It's obviously not a good idea to meet and talk with Captain America in a crowded place like New York's Central Park. And Li Jie's fast food truck is still open.
So after handing over the hamburgers and onion rings that Rogers had ordered. Li Jie said. "Okay, Captain. But this is not a good place to talk. Maybe we should go somewhere else. "
Li Jie didn't expect that when he was still in the East Ocean, Iron Fist specifically said that Captain Rogers needed to find Nightcrawler.
But now Li Jie's side as Nightcrawler hasn't seen the Captain yet. Instead, the Captain came to see him first. Of course, this is not because he knows that Li Jie is Nightcrawler.
But he simply came to find Li Jie. This person is still a high school student, part-time chef, the owner of Marvel Comics, and also serves as a senior consultant of the Osborne Group, Li Jie.
Although Captain Rogers was a little anxious to find Li Jie, Li Jie set a specific time for the meeting at 10 am this weekend.
The meeting place was chosen at the headquarters of Marvel Comics in Queens.
"Welcome, Captain Rogers!" Steve Rogers arrived at Li Jie's company on time. Li Jie was waiting for him in his office early this morning.
"Thank you for taking the time to see me, Mr. Li." Rogers nodded to Li Jie and greeted him.
"Oh, you're welcome. You know, you're the idol of this country. No one will refuse to have a good chat with Captain America. "Li Jie smiled at Rogers.
"Then, with Captain Rogers' busy work, you still have time to come to our comic company. You must have something to talk to me about. You can get straight to the point." Li Jie gestured to Rogers, indicating that he didn't need to be polite.
"If we can do it, I'll be happy to help."
Rogers sat across from Li Jie's desk, rubbing his hands together. "Mr. Li, have you watched the news about S.H.E.L.D. on TV recently?"
Li Jie pondered for a moment. "Maybe it's rude, but the recent news about S.H.E.L.D. isn't very friendly. You know, Captain. For example, a certain agent deceives a mercenary to complete a mission that he or she is owed back pay or something. "
Rogers sighed. This kind of thing was too embarrassing to talk about. "Yes, S.H.E.L.D. is currently in a difficult situation. Our finances are a little tight. Even the free coffee and doughnuts have been canceled. "
Regarding S.H.E.L.D.'s financial difficulties, Rogers had lied to Li Jie. It couldn't be hidden for long. Some sharp-witted reporters had already smelled it. Therefore, Rogers had nothing to hide. This was no longer a secret.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Captain." When Li Jie heard Rogers's words, he remembered that it was rude not to prepare a coffee for Rogers.
"We provide free coffee for our employees. Captain, would you like a cup? There are two choices, black coffee and milk coffee. "Li Jie asked.
"Thank you, black coffee."
"Oh, we also provide free doughnuts here. Do you want a few, Captain? It's directly supplied by some of the best bakers in New York. "
"Thank you, I'll have one too."
"What flavor do you like? Chocolate, blue cranberry, raspberry, or ice cream. "
Rogers rubbed his hands a little harder. "Do you have old-fashioned frosted doughnuts?"
"Ah ~ ah! Yes. "Li Jie thought for a moment and said with certainty. He pressed the phone button on the desk and asked the office assistant outside to bring the coffee and doughnuts. "A cup of black coffee and a few frosted doughnuts."
The secretary on the other end of the phone. "Frosted doughnuts, Captain. Are you talking about the most unpopular and unpalatable kind?"
Li Jie: "Yes, that kind." Rogers felt his throat tighten.
"Are you sure, Captain?"
"I'm sure! Hurry up and bring it in. "Rogers felt that it was better if he didn't eat the doughnut. But Li Jie quickly hung up, not giving Rogers a chance to refuse.
"So, where were we, Captain? Oh! Right. It's about S.H.E.L.D. funding. "Li Jie looked troubled. "You know, Captain, we're just a small company. It's impossible for us to fund a large government department like S.H.E.L.D.. First of all, it's illegal. Also, we don't have that much money. Maybe Tony Stark is willing to help? "
Li Jie pushed the blame to his old friend, Tony Stark.
"I understand. That's why I'm not here." While Rogers was speaking, the office assistant had already brought the coffee and doughnuts. Looking at the frosted doughnuts in front of him, Rogers decided not to eat them.
"I heard about this company from Iron Fist and Blade. You've acquired their copyrights? Adapted into a superhero comic? "
"Yes, Captain. I've always believed that superheroes are the role models of this society. They do positive things and fight against evil. They deserve to be publicized. Also, heroes can get hurt and die. Superheroes aren't a job with a fixed income. Hm? Except maybe the Avengers, "Li Jie said, looking at Rogers.
"So I bought the copyright of these heroes and published their comics. I let their heroic deeds spread far and wide. While setting an example for everyone, I can also share some of the copyright income with them. "
"For example, I signed a sharing agreement with Iron Fist and Blade. If their comics sell well, they can get a bigger share of the copyright. In the four months since January this year, I've paid Iron Fist and Blade two hundred thousand US dollars in royalties. As long as they continue to be heroes and continue to fight villains. Increase their popularity, their comics will sell more and more in the future. "Li Jie roughly explained the company's copyright income.
Blade and Iron Fist weren't very popular in the public eye before. The sales of their comics were only average, so the royalties weren't high. Currently, Marvel's best-selling series was the Spider-man series, and the second was the Nightcrawler series.
The royalties paid to Peter Parker had already accumulated to more than one million US dollars. Also, they had already started to talk to other animation manufacturers about being their agents. It was foreseeable that Peter's future income would be an astronomical figure.
The Spider-man series was designed to be more cheerful and appealing to both young and old. The Nightcrawler series, on the other hand, was designed to be heavy and dark by the chief editor. It was a story for adults, so its sales couldn't compare to the Spider-man series.
Rogers nodded. "Although your company isn't big right now, I like your ideas, so I came to you."
Li Jie raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"You know, Hawkeye has been in some trouble recently. He needs a sum of money, so he wants to sell the copyright of his image. Without revealing the secret of S.H.E.L.D., he wants to provide some of the battle stories he experienced as material for the comic adaptation. "Rogers revealed his real intention.
Li Jie, on the other hand, shook his head. "With all due respect, Captain, Agent Hawkeye Barton. Recently, he's been very popular. But none of his news is positive. To be honest, I don't even dare to let Hawkeye's image appear in any of our company's comics, not even a guest appearance. Not to mention his single comic. "
"Now the Internet is full of criticism about him skimping on Deadpool's commission. Some people have already shouted that S.H.E.L.D. should be fired. "Li Jie was telling the truth, so Rogers couldn't refute it.
"At least for the next year or two, the name Hawkeye is worthless. Not only is it worthless, but it will even lower the company's sales. "Li Jie spread his hands, indicating that the name Hawkeye has been completely tarnished by Deadpool.
"So it can't be sold?" Rogers was a little disappointed. He was ready to leave.
"It's not impossible. There is a kind of investment called an advance investment. I believe that Hawkeye's reputation will come back in the future. "Li Jie thought that as long as the Battle of New York broke out, even if Hawkeye fell into the ink pit before, he would be able to wash his name clean.
"But it's impossible to be the same as Iron Fist and Blade in terms of royalties." Li Jie gave Captain Rogers a heads-up first.
"So how much can it be?" Rogers knew that Hawkeye was about to collapse because of Deadpool, and he just wanted to get the money as soon as possible and send Deadpool away.
"One million dollars." Li Jie smiled.
"One million dollars?" Rogers was a little surprised.
"One million dollars, I can pay it in one lump sum. But to buy all the copyrights of Hawkeye for the next ten years, including figurines, peripherals, and even the big movies, games, etc. For the next ten years, these revenues will not be paid to Agent Hawkeye. "Li Jie said that he was not doing good deeds.
"After all, the name Hawkeye will be useless for the next two or three years. It will take a lot of time and energy to run him. "
Rogers pondered for a while, and he couldn't figure out whether Li Jie's condition was good or not. He decided to go home and ask Hawkeye for his own opinion.
"In fact, compared to Hawkeye, Captain Rogers is the real star in S.H.E.L.D.." Li Jie took a sip of black coffee, picked up a frosted doughnut and took a bite.
Captain Rogers, who was still thinking, looked at Li Jie and asked with some doubts. "What?"
Li Jie finished the doughnut in two or three bites and patted the remaining frosted powdered sugar on his hands. "Do you know how much Coca-Cola spent this year to have Captain America Steve Rogers printed on the packaging of their Coke bottles?"
"What?" Rogers was confused. He couldn't figure out what Li Jie was talking about.
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