The IMAX theatre was packed for the special Adler Screening, which had become a tradition over the last four years.
This time, the screenings were taking place over two days. I had arranged for more people to be invited, and there was also a competition during the movie's marketing campaign where winners were invited to attend.
I was going to give a short welcome speech, and then the screening would begin.
This time, along with my friends, Alice was also with me. She had been caught up in all the marketing madness surrounding Justice League and was dying to watch it. She was also a huge Wonder Woman fan and had come dressed in a Wonder Woman costume made by Matt's girlfriend, Jess, who was also wearing one.
There were many others in cosplay as well. One that really impressed me was a guy in a very accurate Batman costume. He must have spent a lot of money on it, full tactical armor, a perfect cape, and a utility belt that looked screen-accurate.
I stood outside the room, waiting to be called in.
I was feeling a strange sensation. Perhaps it was due to the culmination of the last six years of my work. It had all begun with my attempts, and eventual success, in merging Nebula and Stardust. Making all those movies. Building this universe piece by piece, brick by brick.
And now it had all come together in Justice League.
I didn't really think about how the movie was going to do financially. I knew it was going to make more than a billion, that was guaranteed. The tracking numbers were insane, and the early critical consensus was positive as well, with the embargo lifting tomorrow.
Graves appeared beside me. "It's time," she said, gesturing toward the entrance.
I nodded and followed her.
There was a big round of applause in the theatre as I was introduced by one of the DC staff members and walked out onto the small stage area in front of the massive IMAX screen.
The audience erupted. Some were calling out my name, while others cheered and applauded loudly.
I waved back, smiling, waiting for it to die down.
"This is it," I said into the microphone.
More cheers.
"I'm not going to make you wait," I said, then paused. "But first, I want to say thank you. Thank you for your support."
The applause swelled again.
"Five years ago, I had a meeting with the head of Nebula, Buddy Hager, and I promised him that I would treat these characters with respect and care, and bring them back into the public consciousness once more if he agreed to the merger that would make all this possible." I paused, looking out at the crowd. "And I think we've been quite successful."
The theatre erupted in cheers and applause again. I could see people on their feet, clapping. A man in a Superman cape was pumping his fist in the air.
"With this," I continued, "the first chapter of the DCU ends. And the second, what I feel is a more exciting chapter, begins with Man of Tomorrow."
More cheers. Someone shouted, "We love you, Daniel!"
I smiled. "Enjoy," I said simply.
The applause and cheers rang out as I walked off the stage and made my way back to my seat.
Alice was sitting in an elevated seat so she could see more clearly. I sat down next to her.
"You ready?" I asked.
She nodded enthusiastically, her little Wonder Woman tiara slightly askew.
Matt leaned over from his seat on the other side of Alice. "You know, when you say you'll make it short, just make it short."
John, Lucia, and the others joined in the laughter.
The only one missing from my high school friends was Joanna, who had been to the premiere weeks ago and couldn't make it today.
The lights dimmed.
There were cheers as the DC Studios logo appeared, accompanied by a low, rumbling version of the Justice League theme.
Applause and cheers erupted as the movie began.
It opened with an eerie theme, showing three astronauts on Mars, red dust swirling in the thin atmosphere, the desolate landscape stretching endlessly.
One of the astronauts, named Williams, was drilling into the surface when he found a strange-looking rock formation. He continued drilling, and then suddenly the ground gave way beneath him. He fell into a large crevice that opened up, his scream cutting through his helmet's comm system.
He survived the fall. The entire room was silent as he made his way through the underground chamber, his helmet light cutting through the darkness. Ancient structures, clearly not natural, surrounded him.
The scene continued with him accidentally opening a sealed door, symbols glowing faintly as the mechanism activated. Eerie music played as a figure emerged from the other side. Through the blinding light, a silhouette of a humanoid could be seen, tall, imposing, and otherworldly. Its eyes began to glow red.
The astronaut screamed.
The camera shifted abruptly to the black void of space, cutting away from whatever horror was unfolding below.
The opening had already fully captured everyone's attention.
The scene transitioned with a title card: "TWO YEARS LATER."
The night sky was shown, and then the camera panned down to reveal a large research facility on Earth.
Inside the facility, scientists are working late into the night. Many are leaving, heading to their cars, waving goodbye to colleagues.
Five stay behind.
Everything looks normal.
It stops being normal when one of them literally picks up a very heavy piece of equipment with one hand, then retrieves an alien-looking device from a hidden compartment.
All five of them walk out of the room in perfect synchronization, their movements too coordinated to be natural.
The camera then pans up to reveal the silhouette of Batman, perched on a beam above, observing them.
Cheers erupt.
"Oh yeah, Batman!" someone calls out.
Batman slowly makes his way down, moving silently through the shadows.
And then, from the shadows below, Nightwing walks out casually.
"You know," Nightwing says, "you could have just watched from down here with me."
Batman only gives him a look.
Laughter erupts from everyone, even Alice.
The scene continues with Batman and Nightwing trailing behind the five scientists. Some conversation happens between them, mostly Nightwing talking.
"Jason's more brash than I ever was," Nightwing says quietly as they move through the facility.
The mention of Jason gets some cheers from the audience.
"He's going to get himself killed if you're not careful."
Someone says a little too loudly from the front row, "Leave that to the Joker."
There is some uncomfortable laughter mixed with gasps.
Batman doesn't respond, his focus entirely on the five figures ahead.
They follow the five scientists through the facility, watching as they plant the alien devices at key structural points.
"What are they doing?" Nightwing whispers.
"Time to find out," Batman says, stepping out of the shadows.
They reveal themselves.
A fight breaks out.
Batman moves first, fast and brutal. He strikes one of the scientists with a perfect combination, an elbow to the ribs, a knee to the stomach, finishing with a sweep that takes the man's legs out from under him.
Nightwing flips over another, landing behind him and delivering a spinning kick that should have dropped him instantly.
It doesn't.
The scientist stumbles but recovers too quickly, unnaturally fast. He dodges Nightwing's follow-up strike with eerie precision, his head tilting at an odd angle.
All five of them are like this, unnaturally evasive, dodging attacks with precision that shouldn't be possible, moving in perfect coordination.
They fight back with inhuman strength.
One of them grabs a metal chair and hurls it at Batman with enough force to dent the wall behind him. Batman rolls out of the way, coming up into a defensive stance.
Batman uses his superior skill, exploiting their overconfidence. He targets joints, pressure points, vulnerable areas. He's methodical, brutal, efficient. Two of them go down hard.
But the other three adapt.
They try to run.
Batman and Nightwing chase them out onto the roof.
One of them grabs Nightwing by the arm and throws him with tremendous strength, straight off the building.
Nightwing tumbles through the air, falling fast.
"NIGHTWING!" Batman shouts, lunging forward—
Before he can react, a red and blue blur shoots across the screen.
Superman catches Nightwing mid-fall, hovering in the air effortlessly.
The Superman theme swells.
The reaction from the audience is exactly what you'd expect, cheers and applause, people clapping and whistling. Someone yells, "YES!"
"Nightwing, you alright?" Superman asks.
Nightwing grins despite the adrenaline. "Better now. Thanks, Big Blue."
Superman sets him down gently on the rooftop, then turns to Batman.
"Superman," Batman acknowledges with a nod.
"Batman. What are we dealing with?" Superman asks, his eyes already scanning the scientists.
"Unknown. But they're not human," Batman says.
The five scientists are still trying to escape, running across the rooftop toward the fire escape.
All three heroes move together.
Superman quickly overpowers two of them, grabbing them by their collars and slamming them to the ground. But even restrained, they're evasive, twisting and contorting their bodies in ways that shouldn't be anatomically possible.
Batman and Nightwing work in tandem, cornering another. Batman delivers a precise strike to the back of the knee, and Nightwing follows up with a baton to the temple. The scientist collapses.
Batman captures one, pinning him to the ground with a knee to his back.
The scientist pushes a button on a small device strapped to his wrist.
A high-pitched beep.
Then the entire building begins to shake.
The devices.
They were activated.
The building starts to explode, structural supports giving way, floors collapsing beneath them. Fire erupts from the lower levels. Debris shoots upward.
Superman grabs Batman and Nightwing, flying them clear of the building. He also has one of the scientists in his other arm, holding him tightly.
They land far away on a neighboring rooftop, watching as the facility collapses in a massive explosion.
The scientist Superman is holding begins to convulse.
His skin turns pale. White. His eyes shift, becoming red and alien.
He transforms into a White Martian.
Tall, skeletal, monstrous. Red eyes glowing in the firelight.
All three of them stare at it.
"What the hell is that?" Nightwing says, his voice tight.
Batman and Superman look at each other, the same realization dawning on both of them.
This is bigger than they thought.
JUSTICE LEAGUE
The logo appears on screen, massive and bold, rendered in gleaming chrome against a black background.
The theme explodes through the speakers, a reimagined, powerful orchestral version of the JLA theme I remembered from my old life. The theme didn't exist in this world, and I had to somehow convey it to Michael Giacchino, and he did not disappoint. I won't lie, I literally had chills when I heard it for the first time. It's better than the Avengers theme, in my opinion. More heroic, more triumphant, more epic.
The cheering in the theatre is deafening. People are clapping, whistling, shouting.
I glance at Alice. Her eyes are wide, glued to the screen, her little hands gripping the armrests.
She's completely locked in.
And she immediately begins cheering as the next scene plays. It's Wonder Woman, riding in a car alongside Steve Trevor.
She's looking out at the capital, Washington, D.C., as the car slowly moves toward the White House.
There are protests happening on the streets, people holding signs about disarmament, world peace, and nuclear reduction.
Diana speaks. "Looks like the world is united on this matter of disarmament."
Steve glances at her. "Unfortunately."
Diana looks at him, confused. "Isn't this a good thing? A path to world peace? As the ambassador of Themyscira, this has been one of my goals. I'm glad Man's World has taken this step."
Steve hesitates. "There's something off about this, Diana. How quickly it happened. Senator Williams and his fellow supporters are..."
"Are?" Diana prompts.
"Superman also had a big hand in this," Steve says carefully. "His support is what basically made it global."
Diana nods, thoughtful.
The scene shifts to inside the Oval Office.
Amanda Waller stands before the President's desk, along with two senators, one of them being Senator Williams, the astronaut-turned-politician.
Some in the audience gasp, as they hadn't expected her in the movie. She had a big role in Chapter 2, and this was her main introduction, you could say.
"Director Waller, the initiative has 87% approval," the President says. "Superman himself endorsed it."
Waller's expression doesn't change. "With respect, Mr. President, trusting an alien is stupidity. We don't know his limits. His motives. And we've dismantled our only leverage."
Senator Carter leans forward. "Superman has saved this planet multiple times. The American people trust him. The world trusts him."
Waller studies him. Something is off in his eyes.
Williams speaks next. "We cannot live under fear of—"
Waller interrupts, firm. "Fear keeps us alive."
"Or it keeps us from living," Williams counters smoothly.
The general in the room chimes in. "Superman has been nothing but an asset. Director, your paranoia—"
"My 'paranoia' has saved more lives than you know, General," Waller says coldly.
She clicks a remote. Satellite images appear on the screen behind her.
"ARGUS detected anomalies worldwide," she says, pointing to several marked locations. "There's something strange happening, and we can't explain it. Energy signatures that don't match any known technology..."
They argue back and forth, but it's clear she's fighting a losing battle.
Finally, she turns and leaves in frustration.
The President sighs, checking his watch. "I have a meeting with Wonder Woman."
The next scene shows Diana and Steve inside the White House, waiting in a hallway.
They see Waller walking toward them.
Steve straightens as he sees his sort of boss.
Waller stops, her eyes locking onto Diana.
"Ambassador," Waller says. "A word?"
Steve steps aside. Diana nods.
The scene continues with Diana asking what the argument with the President was about. Waller tells her just enough to get her interested. She does what she does best, getting people to act for her, and points Diana in a direction.
Waller leaves, leaving Steve and Diana alone.
"It would be best not to get involved," Steve says carefully.
Diana looks at him. "Steve, if innocent people are at risk..."
Steve sighs but nods. He knows there's no stopping her.
The next scene introduces Flash and Green Lantern.
The scene is set in S.T.A.R. Labs. Flash arrives, vibrating through a wall, thinking he's stopping a break-in.
He sees five figures in lab coats rifling through secure storage. His eyes narrow.
"Alright, guys, let's make this quick," Flash says, zipping forward.
The audience reacts well to seeing Flash in his new suit. The suit is an upgraded version from the last movie, now looking much cooler.
He's able to quickly subdue them, moving so fast they don't even see him coming. One moment they're standing, the next they're zip-tied and sitting on the floor, completely disoriented.
Flash dusts off his hands, grinning. "Easy night."
Then another scientist walks in.
Flash turns to him, pointing at the subdued figures. "It's alright! I stopped the intruders. You can call the police."
The scientist lunges at Flash with inhuman speed.
"Whoa!" Flash dodges, barely.
The other "subdued" scientists break free of the zip ties like they're paper and attack as well.
Flash fights well at first, dodging, weaving, using his speed to stay ahead. He delivers quick strikes, disarming one and tripping another.
But then one of them pulls out a weapon and aims it directly at him.
The blast hits.
Flash screams, clutching his head. The high-frequency sound overloads his senses. He stumbles, falling to one knee.
They advance on him.
The fight spills outside.
Flash is running, trying to shake them off, but they're coordinated and relentless.
Then a green construct forms around them all.
Green Lantern descends, his ring glowing.
"Hey! Speedy! Stop!" John shouts.
Flash skids to a halt, shocked. "Green Lantern?" he says in confusion. "From—"
"Put down the civilians and surrender," John says firmly, his ring forming constructs around Flash.
Flash gestures wildly. "You don't understand—"
One of the humans shifts into a half-White Martian form, skin pale, eyes red, face elongating.
Flash points. "See?!"
John looks at the Martian. "Oh."
They're able to stop them together.
Flash uses his speed to disorient them while John constructs containment fields, trapping each one.
As they think the battle is over, the Martians' bodies seize up, and then they collapse, dead.
Flash and John stare in horror.
"What the hell just happened?" Flash asks, breathing hard.
"I don't know," John says, kneeling beside one of the bodies. "Some kind of failsafe. They killed themselves."
Flash looks shaken. "What the hell is happening?"
John stands, his expression grim. "I don't know. I've been investigating this myself."
Flash reaches out, instinctively touching one of the Martians.
The moment his hand makes contact, his eyes go wide.
A vision hits him, someone screaming in pain, chained in darkness, imprisoned somewhere deep underground. A voice crying out, desperate and afraid.
"Flash?" John asks, concerned. "You alright?"
Flash pulls his hand back, gasping. "Yeah. I'm okay. That was... weird."
"What happened?" John asks.
Barry looks at the body, then back at John. "I think I know where we need to go to find out more about this."
The scene shifts to Wonder Woman.
She's investigating a large dock on the Atlantic coast. The area is abandoned, filled with rusted machinery and old shipping containers scattered around.
Diana moves silently, her eyes scanning.
Then she hears it, a fight.
She rounds a corner and sees Aquaman fighting what appear to be dock workers. He's brutal and efficient, throwing them into walls, using his trident to take them down.
The audience can sense what's coming, and John leans forward and asks, "Please don't tell me this is the cliché hero-fighting-hero."
"Shut up," I say to him, as I can hear Matt laughing.
Diana sees civilians being attacked and immediately intervenes.
"Stop!" she shouts, charging forward.
Aquaman turns, his eyes narrowing. "Stay out of this!"
They trade blows.
Aquaman thinks she's one of them. Diana thinks he's attacking civilians.
They fight each other.
The battle is intense. Diana and Arthur, pure warriors, clash with their weapons, Diana with her sword and shield, Arthur with his trident. They're evenly matched, neither gaining ground.
"She is so strong" I heard Alice say as wonder woman started to over power the king of atlantis.
Finally, one of the Martians fully transforms, attacking both of them.
They stop, realizing what's happening.
Diana and Aquaman fight together, taking down the remaining Martians quickly and efficiently.
Once it's over, they stand in the wreckage, breathing hard.
"You're not one of them," Aquaman says.
"And you are not attacking civilians," Diana replies.
They talk.
Aquaman explains, "I've been after these things since they tried to infiltrate Atlantis. They've been building these structures..." He gestures to a half-destroyed large structure nearby, alien architecture jutting out of the water. "...all over the world."
Diana looks at the structure, then back at him. "If these things can change forms..."
Aquaman nods grimly. "If they tried to infiltrate Atlantis, I'm sure they're already here. Everywhere." He pauses. "I have one more place to look."
Diana steps forward. "I'll join you."
Aquaman studies her for a moment, then nods. "Fine. Let's go."
The next scene sets up the Martians and Ma'alefa'ak.
Senator Williams arrives in a large chamber, alien architecture, dark and organic, pulsing with a faint red glow.
He walks forward and kneels before a figure on a throne.
The figure is massive and imposing, barely visible in shadow. Red eyes glow in the darkness.
"Lord Ma'alefa'ak, the so-called heroes are close to finding him," Williams reports, his voice flat and emotionless.
The figure on the throne leans forward slightly. "It is no matter." His voice is deep and commanding. "Let him bring them together. It is almost time."
He pauses. "Our preparations are nearly complete. It is time."
Williams remains kneeling.
The figure laughs, a low, menacing sound that echoes through the chamber.
The next scene shows Superman and Batman, along with Nightwing, in the Batcave.
Superman looks at the massive array of monitors displaying global data. "So what do you have? Can you track them?"
"Yes. On my—"
"On the Batcomputer, sure..." Nightwing interrupts, grinning.
Batman pauses, looking at him.
Laughter erupts in the theatre.
"Yes. The Batcomputer," Batman says flatly.
More laughter.
Nightwing leans toward Superman, whispering, "Can you believe he was just calling this place 'the cave' until I named it the Batcave?"
Superman's mouth twitches. "Yes. Yes, I can."
More laughter.
Batman turns back to the monitors without comment.
Batman pulls up several images, security footage, satellite data, network breaches. "I've found several security breaches in the global space monitoring network."
"And no one's claimed responsibility?" Superman asks.
"No." Batman's eyes narrow. "There's more to this than meets the eye. The recent push for global disarmament is also strange. And you know that well, don't you, Superman?"
Superman's jaw tightens slightly. "I thought it best."
Batman turns to face him directly. "You can't be everywhere at once, Superman. You can't save the world by yourself."
Superman meets his gaze. "I did have a solution for that. We're not alone, Bruce. There are others."
Alfred enters the frame, carrying a tea tray. He offers it to Superman.
"Thank you, Alfred," Superman says, taking a cup.
Alfred nods. "Master Wayne, are you leaving the city?"
Jason Todd appears near the vehicle bay, hands in his pockets, watching silently. Batman notices him immediately.
Cheers erupt in the theatre. Someone yells, "JASON!"
Batman pulls up a map on the screen. "I've found patterns that suggest parts of ARGUS might be compromised by these things. We have to go to a facility in Gateway City to investigate."
He turns to Nightwing. "You're in charge while I'm gone."
Nightwing nods. "Got it."
Jason steps forward. "Can I go with him?"
Batman looks at Jason. A long pause.
The theatre is silent, waiting.
"Fine," Batman says. "You can go with him."
Jason tries not to grin too obviously and fails.
Nightwing smirks. "Don't worry, B. I'll keep him out of trouble."
Batman stares at him a moment longer, then turns and walks away, his cape sweeping dramatically. Superman follows, glancing back with a small smile.
The camera stays on Nightwing and Jason watching them leave.
Jason glances at Nightwing. "So... can we go now?"
Nightwing claps him on the shoulder. "Yeah, kid. Let's go."
The next scene, the final one of Act One of the movie, follows Batman and Superman as they infiltrate the base.
As they arrive, Superman uses his strength to tear apart a section of the reinforced wall, creating an entrance. Sparks fly, metal groans.
They step inside—
And are met by Wonder Woman and Aquaman.
The four of them stand facing each other in the dimly lit corridor.
The audience erupts in cheers and applause as the heroes begin to come together.
Wonder Woman steps forward, recognizing Superman. "It's good to see you again, Superman."
Superman nods. "Wonder Woman."
Aquaman is suspicious. "Prove who you are. How can we be sure the Metropolis resident alien and the bat thing over there aren't those things in disguise?"
Batman's voice is flat. "We're after the same thing."
Wonder Woman places a hand on Aquaman's shoulder. "I'm sure they are not the monsters we faced before."
Superman looks between them. "We should go together. Find out what's going on."
They investigate the base together, moving through dark corridors, past abandoned security stations.
They arrive at a sealed door. Superman rips it open.
The room beyond stops them all in their tracks.
Dozens, maybe hundreds, of strange alien pods fill the space, each one containing a human. Regular people. Unconscious, suspended in some kind of stasis.
Wonder Woman steps forward, horrified. "Are they alive?"
Batman moves to one of the pods, checking the readings on a nearby console. "Barely."
Wonder Woman steps forward to free them—
"Stand down!" a voice shouts.
ARGUS personnel flood into the room, weapons raised, surrounding them.
"This is government property. You're under arrest."
Superman's eyes narrow. He scans them with his X-ray vision.
"They're not ARGUS," he says quietly. "They're the aliens."
A battle erupts.
It's quick and brutal. Superman moves like lightning, knocking many unconscious. Batman uses smoke pellets and attacks with precise strikes. Wonder Woman deflects lasers from their weapons with her bracelets, then charges with her sword. Aquaman impales one with his trident. It shifts into a White Martian and collapses.
Then—
A yellow-and-gold blur streaks through the room.
Flash arrives to loud cheers as he zips around, disarming and knocking out the remaining attackers in seconds.
Green Lantern descends as he creates an opening in the ceiling.
The six of them stand together for the first time.
The audience loses it, cheering and applauding so loudly that they miss some dialogue.
Green Lantern looks around at the others. "Looks like we're not alone in hunting them."
Flash is fanboying out, vibrating with excitement. "Oh my God, is that Batman? And Superman? And Aquaman is real?"
Batman ignores him, eyes on the corridor ahead. "There's something ahead."
They all move into the next room.
And find him.
Martian Manhunter.
He's imprisoned, chained and restrained, his body weak and pale. He looks up at them, his eyes pleading.
"Help me," he begs, his voice hoarse.
Flash steps forward. "It's him. The voice from the vision." He looks at the others. "It was him who led me and Green Lantern here."
Superman makes the decision. "Free him."
Wonder Woman and Green Lantern work together, breaking the restraints. They lift Martian Manhunter carefully, carrying him outside.
Outside, under the night sky, they set him down gently.
Martian Manhunter breathes heavily, recovering as he changes into a more familiar form, shifting from his alien appearance into a more humanoid one, forming clothes around himself. "Thank you. But we don't have much time. We have to stop them."
"The aliens?" Flash asks.
Batman steps forward. "What are they? Why are they here? How many are there?"
Martian Manhunter looks up at them, his expression grave. "My name is J'onn J'onzz." He explains how he is a Martian and the last of his kind. The Green Martians were wiped out by the warlike White Martians, and he had imprisoned them for centuries until they escaped. He came to Earth to warn them but was captured.
Suddenly, the entire sky begins to change.
Black clouds begin appearing, unnatural, spreading rapidly across the horizon like ink in water.
Superman looks up. "What is that?"
J'onn's voice is weak. "It's begun."
The camera pulls back, showing the sky darkening.
I could sense how the audience did not expect it to start right away. Maybe they thought the invasion would come at the end, but not at the end of Act One.
So far, so good. Now I hoped they liked the rest.
.
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You can read up to chapter 312 here.
p.a.t.r.eon.com/Illusiveone (check the chapter summary i have it there as well)