After the opening logos, leaves start falling and we hear a voiceover.
BRUCE WAYNE (VO)
There was a time above... A time before...
The camera pans up, two coffins are being carried to a crypt.
BRUCE WAYNE (VO)
There were perfect things. Diamond absolutes.
But things fall... Things on Earth...
Cut to another angle, a mansion is seen in the distance, and three people are ahead of the coffins: an elderly man, a British guy with a hat (ALFRED PENNYWORTH) and a boy....
BRUCE WAYNE (VO)
And what falls is fallen.
...who just before entering the crypt starts running.
ALFRED
Master Wayne. Bruce! Bruce, are you alright.
As young Bruce Wayne pa**es by tombstones, he enters a nearby forest. Cut to black..
OPENING CREDITS
Scenes of Bruce Wayne running through the woods and eventually falling down an open trapdoor are intercut with the events that lead to the funeral, where outside a screening of Zorro Bruce's parents THOMAS and MARTHA WAYNE are shot by a mugger.
THOMAS
Martha...
In the underground cave, Bruce sees an enormous group of bats hanging from a nearby cave. They wake up and fly in his direction. Eventually Bruce calms down, is surrounded, and starts floating towards the open trapdoor as the circle of bats fly towards there. As the screen turns to white, the voiceover returns. .
BRUCE WAYNE (VO)
In the dream they took me to the light. A beautiful lie.
Letters appear reading.
METROPOLIS - MANKIND IS INTRODUCED TO SUPERMAN
BRUCE WAYNE
- Jack.
JACK
- Bruce.
BRUCE WAYNE
Jack, listen to me. I want you to get everyone out of the building. Right now. You understand?
Let's go. Come on, start moving now, people.Let's go. The boss wants us out of the building.So, let's make it happen.
Jack.
Jack!
AUTOMATED MESSAGE
We're sorry. All services are busy now. Will you please try your call again later.
Heaven god.
Creator of heaven and earth.
Have mercy on my soul.
JACK!!!
WALLACE
Mr. Wayne! Mr. Wayne! I can't feel my legs. I can't feel my legs.
BRUCE WAYNE
We need help over here!
WALLACE
Help me. I can't feel my legs.
BRUCE WAYNE
You're going to be okay, you hear me? Wallace. What do they call you, Wally? Huh?
WALLACE
You're the boss, Boss.
BRUCE WAYNE
Alright. You're going to be okay.
WALLACE
Easy, easy. Come on. Oh my god. I can't feel my legs. I can't... I can't feel my legs.
Bruce sees a girl about to be crushed by falling debris, and saves her.
BRUCE WAYNE
It's okay. You're going to be okay. You're okay, alright. Huh. Okay, you know what? We're going to find your mom. Where is she?
The girl points at a destroyed skyscraper, Bruce hugs her.
18 MONTHS LATER
NAIROBI, AFRICA
LOIS LANE
Are you a terrorist, general?
GENERAL AMAJAGH
They did not tell me the interview was with a lady.
LOIS LANE
I'm not a lady, I'm a journalist.
GENERAL AMAJAGH
What I am, is a man with nothing, except a love of my people.
Uh, don't open...
You just exposed...
LOIS LANE
Who's paying for these security contractors, general?
GENERAL AMAJAGH
Who pays for the drones that pa**ed over our heads at night? One question begs another.
Yes?
CIA. They're tracking us.
No!
Not her. We just used her credentials as cover.
She doesn't know anything.
It's okay, Lois.
LOIS LANE
I... I didn't know.
GENERAL AMAJAGH
Ignorance is not the same... as innocence. Miss Lane.
Get up!
Stand up!
Move out!
Take 1 step, you will see the inside of her head.
The women in the village heard a noise. Like the sky crack open. He came down, so many dead. Even worse came after. The government attacked. No mercy in the villages. My parents tried to run...
SENATOR FINCH
The world has been so caught up with what Superman can do, that... no one has asked what he should do. Let the record show that this committee holds him responsible.
He'll never answer to you. He answers to no one. Not even I think, to god.
- Hey.
- Hey.
LOIS LANE
I was going to cook. Surprise you.
They held hearings about what happened.
They're saying that...
CLARK KENT
I don't care. I don't care what they're saying. The woman I love could have been blown up or shot.
LOIS LANE
Think of what could have happened.
Well, think about what did happen. I didn't k** those men if
that's what they think.
If that's what you're saying?
I'm saying I want to understand what happened.
LOIS LANE
I'm saying, thank you for saving my life. I'm saying there's a cost. I just don't know if it's possible.
Don't know what's possible? For you to love me and be you.
LOIS LANE
Clark, you're going to flood the apartment.
Mmm-hmm.
There has been a report of screaming at location 1939 Harbor Way. Possible shots fired.
Go.
It saved us.
A devil.
It's okay.
It's okay.
We're-We're going to help.
It saved us.
Okay, we're going to
get you out of here.
Okay?
It's still here.
I - I don't understand.
AH!
Christ!
I saw him.
I never saw him before.
I didn't know...
You almost took my face off.
How about you don't shoot
the good guys, huh?
Oh.
Jesus Christ.
He branded him.
Still working.
BRUCE WAYNE
You're getting slow in your old age, Alfred.
ALFRED
It comes to us all, master Wayne. Even you got too old to die young, and not for lack of trying.
Alfred grabs the in-helmet microphone.
ALFRED
[distorted voice] Funnel, fairy, bubblebath. Funnel, fairy, bubblebath. [normally, to Bruce] There's nothing wrong
with the microphone.
BRUCE WAYNE
It's this new layer or armor. I'll just have to rewire.
ALFRED
So... last night was productive?
BRUCE WAYNE
Nope. He's too low level, he knew nothing. This, is a man who knows things. Anatoli Knyazev. He's Russian. Contracts all over the globe but he's base out of the port of Gotham. Weapons and human trafficking.
ALFRED
So, the "White Portuguese" is a Russian, that's the theory.
BRUCE WAYNE
No. The theory is that the Russian lead me to the man himself.
ALFRED
If he is indeed a him. You don't know if he exist. He could be a phantasm.
BRUCE WAYNE
One that wants to bring a dirty bomb into Gotham?
ALFRED
Ah, high state front. New rules.
BRUCE WAYNE
We're criminals, Alfred. We've always been criminals, nothing's changed.
ALFRED
Oh. Yes it has, sir. Everything's change. Men fall from the sky.
And gods hurl thunderbolts. Innocents die. That's how it starts. The fever, the rage, the feeling of... powerlessness
that turns good men... cruel.
Justice turn dark across the harbor when police found an alleged s** trafficker apparently tortured and branded by the Gotham bat.
The man is the second criminal found baring the bat brand.
The first victim, an accused child predator later was a**aulted in prison and remains in critical care from his injuries.
One source tells Metropolis, that many believed the mark of the Bat brand in prison essentially is a d**h sentence.
In other news, the mayor has announced that Metroplis...
Frank, your D!
(Defense)
Woo.
LEX LUTHOR
Ah! A hoi hoi. I didn't know you were here.
- Man on the marquee.
LEX LUTHOR
Stop, don't believe it. My father named the company after himself. He was the Lex in front of the Corp.
- Hi, how are you doing?
Oh, really great.
Really great?
Good. Good.
LEX LUTHOR
Uh. Follow me. You know, Dad was born in east Germany. He grew up eating uh... stale crackers. And every other Saturday,
he had to march in a parade and waved flowers at tyrants. So, I think it was providence that his son, me, would end up with this. One of my rebuild Metropolis crews found it. A little souvenir from the Kryptonian World Engine.
SENATOR FINCH
What's a rock have to do with Homeland Security?
LEX LUTHOR
Homeland Security? Mmm. No, no, no... ma'am. Planetary Security. The fragment is of a radioactive xenomineral. We suspected it might have bio interactions, so, we took the sample to AMRIID. Where they keep the remains of the Kryptonian decedent. And, when we exposed general Zod to the mineral, this happened. Profound biodegradation, decaying Kryptonian cells. We concluded the mineral could be weaponized, if a large enough sample was found. And then, among the fishes, a whale! Lying at the bottom of the Indian Ocean Emerald City. Beautiful. Now, Rocky is radioactive, but,
what he needs from you is an import license.
SENATOR FINCH
And why would we want to weaponize this material?
LEX LUTHOR
As a deterrent. A silver bullet to keep in reserve to use against the Kryptonians. So, the day doesn't come, Madame. When your children are waving daisies at a reviewing stand.
SENATOR FINCH
Last I looked, the only one of those flying around up here was Superman.
LEX LUTHOR
Ha. Yes, Superman. Yeah, but, there are... there are more of them.
SENATOR FINCH
The meta-human thesis.
LEX LUTHOR
Yes, the meta-human thesis. More likely than not. These exceptional beings live among us. The bases of our myths. Gods among men upon our... our little blue planet here. You don't have to use the silver bullet, but, if you forge one... Well, then... We don't have to depend upon the kindness of monsters.
Sir.
Get down.
Sir, I said, get down, now!
Can we get some backup here?
Hey. Hey.
Don't do it!
HEY!
Lois.
Crime Lab, on 3.
This is Lane.
Kent, you're sports today. I want you to follow up on the football. "Underdog dreams dashed 10 yards between Gotham and glory."
Hey.
Are you guys watching this?
Emergency responders quickly created a precautionary perimeter around Heroes Park while they brought the man down from this beloved monument. The suspect has been identified as Wallace Vernon Keefe.
I work for Bruce Wayne!
I work for Bruce Wayne!
There'll be arraign on charges of vandalism, resisting arrest
FALSE GOD - and a felony charge of making terrorist threats
that carries up to 40 years in prison.
Poor son of a b**h.
- Jenny.
- Mm?
Headline. "End of love affair with man in the sky?"
Okay. There're ways we can help each other.
Ah.
Could you step into my office here?
Yes!
What's your wish list?
Uh.
Access to the wreck of the crashed Kryptonian ship.
Done.
The complete remains of the dead alien for testing.
You want Zod's body?
Okay.
It's cherry.
- Show him what you got!
- Dude, let's go!
Make sure to hit his left.
Come on.
Throw a punch, will you?
Let's go!
Come on!
Thank you.
The house treats luck like an insult.
Good luck for one has always gives others misfortune.
But, eventually, all accounts will be settled.
3 nights with a Bolshoi ballerina, the line was all she tell me.
Not all I'm sure.
Good evening.
DEVICE CLONING SUCCESSFUL
CLARK KENT
It's like a one man reign of terror. This bat vigilante has been consistently targeting the port and the adjacent projects and tenements. And as far as I can tell the cops are actually helping him.
PERRY WHITE
"Crime wave in Gotham." Other breaking news. "Water, wet." Did you file the football yet?
CLARK KENT
Why aren't we covering this? Poor people don't buy papers?
PERRY WHITE
People don't buy papers, period, Kent.
CLARK KENT
Perry, when you a**ign a story, you're making a choice about who matters and who's worth it.
PERRY WHITE
Good morning, Smallville. The America conscious died with Robert, Martin and John.
Sorry. Sorry. No match. My guys in the crime lab, never seen one before.
PERRY WHITE
It's called a bullet. You shoot people with it.
LOIS LANE
Recovered from the scene of the fire fight in the desert. Not sold anywhere commercially in the world, even black market.
PERRY WHITE
So?
So, who gave prototype military rounds to tribe fighters in the Sahara.
PERRY WHITE
The a**, Lois. Flight to DC tonight, a couple of days there. Go. Coach. No extra leg room. Economy plus. Coach!
LEX LUTHOR
Senator. My dad always said that, Kentucky mash was the secret to health. This was his room. I left it just the way it was. It's silly. The magical thinking of orphan boys.
SENATOR FINCH
I'm blocking the import license for your mineral.
LEX LUTHOR
The Red Capes are coming! The Red Capes are coming! You and your hearings... galloping through the streets to warn us. One, if by land. Two, if by air. Do you know the oldest lie in America, Senator? Can I call you June?
SENATOR FINCH
You can call me whatever you like. Take a bucket of piss and call it Granny's Peach Tea. Take a weapon of a**a**ination and call it deterrence. You won't fool a fly or me. I'm not going to drink it.
LEX LUTHOR
Hey, you don't think dad would mind, do you? If I change just... just one thing in this room. Because, that should be upside down. Now, we know better now, don't we? The devils don't come from hell beneath us. No. No, they come from the sky.
MARTHA WAYNE
1946 - 1981
SWANWICK
Wrong room, miss.
LOIS LANE
Secretary Swanwick, you haven't been returning my phone calls.
SWANWICK
Miss Lane, if you like an interview, Major Farris is just outside that door.
LOIS LANE
You're treating me like a stranger?
SWANWICK
I'm treating you like a reporter.
LOIS LANE
Alright. Is the US providing experimental military arms to rebels in Africa?
SWANWICK
You know with balls like yours, you belong in here. Who's your source on this? A tin foil hat?
LOIS LANE
No, not tin, but it's metal. Fired in the Superman incident. Experts at the Pentagon can't ID it. We haven't been told the truth.
SWANWICK
Here's the truth. A reporter got greedy for a scoop and went where she shouldn't have. Superman acted like some... rogue combatant to rescue her and people died. Don't invent a conspiracy theory to put back his halo. Or yours.
- Major.
- Sir.
Oh.
ALFRED
I hope the next generation of Waynes won't inherit an empty wine cellar. Not that there's likely to be a next generation...
Thank you, sir.
This is every call made
from the Russian's phone.
Two mentions of business with the "White Portuguese" and
it's continuing transmitting black out data to the personal residence of Alexandra Luthor.
You think Lex Luthor is the "White Portuguese"?
I can't see that he needs the income from imported arms. Regardless, I'll need to put a 'leech' in his house, and I'm going to need the suit.
The Bat interrogated 6 people and came away with nothing.
It was Bruce Wayne that got the information.
Well, Bruce Wayne can't break into Lex Luthor's house.
Bruce Wayne won't have to. He's been invited.
HA HA HA Joke's on you BATMAN
- That's him right there!
- There he is! Get a shot!
- Bruce, over here!
- Bruce, Bruce.
- Wayne, have a shot.
- Mr. Wayne!
- Right here, one second.
- This way, Mr. Wayne!
Who's that?
You must be new to the let them eat cake beat.
That is Bruce Wayne. Philanthropist. Bibliophile. True friend of the library of Metropolis.
Mr. Lex Luthor.
Nikki.
You're embarra**ing me.
Speech. Speech.
Uh, blah blah blah.
Open bar.
The word Philanthropist, comes from the Greek. Meaning a lover of humanity It was coined about, 2,500 years ago...
Alright, where am I going, Alfred?
Approach the elevator, to your left.
That where it must be.
It's in the service corridor in the basement.
Go down the stairs.
Prometheus went with us, and he ruined Zeus' plan to destroy man kind and for that, he was given a thunderbolt. Chooo! Hm.
That seems unfair. On the serious note, the library of Metropolis...
Down the stairs. It's the only way in, down the stairs.
But, at one time, Dad could not either. No, my father could not
afford the books, so... He had to root through the garbage
for yesterday's newspaper.
Now you got the kitchens on your right.
To the left.
Right in front of you, that's where you want to be.
May I help you, Mr. Wayne?
Uh, I just... thought the bathroom was down here. I must have... That last Martini was a... too too many, I think.
- Men's room is upstairs.
- Great, I'm okay. I like those shoes. I can't stay down here, Alfred.
ALFRED
Go upstairs and socialize. Some young lady from Metropolis will make you honest. [to himself] In your dreams, Alfred.
LEX LUTHOR
Books are knowledge, and knowledge is puff worth.And I am... Heh heh heh, no. I, umm. No, what am I? Alright, what am I suppose to say? No.The bitter sweet pain among man is having knowledge with no power. Because... Because that is paradoxical, and umm...Thank you for coming. Please, drink, it's free.
CLARK KENT
Mr. Wayne. Mr. Wayne. Clark Kent, Daily Planet.
BRUCE WAYNE
Oh, my foundation has already issued a statement in support of the... cause.
CLARK KENT
I'm sorry?
BRUCE WAYNE
Wow. Pretty girl. Bad habit. Don't quote me, alright?
CLARK KENT
What's your position on the bat vigilante in Gotham?
BRUCE WAYNE
Daily Planet. Wait, do I own this one? Or was that the other guy?
CLARK KENT
Civil liberties has been trampled on in your city. Good people living in fear.
BRUCE WAYNE
Don't believe everything you hear, son.
CLARK KENT
I've seen it, Mr. Wayne. He thinks he's above the law.
BRUCE WAYNE
The Daily Planet criticizing those who think they're above the laws. A little hypocritical, wouldn't you say? Considering every time your hero saves a cat out of a tree, you write a puff piece editorial, about an alien who, if he wanted to, could burn the whole place down. There wouldn't be a damn thing we can do to stop him.
CLARK KENT
Most of the world doesn't share your opinion, Mr. Wayne.
BRUCE WAYNE
Maybe it's the Gotham City and me, we just have a bad history with freaks dressed like clowns.
Lex Luthor arrives.
LEX LUTHOR
Boys! Mm, Bruce Wayne meets Clark Kent. Ah, I love it! I love bringing people together! How are we?
BRUCE WAYNE
Lex.
LEX LUTHOR
Hello, good. [turns to Clark, extends hand] Hi, hello. Lex. It is a pleasure... [Clark presses his hand] Ow! Wow, that is a good grip! You should, not pick a fight with this person. So, after all these years, we've finally got you over to Metropolis.
BRUCE WAYNE
Well, I thought I come drink you dry.
LEX LUTHOR
Well, you're welcome. You should hop the hub more often though, I love to show you my labs. Maybe we could, be partner on something. My R&D is up to all sorts of no good.
TRANSFER COMPLETE
- That's 7 minutes.
Look likes the transfer's complete.
- Mr. Luthor.
- Yes.
- The governor.
- Governor.
- Excuse me.
- Next time.
- Governor, hi.
- Lex, it's good to see you.
"... A deadly factory fire has interrupted the Day of the Dead celebration in Juarez."
Excuse me.
"I can't believe they're going to let that poor girl die."
We, as a population on this planet, have been looking for a savior. 90% of people believe in a higher power. And every religion believes in some sort messianic figure. And when this savior character actually comes to Earth, we want to make him abide by our rules? We have to understand that this is a paradigm shift. We have to start thinking beyond politics. Are there any moral constraints on this person? We have international law.
On this Earth, every act is a political act. Is it really surprising, that the most powerful man in the world should be a figure of controversy? To have an individual engaging in the state level interventions should give us all pause.
Human beings have a horrible track record of following people with great power, down paths that lead to huge human monstrosities. We have always created icons in our own image. What we've done is we project ourselves on to him.
The fact is, maybe he's not some sort of devil or Jesus character. Maybe he's just a guy trying to do the right thing.
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON
Were talking about a being whose very existence challenges our own sense of priority in the universe. If you go back to Copernicus, where he restored the sun and the center of the known universe, displacing Earth. And you get to Darwinian evolution and you find out, we're not special on this Earth we're just one among other life forms. And now we learned, that we're not even special in the entire universe because there is Superman. There he is, an alien, among us. We're not alone.
Are you, as a United State Senator, personally comfortable saying to a grieving parent, "Superman could've saved your child, but on principle we did not want him to act."
I'm not saying he shouldn't act. I'm saying he shouldn't act unilaterally.
What are we talking about here then?
Must there be a Superman?
There is.
Keefe, you made bail.
Open Two.
Who paid?
Who the hell are you?
- Just a man.
- Yeah?
Well, what do you want?
To help you stand for something.
Your 3 o'clock's here.
He made me half a man. Let me face him.
So, I logged into your Dropbox to find a copy. There's a copy, alright. But, nothing about football. Nothing about... Friends of the Metropolis Library, just...
PERRY WHITE
The god damn Gotham bat thing, I told you not to pursue.
The police won't help, the press has to do the right thing.
You don't get to decide what the right thing is.
CLARK KENT
When the Planet was founded, it stood for something, Perry.
PERRY WHITE
So could you, if it was 1938, but it's not 1938. WPA aren't hiring no more. Apples don't cost a nickel. Not in here. Not out there. You drop this thing. Nobody cares about Clark Kent taking on the Batman.
It's the sword of Alexander. It's the blade that cut the Gordian Knot. It's a triumph.
Yes.
- Enjoy.
Thank you.
As Diana stares at the sword, Bruce comes from behind her.
BRUCE WAYNE
It's a fake. The real was sold in '98 on the black market. Now it hangs...
DIANA
Over the bed of the Sultan of Hajar.
BRUCE WAYNE
Excuse me. Excuse me, Miss. The other night, you took something that doesn't belong to you. Stealing's not polite.
DIANA
Is it stealing if you steal from another thief?
BRUCE WAYNE
Who are you?
DIANA
Someone interested in the same man you are.
BRUCE WAYNE
Is that right?
DIANA
I believe Mr. Luthor has a photo that belongs to me.
BRUCE WAYNE
Did you get it?
DIANA
As it happens, no, I didn't. The data you copied is military grade encryption.
BRUCE WAYNE
You know. I bet with that dress 9 out of 10 men would let you get away with anything.
DIANA
But, you're the 10th.
BRUCE WAYNE
Mmm. I guess I am the first, to see through that babe in the woods act. You don't know me, but, I've known a few women like you.
DIANA
Oh, I don't think you've ever known a woman like me. You know, it's true what they say about little boys: Born with no natural inclination to share. I didn't steal your drive. I borrowed it. You'll find it in the glove compartment of your car. Mr. Wayne.
Diana walks away.
Cut to BATCAVE
[ INITIATING DECRYPTION ]
DECRYPTING [01%]
DECRYPTING [02%]
Did you get it?
The rock?
Yeah, we got it.
LEXCORP
I'm sorry.
Get down!
Get down! Now!
NOOOOO!
SUPERMAN
She was my world. And you took her from me.
GGAAHHHHH!
FLASH
Bruce! Bruce! Listen to me now! It's Lois! It's Lois Lane! She's the key! Am I too soon? DAMN! I'm too soon! You're right about him! You've always been right about him! Fear him! Fear him! Find us, Bruce! You have to find us... find us...!
Bruce awakes. It's was all a dream.
DECRYPTING [100%]
[ DECRYPTION COMPLETE ]
BAT BRAND OF JUSTICE!
HUMAN TRAFFICKER GETS
THE MARK OF BATMAN
LEX
CORP
WHITE PORTUGUESE
JUDGE
Jury
EXECUTIONER
JUSTICE?
WHITE PORTUGUESE harbored in - Gotham
WHITE PORTUGUESE
BRUCE WAYNE
The "WHITE PORTUGUESE" is not a man.
It's a ship.
ALFRED
Master Wayne. Since the age of 7, you have been to the art of deception as Mozart to the harpsichord. But you've never been too hot of lying to me.
BRUCE WAYNE
The WHITE PORTUGUESE isn't carrying a dirty bomb.
ALFRED
What is it carrying?
BRUCE WAYNE
It's a weapon. It's a rock. A minerals, capable of
weakening Kryptonian cells. The first sample big enough to mean something turned up in the Indian Ocean 3 months ago. It is now aboard the White Portuguese being delivered to Lex Luthor. Who I am going to steal it from. To keep it out of Luthor's hands.
ALFRED
To destroy it.
BRUCE WAYNE
No.
ALFRED
You're going to go to war?
BRUCE WAYNE
That son of a b**h brought the war to us, 2 years ago. Jesus, Alfred. Count the dead. Thousands of people. What's next? Millions? He has the power to wipe out the entire human race and If we believe there even a 1% chance that he is our enemy, we have to take it as an absolute certainty. And we have to destroy him.
ALFRED
But, he is not our enemy.
BRUCE WAYNE
Not today. 20 years in Gotham, Alfred. We've seen what promises are worth. How many good guys are left. How many stay that way.
Cut to Daily Planet
PERRY WHITE
Kent, I want to talk to you. Kent! Where does he go? Where does he go, Jenny?
JENNY
I don't-I don't know.
PERRY WHITE
Clicks his heels 3 times, goes back to Kansas I suppose. Son of a...
LOIS LANE
I don't have a halo over me, Mr. secretary. I went into the desert, people died. It keeps me awake. It should!
If you think Superman is a murderer then throw it away. But, I don't believe you think that.
WHITE PORTUGUESE
LEXCORP Industries
Move out!
Go, go, go, go!
Harpoon
Noooo!
Where is he?
SUPERMAN
Next time they shine your light in the sky, on't go to it. The Bat is dead. Bury it. Consider this mercy.
Superman starts to walk away.
BATMAN
Tell me. [Superman looks at Batman] Do you bleed?
Superman flies away as Batman keeps staring at him.
BATMAN
You will.
SEARCHING FOR TRANSPONDER SIGNAL
LEXCORP RESEARCH PARK
How do we determine what's good?
In a democracy, good is a conversation not a unilateral decision. So, I urge Superman, to come to this hearth of the people tomorrow. To see those who have suffered.The world needs to know what happened in that desert. And to know what he stands for. How far will he take his power. Does he act by our will, or by his own.
MARTHA KENT
People hate what they don't understand. But they see what you do, and they know who you are.You're not a k**er. A threat?I never wanted this world to have you.
Be their hero, Clark. Be their monument. Be their angel. Be anything they need you to be.Or be none of it. You don't owe this world a thing.You never did.
CIA thinks the desert was a setup. Somebody wanted Superman to look guilty.
The bullet?
The metal was developed by a private company.
What company?
LEXCORP.
Lex Luthor?
He also had private security contractors in the desert compound.
Go on record.
Not a chance. It's cla**ified. I happen to like my job.
It doesn't make sense.
You said that the ambush was arranged to frame Superman,
but how could they know that he'll show up in the...
...in the middle of the desert.
Thank you.
Alright, come on through.
The Senate hearing is expected
to get under way in any minute now.
Of course the big unknown
in all of this is:
Will Superman show up? That is
what they're really waiting to see.
Mr. Keefe. Mr. Keefe.
Soledad O'Brien "In the Moment"
Quick question for you.
You're heading in to meet with the
senators. What would you tell them?
Um. I've come here
to tell them to wake up.
This is flesh and blood. He's delivered a war here. And this... This is what war looks like.
I have nothing.
There are plenty of people, sir, who would say he's their hero.
He is not a hero!
Grace can you get Greg up here please, right now.
Senator!
Hi, you.
Don't go anywhere.
I want to talk to you.
You know what, Mercy? You go in and...make sure no one takes my seat.
So, what'd you been up to?
I'm just here to tell my story.
That I was willing to finance a Kryptonian deterrent, but a certain junior Senator from Kentucky decided to block it.
Yes, the Chair of the Committee on Superman is soft on security.
Greg, why hasn't he been getting our checks?
He is, Mr. Wayne. He gets a check from the victims fund every month.
BRUCE WAYNE, OPEN YOUR EYES
- He returns them.
An employee of Wayne financial who lost both his legs in those horrific events in Metropolis that happened 2 years ago.
Bruce, NO TRUCE
- Jesus.
- B WAYNE, I HAUNT YOU
- BRUCE WAYNE = BLIND
Why haven't I seen this?
I'm sorry.
I'll get to the bottom of it.
And there he is.
Superman is here. He's actually at the United States Capitol. This is really a historic moment.
Nor we expect that Superman would give some kind of a statement to the Senate to the American people, and of course to the world.
He's here.
He came.
- He's above the Capitol.
LEX LUTHOR
Ow. You are going to be on the hot seat in there, June bun.
SENATOR FINCH
I grew up on a farm. I know how to wrestle a pig.
LEX LUTHOR
Do you know the oldest lie in America, Senator? It's that power can be innocent. Good luck. Freddy, good to go.
Cut to OUTSIDE THE CAPITOL
- SUPERMAN=ILLEGAL ALIEN
- THIS IS OUR WORLD, NOT YOURS!
- EARTH BELONGS TO HUMANS
- GOD HATES ALIENS
GET OUT!
GET OUT!
GET OUT!
Another one came this morning, Mr. Wayne.
Cut to: SENATE
Superman enters the room walking, to everyone's shock. He goes to the defendant's post.
SENATOR FINCH
Let me say at the outset that I am grateful to our witness for coming before us today.
Superman notes Wallace Vernon Keefe on the corner.
SENATOR FINCH
This is how a democracy works. We talk to each other. We act by the consent of the govern, sir, I have sat here before to say that shadow interventions will not tolerate by this Committee.
notes Lex is absent.
SENATOR FINCH
Neither will lies. Because today is a day for truth. Because only by speaking...
The senator notes a suspicious jar with a yellow liquid in her desk. Her sudden pause startles the other senators.
SENATOR FINCH
Only by working... together, can we... can we...can we... Can we create a free and a...
She turns the jar, it is labeled "GRANNY'S PEACH TEA". Once June notes Lex Luthor's chair is empty, her shock enhances.
Oh, my God!
Cut to WAYNE ENTERPRISES
As Bruce sees the destruction on a wall of monitors, he opens the envelope. Inside there's a newspaper "WAYNE TOWER DEVASTATED" with red text written on it, "YOU LET YOUR FAMILY DIE". Bruce gets angry. Cut to black.
LEXCORP
Capitol Police are confirming to CNN that the suspected bomber is Wallace Vernon Keefe.
Now these sources also say...
Clarke, it's me again.
Can you...
gotten explosive device into the hearing by concealing them inside his wheelchair. As for Superman, he was in the room, but obviously failed to stop him.
SUPERMAN
I didn't see it, Lo. Standing right there and I didn't see it.
LOIS LANE
Clark, there are people behind this.
SUPERMAN
I'm afraid I didn't see it because I wasn't looking. All this time. I've been living my life the way my father saw it. Mending wrongs for a ghost. Thinking I'm here to do good. Superman was never real. It's just a dream of a farmer from Kansas.
LOIS LANE
That farmer's dream is all some people have. It's all that gives them hope. [points at Superman's chest] This means something.
SUPERMAN
It did on my world. My world doesn't exist anymore.
LEX LUTHOR
Wel.. Wel... come... Welcome. an*lysis revealing ship operating at 37% efficiency.Would you, like to a**ume command?
LEX LUTHOR
Yes, I would. Yes, I would.
SHIP PA
Very well. Let's begin.
The Kryptonian archives contains knowledge from 100,000 different worlds.
LEX LUTHOR
Good. Teach me.
Lex Luthor
METAHUMAN
Subject: WW
2012CentralIMPOR SURVEILLANCEMBANK
22 JUNE 2015, CAMERA 01
Paris, France
RECORDED DATA
BELGIUM, NOVEMBER 1918
BELGIUM, NOVEMBER 1918
Alexander Luthor, your security override has been accepted.
Genesis Chamber ready to an*lyze genetic sample.
Acknowledging presence of genetic material.
an*lyzing.
I've identified the host as General Zod of Kandor.
Acknowledging presence of foreign genetic material.
- Oh.
- an*lyzing.
LEX LUTHOR
[to Zod's corpse] You flew too close to the sun. Now look at you.
SHIP PA
Advising. Action forbidden. It is been decreed by the Council of Krypton that none will ever again give life to a deformity so hateful to sighted memory. The desecration without name.
LEX LUTHOR
And where is the Council of Krypton?
SHIP PA
Destroyed, sir.
LEX LUTHOR
Then proceed.
SHIP PA
Very well. Preparing chrysalis and commencing metamorphosis.
"And so, we are left to wonder,
" If Superman was aware of the threat and did nothing,"was he then complicit in the Capitol tragedy?"
Still no Kent?
"His disappearance raises questions."
No.
"How could he simply have disappearedat a time when we, as a nation,need him more than ever?"
WAS SUPERMAN INVOLVED?
Burn him!
Burn him!
PA KENT
Something, isn't it? We met Kansas, live on a pancake so we come to the mountains. All downhill from here.Down to the flood plain. The farm is at the bottom of the world. I remember one season water came bad. I couldn't been 12. Dad had out the shovels and we went at it all night. We worked until I think I fainted. But we managed to stop the water. We saved the farm. Your grandma baked me a cake. She said I was a hero. Later that day we found out. We blocked the water, alright, we sent it upstream. All alike farm washed away. While eating my hero cake, their horses were drowning. I used to hear them wailing in my sleep.
SUPERMAN
Did the nightmares ever stop?
PA KENT
Yeah. When I met your mother. She gave me faith that there is good in this world. She was my world. I miss you, son.
SUPERMAN
I miss you too, Dad.
ALFRED
You know you can't win. It's suicide.
BRUCE WAYNE
I'm older now than my father ever was. This maybe the only thing I do that matters.
ALFRED
20 years of fighting criminals amount to nothing?
BRUCE WAYNE
Criminals are like weeds, Alfred. Pull 1 up, another
grows in it's place. This is about the future of the world. It's my legacy. You know, my father sat me down, right here. Told me what Wayne manor was built of. Railways, real estates and oil. The first generation made their fortune trading with the French. Pelts and skins. They were hunters. We got to wait for more evidence, but the question still remains, where is he?
If Superman was not involved, If he's got nothing to hide, then why hasn't he been seen since the day of this tragedy?
Look, you can't...
The knight is here.
Excuse me.
Don't I know you...
Plain lo, in the morning
Lola in slacks.
LEX LUTHOR
Lois Lane. Mmm. Come see the view. Now, the secret is the height. It's the building material. It's light metals, which... sway a bit in the wind. And you know something about LEXCORP metals, don't you, Miss Lane?
I've proven what you've done.
Wow, you're feisty. Unfortunately, that will blow away. Like sand in the desert.
You're psychotic.
LEX LUTHOR
That is a three syllable word for any thought too big for little minds. Next category: Circles. Round and round and round they go to find Superman. Wrong category, boy. No, not triangles. Yes, Euclidean triangle inequality. The shortest distance between any 2 points is a straight path. And I believe the swiftest path to Superman... is a pretty little road. Mmm, called Lois Lane.
LOIS LANE
Aahhhhhh!!
On the way down, Superman catches Lois and flies her to safety on the ground.
LOIS LANE
You came back. You came back.
Superman then flies to heliport. Lex is awaiting sitting around an alarm clock.
LEX LUTHOR
Boy, do we have problems up here! The problem of, of evil in the world. The problem of absolute virtue.
SUPERMAN
I'll take you in without breaking you. Which is more than you deserve.
LEX LUTHOR
The problem of you on top of everything else. You above all. Ah. 'Cause that's what God is. Horus. Apollo. Jehovah. Kal-El. Clark Joseph Kent. See. What we call God depends upon our tribe, Clark Jo. Because God is tribal. God takes sides. No man in the sky intervened when I was a boy to deliver me from Daddy's fist and abominations. Mm mm. I've figured it out way back, if God is all powerful, he cannot be all good. And if he's all good then he cannot be all powerful. And neither can you be. They need to see the fraud you are. With their eyes. The blood on your hands.
SUPERMAN
What have you done?
LEX LUTHOR
And tonight they will. Yes. Because you, my friend, have a date! Across the bay. Ripe fruit, his hate. 2 years growing. But it did not take much to push him over actually. Little red notes, big bang. You let your family die! And now, you will fly to him, and you will battle him, to the d**h. Black and Blue. Fight night! The greatest gladiator match in the history of the world. God vs man. Day vs night.
Son of Krypton vs Bat of Gotham.
SUPERMAN
You think I'll fight him for you?
LEX LUTHOR
Yes, I do. I think you'll fight, fight, fight for that special lady in your life.
SUPERMAN
She's safe on the ground. How about you?
LEX LUTHOR
Close, but I'm not talking about Lois. No. Every boy's special lady is his mother.
Lex starts showing pictures of a restrained Martha Kent.
LEX LUTHOR
Huh! Martha, Martha, Martha. The mother of a flying demon
must be a witch. The punishment for witches, what is that? That's right. d**h by fire.
SUPERMAN
Where is she?
LEX LUTHOR
I don't know! I wouldn't let them tell me! If you k** me, Martha dies. And if you fly away, Martha also dies. But if you k** the Bat... Martha lives. There we go. There we go. And now God, bends to my will. Now the cameras are waiting at your ship.
For the world to see the holes in the holy. Yes, the all mighty comes clean about how dirty he is when it counts. To save Martha, bring me the head of the Bat. Mother of God, would you look at the time. When you came here, you had an hour. Now it's less.
CNN's Brooke Baldwin is on the scene.
Brooke, you're live on the air.
What do you see?
There's something happening at the ship.
It's sending ma**ive power surges.
The police created a barricade around this containment center.
And we're trying to get a little bit closer here to find out what's going on. It is absolute chaos. You can see that lightning. Those surges are like increasing and they seem to be getting stronger by the minute.
LOIS LANE
Daily Planet. Lois.
SUPERMAN
I have to go to Gotham to convince him to help me.
LOIS LANE
Who?
SUPERMAN
Or he has to die.
LOIS LANE
Clark.
SUPERMAN
No one stays good in this world.
Metropolis in the dark /
power surges from ship
Wayne, Bruce Boys Share Too
Cracked Luthor's Drive found your photography. But it doesn't belong to you. ...it IS you.
Who are you?
Where have you been?
Lex Corp - Meta Human Research
Lex Corp - Meta Human Research
Open Attachment
Subject: FL
Surveillance camera
Subject: AQ
TONGA TRENCH (21,582 FT)
TONGA TRENCH (21,582 FT)
PROPERTY OF US UUV ALPHA 1
TONGA TRENCH (21,702 FT)
PROPERTY OF US UUV ALPHA 2
Subject: CY
Laboratory 03 - PROPERTY TES S.T.A.R.
2400 hours and 2 minutes.
Subject declining rapidly.
All procedural interventions have failed.
Outcome...
would be d**h.
Dr. Silas Stone suspending
all clinical protocol.
US Gov object 6-19-82
is successfully activated.
I need a chopper to Gotham.
Call the heliport.
Chopper?
We can barely afford a bicycle.
You want to chase a story?
Go to the ship.
Superman's probably there already.
Perry, it's not for a story.
Jenny, get her a chopper to Gotham.
And forget the heliport, put her on the god damn roof.
On the roof, Lois!
Where're we headed?
There!
Well.
Here I am.
Bruce.
Please
I was wrong.
You have to listen to me.
Lex wants us...
SUPERMAN
You don't understand. There's no time!
BATMAN
I understand.
SUPERMAN
Stay down! If I wanted it,you'd be dead already!
BATMAN
Breathe in. That's fear. You're not brave. Men are brave. I bet your parents taught you, that you mean something. That you're here for a reason. My parents taught me a different lesson. Dying in the gutter. For no reason at all. They taught me the world only makes sense, if you force it to. You were never a god. You are never even a man.
SUPERMAN
You're letting him... k** Martha.
BATMAN
What does that mean? Why did you say that name?
SUPERMAN
Find him! Save...Martha.
BATMAN
Martha.
Batman has a flashback to the tomb reading "MARTHA WAYNE 1946 - 1981
SUPERMAN
Martha.
BATMAN
WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?
SUPERMAN
Martha!
BATMAN
Why did you say that name?
LOIS LANE
Clark! Stop! Please! Stop!
BATMAN
Why did you say that name?
LOIS LANE
It's his mother's name. It's his mother's name.
We're no getting any answers. We're stil right outside the containment center. A dangerous situation.Military and police personnel surrounding the area.
SUPERMAN
Luthor. He wanted your life for hers. She's losing time.
LOIS LANE
The scout ship seems to be drawing power from the city.
It's got to be Lex.
BATMAN
They need you at that ship. I'll find her.
SUPERMAN
My mother needs me.
BATMAN
Wait! I'll make you a promise. Martha won't die tonight.
ALFRED
Master Wayne.
BATMAN
Alfred.
ALFRED
Uh, I'm sorry for listening in. But I've tracked the Russian's phone to a warehouse near the port. You're locked on to it.
I'm afraid, this is goodbye.
I heard everytime we say goodbye, you die a little.
Go!
Go!
You got to take it, Alfred.
Ah.
Right.
Commencing drone mode.
ALFRED
Thermal imaging is showing me two dozen hostiles on the third floor. Why don't I drop you off on the second?
ANATOLI
Drop it. I said, drop it! I'll k** her. Believe me, I'll do it!
BATMAN
I believe you.
Batman shoots the tank of Anatoli's flamethrower, making him drop Martha as he starts to burn alive. Batman embraces Ma Kent to ensure she doesn't catch fire.
BATMAN
It's okay. I'm a friend of your son.
MARTHA KENT
I figured. The cape.
LEX LUTHOR
"Late, late", says the White Rabbit.
SHIP PA
30 seconds to animation.
LEX LUTHOR
Right, rabbit? Hmm. Out of tricks. Out of time. And 1 bat head short.
SHIP PA
20 seconds to animation.
LEX LUTHOR
Ah. That will be the cook. Excuse me. [answers the phone]Ah, Gotham roast. Well done. Hello. Break the bad news.
BATMAN
I'd rather do the breaking in person.
SHIP PA
10 seconds to animation.
SUPERMAN
You lost.
LEX LUTHOR
I cannot let you win. I gave the bat a fighting chance to do it, but he was not strong enough. So, if man won't k** God, the Devil will do it!
- Perry.
PERRY WHITE
Alright. Stay calm, everybody!
We're getting reports, there are total blackouts in the north and to the northwest of the city. Federal authorities are trying to determine if this is part of a larger terrorist attack.
LEX LUTHOR
Ancient Kryptonian deformity. The blood of my blood. Born to destroy you. Your Doomsday. Now God is good... as dead.
POTUS joining.
- Mr. President.
PRESIDENT
- What the hell is it, Calvin?
These are live images from the top of the LEXCORP tower in Downtown Metropolis. Military aircraft are on the scene. This thing emerged from the Kryptonian crash site just moments ago. Thankfully the work day is over in the downtown core, it's nearly empty now.
Military aircraft
Those are Apache helicopters, they have now just arrived.
The image...
We have uh... We just lost connection with Metropolis 8 news.
Now, it's not clear what just happened.
What happening there, Alfred?
How best to describe it?
Metropolis airspace has been closed briefly.
- Excuse me.
- I kindly ask you to stay in your seats.
STEWARDESS
Excuse me? Miss Prince?
Sir.
As Doomsday roars atop a skyscraper, Superman flies from below and grabs him, flying all the way up in the sky.
Cut to: PENTAGON
Look, they cleared the city.
Looks like he's taking it into space.
CJCS
We can go straight to Key RED, Mr. President.
SWANWICK
Not yet. Are you crazy?
CJCS
They are high enough and we can nuke them with no casualties. Sir.
SWANWICK
One casualty, Mr. President. Superman.
PRESIDENT
God have mercy on us all.
Cut to: NUCLEAR SILO
- Key is hot.
- Key is hot.
SWANWICK
Red Birds, are armed to deploy, Sir.
PRESIDENT
Fire at will.
OPERATORS
3. 2. 1.
An intercontinental ballistic missile is fired. Just as Superman brings Doomsday to the upper atmosphere, the beast punches him. After falling a bit, Superman flies back and tackles Doomsday. Once he sees the missile is coming, Superman grabs Doomsday by the neck to ensure the thing is hit by the nuclear bomb.
Cut to: METROPOLIS
As the Batplane glides under a bridge, the sky gets lit.
BATMAN
Oh, God.
Once the Batplane flies higher, the blast has brightened the sky. The Daily Planet also witnesses it, and when it comes to Lois Lane watching it, something is also falling back to Earth, with great impact.
Cut to PENTAGON
Projectile 1. Impact. Stryker's Island, east of Metropolis.
That's uninhabited.
Projectile 2. No apparent re-entry.
PRESIDENT
Projectile 2?
SWANWICK
Superman, Mr. President. Projectile 2 is Superman.
Sir. It's moving.
Doomsday awakens, and spikes grow out of its body as it also ejects energy beams that surround him as a bubble. Back in the atmosphere, a lifeless Superman floats.
SWANWICK
The shock waves are getting stronger. Every time we hit it, we make it more powerful. We can't attack.
PRESIDENT
What're you saying, Calvin?
SWANWICK
I'm saying it's unk**able.
Cut to STRYKER'S ISLAND
The Batplane flies towards the charred island, and is witnessed by Doomsday. It charges a heat vision beam like Superman's and fires at the aircraft, narrowly missing as Batman flies away.
Cut to BATCAVE
Alfred is checking on the Batplane surveillance monitors.
ALFRED
Master Wayne, are you receiving me?
BATMAN
Alfred. It's Kryptonian. Only Kryptonite weapons can k** it.
ALFRED
It might, if you have any left.
BATMAN
[checking on the weapons] I only got 1 round left. The spear. Alfred, the spear. It's pure kryptonite. It's back in Gotham.
BATMAN
If I can penetrate the skin, the spear will k** it.
ALFRED
It would in theory.
BATMAN
I got to get it to chase me. Back to the city. Back to the kryptonite.
Batman turns the Batplane around, fires a minigun at Doomsday. The beast eventually starts jumping after the plane, readying the eye beams.
Cut to: UPPER ATMOSPHERE
The sunlight makes Superman heal itself and once he awakens, his eyes glow in a heat vision.
Cut to: METROPOLIS\GOTHAM SKIES
Doomsday jumps seeking the Batplane while shooting eye beams at it. One hits the wing, and the plane crashes. Once it's downed, Batman tries to leave the aircraft, but gets stuck. Doomsday then slides down a building and arrives in front of the crashed plane.
BATMAN
Oh, sh**.
As Doomsday readies his heat vision and Batman braces for impact, something jumps in front of the crashed Batplane, and absorbs the shot with no damage. Once the lights dissipate, it's revealed that it's Diana, in full WONDER WOMAN costume, her Amazonian bracelets still shining from the beam absorption. She grunts, and claps her wrists together, resulting in a sonic blast that pushes Doomsday backwards.
As Doomsday gets up again, Wonder Woman sees a shining falling from the sky. It's Superman, who tackles Doomsday into a nearby refinery. The place blows up. Batman gets out of the co*kpit and starts getting weapons from the wreckage. Wonder Woman approaches him.
WONDER WOMAN
Why did you bring him back to the city?
BATMAN
The port is abandoned. And there's a weapon here that can k** it.
After Batman grabs the shotgun and starts walking away, Superman lands in front of him.
SUPERMAN
Did you find the spear?
BATMAN
I've been a little busy.
WONDER WOMAN
This thing, this creature, seems to feed on energy.
Batman, who is loading the Kryptonite shells, and Superman, walk towards Wonder Woman.
SUPERMAN
This thing is from another world. My world.
WONDER WOMAN
I've k**ed things from other worlds before.
Superman turns to Batman.
SUPERMAN
Is she with you?
BATMAN
I thought she was with you.
The "Trinity" then strikes their battle pose, waiting for Doomsday to come.
Clark.
Clark.
Clark.
Clark.
Are you alright?
I love you.
No.
No, Clark, you can't.
This is my world.
No, Clark, don't.
You are my world.
No.
Please.
Clark!
Cut to DAILY PLANET
The latest edition has been printed. Perry White grabs one to check out. Front page reads "SUPERMAN DEAD
NIGHT OF TERROR, MORNING OF LOSS". Perry opens, page 3 has two featured stories: "Daily Planet Reporter Clark Kent k**ed Reporting Gotham Battle" and "Lex Luthor Arrested In Connection With Capitol Bombing.
Hi.
Clark had this sent here so he can surprise you.
BRUCE WAYNE
All the circuses back east, burying an empty box.
DIANA PRINCE
They don't know how to honor him. Except as a soldier.
BRUCE WAYNE
I've failed him, in life. I won't fail him in d**h. Help me find the others like you.
DIANA PRINCE
Perhaps they don't want to be found.
BRUCE WAYNE
They will. And they'll fight. We have to stand together.
DIANA PRINCE
A hundred years ago I walked away from mankind. From the century of horrors. Man made a world where standing together is impossible.
BRUCE WAYNE
Man is still good. We fight. We k**. We betray one another. But we can rebuild. We can do better. We will. We have to.
Scene of the Metropolis funeral, with the graffiti IF YOU SEEK HIS MONUMENT LOOK AROUND YOU
DIANA PRINCE
The others like me. Why did you say they'll have to fight?
BRUCE WAYNE
Just a feeling.
Cut to: PRISON
GUARD
Turn around and face the wall. Place your forehead against the wall. Put your hands behind your back, so that I can come in and restrain you.
Lights flicker. Batman suddenly appears in Lex's cell and pushes him against the wall while holding the heated Bat-iron.
BATMAN
Whatever you do. Wherever you go. I'll be watching.
LEX LUTHOR
But, the bells are already been rung, and they've heard it. Out in the dark. Among the stars. Ding dong, the God is dead.
Batman punches as the lights flicker again. Once it's lit again, he's gone and the cell wall has the Bat symbol. Lex rushes towards the closing doors and grabs the bars.
LEX LUTHOR
The bells, cannot be unrung! He's hungry. He's found us. And he's coming! Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding. Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding. Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding. Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding. Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding.
Cut to LUTHOR MANSION
As Lex continues to "ring", the FBI is inspecting his mansion. The camera closes on the demonic painting he showed to Senator Finch earlier.
Lois throws some dirt on Clark's coffin, and leaves. As they leave, the dirt atop the coffin begins to levitate.