EXT. METROPOLIS – LEXCORP TOWER – DAY
"BOOM!!
From the sky, Iron Man MK II hurled through the air like a blazing comet, crashing full-force into Lex Luthor's Warsuit, the impact blasting both of them through the thick LexCorp building wall glass, concrete, and sparks flying in all directions before exploding out the other side.
"CRASH!!"
They plummeted, slamming down onto a busy Metropolis highway, crushing a semi-truck. Cars screeched and swerved multiple collisions sparked across the freeway.
One family car, a woman behind the wheel with her two children screaming in the back, skidded to a stop just inches from disaster.
But Lex Luthor, burning with rage and power, grabbed the car lifting it above his head like a toy.
Lex Luthor: I've always hated you, Stark!
Iron Man (shouting): PUT THEM DOWN, LEX!
Lex Luthor: (mocking) Collateral damage, Stark. Something you never understood.
Iron Man: JARVIS! Divert power to chest RT—NOW!
JARVIS: Routing 45% core energy to central repulsor, sir…
Iron Man's chest repulsor flared with light then "BOOM!"
He fired a massive blast straight into Lex's torso, launching him back. The car flew into the air Iron Man surged forward and caught it, struggling with the weight and damage.
JARVIS: Warning power reduced to 19%. Systems operating with severe complications.
Iron Man: (grunting as he lowers the car) just a little more…
He managed to return the vehicle gently to the road, dropping to one knee as the suit hissed and sparked. The terrified woman stared at him wide-eyed, then slammed on the gas and sped off.
Iron Man: Wait Lady! LADY!!
Iron Man latched onto the front of her car as it accelerated.
Iron Man: (clinging, shouting) No no no no no! FUCK!!
The car swerved Iron Man's grip slipped and he was dragged underneath, rolling violently across the pavement before tumbling free, groaning.
Lex Luthor, furious, activated his foot repulsors and rocketed toward him.
A nearby motorcycle raced by Luthor grabbed it with both armored hands, flinging the rider into the air.
"WHACK!!"
Luthor smashed Iron Man with the motorcycle, sending him flying into a nearby public transport bus, which caved inward from the impact.
Citizens screamed and ran, filming the chaos while ducking for cover.
Iron Man pulled himself from the dented frame but Lex Luthor grabbed him, lifted him high overhead with monstrous strength, and slammed him hard onto the asphalt, cracking it beneath him.
Lex Luthor (shouting): For years, I've held you up! I built this company from nothing!
He stomped on Iron Man's chest, the metal creaking.
Lex Luthor: Nothing is going to stand in my way. Least of all YOU!
He kicked Iron Man into the bus again, this time smashing a massive hole through it. Then he stepped back, his gauntlet opening.
Lex Luthor: Try surviving this.
He fired a kryptonite missile, the glowing green projectile launching at full speed.
"BOOOOOOM!!!"
The explosion was massive, hurling Iron Man upward like shrapnel from a cannon. His suit flared, stabilizing mid-air.
Iron Man, scorched and cracked, now hovered his eyes burning behind the faceplate.
He looked down at Lex Luthor, still smirking amidst fire and debris.
Iron Man (growling): Please no just surrender already Lex!
Lex Luthor hovered with his Lexorian Warsuit, glowing green and humming with raw energy. His face was twisted with confidence and fury.
Lex Luthor: Then to war, Stark!
Iron Man (steady voice): So it's come to this?
He paused, then raised his head slightly.
Iron Man: Two ways we can play it, Lex. One you shed the metal. I let the law settle the difference between us. That'll take a long time… but I'm in no hurry.
Suddenly, Iron Man's eyes in the helmet powered down, the glowing lenses fading—revealing Alexander's cold, intense glare beneath.
Iron Man (darkly): I fight with no A.I. this time.
Lex Luthor: (smirking) And the other way… is this!
Lex Luthor FIRED a repulsor blast a beam of sheer kinetic energy crackling with amplified radiation.
Iron Man (thinking): Shit that repulsor's stronger than mine!
The blast SLAMMED into him, sending him hurtling down like a missile. He crashed through the glass roof of a mall, sending debris and sparks flying everywhere.
INT. METROPOLIS MALL – CONTINUOUS
Shoppers screamed, scattering as Iron Man lay embedded in broken tile and metal, surrounded by dust and falling debris.
Random Shopper: Do you realize what just happened?! A guy just crashed into the mall!
Panicked Woman: Oh my god… is that… Iron Man?!
Iron Man's gauntlet twitched, then he forced himself up sparks and hydraulic fluid dripping from his suit and start to float once again and exit the mall where he crash.
Iron Man (sarcastically, panting): Nice attack, Lex… for an amateur, of course. Didn't hurt me.
EXT. MALL ROOFTOP – SECONDS LATER
Lex Luthor descended, walking with slow, deliberate confidence.
Lex Luthor: Nor did I try my best to hurt you… That was just a sample of what's in store. I'II delayed meeting you in true combat for so long. I was foolish. This feeling… this power…
His voice twisted with euphoria.
Lex Luthor: …it's exquisite.
Iron Man (hovering back up, voice calm): Then surrender. End this. Peace, Lex we can still work this out.
Lex Luthor (roaring): Now… a SECOND BLAST!!
He unleashed a DUAL REPULSOR ATTACK, both gauntlets firing at once.
The beams converged on Iron Man's chest, striking his arc reactor dead-on, cracking it visibly.
Iron Man (gritting teeth): Oh no you don't!
He countered firing his own chest repulsor, the blue beam slicing through the air like a lance of energy.
The two beams collided.
A massive explosion erupted mid-air, a glowing sphere of destruction engulfing both.
"BOOM!!"
EXT. METROPOLIS MALL – CONTINUOUS
The concussive blast shattered the remaining roof.
Iron Man and Lex Luthor CRASHED back into the mall, landing like thunder, breaking floor tiles, storefronts, and support beams.
Alarms wailed. Smoke filled the air. Civilians screamed, fleeing in all directions.
In the center of it all.
Two titans lay in ruin..
Alexander Stark, coughing, armor sparking...
Lex Luthor, suit smoking, eyes locked on his enemy with murderous intent....
EXT.BRYCE & SELINA
Dimly lit by the flicker of the television, Bryce Wayne and Selina Kyle sit in silence on a velvet couch. The flat-screen shows a live news feed from Metropolis, the chaos unfolding wrecked highways, burning buildings, and glimpses of Iron Man battling Lex Luthor in his warsuit.
Selina Kyle, leaning forward on the couch, watches nervously as Iron Man battles Lex Luthor in broad daylight.
Selina (softly, anxious): Is he… dead?
Bryce (not looking away from the screen): No.
Selina (voice trembling): Bryce, if Alexander dies… would that be my fault? Should I have been there?
Bryce (calmly, but firmly): Don't say that. He promised me he wouldn't kill his enemies… and he's too damn stubborn to die.
Selina glances at her, eyes glossy, then back at the screen.
EXT. METROPOLIS – SKY ABOVE DESTROYED MALL
CRASH!!
Lex Luthor's body bursts through a nearby building, punching a massive hole in the wall before slamming into the ground like a comet. Dust and shattered concrete billow in every direction.
Above him, the sky splits open as Iron Man rockets through, smashing through the mall's weakened rooftop in a flare of energy and speed. His eyes burn behind the faceplate.
Iron Man (internal thought): He's up again?! He recovered too fast... That shouldn't have happened. That suit... It's not just tech... Something's off.
He descends rapidly aiming to TACKLE Lex Luthor again but Lex is already moving.
Lex (grunting, furious): You never stop!
Lex rips out a massive tree from the sidewalk its roots dripping with soil and hurls it skyward like a javelin.
Iron Man dodges, barrel-rolling in the air as the tree narrowly misses him.
But then he sees it.
A pregnant woman on the sidewalk, having tripped in the panic, lies frozen in fear. The shadow of the falling tree races toward her.
Iron Man (thinking): Those people panic. That alarm... Wait!
He jets down at full speed.
"SMASH!!!"
He punches the tree mid-air, splintering it into pieces just before it can crush her.
Iron Man (shouting): Lady! Go get to the safe zone, NOW!
The woman nods tearfully and runs.
Iron Man (internal): Back when I was bossing around here… It meant imminent danger.
He looks up eyes scanning the area.
Iron Man (aloud): Where's Lex?
Suddenly, a whirring tone a high-pitched warning sound from below Iron Man turns his head.
"BAW-WHOOMF!"
A kryptonite missile launches from underground, slamming into Iron Man mid-air a blinding green explosion erupting across the sky.
Thick smoke billows from the shattered buildings, debris littered across the street. A burning wreckage flickers in the background. Out of the haze, Iron Man steps forward, armor scorched and dented, his breathing heavy.
Suddenly, a shadow floats down from above.
LEX LUTHOR, bruised and bloodied inside his damaged Lexorian Warsuit, hovers ominously, holding a baby in one arm.
Lex Luthor: You will not stay defeated, Stark.
Iron Man (glowing eyes flaring): That's right!
Lex Luthor (voice calm but sinister): You want to know the secret of my success? It's this... In every game, I have alternatives. If one fails… I use another. I continue... until I win.
He lifts the baby slightly.
Lex Luthor: This! This infant is my final move my final will to break you!
Iron Man (stepping forward, threatening): Are you certain about that?
Lex Luthor: (grinning) Yes. Either you remove your helmet… Or I crush this frail monkey in the palm of my hand!
Iron Man's eyes flicker then suddenly he raises his palm.
Iron Man: Bad move.
A quick, sharp REPULSOR BLAST fires out, hitting Luthor's gauntlet. The infant falls!
Iron Man rockets forward, dodging debris midair. Lex grabs at his helmet, trying to crush it—but Iron Man HEADBUTTS him, throwing him off-balance.
Iron Man dives, catching the crying baby midair, rolling mid-flight.
He quickly flies to a nearby sidewalk where the baby's terrified mother stands frozen, her eyes wide.
Iron Man gently hands the child to her.
Iron Man: Take good care of your son, woman. Like... real good care!
He jets off, trail of energy scorching behind him.
EXT. DESTROYED BLOCK – MINUTES LATER
Lex Luthor's suit lies crumpled in the crater. Iron Man walks toward him through broken concrete and smoke.
Iron Man: End of the line, Luthor...
Lex Luthor, still alive, coughs and lifts his head, blood trickling down.
Lex Luthor: (smirking) Not quite, Stark… No… Not Stark… Yeah, right… Alexander Stark. Oh, you need not worry I won't fight you anymore. I concede your superiority… in that game, Alex. You don't mind me using your nickname, do you? But tell me… have you truly won?
Iron Man tilts his head, confused.
Lex Luthor: You see, I've always believed the essential part of winning… Is enjoying your opponent's humiliation at losing that… is the real reward. That's what my father robbed from the world. He saw life as a game he could never win. And so… if he hadn't done it that night, he would've done it another...
Iron Man: (softly, confused) What are you talking about, Lex…?
Lex Luthor slowly lifts his arm. The damaged gauntlet begins glowing.
Lex Luthor(said in serious tone): This, Alex.
A flash of green energy ignites from the wrist as he points the repulsor straight at his own head.
Iron Man (shouting): LEX… NO!!!
"BLAST!"
A loud flash and crack echoes across the ruins.
Lex Luthor collapses, lifeless, his helmet blown open.
Iron Man stumbles, stunned by the horror, turning away in silence.
A lone GCPD officer arrives at the scene, breathless.
Police Officer: Sir… What happened?
Iron Man, voice heavy, eyes dim:
Iron Man (sad tone): ...Somebody lost.
-EPILOGUE: AFTERMATH-
Water trickles through cracked pipes. The air is damp, thick with rot and silence until the sound of shuffling footsteps echoes through the tunnel.
MUSE, limping and bloodied, cradles his severed right arm stump, barely wrapped. His signature blank mask, now cracked, drips with sweat and dried blood. His breathing is labored, but his rage keeps him upright.
Muse (cold, seething): Fucking Stark... I'll have him next time. I'll make sure he paints with his own blood.
A slow clap echoes, followed by a calm, commanding female voice.
???: ...Very nice indeed.
Muse stops, his body tensing. His one good eye narrows behind the mask.
Muse: Who the hell are you supposed to be?
From the shadows emerges a tall woman cloaked in grey and crimson armor. Her glowing red eyes pierce the darkness. She holds a scythe-like weapon and radiates a terrifying presence.
GRAIL: I am Grail... Daughter of Darkseid. The Godkiller.
Muse, still hunched from the pain, scoffs.
Muse (pained): Dark-what now?
Grail steps forward, her boots splashing through the water. She raises a hand power humming in her palm.
Grail: You're broken. Bleeding. Alone. But I see your hatred... your potential. If you wish to join me… I can grant you true power.
Muse (laughs, broken and sarcastic): "True power?" Don't make me laugh, lady. I'm already immortal. Thanks to Trigon.
Grail smirks, tilting her head.
Grail: Trigon? Bitch please~ that demon granted you immortality, yes… But his strength is hollow. A gift wrapped in weakness.
She walks closer.
Grail: I offer more than that. Unlimited potential! Unlimited power! A path to vengeance... against this so call Stark. A place by my side in the coming war.
Muse (slightly wavering): If I join you… What do I get?
Grail's smile darkens, seductive and cruel.
Grail: What do you get...? You get a purpose. You get power to burn worlds.. And you get to make Alexander Stark beg before he dies...
She steps beside him and whispers into the void of his broken mask.
Grail: Alexander Stark... does not deserve pity~
Muse lowers his head, the flicker of madness rising again. Slowly, his hand grips Grail's offered one.
Muse (serious/dark tone): Deal...