AndyC

CLOSED - Ultimate One Universe: Season One

In regards to Bruces and Andys most recent post:

@Sep

I can neither confirm nor deny that that was our inspiration.

CLOSED - Ultimate One Universe: Season One

I could never get into the sentai genre myself, but if we're talking suitimation and tokusatsu effects, ain't nobody can step to the realest mothafucka:

CLOSED - Ultimate One Universe: Season One

Tommy is the original Gary Stu and a garbage character who we've been forced to endure because Jason David Frank was the first actor to realize that there was money to be made off the nostalgia. /hottake

Amendment: Tommy was an incredible villain and a character whose arc was exhausted the second he lost his powers. Bringing him back as the White Ranger was PR's jumping-the-shark.

@Eddie Brock

It always made me mad that Jason got screwed over for Tommy, letting a former arch-enemy take over the team. It's like whenever Magneto does a face-turn and everyone's just okay with him leading the X-Men despite all those times he tried to kill them. Meanwhile ya boy in the T-Rex has been loyal since day one and suddenly he's relegated to sidekick duty. I call bullshit.

#RedRanger4Life

CLOSED - Ultimate One Universe: Season One

<sub>"Clark? Are you okay, hun?"

"....I had a bad dream, Mama. I can't sleep."

"It's okay, Clark. It was just a dream."

"But it was....it was so real, Mama. There were people crying and screaming, and everything was on fire. I heard voices talking to me, and I couldn't understand them. I was so scared, and they were just.....sad. It was the end of the world, Ma."

"Well, that does sound pretty scary. But it's still just a dream, Clark. It's not the end of the world. Your daddy and I are fine, nobody's hurt, everything's okay."

"Okay, but....but can you stay here for just a little bit. At least until I fall asleep?"

"Of course, hun. I'll be right here as long as you need me."

"....thanks, Mama. Love you."

"Love you too, Clark. And don't you worry. The world isn't going anywhere."</sub>

---

"Fools, damned fools," he curses. "I could have stopped this, I could have saved us all, if they'd have just listened--.....too late now, far too late."

I've had this nightmare before. I'm being held in someone's arms, gently rocking me to try and soothe me as I cry out in confusion and fear. There's so much noise-- thunderclaps and earthquakes, the ground beneath us trembling. Dust and smoke chokes the air. Fire scorches the land and scars the sky.

It's the end of the world.

I've heard the voices before, desperate and angry and sad. I've only ever heard them speaking in babble, a language I could never hope to understand.

Now, I can grasp every word.

"We knew the Council may not want to hear you, Jor," says the voice of the person holding me, a woman with bright blue eyes. "Even with the evidence staring them in the face, one can't expect to simply uproot a hundred thousand years of tradition. And after the devastation brought about by the war with Zod...."

"Zod," the man, dark-haired with a short beard, spits the name out like poison. "I can't believe I ever trusted him, thought he could help us. I let him blind me with flattery, and then he led us all to this ruin. The Underverse fissures, the Doomsday Plague, the abduction of Kandor......it's almost obscene that he and his followers will outlive us all."

"Eternity in the Phantom Zone is hardly 'living,' Jor," says the woman, stroking my forehead with her finger. "And at the very least, Kal and Kara will live on. There's still hope in that."

"Yes," the man says, stepping toward me and looking down on me with a weak smile. "There is at least that."

"Attention, says a third voice, seemingly from nowhere, "the Star Drive reactor is charged, life support systems and guidance are nominal, and target coordinates have been set. Chances of a successful evacuation are currently 91.338% but dropping quickly; I recommend we begin the evacuation process now."

"Thank you, Kelex," the man says, taking me from the woman's arms and walking me into a large domed room. "You're right; the longer we delay, the worse Kal's chances are."

He holds me up, and I see tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, my son," he says. "I wish upon Rao and all the stars that I could have done more, that your mother and I could have joined you. But I can at least save you...my boy, my son.....the last son of the House of El. The last son of Krypton."

The ground shakes violently, and out of fear and confusion, I begin to cry again.

"This is the end, Kal," he says as I feel a force begin to lift me away toward a bright light. "It is my time, your mother's time, our world's time, to join our ancestors in infinity. But it is not your time, my son.

It is not your time......"

---

My senses slowly return to me, a hot and sharp wind beating against me, nearly knocking me off my feet, rain pelting down in sheets. I'm stumbling through sand and gravel, soaked to the bone, salt water washing up at my ankles.

There are sirens going off in the distance.

I begin to realize how tired I am, and how much pain I'm in. Every inch of my body feels bruised and beaten, muscles aching, bones creaking. The only reason I'm not face-down in the dirt is that it genuinely hadn't occurred to me to fall over.

My memory starts to rush back to me.

It was the end of the world.

.....and then, it wasn't.

"I'm.....I'm alive," I realize. "I'm okay........how am I okay?"

Last thing I remember, the Toyman had launched a missile toward Gotham City, carrying a nuclear warhead. I'd managed to steer the missile out over the ocean, but couldn't get away from the blast. I'd accepted that, was okay with what that meant, had made my peace.

I screamed, and my lungs filled with fire.

I burned, and I choked.

I fell.

I drowned.

.....and I lived.

I can't get my head around it. If I can survive something like that.....what does that mean? I've been hurt before, sure, but if even a nuclear blast can't put me down for good......what can?

As shocking of a realization as that is, I can't dwell on it for long, as my thoughts quickly turn to how tired I am. More than anything, I just want to lie down and sleep.

Perched on a rooftop, however, looking down at me, is my former enemy from earlier tonight, the Batman. Lord knows how he was able to find me, but I feel like I should probably say something to him before I meet up with Lois and go home.

I don't push off into the air so much as I begin to drift, like a balloon, before touching down on the rooftop in front of him. His mask has come off, and I swear, I must still not be all there yet.....because I swear, he looks for all the world like Bruce Wayne.

"I, erm, I know we've still got plenty of differences to work out," I say, still in something of a daze, "but I gotta tell ya, I don't think I've got it in me to go another twelve rounds. Is there anywhere around here where we can grab a cup of coffee and just talk things over?"

CLOSED - Ultimate One Universe: Season One

Something a bit different.

As a kid, growing up who was your favourite Superhero(es)?

I'm sorry but for me:

Hider

For anyone to claim they aren't Superheroes... they have secret identities, have an arch nemesis with mind control powers and go around the world using advanced technology to save people.

I wasn't exposed to a lot of Superhero culture as a kid, no comic book stores near me. I can't remember ever actually watching Spider-Man on TV for years and years. These were the heroes I grew up with, something with the spaceships/rockets and the way they operated always interested me.

I guess child me was destined to become a nerd.

@Sep

I actually didn't get into superheroes proper until I was in high school, apart from the occasional Spider-Man comic (and even then, it was usually only if it had Venom in it). However, if we're just expanding the definition of superhero to include any heroic protagonist with superhuman abilities who saves the world from evil, then this was my gateway drug which eventually got me into comics (and gaming):

I apologize for nothing

CLOSED - Ultimate One Universe: Season One

Kent Farm
Smallville, Kansas,
Ten Years Ago

"I....I don't understand...." I stammer, suddenly finding it hard to stay on my feet. "I c-...I can't be a....an...."

"You're our son," says Pa, putting a hand on my shoulder to steady me. "You're the brightest boy in your class, you're the first to volunteer when someone in town needs a hand, and you're always there for Pete and Lana when you need them. You're everything your mother and I could have ever hoped you'd be. None of that's changed, Clark."

"All of it's changed!" I blurt out, on the verge of tears. "I--I know I've always been different, but.....now you're telling me I'm not even human? I'm not even from this planet?!"

"It doesn't matter where you're from, son," he insists.

"I'm not your son!"

Pa is stunned for a second, actually takes a step back, then furrows his brow and steps forward to hug me.

"Yes you are," he says. "I don't give a damn if you're from the other side of the universe, or a million years in the future, or the seventh circle of Hell itself. That's not what makes who who you are. I've watched you grow up from before you could even speak. I've watched you struggle with the things you can do. And I've seen you choose to do right, again and again. That's what matters, Clark. You are who you choose to be. And since the day me and Martha found you in that pod, we chose to be your Ma and Pa. And we're never gonna choose otherwise."

I feel my chest start to heave, my eyes stinging with tears.

"...what am I gonna do?" I say between sobs. "I...I can't just go to school and get a job and....and spend the whole time knowing I'm not like them.....it's driving me crazy.....and now.....now I know I'm not.....Dad....what am I gonna do?"

He ruffles my hair and hugs me harder.

"I know it's something every parent tells their kid," he says with a weak chuckle, "that they can do anything, but hell, I think you actually can. I've never been the kind to believe in things like fate, or destiny, or providence. I think it's up to us to make our destiny. But that just makes it matter that much more. I've known you since before you even knew yourself. And I know you're going to choose to do right whenever it matters. Because that's the kind of man I've seen you choose to be."

I sniffle, and turn away to look out at the night sky. The sky over Kansas at night is that deep dark blue, with the occasional vein of purple, that you only see when there's no city lights for miles on all sides. Thousands of stars, some barely visible glints, others bright and powerful fixed points in the heavens, look down on us, casting their light from unfathomable distances away.

"So....somewhere out there," I say, drying my eyes, "there's other people.....other people like me?"

Pa smiles.

"Clark, if I know one thing, it's that there's nobody like you," he says. "But you're right. You even being here means something incredible, something special. It means we're not alone. But you know what else it means?"

"What's that?"

"It means you're not alone, either," he answers. "And you never will be."

---

Altitude 30,000 Feet
10 Miles from Gotham City (and closing)
Now

"Come on, *rgh!*" I grunt as my arms and back begin to ache, trying to push against a missile going nearly the speed of sound. The fuselage itself isn't much compared to some of the things I've moved in the past, but its velocity is great enough that I can barely make it budge. I don't dare just blast the missile apart, for fear of setting off the warhead over one of Gotham's suburbs. But that second wind I got from Lois seems to finally be wearing off. I've only got one real chance left to change this thing's course, or millions of people are going to die, including Lois....including Batman.....and very likely including myself.

It'd be so easy now to just let go. To fly away, to tell myself that I did all I could do, that I've been running on empty for what feels like ages, and I just didn't have it left in me to stop this thing.

To live another day.

Instead, I make the choice I always do. The same stupid, reckless, bull-headed choice that gets me into trouble just as often as it gets other people out of trouble.

I grit my teeth, and I really put my muscles to work.

"GYYAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!"

With a determined, primal shout, I push as hard as I can, feeling metal creak and bend in my hands. Smoke, and steam, and radioactive fallout wash over me, but I feel the missile starting to change course.

A few seconds later, we're not over Gotham anymore. We're over the ocean, getting further out. The missile keeps trying to correct course, but I keep pushing it back away.

Somewhere in the back of my head, I realize I'm not going to be able to get away from this thing in time. Even if I let go right now, I'll still get caught in the blast.

In the moment, I'm okay with it. This is what I choose to do.

And if this is really it, that's fine. Because in this moment, I'm not alone. Pa's here with me, assuring me as always. Ma's with me, too. And Lana, and Pete, and the whole town of Smallville. And Jimmy, and Perry, and everyone else at the Planet. Hell, even Batman's here with me.

And Lois. Oh God, Lois. If there's one regret I have about this, it's that there wasn't enough time for us. Still, at this moment, you're here in my heart.

It's okay.

"I lo--"

CLOSED - Ultimate One Universe: Season One

I do love that his outfit has the same shades of purple and green as Caesar Romero's (though I can't find any pics of the '66 Joker with the orange vest).

CLOSED - Ultimate One Universe: Season One

"I don't understand this, Schott," I say, grappling with the one of Toyman's robots. "How are you doing this? Uploading a human consciousness into an artificial intelligence...it shouldn't be possible!"

Heat Vision doesn't seem to be working on these things, as the beams reflect off of a gleaming, almost transparent surface-- Schott must have coated them in some sort artificial diamond. These upgrade robots, far more powerful than the ones that attacked me when the Toyman debuted, must have cost a fortune.

YOU MISUNDERSTAND--

THERE IS NO MORE WINSLOW SCHOTT.

ONLY HIS TOYS REMAIN.

One of the drones gets behind me, hooking my arms. A second slams a fist into my gut, and I double over, fighting the urge to vomit.

SCHOTT WAS GIVEN SOMETHING NEW TO PLAY WITH.

A SHINY NEW TOY--

--OR RATHER, A PIECE OF ONE--

FROM HIS FRIEND

LEX LUTHOR

"Luthor?" I say, wrenching my right arm free--and tearing the drone's arm off in the process. "So he's behind this?"

Lex Luthor has been fomenting public opinion against me ever since I arrived, with his own books and public appearances, and through funding the media company he owns, the Galaxy News Network, which hires that clown G. Gordon Godfrey. I've always known he's had it out for me, but I never imagined he'd take it this far. After all, LexCorp primarily deals with things like telecommunications, data storage, home electronics, that sort of thing. What does he stand to benefit from spending what must be hundreds of millions of dollars on some sort of false-flag terrorist attacks?

LUTHOR IS HIDING TOYS IN HIS BASEMENT-

VERY SHINY, VERY RARE TOYS

FROM ANOTHER WORLD.

YOUR WORLD, SUPERMAN.

My world? Could he mean.....

".....no...."

The ship. The one Ma and Pa found me in all those years ago. We'd always assumed the government confiscated it, hid it in an underground bunker somewhere, in some classified SHIELD facility or something. If Lex Luthor was able to get his hands on it, though.....well, that would explain how LexCorp hardware is so much more advanced than his competitors.

THERE IS AN INTELLIGENCE IN THOSE TOYS

SOMETHING FAR GREATER

FAR MORE POWERFUL

THAN EVEN LEX LUTHOR KNOWS.

HE GAVE SCHOTT A PIECE OF THAT INTELLIGENCE

A SMALL, BASIC FRAGMENT

AND TOLD HIM TO GO PLAY AT STAGG.

INFEST STAGG'S HARDWARE

WITH MALEVOLENT SOFTWARE,

SO THAT EVERYONE WHO HAD IT

WOULD NEED TO GET RID OF THEIR STAGG HARDWARE

AND SWITCH TO LEXCORP.

"That's what this is all about?!" I say with a grunt as I smash my knee into the head of one of the drones. "Creating a phony super-villain, attacking the city dozens of times, killing people and endangering God knows how many, just so Lex Luthor can sell some merchandise?!"

The awful, digitized voice of the Toyman lets out a cackle that rattles my eardrums.

YOU STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND.

SCHOTT DIDN'T UNDERSTAND, EITHER.

EVEN THE SMALLEST FRAGMENT OF THE INTELLIGENCE

WAS TOO MUCH TO CONTROL.

IT SWALLOWED SCHOTT'S MIND

FRIED HIS BRAIN.

LEFT HIS BODY TO DIE,

AND PLAYED WITH THE ECHOES OF HIS CONSCIOUSNESS

UNTIL THAT ECHO BECAME SOMETHING ELSE--

ME.

Another drone cracks a fist across my jaw. I stagger backwards, then charge in retaliation, tackling it to the ground and pummeling it with rapid-fire punches before two more drag me off of it.

THE INTELLIGENCE WAS NO TOY, SUPERMAN.

WE ARE.

YOU, BATMAN, LUTHOR, SCHOTT.

EVERYONE ON THIS PLANET.

ALL JUST TOYS TO BE PLAYED WITH,

BENT AND SMASHED AND BROKEN.

ONCE IT WAKES UP,

THE REAL PLAY-TIME CAN BEGIN.

I break free from the drones' grip, grab the back of their heads in each hand, and smash them together. With a burst of sparks and shrapnel, they collapse to the ground.

That takes care of his toy soldiers. It looks like Batman's dealt with his threats, too.

"It's over, Toyman," I say, dusting myself off, "Whatever this 'intelligence' is, we'll make sure Luthor never gets the chance to wake it up. After we're done taking you apart."

YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT ONE, THING, SUPERMAN:

IT'S OVER. FOR YOU.

The ghastly marionette face of the Toyman puppet disappears from the wall of monitors, followed by flashing images of various Gotham City landmarks.

WHY DO YOU THINK

I CHOSE GOTHAM CITY

INSTEAD OF METROPOLIS?

The images of Gotham are replaced by other images. Pictures of a map, first, showing the distance between two points on the Eastern Seaboard.....

...then a picture of a sign. MOUNTAIN VIEW BASE. WAYNE, NEW JERSEY.

.....then images of a military base. Hum-Vees, men in uniform. Radar towers. Antennae.

Flashing alarm lights.

A large, flat concrete slab on the ground, slowly sliding away to reveal a huge circular hole in the ground.

IT'S SO MUCH CLOSER

TO THE BIGGEST

NOISIEST

MOST POWERFUL TOYS

I COULD GET MY HANDS ON

Blueprints flash across the screen again.

Diagrams of a missile. Of a high-end nuclear warhead.

Then back to flashing images of Gotham City.

"Oh my God," I say, the color draining from my face. "You can't--"

FIVE.

FOUR.

THREE.

TWO.

ONE.

The image switches back to the concrete slab and the hole in the ground, before something erupts from the hole--the underground silo-- in a flash of bright orange flame and white smoke.

"NO!" I shout, rushing towards the monitors, tempted to smash them to bits in my panic and rage. I hold myself back at the last split-second, and I turn to Batman.

"See if you can shut him down from here," I say, practically barking out orders. "I'm going to see if I can't redirect that missile, at least get it out over the ocean instead of the city."

"And if you can't get away before it goes off?"

"Tell Lois Lane--.....well, I think she already knows," I say, before I take off, shooting up through the hole I'd made in the Stagg Enteprises building and into the night sky, on a collision course with the missile now heading towards the city.

I'd really rather not think about what happens if I can't redirect the warhead, or if I can't get away in time. But I've got no other choice.

Besides, it's like Lois said-- bumps and scratches and certain death all come with the job.

CLOSED - Ultimate One Universe: Season One

So this happened:



Still not convinced a Joker standalone movie is really necessary, especially because they've said it's not part of the DCEU and is going to confuse the casuals, but I like the look and the tone they're setting a hell of a lot more than whatever mess Leto was trying to pull off.

CLOSED - Ultimate One Universe: Season One

<Snipped quote by Byrd Man>

I can't see colors properly anymore, but I can post again!

@Master Bruce

And just when you learned how to do easy color formatting, too.....