Act Two of the movie begins with Waller at the headquarters of ARGUS, watching the feeds before her.
The world is in chaos.
Large, organic-looking ships of white and red descend from the sky. White Martians pour out, attacking cities across the globe.
It's happening everywhere, all continents, all major cities.
One feed shows Gateway City, where the invasion is being fought off by the heroes.
"At least Gateway City will be relatively safe," a voice says from behind her.
She turns and sees Rick Flag Sr., played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
There are some reactions in the audience at seeing Jeffrey Dean Morgan, though they still don't know who the character is.
Waller looks at him, annoyed.
Flag shrugs. "You know I'm now one hundred percent certain the government is compromised."
One of the operators at their desks calls out, "Ma'am, we're getting reports from Paris, London, Tokyo—"
"I can see that," Waller cuts her off, her eyes still on the screens.
"Director, should we activate Task Force X?" Flag asks.
This gets a good reaction as the audience cheers at the mention.
Waller doesn't answer immediately. Her eyes move from screen to screen, Gateway City, New York, Moscow, Beijing, calculating.
Flag leans forward. "Amanda, if there was ever a time—"
"Not yet," Waller says, her voice cold and measured.
Flag stares at her. "Then when? They're tearing through every major city on the planet."
Waller's expression doesn't change. "We don't deploy assets until we know what we're dealing with."
"We know what we're dealing with," Flag says, frustrated. "Aliens. Invading. Right now."
"We know they're invading," Waller says, turning to face him. "We don't know their full capabilities, their command structure, their endgame."
Flag crosses his arms. "So what, we just sit here and watch?"
"No." Waller turns back to the screens. "Let's see where this goes."
One of the operators calls out again, "Ma'am."
"What?" Waller snaps.
The woman's voice is tight. "Something big just entered the atmosphere."
Waller's eyes narrow. "Where?"
"Gateway City."
"Take a team to Gateway City, Flag, and observe."
The scene shifts to show all seven of the heroes working together to stop the invasion.
The scene is meant to mirror how, in The Avengers, the six heroes had moments before fully assembling, but here it's done as they fight together to save Gateway City.
The sequence is shot beautifully in one flowing take, with the Justice League theme flaring.
Aquaman, Superman, and Wonder Woman destroy the ships, Superman ripping through hulls with his bare hands, Wonder Woman slicing through metal with her sword, Aquaman commanding the nearby ocean waters to drag ships down.
It moves to Batman, who is fighting inside buildings, saving civilians trapped in the chaos, grappling between floors, evacuating families, and taking down Martians.
Flash moves across the city, saving people and neutralizing White Martians in blurs of orange lightning.
Green Lantern uses constructs to move people away, evacuating the city, massive green platforms carrying hundreds at a time, shields protecting them from falling debris.
There are moments of them interacting with each other, which the audience reacts to intensely, cheering.
This is one of the best scenes, showing the League working together for the first time.
The scene slowly shifts to J'onn, watching over the chaos from a building rooftop.
A voice echoes in his mind, cold and mocking.
"We will meet soon, brother."
J'onn shakes off the voice in his head, his expression hardening.
He is joined by Wonder Woman, who asks him if he is fine.
J'onn says yes, he is recovering well. He tells her that they must all speak.
His words are interrupted by sounds below, where some people are rioting and looting.
She speaks quietly. "Perhaps Mother was right about Man's World. Even in dire times, they..."
"Don't be so quick to judge," Martian Manhunter says.
He gestures down to the street, where others are helping, civilians pulling people from rubble, sharing supplies, protecting each other.
And here comes my cameo, I think, as one person calls out for help, trying to reach a child trapped under debris.
Alice looks at me excitedly, seeing me on screen. "That's you!"
I smile.
On screen, Superman comes in to help. He lifts the debris with some effort, the blackened sky clearly weakening him, but he is able to get them all to safety.
All the heroes converge where Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter are standing.
Green Lantern lands. "This is happening all over the world."
Superman nods. "Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and I will—"
"No," Martian Manhunter says firmly.
Everyone stops.
"These are just the vanguard. The true army is still on Mars, waiting."
Superman argues, "We can't just do nothing."
Flash agrees with Superman.
Batman steps forward. "I think we should listen to what he has to say."
J'onn looks at them all. "My name is J'onn J'onzz."
The scene shifts, showing his backstory, Mars, green and vibrant, a peaceful civilization.
J'onn's voiceover continues. "We were a peaceful people. Green Martians and White Martians, though the White Martians were more warlike."
The scenes change to conflict.
"It was not long before conflict began."
"There was a war. And we were betrayed by one of our own."
The scene shows a Martian activating a device, releasing a plague.
"He engineered a virus that reacted to telepathic energy, spreading from one Martian to the next whenever they used their psionic powers. The plague responded to a Martian's innate fear of fire, causing psychosomatic stress so intense that their bodies and minds would literally burst into flame."
Horrific images follow, Martians screaming, burning from the inside out.
"My people died. All of them. Including my family."
The scene returns to the present. J'onn's expression is pained but controlled.
Diana steps forward. "I'm sorry this happened to you."
Aquaman crosses his arms. "So the White Martians destroyed Mars, and now they want Earth."
J'onn nods. "What's worse is the betrayer is their leader."
He pauses.
"He is my brother, Ma'alefa'ak. He came to despise our people because he was a mutant, unable to communicate telepathically. He was able to control the White Martians with a dark device, and he will use that same device to bring forth his armies here. And then Earth will be lost."
Batman's eyes narrow. "What device?"
J'onn's voice is grim. "It is called a Fatherbox."
The audience erupts, cheers and excited reactions. Someone yells, "Oh shit!"
J'onn continues. "It was this device he used to engineer the plague that killed my people. It is of great power."
Green Lantern steps forward. "Fatherbox?? heard of the Motherboxes from New Genesis."
J'onn nods. "The Fatherbox is of Apokolips."
More cheers at the mention of Apokolips.
Green Lantern mutters, "Oh, that's not good."
Superman's voice is firm. "Then we find Malefic before he can bring his entire army here."
J'onn shakes his head. "Malefic is dangerous, even more so with the Fatherbox. For centuries, he was trapped within the ruins of Mars, defeated by the Guardians of Oa."
John reacts, surprised.
"I stood guard, ensuring he would never escape."
He pauses, his expression darkening.
"But he was freed."
Suddenly, they're interrupted by a sound from the sky, a deep, rumbling hum that grows louder.
They all look up.
A massive ship descends from the clouds, organic, pulsing with red light, covered in sharp, bone-like protrusions. It's enormous, blocking out the sky.
J'onn's voice is tight. "He is here."
The camera shifts to the ship.
On the bridge, Malefic is revealed.
He's tall and skeletal, similar to how J'onn looks but more twisted. His eyes glow as they fall on J'onn.
Brother and brother. Red eyes meeting across the distance.
Aquaman steps forward, gripping his trident. "Then what are we waiting for?"
He raises his trident and jumps toward the descending ship.
Superman turns to Green Lantern. "Is the city mostly evacuated?"
"Yes," John says.
Superman nods. "Then let's go."
J'onn warns Superman, his voice urgent. "You are weakened now, Superman. And Malefic is not easily beaten."
Superman meets his eyes. "We'll handle it."
Superman flies upward, his cape billowing. Wonder Woman follows. Green Lantern creates a massive construct, a platform carrying Batman and Flash.
Aquaman lands on the ship, as do the others.
All of the League is now on the ship.
Flash looks around. "Okay, is anyone else getting serious 'inside a living thing' vibes? Because this is gross."
Batman tells him, "Focus."
Flash responds, "Right. Focused. Totally focused. Not thinking about how this floor feels squishy."
Malefic confronts them as they burst onto the bridge.
He stands at the center of the bridge, surrounded by White Martians.
"Brother." He looks at J'onn. "Are these your pets?"
J'onn steps forward, trying to reason. "There is still time to stop this."
Malefic laughs. "Oh, sentiment. Mars died from sentiment."
He gestures to Superman with a smile. "But I must thank someone for making this all possible."
Senator Williams steps forward from the shadows of the bridge.
Superman's eyes widen in recognition. "Senator Williams..."
Williams smiles coldly. "Hello, Superman."
Then his form shifts, his skin turning white, his eyes glowing red. He transforms into a White Martian.
Superman's expression shifts to shock, then guilt.
Malefic's voice is mocking. "You made Earth so wonderfully vulnerable." He pauses. "I have you to thank for this, Kryptonian."
Superman's fists clench. The weight of his mistake is visible on his face.
Batman glances at Superman, then back at Malefic. His expression is unreadable.
Malefic spreads his arms wide. "Now, shall we begin?"
The heroes attack.
Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman engage Malefic directly.
Superman throws a punch. Malefic shifts, his body becoming intangible. The punch passes through him.
Wonder Woman swings her sword. Malefic's form splits, reforming behind her. He strikes her with a telekinetic blast, sending her flying.
Flash zips over, dodging attacks from the Martians. "Whoa, are you okay?"
Diana gets up, annoyed. "I'm fine," she says, returning to the fight.
Aquaman thrusts his trident. Malefic catches it with one hand, his strength matching Aquaman's.
"You're strong. Good. I like a challenge," Aquaman says.
Malefic smiles. "Oh, do you?"
He twists the trident, using it to throw Aquaman across the bridge.
Batman, Flash, and Green Lantern fight the White Martians flooding the bridge.
Flash zips through them, disorienting them. Green Lantern creates constructs, hammers, walls, cages, containing them. Batman takes them down methodically using all his skill and equipment. Batman is also the most fun to watch as he tries to navigate this new situation he has found himself in, and I could see how the audience was enjoying it as well.
"Okay, seriously, how many of you guys are there?" Flash asks.
There is some Green Lantern and Flash banter as they fight together.
There is some laughter at their interaction, but most are very engrossed in the fight.
Malefic's eyes glow.
"Kryptonian, you still have your uses."
He raises his hand. The Fatherbox appears, hovering beside him, pulsing with dark energy, organic and alive, veins of red light running across its surface.
He draws power from it.
Beams of red light shoot out, targeting Superman.
Superman tries to dodge, but the beams follow him, wrapping around his body like chains. He drops to one knee, gasping.
"No!" Wonder Woman shouts, moving toward him.
Malefic's voice echoes, layered and telepathic, invading Superman's mind.
"So powerful. Yet so weak without the sun."
The camera cuts to Superman's perspective inside his mind. Darkness closes in. Malefic's presence is overwhelming and crushing.
Superman struggles, trying to fight back, but Malefic's mental assault is relentless.
"You will be a fine slave."
Superman resists, but Malefic, powered by the Father Box, is too strong for an already weakened Superman, one who has not yet learned how to protect his mind.
Wonder Woman and Aquaman step in front of him.
"Superman!" Wonder Woman calls out.
Superman does not respond. He looks at them, his expression blank.
The music shifts to a low, droning chord that builds into something dark and menacing. It is eerie and filled with dread. This track was one of my favorite OSTs in the entire movie. It made the moment even scarier.
The audience reacted exactly as hoped, very tense. You could feel the anticipation in the room.
On screen, it begins. He attacks.
Superman lunges at Wonder Woman.
She blocks with her bracers. The impact sends a shockwave through the air, a sonic boom that rattles the ship. The force knocks her back several feet, but she recovers instantly, her feet sliding across the deck.
Superman fires heat vision.
Wonder Woman crosses her bracers, deflecting the beams. The energy scatters, scorching the deck around them.
She moves fast, blurring across the deck and matching Superman's speed. She strikes with her sword, a precise slash aimed at his shoulder.
Superman barely dodges and counters with a punch.
Wonder Woman ducks under it, spins, and delivers a kick to his ribs that sends him stumbling.
The audience reacts with gasps and cheers. Someone yells, "You go, girl!"
Aquaman charges in, trident raised. He goes low, sweeping Superman's legs out from under him.
Superman falls but catches himself midair, hovering for a moment and staring at Aquaman, who makes a comment that makes the entire theater laugh in the tense moment, maybe one of the few light moments in the movie.
The fight continues.
Aquaman sidesteps Superman's charge, using his momentum against him, and slams the butt of his trident into Superman's back.
Wonder Woman and Aquaman fight together, coordinating their attacks. Aquaman sweeps low again. Wonder Woman follows with a punch to the chest, sending Superman staggering backward.
But Superman recovers instantly. His eyes glow red.
Heat vision scorches the deck between them, forcing them to leap back.
Flash and Green Lantern join in. Green Lantern creates a construct cage, massive glowing bars of green energy trapping Superman inside. Superman rips through it like paper, the constructs shattering into fragments of light.
Flash runs in, a orange blur streaking across the deck. Superman is fast. He swings at Flash, and for a moment it looks like he might actually catch him.
But Flash says, "Oh no you don't," as he increases his speed, pushing himself harder.
He hits Superman once, twice, a dozen times in the span of a second. Punches to the ribs, the jaw, the back of the head.
Superman staggers, momentarily disoriented by the barrage.
The cinematography is stunning. There is a reason why Dave was pushing for that Oscar nomination. The camera follows Flash as the world slows around him, showing every punch landing while Superman struggles to track him. Then it snaps back to real time as Flash zips away, leaving Superman reeling.
The audience erupts with cheers, laughter, and applause.
Batman, who is not part of the fight, observes as he takes down some White Martians. He reaches into his utility belt, pulling out something glowing green.
Kryptonite.
He hesitates.
Then Malefic locks eyes with him and uses heat vision to push all the others back.
"Ah, the detective," Malefic's voice says through Superman's mouth.
Superman uses his heat vision on him.
The blast destroys most of his suit, ripping through the plating. Batman is thrown backward, slamming into the wall with a sickening crunch.
"BATMAN!" Wonder Woman screams.
She turns, furious, and charges Superman.
She pulls out the Lasso of Truth, wrapping it around Superman's body.
"FIGHT IT, SUPERMAN!" she shouts.
The lasso glows, golden light spreading across Superman's body.
J'onn attacks from behind, holding Superman's head.
Inside Superman's mind, J'onn is there, fighting Malefic telepathically.
The battle is brutal and invisible, but the strain shows on both their faces.
J'onn pushes, driving Malefic back.
Superman begins to fight back as well, his willpower clawing against the mental chains.
Slowly, the red fades from his eyes.
Malefic is drawn out, forced out of Superman's mind.
Superman collapses, gasping.
Malefic reappears in his own body, furious.
He immediately attacks the rest of the League.
A wave of telekinetic force slams into all of them, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Batman, throwing them across the deck.
They're all down, struggling to stand.
Malefic walks toward them, energy crackling around his hands.
J'onn attacks again, telepathically, giving everything he has.
"GO!" J'onn shouts to the others. "GO NOW!"
Batman, struggling to his feet, signals Green Lantern.
Green Lantern creates a massive construct, a dome around the League, and pulls them off the ship, flying them away.
They escape.
The scene ends with Malefic standing over J'onn, who is restrained by White Martians, held down on the deck.
Malefic smiles, cold and cruel.
"We have a lot to catch up on, brother."
J'onn's screams echo as the scene fades to black.
Alice moves closer to me from her seat and climbs onto my lap.
"It's fine," I whisper.
The movie continues with Bruce leading them all to Gotham. They arrive at the Batcave.
Flash asks, "Where are we?" as they step off Green Lantern's construct platform.
Batman only says, "Somewhere safe."
They enter, and Alfred is there. Seeing the people with Bruce, he says dryly, "I see you have brought more friends."
Superman is helped onto a chair, still recovering from Malefic's mental assault.
This is the team's lowest point scene. They've lost, and now they have to come together.
An argument breaks out between Aquaman and Green Lantern.
"We should have stayed and fought," Aquaman says, angry.
John argues back.
Wonder Woman steps between them. "Enough. Fighting each other won't help." She is able to ease the tension between them.
Time passes as scenes between the heroes play out.
Batman checks on Superman, who is recovering in the medical bay.
They have a heart-to-heart.
"I should have seen it," Superman says quietly. "The disarmament. The way things were moving. I was so focused on the idea of peace…"
Bruce tells him that he shouldn't blame himself.
"But I made it easier for them."
"You made a choice based on the information you had. That's all anyone can do."
Wonder Woman, who had been listening from the doorway, steps in and also has some words for Superman.
Superman looks at both of them, then nods.
The scene beautifully shows the Trinity dynamic, Superman's idealism and heart, Batman's pragmatism and humanity, and Wonder Woman's wisdom and compassion.
Then the identity scene plays out.
"So... no one is going to bring up the fact that Batman is Bruce Wayne?"
Everyone looks at him.
Batman, now maskless, steps forward.
He tells Flash that he is Barry Allen, Aquaman is Arthur Curry, Green Lantern is John Stewart, and Superman is Clark Kent. He looks at each of them.
He says that now they all know who each other are, and that if they are going to work together, trust between them is important.
Silence.
Then Wonder Woman nods. "Agreed."
The others follow.
They come up with a plan.
"The Martians have built spire structures globally. This one," Batman highlights the largest one in Gateway City, "is the main hub. Malefic is there."
He continues, "First, a team will attack the spires all over the world, forcing Malefic to spread out his forces. While he's distracted, we converge on the main spire, save J'onn, and defeat Malefic before he brings in the rest of his army."
Flash looks nervous. "So... we storm an alien base full of hostile shapeshifters and fight an evil Martian warlord with a god-tier weapon?"
Batman looks at him. "Yes."
Flash nods slowly. "Okay. Just checking."
Some laughter in the audience.
Batman walks toward a display case in the Batcave. Alfred stands beside it.
"I took the liberty of speeding up the fabrication, Master Wayne," Alfred says.
The case opens, revealing a new Batsuit.
It's heavily armored, reinforced plating across the chest, shoulders, and legs. The design is tactical and militaristic, with segmented armor panels.
It looks battle-ready. Built for war.
Cheers, applause, whistles.
Someone yells, "Oh hell yeah!"
Scenes play out of them preparing.
Superman flies up through the dark clouds, breaking into the sunlight above. He hovers there, absorbing the rays, his body glowing with golden light.
The audience erupts in cheers.
A voiceover plays over the montage:
Aquaman jumps into the water, swimming deep, commanding the seas. The ocean itself responds to his call.
Flash runs across the city, faster than ever, lightning crackling in his wake.
Green Lantern flies into space, his ring blazing, constructs forming around him.
Wonder Woman takes flight, soaring over the city, her armor gleaming.
Batman's voice: "If we lose, what happened on Mars will happen here."
Superman's voice: "Then we make sure it doesn't. We stop him. Together."
The scene shifts back to the Batcave.
All six stand together, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, united.
The Justice League theme swells, triumphant and powerful.
The audience reaction is deafening, cheers, applause.
Someone yells, "LET'S GO!"
The finale of the movie begins with Malefic and J'onn speaking as Malefic tortures J'onn.
The brother-to-brother feud is explored more deeply here, Malefic's resentment, his rage at being different, his hatred of their people.
One of the White Martians interrupts. "My lord, the spires are being targeted."
Malefic's expression darkens as he orders more forces to repel them.
He turns back to J'onn. "The Fatherbox's capabilities will soon be fully restored, brother. And my army will be brought here."
Then Malefic sees something outside. He looks out through the viewport.
The entire ocean is moving.
The waters are being controlled, rising impossibly high.
The music swells.
The scene shifts to Aquaman, floating in the middle of the ocean. He raises his trident, his eyes glowing with power.
He commands the water.
A massive tidal wave forms, hundreds of feet high, and surges forward.
Aquaman sends it directly at the Martian ship floating near the large spire.
The audience goes wild, cheers, gasps. Someone yells, "HOLY SHIT!"
The water slams into the ship, ripping it apart and dragging it down.
From the sky, the Batwing appears, a new version.
It fires missiles at the ship, finishing it off. The ship crashes into the ocean.
The Batwing then attacks the spire directly.
White Martians fire back, energy weapons tearing through the air.
Batman ejects, gliding down toward the spire.
The others join in, one by one.
Wonder Woman soars in, sword drawn.
Superman crashes through a section of the spire's hull.
Flash runs up the side of the structure, lightning trailing behind him.
Green Lantern descends, constructs forming weapons.
Aquaman leaps from the ocean, landing on the platform.
All six of them assault the spire together.
The audience erupts, cheers, applause, some people on their feet.
Malefic uses the power of the Fatherbox to fight the heroes.
Energy blasts, telekinetic attacks, mental assaults, he's overwhelming.
But they all work together.
Wonder Woman deflects his attacks with her bracers. Superman tanks the blasts, pushing forward. Flash distracts him with speed. Green Lantern creates weapons and attacks. Aquaman strikes with his trident.
Batman sneaks past, moving through the shadows.
He finds J'onn, chained and weakened.
Batman cuts him free. "How do we separate the Fatherbox from Malefic?"
J'onn looks at him, exhausted but determined. "Leave that to me."
He joins the fight.
The next scene gets the biggest reaction.
You can barely hear parts of the movie due to the cheering.
All seven of them fight Malefic together, each getting their moment to shine.
Malefic gets the upper hand for a moment. He tries to control Superman again.
But this time, it doesn't work.
"Not again," Superman says.
He punches Malefic, sending him reeling.
Malefic activates a boom tube using the Fatherbox.
A massive portal opens in the ground.
I swear I heard someone say, "Thank God, no more sky portals."
"It's too late!" Malefic shouts. "My army will—"
J'onn tackles him, both of them crashing to the ground.
White Martians begin pouring through the portal, hundreds, thousands. They are inside the spire as well, and the heroes are overwhelmed.
J'onn and Malefic struggle, locked in a mental battle.
Batman uses the opportunity to reach the Fatherbox. He pulls out a device and throws it. It attaches to the Fatherbox, destabilizing it.
He grapples out of there as the portal begins collapsing.
Malefic screams, trying to fix it, but J'onn holds him back telepathically.
"If I fall, you fall!" Malefic shouts, grabbing J'onn.
J'onn looks at him, sad but resolute. "No, brother. This time, I choose differently."
He phases through Malefic, escaping his grip.
Malefic stumbles backward, toward the collapsing portal.
"J'ONN! NOOO—"
The portal implodes.
Malefic is pulled into the wormhole, screaming, vanishing into the void.
J'onn collapses, exhausted but alive.
Superman catches him. "Got you."
J'onn smiles weakly. "Thank you, friend."
Superman looks at the others. "Everyone out!"
The heroes evacuate as the spire begins to destabilize.
They leap, fly, and run, escaping just as the structure explodes in a massive fireball.
They all stand together, watching as the sky clears.
The dark clouds dissipate. Sunlight breaks through.
The shot holds, all seven of them silhouetted against the clearing sky.
The Justice League.
Huge cheers and applause fill the theatre.
People are on their feet, clapping and shouting.
I sighed, relieved that we had stuck the landing.
The movie reaches its end as news reports show how, all over the world, the remaining Martians are being taken down by the heroes, footage of cleanup efforts, celebrations in the streets, and world leaders addressing their nations.
The ARGUS team finds the Fatherbox in the wreckage. Flag stands over it, looking down at the dark, pulsing device.
The scene shifts to Batman watching all of this in the Batcave. He turns and leaves, making his way to meet the others.
The others are in Washington, standing near the old Hall of Justice building, once used by the Justice Society.
They're talking.
Superman and J'onn stand slightly apart from the others.
J'onn is still grappling with everything. He says that he is the last of his kind. Superman tells him that he knows the feeling. He tells J'onn that they cannot replace what he lost, but that he and the others would be honored if he could call Earth his new home.
J'onn looks at him, then at the others, Wonder Woman laughing with Flash, Aquaman and Green Lantern talking.
"A home," J'onn repeats, the word feeling strange but hopeful.
Superman places a hand on his shoulder. They both smile at each other.
Superman sees Batman arrive and walks over. "I knew you would come."
"I'm not a people person. But if you need help with what you are going to propose, you can call me."
Superman only smiles at that.
The others walk over to join them, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, and J'onn.
John asks, "Why did you call us here, Superman?"
Superman looks at all of them. "I thought I could protect the world by myself, and my actions led to this invasion."
The music slowly begins to swell.
"But working together, we saved the planet," Superman continues. "And I believe that if we stay together as a team, we can be a force that truly works for peace and justice."
Aquaman crosses his arms. "So what, you want us to be... what? Like Speedy over there said, some kind of Super Friends?"
The camera zooms in on Superman, who smiles.
"More like a Justice League."
The audience reaction is huge, cheers, applause, people on their feet.
The screen fades to black.
JUSTICE LEAGUE
The credits begin to play.
The applause is deafening as the credits roll.
Soon, the mid-credits scene begins. The room silences immediately.
The first scene shows Lex Luthor watching footage of the Gateway City battle on multiple monitors in his office.
A woman enters. "He's here, Mr. Luthor."
Lex smiles. "Bring him in."
Deathstroke walks in, played by Joe Manganiello.
There is applause and cheering.
"What's the job?" Deathstroke asks.
Lex doesn't look at him, his eyes fixed on the footage of the League standing together. "I want you to retrieve something for me."
The camera zooms to the remnants of the spire and then slowly back to Lex.
He then says to himself, "Why shouldn't I have a league of my own?"
The audience reacts, gasps, excited murmurs, some cheers.
The scene cuts to black.
The credits continue in full.
The room waits patiently to see if there is another scene, and there is.
The credits end.
The screen is black for a moment, and then it shows a fiery, desolate landscape.
Apokolips.
The audience goes wild, screaming, cheering, people jumping out of their seats.
The reaction intensifies as Granny Goodness, played by Kathy Bates, is shown walking through the hellish terrain.
She approaches Steppenwolf, played by Joel Edgerton. He looks very similar to how he appears in the comics.
Granny tells him that Darkseid summons him.
The scene ends with Steppenwolf smiling, a cruel, vicious grin.
The audience erupts, cheers, applause, shouting, people on their feet.
I stand, holding Alice in my arms.
Many in the audience turn toward where I'm sitting, applauding toward me as well.
I wave, smiling.
The lights come up slowly.
The applause continues.
It feels great, and I get a bit emotional.
Now comes the second chapter, and things were going to get crazy.