About fifteen minutes after Mario had departed through his waystone, a shimmering portal effect materialized on the Gotham rooftop. Tony stepped through, immediately surveying his surroundings.
"So this is the new world you mentioned?"
A semi-transparent holographic display projected from his forearm as he walked, running diagnostic scans of the local environment. Lines of data scrolled across the interface.
[NETWORK CONNECTED...]
[SIGNAL NOMINAL]
[ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION: STANDARD]
[GRAVITATIONAL CONSTANT: 9.8 M/S²]
Seeing the prompt on the screen, a smile appeared on his face. His tech worked here. That was a good sign. Whatever universe Mario had dragged him to, it operated on similar enough physical laws that Stark technology functioned without modification.
Then his attention shifted to the small group of people watching him.
"Whoa. Black body armor and a cape." He tilted his head. "Mario, is this guy some kind of actor? Are we on a movie set?"
Mario glanced at Batman and couldn't suppress a laugh. "He's in the same line of work as you."
Tony raised an eyebrow and gave Bruce a more thorough examination.
"Oh? He's a scientist too?"
"Weapons expert, scientist, superhero, billionaire, philanthropist." Mario ticked off the points on his fingers. "Basically, everything you are, he is. And everything you're not, he is too."
Tony's eyes widened slightly.
Meanwhile, Bruce was conducting his own assessment of Stark.
The man wore an expensive suit that screamed money, custom-tailored and probably cost more than Gordon's annual salary. Designer sunglasses. Confident posture. And that air of someone who'd never been told "no" in his entire life.
He recognized it immediately because he saw it in the mirror every morning. He walked over to Tony and extended his hand. "Bruce Wayne."
Tony removed his sunglasses, meeting Bruce's eyes directly as he accepted the handshake. "Tony Stark."
The handshake lasted exactly three seconds, neither man willing to break contact first, both taking the other's measure through that simple gesture.
"Come on," Mario said, turning toward the edge of the rooftop. "Xavier, I need you to take a look at something. Ivan, you're with him."
Without hesitation, he stepped off the roof and dropped ten stories straight down. He landed in the plaza below with barely a sound.
Ivan's nanotech armor flowed across his body, sealing him in the suit within seconds. He moved to Xavier's side.
"Professor, hold on tight."
He lifted Xavier, then activated his boot thrusters and descended to join Mario below.
They found the Joker exactly where Mario had left him, sitting motionless behind the blast-proof glass like a wax figure in a museum. His eyes were open but unfocused, staring at nothing.
Mario gestured toward the imprisoned clown. "That's him. I need your help with something, Professor. Search this city as wide as you can. Find anyone else who matches him."
The Joker's head finally lifted at Mario's words. A mocking smile spread across his face, but he said nothing.
Xavier studied the clown. "May I examine him more closely? I'd like to understand his mental state."
After their previous encounter, he had become cautious about using his telepathic abilities without explicit permission.
"Go ahead," Mario said after a moment's hesitation. He pulled a bucket of milk from his inventory. "His mind's pretty messed up though. Don't dig too deep. I'd rather not have you contaminated by whatever's going on in there."
Xavier nodded and closed his eyes. The metallic headband he wore began to glow softly.
"His thoughts are... chaotic," he reported. "His memories are the same..."
"Can you find the others?"
Xavier's enhanced telepathy, boosted by the portable Cerebro, spread outward across Gotham. Minutes passed in silence as he sifted through millions of minds, searching for the specific mental patterns that matched the Joker's unique brand of madness.
---
A little over ten minutes later, Mario was holding a sheet of paper with addresses filling the page.
"All of these are Joker duplicates," Xavier explained. "Though 'duplicate' might be the wrong word. They're people who've undergone plastic surgery to look like him. Some are true believers in his philosophy, others are victims of psychological manipulation. To the outside world, it appears there are dozens of Jokers operating simultaneously."
"And the real one?" Mario asked, though he already suspected the answer.
"He's the one you captured. I'm certain of it."
Ivan had been listening quietly, but now he stepped forward and took the list. "These people are mine."
He didn't ask questions about who they were or whether killing them was justified. He had long since made peace with the darker aspects of their operation. His helmet sealed shut with a hiss, and flames erupted from his boot thrusters as he rocketed into the Gotham night.
Mario turned his attention back to the Joker. Time for the final step.
He pulled obsidian blocks from his inventory and began constructing a Nether portal frame right there in the plaza.
"Let's go," he said, removing the blast-proof glass. "I'm taking you somewhere special."
The Joker didn't resist as Mario grabbed the lead rope still attached to him. Mario led him into the swirling purple portal.
The transition hit him hard. Even someone as mentally conditioned to chaos as he was couldn't completely suppress the physical reaction to dimensional travel. He stumbled through the portal and immediately doubled over.
"Ugh..."
Mario waited patiently while the clown recovered. Then he pulled out a bucket of milk and handed it to the Joker. "Drink this. It'll help with the nausea."
The Joker looked around at his surroundings with wide eyes. The netherrack beneath his feet pulsed. Heat radiated from lava pools that stretched to the horizon. The ceiling was lost in darkness above.
"Where is this?"
"The Nether," Mario explained. "Though I prefer to call it Hell."
The Joker examined the hellish landscape, then looked at the milk in Mario's hand. After a moment's consideration, he drank it without hesitation. He had no fear of death. And from their brief interactions, he understood that Mario wouldn't let him die easily.
But after finishing the milk, his expression shifted through a dozen emotions in rapid succession.
Mario didn't wait to see the full effect. He tugged on the lead rope and began moving toward the Nether ceiling, using his sapling-break-bedrock technique to create an access point to the top of the dimension.
They emerged on the bedrock layer above the Nether.
"Hope you like mushrooms," he said, releasing the lead rope. "There's red and brown ones growing around here if you get hungry. Otherwise... well, enjoy eternity."
He left the Joker standing alone in that desolate place and stepped back through the portal.
An hour passed before the Joker truly processed where he was and what had happened.
His mind felt clearer than it had in years, decades, maybe. He examined his surroundings with new eyes. The void above inspired a strange sense of peace rather than the terror it should provoke. He reached down and touched the bedrock beneath his feet, feeling the solidity of it.
A smile spread across his face.
"Fascinating. Truly fascinating."
---
Back in the DC world, Mario emerged from the waystone expecting to find his group waiting patiently.
Instead, he found Tony and Bruce sitting together like old college buddies, arms draped over each other's shoulders, laughing at some joke.
"When did you two become best friends?"
Tony immediately perked up at Mario's voice. "You're back! Did you deal with the clown situation?"
Mario nodded slowly, his suspicious gaze moving between the two billionaires. "Tony. What's going on here?"
"Hey, I just really admire the guy. He's got some great ideas that align with my own thinking."
Mario didn't buy it for a second. He turned to Bruce, who had a rare smile on his face. When he noticed Mario's attention, he simply gave a slight nod.
They're definitely plotting something.
With no answers forthcoming from the two conspirators, he turned to the only reliable witnesses, Gordon and Barbara.
He approached Barbara.
"I need your help. What exactly are these two scheming?"
Before she could answer, Tony's voice rang out from behind them. "That's slander! I don't know about him, but I am a good person."
Barbara's bright smile turned mischievous. "I know everything."
"They were discussing how to deal with you. Tony even said he's already developed the seventh-generation Anti-Mario Armor."
Everything clicked into place. Mario slowly turned to face Tony.
"Well played, Mr. Stark. So anyone who wants to stop me automatically becomes your new best friend?"
Tony's confident expression faltered.
"When I get back to our world, I'm redecorating your workshop. Ten minutes should do it."
Tony's face went pale as he remembered the last time Mario had "redecorated," leaving his beachfront lab as a bare concrete shell. "Listen to my sophist... I mean, explanation!"
"Sophistry? That's what you were about to say? How do you have the nerve to discuss anti-armor plans with Batman? He builds armor to counter specific threats and wins. You build armor to counter specific threats and still get your ass kicked. How is that the same thing?"
Tony's ego took the hit hard. "Hey, I heard his city doesn't even have that many super-powered enemies! Just regular criminals with guns!"
Mario smirked. "Just wait. In a few days, I'll introduce you to Batman's future best friend. We'll see how confident you are about armor design after meeting him."
"My future friend? Who is he?" Batman stood up. "Can you see the future?"
"Yeah, sort of. I've got information."
Mario pulled out another couch and placed it on the rooftop, gesturing for everyone to sit. Once they were settled, he continued.
"He goes by Superman. And yes, the name is literal. He's a super man. He has two main abilities: being incredibly strong, and having a biological force field that makes him basically indestructible."
Tony couldn't help himself. "Strong like Banner?"
His confident smile returned. "Because my current armor could definitely beat him now."
"Oh really? I'll be sure to pass that along to the Hulk. Let's see how confident you are when he shows up with energy absorption, flight, and telepathic abilities."
Tony's smile disappeared. "He can do what now?"
Meanwhile, Batman was cataloging everything in his mental database, but his primary focus remained on this Superman. "Where is he now? If he's so powerful, why haven't I heard about him?"
"He's probably still maintaining his civilian identity." Mario thought for a moment, then turned to Tony. "Search for Clark Joseph Kent. His family's in Kansas, Smallville, on the Kent farm. Find out where he is now."
Tony's fingers danced across his holographic interface, running searches through public and private databases. Within moments, a photograph appeared projected in the air above them.
Everyone gathered around to look at the image of a clean-cut man with dark hair and an honest face.
Barbara was the first to comment. "He's handsome. And he looks strong too."
We might lose Batgirl and gain a Superman fangirl, Mario thought.
Tony looked up from his search. "I can't find his current location. Last confirmed sighting was at the US-Canada border."
"That's fine. Something tells me he will make his official debut soon enough."
Gordon, who'd been quiet during most of this exchange, finally spoke up. "What exactly can he do? You said he's strong and has some kind of force field. Is that it?"
"Superman..." Mario's expression turned nostalgic.
In both Marvel and DC, there were countless superheroes. But none of them could shake Superman's position. He was the embodiment of what a superhero should be. He was Superman.
Justice League basically equaled Superman and his supporting cast.
"Any description would feel inadequate. Once you meet him, you'll understand why people call him Superman."