This screenplay is copyrighted to its author. All rights reserved. This screenplay may not be used or reproduced without the express written permission of the author.
FIRST DRAFT. ANIMATION.
MARCH 5TH. 2003 - APRIL 25TH. 2003
S U P E R M A N
THE ARENA
STORY BY Matthew Fisher & Frank Saunders
SCRIPT ADAPTATION BY Matthew Fisher
BASED ON THE D.C. COMIC CHARACTERS
SUPERMAN CREATED BY Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster
MAIN TITLES
FADE IN. APOKOLIPS.
We PAN ACROSS Apokolips, where we hear DARKSEID'S voice.
DARKSEID
If you do this for me, I
promise that there will be
no reason for you to worry.
We pan over Darkseid and see BRAINIAC.
BRAINIAC
What do I have to worry about
anyway?
Darkseid smirks.
DARKSEID
Oh just the fact that you keep
going after Superman, but fail
every time.
A silence.
DARKSEID
Bring. Me. Superman.
EXT. METROPOLIS, CITY STREETS - DAY
SMASH!!
Bits and peices of a building fly up and scatter around the road. We
ZOOM IN on the indentation in the building as the Man Of Steel,
SUPERMAN, falls out and lands on the ground. He looks up and sees
Brainiac standing over him.
BRAINIAC
The son of Jor-El will fall
at the hands of Braniac. If
not, then perhaps Darkseid
will be able to destroy you.
With Superman confused, Brainiac steps back and plants a kick into his
face, knocking him back and into the building again. As Brainiac runs
forward, Superman blasts him with his heat vision, knocking him down.
Brainiac rises to his feet as Superman comes in with a full head of
steam, ramming his shoulder into him and knocking him across the open
area. As Superman flies towards him, Brainiac hurls a large chunk of
the building he landed in at Superman. It collides with Superman,
forcing him to the ground. Braniac walks up to the downed Superman and
holds him up by his costume.
BRAINIAC
Do you have a last wish,
Kal-El? Make it quick.
Superman cocks his elbow back and lays it deep into Brainiac's skull.
He stumbles back, writhing in pain. A fit of rage falls over Brainiac
as he runs at Superman.
BRAINIAC
I'll crush you where you
stand!
Superman crouches and fires a stream of heat vision into Braniac's
chest, knocking him high into the air. As he nears the ground,
Superman darts forward and lays a punch into him, hurling him into a
building. Braniac slumps to the ground in a heap as several squad cars
pull up, one holding MAGGIE SAWYER. She sees Superman from the car.
MAGGIE
Superman...
SUPERMAN
Just another day in the life...
Maggie smiles as she exits the car.
MAGGIE
Alright let's get him outta
here.
Officers surround Brainiac and take him away. Maggie looks at Superman
and notices he is in deep thought.
MAGGIE
Something wrong, Superman?
SUPERMAN
Just something Brainiac said.
Something about me falling at
the hands of Darkseid.
Superman shrugs it off, then flies off into the air.
The CAMERA PANS ACROSS Apokolips. The CAMERA slowly drops down and
into Darkseid's lair. Darkseid walks across the large platform and
speaks to himself.
DARKSEID
There must be something.
Something that can break
Superman's will--bend it
to nothing.
He thinks for a moment.
DARKSEID
I need to somehow overpower
him. Something that even he
couldn't stand up to. Perhaps...
He turns, pressing a button on a panel. A large board, filled with
numbers and an outline of a large arena, comes up. The words "GRAMATIX
EXPERIMENT" are above it.
DARKSEID
Yes...Gramatix. The only thing
I need to do is capture Superman,
and send him into this...this
arena. That will be the death
of him. But first I need his
weakness--his achillies heel.
Darkseid opens a small chest, revealing a stone of Kryptonite. He
takes the stone out and holds it tightly in his hand, grinning with
glee at the thought of killing Superman.
DARKSEID
Superman will fall. And it
will be sooner...than later.
INT. DAILY PLANET, COPY ROOM
We PAN across the DAILY PLANET and see LOIS LANE watching a news
report.
REPORTER
This is Janet Westwood for
channel 4 news. A fight erupted
in downtown Metropolis today
between Superman and Braniac
The fight took down parts of
the Reeve Enterprises building,
and the Siegel and Shuster
manufacturing company.
Lois steps back from the TV and kids outloud to herself.
LOIS
That's what you get when you
send a superhero to do a job.
They tear the joint up.
Clark responds to that.
CLARK
Well, Lois, if it wasn't for
Superman, who knows what Braniac
would have done.
LOIS
You seem to take up for Superman
a lot, Clark.
JIMMY OLSEN steps in.
JIMMY
Clark's right, Lois. If Superman
hadn't been there, Braniac probably
would've destroyed the city.
Lois smirks and walks towards PERRY WHITE'S office.
LOIS
I never trust a man in tights.
INT. DARKSEID'S LAIR (APOKOLIPS)
Darkseid paces back and forth, continuing to conjure up his plan.
DARKSEID
Do I go to Metropolis alone? Or
do I just let Superman guess who's
inviting him to his impending doom?
He stops, then looks out the large window to his minions below.
DARKSEID
Seeing as how Brainiac failed me,
I guess I'll have to go myself.
EXT. METROPOLIS, CITY STREETS - DAY
As the city bustles with activity, a large wormhole appears in the
sky. Large, deformed creatures pour out and run throughout Metropolis.
As the pedestrians flee for their lives, Darkseid's sillouette is seen
breifly in the wormhole.
INT. DAILY PLANET, FRONT OFFICE
As the Daily Planet reporters watch from the window, Darkseid finally
emerges from the wormhole.
LOIS
What is Darksied doing here?
Clark darts off in the other direction.
LOIS
Are you seeing this, Clark?
Clark doesn't respond, forcing Lois to turn around.
LOIS
Clark?
EXT. METROPOLIS, CITY STREETS - DAY
Darkseid watches as his minions wreck the city. He shouts out, as if
speaking to someone.
DARKSEID
Where does your protector dwell?
Where...is...Superman?!
Superman's voice comes in from behind.
SUPERMAN
Right here, Darkseid.
Darkseid turns just as Superman flies in, hands outstreched.
BLAM!
Superman is knocked back with tremendous force by Darkseid's fist.
Darkseid's minions surround Superman. Superman fights them off and
guns for Darkseid again. This time, he connects, actually knocking
Darkseid for a loop. With Darkseid stunned, Superman lays a punch into
his face, knocking him down. As Darkseid falls, the Kryptonite stone
stumbles out of his hand and onto the ground. Superman reacts,
grabbing his stomach and falling to the ground. Darkseid stands, walks
over to Superman's downed body, and smiles.
DARKSEID
Oh how mighty we rise--and oh
how mighty we fall. The son of
Jor-El has disgraced his father's
name.
Darkseid snaps his fingers and a few of his minions pick up Superman
and drag him into the wormhole. Before Darkseid leaves, he blasts a
beam of energy from his eyes and knocks a large billboard off of a
building, just barely missing a few pedestrians. He smiles and
disappears into the wormhole.
INT. GRAMATIX ARENA
Darkseid looks over the large arena, which is covered in sand.
DARKSEID
It's all going perfectly.
Superman is captured, the
arena is ready, and my
creations are complete.
Darkseid walks to a large podium and makes a motion with his hand.
Superman is dropped from the sky and lands on the ground of the arena
hard.
DARKSEID
Wake him up.
Darkseid's minions wake Superman up.
DARKSEID
Superman...
Superman looks around for the origin of the voice.
DARKSEID
Up here, Superman.
Superman looks up and scowls at Darkseid.
DARKSEID
This...is Gramatix. What we
have here is an arena--the
same basic principals from
that of the gladiator days.
Instead of the large cities
for epic battles, I have chosen
a smaller more effective place.
A place where escape is not an
option...a place where death
continuously knocks at your
door. A place where a minor
mistake can cost you dearly.
A place where you will only
aimlessly wander through your
own misery. Superman--the
son of Jor-El--you will make
a worthy opponent. You defend
Metropolis daily, but there
you have an advantage. Here,
you cannot fly as high as you
would like to. Here, there is
no way to escape. The fences
surrounding the arena are laced
with Kryptonite. Should you
try to mount an exit, you would
be immobilized quickly. Let us
begin...
Darkseid steps away from the podium as a large two-headed beast, the
GORNALA, stomps out towards Superman. Superman flies up and blasts the
Gornala with his heat vision. It connects, but has little effect.
Superman flies down towards the Gornala and plants both of his hands
into it's chest. The Gornala flies back and lands hard on the ground.
As the spectaters cheer, Superman looks up to Darkseid.
SUPERMAN
Is that the best you've got,
Darkseid?
Darkseid's voice booms in from above.
DARKSEID
You've only hit the tip of the
iceberg, Superman. There's much
more where that came from.
Suddenly, a four-legged, spider-type creature, a LYNCH, emerges and
runs towards Superman. The Lynch lets out an ear-screeching howl as it
leaps up and lands on top of Superman. As the Lynch rears up, three
claws on both of it's hands stick out. As the Lynch gets ready to
strike, Superman flies up and punches it in the chin, knocking it high
into the air. It lands hard and lays motionless.
INT. GRAMATIX CONTROL ROOM
Darkseid watches with glee.
DARKSEID
I was hoping he would dispatch
of these two experiments quick
enough to get on with the main
act.
Darkseid walks out to the podium and speaks to Superman from above.
DARKSEID
Superman, you have done
exceptionally well. This
calls for more challenge.
SUPERMAN
Bring everything you've got,
Darkseid.
Darkseid smiles and snaps his fingers, dropping Superman below into
the basement. Superman looks ahead, seeing a dog-like creature run
towards him. The creature is deformed in every way imaginable. It
leaps, but is blasted quickly by Superman's heat vision. Superman
stomps through the basement with a lok of anger on his face.
INT. GRAMATIX CONTROL ROOM
Darkseid walks over and enters a large elevator, which takes him down
into the lower part of the arena where Superman was. He speaks to the
spectaters as large howl erupts and another one of Darkseid's
creations is knocked back and slammed into a wall. It slumps to the
ground as Superman continues on. Darkseid's voice overlaps Superman as
he treks through the dingy basement.
DARKSEID
Unfortunately, the rest of
Superman's fate inside of
Gramatix will be continued
at the end of the arena. I
have dispatched an experiment
to that area that even Superman
would have nightmares about.
It is unimaginable. It is the
very heart and soul of what I
think describes Gramatix. In short,
it is Gramatix.
INT. PERRY WHITE'S OFFICE
PERRY slams a paper down on his desk as Lois sits.
PERRY
Pardon me, Lois, but since
when is the Daily Planet
responsible for Superman!?
LOIS
What?
PERRY
You say here that Superman's
dissapearance and Darkseid's
rampage through Metropolis may
have been caused by the Planet.
Can I ask you why you feel the
need to blame my newspaper for
this?
LOIS
Perry, I'm not saying it was
directly related to the Planet.
I'm just saying it's odd that
it happened here.
Perry smiles sarcastically.
PERRY
Really? Well then you'll just
reprint it so it doesn't say
that.
LOIS
What? No way...
PERRY
Oh but I think you will. You'll
either reprint it...or start--
Lois finishes the sentace for him.
LOIS
Or start looking for a new
job.
PERRY
Exactly.
Lois, dissappointed, exits Perry's office.
INT. GRAMATIX BASEMENT
A large hand smashes Superman into a wall. A creature, known as a
FARIN, glares at Superman. As saliva drips from it's razor-sharp
fangs, Superman brings his knee up into the Farin's side, severely
hurting it. The Farin howls in pain as it hurls Superman away and
falls to the ground. As Superman stands, the Farin jumps up and slices
into Superman's chest, ripping his costume and bringing blood to the
skin.
Superman lays a punch into the Farin, then follows with a kick into
it's chest. The Farin flies backwards and lands hard on the ground.
Superman looks down at his wound and heads off.
INT. GRAMATIX CONTROL ROOM
Darkseid watches Superman through the cameras he's placed in the
basement. He smiles.
DARKSEID
He has done better than I
expected. I would have thought
for him to have given up
by now.
He turns and walks out towards the second part of the arena. He walks
up to a podium and speaks to the spectaters who are arriving.
DARKSEID
I expect Superman to be here
shortly, so until then, I give
you a live video feed of what
is going on right now.
A large video monitor pulls down as Superman breaks through a wall and
arrives in a large factory-esque area. The factory is obviously out of
service, as the conveyor belts and everything else is rusted and
broken down. Darkseid's voice booms in from the loudspeakers in the
factory.
DARKSEID
Superman, you've found my
abandoned factory I see. The
conveyor belts you see once
shipped spare ship parts to
the planet of Mixis IV. But
the leader of that planet didn't
seem to understand compromise.
But enough about that, I'm sure
you're just itching to get to
the surface.
Superman shouts at Darksied.
SUPERMAN
Enough of this, Darksied. Just
come down here and let's settle
this like real men, instead of
you sending others to do your
dirty work.
DARKSEID
I don't need you to lecture me
about the ideals of "real men",
Superman. Is this what you do in
your own presence? Speak of the
morality of real men? Morality
serves as nothing more than a
mask to hide their own selfish
existence.
SUPERMAN
Or is it the other way around?
DARKSEID
Excuse me?
SUPERMAN
Are you certain that this arena
isn't just a way for you to cover
up your insecurities? Your lack of
power?
DARKSEID
My lack of power? I lack only one
thing--seeing your lifeless corpse
at the pit of this arena!
Darkseid presses a button, unleashing the creature known as the
ORDOSLE.
DARKSEID
I'll see you in hell!
The ORDOSLE flies out at Superman. It lands and backhands Superman
across the factory and into a steel pole, bending it to nothing. The
Ordosle hovers over Superman as Darkseid speaks.
DARKSEID
Disgusting creature isn't it,
Superman? I hope you'll find
it's challenge to be up to your
standards.
Superman flies up and plows into the Ordosle. They collide into the
wall, breaking it and revealing the outside area of Apokolips. They
tumble across the ground and roll over a cliffside. They both stop
themselves and hover in the air. Superman begins laying punches into
the Ordosle. Superman drives it back and delivers the final blow,
knocking the Ordosle back and down into the waters below. He flies
back into Gramatix and continues on.
Superman looks around the factory and sees a door ahead, marked
"Engine Room".
INT. GRAMATIX CONTROL ROOM
Darkseid watches as Superman walks up and looks at the north entrance
of the engine room. He walks down a staircase and enters through the
north entrance.
INT. DAILY PLANET, FRONT OFFICE
Lois look out the large window as Perry leans out from his office.
PERRY
Kent!
No response or sign of Clark.
PERRY
Kent!
Nothing.
LOIS
I don't know where he is,
Perry. It's like he just
vanished.
PERRY
Well...find him!
Perry slams his door as Lois watches a reporter speak on the incident
that struck Metropolis earier.
REPORTER
I'm Jennifer Davis reporting on
what hit Metropolis just a few
hours earlier. Superman attempted
to defend the city, but was taken
into a large portal by the man called
Darkseid. Superman's quick defeat
came as a huge shock to many of
the people that were there.
She turns to an elderly man.
JENNIFER
You sir...
ELDERLY MAN
Yes?
JENNIFER
You were there when Superman
was defeated. Correct?
ELDERLY MAN
That's right.
JENNIFER
And what was it that you saw?
ELDERLY MAN
Well I don't know how to tell
you what it was. It was kinda
like a big time portal ya know?
Then all these ugly lookin' critters
popped out and started runnin'
around all over the place.
JENNIFER
And what did you do sir?
ELDERLY MAN
Well what do you think I did?
I ran away.
JENNIFER
And so you didn't see what happened
to Superman?
ELDERLY MAN
No. But some folks are sayin' that
he was captured by somebody...
A short silence.
JENNIFER
Thank you sir.
The old man walks off as Jennifer turns to the camera again.
JENNIFER
The people of Metropolis are
in awe from Superman's sudden
dissappearance. When will he come
back? Will he come back? The
only thing we can do is wait
and hope.
INT. GRAMATIX, ENGINE ROOM
Superman plows through the door and walks in just as Darkseid enters
through the noth entrance. They connect eyes as Darkseid smiles.
DARKSEID
You've made it so far, Superman.
But one more challenge still awaits
until you encounter the main event.
Superman scoffs as Darkseid walks around the large units in the engine
room.
DARKSEID
Are you feeling tired yet? I
saw what the Farin did to you
in the basement. He ripped your
costume and your flesh, but you
still managed to overcome it. I
really must commend that.
SUPERMAN
I don't want your praise, Darkseid.
DARKSEID
Let me ask you something---why do
you feel the need to protect a race
that is beneath you? Those humans
on Earth are so primitave, yet you
risk everything to save them. Why?
SUPERMAN
This is not the time or place to
discuss that.
DARKSEID
But I think it is. I want you to
know something--to know what it's
like to be useless--what it's like
to get hurt--what it's like to be
a human being. This, Gramatix, is
what I have used in order to make
you feel inferior. Your pain and
scars are much more than I had hoped
for. Here--you're only human.
A silence falls between them as Superman droops his head in shame.
Suddenly, the roof is punched through and a large cable falls in from
above and wraps around Superman. The cable yanks him up and into the
top part of the arena. Superman looks up and sees a man ahead of him.
The cable, which came from the man's wrist, retracts. He has throwing
knives attatched to his forearms, and blades on his elbows. The man's
name is VERALDAN.
Veraldan fires the cable again, wraping it around Superman. He yanks
Superman torward him, raising one of the blades on his elbow. Superman
rears back and slams his fist into the blade, shattering it. He
follows with a punch, knocking Veraldan back. As Superman flies toward
him, Veraldan begins hurling the throwing knives at him. The knives
just shatter upon impact with Superman as he gets closer.
Veraldan crouches and back flips, bringing his foot into Superman's
face. Superman launches back in a slow-motion shot. Once Superman hits
the ground, we resume full speed. Superman looks up as Veraldan brings
one of his blades toward his face. Superman rolls away and jumps to
his feet. Veraldan leaps forward and goes for a spinning kick.
Superman ducks and comes back up with an eblow. As Veraldan nears the
ground, Superman blasts him with his heat vision. Veraldan lays
motionless as Darkseid stands behind Superman.
DARKSEID
What an incredible victory that
was.
SUPERMAN
You've made your point, Darkseid.
DARKSEID
Not completely.
Darkseid pauses.
DARKSEID
Have you ever wondered about another,
Superman?
SUPERMAN
Another?
DARKSEID
Yes. Another Kryptonian. Someone else
that hosts the same kind of powers that
you do...
SUPERMAN
There is no "other".
DARKSEID
But there is...I found him on the
outstretches of the planet Zardol,
which is just 40 lightyears ahead
of where Krypton once was.
SUPERMAN
How did he--
DARKSEID
--get here? Your guess is as good
as mine. And to think you might have
been the last son of Krypton. I guess
not.
A silence.
DARKSEID
Maybe it's time you met.
Darkseid fires a beam of energy from his eyes, knocking Superman down.
He picks Superman up and hurls him into the air. Superman lands and
breaks through the roof, landing hard at the pit of the arena.
INT. DAILY PLANET, FIRST FLOOR
Lois comes out of the elevator and heads for the door, but stops and
looks at the men's bathroom.
LOIS
He couldn't have been in there
that long.
She walks forward and sees a man coming out. She stops him.
LOIS
Excuse me, did you see Clark Kent
in there?
The man thinks, then responds.
MAN
No...I don't think so...
Lois half-smiles.
LOIS
Ok...thank you.
He smiles and walks off as Lois heads for the door.
INT. GRAMATIX
Darkseid steps up to a podium as Superman stands up from his fall.
DARKSEID
Welcome Superman. Welcome to the
beggining of the end of your life.
In a few moments, Tel-Zar will come
for you. I have taken him through
a process which removes the weakness
that you have--Kryptonite. It has no
effect on him whatsoever now. Once he
has beaten you, I'll take your body to the
tallest building in Metropolis and drop
it to show the people there how much
of a "hero" you are.
Darkseid steps away from the podium as Tel-Zar enters. After a moment,
Tel-Zar flies forward at incredible speed, hitting Superman hard and
knocking him back into the Kryptonite-laced fence. Superman steps back
from the fence, reacting to the Kryptonite on it. As he turns, Tel-Zar
punches him. As he goes in again, Superman blocks it and slams him
into the fence. However, he is not affected.
Superman is knocked back by a powerful punch. As Superman rolls to his
feet, Tel-Zar flies towards him. Superman jumps up and brings his knee
into Tel-Zar. Tel-Zar stands to his feet and fires his heat vision at
Superman, who flies up into the air. Tel-Zar follows him, blasting
away, but continuing to miss. Superman makes a quick u-turn and lays a
kick into Tel-Zar. He catches himself mid-fall and hovers below
Superman.
TEL-ZAR
Is that all you can give,
Superman? I'm dissappointed.
Superman darts forward, hands outstretched. He clashes into Tel-Zar
with his shoulder, almost as if tackling him. They fly back and slam
into the fence. Reacting to the Kryptonite, Superman falls and lands
hard on the ground. Tel-Zar floats to the ground and begins walking
over to Superman. As he nears him, Superman rolls forward and leaps
up, sending his fist into Tel-Zar's jaw. Tel-Zar flies back and lands
as Superman grabs him, punching him again. As Superman tries another
punch, Tel-Zar grabs his fist and spins, kicking Superman across the
arena.
He walks over and picks Superman up, holding him up in the air.
TEL-ZAR
Is this really the mighty son
of Jor-El?
He throws Superman, who skids across the ground and lands in a
crumpled heap. Tel-Zar turns to the spectaters and shouts.
TEL-ZAR
Kal-El is defeated!
The spectaters cheer as Superman's voice is heard.
SUPERMAN
(off-screen)
Not quite...
Without warning, Tel-Zar is blasted back by heat vision. As Tel-Zar
begins to get up, he is blasted again. Superman walks slowly towards
him as he continues to blast Tel-Zar. As he writhes in pain, Superman
stops abruptly.
SUPERMAN
No!! I won't kill him!!
He looks up to the podium as the smoke pours off of Tel-Zar's body.
SUPERMAN
I won't be a pawn in your game,
Darkseid...
He picks Tel-Zar's body up and flies him up to the control room.
Darkseid smiles as he watches Superman lay Tel-Zar's body down.
DARKSEID
That was a very honerable thing,
Superman.
SUPERMAN
I'm not your entertainment.
Darkseid scoffs as he walks towards him.
DARKSEID
Perhaps not, but you will be the
next victim of Gramatix...count
on that...
EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING (METROPOLIS) - DAY
Lois' car pulls up.
INT. THIRD FLOOR
She walks over to Clark's room and knocks.
LOIS
Clark?
No answer. She takes out her cell phone and calls the phone inside. It
rings, but no one answers. She sighs and walks out towards the exit.
INT. GRAMATIX CONTROL ROOM
Superman and Darkseid stare at each other in the silence. Without
hesitation, Darkseid fires a beam of energy from his eyes. Superman
jumps to the side to avoid it, then flies toward Darkseid. Darkseid
steps back and brings his fist into Superman, knocking him out of the
control room and to the pit of the arena. Darkseid takes the elevator
down and arrives as Superman stands. With a yell, Superman runs
forward, but is knocked back again by Darkseid.
As Superman lays there, Darkseid begins a steady stream of energy into
Superman. Superman screams in agony as Darkseid rains the energy down
onto him. As it seems like the end of Superman, Darkseid is knocked
back by a powerful stream of heat vision from above. Darkseid looks up
and sees Tel-Zar floating above him.
TEL-ZAR
Enough Darkseid!
Tel-Zar floats down to Superman and checks on him.
DARKSEID
Fool! Don't you realize that
you are better than him? You
should have been the one to
defend Earth--not him...
TEL-ZAR
I can't change the past. But
I can stop the future...
Tel-Zar runs at Darkseid, but is destroyed within a matter of seconds.
Only a crater sits where Tel-Zar once was. Superman gets to his feet
as Darkseid opens a portal into Metropolis.
DARKSEID
If you want to finish this, follow
me!
Darkseid enters the portal. Superman gives chase.
EXT. DOWNTOWN METROPOLIS - DAY
All seems quiet until Superman and Darkseid come barreling out of a
portal. They land just as Lois' car comes around corner. Darkseid
turns and nonchalantly places a hand forward, stopping the car dead in
it's tracks. Lois lurches forward and gets knocked out by the force.
SUPERMAN
Lois!
Darkseid grabs the car and hurls it an incredible distance.
SUPERMAN
NO!!
Superman darts off, desperitely trying to catch up with the car. He
grabs it, then floats to the ground with it in hand. He checks on Lois
as Darkseid shouts behind him.
DARKSEID
Superman!
He turns, enraged.
DARKSEID
That was quite an impressive feat.
Superman doesn't even give Darkseid a chance to gloat, he just blasts
him with his heat vision. As Darkseid stumbles back, Superman flies
toward him. Darkseid rears back and punches Superman. He picks him up
and hurls him into a building, severely damaging the building. As
Darkseid walks towards him, Superman floats up and flies at him.
Superman connects, but it does little damage. Darkseid grabs Superman
by the throat and hurls him. Superman's lower half connects with the
roof of a building, causing him to flip and land hard on the roof.
Darkseid looks up and fires a beam of energy, collapsing the roof and
forcing Superman down into the lower part of the building. Darkseid
walks in and grabs Superman. As Darkseid prepares to punch him,
Superman grabs his fist and delivers an elbow into the side of
Darkseid's head. Superman begins delivering punches and kicks to
Darkseid. With Darkseid dazed, Superman delivers both of his fists
into Darkseid. As Superman walks to the downed Darkseid, he is knocked
away by a beam of energy.
Darkseid grabs Superman and hurls him out of the building they're in
and into another, severly damaging it. Darkseid holds Superman up by
his costume.
DARKSEID
The mighty Kal-El has fallen...
Superman sees the energy charging in Darkseid's eyes and reacts,
firing his heat vision directly into Darkseid's charging eyes. The
combination of Superman's heat vision and the energy cause Darkseid
great pain, allowing Superman to take the open door. Superman delivers
an incredible punch to Darkseid, knocking him far across the area and
into a building. The debris falls from the building and completely
buries Darkseid.
Superman, battered and bloodied, looks to see if Lois is concious and
flies off.
EXT. METROPOLIS SKYLINE - NIGHT
A PANNING shot as the day passes in Metropolis.
INT. DAILY PLANET, PERRY WHITE'S OFFICE
It is the next day as Perry sits and Lois relays the news.
PERRY
What do you mean you couldn't find
him?
LOIS
I checked everywhere.
A silence falls as Clark, scars and cuts now gone, enters.
LOIS
Clark!
PERRY
Kent!? Where the hell have you
been?!
CLARK
Sorry, Mr. White, but I just came
down the worst case of the stomach
flu yesterday.
Perry sighs.
LOIS
But Clark, I came by your apartment.
You didn't answer.
CLARK
Well it was so bad, I probably
didn't hear the door.
Lois shrugs it off.
PERRY
You missed a pretty big story here,
Kent.
CLARK
That's usually my luck.
EXT. METROPOLIS STREETS - DAY
As the police try to fix the situation, Darkseid's hand slowly rises
out of the rubble.
FADE TO: DAILY PLANET ROOF
Superman stands tall over the roof, his cape flapping in the wind.
After a moment, he darts off into the sky.
END CREDITS
Return to Simply Scripts