#this is one of the most unpleasant superman stories ever

[cantsayidont]

June 1988. 1988 was an extremely ugly year at DC, marked by gratuitous brutality on nearly every front. Not content with his vile take on Krypton in the WORLD OF KRYPTON miniseries (which could be summarized as "sci-fi blood libel"), John Byrne took the time to explain unequivocally that the ugly nativist implications of MAN OF STEEL were no accident.

In this issue, illustrated by Mike Mignola and Karl Kesel, Superman returns to Krypton with the help of Hawkman and Hawkwoman, and finds that it's now a planet-shaped mass of highly radioactive Kryptonite debris. Determined to search for "some trace, some artifact remaining of the race that bred me," Superman borrows a Thanagarian battlesuit and ventures out into the debris field, where the overwhelming radiation causes him to hallucinate an alternate reality where Jor-El found a way for the people of Krypton to survive their world's destruction and emigrate to Earth. This fantasy is narrated in the first person by Jor-El (in the form of excerpts from an imaginary journal), presenting a horrifying, frankly fascistic vision of malevolent immigrants, evil mothers, and populist genocide.

If you've read MAN OF STEEL, much less WORLD OF KRYPTON, it will not surprise you to learn that Superman's fantasy of Kryptonian survival and emigration very quickly turns ugly. As Jor-El's imaginary journal narrates:

In pop culture, the alien invasion story typically represents the fear of the violence of settler colonialism coming home to roost in the imperial core, and you could hardly ask for a more textbook example than this: The refugees from Krypton begin (re)building their own civilization over inhabited human cities, while relegating humans to reservations or concentration camps. Such a fantasy also fuels the delusion of self-indigenization, where settlers appropriatively define themselves as indigenous to the lands they or their ancestors have stolen. This is of course primarily a white fantasy; while the post-reboot Superman books did introduce a few Black and Latino characters, note that there's not a single person of color visible among the humans being interned. Note also that Byrne takes the opportunity to restate the fascistic thesis presented in MAN OF STEEL — that Kryptonian culture is corrupt because Kryptonians have "lived all their lives in isolation, denying their physical beings" in favor of technology and modernity.

That's not all, though. For one, you'll notice that Jor-El also describes as suspect the decision of some of his fellow immigrants "to live apart … to keep themselves aloof from the citizenry of our adopted world"; he acknowledges that the settler colonialism is worse, but he regards cultural self-isolation as inherently bad in its own right. Also, note that the Kryptonians rename Metropolis "New Kandor." As Byrne was most certainly aware, in pre-Crisis Superman lore, Kandor was the former capital of Krypton, stolen and shrunk by Brainiac and later recovered by Superman, who kept the bottled city in his Fortress of Solitude until he was able to find a way to permanently enlarge it. Kandor was, fairly explicitly, a Kryptonian ghetto: a closed Kryptonian community with rigidly defined borders, delimited both physically and by a set of complicated rules about who could enter or leave (and how), within which Kryptonian culture continued more or less as it had for centuries. What Byrne is saying here is that such (literally) ghettoized communities are intrinsically suspicious — that the inability or unwillingness to assimilate is categorically indicative of malign intent. The only virtuous decision for an immigrant or refugee, then, is to choose total and unconditional assimilation, as Superman does at the end of MAN OF STEEL and Jor-El subsequently does here:

Moreover, it's not enough for Jor-El to simply choose to become an Earthman (and implicitly an American); he must also "stand against [his] own race." As the fantasy continues, Jor-El creates synthetic Kryptonite and kills thousands of Kryptonians, forcing many of the survivors to flee into space. Since all of this is a hallucination in Superman's head, the version of Jor-El here represents Superman essentially imagining himself in his father's place, but in case that wasn't clear enough:

Jor-El does not, so far as we're shown, actually don the Superman costume, but he has expressly taken on that role, which in this case means becoming an explicitly genocidal populist champion. This is not hyperbole: Jor-El "rallies the people" against the evil Kryptonian elite as he carries out "the slaughter of a race."

The final conversation between Jor-El and Lara in the first issue of MAN OF STEEL had painted Lara in a rather negative light; while Jor-El is valorized for his rejection of Kryptonian values, Lara recoils from a vision of the "savage" people of Earth and hopes that their son will show them "proper Kryptonian ways." The unsavory connotations of that conversation (to which Superman could not possibly have been privy) play out even more explicitly in the climax of this fantasy:

In short, Lara becomes the ultimate embodiment of almost everything bad about Byrne's reimagined Krypton. This plays almost like a throwback to the pop psychology of the 1950s and early 1960s (when Byrne was a child), which held that the maternal role had to be carefully regulated, since over-mothering could be just as psychologically damaging as maternal neglect. Perhaps the ultimate satirical exponent of that philosophy in pop culture terms is THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, but it was a common piece of conventional wisdom, expressed here without irony. Lara's final act of villainy is the corruption of Kal-El himself, since in this fantasy, Jor-El has not been able to "save" their son from Kryptonian degeneracy. (Note also that Byrne restates once again his revisionist contention that Kal-El was conceived on Krypton, but actually born on Earth.)

While Jor-El is not wearing a Superman costume in these pages, he is wearing a costume of sorts, an outfit that evokes both Doc Savage and Hugo Danner, the hero of Philip Wylie's influential 1930 novel GLADIATOR, two pre-Superman supermen of the 1930s. Around the same time this issue was published, Roy Thomas was integrating GLADIATOR (which had entered the public domain) into DC continuity in YOUNG ALL-STARS, whose central character Arn "Iron" Munro was Hugo Danner's son. (Munro's usual outfit was a black T-shirt over white trousers, the inverse of what Jor-El wears here.)

Jor-El's scream of anguish marks Superman's return to consciousness, so the fantasy ends at this point, and the Hawks help Superman return to their ship. Superman then provides the following summation of what we've just seen:

Since Superman's fantasy was a hallucination induced by radiation poisoning, one could potentially shrug off its ugliness as just a bad dream, but Superman rejects that, saying, "I'm afraid my vision was accurate," at least in its moral and political implications.

Of course, the principal authorial intent here is to reject and dismiss the Superman continuity Byrne had recently erased, in particular the previous Kryptonian diaspora, but the thesis of this story is perfectly consistent with mainstream American, Canadian, and European attitudes on immigration: Any immigrants or refugees must assimilate, promptly and completely, and those who don't, for whatever reason, represent a dire threat to the polity that must be met with expulsion or annihilation. If the number and/or nature of the immigrants does not allow for prompt assimilation, lethal violence — up to and including genocide — is not only appropriate, but a moral imperative for the survival of the imperial state and/or the "white race" [sic]. There are many people in the real world who expressly believe that, so it's not necessarily surprising to see it expressed so bluntly in a Superman comic, but it is very ugly.

This story was unfortunately not the end of it, so far as Byrne and Superman were concerned. While the fantasy sequence here amounts to Superman picturing himself as his father, the heroically genocidal champion of an imagined reality, it is still just a fantasy, even within the context of the superhero comic narrative. It therefore leaves unanswered (at least for Byrne) the question of whether Superman would actually be willing to commit murder and/or genocide to protect the Earth from others of his kind.

Since Byrne had taken pains to ensure that there were no other living Kryptonians — the only other was the Superboy of the Pocket Universe created to reconcile MAN OF STEEL with the Legion of Super-Heroes, who was already dead — he was obliged to invent some for the purpose. About three months after this issue appeared, Byrne's final storyline (in SUPERMAN #21, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #444, and SUPERMAN #22) introduced three facsimiles of pre-Crisis Phantom Zone villains in the Pocket Universe, whom Superman finally executes after they have completely depopulated the Pocket Universe's Earth (also conveniently ensuring that that world couldn't be used to provide any kind of end runs around post-Crisis continuity, and giving Byrne the opportunity to grind his heel on the earlier Superman mythos one more time).

With that story, the reactionary throughline Byrne had begun in MAN OF STEEL was complete, establishing not only that Superman was now a true-blue, American-born native hero, but also that he was willing to kill other Kryptonian survivors to defend his adoptive white Gentile American culture. "Yikes" doesn't begin to cover it, I'm afraid.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael After Midnight: The Unfunnies

(WARNING! This review mentions a lot of nasty shit like rape, pedophilia, and Shadman! Consider this your trigger warning!)

Move over Alan Moore, I have a new archenemy—and this one actually is untalented!

Okay, okay, I’m being kind of harsh here. Mark Millar is, or at least was, a super edgy boy who likes to make edgy comics that deconstruct genres and have a lot of swears and violence. Then he got traumatized by Man of Steel (as we all were) and decided to be less edgy. At any rate, the man unironically loves Superman and makes sure to never fuck good ol’ Clark up, so I at least have a little bit of respect for the man compared to, say, Garth “I hate superheroes so much” Ennis.

But no amount of respect could ever make The Unfunnies okay.

This mercifully short four issue comic is Millar’s most infamous work. It’s a black comedy with way too much black and absolutely no comedy, shock value without a point, edge for the sake of edge… This comic is a trip, and not a particularly good one. It’s like a field trip to a sewage treatment plant, except that at least would have some educational value. This comic just has nothing at all.

So let me say this: The core concept behind the plot is incredibly interesting. We have this Hannah-Barbera comic strip world with goofy cartoon characters who, through the powers of satanic dark magic, are corrupted by their pedophile serial killer creator to become perverted sickos who revel in drugs, sex, profanity, and more. Meanwhile, the evil creator is trying to steal the life of a cartoon character and basically become a god of the world, so that he can live and kill forever. This is a solid premise that you could do a lot of interesting things with, from deconstructing the cheap corniness of those old cartoons or just have a supernatural detective story a la Who Framed Roger Rabbit cranked up to 11. So what path does Millar take with this idea? What does he do with this concept on his hands here?

Why, he makes these cartoon characters say “fuck” of course! And not just fuck! They say shit, cunt, ass, dick, AIDS, fag, they drink, they do drugs, they sell drugs, they cheat and lie and steal and rape and murder and are pedophiles and oh you get the fucking idea. Millar clearly has the mind of a middle school boy who drank a Red Bull and marathoned Ren & Stimpy, because this is the most juvenile tripe imaginable. The first issue is a prime example of this; starting with page two, a child pornography plot kicks off, and Moe the Crow is arrested for having child porn. What proceeds is just scene after scene of Moe cartoonishly defending molesting children and constantly turning to the reader and going “Gee willickers, what a mess!” It’s honestly embarrassing that a grown man thought this was funny enough to print. This comic is basically a long string of buzzwords and offensive scenarios being spewed across the page in a blatant attempt to generate some sort of reaction out of you. It’s just offensive for the sake of being offensive, because there never really is a point in any of the four issues.

It really doesn’t help that we don’t really have any characters to latch on to and enjoy. Sure, you could enjoy Birdseed Betty, but then you have to watch her be used as a cumdumpster by everyone around her, get taken advantage of, have to deal with the death of a child, have to deal with her husband being a convicted pedophile… Oh, and in the end, right when things are looking good for her, she and her whole family get crushed by an anvil and die. Maybe you could enjoy Pussywhisker, for all of the two minutes where he’s almost funny before we spend an entire issue watching him get his balls cut off followed by his wife forcing him to find men to fuck her so she can have a baby (except not really, she’s on the pill and orchestrated the whole thing so she could get her husband to find other men to fuck her). Literally everyone in this comic is either unpleasant or going through way too much shit to even enjoy. It’s just a miserable slog.

The worst part is that there’s absolutely no catharsis anywhere here. The pedophile cartoonist manages to get away with everything and escape his fate, every good character suffers and dies, and you the reader are miserable. It’s so cynical and miserable that it begs the question of who could even enjoy this? Like who was Millar trying to target with this? This is pretty much the most unappealing comic I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen some really fucked up hentai doujins and ponographic webcomics in my time. Shit, I’ve seen Shadman’s work, and that guy has more artistic integrity than this crap! Isn’t that sad that Teen Titans dickgirl porn has more artistic merit than this published comic by someone who has been in the industry for years?

Ultimately though this book is worthless for one simple reason: It utterly fails to elicit any sort of emotion. Sure, there’s all this miserable, disgusting shit, but it gets to the point where it’s obvious that Millar is just trying too hard to shock and you just go numb. I can tell you this, the whole time I was reading this I didn’t smile once, I didn’t have any sort of reaction at all really, I just stared at each page, moved onto the next one, and eventually got to the end. I felt nothing. Not anger, not misery, not disgust or shock. Nothing. Just absolute apathy. In that way it’s very much like The Emoji Movie, where it’s just such a soulless experience that there’s really nothing to feel anything about… though in The Emoji Movie’s defense (a phrase never before uttered and which never will be again), it’s at least almost amusing in an ironic way. There’s just nothing to latch on to with The Unfunnies. It’s a comic so barren of substance I’m actually shocked I managed to write this much about it.

This is a comic so bad that Millar actually regrets it, and I applaud him for having that level of self-awareness. It’s sadly offset by the fact he claims it was never meant to be funny in the first place; no, man, you were trying to jell jokes here. They all just fell flatter than the paper you printed this on. Literally the only thing remotely funny about The Unfunnies is the fact Millar’s wife—I can’t believe a man like this managed to find anyone who would marry him, by the way—threw the book at his head after only a few pages. That’s it. The fact this book was used as a weapon to concuss its author is it’s sole contribution to society. Other than that, this comic has the most apt title for a work since Disaster Movie.

Okay, wait, there is one funny thing. This is the final panel of the comic:

Trust me when I say context doesn’t make this better. It’s just so fucking stupid I can’t help but laugh at it. This is your Harry Potter Dick Lightning, Millar. Hope you’re happy!

[longitudinalwaveme]

Another Weird Flash/Rogues AU

Awhile ago on AAO3, I read a story with a basic premise of “What if the Kryptonians had left Krypton before it was destroyed, traveled to Earth, fallen under the leadership of Zod (or another group of evil Kryptonians) and enslaved the human race”? The story mainly focused on Bruce Wayne and Kal-El (the latter of whom quickly came to realize the wrongs that the Kryptonians were perpetrating), but, being a huge Flash nerd, I thought: What if I used that same basic idea, but focused on the Flash characters instead? This is the result. 

This AU is comparatively very early in the timeline; Barry Allen is 20 years old, Wally is about five, etc. 

-Barry Allen was about seven years old when the Central/Keystone area was taken over and its population enslaved. His mother, Nora, was sold away from him shortly thereafter. He and his father (and most of the familiar Flash characters) are owned by some unpleasant Kryptonian, as are most of the characters detailed below. (Superman fans who know the names of evil Kryptonians other than Zod, feel free to make suggestions.) In this universe, Barry’s rather timid and submissive overall. He’s very kind and wants to help people, but unlike Iris (whom he has a massive crush on), he’s not brave enough to stand up to the overseers. 

-Nora Allen passed away a few years after the Kryptonian takeover, far away from her husband and son. After mourning for a few months, Henry Allen remarried to a widow named Martha Scudder, and adopted her son, Samuel Joseph Scudder, as a second son. Martha and Henry are devoted to both Barry and Sam. 

-Sam Scudder-Allen is 16 years old, four years younger than his older brother. He was three years old when the Kryptonians arrived and was crippled at the age of seven when a heavy piece of farm machinery fell on his leg. He uses a crutch to walk and works as a tailor, since he’s not able to work in the fields. He is rather self-conscious about his “bum leg”, since it means that escaping slavery would be almost impossible for him. He’s also much more willing to stand up to the Kryptonians than his older brother currently is, mainly because he figures that, as a crippled slave, he really can’t get much worse off.

-Iris West, age 19, lives with her father, Ira (her mother died before the Kryptonians arrived), and her nephew, the five-year-old Wally West (both of his parents were sold away shortly after he was born). Fiery and rebellious; she’s been pushing boundaries ever since the Kryptonians arrived and is determined to learn how to read. She thinks Barry is very cute, but refuses to date him until he grows a spine. She won’t allow her children to grow up enslaved to a bunch of aliens. 

-George “Digger” Harkness, age 17, was sold to the Central City area from Australia when he was 14 years old. His stepfather, Ian Harkness, hated him so much that he actually volunteered to have him sold away, and Digger found himself living and working alongside total strangers. He’s mouthy and stubborn, but is afraid enough of the Kryptonians that he’s not openly rebelllious.

-Evan McCulloch, age 6, was sold to the Central City area from Scotland only a few months ago. He’s terrified and misses Miss McCulloch badly. He’s also been semi-adopted by Henry and Martha Allen. 

-Claudio and Marco Mardon, aged 18 and 17, respectively, and their parents, Paloma and Mattias, immigrated to the United States from Guatemala a few years before the Kryptonians conquered Central City. Surprisingly, the family was not separated and has remained together ever since. Marco, the younger of the two, is clumsy and awkward, but generally keeps his head down and doesn’t cause trouble. As a result, he, ironically enough, is actually the golden child in this reality. Claudio, with his passionate love of learning, rocks the boat too frequently and gets into trouble too often-he’s even taught himself how to read, something that humans aren’t allowed to do under Kryptonian rule. Paloma and Mattias have tried to dissuade him, but to no avail. Marco, on the other hand, greatly admires his older brother and wishes he had his courage, and the two are very close. The family speaks as much Spanish as it does English. 

-Roscoe Dillon, age 16, lives and works in his Kryptonian owner’s estate alongside his mother, Rosa. (His father, Reginald, was sold off when Roscoe was nine.) He and Rosa are isolated from most of the other humans; as result, Roscoe has few friends. He’s also more than a little odd (thanks to being on the autism spectrum), but, fortunately for him, his love of routine and organization mean that no one can find fault with his work. He still loves tops and has created dozens of them to play with when he’s not required to work. 

-Mick Rory, aged 22, is a soft-spoken gentle giant. His family was killed in the Kryptonian invasion, and he still mourns their loss, but otherwise his life hasn’t changed as much as most of the other humans’. Having grown up on a farm, he’s used to working in the fields and adjusted to the farm labor the Kryptonians required much more easily than did most others. He is friendly and helpful to everyone and has taken in a 7-year-old girl named Linda Park, whose parents were sold off.

-Giovanni Giuseppi, aged 10, lives with his mother, Helen. He and his family, used to a migrant lifestyle from their time in the circus, managed to evade the Kryptonians for quite some time, but, when the Kryptonians finally captured them, his father, Alessandro, was killed; being dropped from a high height. The six-year-old Giovanni, already terrified of heights, was traumatized by this event. He and his mother were then sold to the Central City area. Giovanni is terrified of Kryptonians; as a result, he never disobeys orders. Once lively and energetic, Giovanni is now rather timid and reserved-but he’s still incredibly intelligent. 

-Joan Garrick is the widow of Jay Garrick, the Flash, who was murdered by Zod in order to prevent his speed from becoming a threat. She is determined to carry on his work by educating as many people as she can; in the hopes that this will enable them to escape and eventually overthrow the Kryptonians. She is very close to Iris and Claudio, and hopes to teach them everything she knows.

-Hartley Rathaway, age 9, lives with his parents, Rachel and Osgood Rathaway. When the Kryptonians first arrived in Central City, Mr. and Mrs. Rathaway struck a bargain with them; giving them all the knowledge they would need in order to take over the city with ease in exchange for being able to maintain their own wealth, freedom, and power. The Kryptonians used the information provided by the Rathaways to take over the Central/Keystone area...and then enslaved the wealthy couple along with the rest of the city’s populace anyway. Needless to say, Mr. and Mrs. Rathaway are not particularly well-liked by their fellow humans. Not at all accustomed to physical labor or powerlessness, they often get into trouble with the Kryptonian overseers, and aren’t likely to receive much help from any other humans. As a cruel joke, Rachel was allowed to keep her jewelery, and, when the Kryptonians hand out the yearly supply of clothing, they always receive the finest clothes...which are, of course, of no use at all for hard physical labor. Hartley is better-liked than his parents, but he’s deaf and mute, and, since no one had the time to teach him sign language, he struggles to communicate with anyone other than his parents. It also means that the Kryptonians use him for their own amusement, rather than having him work in the fields or in a trade; mocking the obvious inferiority of the human race that he represents. That being said, he has grown suprisingly close to Giovanni Giuseppi. 

-Leonard and Lisa Snart, age 18 and 13, respectively, are unusual. Of all the humans of the Keystone/Central area, and perhaps the planet, they are the only ones who are not enslaved. When the Kryptonians arrived in the area, Leonard was 5 years old, and his sister was a newborn. His biological father, Larry Snart, was an abusive father and husband, and regularly beat both his wife and Leonard. One night, in a drunken rage, Larry accidentally killed his wife and was preparing to brutalize his son when several Kryptonians broke into the house. Larry attacked them and was promptly killed, but, fortuitously for Len and Lisa, Zor-El and Alura arrived on the scene and adopted the children as their own, in the hopes of saving them from the slavery they knew Zod and his allies had planned for humanity. To avoid raising suspicion, they claimed that they had adopted the children because of both children’s icy blue eyes, which strongly resembled the eyes of most Kryptonians. The children had the eyes of Rao; they said. They had been blessed with civility and intelligence that was unlike that of other humans; they deserved the chance to be raised as Kryptonians. The argument was broadly accepted, and so Lenonard and Lisa Snart became Len-El and Lisa (pronounced LYE-za) of the house of Jor-El. They were raised as Kryptonians, and, although Zor-El and Alura refused to own slaves and secretly helped many humans escape to freedom, they could not allow the children to spend time with members of their own species, lest it raise suspicion about their work. As a result, both Len-El and Lisa think of themselves as Kryptonian, and, since they are surrounded by Kryptonian children and taught by Kryptonian teachers at school, both of them firmly believe that humans need to be controlled by Kryptonians. Lisa thinks of other humans almost as cute pets, having never met another member of her species, but she is curious to learn more about them. Len-El despises the fact that he’s human. Thanks to his horrific experiences with his human father, Len-El believes that humans are cruel and barbaric, and he wants nothing to do with them. He wants to be Kryptonian, just like his loving parents. He and Lisa also have a little sister, Kara Zor-El, who is 7 years old. They adore Kara, and she adores them. They’re also both quite fond of their cousin, Kal-El (age 19). 

[aliynavenus]

‘A Little Adjustment’                                          a damirae fanfic

|| 4K+ || CHAPTER 1 ||

click to read the prologue

A year didn’t seem long at all since he left, yet here he was in Jon’s car who unexpectedly showed up to pick him up from the airport and insisted Damian to sleep over. And for some reason he agreed not wanting the first thing he heard were the scorching voices of his brothers at the manor. 

Though he had to say, the city looked the same. To say it almost felt nostalgic passing through the city at sunset. The modern colored skyscrapers towering over one after the other, watching the citizens go on with their normal lives as if nothing bad can happen. Hell, even banners of heroes and his father’s business were still plastered at every corner of the street. It was all the same. They even passed the academy, yet Damian didn’t feel reluctant towards it, knowing ever since he attended there he’s been wanting to get the hell out. Except the last day, where he felt hesitant to leave, because of her. 

After informing Jon about Raven’s powers and their encounter prior from his departure, that was the last time he ever spoke about her, to anyone really so he could forget her

Damian turned his forearm that was covered by his long black sleeve shirt, he never made any improvement of what the hell the writing is considering it’s in a language not existing to this world. Not just the writing but something else

After he got to Tokyo, he felt like something in his head--no his mind was raiding him. It felt like his mindset could sense something. He couldn’t put it into words; it was distant and vague but it was like feeling doubt or contentment in the back of his mind that he knew wasn’t his. It was odd to say what it was. But it felt familiar. 

“Holy shit I can’t believe you’re finally back. It's been so boring without you dude. But before we talk about anything, we need to talk about the important part first, the girls!” Yup everything was the same even Jon. “What were Tokyo girls like? Are they really as cute as they say they are in person,” Jon scrambled not even paying attention to the road, “Oh, please tell me you had sex at least, and don’t gimme that ‘I’m Damian Wayne I don’t have hormones bullshit.” he mocked in Damian’s deep tone voice that sounded nothing like him. 

Damian scoffed, he had to admit after the countless calls Jon gave him every night back in Tokyo. He did miss his best friend and his enthusiastic personality.“First of all I sound nothing like that. Second, that is not your business to know.” 

“So you’re really going to let me believe that you’re still a virgin after the 17 brooding years of your life.” Jon eyed him slyly.

Got him there. “I did have….a few encounters with the women there.” 

“No way!” Jon hit the brakes so hard as they entered his driveway that Damian could feel the whiplash breaking his head, “The Damian Wayne actually was a playboy in Tokyo. And here I thought you’d never get to experience the making of love.” Jon playfully lightened his voice like he was speaking about heaven itself. 

Love? Now there was a ridiculous word, Damian never thought about especially in sex, “Relax Jon, I’m not an animal like you. Nonetheless I wouldn't even call it ‘making love.’ They were merely assets to please my own needs. Don’t act like I don’t have my own desires to fulfill.” his words snapped perfectly as he closed the trunk of Jon’s car to get his luggage out. 

Although it was true, it wasn’t like he was an animal feasting off any girl that he came across but he did wants that needed to be pleased. Of course he felt nothing for those women, they all just looked at the surface of him, attractive features, countless bags of money attached to his name, he almost felt shameful sleeping with those women, it made him feel like Jason. Gross. 

“Dude! You were basically Bruce Wayne over there then, you do realize that. ” Jon laughed hysterically, sliding his finger under his eye, pretending like he was wiping away a tear. 

Tsk it was a crowl of bitterness being referred to his father’s poor masked persona to the public. Jon was right before though, Damian could get any woman he desired, all except one. Her. Sure he had to forget her but every dip and curve she had on her body especially those amethyst gems, gods they left a mark on his mind that he couldn’t erase.

Before Jon could even open the door he turned around to Damian placing a hand up, “Wait before you come in there’s someone in there I didn’t tell you about.” 

“What? It is one of your weird Midwestern cousins.” 

“Hey they’re not weird! But no, I've kept it hidden since you always say I’m bad at keeping secrets, so I kept this hidden for a few months now,” Jon snapped his fingers with a cheery grin, “So Ha! Who’s the best secret keeper now.” 

Damian snorted, rolling his eyes, reaching for the door knob, unpleased by Jon’s unimportance accomplishments, “Oh yea, and what’s this big surprise that you kept.” he said, entering Jon’s-- replica of a farmhouse home. Damn Kents with their midwestern taste. 

‘Well do you remember Rav--”

“Jon, are you home? Lois and Clark said they’ll be home late so we can order food--oh, I thought I heard someone else.” 

Holy shit. This had to be a dream, of course that was the only explanation. Right?

“Surprise!” Jon interrupted, jumping estactly in front of Damian, “I got a step sister! You remember Raven, right Damian? She transferred before you left.” 

Oh he remembered. He remembered well. He also remembered a beating Jon was going to get for keeping this hidden from him. 

Raven Roth, the only woman that left his mind a mess. Damian was trying to wrap his thoughts around that Raven was here. Here in front of his eyes, her hair has gotten longer passing her shoulders resting right above her breasts. Her chromatic eyes that were still breathtaking at the sight. And yet she looked somewhat vibrant. Seeing her in a beige straight mini skirt combined with a dark red sweater. She looked sinless. Gods this was like a whole new version of Raven that his eyes were feasting off from. It was like a painting that was displaced in front of him that was meant to be admired.

He felt rather awkward now appealing that he was just staring at her appearance not yet having said a word. 

“Right. I remember you, Raven. It’s been some time, you look different” different? Out of all his vocabulary he chose that one, the most typical one. He was making a fool out of himself. Urging to change the subject just as quick to avoid his embarrassment. “So I presume the Kents adopted you then. Jon made no input in that. How did this happen.” 

Raven glanced towards Jon like she was waiting for him to answer for her but he only nudged his head towards Damian. “You can trust him Raven, believe me nothing will break him.” Damian watched her play with her fingertips looking like she was trying to find the proper words, and fuck did she look precious doing that.

“After the Bane attack last year Jon came up to me saying Clark knew people that can help me control my powers. Superman and Constantine helped me surpass my father's demands and helped me trap my father in this sacred crystal that makes him less powerful.” She grasped her necklace lifting it to his view, “And along the way I became very fond of this family that Clark wanted to take me in or adopt like Jon says.” Raven’s eyes lit up as if this was her favorite thing in the world to talk about. 

Who would have thought being adopted by The Kents would ever please anyone. Not only has the most intriguing woman he’s ever met is one of the most powerful sorcerers who’s half demon but is now dreadfully part of the Kent Family. It was like chills were sent through his spine comprehending that.  

“It must have been appealing to you knowing that Clark is super--” 

Before another word could come out, Jon’s palm covered Damian’s mouth that it made a loud smack. “A super epic reporter! That’s how he has all these amazing inside stories about superman! Right Damian!” 

The hell is he doing? “Well Raven if you could go back upstairs. Me and Dami here have so much to talk about. You can talk to him later. Now go and meditate or read one of those weird things.” 

"Books Jon, they're called books.” She sounded like she was tired of Jon but yet who can blame her. As they watched her go back upstairs hearing the small shut of the door. Jon exhales, releasing his hand away from Damian’s mouth. “What was that for--”

“I gotta explain fast, look long story short, Raven doesn’t know who the “The Kents” actually are.” Jon gave a look to Damian like it was supposed to tell the whole story. Yet that only made him more puzzled about this situation, “Raven doesn’t know Clark Kent is Superman neither does she know that I’m superboy or that your robin. She has no idea who we actually are even though she’s an empath she can control her powers now. She trusts us, so not once has she ever had to feel our emotions. To her she thinks we’re just a normal family who have no sort of connection to metas or any type of weird shit that can’t be explained.” 

Damian had to admit not a lot of things shocked him but this -- this was like a sitcom from a damn show that was brought into reality. “Your saying she’s completely oblivious that she’s living in a house full of kryptonians, wouldn't it be better if she did know.”

“My dad was going to tell her everything right away but Raven felt so happy that she finally met people who were ‘normal.’ She said that all her life she felt like a freak. She loved knowing that a “regular” family took her in and actually took the time to help her. My dad thought if she were to find out who we actually are she’ll feel overwhelmed that the only people who wanted to take her in, were people that can’t be explained just like her. He said she’s going to feel like a freak all over again, so we all agreed that we try our best to make her feel like a regular teenager and not a spawn to her dad.” 

It did make sense. No average family would ever give in to take care of a powerful half demon knowing the consequences. If she did find out it’ll only appeal to her as freaks taking in a freak, but she wasn't one. It felt a blade in his chest knowing she considers herself like that. If anything he was the strange one. Despite their similar backgrounds he felt filthy compared to her. She was pure, something so fragile that he didn’t want to bathe her in his dirty, damaging past.

“Okay look, I can go along with this charade but I need answers to this writing and to these damn things I’m sensing from my head after she healed me.” 

Jon’s eyes widen, “You still haven’t found out what the hell it is?!” 

“No!” Damian's strident voice hollered, slapping the back of Jon’s head causing him to wince, “In case you haven’t noticed whatever the hell it is, isn’t from earth. So of course this planet wouldn’t have an idea of what it is,” 

“You know that really hurt.” Jon whimpered as if he never has gotten hit by a plane before, which he has. “Well, we can’t tell her that you're Robin.” 

Oh gods, if Jon was going to continue giving him dead ends he was going to end his kryptonian life right then and there. “I know that, Jon. I need to think how to ask her without revealing anything.” 

“I might have an idea.” a sly smirk appeared on his lips as he leaned back on his heels, “Raven!” he yelled “I called the Tai place you like, they said they don’t do deliveries today! Wouldn’t want Damian to feel hungry or lonely if I go!” 

At this point Damian really should’ve just considered staying at Dick’s place afterall.

Steps were heard bouncing off the floor, watching that damn skirt inch up from Raven's thighs, her skin looked like silk that he wanted to--no..! What was he thinking? 

 “You don’t have to scream you know. I’ll go get it,” Raven’s heel turned towards Damian having their eyes meet, “Besides you’re the guest at the house. It’s the least I can do. I hope Tai is okay. It's no fancy dinner though since you’re probably used to those kinds of things.” a timid chuckle cautiously escaped her lips, as if hoping her little joke wasn’t too much. 

What did she have to be nervous about? If anything it felt like she had him under some kind of spell making him vulnerable whenever she was close to him. 

He cleared his throat trying to ignore whatever he was feeling, “I assure you, it’s one of my favorites, thank you.” cutting back a curse, hating how his voice was masked with the typical Damian Wayne business tone, his father had him adjust to when attending business meetings. This made him feel like a utter fool

Though she didn’t seem fazed by it and simply nodded with a small smile, “I’ll be back, then.” 

Damian jerked his head towards Jon after she shut the door behind her, almost forgetting he was still here, “Now what about this plan.” 

“Get your suit.” 

-----------------------

Raven had no idea he was coming back. Jon was always overly excited talking about Damian’s arrival to her, he just never mentioned it was going to be today. It made her feel nervous when she spoke to him, knowing all the spiraled rumors. It felt like everyday she always heard about him, not just from Jon but from every person at the academy. The son of a rich billionaire playboy who got everyone's attention with his attractive features and mysterious persona yet decided to play the outcast. She had to say she did notice him every once in a while back then, it wasn’t hard considering the countless rumors that would come through her ears. 

Damian Wayne was known to be arrogant, egocentric, a heart breaker even. Rumors flooded about how he would leave every girl crying after going on a date with them. Yet that was Jon’s best friend. Though she trusted Jon and if Damian was worthy to know about her powers then so be it. In fact he didn’t even look fazed when he found she had powers, it was strange, but warming. 

It was grim walking home in dim lighted streets after picking up the Tai food for them. The streets were empty, the sounds of crickets chirping echoing in the vast narrow night. It all seemed calming though it was quiet, too quiet even. Something felt off--no something felt familiar. It couldn’t be, could it? 

“You know young girls shouldn’t be walking at night alone. But you’re not like the other girls are you, Rachel or should I say Raven.” 

It was familiar. It was Robin. She hadn’t seen him for almost a year now, after she healed him she tried looking for him. To explain what she did. Now he was here, here in the alley being dimly streaked with the light from the light pole as he wore the darkness of the shadows in the alley. Her breath felt cut looking at him, he looked different, a good different, he looked sculptural in a way that whatever he did in that year really paid off. But why did he come to her now? 

“You really know how to make an entrance. It’s been a year and now you come to me? I’ve tried looking for you, you’re not the easiest person to find.” 

A soft chuckle came from his lips, “I’ve had a busy schedule.” she watched as he narrowed his masked eyes at her, “Listen Raven, I didn’t just drop by to hello. I came to get answers.” 

Raven knew what he was referring to but she didn’t know if he knew all that he was referring to. She wondered if he knew all of it, everything that she’s mistakenly done.

“If it’s what I think you’re referring to I can explain.” Raven stepped forward hearing her voice soften.

“Then explain, explain everything Raven. The writing on my arm that appeared after you healed me and these things I sense in my mind. Explain it all.” They were merely feet away but she could hear his frustration clearly through his masked voice.  

This was it, she had to explain every mistake she did, every little thing she connected them with. 

She felt her heart become heavy as she chewed at her lower lip, uncomfortably shifting as what she was about to expose what her powers really did that day. Or more so what it unleashed, “For starters, the writing…..it’s a connection to lust.” 

“What?” He sounded bewildered at her answer. Oh gods, he really didn’t know what she did. 

Damian wasn’t sure what came over him after she spoke, feeling a turmoil of emotions of confusion yet desire swirled into one. Why did she always look so damn desirous to him? Why now? Watching her beige skirt hike up her thighs as he pressed his body forward causing her to lean against the cool brick wall in the alley as he placed his hands on either side of her head. Her face seemed stunned at his actions yet that only made him feel sensuous as he noticed a flush of red across her cheeks. He couldn’t dare look away from her amethyst eyes, it felt they were burning right through his mask. He hasn’t even placed one finger on her yet he felt his body aching to touch her skin. She looked too damn irresistible. What the hell was his body doing?

“What the hell did you do?”

Instantly Raven felt her throat feel dry, feeling her heart pick up speed at his words. She hoped he couldn’t hear it as it beat loudly against her ears. Swallowing between her small breaths trying to regain confidence continuing to look at his masked eyes that held so much mystery.

“When I healed you I wasn’t in full control of my powers I accidentally connected us, our entire bodies to one of the 7 deadly sins, lust. Meaning we can feel when one of us,” she looks away avoiding his hard stare, “is having sex” Every word that came out made her feel like she could fall apart right under him. They were so close that the fabric of her sweater seemed to cling to his suit, it felt like a rush of heat was being consumed within her. She was sure he saw how tense her body was under him. 

Silence stretched between them, as if this wasn’t torture enough for her having to explain this, “When one of us has sex we feel the guilty pleasure from it but the other will feel the consequences of the sin, overwhelming agonizing pleasurable pain rush into our skin...It’s not as pleasant as it sounds,” Her words were low at the end, seemingly remembering that pain, that agony she would get randomly during the past year. That agony was the consequences of Robin having sex. 

Robin's expression changed, clearly taken aback, who could blame him not like he ever felt this pain before considering she never felt that pleasure. Though she was sensing something, something hazy but she could feel it, regretment. Why did he feel that? If anything he’s living his life more than she is. 

All at once Raven felt Robin press his head against hers. That touch was a simple thing that was gentle yet felt so burning in her flesh. “You were in pain whenever I had intimacy?” 

Her eyes trailed off, hoping to regain control of her breaths, “Yes.” pause, “I’m assuming that reason you had many intimacy moments was because of the sin. The sin is a bittersweet thing that leaves you aching for more.” gods she really was pathetic with her words.

“You seem as if this connection to lust had no desires to raid your body.” 

“Lust seems to have a stronger advantage when it’s involved in males. And since I can control my powers now, I can also control how I feel towards those sins better than you can.”

Robin shook his head slowly biting the inside of his cheek giving a distraught smile that had no humor behind it, “So your declaring this lustful sin only affects me.”  

“I’m not quite sure, this sin could explain if you ever feel sexually frustrated.” Raven winced at herself at her lame excuse of this situation she put them in. Though it could be the reason he was acting like this towards her right now. Why else would this tension he put them in be happening. Right?

“What about these damn things I’m sensing in my mind.” 

This was killing her, she hasn’t even explained that part to him yet. 

“The things you’re sensing,” Raven took a moment as if she was nervous to speak, “they’re my emotions. You can feel them as I can for you, only when we’re feeling strongly about something, like right now you’re feeling frustrated.” 

He growled, gnashing his teeth like an animal, “You’re saying you can feel my emotions. You set-- whatever the hell it is pry into my mind to feast information on me this whole damn time!”

Raven blinked at his rash tone. He wasn’t just angry, he was furious. Something told her, he didn’t like sharing his emotions. 

Instantly she felt her throat feel dry, “I didn’t mean to do this on purpose, any of it!” Her words felt like it could break at how wobbly they were, “When I healed you, your wound was so close to your mind I accidentally created a mind-link. None of this should’ve happened. I don’t know why it did.” She should have known better if she knew healing him a year would've caused this much trouble. It was questionable why her powers did this all on their own, especially to them. 

He looked away slightly, mumbling something in another language that she didn’t know but he scoffed when he brought his vision back to her. “Then you must know who I really am behind this mask if we’re linked.” Her breath hitched feeling his fingertips just barely touch her cheek, they felt almost uncertain as if he was hesitant. 

Though all she managed to do was shake her head lightly, “This mind link is still a confusing thing, but since I set it as you being “Robin.” I can only sense those emotions, think of it as I can only sense half of you. Since I don't know who you are behind the mask I can’t sense any emotions if I’m ever around your real identity. So there’s the bright side, your secret is still safe.” she felt lame at how she was trying to at least lighten this subject. Though she saw his fingers lift away from her cheek, falling back to his side. “But since you know my real identity and my earth persona you can feel all of me--my emotions I mean” her voice rose abruptly embarrassed at her poor choice of words. 

For a second it looks like he was about to pull away, but he just lifted his body ever so slightly to come into full view of her, “Tsk. How do we get rid of this? All of this” 

“I’m not quite sure.” 

He grinded his teeth together. “You set these things, can’t you take these damn things away.” 

Gods, he really needed to control his temper like she said before she didn’t plan this, “Setting all these things that I mistakenly did is something I didn’t even know I was able to do.” Raven chewed on her lower lip, “But let me help, at least help figure out how we can get rid of all of it. I won’t make another mistake again, please Robin. I want to help.”

The moment between them after she spoke was filled with the chirps of crickets, it was making her eager to know if he was going to allow her request. Soon after a breath came from him who looked like he was gathering his thoughts, and finally he lifted his hands away from the brick wall that were beside her head. She heard a low curse before he spoke, “Fine, just do whatever you need to do to erase everything. I don’t want to keep feeling like this.” 

Raven didn’t quite know if he was referring to the deadly sin or the mind link part, it was all too much that she did. Either way he probably wanted both. “I’ll try to find as much information as I can by this week.” 

He didn’t respond to her, and just turned away, annihilated his grappling hook to the top of the building leaving her isolated in the dim shadows.

Hearing the plastic of the bag against the wind, gods she completely forgot he stopped her from a food errand, the food must’ve gotten cold already. Jon and Damian must be wondering where the hell she was. 

---------------------------

if you made it to here lemme just say omg finally this was the hardest thing I’ve ever written because i was trying hard to explain this whole situation without them having to be too yk. cuz hellooo it is only the first chapter but ik this chapter a little like ehhh idk if it is or not but I had to shove like everything that needed to get out of the way first, so we can finally be introduced to the fluff and angst and soon smut in the upcoming chapters. so ya hope this chap was somewhat enjoyable 

[aion-rsa]

Zack Snyder’s Justice League Ending Explained: The Sequels and DCEU We Never Saw

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This article contains Zack Snyder’s Justice League spoilers.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a lot of movie. It’s four hours plus of superhero action with some heavy mythological overtones. And it’s ending isn’t even a single ending to this story…it’s multiple endings. And each of these multiple endings is meant to set up a host of spinoff movies and Justice League sequels that we will unfortunately never get to see!

We’ll consider the “main” ending of the film, the one that wraps up the initial story begun in 2013’s Man of Steel, to be the defeat of Steppenwolf. But from there, we get several epilogues, and that’s where things get even more complicated. There are no post-credits scenes in Zack Snyder’s Justice League because, well, it doesn’t need them, but the “additional endings” kind of serve the same purpose.

So let’s get started…

The Defeat of Steppenwolf

The key to defeating Steppenwolf actually comes much earlier in the movie when Barry is explaining to Bruce some of how his speed works, and his discovery of what he dubs the Speed Force. 

“When I approach the speed of light, crazy things happen to time, but when I do it I create massive electrical power.”  

It’s that “massive electrical power” that is ultimately used to help “wake” the Mother Box that’s used to resurrect Superman (who himself is, of course, a key to Steppenwolf’s defeat). Barry builds up enough of a head of steam to generate the necessary to spark the Mother Box and charge the chemical soup that brings Superman back to life. 

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But there’s another key here, and that’s the “crazy things that happen to time” which comes in later…

With Steppenwolf in possession of all three Mother Boxes, he’s in position to bring about “Unity,” which grants him impossible destructive power, and which would allow Darkseid to easily access Earth and begin his campaign to attain the Anti-Life Equation. Since the Mother Boxes have already been joined, and “Unity” appears to be underway, Cyborg needs to “hack” into them (since some of his power and technology was derived from a Mother Box).

The only problem? Not enough power!

And that’s where Flash comes in. As Barry begins building up the speed necessary to generate the kind of power required for this, he’s hit by a lucky shot from a Parademon, delaying Cyborg’s ability to prevent Unity from happening. In the process, the Mother Boxes unleash a torrent of energy powerful enough to vaporize everything and everyone in its path (and possibly the entire world), including Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Aquaman, and even Superman. Barry witnesses this from afar and with only nanoseconds to act, decides to break his own rule about not surpassing the speed of light, for fear of the “crazy things that happen to time” he mentioned earlier in the film. 

Needless to say, Barry succeeds in his goal and seems to reverse time by the necessary few seconds as he approaches the Mother Boxes, reconstituting everyone, delaying the explosion long enough for him to give Cyborg the energy needed to hack the Mother Boxes, and stopping things in their tracks long enough for Aquaman, Superman, and Wonder Woman to send Steppenwolf back home… in pieces.

We’re going to come back to Barry in a minute, but let’s just take a moment here to talk about Steppenwolf’s boss.

Darkseid Will Return

Or… he would have returned if Zack Snyder’s original plan for multiple Justice League movies had come to pass. “When I made the film originally, it was part of a five-part trilogy,” the director recently told Vanity Fair. “There were two more episodes of the Justice League to be shot.”

Darkseid isn’t cowed witnessing Steppenwolf have the extraterrestrial crap beaten out of him by Superman, skewered by Aquaman, and decapitated by Wonder Woman. Instead he calmly tells DeSaad to “ready the armada, we’ll use the old ways,” indicating that he’s ready to just invade Earth the old-fashioned way again with a massive alien army and warships. 

Why he feels confident in doing this considering how it ended for him the last time is anyone’s guess, but the fact that he knows for sure that Anti-Life is here probably has something to do with it, along with the fact that he can use the Anti-Life Equation to control Superman, who just proved himself to be the most powerful champion in the galaxy.

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In other words, the Justice League 3 (yes, three…we’ll get to Justice League 2 in a minute…I told you this would be out of order) that we’ll probably never see would have dealt with Darkseid’s second invasion of Earth and his clash with our heroes. What this means now is that the Knightmare sequence from Batman v Superman (and which is revisited in this film) wasn’t just a nightmare after all, but a vision of a possible future in which Darkseid is successful, at least to some degree.

Which brings us to…

Joker, Batman, Knightmare, and more…

In the not-too-distant future we see Batman, once again wearing his desert togs that we saw in his Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice nightmare. He’s joined by Cyborg, Flash (wearing that weird armored get-up that we saw when he visited Bruce with his “too soon?” warning about Lois Lane in BvS), Deathstroke, and Mera. Why this team?

Well, it turns out the vision Cyborg had during the resurrection of Superman (see? I told you it would keep coming back to that moment!) was what would happen if Darkseid was not only successful in his invasion, but in acquiring the Anti-Life Equation. We know from that vision that Wonder Woman is dead, Darkseid skewered Aquaman just as Aquaman skewered Steppenwolf, and Superman is… not a good guy anymore. Apparently, Darkseid vaporized Lois Lane with his Omega Beams and then used the Anti-Life Equation in Superman’s moment of weakness to bend him to his will.

This explains why Superman is “evil” in Batman’s original Knightmare vision from BvS, and explains the wrecked Hall of Justice, the dead Green Lantern, and more from Cyborg’s vision at the moment of his resurrection. Things are apparently so dire that even the Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime and an Agent of Chaos, has thrown in his lot with Batman, the Flash, and all the rest in an attempt to reverse time and save Lois Lane from being obliterated. Hence Joker asking Batman, “You need me to undo this world you created by letting her die. Poor Lois.”

Of course, Joker also hints that the only way to truly undo this is for Batman to ultimately sacrifice himself, and Snyder has indeed said that the plan was for Batman to die at Darkseid’s hands, in his final bid to save Lois. Batman getting fried by Darkseid was a key part of the climax to Grant Morrison’s excellent Final Crisis series, too, but that’s another matter entirely.

And if a ragtag band of heroes and villains fighting an alien invasion and an evil Superman isn’t out there enough for you, Snyder ALSO told Vanity Fair that Batman’s ultimate sacrifice would restore the timeline to where Lois Lane survived…but was pregnant with Bruce’s child. No, not a typo. And then the Justice League trilogy would end with: “Twenty years later, on the anniversary of [Batman’s] death, they take young Bruce Kent down to the Batcave and they say, ‘Your Uncle Bruce would’ve been proud if you did this…something like that.”

Anyway, with this weird potential future stuff out of the way, let’s talk about the more immediate implications of what happened in the ending there.

The Flash and Flashpoint

Barry comes to a realization as he sprints towards Unity that he can “make your own future/your own past/it’s all right now.” When moving at this speed and when he’s this deep in the Speed Force, he perceives time differently than we do.

More importantly, from a wider DCEU standpoint, this is absolutely the moment when Barry realizes that he could potentially change the past. Specifically, he probably wants to go back in time and prevent the murder of his mother, and thus keep his father out of jail. In other words, this is the first seed of what would have been (or will be?) the long-gestating and troubled The Flash solo movie, which will be based on the Flashpoint story.

In Flashpoint, Barry goes back in time, prevents his mother’s murder and…does NOT live happily ever after. Instead, this causes ripples in the timeline that lead to a very strange and unpleasant world, and Barry realizes that maybe he shouldn’t be doing things like that.

The current Flash movie plans (the film is now in the hands of director Andy Muschietti) probably involve Flashpoint in some capacity, since Barry is able to access the multiverse and meets Michael Keaton’s Batman from the Tim Burton movies. So Barry might not have just gone back in time a few seconds here in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, he may have accessed the DC Multiverse itself. That, of course, is another can of worms entirely.

Lex Luthor, Deathstroke, and Batman

Think of this as what would normally be a “mid-credits scene” and a tease for the Justice League 2 that we’ll never see. Lex Luthor escapes from Arkham Asylum (which is a weird place for Lex, but whatever) by using a fakeout move kind of similar to the one Gene Hackman’s Lex pulled in Superman II.

But when next we see Lex, he’s in the recruitment business. His first meeting is with Joe Manganiello as Slade Wilson, better known as Deathstroke. You might remember this scene from the Joss Whedon version of the film, but here it plays out differently. While here, as there, Lex is indeed looking to put together a team of supervillains, he’s a bit more specific here, revealing Batman’s true identity to Slade, who apparently has a grudge against the Dark Knight.

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This was supposed to be the premise of the Batman solo movie when Ben Affleck was still involved as both director and star, but that, like so many other DCEU projects, fell to pieces. It’s a shame, because after Affleck’s terrific performance as Batman in this, that really could have been cool. 

Lex earning Deathstroke’s loyalty here by doing him this little favor also would have helped set up Lex’s team-building efforts, which apparently would have paid off in Snyder’s planned Justice League 2.

Martian Manhunter

As we learned earlier in the film, Harry Lennix’s General Swanwick was actually J’onn J’onnz, the Martian Manhunter in disguise. Here, he finally reveals himself (in his true form no less) to the no-longer-xenophobic Bruce Wayne, who is now fully the hero we hoped he would be when he was introduced in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

It’s pretty self-explanatory stuff. Martian Manhunter tells Bruce Darkseid will come for the Anti-Life Equation, lets him know he’ll be around to help, and flies off. Bruce accepts this pretty readily, and we’re ready for a sequel, and for that “unite the seven” marketing prophecy to finally come true.

But while Lennix’s reveal as Martian Manhunter was always intended to be part of this film and Snyder’s DCEU in general, he wasn’t the superhero intended for this scene! Yes, just as Bruce wanted “room for more” at the Justice League headquarters table, this movie would have also introduced an eighth hero.

“We shot a version of this scene with Green Lantern, but the studio really fought me and said, ‘We really don’t want you to do Green Lantern,’” Snyder told Vanity Fair. “So I made a deal with them, and they let me do this [instead].”

The Green Lantern in question would have been John Stewart. But it turns out the studio has long intended for Stewart to be the center of their Green Lantern Corps movie, so according to Snyder, Martian Manhunter “was the compromise.”

Wait, did I say eight heroes? I meant nine!

Ryan Choi is The Atom

In case you were wondering, Ryan Choi, the STAR Labs scientist who works with Silas Stone throughout the film is indeed an important character from the comics. Choi is destined to become the Atom, the shrinking superhero who will one day become a member of the Justice League.

Here, we see him getting granted the position of “director of nanotechnology” for STAR Labs, a role which will certainly lead to some useful discoveries for him down the line. Hopefully someone decides to give Zheng Kai another shot at the role down the line.

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What do you think? Do you still want Zack Snyder’s vision of the DCEU and his plans for Justice League 2 and Justice League 3 to become a reality? Let us know in the comments!

The post Zack Snyder’s Justice League Ending Explained: The Sequels and DCEU We Never Saw appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[davidmann95]

All-Star Superman #2

A scant year to the day since part 1!

All evidence to the contrary I actually have always wanted to go back to this, especially since I keep getting asked if I’ll do so and it stirs my omnipresent sense of guilt over my lack of productivity, and also the last year has not resulted in a mass turnaround of people realizing it’s a for-real good book and not just comfort food so this remains necessary. This isn’t going to be quite as in-depth as the first go-around - both that as the introductory issue and that as the introductory recap had a lot of groundwork to lay - but still plenty to cover, as this issue sets up Lois and Superman’s arcs for the series, which is rooted (amazingly, especially right off the bat, given the book’s reputation of being about how amazing Superman is) in how badly Superman’s let his fears and shortsightedness poison the most important relationship in his life.

If the first issue is the big classic Superman material - Superman saving the day from the monster! Lois and Clark and the rest of the Daily Planet crew! Lex Luthor’s sinister schemes! A ticking clock to doom! - this scales all the way down to the uncomfortably, stiflingly intimate. Classic archetypal Superman stuff gives way to the most Silver Age issue: casual huge ideas, relationship drama, misunderstandings, last-minute reveals that recontextualize the entire issue, and baaaarely latent psychodrama bubbling up at the edges. In service of that the visual framing here is not unlike a stage play, a limited set of physically connected locales as a pair of figures bounce off one another. Quitely and Grant’s work is therefore comparatively subdued next to issue #1, keeping to traditional panel layouts and wide or medium shots with a background color palate of mostly blacks and whites and grays with a handful of other colors popping out...until Lois starts to lose her shit at the end of the issue and we get close-ups and full black and white panels and eerie glowing and dutch angles and that unsettling abstract image of her clenched teeth, as the story starts to squeeze us like Lois’s gut.

She’s right to be unsettled for that matter; she’s alone on Superman’s turf (the one issue where that’s the case other than #6, and that one’s about how Smallville stopped being his home), the weird antiseptic alien lair of the ultimate super-hobbyist, and all the baggage of their relationship is spilling out into the open as she has less and less reason to think the best of this odd man who’s been lying to her for years. Unlike the Silver Age tales this is referencing, she’s absolutely on the money with her complaints about him: he’s been dicking around with her forever and thinks it can all be okay now (His little “What?” on the second page when she bursts his bubble says it all), and he’s awkwardly overcompensating trying to fix it.

While the Fortress tour serves to peacefully acclimate us to how utterly bizarre Superman’s world really gets past the traditional rescues (the little cubic starfield we don’t know the meaning of yet, trophies are floating rather than physically suspended, the glowing flowers in Lois’s room, “The Phantom Zone map room’s pretty dull unless you can see radio-negative anti-waves”), Superman himself is...humblebragging isn’t the right way of putting it, but it feels like he’s working way, way harder than he ever will again in this book to be cool and impressive and assuring. He’s a dope in love, but he can tell something’s up and that super-brain of his isn’t putting the obvious pieces together, or noticing that this is just putting her off further and further until, like Bluebeard’s wife before her, she stumbles through the threshold of the door she was never meant to, even of course in the end he’s still Superman and there’s a perfectly good reason. Not a good enough reason, however, for her accusations at dinner to not hit home - his mind may be expanding, but he’s still way up his own ass here in a genuinely unpleasant way that’ll be elaborated on momentarily. For now he’s left stammering that she should trust him and it’s limp and phony, especially compared to his big entreaty for someone to trust him in #10 (which’ll be right after he finally comes clean with her); while Superman may not be considered a savior figure by his friends in here the way he often is in the mainline comics Lois seems to be the only one who doesn’t look up to him at least a little bit, but that clarity means she’ll call him out where no one else will.

Across the next two pages it’s all laid out, and we get to the roots of where things have gone wrong between the two of them. Lois is paranoid, certainly, the panels are literally squeezing in on her, but with Superman seeming so out-there and alien like never before she would have every right to be even sans alien chemicals. But notably there remains throughout a part of her assuming the best of him wondering if maybe this is just another big misunderstanding or that he’s simply been mutated by the solar overexposure. And in her heart of hearts, she admits that maybe she wants this to be another big damn trick with a completely sensible justification, because the alternative is that this is the new normal and she has to accept that he’s a flawed mortal man. It’s ugly and it’s mean - especially since she likes Clark - and it’s human as hell in the worst, most understandable way. It’s not going to be until said mortality is staring her in the face that she’ll be able to accept it.

Superman, meanwhile...someone could write a thesis on these panels as an articulation of the Superman/Clark dynamic. The Mirror of Truth is actually preexisting, centerpiece of a Jerry Siegel/Curt Swan joint in Action Comics #269 that was later adapted into the Superman newspaper strip where Lois uses it to figure out Superman is Clark Kent until he tricks her into believing the mirror can lie, after which he tosses it in a volcano; here it’s survived, and curiously shows him as Superman rather than Clark, when in the original tale it displayed Kent even though that was fully the era of Clark as a disguise. In here too it’s Superman who’s the ‘true’ identity of the two and which this time is reflected in the mirror, yet as in #1 it’s Clark who says what he’s truly feeling. In that light, the final panel of the abandoned glasses reads like nothing so much as Superman using the mirror as affirmation that the truth of the solemn, steadfast Superman identity gives him licence to deny the uncomfortable emotions his squishy human farmboy side is dredging up, ‘lying’ to him in a way he had to fake in the source material. Those emotions however knock right on the door of what he can’t grasp here: Clark’s so wrapped up in his own head trying to do the ‘right’ thing that he’s overlooking how his attempts at self-sacrificing selflessness are hurting the people around him. Throughout the series he’ll come to rely on others, first at his lowest points with Jimmy and the Bizarros, until at last he comes to invest true trust in Lois, and the Kandorians, and Leo Quintum, and even Lex.

For now though Lois is deep in a hole, a brief but memorable meeting with the Unknown Superman of 4500AD - everything Superman seems to be becoming to her even before she wonders if it’s literally him, cryptic and masked and with a big ‘ol question mark right on his chest instead of the familiar comforting logo, even his gutbuster of a question reinforcing his distance from a recognizable human experience - leading her all the way to reimagining her Silver Age ideal happy ending of marriage and family with Superman as a Cronenbergian horror. It’s still a Superman story, it turns out he had the very best reason possible for wanting to keep her in the dark, but right through to the end he remains just a little condescending in his reassurance, and his gift of essentially bringing her up to his ‘level’ isn’t going to solve the problem. While the next issue lets us see the two of them properly in love, it won’t be until the elephant in the room comes out that they can come to terms.

Additional notes

* God Quitely is so good. Look at the way the seatbelt curves in the first panel! Lois’s bemused little disbelieving smirk!

* Pages 2-3: Aurora Borealis?!

* Lois is the only character other than Superman who gets to have actual narration (in both cases as looks at their in-text writing), the only one whose viewpoint is thus privileged in the same way as his.

* The key is the realization of this series’ aesthetic in a nutshell: the old-school idea in a sleek, shiny, clever new way that doesn’t take away from the fantastical toyeticness of it all. For that matter, the key is the centerpiece of a later bit with Superman that could be fairly described as the long-term goal of the book book as Morrison’s hoped-for perennial: “One day some future man or woman will open that door, with that key. When they do, I want them to know how it felt to live at the dawn of the age of superheroes.”

* This is A. The first note of a larger DC universe existing offscreen, something that I’ll go into more when discussing #8, B. A brilliant, concise, fun little summation of his place in Superman’s world, and C. Absolutely hilarious given Morrison suggested in his exit interview that this could be seen as much later on in the same universe as All-Star Batman & Robin The Boy Wonder, which entirely rewrites the tone of that moment.

* Already discussed the key but the muscles in Superman’s hand tensing a bit at picking it up is another great detail.

* The glimpse of the Fortress here is excellent: the statues of his friends and enemies instead of pictures because he does things bigger with the yellow electric something crackling at the end of it, the off-model but curious-looking robot appearing to glance at Kandor (are it and the bigger robot with the seats on top of it trophies, or Superman Robots with different designs tasked for specific purposes?), the classic Bad Penny Good For One Crime, the Legion time bubble that establishes his time-traveling credentials for later, the Titanic where he and Lois will dine when their relationship hits a proverbial iceberg, and most strikingly the space shuttle Columbia, his apparent rescue of which I have to imagine is a reference to Astro City’s Superman analogue Samaritan debuting by averting the Challenger disaster.

* It’s next issue that has my actual favorite Superman/Lois moment of all time, but “When we’re married fifteen years, when I’m sagging and he looks just the same, will he still meet me and say things like...” “These are for you. I picked them on Alpha Centauri 4.” is right up there.

* The technological aesthetic of the Fortress is so different than P.R.O.J.E.C.T., sleek and solid and cleanly-lit and antiseptic, beautiful and advanced but a little cold in its own way. As stuffed with wonder as this place may be, there’s something hauntingly empty about it, suiting both the tone of the issue and as a physical embodiment of Superman’s emotional state. The one part that goes against it is the forbidden room, it even has beakers and test tubes to sell the mad scientist vibe...though if you were to stretch it, it much more close resembles the human technology seen at P.R.O.J.E.C.T., and this is meant as a gift for one.

* The cosmic anvil made it along with the key into the CWverse, Lois used it in Elseworlds! I may not be expecting All-Star quality from the upcoming Superman and Lois, but it’s good to know the powers that be are using it as a reference point (beyond how it inspired Supergirl’s take on Cat Grant, a connection I discussed in a post that seems to have vanished into thin air). The whole page is perfect, Superman at his most joyfully benign and beautiful and godlike; it’s the one bit where Lois’s skepticism cracks a touch watching him feed his adorable little Lovecraftian abomination from beyond the stars.

* While he never appears physically aside from a statue Brainiac hovers over this series from beginning to end in name and deed, the ominous ultimate enemy of Superman’s past, the great trial overcome even as the scars forever remain. Morrison mentioned in the exit interview that he didn’t appear in here because he and Quitely already used him as the villain of JLA: Earth 2, but that if he had it would have borrowed Superman: The Animated Series’ take on him as a Kryptonian AI gone rogue. Personally I like his place in here as-is, a little totem parallel to the Justice League references indicating the breadth of Superman’s history between putting on the cape and Luthor’s final scheme.

* A pair of minor notes: Lois points at Superman with the pointy fork when asking him pointed questions, and while it’s not immediately clear on first read she does in fact ask the Unknown Superman exactly 3 questions (“Kal Kent?” “Will Superman and I ever marry and have children?” “What do you mean?”) before he replies with his own, as promised.

* “Oww.” and “Tickles.” literally could not be more perfect Superman moments.

* Worth taking a moment to marvel at just how many future plot elements are seeded here. There’s the obvious bit of Superman thinking about having a partner setting up the next issue, but we also for issue #6 have our first look at Kal Kent and Lois wondering “What if (the Unknown Superman) was really (Superman)?” when Clark will indeed pose as him, for #10 we get our first look at Qwewq, and for #11 not only is the Sun-Eater introduced but so is Robot 7′s malfunction as a result of Luthor’s tampering.

* The structure of the series according to Morrison is a solar cycle, beginning and ending at midday with nightfall in the center. If last issue was the sun at its brightest we begin the descent here, with Superman remaining larger-than-life and ultimately trustworthy but with his classic persona and habits held to an additional, unflattering degree of scrutiny.

[disregardcanon]

end of year writing meme

Total Stories Written: 27

Total Words Written: 147413 Average Words Per Story: if you do the mean, then it’s 5,459 Shortest Story: the aftermath of rebirth at 338 words Longest: Paint a New Horizon at 23,673 words

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d predicted?

I wrote fewer stories than I expected, but they were far longer than I expected. I wrote a lot of 11k fics. 

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write most?

pairing: Sansa/Margaery (throwback to 2015 omg) 

genre: I don’t feel like I had a certain genre I wrote a lot of tbh. 

fandom: A Song of Ice and Fire

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?

THE POKEMON GAMES! Like, oh my god. I wrote fanfiction about soul silver. I wrote fanfiction about POKEMON WHITE. what. the fuck. Like, technically the first fic i ever wrote was about pokemon but i never expected to do it again. 

Did you take any writing risks this year?

I wrote 2 very long asoiaf fics about difficult subject matter. Combined, they add up to more than 40 thousand words of fic. 

Do you have any fanfic or general writing goals for the new year?

Fanfiction wise, I would like to finish up some of my wips and try to improve. 

In general, I would like to figure out more what I want my writing to look like moving forward and how to go about that. I’m experiencing some growing pains, so I need to reassess my style and strategy and see what I need to readjust moving forward. 

From the past year of writing, what was your…

Best story of this year: Paint a New Horizon

This feels like a bit of a cop out since it’s the longest, but I am very firmly the most proud of this fic out of anything I wrote this year. I feel like the emotional bits were satisfying, the romance worked nicely, and the action kept me interested in a way that almost never does. I was able to commit to TWENTY THREE THOUSAND WORDS and put my ALL INTO IT! that is. monumental for me. I’ve written long fics in the past, but those were chaptered and frankly, not as good as this one was or as much work. 

I love this verse so well that I might actually go back and write more in it later when I have time. I have the beginnings of a sequel ruminating around in my drats. 

Most popular story of this year: normally I split this up into multiple categories, but by hits, kudos, OR comment threads The Times They Are a Changin’ comes out on top. The mcu fandom really went nuts over Carol and Maria, didn’t they? 

Personal favorite:

Washing Machine Heart is a fic that I hold close to my heart. 1. I wrote this one when I was on a study abroad in Latin America, which is the coolest thing that I have ever done 2. it’s just. really well done. I’ve never written something quite so messy and unpleasant in a realistic way before. It’s ugly in the way that Steven Universe: Future is ugly right now. In exactly the way that “Washing Machine Heart” should imply 3. oh god was it cathartic 

Most under-appreciated:

Maternal, Paternal at 71 kudos, I know I shouldn’t call this one “under-appreciated”, but it’s in a few VERY happening tags, in a very happening fandom with a VERY popular set of characters. I’d think that people would be more interested in reading “Endeavor is an asshole and eventually Dabi kills him” but like. it’s whateves I guess XD

Most fun to write:

We Could Be Heroes both semesters that I had during 2019 were. super fucking stressful. the only times that I’ve had that were productive for fic was January break, summer vacation, and December break. 

Last April on my birthday, though, I rewarded myself and after I got home from hanging with some friends I just sat down at my laptop and didn’t think about literally anything. I just wrote. I took a format that I knew I liked and didn’t have to think about (talk show format with an OC I already made for a different story) and then 3 characters I was very interested in then (Melissa Shield, Monica Rambeau, and Tahani Al-Jamil) and then I just. ran with it. I wrote and wrote and wrote and it was amazing. I didn’t think about it being good or about my homework or literally anything other than this talk show lady talking to these three cool characters. 

It was wonderful. 10/10 would do it again. 

Story with the single sexiest moment: 

Familiarity. It is literally the only thing I wrote this year with ANY sex in it, so it’s automatically the sexiest. Way to go Margaery you did it. 

Most “holy crap, that’s wrong, even for you” story:

Um. Just Souring Grapes in general. 

Most challenging to write:

Biggest disappointment:

Shouto Todoroki Joins the Supervillain Dads Club I hoped to finish this fic last year in January. It’s currently December and I haven’t been able to look at the thing since. 

I think it’s mainly because I just lost the drive, but it’s also kind of because wips stress me the fuck out. And also I had 2 stressful semesters so that doesn’t help.  Favorite character to write: my favorite characters to write this year were both Todorokis! Dabi and Fuyumi are both a joy to write, I swear

Favorite opening lines: 

Serena falls down at the kitchen table feeling as cold and distant as the room does. The harsh lines and open floor plan were supposed to show a minimalism only possible with wealth, but to Serena it's always felt empty.

A Woman’s Place

Surprisingly, Theon’s life does not change much either way after Maron is taken to the Greenlands. Balon does not magically start paying attention to him, even though he’d prayed every night to the Drowned God that he would. 

Pretty Little Thrall 

The Twins are a grand fortress spanning the width of the Green Fork. A great stone tower stands on each side of the river, with a greater bridge running in between. The Frey stable boys have taken their horses, and Jeyne walks as close to the river as she dares as they make their way to the tower. She watches the river rush beside her in awe. She’s never seen a river run so wild before. It seems like the very waters rushing beside her want to rise up and drown her themselves.

Good Family

Favorite closing lines:

That's what she gave up fighting the Kree for, and Carol will do everything that she can to bring them back. She's stopped fighting for some things, but she'll never stop fighting for this. If the times don't change on this one, she'll make them. She'll rip that gaudy fucking glove off of that bastard's grape crush colored hand and shove it up his ass if that's what it takes to get her family back.

The Times They Are a Changin’

"Alright, then. Let’s do this together,” you say, “as a team.” You think that you really like this "being friends" thing. Maybe after you beat Red, you and Silver can go to Hoenn- or Sinnoh. Unova even. Somewhere new and exciting with new people to beat. It’s nice to have a partner who’s not a Pokemon, for once. You think that, together, you could be the best trainers that ever lived.

Maybe the best friends too.

no silver medals (when you get the gold together) 

The stars spread out above you- the universe expanding outwards onwards and upwards, excelsior.

Excelsior

Other favorite lines:

What does a grape do under pressure? Grapes tend to shrivel in the sunlight. Turn to raisins, actually. She doesn’t remember what poem that was from, but she remembers reading something like that in English class once. Some poem that she didn’t understand really, and might not have gotten even if it were in Japanese. She doesn’t think that’s what she’s doing.

Does it ferment, like wine? Her father always joked about her mother aging like a fine wine, growing more beautiful every year, growing stronger. But Miné isn't gaining strength, not really. Not right now. Maybe she’s just souring, getting more and more bitter about things that she can't have. Maybe she's just souring grapes.

Souring Grapes

“The authorities confirmed that Endeavor was not even in the state during the accident, and Shouto’s doctors confirmed that the burns were consistent with boiling liquid, not an open flame.” Superman looks visibly relieved to hear that.

“But that does not mean that I trust him,” Batman says, “I would prefer to keep an eye on him.”

“Why would you want to keep an eye on him, he’s a superhero ,” Captain Marvel says, with none of The Wisdom of Solomon but all of The Innocence of a Ten Year Old, “that means that he’s a good guy, right?”

Shouto Todoroki Joins the Supervillain Dads Club

The thought stabs into his brain like a needle, like the scent of pine, like the memories he’s never wanted back. Robb was the one person who ever cared about him, and Theon betrayed him to parade around as a prince and become Ramsay Bolton’s broken little toy. He swore himself to the little boy who took him by the hand when he came to Winterfell as a scared little boy and never let go. And then Theon betrayed him.

“Theon,” the trees whisper,” Theon.” The crows in the branches take flight, cawing his name, and he feels something else take flight too. His heart, beating somewhere deep inside his chest.

“Theon,” it throbs, “Theon, Theon.”

He wants to do something, something reckless, something brave. Something that makes him redeemable.

He can’t save Robb, but he can save someone . He can save Robb’s fake sister. Theon can save Jeyne from some of her pain.

If You Believe in Me (I’ll Still Believe)

She dared a glance forward and met Margaery’s eyes- a deep, chocolate brown. They were warm and inviting and Margaery’s little curly bangs framed her face like a heart. Margaery’s head went over the back of the booth and it seemed to almost be floating against the flowery wallpaper. It looked like Margaery was lying out in a field of flowers- the Maiden gazing up at the clouds and trying to make shapes of them.

She could imagine Margaery telling her that this one is a flower, like Tyrell, and this one’s a deer, like Baratheon, and this one’s a dick, like Joffrey. She giggled nervously again and felt her cheeks flush. She’d never felt this giddy and unsteady in her whole life.

“Are you alright, Sansa?” Margaery asked cautiously. She reached across the table and laid a hand over Sansa’s own. The touch was warm and tender, and Sansa felt the blush from her toes to the tip of her head.

“I’m perfect!” Sansa nearly screeched. Margaery laughed at that, but her look was kind.

“Yes, darling,” she said with a smile that was wide and fond, “I think that you are.”

Lesbian. The word wasn’t supposed to fill her with such a warm, hopeful feeling, was it? She wiggled awkwardly in her chair, trying to get situated and stop feeling so silly and excited and vulnerable, but it didn’t fix anything. She felt Margaery’s leg brush against hers under the table. It sent a jolt through her.

Lesbian.

Sansa took a shaky breath. She thought to herself that there might be something to that.

Paint a New Horizon 

[cloudy-ainsel]

5 February, 2019

In an ocean/rainforest setting. At first, desperately trying to outsmart some creepy hivemind cultists that look like Sonic characters (tails, big and amy come to mind. and Count Olaf) trying to save Cream, Cheese and Vanilla I think, along with a few others I can't remember (Spy, Scout and Miss Pauling from TF2 perhaps. oh and the Baudelaire's)

I was running with them madly to a part of the giant ship (kind of like the Exodar) where we would be safe from everyone else, as it would permanently lock them out with some sort of impenetrable material. Only thing is that we'd have to find a way to survive in the biomes.

We did, but... it was messed up. I had to find these little critters that were supposed to be for fun entertainment (and had sentience) and slaughter them for food. I felt so awful about it but I had to feed these kids and parents.

Eventually some sort of feud broke out, and I ended up being crushed underneath a heavy wooden table. For some reason, I thought it was in my best interests to play dead... I didn't want to be the person everyone expected to lead, make decisions (and find food) and at the time I was semi-lucid and figured I could manipulate my way out of it later. Spy knew I was faking it, and I knew that he knew, but he didn't say anything and gave me a Look like "I am going to find you later and we will talk".

That didn't really happen though. Everyone else was convinced, and Vanilla in particular mourned and said it was all an accident etc. etc. Then for some reason my body assumed Spy's, my dream did the thing where one person just randomly stops existing there and now I'm that person (still crushed under the table). Vanilla pried me out, apologising to my supposed corpse again and again, and took me to an "outdoor" part of the biome.

While all of this was happening, my dream added a bit more story and changed it a bit. At this point, the idea was that a whole group of people were herded through to this safe haven, more people than I could keep personal track of all their actions. But there was one person in particular it decided to bring up.

As Vanilla was finding a place to bury me, the Joker from Batman called over to her. She wasn't aware of who he was or what he had done, and so was slightly taken by his confident persona.

He said, "I knew him quite well, and I know this part of the biome better than most. Let me take care of this for you, it will be done much faster."

My heartbeat is racing of course, because I Dream Know that Joker knows I'm not really dead, and god knows what would happen to me once Vanilla was gone.

Vanilla thanked Joker for offering to do this, handed me over and left. Joker heaved me over his shoulders.

He growled into my ear, exasperated, "Eleanor, what are you doing?"

I was extremely... taken aback. First of all, he said my name. My full name. That hardly EVER happens in my dreams, and I can't actually remember the last time it happened. Secondly, the fact he called me Eleanor and not Spy. My body suddenly changed back into myself. I became more lucid.

"Eleanor?" I said. "That's odd. I'd expect you to call me something I've been in this dream, like Spy or Superman." I laughed sardonically at the sky (and my subconscious).

Joker just kept looking forward, irritated. I felt that he knew what situation he was in, that it was my mind that controlled everything, and that because I'd chosen to play dead and let my mind take control to make such an unpleasant situation... here we are.

So he'd taken the initiative to grab me and get some of my self-respect back? Because for him, watching this all unfold was just sad and he'd had enough putting up with it.

Talking to him felt familiar, like he'd been in my head for a long, long time. He at least seemed to know I knew exactly who he was.

Unfortunately, before our conversation could continue, the sun woke me up.

I haven't stopped thinking about my encounter and oddly docile relationship with the Joker since.

[shaniahnoel]

Everything Has Changed: Chapter 7

Word Count: 2300

Warnings: Some mention of trauma?

Master List

It was hard to look at her father in the hospital bed. He was superman, but now he’d met his kryptonite. There was an oxygen mask on his face and tubes coming out of him in several places. His strong arms laid limply at his sides, one heavily bandaged. The blankets hid his lower body for which she was grateful. Each breath seemed to pain him, and Riley stared down at the hand she held, unable to gaze elsewhere. She kept a firm grip on Ellie in her lap who couldn’t contain her curiosity and had nearly pulled out her father’s IV twice.

“Do you want to do the mechanic work?”

“I want to help in any way that I can. I can do it.”

She meant to glance up quickly, but he caught her gaze and held it. “I’ll be okay, Riles.”

“I know,” she answered thickly, trying to stifle the tears. “It’s just… you look so…,” she nuzzled her face into Ellie’s shoulder to hide. Her father squeezed her hand firmly.

“It’s not permanent, sweetheart. I’ll listen to the doctors and be better before you know it. In the mean time I can’t think of anyone better to take over my spot.”

When they went home from the hospital, Riley felt numb. Ellie’s giddiness returned, and her mother was talking to her grandparents, organizing plans for them to come and help for the next few weeks, while Riley watched out the window, unable to get her father’s broken body out of her head. She went to bed without dinner and turned this way and that before finally falling into a restless sleep.

The next morning, Riley woke herself up crying, hopelessly entangled in her blankets. Her father’s face flashed before her eyes, covered in blood and unresponsive. She scrambled across the floor, barely turning the trash can before her stomach noisily lost its contents. Breathing heavily, she pulled herself into a sitting position against the wall. Every time she closed her eyes she saw him, and her stomach would shift again. Her mother found her there on the floor an hour later. She didn’t say a word but sat and gathered her up into her arms. Riley felt like a small child in her mother’s lap, crying silently as she stroked her hair.

“I can’t get it out of my head. There was so much blood. So, so much blood,” she choked out.

“I know, honey, I know. But daddy’s okay now.”

“He’s broken,” Riley mumbled. Her mother drew in a soft breath but didn’t speak for a moment.

“Your father is the strongest man I’ve ever met. Seeing him in the hospital bed is hard, I know, but he’s been through worse and he’s always come back better for it.”

Riley knew that was true, she’d stayed up late many nights begging him to tell stories of his crazy days. He’d been mountain climbing, snowboarding, and even skydiving once. She’d loved the stories and was even more amazed that he was still standing after each one. He’d felt superhuman, but last night she’d seen his humanness—saw the blood behind the scars and it terrified her.

“Why don’t you stay home today, sweetheart? You can get back to school tomorrow.”

“No,” Riley wiped her face, “I can’t sit here. I’ll be okay.”

Her mother nodded and pressed her lips to her forehead before moving to get ready for work. Riley took a deep breath to steady herself and then got busy, grabbing some clothes and heading into the shower. The warm water calmed her frenzied nerves and she took the time to carefully dry her hair and apply make-up. It had always been her way to compensate for feeling crappy. Ellie was jumping around the house chattering endlessly about the new story to tell her friends and asking their mom when dad would come home. Riley caught her arm and kissed the top of her head before grabbing her mom into a tighter hug than usual. She played her music a little louder as she stepped onto the bus, the numb feeling returning.

The trio was waiting at her locker, Iris and Kieran seeming anxious. Iris reached her first pulling her into a tight hug while Jake patted her shoulder, the usual grin on his face. Kieran wrapped his arms around her, smile faltering as she pulled away from his grasp quickly to turn to her locker. Jake started talking about the upcoming football game and she sighed, happy for the shift in focus. The steady tempo of approaching boots told her the Serpents were arriving and she wondered if there was a rule about always moving in a pack. Toni stopped with Sweet Pea and Fangs at her side.

“How’re you holding up?” Toni asked, reaching for her hand.

“It was a rough night, but today’s better,” she answered with a smile. “In a few days the shop will open up again, and I’ll be in the garage.”

“Still going to have a pissy cashier out front,” Sweet Pea asked, a taunting edge to his voice.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean,” Kiera said, immediately responding to the challenge. Sweet Pea stepped forward, straightening up and Riley closed her eyes. Coming to school had been a mistake.

“You’re not worth my time,” Sweet Pea said quietly, forced calm in his voice. Without another word, the Serpents broke away, Toni throwing an apologetic look over her shoulder. Kieran fumed beside her a moment more before strutting away with Jake and Iris.

Shortly after they headed off and Riley slipped into her classroom where she was surprised to find that Sweet Pea had swapped with the Serpent in front of him, placing him right beside her.

“Thanks,” she said tentatively, angling herself towards him. He remained facing forward, but the glare on his face seemed to lessen some.

“For what?”

“For stopping.”

“I figured one of us should acknowledge you,” Sweet Pea sounded irritated as he turned towards her slightly.

“What,” Riley asked but, Mrs. Dabney walked into the room, and Sweet Pea shushed her mockingly. The morning announcements were short, but she pulled out a homework assignment and pretended to check over it. Sweet Pea swung around to talk to the other Serpents and she focused on staying in the present. When the bell rang, he fell into step beside her and she noticed his presence felt warm again.

“So, you’re done being mad at me,” she said, trying to break the ice.  

“For now; people say I have anger issues, apparently.”

“Imagine that,” she said, suppressing a laugh.

“Riley,” Kieran’s voice rang out behind them. She stopped, turning in surprise at his harsh tone. Sweet Pea made as if to stand between them, but Riley touched his shoulder and inclined her head towards the end of the hall. His jaw hardened, but he strode into the classroom, sending a few students scattering in his wake. Kieran glared after him before turning the flames on her.

“I thought you weren’t talking anymore,” he asked, gesturing to where Sweet Pea had disappeared.

“It varies,” she said with a small laugh.

“Do you always walk with him?”

“Yeah,” Riley said, her confusion making the words a question. “We share first period and come from the same homeroom…?”

“Convenient.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Honestly, Riley, do you have any self-respect?”

“Excuse me,” her eyes widened in shock.

“Don’t play dumb. Everyone sees the way that you talk to Fangs and now Sweet Pea again. The rumors are spreading.”

“Yeah, and how many of them have you started? Because there’s nothing going on with either of them.”

“It doesn’t matter, Riley. You associate with people like that and your life will head down the tubes, right with ‘em.”

“Just because you’ve finally noticed that I’m datebable doesn’t mean you get to play Mr. Possessive.”

This time it was Kieran’s turn to appear taken aback.

“Don’t play dumb,” Riley mimicked, “You’ve got some sort of complex over the summer that’s made you decide you have some claim on me and keep getting pissed off at any guy that approaches. Hell, if Jake wasn’t dating Iris you’d probably be all over me for talking to him.”

“He’s not a--,” Kieran said, his voice raising.

“A what? A Serpent? Well that’s a shame now isn’t it,” Riley said, her voice raising an octave.”At least the Serpents have actually cared that my dad is in. the. hospital.”

The warning bell rang, and Riley shook her head, turning to her classroom. He made no attempt to stop her from walking away for which she was grateful. Every conflicting feeling was bubbling within her, each combining with the other in the most unpleasant way.

Sweet Pea was perched on the back of his chair, silently daring Mr. Kendrick to complain about his position—the students behind him had already shifted over. His taunting expression shifted to one of concern as Riley took her seat beside him, but she stared straight ahead, willing time to move quickly. Once the final bell rang, last week’s test was passed back and the torrent of emotions she was feeling found their place to break free. Tears rolled down her face silently, and when the period ended she made her way slowly to the front of the room.

“Can I have help sessions,” she asked quietly, as the last students trickled out of the classroom. Mr. Kendrick’s look was pitying, and Riley tried not to focus on how much she hated it. He glanced over his calendar and nodded.

“Come in early on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s and I’ll see what we can do. You’re a good student, Riley. These formulas don’t come easy to everyone.”

Riley nodded her thanks and walked out of the classroom, the second failed test curled in her hand. To her surprise, Sweet Pea was leaned outside of the door. She was sure that he had to have heard the conversation, but he didn’t even acknowledge her presence save for turning to walk alongside her.

“I’m sorry if I caused problems,” he said quietly, as they approached her next class.

“Problems?”

“Walking with you. I’m sorry if I pissed off your boyfriend.” The words almost sounded effortless.

“He was never my boyfriend,” Riley started, trying to control the fire in her voice, “and, please, I’m done with games. Just be real, Sweets, I like you better that way.”

He paused for a moment seeming confused, but then a smile crossed his face.

“I am sorry if it added to your stress buttttt,” he said, extending the word, “pissing him off is one of the highlights of my day.” The cheeky smile he gave her earned a begrudging smile in return.

They’d reached her class, but Riley hesitated. Her heart hurt, her head was pounding, but she was smiling. All because of Sweet Pea. Without thinking she wrapped her arms around his waist, briefly enjoying the smell of leather and grease lingering on his chest. His arms draped loosely around her, patting her back awkwardly. She stepped back, feeling warm.

“I’d like to be friends,” she said quietly, walking into her class.

When free period rolled around, Riley checked her phone to find a lengthy apology text from Kieran. Before she could read it, she found Iris pacing in the courtyard. She was muttering to herself and it looked like she’d been crying. Probably a fight with Jake, Riley thought, rolling her eyes. The twins were more trouble than they were worth.

“Hey beautiful,” Riley said in greeting, bumping into her hip. Iris looked up, blue eyes vibrant against the strained red. Mascara smudged under her water line and she swiped under her eyes once more.

“Hey, how’re you holding up,” Iris asked.

“I think better than you… what’s up?”

“Jake and I had a fight.”

“Must be the day for fighting the twins. What were you fighting about?”

“Nothing important,” Iris said, keeping her eyes averted. “Did you say you had a fight with Kieran?”

“Yeah,” Riley answered slowly, wondering what Iris was hiding. “He told me I didn’t have any self-respect for hanging out with the Serpents. I told him that just because he finally took notice of me doesn’t give him exclusive rights.”

“You’re not usually so assertive,” Iris said, voice laced with pride, causing Riley to laugh.

“Yeah, just another Serpent influence. If I wasn’t assertive with Fangs around I’d have nine tattoos and alcohol poisoning.”

“Sounds like an evening out with Jake,” Iris said with a strange bitterness. Now more than ever Riley was aware of the sadness hovering over her friend. She threw an arm over her shoulder and pulled her towards the gate.

“I could use a break. You?”

Iris nodded in response and allowed herself to be led out into the parking lot. A substitute teacher stealing a smoke break glared at them but said nothing as they weaved through the cars. There were a few other students who shared their sentiments and it was no surprise to see a band of leather jackets among them. The surprise was when a pair of leather jackets turned and called her name.

“Yo, Evans, you leaving too?”

“Only with you, Fogarty,” Riley called back with a grin. Turning to Iris, she asked, “Wanna live a little dangerously?”

Iris looked up in surprise, “Assertive and flirty. Here I thought Sweet Pea was the contender.”

Riley couldn’t contain the laughter that bubbled over. She shook her head, looking at Fangs and back at Iris. “It’s just how Fangs’ is y’know? It means nothing.”

“Ouch,” he said in mock hurt, hearing the last words.

“Your ego will heal,” Riley said, “Toni, Fangs, this is my best friend Iris who is in desperate need of a pick me up as am I. Help some girls out?”

Taglist:  @ella-full-of-secrets @my-ships-have-sunk@54fangirl@everheart12@inspiredbynewt@poolpartyingwithjaws@southsidesserpent@lynniev @karleedaniels27 @the-greatt-perhaps @lilybellsworld @cherylblossom-komwonkru @oldestfairytale

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Is It Really THAT Bad?

How many fucking times must I talk about this movie?

I feel like this movie doesn’t need an introduction. Everyone knows this film. Its reputation precedes it. It didn’t bomb and it’s not generally considered one of the worst films ever made (at least on the level of films like Robot Monster or The Cat in the Hat), but this movie is easily one of the most divisive films ever made. This film has generated enough arguments that, if we harnessed the energy of all the flame wars it has caused, we could probably power the entire world until the heat death of the universe.

With the impending release of Zach Snyder’s bloated redo of Justice League, I’ve decided to go back and ask myself of this film here… is it really that bad?

THE GOOD

Here comes the most uncontroversial opinion: the action scenes in this movie rock (or at least two of them do). The standouts are the titular showdown, which almost makes sitting through the rest of the movie worth it, and the epic warehouse fight Batman gets into, which is like something straight out of the Arkham games. It’s so good. And aside from that, a lot of the cinematography in the film is good. The film knows how to look good, though unfortunately it does end up being a lot of style with little substance.

On the subject of Batman, I think Ben Affleck is a great and inspired choice. I certainly think he’s worthy of standing alongside Batmans like Clooney and Keaton, easily embodying both the Dark Knight and Billionaire Playboy aspects fairly well, though the writing does not always handle him quite as well as it should (we’ll get to that soon enough). Henry Cavill, while still a rather dour Superman, is as good as ever as Superman, and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman was a great choice here, especially since she didn’t have control so that she could insert anti-Arab racism, like some DCEU movies.

Perhaps one of the movies most impressive feats is how, in an uncharacteristic moment of brevity, it manages to condense the backstory of Batman into the prologue, getting it out of the way and not making us sit through yet another Batman origin film. This is literally the only thing the movie has over the MCU; where that franchise just has the character Spider-Man inexplicably in existence without even a hint of his origins, they just get Batman’s tragic backstory out of the way so we can see him beating the crap out of people. If more superhero movies want to take this route and just condense the backstory into an opening montage like this, I’d be down for it.

THE BAD

I really could just say “most of the movie” but that’s such a cop out. Let’s actually look at the problems. Let’s work our way up through the things from least problematic to most, shall we?

The best place to start is what Zach Snyder did to Jimmy Olsen.

Jimmy Olsen is made into a CIA spook who is brutally killed early on, and yes, that was Jimmy Olsen. Snyder put him in to shock audiences with his senseless murder, and also because he felt the character had no place in his series. Does making Watchmen just turn people into joyless husks who like to horribly bastardize iconic characters? Jimmy Olsen is ultimately a small microcosm of the film, but he is the sum total of everything wring with the early DCEU. He is bleak, soulless, and shows a critical lack of understanding about the comics and why people enjoy them.

Now let’s move on to the more exciting problem to discuss: the villains. I don’t even think it’s worth wasting much time discussing what’s wrong with KGBeast. While it is kind of interesting they’d think to use the guy at all, the fact he never dons the costume and dies by the end of the film is unfathomably lame for a character named KGBeast.

Now, onto the main antagonist, and the most infamous part of the movie: Lex Luthor.

Lex Luthor is horribly, horribly miscast. Jesse Eisenberg is a great actor for sure, and he’s effective in movies like Now You See Me, The Social Network, and the Zombieland films. But here he is being asked to play one of the most diabolical cunning geniuses in comic book history, and rather than play him as such, he plays him like a cartoonish twit. This Lex is utterly unrecognizable as Superman’s greatest foe. Does anyone think Lex Luthor would send a jar of piss to someone as a joke before he blows them up? That’s more something the Joker would do on an off day. Lex is not cunning, not intimidating, and not diabolical in the slightest, and yet there are moments where Eisenberg’s acting chops shine through and Lex, for a moment, is almost engaging. Luthor really suffers the way Doctor Doom tends to in film adaptations: the filmmaker clearly doesn’t get why people like the villain, and decide to do some weird, unique take that will only cause to alienate fans.

But perhaps the worst of them all is Doomsday. Doomsday has exactly one claim to fame, and that’s killing Superman, so as soon as he shows up if you have even a passing awareness of the character you know how the movie is going to end, which robs the film of tension for its last battle. The fact he also appears with little buildup and doesn’t have any characterization doesn’t help; Doomsday is just the Big Gray CGI Blob that superhero movies try and pass off as a final boss for the heroes to fight. This has worked precisely once, in Iron Man. The Incredible Hulk and Venom did not make it work, and this film is nowhere close to being in the same ballpark as Venom.

By and far the biggest problem, though, is the movie’s incredible length and its very existence in the franchise at this point in time. This is an epic superhero crossover in which two of the biggest comic book characters of all time fight and then team up… And it is the second movie in a franchise. While they do a good job of establishing Batman rather quickly, Wonder Woman comes out of nowhere. And then at the end, Superman ‘dies.’ We have had one single movie prior to this to make a connection to the guy, and yet here he is getting a temporary comic book death with no buildup whatsoever that we know is going to be reversed sooner than later because the movie telegraphs this to us.

Imagine if, instead of building up the character over the course of a decade and putting him in all sorts of different stories, the MCU went right from Iron Man to Endgame. You go from a simpler, character-driven piece to a massive crossover where a hero dies right away, and it doesn’t give anyone time to care. Tony Stark had multiple films worth of characterization under his belt before they threw him in a crossover, let alone killed him, but Snyder expects you to give a damn about a Superman who just started his career in the previous movie of a franchise.

And the ass-numbing length of the movie is no justification. Even before the director’s cut came out this film was a slog, and the director’s cut really does nothing to earn its existence. All it does is add more runtime to an already tedious and bloated film, leading to the same exact ending and fixing none of the overarching narrative problems of the thing. The problem with any director’s cut is that ultimately the movie is still going to be Dawn of Justice, it’s still going to lead to extremely rushed character decisions, and it’s still going to be a mess. You’d have to redo half of the film to make this into a worthwhile and coherent narrative that’s actually worthy of being an entry in a superhero franchise.

And to top it all off, the movie spends far too much time foreshadowing for its own good. People criticized The Mummy for shoehorning in way too many shared universe elements right off the bat, and if that movie was bad for it, so is this one. The cameos from all the members of the Justice League, while striking, could be excised from the plot with little to no impact, and the Knightmare sequence is just excessive and weird.

Is It Really THAT Bad?

The answer to this question has never been harder.

On the one hand, this film does have some merit. There is some good casting choices, good cinematography, good action… But then, on the other hand, the film is overly long, pretentious, has poor writing and dialogue, mishandles everyone aside from Superman, and is just incredibly unpleasant.

This film is in many ways the exact problem Christopher Nolan created with his Dark Knight trilogy. Nolan, by grounding the fanciful characters of comic books into a realistic setting, created a climate in which someone could suck any sort of joy or meaning out of comics. The success of his films meant that people would see dark, gritty realism as preferable to joyous, colorful escapism, and the negative effects of his films, however good you find them, are still felt today even as filmmakers are finally shaking off the grit. Dawn of Justice is the zenith of Nolan’s style of superhero film. There is nothing fun, joyful, or engaging to be found here; it is simply the characters you know and love forced into dark, miserable scenarios that ends in death and misery. Where’s the fun? Where’s the color? Where’s the wonder, the excitement, where is any of it? This film paints a bleak and miserable and hopeless picture of a world of superheroes. It really makes me think of this rather famous comic panel:

I absolutely hate this movie, but not because I think it’s bad. I hate it because it has enough good ideas where it should be the best thing ever, but it really isn’t. It’s a miserable slog of a film that does nothing to justify or earn its massive runtime whatsoever. It really does belong somewhere between 5 and 6 on IMDB, because I can almost see why people like it, but it just isn’t even remotely close to being how good its fan say it is. This is not a good superhero movie, and this is not how we should want superhero movies to be. There is a market for serious superhero fare of course, and there’s no reason that these films can’t engage with mature themes or anything, don’t get me wrong. But this is absolutely not the way to do it.

[headquartersforlievmuses]

► Bruce Wayne

Batman is the superhero protector of Gotham City, a man dressed like a bat who fights against evil and strikes terror into the hearts of criminals everywhere. In his secret identity he is Bruce Wayne, billionaire industrialist and notorious playboy. Although he has no superhuman powers, he is one of the world's smartest men and greatest fighters. His physical prowess and technical ingenuity make him an incredibly dangerous opponent. He is also a founding member of the Justice League and the Outsiders.

As a young child, Bruce Wayne watched his parents murdered before his eyes. Thomas and Martha Wayne were walking home from the Monarch Theater one night with their son, when they were held up at gunpoint by a mugger who demanded the pearl necklace that Martha was wearing. When Dr. Wayne refused to surrender it, both he and Martha were shot dead in the streets. The killer was a criminal known as Joe Chill. Fortunately, physician and social worker Leslie Thompkins was making a house call that night, and arrived to give loving comfort to the traumatized Bruce. He was then raised on the Wayne Manor estate, with help from the wise and loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth. Bruce had very few friends during his childhood.

Bruce Wayne swore an oath to rid the city of the evil that had taken his parents' lives. He spent his youth traveling the world, training himself to intellectual and physical perfection and learning a variety of crime-fighting skills, including chemistry, criminology, forensics, martial arts, gymnastics, disguise, and escape artistry.

At age 14, Bruce Wayne began his global sojourn, attending courses at Cambridge, the Sorbonne, and other European universities. However, he never stayed long and would often drop out after one semester. Beyond academia, Wayne successfully acquired various "practical" skills. While abroad, he studied and received training in multiple martial arts under various instructors and in different countries, man-hunting under Frenchman Henri Ducard,[4] stealth and reconnaissance under the Japanese ninja Kirigi and other certified shinobi, hunting under the African Bushman (the Ghost Tribes of the Ten-Eyed Brotherhood, among others), hand-to hand combat under the tutelage of Ted Grant, a World Champion Boxer and David Cain, one of the world's premier assassins; traditional healing disciplines under Nepalese monks and even ventriloquism under skilled practitioners [8]. Bruce was also trained in archery by Oliver Queen. At the age of 17, Bruce was trained by detective Harvey Harris to improve his detective skills. At age 20, he attempted to join the FBI, but after learning about its regulations and conduct, Wayne deducted that he would never be able to completely oppose crime while working within the legal system.

Bruce Wayne returned to Gotham City after many years of study and training with his body and mind developed to perfection. Despite having all of the skills and methods to fight crime, he still felt that there was something missing in the completion of his physical and mental arsenal. Wayne discovered the answer late one night while sitting in his manor. He recalled his fear of bats as a child after a large one crashed through one of the windows; he ultimately decided to make his appearance resemble a bat's. Wayne designed himself a costume equipped with experimental technology and set out against the crime and corruption that thrived in Gotham City.

Wayne's tactics to oppose crime as a vigilante at night proved successful leading him to become an urban legend in Gotham City. He revealed himself at a dinner of the most influential and corrupt figures in Gotham City and promised them all that their reigns on the city would eventually end. Wayne's first ally was assistant district attorney Harvey Dent. Most of the Gotham City Police Department was sent in force to capture him. He gained his most powerful ally when he met police lieutenant James Gordon, one of the few honest cops on the force. The two developed a working relationship operating outside of the law when they needed to.

There are several stories of the first time Batman met Superman, the greatest of his friends and allies. In the first version, Superman came to Gotham viewing Batman as a dangerous criminal and attempted to arrest him for his vigilante tactics. They were forced to work together tracking down the dangerous psychopath Magpie, and Superman realized that although his own style of crime-fighting was suitable for his environment, the Bat-Man did what he needed to do to protect his city. They both gained respect for each other, although they doubted they would ever work together again. In another version, they both met as Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent while they were forced to share a room on a cruise ship. They are made aware of each other's secret identities when both are called upon to fight threats including Deathstroke and the Crime Syndicate.[36] Superman later introduced him to Wonder Woman when they teamed up against Ra's al Ghul and Bizarro, and she disliked Batman at first for his methods. She later gained respect for him after they fought together as a team for the first time. There was a great team-up between many heroes to fight the alien Appellaxian invaders, including these three along with Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter. Eventually they would decide that they could better protect the planet if they permanently joined forces... and they became the Justice League of America.

Bruce Wayne was on an excursion to the circus when he witnessed another tragedy that would shape his life. The parents of a young acrobat named Dick Grayson were murdered by the gangster Tony Zucco. He saw both great potential and something of himself in the boy that night. Although Bruce knew he could never replace Dick's father, he adopted Grayson as his legal ward to help him and provide guidance where he didn't have any when he was that age. He eventually revealed his secret identity as Batman. Dick wanted justice for his parents, and he agreed to a regiment of rigorous physical and mental training so that he could become Batman's partner. After several months Dick was finally ready to take to the streets as Robin, fighting crime alongside his mentor. They swore an oath late one night that they would fight together against crime and corruption, never swerving from the path of righteousness. Batman had realized for the first time that he did not have to be alone in his crusade.

When Bruce was invited to the Million Dollar Masquerade Ball, Commissioner Gordon's daughter, Barbara crashed the party in a female version of Batman's costume to surprise her father, who was also attending the event. At the party, before she revealed herself to Gordon, Killer Moth and his henchmen crashed the party, gunning for Bruce Wayne. James Gordon was taken out quickly so Barbara decided to step in. Bruce Wayne was previously shoved out of the way by Barbara so that she could protect him and her unconscious adoptive father, thinking that Bruce was but a helpless bystander. She defeated Killer Moth, breaking a heel in the process. She was later named Batgirl by Killer Moth, which stuck, even though she stated that she would have preferred Batwoman. Directly after the confrontation with Killer Moth, Batgirl met Batman and Robin. Batgirl's first encounter with Batman and Robin proved to be unpleasant. While she was angry with Batman's automatic dismissal of her capabilities, she was repulsed by Robin having a romantic interest in her. Soon after that, Batgirl attempted to swing from rooftops, being saved by Robin, who told her that regular rope is not good for diving from forty feet in the air. Later, Robin sent Batgirl equipment, pretending that he believed in her and Batman didn't. In reality, Robin was sending them on the orders of Batman. She was later captured by Batman and Robin to be tested, an examination she failed in Batman's eyes, not being able to save the innocents in a holographic containment chamber. Batgirl later teamed up with Black Canary, her idol, and she finally gained some respect from Batman, while Robin still harbored a crush on her. She was introduced to James Gordon as Batgirl, one of Batman's protégés.

Struggling against the League of Assassins, Batman met the beautiful Talia al Ghul when he rescued her from Doctor Darrk. Ra's al Ghul determined his secret identity through logical deduction and confronted him after Talia had been kidnapped again alongside Robin. Realizing that Ra's was behind this as a personal test, Batman confronted him and fought his bodyguard Ubu. Ra's explained that he was making sure he had found a worthy successor in the detective, as Talia had fallen in love with him. Batman eventually came to the conclusion that Ra's is a dangerous criminal who must be stopped at all costs, and declared war on him.

Legends saw a new group of heroes form to fight against G. Gordon Godfrey after Justice League Detroit was disbanded, and they decided to form a new League together. Batman gathered Black Canary, Blue Beetle, Captain Marvel, Doctor Fate, Doctor Light, Guy Gardner, Martian Manhunter and Mister Miracle in the Secret Sanctuary to take leadership of them as a team. Maxwell Lord convinced the United Nations to grant them an international charter and they become Justice League International.

When Dick Grayson reached maturity, Bruce forced him to retire from the Robin persona. Shortly after this decision, Batman came across a young boy called Jason Todd, who had turned to crime out of necessity. Batman tried to help him by placing him at Ma Gunn's school, which was in fact a criminal hideout. Investigating Jason's background, Batman learned that the boy was an orphan. When Batman checked upon Jason, he realized the truth about the school and stopped the criminals with help from Jason, after which Batman took him under his wing and allowed him to become his new Robin.

Over time, Batman realized Jason was behaving more aggressive towards criminals and this violence wound up being the cause of the death of a criminal. When Jason became an inconvenience while fighting crime, Batman restricted him from going out as Robin. In the meantime, Joker had escaped from Arkham and Batman followed the trail of the madman to the Middle East, where he also found Jason. Batman learned that Jason was looking for his real mother and when their missions crossed, they worked together to foil Joker's plans. Although they couldn't capture the Joker, Jason was reunited with his mother, Sheila Haywood. Unfortunately, she was being blackmailed by the Joker and the Dynamic Duo had to separate to deal with a double threat by the madman. While Batman went on to stop a deadly cargo of Joker Venom, Robin tried to save his mother, but he was captured and beaten by the Joker.

After the death of Jason, Batman mourned his loss and became a loner for quite a while; stopping threats like the alien invasion, Mr. Freeze,[98] the League of Assassins, the Bonecrusher, Two-Face, and solving other minor cases. Batman also faced other strange incidents like the mysterious “Batman Killings”, the mystery of Tulpa, an ancient, dark and mystic ritual with help from the Demon, Etrigan, the threat of the Mud Pack, which resulted in the creation of the Ultimate Clayface, and finally he stopped the misguided vigilante Anarky. During one of his last acts as a loner, Batman was forced to take back Arkham Asylum from the many maniacs who had taken over the institution.

Following the death of Jason Todd, Batman became much more violent and aggressive while coping with the tragedy without someone to balance him out. A young man named Tim Drake figured out his secret identity using detective work, and determined that he needed a Robin to keep his darkness in check, just as Two-Face reappeared with new plans to kill the Dark Knight. Drake begged Dick Grayson to go back to his identity as Robin again when he was needed most. After explaining that he had deduced their identities by following Grayson's acrobatic career to Dick and Alfred Pennyworth, Tim was taken into the Batcave where it was suggested that he become the new Robin. Batman and Nightwing tracked down Two-Face, and he caught them in his underground death-trap. Tim took the Robin costume to rescue them and succeeded, although Batman argueed that he no longer needed a side-kick. Begrudgingly, as he proved himself and helped them defeat Two-Face, Bruce agreed to start training Tim Drake and take him on as his new crime-fighting partner.

Batman (at the onset of a personal psychological mid-life crisis) was forced to deal, in rapid succession, with the returning villain Black Mask and his gang (who targeted Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox), a crazed killer called Metalhead,, and a sharpshooter assassin hired by Vincent Morelli to murder Commissioner Gordon. Batman began to feel he had lost his edge, especially after his failure to capture Black Mask. He found himself unable to meditate or even focus. As Bruce Wayne, he contacted holistic therapist Shondra Kinsolving for treatment. He also assigned Tim Drake to train Jean-Paul Valley in detective work to aid them as an ally, hoping he could prevent him from becoming a villainous threat. Despite the advice of everyone in his life, including Dr. Kinsolving, Bruce refused to rest, and continued to pursue his self-imposed duty despite his worsening condition. Bruce's condition was worsened by The General usurping power in Gotham's underworld and assaulting a police station, Cypher attacking companies' CEOs and The Riddler creating chaos in Gotham. Meanwhile, Robin found it difficult to work with Jean-Paul, due to the man's violent subconscious training and lack of social skills, and also found himself being shut out from working alongside Batman.

Bane, a brilliant tactical mastermind who had trained his body to physical perfection, came to Gotham City and dedicated himself to destroying Batman and taking over his territory. This villain was more driven and powerful than anyone he had ever faced before, and wanted to prove himself by defeating and breaking Batman. At their first meeting, Bane did not introduce himself but said that his name would eventually make him beg for mercy. Batman suggested that if he was threatening him, he should get in line behind everyone else.

Bane began his assault by organizing a massive break-out at Arkham Asylum with the help of his henchmen Bird, Trogg and Zombie. Aware that he would lose in a direct assault against Batman, Bane's plan consisted of weakening Batman by forcing him to deal with the deadly villains simultaneously. Among the freed inmates, there were numerous high-profile villains, which Batman took down one by one. Batman faced against great criminals like Poison Ivy, the Joker and the Scarecrow, as well as many lesser known villains, such as the Mad Hatter, The Ventriloquist, Amygdala, Firefly, Cavalier, and Mr. Zsasz. The scenario created a rift in the relationship between Robin and Batman, as Batman irrationally sought to face the outbreak alone -- Robin later asked Batman if he was even needed as his sidekick anymore.

Batman became weaker and weaker as each criminal was put away. The rescue of Mayor Krol from the combination of the Joker and Scarecrow took Batman to his mental and physical limit: a dose of Scarecrow's fear gas made him relive the murder of Jason Todd, which he considered to be his greatest failure. After saving the Mayor, Batman was confronted by Trogg, Zombie and Bird and he took them out with the last amount of energy left in him. Bane finally confronted him by breaking into Wayne Manor when Batman was at his weakest, beating him nearly to death in his weakened state and breaking his spine. Bane took his body downtown to Gotham Square and threw it from a rooftop to demonstrate his superiority to the populace. With Batman incapacitated, Bane assumed control of Gotham City's underworld and took over several illegal operations within it.

Bruce investigated the evidence left behind by the kidnappers and with Oracle's help, he tracked them to the island of Santa Prisca. It was then that Bruce and Alfred started their quest to find Dr. Kinsolving and Jack Drake and upon arriving at Santa Prisca, Bruce acknowledged his love for Shondra.

Bruce reaffirmed his partnership with Tim, resolving the tension caused by Bruce's unwillingness to accept help during the Arkham prison break. Bruce passed the mantle of Batman to Dick Grayson so he could re-evaluate what it would take to restore his perceived aura of invincibility.

Because of previous events, considerable time passed before Commissioner Gordon restored his trust in the idea of a Batman working for good. Gordon could tell that he was not looking at the original Batman (based on Jean-Paul's costume and Dick's height, and the fact that Jean-Paul was more than ready to kill people), and he refused to place blind trust in a costume after spending so long learning to trust the man. Numerous loose ends were tied up during this time, with Killer Croc, the Ventriloquist, Ratcatcher and Two-Face, along with many other, less notorious released inmates being returned to prison. During his time as Batman, Dick avenged his worst mistake from his days as Robin, when a mistake in a confrontation with Two-Face caused a man to die and nearly killed Bruce. He also came to appreciate the incredible physical and mental burden Bruce placed on himself in donning the Batsuit. During this time, a firm bond arose between Dick and Tim as they shared Wayne Manor together in Bruce and Alfred's absence.

Bruce Wayne was called upon as Gotham's top citizen to speak on their behalf in front of the United States Congress in Washington, applying for federal assistance. His main competition was the ruthless and corrupt Senator Barclay Means. Nicholas Scratch also launched a smear campaign, attempting to convince America that the city wasn't worth saving. Bruce's testimony was a great speech delivered from the heart about the spirit of Gotham, its importance and the strong will of its people in dealing with adversity and helping to make the nation great. However, the negative sentiment was too great. There was not enough money in the federal budget, and they arrived at the conclusion that the negative elements would have to be isolated. Right before the ending of the trial, Mayor Grange was gunned down by an assassin. Everyone still living within city limits was given 48 hours to leave, excluding anyone with known connections to the criminal element. After that the bridges leading inside were destroyed, and the national guard was stationed to make sure that no one else got in or got out. Jeremiah Arkham was forced to release all the dangerously insane patients from Arkham Asylum into the streets.

In response, the U.S government declared Gotham a "no man's land," destroyed all bridges leading to Gotham and forbade people from entering or exiting. The city was swiftly carved up by gangs and various supervillains Batman had battled over the years. Jim Gordon and several members of the Gotham police department stayed behind to protect civilians. Oracle and Huntress also ended up on the inside. Bruce Wayne left the city to lobby the government not to cut Gotham off, but failed. Gordon and his men waited for Batman's return, but by the time he returned more than three months later, they believed he had abandoned Gotham.

Red Hood began terrorizing the Gotham underworld to enlist Black Mask's soldiers into his own organization, allowing the drug trade to continue under his control with stricter restrictions. Batman and Nightwing met him for the first time when he blew up a shipment of weapons on a boat they had taken down, chasing him until he released a stolen Amazo prototype to fight them. Together they improvised and destroyed the android by taking out his individual components, while Red Hood used the distraction to steal another shipment containing several hundred pounds of Kryptonite. Mister Freeze was sent to reclaim the merchandise and all four of them fought it out until the Red Hood left, saying this had been a ploy to get his lay of the land. Batman began investigating the possibility that he was Jason in disguise, talking to his friends with knowledge of resurrection including Green Arrow, Jason Blood and Zatanna. Superman helped him confirm that it realistically could have happened. Red Hood teamed up with Onyx, although he betrayed her when she tried to stop the murder of several criminals.

Having virtually eliminated all super-crime in Gotham with the energy from his recent vacation, Bruce went abroad. Alfred explained that he had become so consumed by Batman he forgot how to act as Bruce Wayne, and needed to relearn. At a charity function in London he met Jezebel Jet, an intelligent fashion model and ruler of an impoverished African nation whom he falls in love with immediately. The League of Assassins attacked Batman using a legion of ninjas transformed into Man-Bats by a serum stolen from Kirk Langstrom. Talia al Ghul took him prisoner and revealed that they had a son together she never told him about, introducing him to Damian Wayne. Bruce needed to take care of the child and teach him respect while he figured out Talia's plans, as Damian proved to be spoiled and petulant. Raised by the League, he was a master martial artist and proved extremely difficult to control, beating up Tim Drake and beheading the Spook to prove he could be Robin. Batman agreed to let Damian fight at his side rather than leave him alone, with the understanding that he would follow their no killing rules and obey orders. Talia was in Gibraltar, and they took the Bat-Rocket to get there before she could follow through with her terrorist attack. This turned out to have been an elaborate ploy to bring them together as a family, in the hopes that Bruce would return to her so they could put an end to all crime by ruling the planet together. Batman refused, so she declared war on him and they both disappeared during an explosion.

During a dinner date where she considered breaking up with him, Jezebel Jet was captured by a terrorist named the Fiend with Nine Eyes and discovered that Bruce was Batman when he rescued her.

The Black Glove invited Batman and Jezebel Jet to a dance of death called the Danse Macabre, having clearly discovered his secret identity. Doctor Hurt had organized villains and madmen from across the world including the Joker, Le Bossu and the Club of Villains to finally put an end to Batman. Robin believed that Bruce was slowly starting to lose his grip on reality, although Alfred insisted that there was no stronger mind in the world. Hurt announced to his team that they would be creating a work of art in the complete and utter ruination of a noble human spirit; Thomas and Martha Wayne were discredited through slander published in the Gotham Gazette and the Club was sent out to attack his allies. Bruce finally collapsed into a mental break-down when he heard the trigger phrase Zur-En-Arrh spoken aloud, and villains stormed the Batcave The attack completely destroyed his mind; he was injected with weapons grade crystal meth and street heroin and then woke up as an amnesiac derelict on the streets.

A homeless man named Honor Jackson took him in and gave him a small radio he believed to be the Bat-Radia, although this was a hallucination and Jackson had died of a drug overdose the previous day. Nightwing was captured by Scorpiana and taken to Arkham Asylum where Bossu planned to lobotomize him. Pierrot Lunaire and Swagman went after Robin. Bruce stitched a new costume called the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh with Bat-Mite as a spiritual guide. This was a contingency plan he had prepared in case there was ever a direct attack on his mind, a stream-lined back-up personality that existed as Batman without Bruce Wayne. Taking out criminals across the city at unheard-of speed, he defeated King Kraken and interrogated Charlie Caligula. Hurt began wearing Thomas Wayne's Batman Costume and claimed that he was the real Thomas Wayne, having faked his own death years ago. Jeremiah Arkham was beaten and the Black Gloves took over his asylum. Commissioner Gordon came to investigate Wayne Manor personally and found himself caught in one of El Sombrero's death traps.

Naturally, following the events of the Final Crisis that left the Batman Family without their leader, Batman's allies were in disarray, Gotham criminals took advantage of his absence, and the question stood, "Is Batman gone?" Feeling a combination of obligation and hesitation, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake-Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, and Damian Wayne debated as to what the future of the Dark Knight should be, until an estranged Jason Todd turned up, having taken a twisted cowl (reminiscent of Jean-Paul Valley's) for himself. Todd decommissioned an arrogant Damian, making Dick, Tim, and Alfred feel an even greater sense of urgency to send the Caped Crusader back on the streets. However, Dick still refused, prompting Tim to hijack an old Batsuit himself and seek out Jason and his twisted Batcave. Jason managed to defeat Tim and severely injure him, leaving only Dick and Jason as the heir to the cowl. As Alfred provided medical care for Damian and Tim was barely escaping with his life, Dick and Jason fought long and hard until Jason, vowing that he would see Dick "much sooner than you think," plummeted off of a moving train into the depths of the river below. The conclusion of this struggle found Dick accepting his role as the new Batman, with the darkest Robin yet, Damian, by his side. Tim, however, was far away from Gotham, believing that Bruce was not actually dead. He took the mantle of the Red Robin, and explored the globe for clues as to where his adoptive father was.

Trapped in the past with no memory, Bruce was forced to fight his way through time back to the present day. Darkseid used the Hyper-Adapter monster to aim him like a doomsday weapon through history, picking up Omega Energy until he reached the modern era and exploded. Rip Hunter and his Time Masters, including Booster Gold, Green Lantern and Superman became a time traveling search party to stop him from ending the world. Starting in the Prehistoric Era, he was given the name Man-of-Bats and defeated Vandal Savage's Blood Tribe in combat. This inspiration drove Anthro's people to call themselves the Bat Tribe.

Batman, in most of his incarnations, is a dark and grim hero with a personal vendetta against criminals. Traumatized by the death of his parents, Batman has sworn to rid Gotham from the criminal elements that took his parents from him. He is very paranoid and obsessive, which often makes it difficult for him to trust other people that aren't Alfred, the Robins, or the Batgirls.

Despite this, Batman has proved to have a great love for humanity, which was instilled by his parents. His father was a doctor, while his mother was a crusader against child abuse. Indeed, Batman's oath of vengeance is tempered with the greater ideal of justice. He refrains from killing, as he feels this would not make him any better than the criminals he fights. He is also a very prominent member of the Justice League and the founder of the Outsiders.

To protect his secret identity, Batman has constructed a fake persona he can use in his civilian identity. To the world at large, Bruce Wayne is a self-absorbed, superficial, irresponsible playboy and philanthropist. Only his closest allies know that this attitude is just an act.

Wayne guards his secret identity well, but several individuals know of his superhero alter-ego, including Superman, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Lois Lane, The Flash (Jay Garrick, Barry Allen & Wally West), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner & Alan Scott), Aquaman (Arthur Curry), The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz), Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brien), Starman (Thom Kallor), Vixen (Mari McCabe), Zatanna Zatara, Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce), Black Canary (Dinah Laurel Lance), Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), Arsenal (Roy Harper), Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Catwoman (Selina Kyle), Red Hood (Jason Todd), Red Robin (Tim Drake), Oracle (Barbara Gordon), Black Bat (Cassandra Cain), Robin IV (Damian Wayne), his butler Alfred Pennyworth, and the kindly doctor Leslie Thompkins.

Several villains have discovered his true identity over the years, most notably Ra's al Ghul, Hugo Strange, the Riddler, the Scarecrow, and Bane. Powers 

Indomitable Will: Although he has no superhuman powers, Batman's unstoppable determination and strength of will make him an extremely formidable opponent. This makes him able to function while tolerating massive amounts of physical pain, and also allows him to resist telepathy or mind control. His willpower is strong enough to operate a Green Lantern Ring when necessary.

Intimidation: It is widely known that Batman has the ability to instill fear in others, to the extent that even the people that know him best are intimidated by him. Batman regularly forces common criminals to flee in terror despite there being no evidence that he would actually kill anyone. Even those who aren't afraid of the likes of Superman fear Batman. His ability to inspire great fear made him eligible for induction into the Sinestro Corps, although he was able to fight off the power ring's control.

Interrogation: Batman is adept in interrogation techniques, often using law enforcement methods as well as torture. Several methods seen include hanging a person over the edge of a building by one leg or chaining a person upside down and beating them. He usually just uses his frightening appearance to get answers. Bruce summarized his methods with the statement: "Fear is an excellent motivator."

Peak Human Condition: Through intense training, a specialized diet, and biofeedback treatments, Batman represents the pinnacle of human physical prowess. His physical attributes exceeded that of an Olympic level athlete. His strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes and coordination are at peak human perfection. Batman began his physical and mental conditioning when he was 11 and then intense physical training and weight lifting at age 12. He had mastered full body control by the time he was 18. Bruce Wayne, since the age of 15, has followed a strict diet to enable his body to develop and operate at its most proficient, along with biofeedback treatments (using portable/non portable machines to stimulate muscles to contraction). Batman has performed amazing physical feats due to his superior physique. He engages in an intensive regular regimen of rigorous exercise (including aerobics, weight lifting, gymnastics, and simulated combat) to keep himself in peak condition, and has often defeated opponents whose size, strength, or other powers greatly exceeded his own. He has spent his entire life in pursuit of physical perfection and has attained it through constant intensive training and determination.

Peak Human Strength: Batman regularly bench-presses at least 1000 lbs. during his exercise routine. This allows him to be capable of amazing feats such as punching a SWAT officer through a brick wall. He's able to break thin steel handcuffs with his bare hands.

Peak Human Reflexes: Bruce's reflexes were honed to such a degree that he has caught one of Green Arrow's arrows in mid flight when he tried to shoot him. He has also been able to dodge point blank gunfire.

Peak Human Speed: He can run at speeds comparable to the finest competing athletes.

Peak Human Endurance: His endurance is comparable to that of the finest Olympic Decathlon participant. His lung capacity is so great that he could hold his breath underwater for 3 minutes and 15 seconds. He can survive in the airless vacuum of space for exactly 27 seconds.

Peak Human Stamina: At peak capacity, Batman can physically exert himself for only approximately an hour before the build up of fatigue toxins began to impair him.

Peak Human Agility: His agility is above than that of a Chinese acrobat and an Olympic gold medalist gymnast. His main phase of movement was Parkour which he learned in France and used to scale the city's rooftops or on widow buildings in an acrobatic manner.

Acrobatics: He is proficient in gymnastics and acrobatics.

Martial Arts: Bruce is well trained in multiple martial arts; he is known as the man who has mastered many forms of martial arts. His primary form of combat is an idiosyncratic admixture of Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Muay Thai, Dragon Style Kung Fu, Boxing, Jujitsu, Ninjitsu and Capoeira.

Weaponry: Through his martial arts training, he has become an expert on all melee weaponry. Wayne has displayed exceptional sword fighting capability and proficiency with knives, sticks[354] and various other weapons. He practices during his combat sessions to keep his skills intact, but he prefers unarmed combat.

Stealth: His Ninjutsu training has made him a master at stealth and capable of breaching high security facilities without being detected.

Marksmanship: Wayne is an expert marksman. He is skilled with throwing projectile weapons, archery and firearms. He has been practicing such skills since the early days of his training and is almost on par with the Green Arrow in terms of accuracy.

Genius Level Intellect: Batman is a brilliant, virtually peerless, detective, strategist, scientist, tactician, and commander; he is widely regarded as one of the keenest analytical minds on the planet. Given his lack of superpowers, he often uses cunning and planning to outwit his foes, rather than simply "out-fighting" them.

Polymath: He has studied Biology, Technology, Mathematics, Physics, Mythology, Geography and History. Bruce gained degrees in Criminal Science, Forensic Sciences, Computer Sciences, Chemistry and Engineering by the time he was 21. He had mastered Diverse Environmental Training, Security Systems, and illusion/sleight of hand by the time he was 23. He gained even more degrees in Biology, Physics, Advanced Chemistry, and Technology by the time he was 25. He has also learned Medical Sciences and Expanded Computer and Engineering Sciences.

Eidetic Memory: Batman has total recall and can remember anything in great detail.

Investigation: He is widely considered the World's Greatest Detective, capable of observation, forensic investigation, and inductive and deductive reasoning of the highest caliber. Human intuition is an unlearnable trait and one of Batman's most effective tools. Given any mystery, he can arrive at the correct conclusions with a fraction of the data.

Multilingualism: He is able to speak Spanish, French, Latin, German, Japanese, English, Russian, Cantonese, Mandarin, Greek, Portuguese, Arabic, Sanskrit, Hindi, Thai, Farsi,[94] and possibly more.

Tactical Analysis: He commonly utilizes cunning tactics to outwit his foes, relying on his plans and experience to outmanoeuvre many of his superhuman friends and adversaries. Batman is known as one of the greatest strategists and tacticians in the universe.

Leadership: He is known for having great leadership. He is leader of the Outsiders, the Batman Family and Batman Incorporated. He is also in charge of his company, Wayne Enterprises.

Escapology: He has been described as second only to Mister Miracle as an escape artist. He has been seen escaping from a Posey straitjacket in less than 52 seconds, and remarked afterwards that the time was way too slow for his usual standards.

Driving: Bruce is proficient at driving many vehicles like cars, motor bikes and trucks, and he is also skillful at driving jets, helicopters, auto boats and small ships.

Tracking: Trained in hunting techniques by African Bushmen (the Ghost Tribes of the Ten-eyed Brotherhood, among others).

Disguise: Had mastered the art of disguise by the time he was 23.[citation needed] Had further learned expanded disguise techniques by the time he was 26, through various instructions from Alfred.[citation needed] Batman has many aliases he uses to infiltrate the underworld or just to go undercover in public situations. Among his various aliases are: Matches Malone, Thomas Quigley, Ragman, Detective Hawke, Sir Hemingford Grey, Frank Dixon, Gordon Selkirk, and Mr. Fledermaus.

Mechanical Aptitude: Proficient at combat driving. Has learned improved vehicle designs. Was trained and proficient in basic vehicles operations.

Mechanical Engineering: Capable of designing and creating suits of armor capable of outracing missiles and protecting the wearer from its detonation at point blank range. Also, designed and created a highly powerful suit of armor known as the Hellbat armor, the latest version of which was used by Lois Lane to gain the upper hand in a fight against a powered-up Eradicator, who had just defeated Superman.

Business Management: Bruce Wayne has extensive skills and experience in business management, has thorough understanding of financial marketing and management and is often seen as a example of a successful industrialist and businessman on a par with Lex Luthor.

Single-Mindedness: Batman's drive to protect Gotham has been used against him on several occasions, most notably when Bane decided to confront Batman only after wearing him down by destroying Arkham Asylum, knowing that his foe would try and capture all the escaped inmates himself and thus push himself to the brink of exhaustion.

Bruce Wayne rarely drinks alcohol. Dick Grayson has mentioned that he's seen Bruce drink less times than he can count on one hand. When Stephanie Brown died, he drank Purcell's 12-year-old bourbon.

Batman's online screenname is JonDoe297.

Bruce Wayne's favorite meal is Mulligatawny soup.

Verses

tba

[aion-rsa]

A24 Horror Movies Ranked From Worst to Best

https://ift.tt/3dkDWeU

It is arguable that no studio, distributor, or production company has had a greater impact on the horror genre in the last decade than A24. While Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions might also lay claim to that legacy, the remarkable thing about A24 is the company lacks a particular house style or formula for its filmmaker-driven indie releases. And yet the words “A24 horror movie” call to mind words like weird, offbeat, and unsettling. They’re frequently slow-boiling, and almost always greeted with reviews celebrating high-quality.

Every A24 horror movie is distinct, but they nevertheless claim a mystique which in less than 10 years has helped some critics make the dubious claim that the 2010s were “the decade of elevated horror.” We personally don’t subscribe to the theory that horror is a caste system of “elevated” vintages vs. cheaper swill. However, we are ecstatic A24 and other companies have provided unique voices the ability to reveal profoundly artful interpretations of cinematic dread. For that reason, we’re celebrating the indie tastemakers by ranking their very best (and sometimes not-so-great) thrillers and chillers.

So sit back and join us for a list voted on by our critics and horror aficionados.

18. Tusk (2014)

We begin our countdown with the rare A24 horror movie that comes not from a new perspective, but an old, one-time favorite. A defining voice in comedy and indie filmmaking during the ‘90s, Kevin Smith drifted away from studios by the beginning of the 2010s in favor of trying his hand at horror. I wish I could say the results were better than Tusk, yet this dispiriting attempt at body horror might be the high-point of his latter day monster movies.

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Movies

Why Kevin Smith’s Superman Lives Was Ahead of Its Time

By Mike Cecchini

Originally constructed as a joke on Smith’s Smodcast podcast, the finished film is every bit as listless and rambling as a weed-fueled diatribe. Not that the movie is lacking in talent. Justin Long makes an appropriately smarmy podcaster named Wallace Bryton who’s travelled to Canada to find oddballs to interview and mock, but gets more than he bargained for when he winds up in the home of Howard Howe (Michael Parks). Ever the scenery-chewer, Parks gives more gravitas to the material than it deserves as a shut-in obsessed with recreating from a human subject the walrus which saved his life one snowy night following a shipwreck. The subsequent makeup effects are grotesque, but the movie stumbles over their reveals like a standup comedian who’s forgotten the punchlines.

It’s a bizarre and repellent narrative, and can’t even be saved by Johnny Depp’s admittedly amusing French-Canadian accent and Peter Sellers-eque transformation as a late arriving police detective. – David Crow

17. Slice (2018)

Austin Vesely’s Slice plays like the pilot of a potential television series. This isn’t because when it’s over you wish there was more, but that the film is so muddled in its narrative threads that you’re sure it was cancelled before more talent could be wasted. It’s a shame because conceptually there is a lot of appeal in Slice’s setup. As a horror-comedy about a small town where ghosts walk among the living as second class citizens, witches are pushy real estate developers, and the local werewolf is a misjudged Chinese food-delivering vegan played by Chance the Rapper, on paper this reads as hilarious.

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Movies

Best Horror Movies to Watch on Shudder Right Now

By Rosie Fletcher and 1 other

TV

Buffy: The Animated Series – The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Spin-Off That Never Was

By Caroline Preece

Unfortunately, the actual film is paper thin. Loosely following a series of murders inflicted on a crappy pizza joint’s deliverymen, the film never unties its tangled and knotted threads about ghosts and humans living side by side, or witches manipulating local city politics in a bid for demonic gentrification. And more damning than its Gateway to Hell is that none of this is very funny. At only 83 minutes, Slice feels like an eternity of waiting for a pizza that never arrives. – DC

16. In Fabric (2018)

When it comes to horror movies, A24 has certainly done its best to (mostly) steer away from the traditional tropes of vampires, zombies, werewolves, and masked killers. As a result, the company has attracted talent like British filmmaker Peter Strickland, who followed up the atmospheric Berberian Sound Studio (2012) and the erotic The Duke of Burgundy (2014) with this bizarre tale of a haunted dress.

The clothing item in question is a red number that passes from one owner to another, leaving a trail of death and destruction in its wake. Fortunately, Strickland plays a lot of this for laughs, smartly realizing that a sentient dress might test the patience of even the most diehard horror fan. The film is a slow burn, but Strickland finds just the right balance of weird humor and surreal horror to wring both laughs and genuinely eerie moments out of his odd premise. – Don Kaye

15. The Monster (2016)

Bryan Bertino’s The Monster is a strange one to include on this list, if only because at its heart this is an archetypal creature feature with little more to say than “boo.” Compared to other horror movies released by A24 this can seem slight, but when The Monster works, its boo is occasionally bloodcurdling.

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Movies

Katharine Isabelle on How Ginger Snaps Explored the Horror of Womanhood

By Rosie Fletcher

TV

BBC/Netflix Dracula’s Behind-the-Scenes Set Secrets

By Louisa Mellor

Centered on a mother and daughter trapped at night on a country road with an obscured beastie in the woods trying to get into their broken down car, The Monster could’ve been produced as B-schlock in the ‘80s. Why it’s better is twofold: First the film leans into its atmospheric use of shadows and silhouettes by cinematographer Julie Kirkwood—who takes Steven Spielberg’s “less is more” approach in framing the monster—and second, there is the headlong dive into the unpleasant by Zoe Kazan. Playing a young mother who has little interest in her daughter or her well-being, Kazan’s Cathy reveals in one flashback at a time a cruel apathy far more beleaguering than the attacks of the titular monster in the present.

Alas the third act turns into pure pulp when the creature comes out of the shadows, and the cast and body count are needlessly increased. Still, the effect of some of the attack scenes, and Kazan’s nuanced exploration of a mother who fails to impress even herself, makes The Monster worthwhile. – DC

14. The Hole in the Ground (2019)

Being a single parent is hard. Being a single parent is harder when your child suddenly turns into a monster and you have to deal with the consequences. Such is the plot of The Hole in the Ground, A24’s solid but vaguely underwhelming chiller.

Lee Cronin’s debut may hit all the right parental panic beats, summon up a couple of worthy performances, and stick the mysterious, open-ended landing, but it still suffers compared to other A24 efforts because genre fans have seen it all before. As the film slaps a slick coat of paint over its influences, from Don’t Look Now to The Babadook and beyond, it elevates its fairly standard ‘changeling child’ theme, but in doing so it also gives us way too much room to breathe when we should be suffocating under the weight of tension between Seána Kerslake’s spiralling mother and her demonic son.

The result? A middling horror that you’re more likely to describe as “quite good” rather than “great.” – Kirsten Howard

13. Life After Beth (2014)

When a relationship is over, it’s over and it’s never the same if you go back: This is the central theme of Life After Beth, a zombie comedy about moving on. Dane DeHaan stars as Zach, a boy devastated after the death of his girlfriend Beth (Aubrey Plaza). But when she unexpectedly returns from the dead things just don’t quite click. Is it because the relationship has run its course? Or is it that she’s gradually turning into a flesh hungry undead monster? Either way things can’t carry on…

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Movies

Zombie Comedies Ranked

By David Crow

TV

The Walking Dead vs. Real-Life Survivalists: How to Prep for The Zombie Apocalypse

By Ron Hogan

A light comedy with a strong supporting cast (Molly Shannon, John C Reilly, Anna Kendrick, Paul Reiser) Life After Beth made its debut at Sundance in 2014. Though zombie rom-coms are somewhat a dime a dozen these days, this one stands out for its performances and certain set pieces like zombie Beth hiking with an oven strapped to her back. – Rosie Fletcher

12. The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)

As what I would argue is the most underrated horror gem in A24’s catalog, The Blackcoat’s Daughter is a wicked subversion of horror tropes that benefits from the less you know about its story. Suffice to say the film is a slow-burning march toward perdition told in triptych. With three protagonists, first-time writer-director Oz Perkins seamlessly drifts between the perspectives of Kat (Kiernan Shipka), Rose (Lucy Boynton), and Joan (Emma Roberts).

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Movies

Gretel & Hansel and Returning to Dark Fairy Tale Roots

By Don Kaye

Movies

Best Modern Horror Movies

By Don Kaye

It is easy to see how the first two intersect, with Kat and Rose being the only two girls at their Catholic boarding school whose parents haven’t come to pick them up for winter break. How their long weekend connects with Joan’s separate hitchhiking through a snowy stretch of America is not immediately clear, but the bubbling sense of despair in all three narratives is omnipresent, even before Rose gives it shape by mentioning the urban legend of nuns worshiping the Dark One in the boiler room below.

The Blackcoat’s Daughter trades in horror archetypes, but then digs deeper by revealing untapped, feminine complexities to previously well-worn narratives where young women are merely vessels or victims. Unspooling like a waking nightmare, Perkins’ dreamlike atmosphere is only for the patient, but the climax is so shocking and brazenly subversive that it demands to be reexamined as the full extent of its desolation becomes clear. – DC

11. Climax (2018)

One could argue that every one of the five feature films directed by Argentine filmmaker Gaspar Noe, including such controversy-courting titles as I Stand Alone, Irreversible, and Enter the Void, has been a horror film in some way. Noe’s movies are often filled with nihilism, despair, and existential dread, with even the act of sex portrayed as an often violent invasion instead of an expression of love.

Having said that, Climax is clearly Noe’s most formal attempt at the genre yet, as a troupe of dancers isolated at an abandoned school begin to suffer from the effects of punch spiked with LSD during an after-rehearsal party. Predictably, the wheels quickly come off as the assembled dancers rape, beat, torture, and kill each other throughout the horrifying, increasingly frenzied night. – DK

10. Saint Maud (2020)

The directorial debut of Rose Glass sees a pious young nurse (Morfydd Clarke) who believes God talks to her directly, on a mission to save the soul of her dying patient (Jennifer Elhe). Saint Maud is a mix of psychological, religious, and body horror against the setting of a run down seaside town which plays like hallucinogenic social realism.

Clarke as Maud is terrific–slight of frame with a troubled mind, she is still a fierce warrior doing what she believes is God’s work from the humble hovel of her home. While Maud punishes her body in service of her spirit, her patient, Amanda, celebrates hers while it lets her down. As a former dancer, she will drink, smoke, and love in her final days.

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Movies

The Scariest Films Ever Made and How They Frighten Us

By Matt Glasby

Movies

Saint Maud Review: Elevated Horror That’s a Revelation

By Rosie Fletcher

Glass’ debut is beautiful and powerful with a score, visuals, and setting that all contribute to a sense of disquiet that grows to a euphoric/horrific conclusion. An unforgettable film that singles Glass out as absolutely one to watch. – RF

9. It Comes at Night (2017)

The exact nature, origin, and spread of the grisly infectious disease that shreds society to pieces in It Comes at Night is never deeply examined; the movie is not interested in exploring the end of the world on some epic scale. Instead the effect it has is on a very small, very frightened group of people–two families that include Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Riley Keough, and Carmen Ejogo among their dwindling ranks–who are trying their best to stay alive and sane.

In that sense, the title of the movie (and, to a degree, the way it was marketed) is somewhat misleading. What comes at night is not some rampaging horde of flesh-eating walking corpses but rather the cold, insidious effect of fear, grief, and distrust. These two invisible threats eat away at what’s left of our civilized selves.

Director Trey Edward Shults (Waves) spares nothing and no one in this grim fable; by the time it reaches its inconsolably bleak conclusion, the cumulative effect of this quiet, bare bones film is devastating. – DK

8. Enemy (2013)

Before he tackled science fiction epics like Blade Runner 2049 and the upcoming Dune, French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve made smaller, independent dramas and psychological thrillers. One of those was Enemy, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal in a double role as two men who are exactly the same physically but quite different in temperament and personality.

Based loosely on the novel The Double by Jose Saramago (who wrote the horrifying novel Blindness), Enemy is less a horror film and more an exercise in neo-noirish surrealism. It’s anchored by Villeneuve’s chilly direction and two excellent performances from Gyllenhaal, who deftly explores the definition of manhood, the male-female dynamic (as he navigates the wife of one man and the girlfriend of the other), and the nature of identity.

Enemy doesn’t offer easy answers and its shocking ending is very much open to wide interpretation. It’s a challenging early work from a director who’s now moved on to become one of cinema’s most ambitious science fiction auteurs. – DK

7. Under the Skin (2013)

Jonathan Glazer’s loose adaptation of Michel Faber’s novel is a strange beast to be sure. Developed over more than a decade, using several first time performers with scenes shot with hidden cameras, it stars Scarlett Johansson as a predatory alien scouring the Scottish countryside, picking up men that she then lures into a strange black liquid which consumes them.

It’s a convincing look at humanity through the eyes of an extraterrestrial, in all its oddness–from the kindness of girls in nightclubs, the utterly futile act of a man trying to save his drowning wife, and in doing so ending both their lives, to the idiosyncrasies of beans on toast and Tommy Cooper. Johansson is a revelation, going unrecognized in her interactions with real people, bringing an authenticity and later an aching sympathy to her performance.

If the ending is bleak, and there are moments of true horror, there’s levity here too, as well as something quite profound to be said about human nature. – RF

6. The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos–already a purveyor of the weird, surreal and darkly satiric before this or The Favourite, as seen with 2016’s The Lobster–went into full horror mode for this relentlessly unsettling tale of supernatural revenge in which a surgeon (Colin Farrell), his wife (Nicole Kidman), and their kids are made to pay for the death of a man who Farrell lost during surgery.

The impetus of all this is the man’s son, Martin, played by Barry Keoghan in one of the most disturbing performances of recent years. Farrell and Kidman are equally unnerving as their purposely stilted work in the early part of the film gives way to show the cracks in their seemingly perfect family façade.

Read more

Games

How Scorn Turned the Art of H.R. Giger into a Nightmarish Horror Game World

By John Saavedra

Movies

The WNUF Halloween Special: The Making of the Most Fun Found Footage Horror Movie Ever

By Gavin Jasper

The Killing of a Sacred Deer is horror at its purest: an unexplainable examination of what happens when the irrational intrudes on the rational. It leaves you rattled without a single jump scare or visual effect. – DK

5. Green Room (2015)

Writer/director Jeremy Saulnier followed up his excellent breakout feature, 2013’s Blue Ruin, with this taut, suspenseful and dread-inducing thriller set in the grimy, sweaty environs of an out-of-the-way punk rock club. There, a hardcore group on a micro-budget tour of the Pacific Northwest manage to grab a make-up gig after their original show is canceled, but find to their horror that the bar is a white supremacist hangout… and they’ve just witnessed a murder to boot.

It’s not surprising that Saulnier rings maximum tension out of the situation since Blue Ruin was such an accomplished piece of work. What is surprising is seeing Captain Picard himself, Patrick Stewart, playing the local neo-Nazi leader with such believable, low-key malevolence. The rest of the cast, including the sadly missed Anton Yelchin and the always reliable Imogen Poots, is equally effective in making this an exceptionally smart, intense roller coaster ride. – DK

4. Midsommar (2019)

Emerging director Ari Aster made two very different horror movies for A24 virtually back-to-back with Hereditary and Midsommar, and was vocal about the mental and emotional breakdown that ensued thanks to this near-impossible endeavor. Accordingly, Midsommar evolved into what could be considered a “difficult second album,” one which managed to exorcise some of his personal demons for both the entertainment and discomfort of an intrigued audience.

Read more

Movies

Midsommar: Florence Pugh Considers Ending Theories, May Queen Fandom

By David Crow

This ambitious, unsettling masterpiece about one young woman’s struggle to process trauma while she is simultaneously expected to perform the emotional labor of holding together a substandard relationship became a visual flipside to Hereditary’s darkness, creating a bright, horrifying world full of flowers, lush green pastures, and organic pagan rituals that all combine delicately to present us with a piping hot mug of “good for her” energy.

Though the argument over whether Hereditary or Midsommar is the superior film will probably never end, this often-hallucinogenic folk tale isn’t just one of A24’s best horror projects, but one of the greatest horror movies of all time, period. – KH

3. The Lighthouse (2019)

“How long have we been on this rock?” It’s a simple question posed by one lighthouse keeper (or “wicke”) to another in Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse. But as anyone who’s viewed the movie can attest, its answer is nigh unknowable. Eggers’ follow-up to The Witch is as phallic as that first movie was feminine, as evidenced by the titular structure that old seaman Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) constantly demands his new second Ephraim (Robert Pattinson) keep scrubbed clean.

Filmed in black and white, and in a 1.19:1 aspect ratio—similar to what Fritz Lang used to shoot Expressionist serial killer movie M (1931)—The Lighthouse is steeped in the old ways of doing things, both as a piece of cinema and as a sea shanty of a tale. As writers, Robert and his brother Max Eggers revel in the nautical jargon of their characters, particularly Dafoe’s Wake, who is like a corncob pipe given legs. Yet Dafoe and Pattinson never descend into caricature; they instead feast on their Sisyphean characters.

Read more

Movies

The Lighthouse: the myths and archetypes behind the movie explained

By Rosie Fletcher

Movies

The Lighthouse: Willem Dafoe Reveals the Secret of a Two-Hander Film

By David Crow

More esoteric and ambiguous than The Witch, some might defy categorizing The Lighthouse as a full-throated horror. But the picture’s haunting ghost story setup and heightened use of both claustrophobic interiors and barren exteriors beg to differ, as do the film’s final Lovecraftian overtures toward madness. A masterful exercise in the macabre and hellish, The Lighthouse confirms Eggers as one of the most interesting voices to emerge from his generation. – DC

2. The Witch (2015)

To fully appreciate The Witch, it must be made clear that there’s a literal witch in the woods. Writer-director Robert Eggers emphasizes this early on, allowing the audience to glimpse her scraggly and unholy shape as the crone sacrifices a newborn to Satan. This not only signals the movie is playing for keeps, it also removes any sort of psychological ambiguity about what’s going on.

Read more

Movies

The Witch Has One of Horror’s Greatest Endings

By David Crow

Intensely committed to immersing audiences in the daily lives and nocturnal dreads of 17th century Puritans, The Witch is steeped in a deep-seated anxiety for supernatural entities that could poison your crops, or live in every bump heard in the black of night. With a meticulous eye for historical detail, Eggers creates the best cinematic approximation of Calvinists ever put to screen, and in so doing, allows viewers to both live with superstitions of the Dark One taking the shape of animals, and to judge those obsessed with him.

For The Witch is also an unnerving character study about a family disintegrating before our eyes, and allowing their biases and patriarchal repressions to lead them toward the damnation. With a captivating ensemble of actors, including a star-making turn by Anya Taylor-Joy as Thomasin, the Puritan who is desperate to remain pure, the film basks in its dexterity with early modern English. All of which heightens the tension until a transcendent third act, which can rightly be read as an embrace of despair or liberated ecstasy, depending on who you ask. More than just a great horror movie, The Witch is flatly one of the best American movies produced in this century. – DC

1. Hereditary (2018)

Ari Aster’s directorial debut has become something of a benchmark for horror of a particular kind, whether you want to label it “elevated,” “artsy,” or anything else. Whatever you want to call it, Hereditary is an exceptional debut and a crushingly oppressive work about a cursed family laden with grief. 

Read more

Movies

Hereditary Ending Explained

By David Crow

Movies

Hereditary: The Real Story of King Paimon

By Tony Sokol

A shock scare about 20 minutes in will leave you reeling and everything just gets worse from there, leading to a finale that is so insane and horrific that it almost comes as a relief after the excruciating misery and unease of the rest of the movie.

Toni Collette won multiple awards (though notably she wasn’t Oscar nominated) for her extraordinary performance as Annie, the doomed daughter of the dead matriach whose demise sets in a motion a series of events that are disastrous for her disaffected son (Alex Wolff), stoic husband (Gabriel Byrne), and strange daughter (Milly Shapiro). A story about family, tragedy, and inexorable catastrophe Hereditary is one of the best horror movies of the century so far. – RF

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The post A24 Horror Movies Ranked From Worst to Best appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[davidmann95]

Velvet's battle is a great choice, though I'll always have a special place in my heart for the fight against the Grimm Deathstalker and the Nevermore in Episode 8. That said, what do you think of the individual members of Team RWBY?

I decided to wait on this until I caught up on the series thus far, which I just finished doing the night before last in pretty much the only time in my life I’ve ever really properly binged anything other than comics, and…wow. I knew RWBY was a thing just as a matter of course from being on this site and Youtube, and from watching Death Battle, so I picked up some major beats by osmosis. But my main impression was that it was a charming pseudo-anime online thing of decent quality that unsurprisingly got heavier as it went along as such things tend to do, with extremely rad fights and music along the way; figured it’d be more than serviceable to watch while I was on the treadmill as a disposable distraction from the agony of propelling my wheezing, sweating, loathsome meat-scaffolding forward.

I did *not* expect it to eventually end up after growing pains a - while far from flawless - intensely engrossing story of all-consuming personal and generational pain and people who choose to love and do the right thing in defiance of that trauma and loss and hopelessness, where also occasionally a corgi gets fastball specialed at mechas. Though once it became clear that’s what it is, it pretty clearly sat at an intersection of a hell of a lot of my favorite things, especially when characters copped in-universe in both the main series and spinoff material that this is basically a superhero thing. My initial impressions re: the fights and music were on-point though.

I actually have quite a few thoughts on pretty much all the protagonists of note at this point (other than I suppose Oscar and Maria. Like them both though, and I do hope that nice boy’s brain somehow doesn’t dissolve into the blender of Ozpin’s subconscious), but I’ll just stick with the core four here as requested for now unless someone asks otherwise. Weiss is the simplest to get at the core of, I’d say: her arc is learning that fuck rich people, actually. She’s a seriously difficult character to get onboard for at first - especially if you’re watching those first episodes for the first time in 2019 - as the mean unconsciously racist rich girl who learns to be less mean and racist but still kinda mean. But after you’ve extensively seen the hideously toxic environment she grew up in, and fully understand her efforts to grow past the empty values it inculcated in her in favor of everything she was raised to think of herself as above, she becomes a hell of a figure to root for. Assuming RWBY is gonna go, say, a respectable 10 seasons given it was just renewed through 9, I could easily see the upcoming 7th be the climax of her arc with her return to Atlas and likely further reckoning with the consequences of her families’ actions beyond how they’ve hurt her personally.

Yang is also, in a certain abstract narrative sense, simple, in that she’s built around the very oldest trick in the book for characters whose main deal is ‘can punch better than absolutely anyone’: give them problems that cannot be solved by punching. Except in her case it’s less a material “well, this person is invulnerable to punching!” or “well, actually this other person can punch most best of all” issue blocking her path than “punching cannot solve depression, abandonment issues, questioning whether what she considers her purpose in life is one she’s truly pursuing for noble reasons or if she even has the resolve for it anymore after what’s happened to her, or PTSD”. Yet, while it may not be the kind that manifests in the form of punching people with a smirk and a bad pun anymore (much as she still definitely does that all the time) what ultimately drives her and defines her is still her strength: to move forward, to forgive, to let go, to do the right thing in spite of the risks. Which could easily come off as some unpleasant “you just have to get over your moping!” dismissal - there’s a bit with her dad that means it saddles riiiiight up to the edge of that - but there’s a weight to how her traumas remain a consistent factor in her life and have shaped her outlook even as her circumstances and day-to-day disposition improve that makes it feel thematically like it’s coming from a place of acknowledgment and endurance rather than denial, even if it’s not handled perfectly. Great to see her apparently recapturing some more of her joie de vivre based on the trailer for Volume 7, and how that’ll interact with how she’s grown should be interesting.

Blake is…tough, because you fundamentally cannot talk about Blake without getting into the Faunus, which is maybe the biggest aspect of RWBY that leaves it in the realm of Problematic Fave. It really, really wants to have something substantial to say about the proper response to racism, and every now and then it pumps out a “capitalism greases the wheels of systemic oppression and vice-versa” or “it’s perfectly reasonable for the oppressed to seek to fight back directly against their oppressors, and even the pacifist in the room can recognize that’s a defensible approach that deserves its place”. But then Abusive Boyfriend Magneto literally murders nuance in Vol. 5 episode 2, and it descends into some borderline “but what about black on black violence” respectability politics shit. It’s the classic X-Men setup - this persecuted race of often superpowered folks torn between pacifism and efforts to prove themselves to their oppressors, and those who think they should rise up and annihilate the flatscans - with most of the same pitfalls, but also we haven’t had over 50 years to get used to that just being how it works here, and it doesn’t have the excuse of having to expand as best it can on a metaphor that was originally devised before most of the people currently handling it were born. All of which would be rough enough, but given I watched this right as Jonathan Hickman’s been completely refining the entire X-Men paradigm outside that outdated binary, it especially grates. I’d love to be directed to any solid counterarguments - I’ve heard it might actually be an analogue, and a well-done one, for The Troubles, which I am one million percent unqualified to evaluate - especially since apparently one of the writers grew up in a mixed-race household, and at the end of the day I’m a white guy who may well be talking completely out his ass. But it sure comes off at a glance as some well-intentioned dudes stumbling through stuff that’s not their business, and that’s inextricable from Blake’s character when so much of her story is her navigating through that metaphor. Hopefully with new writers coming onboard this is something that can be navigated more insightfully in the future.

On a purely personal basis however, Blake’s a standout in terms of relatability when her story comes down to a pretty universal shared horror: how to climb back from having fucked up. She tried really hard to do the right thing, was taken advantage of and led into doing things she eventually realized were wrong, was so shaken that she couldn’t tell who to trust, and then the situation spiraled out of control on every possible front just as things finally seemed to be stabilizing. The way a single mistake - enabled and exacerbated by an abusive past relationship in her case - expands into a self-loathing far beyond the bounds of anything she could possibly be responsible for is brutal and completely understandable, and seeing her start put her self-esteem back together with the help of those closest to her and the power of her original convictions is arguably the single strongest, most clearly conveyed individual character arc in the series. I’m very curious where it goes from here: Adam’s finish represents a logical climax and the setup for a happily-ever-after with Yang (or Sun if they end up going that way after all) for her to coast through the remainder of the series on, but the way emotional consequences have played out in the series thus far I doubt her demons are going to be put to bed that simply.

Finally there’s Ruby, and I am contractually obligated to note up front: she is clearly not a Superman analogue. There is precisely zero percent chance that she was conceived as such or was ever deliberately executed in such a way that mirroring him was kept in mind. Though she IS a super-powered idealist raised in the middle of nowhere with a significant deceased parent who wears a red cape, flies, gives inspiring rallying speeches, has black-ish but primary color-tinted hair, and has a mysterious birthright that involves being able to shoot lasers from her eyes, plus she has a dog who also essentially has superpowers, plus she tells someone they’re stronger than they think they are, plus Yang basically quotes a bit from Kingdom Come regarding her in Rest and Resolutions. But it probably goes a ways in explaining why she works so well for me.

There’s more to it than that of course, though it does bring up the closest way in which she relates to the superhero paradigm: she doesn’t go through an arc in quite the same way as the others, instead being an already solidly-defined character who is simply illustrated by how she interacts with the people and situations around her. She learns and grows and matures, but her most basic motivations and goals and outlook haven’t really changed since the day she enrolled at Beacon. She’s a good, caring person, a leader archetype who still has more than enough personality to spare to keep from falling into the genericism that can often plague that role. A big part of the key I believe is that she’s the audience surrogate in a profound way beyond the obvious touchstones of her frequent awkwardness and self-doubt: the reason she does this is because she was inspired by stories. She’s a fan, ultimately, but one who learned all the right lessons, whether recognizing from day one the way reality falls short of the tales she was raised on but still believing in the ideals they represent, or openly holding up Qrow as a role model while being willing to call him on his shit when push comes to shove. It’s a romantic, hopeful perspective that stands out sharply from even our other heroes even as it mirrors their struggles, but as of yet there’s little to suggest it comes from a place of naivete so much as a belief that it’s the only way to bear the pain of the world and continue to believe in it. Bit by bit it’s clear she’s heading for a breaking point, but all signs point to that being a matter of her ability to withstand what she’s been through, rather than any doubt that it’s necessary, and should that time come she’s inspired plenty who’ll be able to help her back onto her feet the way she has for so many others. So while I understand her speeches apparently grate on some, as far as I’m concerned keep them coming, they’re the beating caring heart of the series and often the sole respite in the eye in the storm.

[bienready2122]

Ghost Vs Alien

I am a multi year old on-screen character and I have only one dream-the fantasy. I need to be the greatest celebrity the world has ever been a crowd of people to. To me, in the previous 3 years, every day has been spent like a prominent tryout for my next enormous break. The world has been the stage, the crowd and my individual entertainers, while I experienced every day as simply one more execution. Every day the tickets were sold out and every day it was an excellent exhibition. Today is one such day.. mơ thấy rồng đánh con gì A rich and effective maker, Mr. Castigliani, needs me to go to the Apollo Hospital in Mysore and meet his wiped out little girl for two hours. On the off chance that I do this and in the event that the wiped out girl is satisfied by my presentation, at that point I will find a workable pace lead character in the gifted chief of "Sylvia North Story ", Adam Kesher's next anonymous motion picture. And all I needed to do was-I needed to imagine that I was the wiped out little girl's sweetheart. Sure why not! To be the lead entertainer in Adam's motion picture I'll be her God-cursed spouse for an amazing remainder.

I brought Lilies, as taught, and gave them with a major grin to the exceptionally wiped out young lady. I read her outline the wiped out young lady's name was Anju, just Anju. Her entire body was simply some pale tight skin on delicate old bones. She was horrendous. She appeared as though she woke up from a trance like state or something coz she was unable to move her body that well. She was ungainly with the blossoms that I gave her and she didn't have the foggiest idea how to react to my extremely liberal embrace. She was simply terrible. Additionally it was exceptionally odd that Mr. Castigliani and Anju had positively no physical similitudes by any stretch of the imagination. Anju probably gotten her looks from her mother.

"What's your name?" she asked brightly. She had a sweet voice.

"Did you overlook your beau unexpectedly early, Anju?" I prodded.

"So you are my beau, huh? I thought you should act like my sibling, however on the other hand, that wouldn't bode well, would it? Coz I have no sibling!"

I was befuddled. I needed to ad lib and cooperate "Ah you and your jokes! Now and again I don't get your jokes, sham! I am your sweetheart Vicky, how might you overlook this grin of mine, huh?"

"You don't need to act constantly, you know. My father needs to perk me up after I woke up from that unpleasant mishap, so he sent you to me, so I know! Everything, OK?"

"Alright. I get it. So your kid kicked the bucket in this mishap is it? To what extent prior would it say it was? You were in a state of unconsciousness weren't you?" I prattled on.

"Slow down there SuperMan!" she criticized, "I just woke up following a year! I'm moderate, and ungraceful and woozy!"

"Sorry!" was everything I could state and gave her an opportunity to do anything she desired to do. I would not like to cause her to feel awkward my profession was hanging in the balance here. I needed to fulfill her. This was an inclination I never felt the sentiment of attempting to make others cheerful or snicker...

"So you're here to cause me to feel better?" she inquired.

"Indeed"

"To what extent do you have..."

"Somewhat less than two hours..."

"Okay then-Entertain me! Overwhelm my brain!" she shouted illuminating her eyes.

"Okay! That is the thing that I needed to hear!", I started, "Presently close your eyes! Think about the most sentimental spot you can think of..."

I allowed her 10 seconds, and I said delicately, "Where are you?"

"I am in the most elevated pinnacle of a wonderful castle..."

"Alright, great, presently open your eyes... You see me strolling gradually towards you with an insidious looking smile..."

"I see you..."

"What's more, I see you... I gracelessly take out my cell phone and snap a photo of you... the delightful you..."

"Pause.. What?"

"My companions will have a hard time believing me in the event that I disclose to them how stunningly lovely you are... that is the reason the picture..."

"How might you snap a photo of me with your cell phone?"

I took a gander at her with doubt "It has a 6.1 Mega Pixel Camera!"

"Goodness Wow! In any case, that, that is not what I mean... You don't have a cell phone where I am at the present time... I am Princess Buttercup, detained in the mansion anticipating her affection to come and protect her... "

"Goodness I can do that..."

"Great. Do it well then..."

"Buttercup, My affection I'm coming... Your Prince Charming is seeking you, Buttercup, and salvage you from this huge terrible mythical beast!"

"What! Haven't you seen 'The Princess Bride'? Buttercup isn't secured by some winged serpent! Also, you should be Wesley, not Prince Charming! I'm not a young lady hanging tight for a Prince Charming to come and spare her, you good for nothing!"

I was getting pissed. Truly pissed enough to break her bones-every one of them. I rehashed the enchantment mantra in my mind to quiet down-Adam Kesher. Adam Kesher. Lead Actor. Lead Actor.

"Okay I'm Wesley" I yelled.

"No you're not Wesley! Clearly you haven't seen the motion picture... You don't have a clue how to be Wesley..."

"Clearly!" I said with a mocking shake of the head. It wasn't working out positively for me-I could lose an amazing opportunity coz I didn't see this one film? Offer me a reprieve! "The Princess Bride" My can!! I never knew about that film! Must be some low-spending failure!

I out of nowhere observed dread in her eyes. She was trembling everywhere. I thought it was something identified with her condition yet she continued taking a gander at the window, as though her life relied upon it.

"Hello Vicky, would you be able to see something over yonder, close to the window?" she inquired.

"No" I said as I strolled towards the window. Out of nowhere I could feel my body freeze. I could see my hands turn bluer and bluer. I solidified. Everything was getting hazy and I was terrified. I thought I was going to kick the bucket...

"I needn't bother with you... Leave! Leave! If it's not too much trouble I ask you..." I heard her yell as loud as possible.

Gradually I could feel the progression of blood in my body. I could feel my heart beat quicker yet my breathing was not common "What the heck was that?" I hollered breaking into sweat.

"Your activity is done, Vicky. Return home," said Mr. Castigliani running into the room, he was by all accounts terrifying, "Here take this location and come tomorrow at 11 a.m sharp. Adam will be anxiously sitting tight for you."

I took a gander at him with clear eyes. Is this truly occurring? Is it safe to say that i was dreaming? Is it accurate to say that i was truly going to be a lead entertainer in Adam Kesher's motion picture?

"Father, his two hours are not over..." interfered with Anju.

"In any case, nectar, just now..." Mr. Castigliani's eyes gushed.

"It's not what you think it is, dad..." Anju was crying as well.

What was happening here? What simply occurred?

"Okay Sweety, anything you desire... You realize I'll do anything for you..."

"I know father... I know"

"I love you, little blessed messenger"

"Love you too dad..."

Mr. Castigliani bolted the entryway behind him and Anju and I were distant from everyone else once more.

"Simply don't get some information about it, OK?" she requested.

I gestured my head hesitantly.

"This is what I need you to act like," she proceeded, "You are dead..."

"That is simple!" I grinned resting.

She snickered "No, you are an apparition and you frequent your very own grave!"

"How spectacular of me!" I noted.

"You know there's a motivation behind why you frequent your very own grave-you have numerous individuals that you love. There are numerous individuals that you need to help and ensure, however you can't. You have no forces by any stretch of the imagination. You couldn't damage or support a fly in the event that you needed to... What's more, it's not possible for anyone to see you or feel you, not in any case your young lady companion... You are powerless and lonely..."

"This improves and better every second...."

"Quit grumbling... presently here's the intriguing part. Your young lady companion, which is me, visits your grave daily..."

"I would anticipate nothing less from her!" I grinned.

"Presently now, quiet down fella! You have an alarming errand at hand..."

"What?" I asked getting intrigued.

"There's an outsider stalking me, and that outsider means to hurt me..."

I was puzzled. I probably had an extremely abnormal stunned demeanor all over coz she took a gander at me for some time and she began giggling madly.

"In this story there's an apparition and an outsider? You need a Human Ghost v/s Alien wrestling match?" I wound up saying without speculation. My cerebrum still couldn't totally process the thought.

"That is correct, Yup!" she said getting energized.

She was not kidding. She needed me to showcase this scene! I mean no one had thought of this thought previously, presumably! So how might I act this one out? How was I expected to ad lib? What occurs? What ought to occur?

"Hello, my life is at serious risk! You better accomplish something Mr. Phantom Boy Friend!" she prodded.

"That is okay, in the event that the outsider slaughters you, at that point you also will be an apparition and we can be at last together!" I reported acclaiming my sheer feeling of creativity.

"How egotistical would you be able to be? I would prefer not to kick the bucket just to be with you! I have my very own existence, you know!"

"Well very little dear! On the off chance that you had an actual existence would you visit my grave day by day, truly?"

"You just kicked the bucket and I miss your stinky smell once in a while, however that doesn't mean I don't have my very own existence! In addition the outsider probably won't murder me, he may assault me..."

"Assault you?"

"I'm an entrancing wonder after all-you said it so yourself!"

"All things considered, in what manner can an outsider assault you!"

"Well I would prefer not to delve into the subtleties I'm the main young lady in this room, and I state, its assault!"

"Okay, All right! I will kick the outsider's butt for you! Cheerful?"

"No you can't!"

"Be that as it may, you said he'll assault you!"

"He will, however you can't beat him down coz you can't contact anyone's can recollect that you can't harmed a fly?"

"Ooooooh! I get it... I need to kick some outsider ass, yet I can't and you realize that I can't kick outsider ass, yet you need me to in any case?"

"Indeed! You are at last getting it!"

"Gracious sibling! We should see... how about we see... I can't contact him right?"

"Right"

"Perhaps I can locate some other apparition who can beat him down!"

"All apparitions have a similar impairment as you!"

"Well perhaps I can panic him?"

"He can't see you!"

"Well he's an outsider, who realizes what sort of innovation they have... Possibly he can see me or if nothing else sense me..."

"For what reason would outsiders create innovation to distinguish human apparitions? Is it accurate to say that you are idiotic or something?"

"Hello! Possibly they built up some innovation to identify outsider apparitions and that sam

[sammyday-everyday]

Disney films of 2018, ranked

I finally watched Mary Poppins Returns yesterday, and I realized that I watched every Disney film this year, at least, according to Wikipedia.

really weird, I was expecting a Disneynature film, Ghibli film or a Disney India film at least but hey, who cares anyway, we got an Incredibles sequel. Yay. So, here are the 6 Disney films of 2018, all ranked from best to worst.

#1: Mary Poppins Returns

Finally a good Disney film! I have so little to say against the Mary Poppins sequel-- it embraced the original’s magic and resurrected the cadaver that is Disney magic. If we look at only Disney titles (excluding Pixar and the others), the last good Disney film was 2016′s Zootopia, that although very good, was very different. I’m talking the classic Disney magic, the grandiose musical numbers, colorful characters, original narrative and of course, 2D animation.  The music is amazing, I don’t know how music works really, but the songs of the sequel matches what I’d call a “musical palette” of the original, hence each new songs sounds like unused musical number from 1964′s Mary Poppins, making it so you could listen to both soundtracks on shuffle together and they’d match perfectly. Then, as you might know the movie features 2D animation, and it is beautiful: exactly what you’d expect from Disney, and I missed it so much I can’t hide that a few tears made their way into my eyes. Emily Blunt nails Mary Poppins, keeping the character very much alive, Lin-Manuel Miranda is Lin-Manuel Miranda, so he is obviously great in this movie also. Still, the film feels a lot like a big broadway musical, which is to be expected since it was produced by the same guys who brought you Into the Woods and La La Land, but the problem is that if feels too much like a broadway musical. Not that much of an issue, but I wondered, a few times too many during the film, why they didn’t just made it into a broadway musical. Finally, it is a sequel, and unfortunately it does exactly what the original did, rather than doing something different, fresh and special. It is frustrating when sequels does that, but that’s a common problem, and even though it makes Mary Poppins Returns less special, it doesn’t make it bad. If you miss the old Disney magic though, that’s the best you’re getting these days.

Beautiful, magical, but still a sequel.

#2: Ralph Breaks the Internet

In a world where big studios try to be relevant to the youth by making films featuring Internet and its wonders, Ralph Breaks the Internet surprisingly isn’t a wreck. The same post-mermaid structure, still very boring, but that’s practically every Disney film these days, so let’s ignore that. The film itself is a great sequel, as nice as the first and they’re trying something different. Sadly, in the end, it’s just Emoji Movie by Disney, a lot of references to giant companies and culturally important websites, making the film feel a lot like one big ad. I won’t go too deep into the film right now, but I’ll say that although I have good things to say about the film, it’s forgettable. They’re still mocking the Disney genre much like Moana, pretending Enchanted never existed, but it’s all fine, then I enjoyed the little hint of a message about Internet hypocrisy in anonymity, but it’s so small you could miss it, and for a film about Internet, I was expecting more of that. The film is so filled with references that it becomes the one thing driving the film forwards, almost forgetting that it is a film, so rushed character introductions leads to a rushed ending when the filmmakers realized they were making a film. Little to see here, but if you like Internet, it isn’t bad, you can try it. For others, this film will be irrelevant. Only notable moment is the Disney Princesses’ appearances, which is excellent, but fan service over-shading the whole film is pretty embarrassing.

Film so empty it makes you wish it was just 112 minutes of Disney Princesses hanging out.

#3: Incredibles 2

Little to say here; to me, Incredibles 2 was a big let down. Misses the magic of the first film, and really fails to give out the same 60s atmosphere the original gave out. Little to no grown-up humor, only the best part from the first, and of course, a lot less fresh and special. If you like the Incredibles, you will get enjoyment out of this one too, the characters are as great as they were in the first. My biggest criticism is that the film doesn’t understand what made Incredibles so special: not only did the original animated a realistic and relatable family as the protagonists, it brought something new to the superhero genre. The first had washed out superheroes and illegal superpowers, really different from the superhero films of the time, like X-Men, Fantastic Four and Spider-Man, but first and foremost it was a family film, about the struggles of an unsatisfied family. The sequel focuses way too much on superheroes, and the superhero part isn’t even anything special: the question of “are we giving too much power to superheroes?” is nothing new, we’ve all seen Civil War and Batman v Superman and we’re all already tired of it.

We wanted a sequel, but not THAT.

#4: Christopher Robin

I am huge Winnie the Pooh lover, my childhood was marked by hours of Winnie the Pooh episodes, hence you might think I found 2017′s Christopher Robin a huge embarrassment and disappointment, but you’d be wrong: I loved it, although I recognize it was junk. You don’t understand how much I love Winnie the Pooh, I love him so much you put him in the worst film ever and as long as you don’t mess him up too much, I’ll love your film. So, what about Christopher Robin the film? It’s lovely, because Winnie the Pooh’s in it, but even Winnie and the gang aren’t as lovable as they used to be. They’re good, but they miss the quotable lines and dreamy metaphors to gain forgettable quotes that’ll make you go “I guess that Winnie-ish” and really obvious metaphors that’ll make you “yeah, I got it, thanks.” The Winnie part was failed, and the rest of the film isn’t better. It’s exactly like Mary Poppins Returns, same concept of retrieving your inner child, but done lazily and without passion. Winnie the Pooh was great because you knew it lived in Christopher Robin’s imagination, now seeing Winnie in London is really weird and unpleasant. Nobody asked for that.

Masters of the Universe but it’s Winnie the Pooh.

#5: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is one of those horrible films that had good ideas, not that it could have been good, but it could have been a lot less horrible. It has an ensemble of characters that are either painfully annoying, terribly boring or plain forgettable, and although it tries to be that grandiose adaptation of the gracious Nutcracker, I wish I could say it’s all “Razzle Dazzle”, but even that isn’t true. I went to see it with my mom and she kept saying how beautiful the film was, and while I guess they were fine, you’ve probably seen awful films with prettier shots, I know I did. Nothing to see here, the story is terribly boring and makes no sense, but it’s so boring you won’t even care about making sense out of it. It’s sprinkled with fragments of good ideas like “let’s have a ballet scene in the film explaining the origins of the four realms” ruined by more obvious annoyingly awful ideas like “but since it’s so genius and subtle and hard to understand let’s have the annoying pink b**ch explain everything during the scene and ruin everything”. Fortunately, I’ll forget about it soon enough. The film tries to be an epic tale but it ends up being insignificant, little, and forgettable. 

Let’s make The Nutcracker but stupid.

#6: A Wrinkle in Time

I wish I could hate A Wrinkle in Time with a burning passion, but I just don’t understand it. If I’d tell you the plot of the film, you’d say “This is so stupid, this does not make any sense”, but don’t go thinking A Wrinkle in Time is one of those films, those that makes you go “I mean sure it sounds stupid but if you watch it it’s a lot better.” It is stupid, and the film glorifies not making sense, or at least I think it does. Most scenes I don’t know if it’s one of those glorified scenes of nonsense or just a metaphor for something I don’t get. Scenes come out of nowhere and lead nowhere, to an extent where you’re left with scenes like “so the kids go to the beach and a guy gives them food, but then one of the kid eats sand so the girls’ brother becomes evil” and concepts like “to teleport to another dimension all you need is to set your frequency to love”. With an ending where the kids exterminate all evil in the universe so everyone in the planet becomes good or something, I can’t find anything good about this movie. It’s so weird and unpleasant and incomprehensible, I couldn’t recommend it any less. It’s a mess trying to be progressive and give a message of love, but even Barberella is better in this department.

“...what?” -Me, during the entirety of A Wrinkle in Time.

What 2018 a good year for Disney? Well, it was better than 2017 so I guess yes. This year we’re having a couple of titles too. Remakes of Lion King, Aladdin and Dumbo sure sounds like big disappointments, and I wonder if they’ll give the Genie a kid since he’s played Will Smith-- can’t imagine the guy playing a role other than a tragic dad. Frozen 2 and Toy Story 4 have potential, but they will be sequels. I am curious for that Artemis Fowl film though, but since Kenneth Branagh is directing it (Director of Thor, Cinderella and Murder on Orient Express, all the worst ones) I’m gonna be expecting a bad year. 

[tessatechaitea]

Superman #14

Prologue to some kind of crisis of infinite proportions.

You can tell they're from another dimension because they spell list with a y.

• Russian Superman came through the dimensional barrier speaking Russian. The Gatherers come through speaking English. Convenient! • I bet they actually speak "Englysh." • The Gatherers helpfully explain what Prophecy does with the people on the lyst. He processes them! He consumes them! He adds them to his deck! But Superman is all, "I have a punch and a hilarious battle retort for this whole lyst thing! Ready?!"

Ah ha ha ha ha! Get it?!

• The Gatherers don't seem confused by the mention of Santa Claus. I guess they know him! • The Gatherers mention that Communist Superman is from Earth 30. So at least Rebirth is sticking to the Multiversity Guidebook. It's nice to know that the people in charge don't always throw out every good idea they have. • Preboot Superman and Red Superman defeat the Gatherers just before the Multiversity House of Heroes appear. They have Red Racer from Earth 36 and Thunderer from Earth 7 and Obama Superman from Earth 23 and Lady Aquaman from Earth 11 and Mary Marvel from Earth 5 and Mecha-Armor Batman from Earth 16 and Abin Sur Green Lantern from Earth 20 and some Deathstork looking motherfucker from Earth I Don't Know. I'm happy to see Multiversity being picked up and used in Rebirth! • President Superman explains that his team is called Justice League Incarnate. They protect the Multiverse from bad guys like the Anti-Monitor and The Gentry and Magic the Gathering players!

Boom! Nailed them all from the double splash page. Except Machinehead who is from the Marvel Universe Parody world of Earth 8.

• Kenan Kong is captured before the Justice League Incarnate can save him. But Preboot Superman manages to gather a Gatherer! They'll probably vivisect it to find the way to Prophecy's home universe. • Elsewhere, Prophecy is busy constructing his deck. The next card he chooses is Captain Carrot whose power is consumed by Prophecy and Captain Carrot turns into a fuzzy little bunny who can't write comics at all. Probably. Also captured by Prophecy: Kenan Kong of Earth 0; Bizarro Superman of Earth 29; Vampire Superman of Earth 43; Prez Rickard's Pal, Superman of Earth 47; Super-Soldier of Earth 32; O.G. Superman of Earth 2; Lady Superman of Earth 11; Super Fascist of Earth 50; Pirate Superman of Earth 31; Golden Age Superman's super great grandchild of Earth 38; Super-branded Superman of Earth 45; Kingdom Come Superman of Earth 22; and Superman of the Earth One Prestige Format books. That's a lot of Supermen! Oh, and just for information's sake, Captain Carrot is from Earth 26! • There will be a quiz. The Ranking! +1! Yay! I fucking love the Multiverse! DC made the biggest mistake of their lives with Crisis on Infinite Earths, even though it was the most exciting thing ever to be done at the time. The only fault with it is that the superheroes didn't exactly win since they only saved one Earth out of infinity. It was a much better idea (only thought of decades later) to have them save a few more than that.