-A MONTHS AGO-
The lab glows with soft blue light. Screens flicker, machines hum quietly. Holograms float mid-air like frozen ideas. RICHARD, 17, sharp-eyed and restless, stands before a crackling holo-emitter. It stabilizes revealing an OLDER RICHARD in his 40s, calm, worn, and holding a small infant wrapped in a soft blanket.
Older Richard (smiling faintly): Trust me. I peak from experience.
RICHARD blinks, stepping closer, eyes narrowing with confusion.
Richard (tilting his head): Who's the infant?
Older Richard (gently rocking the baby): This is Elizabeth. My newborn daughter.I thought you might get a kick out of seeing the kind of child you and this so-called Valeria might have a few years down the line. If my projections are accurate? Oh say hello, Elizabeth.
The infant yawns adorably, curling her tiny fingers in her sleep. RICHARD stares, completely stunned.
Richard (breathless): Wow... It's just… mind-blowing to think that your Valeria or whatever her name is... that she and I actually get together in your timeline?
He runs a hand through his hair, pacing slightly.
Richard (half-laughing, half-shocked): I mean, it always felt like we would... but this is either the universe giving me the ultimate confirmation or my ultimate nightmare.
OLDER RICHARD chuckles as he begins to stroll around the lab on his side, hologram adapting in sync to match.
Older Richard (gesturing to a floating schematic): Unless, of course, that's one of the subtle differences between our worlds. I've been reading those webpages you sent me and the details are kind of fascinating. Like... your "******* ******" are called "The Avengers"? And your Baxter Building's completely different from mine. You've got less than a hundred super-humans. We've got literally thousands.
RICHARD folds his arms, raising a brow.
Richard (dryly): Yeah, yeah... You got someone breathing down your neck all day? Telling you what you should be working on?
Older Richard (shaking his head): Nope. Our Fantastic Four's been entirely self-financed since the '60s. You're from the 2000s, right?
Richard (shrugs): Yeah… Wish I could say the same. Ours is part-funded by the government,part-funded by… some weird fortune cookie?
Older Richard (laughs): Hey, don't say it like that. In my world, I hate working with the government. Especially that black b— ((the feed glitches momentarily, muting the next few words)) —she's a pain in the ass.
RICHARD smirks a little, but his expression softens.
Richard (quietly): Are you… happy?
OLDER RICHARD looks down at Elizabeth. His eyes reflect years of battle, but also peace.
Older Richard (with quiet conviction): Yes. I am happy... If you're not… why don't you just leave?
Richard (shaking his head): It's not that I'm unhappy. I love it here. My powers... My whole new life as a superhero… This is the first place I've ever felt really at home.
He glances again at the child in the hologram, a flicker of wonder in his eyes.
Richard (softly): Also… What's your wife's name again, other me? Because you look like you're pushing 40, and I'm still 17.
Older Richard (smirking, walking away): Nah… I'd rather not say. She's… a niece princess of the Amazons and demigod..
He gently sets Elizabeth into a sleek, futuristic crib just out of view.
Older Richard (turning back): I've already had so many crisis in my world. But remember we're not the same person. You must create your own story… Just like I did to myself.
The hologram flickers, growing faint. RICHARD reaches forward instinctively, wanting just a moment more, but the image vanishes leaving him standing alone, surrounded by the soft hum of machines… and a future he's just begun to glimpse.
-INT. BAXTER BUILDING – HALLWAY-
Outside Richard's lab, the steel doors glow faintly with blue circuits. Just beyond them, VALERIA stands frozen. She had come to check on Richard but now she stands still, lips parted slightly, listening to every word echoing from inside. The conversation between Richard and his older self plays out softly through the door.
"Who's the infant?"
"This is Elizabeth. My newborn daughter?"
"Nah… I'd rather not say. She's… a niece princess of the Amazons and demigod.."
Her eyes widen slightly. She tightens her jaw, fists slowly curling at her sides.
Valeria (under her breath, bitter): Tsk...
She turns sharply, her coat sweeping behind her, and walks briskly down the hallway expression unreadable, but her clenched fists say enough.
EXT. CRASH SITE – UNKNOWN SUBTERRANEAN ZONE – PRESENT DAY
Flames flicker from broken metal. Smoke drifts lazily in the stale air. The wreckage of a small spacecraft lies embedded in rock and soil. Groaning faintly, VALERIA stirs, brushing ash and debris off her uniform. Beside her, N'KALLA blinks groggily, hair a mess, bruised but alive.
N'Kalla (rubbing her head): Where are we…?
VALERIA narrows her eyes, scanning the dim cave. In the shadows—small figures move. Yellow eyes gleam. Moloids, hunched and snarling, stand watch with makeshift weapons.
Valeria (tense, analyzing): Looks like we were attacked… By Mole Man's creatures.
Suddenly, a low chuckle echoes behind them. From the shadows emerges MOLE MAN, cloak ragged, staff in hand, surrounded by more Moloids. His voice is smug and theatrical.
Mole Man (grinning): That is correct, younglings. I did it… for a greater purpose!
N'KALLA lets out a startled yelp and quickly hides behind Valeria.
Valeria (stepping forward, fearless): What do you want this time, Mole Man?! We're not scared of you!
N'Kalla (peeking from behind, jokingly): Actually… I am scared.
Valeria (glancing over her shoulder, annoyed): Shut it, N'Kalla.
N'Kalla (small voice): Okay…
Mole Man (raising a hand dramatically): Not to kill you Well, not both of you.
He points his staff at Valeria, voice twisting with glee.
Mole Man: You… someone wants you.
Valeria (suspicious): By who?
Mole Man (eyes narrowing):Everheard of Ove?
VALERIA groans, rolling her eyes hard enough to shake the room.
Valeria (frustrated): Ugh. That fish fucker again?
N'Kalla (suddenly fired up): That boy who claims he's the son of Namor?!
Valeria's annoyed face as she dusts herself off, eyes narrowing in determination.
Valeria (dryly): Yep. This just became personal.
INT. SUBTERRANEA – FAR SIDE OF THE CAVERN
Dim orange light flickers against damp rocks. RICHARDS is separated from the others, on the other side of a collapsed tunnel. His uniform is scuffed, dirt across his cheeks. A swarm of MOLOIDS surge toward him, hissing and growling. He ducks low, one arm stretching out like a whip and grabbing a Moloid by the ankle, flinging it into a crowd of others with a wet, thudding crunch.
Richards (gritting his teeth): Oh, come on—!
Another Moloid leaps at him. His torso stretches, twisting midair like a rubber spring as he snatches the attacker and slams it into the wall. His other hand grabs a nearby rock ledge, stretching up several feet.
Richards (climbing, breathless): This is not how I imagined spelunking— What the fuck!!
Rocks crumble under his feet, forcing him to twist and rebound using his elastic limbs, flipping himself to higher ground. Below, the army of Moloids regroups, snarling in frustration.
INT. MOLE MAN'S UNDERGROUND CHAMBER – LATER
A bizarre, lavishly decorated underground room: candle-lit, walls adorned with old world flags and tattered banners. At the center, a mismatched tea party is underway. A chipped porcelain teapot, steel mugs, and piles of moss-like cookies are laid out.
VALERIA sits cross-armed, scowling but composed. N'KALLA, awkwardly sipping tea with pinkie raised. MOLE MAN sits at the head of the table, one pinky extended, clearly taking this absurd gathering very seriously.*
Mole Man (clears throat, dramatically): You see... Ove promised me power—true power.Land. Authority. Control over the vast underworld. And i just wants one month of uninterrupted conflict with the surface.
Valeria (deadpan): Let me guess. He wages war, you get to be king of the tunnels, and the rest of us just eat dirt?
Mole Man (offended): Excuse me. These tunnels are historically rich and contain geothermal veins of great interest!
N'Kalla (chewing loudly): These cookies taste like rock.
Valeria (glaring): Because they are.
Mole Man (ignoring them): Ove seeks to prove himself. He believes the surface world has grown soft… weak… disorganized.
Valeria (sarcastic): And you're just happy to sign on as his mole-in-arms?
Mole Man (grinning): A clever pun! But yes. He delivers me the throne down here... I give him a gateway up there.
N'Kalla (muttering): Great. Fish-boy wants war and Mole Man wants a crown. Can we go now?
Valeria (serious): No. Because Richard and my brother is out there fighting alone. And we're not leaving without him be honest with me… Can you actually be trusted?
MOLE MAN pauses. For once, he drops the theatrics and gives a surprisingly genuine response.
Mole Man (nodding): Yes. Because I also hate Namor's son. So arrogant. So entitled. Thinks just because he's got gills and daddy issues, he can rule everything.
N'Kalla (perking up): How about Spider-Man? Is he here too?
MOLE MAN slowly turns to her, confused and offended, narrowing his eyes.
Mole Man (deadpan): What do you mean, is Spider-Man here? No! I've never kidnapped a wall-crawler. He's sticky. I hate sticky things.
Valeria (frowning): Then if Spider-Man isn't here… Then where is he?
INT. MULTIVERSAL RIFT – SPIDER-VERSE vs VENOM-VERSE – SAME TIME
A massive battlefield, alien terrain glowing with red and violet pulses. Explosions echo as two towering ZORDS clash in the center of the chaos.*
The whips past shards of dimension, revealing the battle:
– JAPANESE SPIDER-MAN, standing tall inside his giant robot LEOPARDON, eyes glowing blue, shouting commands in dramatic tokusatsu style.– Across from him, JAPANESE VENOM, larger, brutal, piloting a monstrous zord made of black tendrils, fangs, and jagged armor.
Japanese Spider-Man (shouting): Leopardon! Sword Vigor! Final Strike!
LEOPARDON draws a massive blade of energy, slashing down. The enemy Zord howls. The sky above splits with red webbing and symbiote goo.
INT. MOLE MAN'S CHAMBER – BACK TO PRESENT
Dust falls from the ceiling again. N'KALLA sips the last of her tea. VALERIA rises and starts pacing, thinking aloud.
Valeria (focused): Alright. If Ove wants war, we'll need strategy. We can't let him control Subterranea. And we definitely can't let him breach the surface.
N'Kalla (half-joking): Can't we just drop a mountain on him?
Mole Man (rubbing his chin thoughtfully): Tempting… but the boy's annoyingly hard to kill. He has Namor's stubbornness and Doom's flair.
Valeria (gritting her teeth): Then we confront him. Not as his targets… but as the ones who'll end his plans before they begin.
Valeria already mentally mapping strategies, N'Kalla cracking her knuckles, Mole Man half-annoyed, half-energized.
Valeria (quiet, but fierce): Time to make that fish-freak choke on his own ego.
The tense atmosphere is suddenly shattered by a sudden burst of cosmic light behind Mole Man.
Franklin Richards steps out of a small blue portal, fists charged with cosmic energy. Without hesitation.
Franklin (swinging): Back off, dirt troll!
"POW"
Franklin clocks Mole Man in the face, sending him tumbling over the stone table and scattering teacups everywhere. Valeria jolts up from her seat, furious.
Valeria(shouting): Franklin, what the hell are you doing!?
Franklin (shrugs): What? I'm trying to save you two. You're welcome?
N'Kalla (nervously, hands raised): Uhh… we were about to team up with him…? Kind of?
Franklin (lowering his fists, confused): Oh...
Valeria (glaring): Don't oh us, Franklin! Where's Richard!?
Franklin (rubbing the back of his neck): We kinda… got separated. I went to find you two while he kept dealing with the Moloid army. I figured you needed backup more.
A small Moloid, slightly hunched and wearing a monocle, scurries in from a side tunnel. He climbs up Mole Man's chair and whispers something urgently in his ear. Mole Man groans, rubbing his jaw and adjusting his helmet.
Mole Man(grumbling): Tch… rude. But fine. I think I know where your other guy is.
Valeria, Franklin, and N'Kalla all turn their heads toward him, their expressions a mix of surprise and anticipation.
Valeria: You do?
Mole Man(standing up and brushing crumbs off his tunic): Yes, yes. He's probably somewhere near the Black Cavern fighting off my elite battalion. Stubborn stretchy one, isn't he?
Franklin opens another mini-portal in his palm, ready to jump.
Franklin: Then let's go before he gets flattened.
N'Kalla (gulping her tea down): Wait do we still get dessert or…?
Valeria(grabbing her skrulls ears and glaring): Focus, N'Kalla!
EXT. SUBTERRANEAN CAVERN – DEEPER UNDERGROUND – MOMENTS LATER
The air shakes with each step of the monstrous GIGANTO, a massive, mutated beast with glowing eyes and claws like shovels. RICHARD is tangled in a fight he can't win his body stretched unnaturally between two massive claws, like a human rubber band.
Richard (groaning, arms yanked): What the fuuuuu—AAAAAGH!! I'm not a Stretch Armstrong toy, you oversized garden lizard!
Giganto lets out a deafening roar, tugging harder. Richard's limbs elongate grotesquely neck, torso, and legs pulling like taffy as cracks echo across the cavern. He grits his teeth, body trembling, just on the verge of snapping in two.
Richard (strained): Okay–okay–seriously! I'm about to pop like a balloon full of regrets! AAAAAAAAGHHH!
Just as the tension reaches its breaking point.
"TAP. TAP. TAP."
A sudden rhythm of metal on stone echoes through the cave. MOLE MAN appears from a tunnel entrance, calmly tapping his ornate cane with a confident smirk.
Mole Man (sternly): That's enough, Giganto.
Giganto freezes mid-snarl, whimpering like a scolded dog. With a heavy grunt, the beast releases Richard, who flops to the ground like a flattened wad of chewing gum limbs still twitching, face smushed into the dirt.
Richard (muffled): I think… I just tasted my spleen…
Mole Man steps forward, raising a brow as he looks down at the rubbery mess of a man.
Mole Man (snorting): Well. That was dramatic.
Richard lies flat on the muddy ground, still feeling the aftershock of being dropped like flattened gum. Slowly, his neck elongates comically like a rubber hose, stretching upward until his head is level with Mole Man's face.
Richard (stretching his neck, irritated): Alright, Mole Man where are the others?
Mole Man taps his cane thoughtfully, then smirks and points straight up.
Mole Man (grinning): Above you, kid.
Richard's eyes dart upward, confused.
Richard (confused): Above my what now?
He stretches his neck a little higher and looks up just in time to see a glowing portal crack open in the ceiling. A second later—
"WHUMP!!""THUD!!""SPLAT!!"
Suddenly, with a loud THUD, a group consisting of Valeria, N'Kalla, and Franklin land right on top of him, squashing Richard further into the mud.
Richard (muffled, from under the pile): Mmmph… tastes like cookie…
Valeria groans, brushing mud off her jacket.
Valeria (exasperated): Seriously, Richard? Always the landing zone.
Valeria lifts her head, sitting on what used to be Richard's ribcage.
Valeria (wincing):Ugh sorry, Richard…
Franklin (half-buried in a gooey arm): Was that your spleen or a springy mattress?
N'Kalla (popping up): We should probably… get off him.
Richard (mumbling, dazed): No rush… just… let me soak in the flavor…
Mole Man snorts, amused, as he gestures with his cane.
Mole Man: Well, now that you're all reunited, maybe we can stop falling on each other and actually deal with Son of Namor?
Valeria, Franklin, and N'Kalla all stand up groaning slightly, brushing mud and dirt off themselves. Beneath them, Richard lets out a sigh as his body reinflates like a squashed balloon. He stands up, slick with mud, and casually wipes himself off.
Richard (wiping his face, looking at Mole Man): Hey… can I get shades like yours? Y'know, like a goggles version?
The trio glance at him, baffled.
Valeria (staring): Is he serious right now?
N'Kalla: Uhh… I think he is?
Mole Man squints at Richard, then smiles oddly. He rummages through his robe and pulls out a pair of white plastic shades with thick black lenses.
Mole Man: Of course! I had this lying around.
Richard grabs it and inspects it.
Richard (confused): I meant like yours…
Mole Man (mocking tone): Oh sorry... I don't sell merchandise, kid.
Richard (slightly embarrassed): Oh… fair enough.
As Richard adjusts the white sunglasses over his eyes, something in the distance catches his attention. He squints past Mole Man and sees a strange water spout forming in the background, twisting like a cyclone inside the cavern.
Richard (alarmed): Uh… why is there a water spout in a subterranean cave?
Mole Man turns slowly to look, and his expression drops.
Mole Man (startled): Oh shi—!
Before he can finish, the water spout suddenly explodes into a full-blown TSUNAMI, barreling toward them through the tight cavern.
Franklin (snapping to action): N'Kalla! Valeria! Grab on!
Franklin whips open a blue portal behind him and yanks both girls through just as the wave surges forward. Richard, thinking quickly, elongates his right arm like a lasso, wraps it around Mole Man's waist, and swings them both upward toward the rocky walls.
Richard (gritting his teeth): I got you!
He slams Mole Man onto a ledge beside him and retracts his arm.
Richard (urgently): Stay here! I'll take care of this!
He adjusts the silly white sunglasses, the black lenses now glowing faintly from the reflection of the wave below.
Richard (impressed): Okay… this is actually kinda cool.
Without wasting another second, he slingshots his arms upward, gripping the rocky ceiling above. Like a human grappling hook, he swings left and right, ascending fast toward the sinkhole entrance he and Franklin entered earlier.
Just as he reaches halfway up.
???: Not so fast.
A shadow darts out of a side crevice. A hand clamps down hard on Richard's leg, jerking him downward. It's Ove grinning, eyes full of malice. He clutches a large CRYSTAL embedded in the wall, one Richard had never noticed before.
Richard (struggling): You again!?
Ove punches Richard square in the gut. Richard's face scrunches in pain, but he grits through it. His arms stretch wider, then whip back like elastic, gathering momentum. Richard swings his feet forward with power.
Richard (growling): Let me return the favor!
He kicks Ove in the stomach, sending him flying off the wall. The impact loosens Richard's grip, and he lets go of the crystal, flipping through the air before landing on the ground below with a squishy thud.
He slowly stands, adjusting the crooked shades on his face.
Richard (smirking): Now where were we? Yeah right round 2!