"I don't know what's wrong with this country. How can they elect a guy who has never even revealed his real face as the President of the United States?" A bald man with a small mustache was speaking confidently into the camera on a news broadcast.
And to be fair, he wasn't wrong. The moment Batman was elected President of the United States, many people were in an uproar.
They couldn't understand why voters would rather cast their ballots for a masked hero whose true identity was completely unknown than for a fellow American with a normal political career.
"Even Captain America would be a better choice than that bat." J. Jonah Jameson displayed the final election results on the big screen, pointing to Captain America, whose vote count was slightly behind Batman's.
"I understand why people love this bat. He did provide New Yorkers with a better living environment and was the first to arrive on the scene during the chaos in California," JJJ acknowledged, showing that he wasn't entirely unreasonable. He understood why Americans admired Batman, but that wasn't enough of a reason for him to believe Batman should be President.
"But can we really allow someone whose identity we know nothing about, someone who lives behind a mask, to be the President of the United States?" JJJ suddenly grabbed a cheap-looking replica of Batman's mask from the side and put it on.
To be honest, if not for his mustache sticking out, he actually looked somewhat convincing.
"So, does this mean I'm the President of the United States now?"
Jessica watched him clowning around on TV with a resigned expression.
For years, ever since Spider-Man's debut, this guy had been relentless in criticizing him, treating him like a masked criminal.
He blamed Spider-Man's arrival for all the crime that plagued New York.
It wasn't until Spider-Man died that Jameson finally had something good to say about him.
Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D. had investigated him and found that, technically speaking, he didn't hate Spider-Man specifically—he hated all superheroes. He believed they were above the law, dangerously powerful, and attention-seeking.
As for why he focused so much on Spider-Man? Probably because Spider-Man didn't have a lawyer to defend him.
He was controversial and couldn't argue back.
And controversy sold newspapers.
Still, this was the first time Jameson had criticized Batman.
Jessica didn't particularly care; she just found it absurdly dramatic that Batman had actually become President of the United States.
At that moment, Bruce had already returned to the Batcave.
Jessica was waiting for him as soon as he stepped out of the Batwing.
"So, how does it feel to be elected President of the United States, oh great Batman?" Jessica playfully held up a wrench like a microphone, pretending to interview him.
But Batman ignored her and walked straight toward the control console.
"Don't tell me you don't have any thoughts on this at all," Jessica said, already suspecting that he didn't care about the election from the start.
"What's the situation in New York?" Bruce had zero interest in discussing the topic. He only wanted to know if anything major had happened in New York while he was away.
Jessica sighed. This guy was seriously no fun.
"Do you have any idea how much criminals fear you?" she asked, exasperated. Ever since Batman took over the city's crime-fighting efforts, New York's crime rate had plummeted.
But Bruce was still worried about the city.
"They don't fear me. They regret. They regret that their plans weren't thorough enough," Bruce replied coldly. In his eyes, criminals never truly stopped because of fear. They simply refined their methods, perfecting their crimes until no one could prosecute them.
His eyes remained locked on the screen in front of him, scanning every corner of New York in real time.
Watching him, Jessica thought that if S.H.I.E.L.D. ever found out how much control Bruce had over the city, they'd probably think he was insane.
Over time, Bruce hadn't just built up his arsenal—he had turned every part of New York into his surveillance network.
There were probably Bat-watchers in every corner of the city.
And Batman didn't bother asking for permission before setting up his surveillance.
He didn't ask if people wanted cameras.
He didn't ask for their opinions.
He only cared about eliminating crime.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is looking for you. They need you to take the oath of office," Jessica said, placing a firm hand over Bruce's as he scrolled through the surveillance feeds.
"Cool. Looks like we've got a President Batman now," LEGO Batman chimed in, clearly amused by the situation.
Even LEGO Batman knew Bruce wasn't actually going to take the job.
But that didn't stop him from enjoying the chaos.
For most people, becoming President was an unattainable dream.
For Batman, it was just a matter of whether he wanted it or not.
Bruce said nothing. He simply glanced down at Jessica's hand holding his, then looked up at her.
Jessica instantly got the message.
She let go.
But as Bruce resumed what he was doing, she realized—wasn't she supposed to be pushing him to face this?
How did he intimidate her so easily?
This time, Jessica didn't back down. She spun his chair around so he had no choice but to look at her.
"What about the citizens who voted for you? What happens to them if you don't go?" Jessica tried to make him acknowledge the weight of his new position.
He wasn't just a masked vigilante anymore.
If he took the oath, he would become the first superhero President of the United States.
"And what happens to New York if I do?" Bruce countered, meeting her gaze.
"I have no thoughts about the president. I'm not a politician, nor am I a soldier. I'm just a criminal."
Bruce turned his chair back around and resumed analyzing New York's problems.
Bruce's mission was to eliminate criminals completely.
Jessica watched his back.
"But you're Batman," she said, her voice filled with emotion as she spoke to Bruce's back.
Perhaps Jessica's words had the desired effect—Bruce's hand, which had been switching between surveillance cameras, suddenly stopped.
"If you were the President of the United States, you would put an end to all of this, wouldn't you?"
"You have the power to mobilize enough people to resolve every issue at hand." Seeing that Bruce might be wavering, Jessica immediately continued speaking.
"If you want to eradicate crime, you can't just eliminate criminals." Jessica turned Batman around once more, locking eyes with him intently. "Aside from pure evil itself, crime exists because the conditions for it to thrive still remain."
"Now is the best time for you to change everything."
Jessica's impassioned speech, however, had no apparent effect on Bruce.
He simply knew what needed to be done.
He turned away.
Jessica thought all her words had been in vain.
But the next moment, what she saw took her by surprise.
Bruce had already accessed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s communication channel.
Or rather, at this moment, he had entered a private communication line.
"Carol Danvers."
A deep voice echoed in Carol's ear.
At that moment, Carol was on the verge of exploding due to Batman's disappearance.
The United States could afford to go through a special election under these exceptional circumstances.
For now, people still had faith in the U.S. government. But if Batman failed to take office formally, it could completely shatter that faith.
It could even lead to the collapse of trust.
Even in this moment, Carol did her best to remain composed.
"It's me. How can I help?"
"Announce to the entire United States that in three minutes, I will take the oath of office." Bruce's words were concise, leaving no room for unnecessary details.
He simply issued his command to Carol.
"Excuse me, but—"
"I am Batman."
The communication was abruptly cut off.
Carol was overwhelmed with emotion—she was so thrilled she could almost cry.
If that damn bat had been in front of her right now, she might have just kissed him.
This was nothing short of a miracle.
The only tricky part was that the new president planned to take his oath in just three minutes.
But compared to the possibility of having no president at all, this seemed like a much simpler problem.
"Mobilize everyone! I want the inauguration stage set up in three minutes! And get the press there!" Carol barked orders at the agents outside.
At the same time, she was already coordinating with the Ultimate Team.
The new president's inauguration was something they absolutely needed to be informed about.
"You're just going like that?" Jessica was stunned when she saw Bruce, still dressed in his Batsuit, getting into the Batmobile.
Shouldn't he at least change into something else?
But Bruce showed no such intention.
"Keep an eye on New York. I'll be back soon." With that, Bruce sped off in the Batmobile, roaring out of the Batcave.
"Alright, alright," Jessica muttered helplessly, tilting her head back to stare at the ceiling, where a giant bat symbol loomed.
"Looks like it's just you and me now."
"Whoever marries a man like that is going to have a hell of a time."
(End of chapter)
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