"Martin Davis is the perfect actor to play Captain America!"

As for Martin's role as the Joker in the DC series, it was automatically overlooked, since it wasn't a big deal.

Captain America, whose comic book popularity is barely considered second-tier, became an instant sensation by leveraging the topic of heroes versus heroes.

In Marvel Studios' Los Angeles office, Jon Favreau approached Kevin Feige and said, "We've only raised $1 million so far, and even if we can convince Disney to come up with more budget, it will be difficult to exceed $1.4 million."

Kevin Feige understood why he had approached him: "Are you worried about Martin's salary being too high?"

Jon Favreau did a lot of the pre-production work and was indeed worried: "As far as I know, because of the compensation clause, after The Curious Case of Benjamin Button grossed $1.5 million in North America, the producers compensated Martin Davis, and his actual salary for this film will reach $2000 million."

He further stated, "To invite A-list stars to film a superhero movie, you'll definitely need to spend more money. $2000 million probably won't be enough. Martin Davis will also demand a revenue share from both online and offline channels."

Kevin Feige smiled and said, "That's exactly why I extended the invitation. Martin Davis wouldn't be in it, and we couldn't afford that kind of salary, but Martin is such a perfect fit for Captain America. He's already very popular and has a lot of news value. I'm just using the most appropriate way to let Captain America ride on Martin's coattails."

A nearby person asked, "What if Martin agrees?"

"Could there be a better outcome? We only paid Martin Davis a few million dollars to play Captain America; even God wouldn't dare to dream of that." Kevin Feige knew it was unrealistic: "I'm already very satisfied that Marvel can ride on Martin's popularity."

Martin naturally saw the widely publicized news. Just like when he tried to ride on other people's coattails, now that he is famous and has a huge influence, it's other people's turn to ride on his coattails.

But he had no interest in being used as a tool by others, so he immediately called Thomas.

Thomas first contacted Kevin Feige to inquire about the matter, and the latter "generously" offered $800 million plus a bunch of empty promises.

The actual box office revenue and subsequent revenue sharing are not discussed.

"He's just trying to use your fame for publicity." Thomas quickly called Martin back.

Martin said, "Go and clarify."

Thomas then contacted the media and released a recording of his phone call with Kevin Feige.

The media and movie fans were in an uproar.

"That salary demand is an insult to Martin!"

"Is this Marvel's sincerity? This company is truly impressive."

"It's obvious that Marvel is riding on Martin's coattails."

Kevin Feige remained defiant, quickly stating publicly, "We were just trying to invite Martin; collaboration is always a two-way street."

He didn't want to miss the opportunity to ride the wave of popularity, so he started to aggressively promote it: "Martin and Captain America both represent the American spirit of strength, freedom, and struggle, and cannot be measured solely by commercial value."

Faced with such shamelessness, Martin simply replied on his newly registered Twitter account: "Captain America is a superhero movie with a budget of over $1 million!"

This is a highly developed commercial society. Martin and Captain America are a good fit, but this kind of commercial film project doesn't even have commercial sincerity, so what else is there to say?

Kevin Feige wanted to continue piggybacking on the hype, but a group of people from the Coca-Cola cult suddenly jumped out.

A large group of fans wearing red Coca-Cola T-shirts gathered in front of Marvel Studios’ Burbank office building, organized by the Los Angeles branch of the church.

These people unfurled banners and held up posters.

"Refuse to watch Captain America!"

"The Cola Cult rejects Marvel superhero movies!"

Media reporters and paparazzi, sensing the news, quickly gathered in groups of dozens.

TMZ even opened a live stream window on its website.

Many followers of the Coca-Cola Cult responded online, and it is unknown who used the banner in front of the Marvel Studios building to create an image resembling their own profile picture, which was then posted on Twitter and Facebook.

Followers of the Cola Cult using these two social media apps shared the posts, creating a small wave online.

The matter quickly caught the attention of Walt Disney CEO Robert Iger, who met with Kevin Feige, whom he greatly admired.

"The Cola Cult has tens of millions of followers in North America and wields considerable influence in both business and political circles." Iger, a shrewd company leader, said directly, "You issue a public apology, quickly quell this matter, and stop getting entangled with Martin Davis."

Kevin Feige wondered, "Is it really necessary to just ride on his coattails?"

Iger, who knew Martin well, said, "This is definitely not like Martin's style. If he wanted to deal with you, he wouldn't do it so openly. It's probably something his fans did spontaneously. Matters involving faith are always troublesome."

Kevin Feige, referring to the growing wave of anti-Marvel sentiment online, said, "I will publicly apologize to Martin."

Iger said, "Hurry up and do it. Go back and contact the media now. Your superhero universe plan has only just begun, and you can't afford to fail."

Upon returning to Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige recorded a video apologizing to Martin, which he sent to various media outlets. He stated that some of his previous remarks were ill-considered and that he sincerely apologized if he had offended Martin in any way.

…………

Beverly Hills, Davis Estate.

Elizabeth greeted Thomas at the door, and after saying hello, said, "Martin is in the study."

Thomas, led by her, headed towards the study, asking as they went, "Did Martin see the news about Kevin Feige's apology?"

Elizabeth nodded slightly: "Old Brooks just reminded Martin to take a look."

Thomas went into the study.

Martin asked, "Have you found out who organized those people to protest at Marvel?"

"They're not from my side." Thomas had asked in detail and was certain of this: "Are they from the fan club?"

Bruce shook his head: "No, it has nothing to do with them."

Martin said, "Who wants to stir up trouble between me and Disney? Disney just spent a lot of money to acquire Marvel and is preparing to invest heavily in the Marvel series."

Elizabeth asked, "Was it spontaneous?"

Bruce said, "No, several organizers received an email saying they wanted to organize this event. I had someone specifically look into it, and the sender is a tech expert who can't be tracked online."

As someone suffering from severe paranoia, Martin's first reaction was that someone was planning to get him, and he said, "Be careful lately. Make sure to contact the branch churches and fan clubs and tell them to contact us by phone when organizing events, and not to use online software anymore."

He looked at Elizabeth and instructed her, "You must take bodyguards with you when you go out."

Having experienced the Burbank High School incident, Elizabeth possessed excellent mental fortitude and knew what to do, saying, "I will."

Thomas said, "I will pay extra attention to what's happening in the industry."

Martin then thought of Harvey: "Any news about Weinstein?"

“No,” Bruce said. “He remains under movement restrictions, stays at home, denies all charges, and hasn’t mentioned anyone else.”

(End of this chapter)