January 8, 1993 – Friday
After returning from his shopping spree on Wednesday, Zaboru received a call from James. James had contacted the President of Marvel, who said he wouldn't be available on January 7 but could meet on January 8 instead. Zaboru quickly agreed to the new date.
Meanwhile, the legal matters that Kudou had been handling progressed smoothly. All that remained was the passage of time. Soon, ZAGE's U.S. branch would have all the necessary government permits. This efficiency was thanks to Ryan's deep connections and Kudou's professional skills. Zaboru was so pleased with Kudou's work that he gave him a modest bonus, which delighted the lawyer.
With January 7 free, Zaboru paid a visit to John Kirby—the lawyer who had helped ZAGE win its legal battle against Universal Studios. John was happy to see him, and his children were thrilled to meet their idol . Later that day, Zaboru also began researching major tech companies from his past life: AMD, Intel, NVIDIA, and others. He noticed AMD and Intel were still in a legal tug-of-war over processor rights—a conflict he remembered ending in 1994 in his previous life. While investing in AMD was tempting, he shelved that idea for now. His focus was on Marvel for now, but he fully intended to return later this year to invest in AMD. That opportunity, too, was far from forgotten.
Time passed Now it was January 8. In a hotel suite in Los Angeles, Zaboru and James sat across from Mark Ackerman, the CEO and majority shareholder of Marvel.
Mark extended his hand. "It's an honor to meet the founder of ZAGE. I've always admired how you revitalized the gaming industry. I'm not a gamer myself, but I respect it."
Zaboru shook his hand. "The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Ackerman , and my name is Zaboru Renkonan"
Mark laughed. "Just call me Mark, Zaboru young man. I'm not that old, hahahaha!"
James chuckled. "You are old, Mark."
Mark snorted. "Shut up, you brat."
Zaboru watched the exchange with amusement.
"We've known each other a while," Mark said. "I used to work for James's father. We go way back. He's like a nephew to me."
James nodded, and Zaboru smiled to himself. It's always so easy to connect with people in this life. Is it because I'm a reincarnator? It always seemed to happen this way—whenever he wanted to acquire something or needed someone crucial, the right people would naturally cross his path. It felt uncanny at times. But he pushed the thought aside and got down to business.
"So, Mark," Zaboru began, "do you—sorry if this sounds blunt—do you have a personal attachment to Marvel? Or is it just business?"
Mark chuckled. "Ah, I figured that's where this was going. You want to buy Marvel, right?"
Zaboru nodded slightly.
"To answer your question," Mark continued, "I don't run Marvel for the money. I've got other ventures that are far more profitable. Honestly, Marvel barely breaks even some years. But why do I stay? Because I care. Simple as that."
Mark's expression turned bittersweet.
"The people at Marvel give it their all. You know Stan Lee? That old fart is still trying to push the company forward with everything he's got. And the team? They stick by him. They believe in this medium. They know they can't outproduce DC, so they aim for better quality instead. It rarely works—but they keep going. I guess I just got swept up in their passion."
"They always gave it their all, even though the comic book industry was clearly in decline. Stan Lee knew it too—but he refused to abandon his dream or his identity. He kept pushing forward, again and again. Just thinking about telling him that Marvel was finished made me feel guilty."
Zaboru smiled. "That's admirable, Mark." Hearing Stan Lee's name brought a wave of nostalgia. It was a name deeply familiar to him—cherished by many in his previous life. He remembered how beloved Stan had become in his later years, how the world celebrated him as the man who brought superheroes to life on screen. Zaboru had always admired that. In fact, the recurring Zabo-Man cameos in his own games were directly inspired by Stan Lee's legendary appearances in Marvel films. Zaboru wants Zabo-man to be iconic as Stan Lee.
James nodded. "Didn't know you had that side to you."
Mark leaned back. "So, you really want to buy Marvel? Let me tell you upfront—I'm not going to sell cheap just because we're struggling. I own 64% of the company. Shares are at rock bottom, yeah, but it's still Marvel."
He suddenly stop and sighed. "Can you really bring it back to life? For Most people, if they say yes I'd say utter bullshit. But you? You already revived one industry. Maybe you can make Marvel great again—maybe even outshine DC."
Zaboru met his gaze. "Not today. But eventually? Yes. If I own it, I can turn it around."
Mark raised an eyebrow and asked Zaboru, "Some so-called experts say the golden age of comic books is officially over, especially with the rise of video games. Doesn't that worry you at all?"
Zaboru smiled. "Why would I worry? Every form of entertainment has its own unique charm. As long as it's executed properly, it will find its audience," he said confidently. Mark was completely wrong to think Marvel's potential was limited to comic books. There were countless possibilities waiting to be unlocked. With the right strategy, Marvel could expand far beyond the printed page—and Zaboru, with the knowledge from his previous life, knew exactly how to make that happen.
Mark studied him, then grinned. "Alright. Ten million dollars, and the shares are yours." Years of business experience told him this young man was genuine. After all, if he wasn't, why would he want to buy a sinking ship like Marvel?
Zaboru didn't flinch. "How about eight?"
Mark raised a brow. "Cheeky, huh? Fine. Nine. Final offer."
Zaboru smiled. "Deal."
Mark laughed. "What an amusing young man! Thankfully, I'm both wealthy and generous—otherwise, you'd be a serious problem. But that's enough from me; I've got a packed schedule."
Mark stood. "I'll have my lawyer contact you tomorrow. Make sure yours is ready."
"Understood. Thank you, Mark."
Mark waved them off. "Yeah, we will continue tomorrow in the same places. I'll head out first."
Afterward, Zaboru and James returned to Emerald Wings. Zaboru began preparing the finances and planned a visit to the bank to secure the funds. On the drive back, he spoke with James.
"So, you've got big plans for Marvel?" James asked.
Zaboru nodded. "I do. But it won't happen overnight. It'll take time and care to do it right."
James nodded in understanding, his focus on the road ahead.
Zaboru sat quietly in the car, lost in thought. James noticed his contemplative mood and chose not to interrupt.
'In my previous life, modern day Marvel was praised for its movies, but the comics were disappointing. The newer writers struggled to create original heroes and instead kept replacing the classics with alternate versions. To me, that felt like a lack of respect for the originals. Add to that the heavy-handed agendas saturating the industry—it all ruined the magic for me.' Zaboru couldn't stand how they replaced Captain America with Sam Wilson, even though Sam was a great character as Falcon. And Riri Williams—just some random teenager building Iron Man armor? It all felt forced and unearned to him. These choices, in his view, disrespected the legacy of the original heroes. Still, he knew better than anyone the immense potential Marvel held across so many mediums. That's why, he wanted to change that and he was genuinely thrilled to have secured Marvel for just nine million dollars.
With that settled, Zaboru and James returned to Emerald Wings HQ to regroup. There was still one more step to take—Zaboru needed to visit the bank to prepare the funds for tomorrow's deal. The biggest chapter in Marvel's and ZAGE future was about to begin, and he intended to be ready.
to be continue
AN : I didn't really read Marvel comics or American comics in general because they were hard to get when I was a child. Also, I don't really know how stocks work, so I just made it up, lol. As for Marvel's price, I remember that back then, Sony could have bought everything Marvel-related for just 8 to 10 million dollars, but they didn't want it and only chose to buy Spider-Man instead. Hopefully, the price I set isn't too ridiculous, since I made it cheap to reflect the idea that Marvel didn't have much to offer at this point in the story.
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