Phil Coulson

The receptionist greeted the approaching mature and composed man with a sweet smile, "Good day, sir. How may I help you?"

Unfortunately, his forehead was a bit shiny and his hair was a bit thin; otherwise, he would have been the girl's type. Should she give him her phone number? The receptionist was torn.

"Hello. I would like to meet with Mr. Henry Brown, the CEO of the film studio."

Do you have an appointment?

"No. Please tell him I'm Phil Coulson. We have a mutual friend, Nick Fury."

Catching a glimpse of the comic book in the man's hand, the receptionist maintained her smile, leaned closer, and whispered, "Are you here to discuss adapting a comic book into a movie?"

"Although I don't want to dampen your spirits, I still have to tell you first that our company mainly makes low-budget films. The chances of this comic book adaptation getting approved are slim."

Phil Coulson, following suit, casually replied, "Oh, thank you for reminding me. But Mr. Brown and I have a mutual friend. Perhaps I can find a way out through him."

"Ah, that's one way. Please wait a moment while I make a phone call for you." With that, the receptionist picked up the receiver and dialed an internal number.

After a brief exchange in hushed tones, she put the microphone back down and smiled sweetly at Phil Coulson, saying, "Please take the elevator to the seventh floor. Turn left after exiting the elevator; that's where the CEO's office is. Mr. Brown is available now."

"Oh, thank you, lovely lady." Although he only said thank you, Phil Coulson unconsciously flashed a charming, hearty smile as he left.

This made the receptionist regret not giving out her phone number. She had come to apply for a receptionist position at the film company precisely to find one of these charming young stars or men.

Compared to the receptionist who was swooning over Julian's visit, Henry, sitting in his office, was already thinking about how to handle Julianne's arrival after she informed him.

Phil Coulson can be criticized for being old-fashioned, but it's undeniable that he's a reliable partner. As long as Nick Fury isn't standing behind him...

As a kind-hearted man in an era teeming with anti-heroes, where many are blurred between good and evil, yet possessing the qualities of an old-school superhero, he is the type Henry finds most difficult to deal with.

On the contrary, those who are clearly looking for trouble are easier to deal with. If the timing is right and conditions permit, Henry wouldn't mind taking them on a one-way trip to space without equipment.

But for this future director of pure S.H.I.E.L.D.... could history be altered?

Before a wicked thought could even take root, Phil Coulson knocked on the open office door and greeted, "Good day, it's an honor to meet you, Mr. Henry Brown."

"Hello, please have a seat, Mr. Coulson." Although he stood up to greet him, Henry gestured to the chair opposite the desk after his greeting, indicating that the person should sit down. He did not intend to shake hands with the other person.

Henry, who had sat down first, used the office intercom to make an announcement: "Julianne, please pour my guest a cup of coffee."

After the other person was seated, Henry spoke first, "Mr. Coulson, you said we have a mutual friend, Nick Fury. Could it be that you're from there too?"

"Yes, I am a Level 1 Agent in the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. Nick Fury is my superior."

Please provide the full name. However, such a long name can easily cause confusion and is difficult to verify.

Just then, a plump, dark-skinned woman, who was acting as secretary but essentially doing odd jobs, brought in a cup of coffee. "Please, sir."

"Thanks."

After thanking him Phil Coulson watched the young secretary leave and remarked, "Um, Mr. Brown, aren't you going to close the office door?"

"Oh, no need for that. The office isn't soundproof. Even with the door closed, if someone's voice is loud inside, they can still hear it outside. I'm too lazy to do that kind of useless renovation."

He didn't intend to call anyone in to do anything inappropriate. Why make things so complicated? Henry thought to himself.

"Okay." Phil Coulson placed the Superman comic he'd been clutching on the table and said, "That's what I came here for today."

"Want to adapt this into a movie? That doesn't seem to be... part of your business." Henry picked up this year's comic book magazine with curiosity.

This is neither the inaugural issue nor a special issue featuring a unique character's first appearance, nor a particular journal with extra commemorative value. It will probably have to sit for about ten years before the complete set is assembled, at which point it will become valuable in the eyes of comic book collectors.

Phil Coulson chuckled and said, "Our business is broad, there's no particular limitation." Then he lowered his voice and said, "What we really want to know is, are you him?"

Henry chuckled and scoffed, "Are you serious? A fictional character who existed before I was born. I'm him? Haha, sorry, that's just too funny. Hahaha. I'm Superman! Ha!"

Henry had specifically checked the timeline of this world. The X-Men comics only appeared after Charles Xavier, Professor X, founded the X-Men.

In fact, if you look into the equity structure, the company that publishes X-Men comics has shares in Professor X and licenses the Mutants image.

It's important to know that Magneto hadn't separated from Professor X yet, so the image licensing for the Brotherhood of Mutants members was also held by this comic book company.

This is a crucial source of funding for Professor X to maintain his Mutants school. Even though Magneto has established his own organization, he implicitly acknowledges that the licensing fees will still be received by Professor X's Mutants school, rather than by the criminals themselves.

Professor X promised not to interfere with creative freedom, which was one of the conditions for obtaining government publishing permission, in order to prevent the comic book from becoming a mouthpiece for Mutants.

Because comic book companies enjoy creative freedom, many strange Mutants designs or unexpected couple pairings have emerged.

However, most Mutants scoff at the content of the comics. They even refuse to acknowledge that some comic book characters are based on them.

In other words, in this world, comics are comics, and Mutants in the real world are Mutants in the real world.

This should explain how absurd it is when someone comes to your door with Superman character that existed before you were born, points at you, and says, "This is Clark Kent."

"Aren't you one too? You're both Kryptonian," Phil Coulson persisted.

Henry chuckled sarcastically, "I only learned this from the Skrulls. And you're telling me that someone predetermined my fate almost sixty years ago, and I can't go against it? Is that what you mean?"