Batman: Death in the Family (2020) Movie Script
1
[instrumental music]
[theme music]
[theme music]
[Joker laughing]
vroom
[explosion]
vroom
[explosion]
[gunfire]
[screaming]
[explosion]
vroom
vroom
(male #1)
Don't move, or I'll...
(Robin)
You'll what? Shoot me?
[groans]
- Huh?
- Hah!
- Ah!
- Uh..
[groans]
Twenty rounds a second,
and you were still too slow.
[gun cocking]
I'm not slow, punk.
- Me neither.
- I've got him.
[groans]
[grunts]
- Ah!
- Robin!
[bats screeching]
I had to take him down.
You shattered his collarbone!
He's a drug-dealing pimp.
I didn't think
I had to prop up some pillows
before I took him out.
We needed him,
he would've talked
but you put him into shock.
Sorry. That was dumb.
But he deserved it.
[boy laughing]
(young Bruce)
That movie was amazing!
Hey, dad, imagine if Zorro
came riding through Gotham
on his horse right now!
[Thomas chuckles]
(Thomas)
Well, Bruce, I'm not so sure
a masked vigilante
would be welcomed
in Gotham City.
Sadly,
they'd probably just lock
someone like Zorro in Arkham.
(Bruce)
Those were his last words to me.
Lately I've been wondering
if he was right.
I had years and you, Alfred
to help me come to terms
with the murder of my parents.
But I must have been crazy
to put Jason in the field
before he'd recovered
from his loss.
His father,
murdered by Two-Face
his mother
succumbing to illness.
His actions as Robin
are guided
by unresolved pain and anger.
He's a danger to himself,
a danger to our mission.
I have no choice.
Jason's going off active duty
immediately.
(Jason)
Fine with me.
Jason.
Jason?
vroom
[beeping]
[groaning]
[groans]
[coughs]
Wow!
That looked like it really hurt.
[Robin groaning]
[Robin groaning]
(Joker)
Whoa. Now hang on.
That looked like
it hurt a lot more.
So let's try and clear this up,
okay, pumpkin?
What hurts more?
- A or B?
- 'Ah..'
- Forehand..
- Aah.
Or backhand?
[Robin groaning]
[laughing]
[mumbles]
[mimics Robin mumbling]
A little louder, lamb chop.
I think you may have
a collapsed lung.
That always impedes the oratory.
[spits]
Ah.. Uh..
Now, that was rude.
The first Boy Blunder
had some manners.
[groaning]
I suppose I'm going
to have to teach you a lesson
so you can better follow
in his footsteps.
Nah. I'm just gonna keep
beating you with this crowbar.
[groaning]
[Joker laughing]
[laughing continues]
vroom
[door opens]
- Huh!
- Jason.
- Bruce?
- What are you doing here?
You followed me. Figures.
I was about to guess the same
of you.
But I didn't follow you to
Bosnia, I followed Ra's al Ghul.
He's got you
jumping through hoops
to marry his daughter again,
huh?
Well,
I'm on my own mission here.
- I'm tracking Joker.
- Joker? Here?
And you're tracking him alone?
You know how dangerous...
I know that he shot Barbara
through the spine!
'And I know
he didn't stop there.'
'But you only put that
waste of life back in a cell.'
Well, he's broken out, again.
And someone
had to do something...
Jason, Ra's is attempting
to build dirty bombs
that could kill thousands
with radiation poisoning.
He's here in Bosnia
buying nuclear material
from an unknown seller.
[sighs]
Joker got a hold
of stolen uranium.
I got a lead
he's selling it to terrorists.
Excellent detective work, son.
I think it's gonna take
Batman and Robin together
to close this case.
Ra's' men are trying to get
the uranium across the border.
We'll lose them
if we don't act now.
Batcycle only seats one,
you take them down
while I investigate that
warehouse we tracked Joker to.
No. Stay here. Just watch
that warehouse until I return.
- But...
- Jason, for once..
Please listen to me.
Don't go after Joker alone.
He's just too dangerous.
You read me?
Loud and clear. Just hurry back.
vroom
vroom
Okay, kiddo, I gotta go.
It's been fun though, right?
Well, maybe a smidge more fun
for me than you.
I'm just guessing,
since you're being awful quiet.
Anyway, be a good boy,
finish your homework
'and be in bed by 9:00.'
And, hey,
please tell the big man
I said "Hello."
[laughing]
[door shuts]
[laughing continues]
[grunting]
[groaning]
[grunting]
[groaning]
[grunting]
[lock rattling]
[grunting]
[thuds]
[beeping]
[beeping]
vroom
boom
[grunting]
[grunting]
No.
Jason.
(Bruce)
We save lives every day.
Strangers'.
And there's always enough time.
But for Jason..
Thank you.
But you already know
how I failed to save Jason
from this life.
What you don't know
is how I failed to save him
from the next.
In the five years
following Jason's death
I redoubled my efforts
to protect Gotham City, alone
to avoid
endangering anyone else.
As always,
Nightwing had other ideas.
The years Dick spent at my side
as the first Robin taught him..
...a little too much.
Now he has the annoying habit
of showing up
at the exact moment
I need an extra hand.
[grunting]
Or fist.
Of course, I can
never admit that to him.
It would only encourage him.
But I appreciate his loyalty..
Aah!
...his sense of family.
boom
[grunts]
[groaning]
It seems fitting
that Nightwing was there
the night it all began.
I was tracking an arms shipment
for the crime lord
called Black Mask.
Hijackers
intercepted his shipment.
We persuaded the driver
to confess
he worked
for a rival of Black Mask's
called The Red Hood.
A sniper
ended the interrogation.
Could've ended us
but he laid out the red carpet
to follow him instead.
A trap.
So I followed him
leaving Nightwing behind,
and safe.
The sniper made pursuit easy
but never allowed me
close enough to ID him.
Then he led me to the factory.
[glass shatters]
That place,
where the Red Hood died..
Stay away! It's a setup!
Aah!
...where the Joker was born.
My first great failure.
The sniper, a new Red Hood,
seemed to know all of it.
He was sending me a message.
boom
And it echoed Bosnia.
boom
I cleared my mind
by focusing on the facts.
The Amazo heist
and reports from Nightwing
showed that Red Hood
was taking over
the crime syndicates of Gotham
with deadly force.
Some of Gotham's most wanted,
slaughtered.
I had to protect the rest,
had to stop this Red Hood.
The first person to question
was the last person
I ever wanna see.
[intense music]
[Joker laughing]
I needed Nightwing to
accompany me to Arkham Asylum
to divide Joker's attention.
[laughing]
Get him to reveal a connection
to the Red Hood
and help contain..
[grunts]
[groans]
Well..
...the effort proved useless.
[Joker groans]
[laughing]
With no accomplice or base
of operations to investigate
we turned to Red Hood's
known target, Black Mask.
We staked out his latest drop
of trafficked weapons
hoping for interference.
We weren't disappointed.
boom
[electricity crackling]
[helicopter whirring]
[clamoring]
The Red Hood's ability
to evade us was irritating
but educational.
Advanced parkour,
counter-attacking on the run..
boom
...and the skill to escape
my grappling lines.
Nobody cuts my grappling lines.
Frustration made me stupid
and careless.
I dropped
right into another trap.
[beeping]
boom
Another inferno.
vroom
[train chugging]
Another escape.
Because of my choice,
my mistake
Dick was injured.
I couldn't even
look him in the eye.
Going forward,
I had to work alone.
I needed to finish this alone
to avoid repeating mistakes
and because
this was getting personal.
Knowledge of my tactics,
my history
escaping
with those damned explosions
and evidence
that he even knew my name
it all pointed
to an impossible conclusion.
But if I've learned
anything over the years
it's that the impossible
is just the unthinkable
lying in wait.
I needed to find him again,
but I wasn't the only one
hunting the Red Hood.
To flush him out, Black Mask
declared all-out war
against
Red Hood's organizations.
Gotham City
was caught in the crossfire.
[groans]
[screaming]
When I finally
caught up to him
he was barely
surviving an ambush..
[gunshots]
[groans]
...outnumbered four to one,
by high-tech assassins.
[electricity crackling]
I balanced the scales.
To protect them
and to test him
his maneuvers, his timing,
our coordination
as familiar as Jason's
when he fought
at my side as Robin.
[grunting]
[groaning]
[grunts]
[screaming]
No!
But then he crossed the line..
...just to make a damn point.
He was cleaning up Gotham
by controlling it
with deadly force
because my way didn't work.
A familiar argument.
That was the moment I knew.
Jason, the son I had lost,
had returned.
He'd been resurrected.
The body I brought home
from Bosnia five years ago
was a fake.
How could I not have
looked inside his coffin
before we buried it?
Stupid and careless.
Following his death,
I had allowed myself
a moment of weakness.
I allowed myself
to be deceived.
There was only one other person
in Bosnia
who could have pulled this off.
Ra's al Ghul.
Ra's is a formidable enemy,
but an honorable one.
He'd even tried to get me
to marry his daughter, Talia.
There was once a twisted sense
of family between us.
But that was before Bosnia..
[helicopter whirring]
...before his deal
with the Joker.
[laughing]
[thunder rumbling]
Bombing the banks of Europe
with Joker's stolen uranium
was only one part
of their bargain.
Distracting me from their deal
was another.
I thought killing Robin
was the third part.
I was wrong. Ra's had no idea
Robin was in Bosnia.
Robin's intel and backup
tipped the balance
of the mission in our favor
and teaming up
afforded us the chance
to relieve a growing disconnect
between us.
Then it happened.
It was uncharacteristic
humility for Ra's
to admit
that he underestimated Joker.
His body language,
his micro expressions
the fact
that he, too, is a father
it was clear
that Ra's was deeply grieved
by Jason's passing, as was I.
Desperate to rectify
his disservice to me
he found a way
to steal Jason's body
for submersion
in his Lazarus Pit
as it had helped him
cheat death.
Ra's used
its supernatural properties
to resurrect my son.
But the cost was high.
While the Pit
revivifies the body
its effects on the mind
are less predictable.
The process drove Jason mad.
[screaming]
He escaped the house of al Ghul
despite Ra's' efforts
to contain him.
The Lazarus Pit was obvious.
I was prepared
for that part of the story.
It was only after hearing
the rest of it
that Jason had been lost
to both of us for five years
did I realize the true reason
I confronted him.
I wanted Ra's to be responsible
for the Red Hood.
I wanted to blame someone else
for what Jason had become.
But I alone was responsible
for Jason's path.
The Red Hood was a nightmare
of my own making.
[whooshing]
I had to get back to Gotham
to stop him.
[sirens wailing]
The war in Gotham
had escalated.
Red Hood took the battle
directly to Black Mask.
[whooshing]
[glass shatters]
boom
[screaming]
And Black Mask, never one
to get his own hands dirty
broke the Joker out of Arkham
to hire him
to kill the Red Hood.
[choking]
[gunshots]
[choking]
[laughing]
Clearly, he hadn't heard
that hiring the Joker
doesn't work out well.
[Joker laughing]
[sighs]
Black Mask
quickly found himself
hoisted with his own petard
tied up
in the back of a trailer
and soaked in gasoline.
Sure enough,
Joker got Red Hood's attention.
But getting Joker
out of Arkham
was Jason's goal all along.
Black Mask was just the pawn
to make it happen.
Jason was playing
a long game of revenge
against
the entire criminal underworld
against Joker..
[whooshing]
...against me
all building
to a final confrontation.
[Joker screaming]
He captured Joker,
and summoned me to meet them.
I knew I couldn't be late.
[Joker groaning]
Never missing a chance to gain
a psychological advantage
Jason chose Crime Alley
as our meeting place
where I lost my father
and mother to a murderer..
...where I gained a son.
[thunder rumbling]
Jason wanted it all
to end that night
but I was going to save my son,
or die trying.
[whooshing]
[groans]
[screams]
[grunting]
boom
[thunder rumbling]
[grunts]
[grunting]
[thuds]
We could've fought all night.
[grunting]
But no blow would land
as hard as the one I felt
when he finally
removed the helmet.
[thunder rumbling]
For that moment,
I was just a father again.
I didn't wanna fight anymore.
I begged him to stop,
to let me help.
But he wasn't done.
So neither was I.
[grunting]
[crashes]
[both grunting]
It was always a contest
with Jason
him against the world.
Even dying didn't teach him
he was wrong.
There was no more reasoning,
no more holding back.
He wanted pain,
I was ready to unleash it.
Ready to drag that kid
through fire
through hell and back,
to show him once and for all
his contest wasn't with
the world, it was with himself.
[grunts]
[groans]
And then
he finally got the moment
he'd been planning
for five years.
[door shatters]
[laughing]
[groans]
Jason said he'd forgiven me
for not saving him
that night in Bosnia
but that I didn't
avenge his death afterward.
That I didn't kill Joker
for killing him
was a betrayal
he could not live with.
So he crafted
his final challenge for me.
He wanted to look me in the eye
while forcing me
to make a choice
between our ideals.
Kill Joker or kill Jason
to stop him
from killing Joker.
But life isn't a game
and death is never a choice.
To make it so is our undoing,
it would be my undoing.
I think
about killing Joker every day
ending the monster
that I let loose on the world.
But I'll never allow myself
that release
a promise I made
to my father and mother
an example to a son
that I will never stop fighting
to protect from himself.
[gunshot]
Aah! Ah..
[groaning]
[beeping]
No! Don't spoil it!
This is better!
[groans]
I'm the only one who's gonna get
what he wants tonight!
Yes! Bing, bang, boom!
'We all go out together!'
Don't you just love
a happy ending?
[laughing]
[groans]
[intense music]
boom
[glass shattering]
[rubble clattering]
[laughing]
I can never stop fighting to
protect them from themselves..
[laughing continues]
...to protect them from me.
We only come to know
the true power of evil
when we work to suppress it
in ourselves.
You know, when you say
spooky stuff like that
you justify my contingency plans
to defeat you.
What I'm saying, Bruce
is that you are
the strongest person I know
not because of the monsters
you fight on the outside
but for the demons
you battle on the inside.
'Your willingness
to open up to me about this'
well, that shows real strength.
And the day you stop
reaching out for this support
is the day I know
I need to activate
my contingency plan for you.
[chuckles]
We'll find Jason together
right after I find the check.
Thank you, Clark,
and I paid the tab.
- Before you arrived.
- But how did...
You order the same thing
every time.
Even over dessert you have to be
two moves ahead? Really?
[theme music]
[music continues]
[music continues]
[theme music]
[music continues]
[instrumental music]
[theme music]
[gunfire]
[gunfire]
boom
boom
[gunfire]
[grunts]
Ah!
[groans]
- Ah!
- Ah!
[groans]
[groaning]
Ah!
[gunfire]
Ah!
[gunfire]
[whirring]
Easy Company, move back!
boom
[breathing heavily]
[indistinct yelling]
[breathing heavily]
[whirring]
boom
Fall back!
(female #1)
Tell them he's awake.
Where are my men?
The medics found you
half buried in a ditch
and brought you here.
Your entire unit is... gone.
What do you mean gone?
Dead? All of 'em?
Officially MIA.
But, yes, all of them.
I'm sorry.
Sergeant Rock,
if you'll come with me?
I gotta get back in the field.
My men are...
Dead, sergeant.
You've been reassigned.
The lieutenant's waiting.
vroom
[footsteps approaching]
At ease, sergeant.
Heard you got pretty banged up.
A couple of bruises.
I'm fit for duty.
Good. I have a mission for you.
We've obtained intelligence,
at a very high cost
that Nazi scientists
are on the verge of completing
what can only be described
as a doomsday weapon.
'They're conducting experiments'
'in some kind
of medieval fortress'
'deep inside enemy lines.'
We want those scientists alive.
One more thing, for reasons
that are about to become
abundantly clear
the existence of your new unit
is a closely-guarded secret.
These men are unlike
any soldiers you've ever led.
I've led all kinds.
Uh-huh.
Jesus.
[footsteps approaching]
[belt unbuckling]
[urinating]
- 'Don't take all night!'
- Ja, ja.
[rumbling]
[growling]
[groans]
[choking]
[intense music]
[grunting]
[skull cracking]
[growling]
[gasping]
[whimpering]
[panting]
[groaning]
Stand down, soldier.
I thirst.
Stand down.
He may be a Nazi,
but he's still a human being.
- Uh!
- Ah..
[thuds]
Not food for the likes of you.
[instrumental music]
[grunts]
[metal clanking]
[door creaking]
[growling]
[door shuts]
[intense music]
[footsteps approaching]
[grunts]
[thuds]
[gasps]
We need 'em alive.
[grunting]
Ah..
Krieger, the door!
[grunting]
[growling]
I think that's quite enough.
[groaning]
Remarkable company you're
keeping these days, sergeant.
- Remarkable weapons.
- Desperate times.
There is little shame in being
an implement of war, Rock.
You and I both know that.
Now tell your people
to release mine.
Or what?
[grunting]
[groaning]
[grunting]
[groans]
[grunting]
[groans]
[choking]
[banging]
For the Fuhrer!
[electricity crackling]
[whirring]
[screaming]
[screaming]
[banging]
[screaming]
[grunting]
Ah..
Ah!
[grunting]
[metal clinks]
[grunting]
[groans]
[grunting]
[banging]
[groans]
[electricity crackling]
Stand down, men.
This here is a cavalry.
[laughing]
No.
[grunting]
[growling]
[growling]
[growling]
[growling]
[choking]
[groans]
[growling]
[grunting]
[gunshots]
[growling]
[gun clicks]
[growling]
[groaning]
[screaming]
[bone cracking]
This was your weapon?
[chuckles]
Left that part out of your
mission briefing, did they?
There's only five. Where's...
[growling]
[growls]
[roaring]
Dozer.
[grunting]
Oh, dear.
[growling]
[groaning]
[grunts]
Dozer, it's me.
[growls]
- Ah!
- Ah!
[groans]
[growling]
[gunfire]
[grunting]
[thuds]
[panting]
[groaning]
[speaking in foreign language]
Oh..
No way out, major.
You won't shoot us.
You need us alive, to build
your own army of the dead.
'Isn't that why
you were sent here, sergeant?'
That's right. Follow orders,
complete the mission.
Implement their war.
Velcoro, you still thirsty?
Bottoms up.
No. Uh, please! Uh..
[Germans screaming]
[rubble clattering]
Well, what are you waiting
around for? An embossed invite?
Fall in line, soldiers.
I think Lieutenant Shrieve's
been coddling you three.
Well, I hope you enjoyed
your vacation
'cause it's the last
you're gonna get.
Now move out!
[fire crackling]
[theme music]
[music continues]
[instrumental music]
[theme music]
[dramatic music]
[indistinct chatter]
I said to him,
"You want me to show up on time
you gotta pay me
an honest wage."
Intersection co-ordinates
all wrong.
No sense to it. No sense.
[gasps]
Another bottle!
Not till next payday, you bum!
[glass shatters]
Last call for you!
[grunting]
[grunts]
Watch it,
you drunken piece of shit!
Not as drunk as I look.
[grunts]
[cracking]
[screams]
Hey! Ah!
I'm gonna bust you up, old man.
(Foreman)
'Back off, Norris.'
(Norris) 'Not till
I'm done with him.'
Let him go.
Now. Or you'll deal with me.
He ain't worth it.
You can have him.
[grunts]
You alright?
Take me. Take me. Take me now.
So, it looked like
this new place just opened up
and I just
really wanted to take..
[woman screams]
[explosions]
Alanna!
Alanna, my love!
Adam. The Thanagarians. They..
It's gonna be alright.
No. Not even you can save Rann
this time, beloved.
Where's Aleea?
Where's our daughter?
Is she alive?
Is she..
Alanna.
[Hawkman screeching]
[grunting]
[grunting]
[cracks]
[screaming]
(Diane) Mr. Strange.
Mr. Strange. Can you hear me?
(Foreman)
'Let him be.'
We need to help him.
He's beyond help.
Pick him up.
Take him to a shelter.
There's no room
for the weak out here.
Then perhaps Meyra and I
should leave this place.
That's not what I meant.
He's a human being, father.
Hmm. I've got work to do.
[crackling]
Never been this deep before.
Wonder if it's safe.
You're looking for safe,
you're in the wrong profession,
asshole.
Stop screwing around!
We've got a quota to meet.
[all scream]
[groaning]
[growling]
[men screaming]
[distorted screams]
What the hell's
going on out there?
(male #1) 'Creatures.
Like nothing I've ever seen!'
'Moving up out of the mine!
Heading for town! They..'
[man screams]
Grab anything you can find
that we can use as weapons,
then meet me on front street.
Move!
Aleea's smart. Resourceful.
She's alive out there,
I know it.
And I'll find her, beloved.
I swear on our love
that I'll..
[beeping]
No. Not the Zeta Beam!
Not now!
[screaming]
[grunts]
No! No! Take me back!
Take me back!
Take me..
[beeping]
[giggling]
I'll find my way
back to you, Aleena.
I'll find..
So this thing, this, uh..
Zeta Beam.
You think it's gonna, what
magically carry you back
to your planet?
Not magic, science.
I just have to
crunch the numbers.
Calculate when and where
the beam will return and..
[sighs]
Knock yourself out.
But in the meantime
we could use more help
in the mines.
But don't get used to my face
'cause I'm not going to
be here for long.
[whispering] Five hundred and
eighty million over 1,200 thousand
times velocity,
equals 580 million kilometers.
With acceleration
of 239.332 per second..
Velocity equals distance..
Over time.
Five hundred and eighty million
times two equals..
Distance..
[grunts]
[groans]
To twelve hundred
and ten millionth..
Velocity equals..
[gasps]
[grunts]
On your feet, Strange!
Colony's in trouble,
we need every man to..
[groans]
Grab anything we can
use as weapons.
Human being?
Not anymore.
[creatures screeching]
[gasps]
[grunting]
[screams]
Lock the doors!
God damn it! Hold the line!
[men screaming]
(male #2)
'Run! Run!'
[gasps]
[creature screeching]
[screams]
Get back inside, Diane.
No. We face this together.
All of us. Together, then.
[creature screeching]
[explosions]
[dramatic music]
[grunts]
[grunts]
[grunting]
No!
Mr. Strange?
[creature growling]
[grunts]
[grunts]
[explosions]
You sure you won't
come with us?
I can't.
The Zeta Beam dropped me here
and I have to wait for it
to arrive again.
And if it doesn't?
It will. It has to.
For my daughter's sake.
Best of luck.
Adam.
[whooshing]
[bottle clinking]
[beeping]
[theme music]
[music continues]
[theme music]
[instrumental music]
Yeah, like there it is, baby.
Welcome to California.
I can't believe
I'm actually here.
Believe it, sister.
This is where it all begins.
But you're sure
it's cool, right?
I can crash with you guys
at your friend's place?
He doesn't even know me.
Oh, it's cool alright.
Seth's door is always open
to the right kind of people.
Seth told us
we should always be
on the lookout
for cool, young people
who see the system
for what it is, Marcie.
Five minutes with Seth
and you'll know escaping
your parents' suburban prison
was the best thing
you've ever done.
Yeah, they were so hung up
on keeping up with the Joneses
they lost touch
with their souls.
Well, Seth knows
all about souls.
You'll see.
(Phantom Stranger)
It is said
"Not all those who wander
are lost."
But many are.
And once lost
they may truly be lost forever.
Home again, home again,
jiggety-jig.
Lucky for us,
weren't stopped by no pig.
[all laugh]
Be it ever so crumbly,
there's no place like home.
That's some statue.
Yeah, reminds me of my old man
after he's had a few.
(Ted) Pretty out of
sight, isn't it?
(Violet) It used to belong
to some old-time movie actor.
(Ted) What matters is
that it's Seth's now.
And what's his is ours.
Yeah, we share
and share alike.
Let's get inside already.
I've really got the munchies.
Wouldn't mind a sandwich myself
before the festivities begin.
Is there some kind
of party tonight?
Wherever Seth is,
there's always a party.
He's where the happening
is happening, man.
- Come on.
- Right.
I just need a minute
to get my head together.
[lighter clicks]
Ugh.
(Phantom Stranger) The
reflection is just an illusion.
The greatest wisdom
is seeing through appearances.
Who are you.. Oh.
You must be their friend,
their guide or whatever.
Seth.
No. I'm afraid not.
Good.
A decent guru wouldn't be
caught dead in my dad's hat.
Hmm.
Why do your friends
follow this man?
I don't know.
I haven't even met him yet.
I suppose we're all
looking for something
our parents' generation
doesn't care about.
Truth, I guess.
Truth lies
not at the end of a road
but inside those
who walk the road.
Right.
What did you say your name was?
I didn't.
But there are some who know me
as the Phantom Stranger.
Well, you certainly
are strange.
Nice meeting ya.
I wouldn't go in there
if I were you.
You're not like them.
Not yet.
You don't know me.
You don't know
anything about me!
So just buzz off!
Weirdo.
[gasps]
Come in. Come in, already.
(Violet)
There you are.
We thought maybe
you'd escaped our clutches.
So, where's
the much-discussed Seth?
Don't sweat it.
He'll come
when the time is right.
Man likes to make an entrance.
(Marcie)
Is that him?
(Ted)
Are you kidding?
That's Jonathan Lord,
the actor.
Don't you watch old movies?
This house used to
belong to him
before he gave it to Seth.
Gave it to him?
Why would anyone...
People will give you
just about everything they have.
All you have to do is let them.
I'm Seth.
Pleased to meet you, Marcie.
You know my name?
(Seth)
I know you
so pure and true..
...searching for meaning
in a world
all screwed up by war
pollution and lies.
I was once like you.
I journeyed far and wide
trying to find my purpose
on this little pebble in space.
Then, I discovered the secret.
I found my true self
my calling.
And what is that?
Helping other people
find their true selves.
Once that happens,
any place you are
'is where you are meant to be.'
Heavy.
My friends have done well
bringing you here.
Please, stay.
The night is young.
[upbeat music]
[music continues]
[music continues]
[music ends]
I've never met anyone like you.
There is no one else
like me, Marcie.
It's stupid.
I'm frightened of you
and drawn to you
at the same time.
There's nothing
to be frightened of.
I give you purpose.
You give me... life.
[dramatic music]
[Marcie gasps]
You won't have her, Seth.
You've feasted enough
on these children.
They come willingly.
They do my work for me.
Not this one.
She doesn't know what you are.
Let her go.
Now.
Only a true innocent
can defeat me.
And we both know
you're far from innocent.
[both grunting]
You've infested this plane
too long, Seth.
[grunts]
Tonight it ends.
Ah, I don't think so.
The power of
the ouroboros pendant
assures me endless time.
It's my circle
of everlasting life.
Let's test that theory.
[swords clanking]
[both grunting]
[Seth exclaims]
Your power is waning, dark one.
I have more than enough
to finish you.
[both grunting]
Stranger, wait.
I have great power.
I can offer you much
even end your wandering.
'We can help each other.'
I will help, evil one.
I'll end the eons of misery
you've inflicted on others.
[grunts]
Well done, my dear.
You're my very favorite
houseguest in centuries.
I don't understand.
What's happening?
Who is this guy?
(Seth)
Don't you recognize him, Marcie?
He's "the man."
He's the system,
the status quo.
Marcie, you must
get away from here.
He is a blight.
No, he's good.
You're the invader here.
Seth's appearance is a lie.
Don't believe him.
(Seth) Your aura is
remarkable, Stranger.
You are positively
brimming with life.
Unlike you, Seth.
You walk this realm
in living death
a parasite.
[Phantom Stranger grunting]
I'll live off you
for 100 years.
No longer will I be reduced
to draining scraps
from these lost whelps.
Run, Marcie! Run!
[Seth snaps fingers]
[muffled grunting]
They barely wetted my appetite.
You searched
for the truth, Marcie.
What do you think of it?
It's..
...so..
...groovy.
My mind is blown, Seth.
Your power, it's a shining,
brilliant thing.
You walk in eternity,
the king of ages.
But you don't have it all.
Not yet.
Don't you know
what every king needs?
A queen.
I was searching
for my purpose, my truth.
And I found it.
I found you.
Darling child.
No!
[screams]
[in demonic voice]
You little bitch!
[grunts]
I'll kill you!
[screaming]
Ick.
I'll have you free in a min..
I hoped you would
make the right choice.
What now, Marcie?
Keep searching for your truth?
Truth lies
not at the end of a road
but inside those
who walk the road.
I'll keep traveling for now.
Who knows
what I'll find, but..
[starts engine]
I'll bring
my own truth with me.
How does that sound, Stra..
[theme music]
[music continues]
[theme music]
[mellow music]
(female #1)
'Vincent.'
'Dinner's ready.'
'Vincent.'
(male #1)
'Omata.'
- Ugh.
- 'Hey, Michelangelo.'
This ain't the Sistine Chapel,
it's a fricking gate.
You don't understand.
I have to do it right.
"Do it right."
That's always your excuse.
Takes you an hour
to scrub out a damn toilet.
I'm an artist.
What you are, asshole,
is fired.
Wait. You can't..
Get outta here.
(male #2) How many jobs
has it been now, Vincent?
[thunder rumbling]
(Vincent)
Ugh. You're kidding me.
Nah. Pedro, he comes in
for his shift this afternoon.
'Then, all of a sudden
he says he's feeling sick'
and he just drops.
Jesus! That sucks.
Huh! Sucks more to be
his wife and kids right now.
At least he had
a wife and kids.
What have you got, Vincent?
No money.
No job.
A life wasted
chasing dreams that are
always just beyond your reach.
You don't know
anything about me.
What the hell, Vince?
Sorry, I-I gotta hit the head.
[groans]
[whooshing]
[gasps]
[groans]
[sighs]
Those things will kill you.
That's the least
of my problems.
Shitty day, huh?
I said, "Shitty day, huh?"
Yeah, I, uh..
Got fired. I-I mean,
I was working at Arkham Asylum
so I should be happy
I'm no longer there, right?
Now at least I can
focus on my painting and...
Let me guess,
struggling artist?
Couldn't have picked
a more lucrative cliche?
Yeah.
Wow!
You're...
Yeah?
There is something about you..
Something..
If I could just
capture it on canvas.
You're saying you wanna..
...paint my portrait?
He's saying
he'd like to get you back
to his apartment
for a good screw.
No, it's not like that.
Like what?
[sighs]
[chuckles]
I've gotta go.
But.. Will I..
[rain pattering]
I'll see you around.
[indistinct chatter]
Ready?
Translation, piss off, loser.
(male #3)
Talent? Perhaps a modicum.
But, enough to succeed?
Absolutely not.
If I were you,
I'd abandon art entirely,
and seek out a profession
that's more..
...practical.
Gotham University
has an excellent dental school.
[thunder rumbling]
[grunts]
[thunderclap]
[grunts]
[sighs]
[grunts]
(male #4) Blowing your last
paycheck on booze, huh, Vincent?
How're you gonna
pay your rent now?
'Not too late, you know.'
'Get rid of all this crap.'
Get your ass back to school!
And what?
End up like you?
A miserable failure
who hates his life?
Hates his family.
You never understood me.
You never appreciated what I...
It's always someone else's
fault, isn't it, Omata?
Um, don't go there, baby.
You know, you've been an even
bigger failure with women
'than you've been
with your art?'
(Vincent) 'Charlotte,
I'm begging you, don't leave me.'
(Charlotte) I've given you
six years of my life, Vincent.
Six years!
I know!
I supported you, emotionally,
financially, and..
I'd probably still do it.
But, I just..
I can't watch you
wreck yourself like this.
- I...
- Then go!
And when my artwork's
selling for millions
and when the whole damn world
knows who I am
don't come crawling back.
I miss the man you used to be.
[exhales]
So do I!
[thunder rumbling]
[mellow music]
[glass shatters]
Hey, what the hell?
You can't do this.
You don't really
have a choice in the matter.
Who do you think you are?
This is a load of crap!
Listen, there's no reason
to get upset.
(female #2) 'Unbelievable!
You can't do this!'
Hey! Leave her alone!
'I called the cops!'
You two had better
get the hell out of here!
[siren blaring]
You, uh..
...didn't call the police,
did you?
No. I, uh,
don't even have a phone.
Well, I appreciate it anyway.
Yeah, well... goodnight.
Wait.
You're the artist, right?
From the bar?
Don't you wanna
show me your work?
[mellow music]
What do you think?
She thinks you're pathetic.
- Failure.
- Amateur.
You'll never make it.
Most of them aren't finished.
Why?
I, uh..
- Excuses.
- Talentless.
- All talk.
- You're scared.
You've got
a real gift, Vincent.
But there's something missing
from your work.
Some essential spark.
Something, perhaps,
that you had once..
...and lost along the way?
When I was a kid
I'd spend hours,
all day
on my bedroom floor,
drawing.
It was like time just stopped.
And the only thing that existed
in the whole damn universe
was the picture.
Pure creativity.
Pure joy.
Yes!
Look, it wasn't just
a pickup line before
when I said I wanted
to paint your portrait.
- Liar.
- Shameful.
- Pathetic.
- Obvious.
I..
I see something in you.
Beauty, but with an
incredible sadness beneath it.
So young.
'But somehow so very old.'
I've been waiting
for this moment
this chance,
my entire life.
Maybe you have.
Of course, I'll pose
for you, Vincent.
It would be an honor.
[dramatic music]
- Hey, Michelangelo..
- Failure..
(Charlotte) Given you six
years of my life, Vincent..
[music continues]
Amateur...
How dare you think
you are an artist..
Can't even paint a damn gate
without screwin' it up..
- Talentless.
- Worthless.
- Embarrassment.
- You're scared.
[wailing]
[screaming]
[gasps]
Are you happy with it?
Happy?
That's too small a word. I..
It's, it's still evening.
How can that be?
I've been painting for hours.
[dramatic music]
What's happening?
Time.
'Time has stopped.'
But how?
We're standing in a place
beyond time now, Vincent.
It may have reality for them.
But it has no meaning..
...to the dead.
[dramatic music]
I'm dead?
I'm dead.
Then, you're..
[exhaling]
Look at him.
Me.
[voice breaking]
Dear God
my life hasn't been
worth much, has it?
But at least there's that.
I've left behind
something of real value.
They'll all finally know
who I..
[clock ticking]
[dramatic music]
No! No! No!
No! It can't burn!
How can you be so cruel?
How can you do this to me?
I'm not
doing anything, Vincent.
The end of your story was
written in the book of destiny..
'...before you sucked in
your first breath.'
I'm begging you
just save the painting.
Please.
Grant me this final gift
before I..
You..
You already have,
haven't you?
You've given me
an extraordinary gift.
Thank you.
Shall we go, then?
Into the mystery?
[indistinct radio chatter]
Helluva thing, huh?
Everything burned..
...except that.
[dramatic music]
[music continues]
[instrumental music]
[theme music]
[theme music]
[Joker laughing]
vroom
[explosion]
vroom
[explosion]
[gunfire]
[screaming]
[explosion]
vroom
vroom
(male #1)
Don't move, or I'll...
(Robin)
You'll what? Shoot me?
[groans]
- Huh?
- Hah!
- Ah!
- Uh..
[groans]
Twenty rounds a second,
and you were still too slow.
[gun cocking]
I'm not slow, punk.
- Me neither.
- I've got him.
[groans]
[grunts]
- Ah!
- Robin!
[bats screeching]
I had to take him down.
You shattered his collarbone!
He's a drug-dealing pimp.
I didn't think
I had to prop up some pillows
before I took him out.
We needed him,
he would've talked
but you put him into shock.
Sorry. That was dumb.
But he deserved it.
[boy laughing]
(young Bruce)
That movie was amazing!
Hey, dad, imagine if Zorro
came riding through Gotham
on his horse right now!
[Thomas chuckles]
(Thomas)
Well, Bruce, I'm not so sure
a masked vigilante
would be welcomed
in Gotham City.
Sadly,
they'd probably just lock
someone like Zorro in Arkham.
(Bruce)
Those were his last words to me.
Lately I've been wondering
if he was right.
I had years and you, Alfred
to help me come to terms
with the murder of my parents.
But I must have been crazy
to put Jason in the field
before he'd recovered
from his loss.
His father,
murdered by Two-Face
his mother
succumbing to illness.
His actions as Robin
are guided
by unresolved pain and anger.
He's a danger to himself,
a danger to our mission.
I have no choice.
Jason's going off active duty
immediately.
(Jason)
Fine with me.
Jason.
Jason?
vroom
[beeping]
[groaning]
[groans]
[coughs]
Wow!
That looked like it really hurt.
[Robin groaning]
[Robin groaning]
(Joker)
Whoa. Now hang on.
That looked like
it hurt a lot more.
So let's try and clear this up,
okay, pumpkin?
What hurts more?
- A or B?
- 'Ah..'
- Forehand..
- Aah.
Or backhand?
[Robin groaning]
[laughing]
[mumbles]
[mimics Robin mumbling]
A little louder, lamb chop.
I think you may have
a collapsed lung.
That always impedes the oratory.
[spits]
Ah.. Uh..
Now, that was rude.
The first Boy Blunder
had some manners.
[groaning]
I suppose I'm going
to have to teach you a lesson
so you can better follow
in his footsteps.
Nah. I'm just gonna keep
beating you with this crowbar.
[groaning]
[Joker laughing]
[laughing continues]
vroom
[door opens]
- Huh!
- Jason.
- Bruce?
- What are you doing here?
You followed me. Figures.
I was about to guess the same
of you.
But I didn't follow you to
Bosnia, I followed Ra's al Ghul.
He's got you
jumping through hoops
to marry his daughter again,
huh?
Well,
I'm on my own mission here.
- I'm tracking Joker.
- Joker? Here?
And you're tracking him alone?
You know how dangerous...
I know that he shot Barbara
through the spine!
'And I know
he didn't stop there.'
'But you only put that
waste of life back in a cell.'
Well, he's broken out, again.
And someone
had to do something...
Jason, Ra's is attempting
to build dirty bombs
that could kill thousands
with radiation poisoning.
He's here in Bosnia
buying nuclear material
from an unknown seller.
[sighs]
Joker got a hold
of stolen uranium.
I got a lead
he's selling it to terrorists.
Excellent detective work, son.
I think it's gonna take
Batman and Robin together
to close this case.
Ra's' men are trying to get
the uranium across the border.
We'll lose them
if we don't act now.
Batcycle only seats one,
you take them down
while I investigate that
warehouse we tracked Joker to.
No. Stay here. Just watch
that warehouse until I return.
- But...
- Jason, for once..
Please listen to me.
Don't go after Joker alone.
He's just too dangerous.
You read me?
Loud and clear. Just hurry back.
vroom
vroom
Okay, kiddo, I gotta go.
It's been fun though, right?
Well, maybe a smidge more fun
for me than you.
I'm just guessing,
since you're being awful quiet.
Anyway, be a good boy,
finish your homework
'and be in bed by 9:00.'
And, hey,
please tell the big man
I said "Hello."
[laughing]
[door shuts]
[laughing continues]
[grunting]
[groaning]
[grunting]
[groaning]
[grunting]
[lock rattling]
[grunting]
[thuds]
[beeping]
[beeping]
vroom
boom
[grunting]
[grunting]
No.
Jason.
(Bruce)
We save lives every day.
Strangers'.
And there's always enough time.
But for Jason..
Thank you.
But you already know
how I failed to save Jason
from this life.
What you don't know
is how I failed to save him
from the next.
In the five years
following Jason's death
I redoubled my efforts
to protect Gotham City, alone
to avoid
endangering anyone else.
As always,
Nightwing had other ideas.
The years Dick spent at my side
as the first Robin taught him..
...a little too much.
Now he has the annoying habit
of showing up
at the exact moment
I need an extra hand.
[grunting]
Or fist.
Of course, I can
never admit that to him.
It would only encourage him.
But I appreciate his loyalty..
Aah!
...his sense of family.
boom
[grunts]
[groaning]
It seems fitting
that Nightwing was there
the night it all began.
I was tracking an arms shipment
for the crime lord
called Black Mask.
Hijackers
intercepted his shipment.
We persuaded the driver
to confess
he worked
for a rival of Black Mask's
called The Red Hood.
A sniper
ended the interrogation.
Could've ended us
but he laid out the red carpet
to follow him instead.
A trap.
So I followed him
leaving Nightwing behind,
and safe.
The sniper made pursuit easy
but never allowed me
close enough to ID him.
Then he led me to the factory.
[glass shatters]
That place,
where the Red Hood died..
Stay away! It's a setup!
Aah!
...where the Joker was born.
My first great failure.
The sniper, a new Red Hood,
seemed to know all of it.
He was sending me a message.
boom
And it echoed Bosnia.
boom
I cleared my mind
by focusing on the facts.
The Amazo heist
and reports from Nightwing
showed that Red Hood
was taking over
the crime syndicates of Gotham
with deadly force.
Some of Gotham's most wanted,
slaughtered.
I had to protect the rest,
had to stop this Red Hood.
The first person to question
was the last person
I ever wanna see.
[intense music]
[Joker laughing]
I needed Nightwing to
accompany me to Arkham Asylum
to divide Joker's attention.
[laughing]
Get him to reveal a connection
to the Red Hood
and help contain..
[grunts]
[groans]
Well..
...the effort proved useless.
[Joker groans]
[laughing]
With no accomplice or base
of operations to investigate
we turned to Red Hood's
known target, Black Mask.
We staked out his latest drop
of trafficked weapons
hoping for interference.
We weren't disappointed.
boom
[electricity crackling]
[helicopter whirring]
[clamoring]
The Red Hood's ability
to evade us was irritating
but educational.
Advanced parkour,
counter-attacking on the run..
boom
...and the skill to escape
my grappling lines.
Nobody cuts my grappling lines.
Frustration made me stupid
and careless.
I dropped
right into another trap.
[beeping]
boom
Another inferno.
vroom
[train chugging]
Another escape.
Because of my choice,
my mistake
Dick was injured.
I couldn't even
look him in the eye.
Going forward,
I had to work alone.
I needed to finish this alone
to avoid repeating mistakes
and because
this was getting personal.
Knowledge of my tactics,
my history
escaping
with those damned explosions
and evidence
that he even knew my name
it all pointed
to an impossible conclusion.
But if I've learned
anything over the years
it's that the impossible
is just the unthinkable
lying in wait.
I needed to find him again,
but I wasn't the only one
hunting the Red Hood.
To flush him out, Black Mask
declared all-out war
against
Red Hood's organizations.
Gotham City
was caught in the crossfire.
[groans]
[screaming]
When I finally
caught up to him
he was barely
surviving an ambush..
[gunshots]
[groans]
...outnumbered four to one,
by high-tech assassins.
[electricity crackling]
I balanced the scales.
To protect them
and to test him
his maneuvers, his timing,
our coordination
as familiar as Jason's
when he fought
at my side as Robin.
[grunting]
[groaning]
[grunts]
[screaming]
No!
But then he crossed the line..
...just to make a damn point.
He was cleaning up Gotham
by controlling it
with deadly force
because my way didn't work.
A familiar argument.
That was the moment I knew.
Jason, the son I had lost,
had returned.
He'd been resurrected.
The body I brought home
from Bosnia five years ago
was a fake.
How could I not have
looked inside his coffin
before we buried it?
Stupid and careless.
Following his death,
I had allowed myself
a moment of weakness.
I allowed myself
to be deceived.
There was only one other person
in Bosnia
who could have pulled this off.
Ra's al Ghul.
Ra's is a formidable enemy,
but an honorable one.
He'd even tried to get me
to marry his daughter, Talia.
There was once a twisted sense
of family between us.
But that was before Bosnia..
[helicopter whirring]
...before his deal
with the Joker.
[laughing]
[thunder rumbling]
Bombing the banks of Europe
with Joker's stolen uranium
was only one part
of their bargain.
Distracting me from their deal
was another.
I thought killing Robin
was the third part.
I was wrong. Ra's had no idea
Robin was in Bosnia.
Robin's intel and backup
tipped the balance
of the mission in our favor
and teaming up
afforded us the chance
to relieve a growing disconnect
between us.
Then it happened.
It was uncharacteristic
humility for Ra's
to admit
that he underestimated Joker.
His body language,
his micro expressions
the fact
that he, too, is a father
it was clear
that Ra's was deeply grieved
by Jason's passing, as was I.
Desperate to rectify
his disservice to me
he found a way
to steal Jason's body
for submersion
in his Lazarus Pit
as it had helped him
cheat death.
Ra's used
its supernatural properties
to resurrect my son.
But the cost was high.
While the Pit
revivifies the body
its effects on the mind
are less predictable.
The process drove Jason mad.
[screaming]
He escaped the house of al Ghul
despite Ra's' efforts
to contain him.
The Lazarus Pit was obvious.
I was prepared
for that part of the story.
It was only after hearing
the rest of it
that Jason had been lost
to both of us for five years
did I realize the true reason
I confronted him.
I wanted Ra's to be responsible
for the Red Hood.
I wanted to blame someone else
for what Jason had become.
But I alone was responsible
for Jason's path.
The Red Hood was a nightmare
of my own making.
[whooshing]
I had to get back to Gotham
to stop him.
[sirens wailing]
The war in Gotham
had escalated.
Red Hood took the battle
directly to Black Mask.
[whooshing]
[glass shatters]
boom
[screaming]
And Black Mask, never one
to get his own hands dirty
broke the Joker out of Arkham
to hire him
to kill the Red Hood.
[choking]
[gunshots]
[choking]
[laughing]
Clearly, he hadn't heard
that hiring the Joker
doesn't work out well.
[Joker laughing]
[sighs]
Black Mask
quickly found himself
hoisted with his own petard
tied up
in the back of a trailer
and soaked in gasoline.
Sure enough,
Joker got Red Hood's attention.
But getting Joker
out of Arkham
was Jason's goal all along.
Black Mask was just the pawn
to make it happen.
Jason was playing
a long game of revenge
against
the entire criminal underworld
against Joker..
[whooshing]
...against me
all building
to a final confrontation.
[Joker screaming]
He captured Joker,
and summoned me to meet them.
I knew I couldn't be late.
[Joker groaning]
Never missing a chance to gain
a psychological advantage
Jason chose Crime Alley
as our meeting place
where I lost my father
and mother to a murderer..
...where I gained a son.
[thunder rumbling]
Jason wanted it all
to end that night
but I was going to save my son,
or die trying.
[whooshing]
[groans]
[screams]
[grunting]
boom
[thunder rumbling]
[grunts]
[grunting]
[thuds]
We could've fought all night.
[grunting]
But no blow would land
as hard as the one I felt
when he finally
removed the helmet.
[thunder rumbling]
For that moment,
I was just a father again.
I didn't wanna fight anymore.
I begged him to stop,
to let me help.
But he wasn't done.
So neither was I.
[grunting]
[crashes]
[both grunting]
It was always a contest
with Jason
him against the world.
Even dying didn't teach him
he was wrong.
There was no more reasoning,
no more holding back.
He wanted pain,
I was ready to unleash it.
Ready to drag that kid
through fire
through hell and back,
to show him once and for all
his contest wasn't with
the world, it was with himself.
[grunts]
[groans]
And then
he finally got the moment
he'd been planning
for five years.
[door shatters]
[laughing]
[groans]
Jason said he'd forgiven me
for not saving him
that night in Bosnia
but that I didn't
avenge his death afterward.
That I didn't kill Joker
for killing him
was a betrayal
he could not live with.
So he crafted
his final challenge for me.
He wanted to look me in the eye
while forcing me
to make a choice
between our ideals.
Kill Joker or kill Jason
to stop him
from killing Joker.
But life isn't a game
and death is never a choice.
To make it so is our undoing,
it would be my undoing.
I think
about killing Joker every day
ending the monster
that I let loose on the world.
But I'll never allow myself
that release
a promise I made
to my father and mother
an example to a son
that I will never stop fighting
to protect from himself.
[gunshot]
Aah! Ah..
[groaning]
[beeping]
No! Don't spoil it!
This is better!
[groans]
I'm the only one who's gonna get
what he wants tonight!
Yes! Bing, bang, boom!
'We all go out together!'
Don't you just love
a happy ending?
[laughing]
[groans]
[intense music]
boom
[glass shattering]
[rubble clattering]
[laughing]
I can never stop fighting to
protect them from themselves..
[laughing continues]
...to protect them from me.
We only come to know
the true power of evil
when we work to suppress it
in ourselves.
You know, when you say
spooky stuff like that
you justify my contingency plans
to defeat you.
What I'm saying, Bruce
is that you are
the strongest person I know
not because of the monsters
you fight on the outside
but for the demons
you battle on the inside.
'Your willingness
to open up to me about this'
well, that shows real strength.
And the day you stop
reaching out for this support
is the day I know
I need to activate
my contingency plan for you.
[chuckles]
We'll find Jason together
right after I find the check.
Thank you, Clark,
and I paid the tab.
- Before you arrived.
- But how did...
You order the same thing
every time.
Even over dessert you have to be
two moves ahead? Really?
[theme music]
[music continues]
[music continues]
[theme music]
[music continues]
[instrumental music]
[theme music]
[gunfire]
[gunfire]
boom
boom
[gunfire]
[grunts]
Ah!
[groans]
- Ah!
- Ah!
[groans]
[groaning]
Ah!
[gunfire]
Ah!
[gunfire]
[whirring]
Easy Company, move back!
boom
[breathing heavily]
[indistinct yelling]
[breathing heavily]
[whirring]
boom
Fall back!
(female #1)
Tell them he's awake.
Where are my men?
The medics found you
half buried in a ditch
and brought you here.
Your entire unit is... gone.
What do you mean gone?
Dead? All of 'em?
Officially MIA.
But, yes, all of them.
I'm sorry.
Sergeant Rock,
if you'll come with me?
I gotta get back in the field.
My men are...
Dead, sergeant.
You've been reassigned.
The lieutenant's waiting.
vroom
[footsteps approaching]
At ease, sergeant.
Heard you got pretty banged up.
A couple of bruises.
I'm fit for duty.
Good. I have a mission for you.
We've obtained intelligence,
at a very high cost
that Nazi scientists
are on the verge of completing
what can only be described
as a doomsday weapon.
'They're conducting experiments'
'in some kind
of medieval fortress'
'deep inside enemy lines.'
We want those scientists alive.
One more thing, for reasons
that are about to become
abundantly clear
the existence of your new unit
is a closely-guarded secret.
These men are unlike
any soldiers you've ever led.
I've led all kinds.
Uh-huh.
Jesus.
[footsteps approaching]
[belt unbuckling]
[urinating]
- 'Don't take all night!'
- Ja, ja.
[rumbling]
[growling]
[groans]
[choking]
[intense music]
[grunting]
[skull cracking]
[growling]
[gasping]
[whimpering]
[panting]
[groaning]
Stand down, soldier.
I thirst.
Stand down.
He may be a Nazi,
but he's still a human being.
- Uh!
- Ah..
[thuds]
Not food for the likes of you.
[instrumental music]
[grunts]
[metal clanking]
[door creaking]
[growling]
[door shuts]
[intense music]
[footsteps approaching]
[grunts]
[thuds]
[gasps]
We need 'em alive.
[grunting]
Ah..
Krieger, the door!
[grunting]
[growling]
I think that's quite enough.
[groaning]
Remarkable company you're
keeping these days, sergeant.
- Remarkable weapons.
- Desperate times.
There is little shame in being
an implement of war, Rock.
You and I both know that.
Now tell your people
to release mine.
Or what?
[grunting]
[groaning]
[grunting]
[groans]
[grunting]
[groans]
[choking]
[banging]
For the Fuhrer!
[electricity crackling]
[whirring]
[screaming]
[screaming]
[banging]
[screaming]
[grunting]
Ah..
Ah!
[grunting]
[metal clinks]
[grunting]
[groans]
[grunting]
[banging]
[groans]
[electricity crackling]
Stand down, men.
This here is a cavalry.
[laughing]
No.
[grunting]
[growling]
[growling]
[growling]
[growling]
[choking]
[groans]
[growling]
[grunting]
[gunshots]
[growling]
[gun clicks]
[growling]
[groaning]
[screaming]
[bone cracking]
This was your weapon?
[chuckles]
Left that part out of your
mission briefing, did they?
There's only five. Where's...
[growling]
[growls]
[roaring]
Dozer.
[grunting]
Oh, dear.
[growling]
[groaning]
[grunts]
Dozer, it's me.
[growls]
- Ah!
- Ah!
[groans]
[growling]
[gunfire]
[grunting]
[thuds]
[panting]
[groaning]
[speaking in foreign language]
Oh..
No way out, major.
You won't shoot us.
You need us alive, to build
your own army of the dead.
'Isn't that why
you were sent here, sergeant?'
That's right. Follow orders,
complete the mission.
Implement their war.
Velcoro, you still thirsty?
Bottoms up.
No. Uh, please! Uh..
[Germans screaming]
[rubble clattering]
Well, what are you waiting
around for? An embossed invite?
Fall in line, soldiers.
I think Lieutenant Shrieve's
been coddling you three.
Well, I hope you enjoyed
your vacation
'cause it's the last
you're gonna get.
Now move out!
[fire crackling]
[theme music]
[music continues]
[instrumental music]
[theme music]
[dramatic music]
[indistinct chatter]
I said to him,
"You want me to show up on time
you gotta pay me
an honest wage."
Intersection co-ordinates
all wrong.
No sense to it. No sense.
[gasps]
Another bottle!
Not till next payday, you bum!
[glass shatters]
Last call for you!
[grunting]
[grunts]
Watch it,
you drunken piece of shit!
Not as drunk as I look.
[grunts]
[cracking]
[screams]
Hey! Ah!
I'm gonna bust you up, old man.
(Foreman)
'Back off, Norris.'
(Norris) 'Not till
I'm done with him.'
Let him go.
Now. Or you'll deal with me.
He ain't worth it.
You can have him.
[grunts]
You alright?
Take me. Take me. Take me now.
So, it looked like
this new place just opened up
and I just
really wanted to take..
[woman screams]
[explosions]
Alanna!
Alanna, my love!
Adam. The Thanagarians. They..
It's gonna be alright.
No. Not even you can save Rann
this time, beloved.
Where's Aleea?
Where's our daughter?
Is she alive?
Is she..
Alanna.
[Hawkman screeching]
[grunting]
[grunting]
[cracks]
[screaming]
(Diane) Mr. Strange.
Mr. Strange. Can you hear me?
(Foreman)
'Let him be.'
We need to help him.
He's beyond help.
Pick him up.
Take him to a shelter.
There's no room
for the weak out here.
Then perhaps Meyra and I
should leave this place.
That's not what I meant.
He's a human being, father.
Hmm. I've got work to do.
[crackling]
Never been this deep before.
Wonder if it's safe.
You're looking for safe,
you're in the wrong profession,
asshole.
Stop screwing around!
We've got a quota to meet.
[all scream]
[groaning]
[growling]
[men screaming]
[distorted screams]
What the hell's
going on out there?
(male #1) 'Creatures.
Like nothing I've ever seen!'
'Moving up out of the mine!
Heading for town! They..'
[man screams]
Grab anything you can find
that we can use as weapons,
then meet me on front street.
Move!
Aleea's smart. Resourceful.
She's alive out there,
I know it.
And I'll find her, beloved.
I swear on our love
that I'll..
[beeping]
No. Not the Zeta Beam!
Not now!
[screaming]
[grunts]
No! No! Take me back!
Take me back!
Take me..
[beeping]
[giggling]
I'll find my way
back to you, Aleena.
I'll find..
So this thing, this, uh..
Zeta Beam.
You think it's gonna, what
magically carry you back
to your planet?
Not magic, science.
I just have to
crunch the numbers.
Calculate when and where
the beam will return and..
[sighs]
Knock yourself out.
But in the meantime
we could use more help
in the mines.
But don't get used to my face
'cause I'm not going to
be here for long.
[whispering] Five hundred and
eighty million over 1,200 thousand
times velocity,
equals 580 million kilometers.
With acceleration
of 239.332 per second..
Velocity equals distance..
Over time.
Five hundred and eighty million
times two equals..
Distance..
[grunts]
[groans]
To twelve hundred
and ten millionth..
Velocity equals..
[gasps]
[grunts]
On your feet, Strange!
Colony's in trouble,
we need every man to..
[groans]
Grab anything we can
use as weapons.
Human being?
Not anymore.
[creatures screeching]
[gasps]
[grunting]
[screams]
Lock the doors!
God damn it! Hold the line!
[men screaming]
(male #2)
'Run! Run!'
[gasps]
[creature screeching]
[screams]
Get back inside, Diane.
No. We face this together.
All of us. Together, then.
[creature screeching]
[explosions]
[dramatic music]
[grunts]
[grunts]
[grunting]
No!
Mr. Strange?
[creature growling]
[grunts]
[grunts]
[explosions]
You sure you won't
come with us?
I can't.
The Zeta Beam dropped me here
and I have to wait for it
to arrive again.
And if it doesn't?
It will. It has to.
For my daughter's sake.
Best of luck.
Adam.
[whooshing]
[bottle clinking]
[beeping]
[theme music]
[music continues]
[theme music]
[instrumental music]
Yeah, like there it is, baby.
Welcome to California.
I can't believe
I'm actually here.
Believe it, sister.
This is where it all begins.
But you're sure
it's cool, right?
I can crash with you guys
at your friend's place?
He doesn't even know me.
Oh, it's cool alright.
Seth's door is always open
to the right kind of people.
Seth told us
we should always be
on the lookout
for cool, young people
who see the system
for what it is, Marcie.
Five minutes with Seth
and you'll know escaping
your parents' suburban prison
was the best thing
you've ever done.
Yeah, they were so hung up
on keeping up with the Joneses
they lost touch
with their souls.
Well, Seth knows
all about souls.
You'll see.
(Phantom Stranger)
It is said
"Not all those who wander
are lost."
But many are.
And once lost
they may truly be lost forever.
Home again, home again,
jiggety-jig.
Lucky for us,
weren't stopped by no pig.
[all laugh]
Be it ever so crumbly,
there's no place like home.
That's some statue.
Yeah, reminds me of my old man
after he's had a few.
(Ted) Pretty out of
sight, isn't it?
(Violet) It used to belong
to some old-time movie actor.
(Ted) What matters is
that it's Seth's now.
And what's his is ours.
Yeah, we share
and share alike.
Let's get inside already.
I've really got the munchies.
Wouldn't mind a sandwich myself
before the festivities begin.
Is there some kind
of party tonight?
Wherever Seth is,
there's always a party.
He's where the happening
is happening, man.
- Come on.
- Right.
I just need a minute
to get my head together.
[lighter clicks]
Ugh.
(Phantom Stranger) The
reflection is just an illusion.
The greatest wisdom
is seeing through appearances.
Who are you.. Oh.
You must be their friend,
their guide or whatever.
Seth.
No. I'm afraid not.
Good.
A decent guru wouldn't be
caught dead in my dad's hat.
Hmm.
Why do your friends
follow this man?
I don't know.
I haven't even met him yet.
I suppose we're all
looking for something
our parents' generation
doesn't care about.
Truth, I guess.
Truth lies
not at the end of a road
but inside those
who walk the road.
Right.
What did you say your name was?
I didn't.
But there are some who know me
as the Phantom Stranger.
Well, you certainly
are strange.
Nice meeting ya.
I wouldn't go in there
if I were you.
You're not like them.
Not yet.
You don't know me.
You don't know
anything about me!
So just buzz off!
Weirdo.
[gasps]
Come in. Come in, already.
(Violet)
There you are.
We thought maybe
you'd escaped our clutches.
So, where's
the much-discussed Seth?
Don't sweat it.
He'll come
when the time is right.
Man likes to make an entrance.
(Marcie)
Is that him?
(Ted)
Are you kidding?
That's Jonathan Lord,
the actor.
Don't you watch old movies?
This house used to
belong to him
before he gave it to Seth.
Gave it to him?
Why would anyone...
People will give you
just about everything they have.
All you have to do is let them.
I'm Seth.
Pleased to meet you, Marcie.
You know my name?
(Seth)
I know you
so pure and true..
...searching for meaning
in a world
all screwed up by war
pollution and lies.
I was once like you.
I journeyed far and wide
trying to find my purpose
on this little pebble in space.
Then, I discovered the secret.
I found my true self
my calling.
And what is that?
Helping other people
find their true selves.
Once that happens,
any place you are
'is where you are meant to be.'
Heavy.
My friends have done well
bringing you here.
Please, stay.
The night is young.
[upbeat music]
[music continues]
[music continues]
[music ends]
I've never met anyone like you.
There is no one else
like me, Marcie.
It's stupid.
I'm frightened of you
and drawn to you
at the same time.
There's nothing
to be frightened of.
I give you purpose.
You give me... life.
[dramatic music]
[Marcie gasps]
You won't have her, Seth.
You've feasted enough
on these children.
They come willingly.
They do my work for me.
Not this one.
She doesn't know what you are.
Let her go.
Now.
Only a true innocent
can defeat me.
And we both know
you're far from innocent.
[both grunting]
You've infested this plane
too long, Seth.
[grunts]
Tonight it ends.
Ah, I don't think so.
The power of
the ouroboros pendant
assures me endless time.
It's my circle
of everlasting life.
Let's test that theory.
[swords clanking]
[both grunting]
[Seth exclaims]
Your power is waning, dark one.
I have more than enough
to finish you.
[both grunting]
Stranger, wait.
I have great power.
I can offer you much
even end your wandering.
'We can help each other.'
I will help, evil one.
I'll end the eons of misery
you've inflicted on others.
[grunts]
Well done, my dear.
You're my very favorite
houseguest in centuries.
I don't understand.
What's happening?
Who is this guy?
(Seth)
Don't you recognize him, Marcie?
He's "the man."
He's the system,
the status quo.
Marcie, you must
get away from here.
He is a blight.
No, he's good.
You're the invader here.
Seth's appearance is a lie.
Don't believe him.
(Seth) Your aura is
remarkable, Stranger.
You are positively
brimming with life.
Unlike you, Seth.
You walk this realm
in living death
a parasite.
[Phantom Stranger grunting]
I'll live off you
for 100 years.
No longer will I be reduced
to draining scraps
from these lost whelps.
Run, Marcie! Run!
[Seth snaps fingers]
[muffled grunting]
They barely wetted my appetite.
You searched
for the truth, Marcie.
What do you think of it?
It's..
...so..
...groovy.
My mind is blown, Seth.
Your power, it's a shining,
brilliant thing.
You walk in eternity,
the king of ages.
But you don't have it all.
Not yet.
Don't you know
what every king needs?
A queen.
I was searching
for my purpose, my truth.
And I found it.
I found you.
Darling child.
No!
[screams]
[in demonic voice]
You little bitch!
[grunts]
I'll kill you!
[screaming]
Ick.
I'll have you free in a min..
I hoped you would
make the right choice.
What now, Marcie?
Keep searching for your truth?
Truth lies
not at the end of a road
but inside those
who walk the road.
I'll keep traveling for now.
Who knows
what I'll find, but..
[starts engine]
I'll bring
my own truth with me.
How does that sound, Stra..
[theme music]
[music continues]
[theme music]
[mellow music]
(female #1)
'Vincent.'
'Dinner's ready.'
'Vincent.'
(male #1)
'Omata.'
- Ugh.
- 'Hey, Michelangelo.'
This ain't the Sistine Chapel,
it's a fricking gate.
You don't understand.
I have to do it right.
"Do it right."
That's always your excuse.
Takes you an hour
to scrub out a damn toilet.
I'm an artist.
What you are, asshole,
is fired.
Wait. You can't..
Get outta here.
(male #2) How many jobs
has it been now, Vincent?
[thunder rumbling]
(Vincent)
Ugh. You're kidding me.
Nah. Pedro, he comes in
for his shift this afternoon.
'Then, all of a sudden
he says he's feeling sick'
and he just drops.
Jesus! That sucks.
Huh! Sucks more to be
his wife and kids right now.
At least he had
a wife and kids.
What have you got, Vincent?
No money.
No job.
A life wasted
chasing dreams that are
always just beyond your reach.
You don't know
anything about me.
What the hell, Vince?
Sorry, I-I gotta hit the head.
[groans]
[whooshing]
[gasps]
[groans]
[sighs]
Those things will kill you.
That's the least
of my problems.
Shitty day, huh?
I said, "Shitty day, huh?"
Yeah, I, uh..
Got fired. I-I mean,
I was working at Arkham Asylum
so I should be happy
I'm no longer there, right?
Now at least I can
focus on my painting and...
Let me guess,
struggling artist?
Couldn't have picked
a more lucrative cliche?
Yeah.
Wow!
You're...
Yeah?
There is something about you..
Something..
If I could just
capture it on canvas.
You're saying you wanna..
...paint my portrait?
He's saying
he'd like to get you back
to his apartment
for a good screw.
No, it's not like that.
Like what?
[sighs]
[chuckles]
I've gotta go.
But.. Will I..
[rain pattering]
I'll see you around.
[indistinct chatter]
Ready?
Translation, piss off, loser.
(male #3)
Talent? Perhaps a modicum.
But, enough to succeed?
Absolutely not.
If I were you,
I'd abandon art entirely,
and seek out a profession
that's more..
...practical.
Gotham University
has an excellent dental school.
[thunder rumbling]
[grunts]
[thunderclap]
[grunts]
[sighs]
[grunts]
(male #4) Blowing your last
paycheck on booze, huh, Vincent?
How're you gonna
pay your rent now?
'Not too late, you know.'
'Get rid of all this crap.'
Get your ass back to school!
And what?
End up like you?
A miserable failure
who hates his life?
Hates his family.
You never understood me.
You never appreciated what I...
It's always someone else's
fault, isn't it, Omata?
Um, don't go there, baby.
You know, you've been an even
bigger failure with women
'than you've been
with your art?'
(Vincent) 'Charlotte,
I'm begging you, don't leave me.'
(Charlotte) I've given you
six years of my life, Vincent.
Six years!
I know!
I supported you, emotionally,
financially, and..
I'd probably still do it.
But, I just..
I can't watch you
wreck yourself like this.
- I...
- Then go!
And when my artwork's
selling for millions
and when the whole damn world
knows who I am
don't come crawling back.
I miss the man you used to be.
[exhales]
So do I!
[thunder rumbling]
[mellow music]
[glass shatters]
Hey, what the hell?
You can't do this.
You don't really
have a choice in the matter.
Who do you think you are?
This is a load of crap!
Listen, there's no reason
to get upset.
(female #2) 'Unbelievable!
You can't do this!'
Hey! Leave her alone!
'I called the cops!'
You two had better
get the hell out of here!
[siren blaring]
You, uh..
...didn't call the police,
did you?
No. I, uh,
don't even have a phone.
Well, I appreciate it anyway.
Yeah, well... goodnight.
Wait.
You're the artist, right?
From the bar?
Don't you wanna
show me your work?
[mellow music]
What do you think?
She thinks you're pathetic.
- Failure.
- Amateur.
You'll never make it.
Most of them aren't finished.
Why?
I, uh..
- Excuses.
- Talentless.
- All talk.
- You're scared.
You've got
a real gift, Vincent.
But there's something missing
from your work.
Some essential spark.
Something, perhaps,
that you had once..
...and lost along the way?
When I was a kid
I'd spend hours,
all day
on my bedroom floor,
drawing.
It was like time just stopped.
And the only thing that existed
in the whole damn universe
was the picture.
Pure creativity.
Pure joy.
Yes!
Look, it wasn't just
a pickup line before
when I said I wanted
to paint your portrait.
- Liar.
- Shameful.
- Pathetic.
- Obvious.
I..
I see something in you.
Beauty, but with an
incredible sadness beneath it.
So young.
'But somehow so very old.'
I've been waiting
for this moment
this chance,
my entire life.
Maybe you have.
Of course, I'll pose
for you, Vincent.
It would be an honor.
[dramatic music]
- Hey, Michelangelo..
- Failure..
(Charlotte) Given you six
years of my life, Vincent..
[music continues]
Amateur...
How dare you think
you are an artist..
Can't even paint a damn gate
without screwin' it up..
- Talentless.
- Worthless.
- Embarrassment.
- You're scared.
[wailing]
[screaming]
[gasps]
Are you happy with it?
Happy?
That's too small a word. I..
It's, it's still evening.
How can that be?
I've been painting for hours.
[dramatic music]
What's happening?
Time.
'Time has stopped.'
But how?
We're standing in a place
beyond time now, Vincent.
It may have reality for them.
But it has no meaning..
...to the dead.
[dramatic music]
I'm dead?
I'm dead.
Then, you're..
[exhaling]
Look at him.
Me.
[voice breaking]
Dear God
my life hasn't been
worth much, has it?
But at least there's that.
I've left behind
something of real value.
They'll all finally know
who I..
[clock ticking]
[dramatic music]
No! No! No!
No! It can't burn!
How can you be so cruel?
How can you do this to me?
I'm not
doing anything, Vincent.
The end of your story was
written in the book of destiny..
'...before you sucked in
your first breath.'
I'm begging you
just save the painting.
Please.
Grant me this final gift
before I..
You..
You already have,
haven't you?
You've given me
an extraordinary gift.
Thank you.
Shall we go, then?
Into the mystery?
[indistinct radio chatter]
Helluva thing, huh?
Everything burned..
...except that.
[dramatic music]
[music continues]