"If your idea of heaven is a barren, lifeless rock." " You have the soul of a poet." " Carter, we didn't come for the view." "Our mission here is purely scientific." "Are you getting any readings?" "No detectable levels of H2O." " Hold on." " What?" "Could be an ice crystal." "No, it almost looks organic." "Carter!" "Look out!" "Carter!" "Carter, do you read me?" "Are you all right?" "Repeat:" "Carter, do you read me?" "I'm okay, Ed." "Ed?" "Come in, Ed." "Dead." "Remember, barbecue at my place Saturday night." "You're all invited." "Venus is rising early, and you know what that means." " I'm there." " Sounds great." "See you then." "You guys are animals." "Good night." "I doubt that modification's legal." "Should've stuck to your desk jobs." " Need a hand?" " Thanks, but I can handle this." "They don't look so tough." " What happened?" " You tell me." "I don't know." "I saw images." "So intense." "And then... ." "That's all I remember." "Obviously, they didn't want to leave evidence behind." "What's this all about?" "Over the past months, I've detected several security breaches in our Global Deep Space Monitoring Network." " And no one's claimed responsibility?" " No." "There's more to this than meets the eye." "I'd like to stay and look into it, but I'm expected back in Metropolis." " Another key to the city?" " Here." "It's a signal watch." "Call if you need any more help." "Right." "They've stockpiled enough nuclear missiles to destroy our entire planet!" "And yet they continue to build more." "We demand they stop this madness!" "Stop the madness!" "Stop the madness!" "Weapons of mass destruction." "My people believe a lasting peace can only be achieved by eliminating them." "Nonsense!" "Those weapons are our only defense against aggression!" " Is this your official position?" " No." "General Wells does not speak for our government." " But Senator Carter, only a fool would..." "General, when I was an astronaut on Mars, I survived an experience which profoundly changed my life." "Looking at Earth from that distance I saw for the first time how small and fragile our planet is." "Its fate is in our hands." "Ladies and gentlemen, that is a responsibility we must not take lightly." "Therefore, today I propose a bold, new solution for peace one that would use a force more powerful than any before a force dedicated to the good of all mankind a force known to all as Superman." "With all due respect, we can't entrust the security of the entire world to one man." "I understand your feelings, general." "When Senator Carter first approached me, I was reluctant to get involved." "But after meeting with him and his advisors I became convinced that I could make a difference." "I have fought hard over the years to earn your trust." "And I solemnly swear to all of you that I will continue to uphold the ideals of truth and justice not just for America, but for all the world." "Thank you, Superman." "Good evening." "This is Snapper Carr." "1t's been six months since Senator J. Allen Carter's dramatic disarmament plan was ratified." "While Superman has been disarming hundreds of deadly warheads public support for the plan has swelled." " Superman rocks!" " Yet some remain skeptical." "Hey, the big guy's heart's in the right place, but give me a break." "1'm the fastest man alive." "And even 1 can 't be in five places at once." "Still, with more missiles dismantled every day most of us will sleep better knowing that Superman is watching over us." "Oh, no." "Batman!" "Let's go!" "Medic!" "He needs help!" " What happened?" " I'm not sure." "Don't even think about it." " Look at the size of that thing!" " Stay back." "It's still hot." "What was that?" "Look out!" "Incredible!" "Is it some kind of machine?" "Is he okay?" "Come on, guys!" "Are you getting this?" "We better get out of here before..." "Whatever that thing is, I've got to stop it." "Look!" "It's not safe here." "Get out." "Are you okay?" "Freaky." "Superman?" "Where's he going?" "Confirm." "We have visual contact." "On my mark." "Fire!" "Tactical seven!" "Full frontal assault!" "After hours of intense battle, the heart of the city lies in ruins." "As the devastation continues, the question on everyone's lips is:" "Where is Superman?" "We're getting reports that similar objects have landed all around the world:" "1n Paris, Cairo Malaysia." "And more are arriving by the hour." "Easy, girl." "Easy." "These omens don't bode well, Mother." "Mankind may be facing its darkest hour." " Then mankind will have to face it alone." " How can you say that?" "Whatever happens beyond these shores is not our concern." "Here, the gods will protect us." "I hope you're right." "Hold it, Superman." "Destroying government property isn't your style." " What's going on?" " See for yourself." "What is it?" "Mankind's only hope." "He tried to reach me telepathically, but that stasis field interfered." "When his message finally broke through, I came to rescue him." " What's he doing here?" " The invasion." "I came to warn you, but I was captured and imprisoned here." " They wouldn't listen." " Big surprise." "I sense you do not trust me." "Perhaps this will help." "I am J'onn J'onzz." "Don't take it personally, J'onn." "He doesn't trust anyone." "A wise policy." "We need to contact the Joint Chiefs right away." "Stop right there, Superman!" "You're trespassing in a restricted area." " Our orders are to keep that freak here." " Wait!" "I'll vouch for him." " You must let us go." " I don't think so." " The world's security may be at stake." " That's why he'll never leave here alive." "Mother, forgive me." "It's them." "Stay down!" "Behind you!" "J'onn, are you...?" " Hang on!" " Get him to safety." "I'll cover you." " That was close." " We're not safe yet." "Look." " What happened?" " Help has arrived." "Hawkgirl?" "What's she doing here?" "Sorry I'm late." "There was an uprising near Rigel Nine." "Allow me." " Who's the rookie in the tiara?" " I'm not sure." "Thanks." "Hey, Bats." "I think you dropped this." "Whoa." "Where have you been all my life?" "Themyscira." "The home of the Amazons." "I always thought it was merely a legend." "I assure you it's as real as the ground on which we stand." "I am Diana, princess of the Amazons." "Pinch me." "I must be dreaming." "Themyscira is protected by the gods." "But I couldn't stand by while the rest of the world was in danger." "It was lucky you showed up when you did." "No, not luck." "I telepathically summoned them." "Look, I'm usually pretty quick but would someone please tell me what the heck is going on here?" "So, J'onn J'onzz, you came from Mars to warn us?" " This is just too weird." " I've seen stranger things." "We first encountered them 1000 of your Earth years ago." "1t was a golden age." "Our Martian civilization was at the height of its peace and prosperity." "And then, they arrived." "Where they came from, no one knew but they were determined to make our planet their own." "We Martians were peaceful people and the taking of any life was abhorrent to us." "But we quickly learned the ways of war." "For centuries, the battles raged on." "Every trace of our once great civilization was obliterated." "We fought valiantly but the invaders were parasites who fed on our psychic energy." "As we grew weaker, they grew stronger." "They even absorbed our shape-changing abilities." "Finally, a small group of Martian survivors planned one final, desperate attack." "1nside their underground stronghold, we unleashed a powerful nerve gas which paralyzed them." "The attack was successful, but the cost was dear." "1 was the only survivor, the last of my kind." "1 sealed up their citadel to keep them in a constant state of suspended animation." "For over 500 years, I stood guard over them." "But then, while I was in a hibernation cycle, astronauts from Earth unsealed the stronghold and accidentally revived the invaders." "Wait." "Those astronauts never said anything about finding life on Mars." "Some pencil pusher in Washington probably decided it should be classified." "With all the Martians gone, the invaders had nothing left to feed upon." "So they turned their sights to Earth." "I narrowly escaped and came here to warn of the coming danger." "While I was held against my will, the invaders sent advance agents to disable Earth's defenses." "That's why they sabotaged the Deep Space Monitoring Network so we couldn't detect their activities." "We've gotta stop them before it's too late." "It may already be too late." "This is Snapper Carr, reporting live from ground zero in Metropolis where the alien walkers continue to clear the area around the impact site." "General Wells, our military seems unable to stop them." "Why?" "All our big missiles have been disarmed and our self-proclaimed protector, Superman, has abandoned us." "Earlier, Senator J. Allen Carter had this to say." "When 1 proposed my peace initiative no one ever imagined we'd face an invasion like this." "Now we must stand together and resist this aggression." "Wait." "We have a breaking development." "Something's moving inside the crater." "Oh, my Lord." " What was that?" " It's begun." " What are they doing?" " The invaders are nocturnal." "They want to blot out the sun so they can live in perpetual darkness." " Friends of yours?" " It's no joke." "What's the big problem?" "Can't you just whip up another batch of that nerve gas?" "Unfortunately, no." "The gas can only be made from a rare Martian plant." "I brought a sample with me, but it was destroyed when I was captured." " What's plan B?" " We'll have to take out those factories." " Lady, this is no job for amateurs." " We Amazons are warriors born." "Want to test me?" "Let's not fight among ourselves." "John, we're gonna need all the help we can get." "Fine." "Sorry, Your Highness." "Tactically, we'll have multiple objectives." "So we'll need to split into teams." "Dibs on the Amazon." "You are no fun." "This isn't supposed to be fun." "We've got a job to do." "We'll do it better without distractions." "Understood?" "Yeah, yeah." "I hear you." "That's our target." "Now, listen up." "Here's the plan." "What plan?" "We kick their butts, right?" "Let's get this over with." "Hey, over here!" "Ha!" "Missed me!" "Fool." "Hang tight, hotshot." "I'm sort of stuck here." "I hope the others are having better luck." "Hiding like cowards is not the Amazon way." "They must have a weakness." "When we find it, we'll strike." "I have scouted the outer walls." "There are no openings." " Then we'll make our own." " Wait." "Let's see what she can do." "Hera, give me strength." "There's your opening." "Not bad." "They run like cowards." "What are you waiting for?" "Hawkgirl, follow me." " Keep a sharp eye out." " I always do." "Stay back, I'll..." "Whoa." "What?" "There's a time for words and a time for action." "Of all the idiotic, bone-headed, glory-grabbing moves!" "Haven't you ever heard of teamwork?" "Maybe we better save the motivational speeches till later." "GL!" "Gotta run." "They're close by." "I can almost smell them." " Are you always so eager to fight?" " My home Thanagar is a war-like world." "There one must strike first or die." "Hang on, Hawkgirl!" "I'll..." "They've blocked us off again." "It's almost as if they know what we're thinking." "Any ideas, J'onn?" "J'onn?" "Superman and Hawkgirl are down." "They have failed." "What?" "Are you sure?" "I can sense it." "This way." "Hurry." " We lost them." " For the moment." "Look." "It's the central core." " How can we shut it down?" " The ion matrix crystal." "If we remove that, we'll shut down the whole plant." "I'll need a diversion." "You've got it." "J'onn!" "Get him out!" "Now!" "Batman!" "No!" "Wait." "There's nothing more we can do for him." " You don't mean he's..." " Gone." "Hera, help us." "Done." "I thought we'd never get this dish back online." " Are you sure you hooked it up right?" " Yeah." "Why?" "My readings are off the chart." "Something's coming this way something really big." "Government sources confirmed the approach of another object from space." "They predict it will be five times the size of the first landers." "Senator J. Allen Carter had this to say." "1n the face of this new development, we call on the public to remain calm." " I always wanted one of these." " What if we get caught?" "What difference does it make?" "The world's coming to an end anyway." "We're all doomed!" "Save yourselves!" "Perhaps Mother was right about mankind." "They're nothing but untamed savages." "Do not judge them too harshly." "They act out of fear." "Hey, there's kids trapped under here!" "Someone give us a hand!" "Will this do?" "Thanks, man." "Sorry we're late." "Had to help some civilians." " What'd you call us back for?" " Superman's been captured." "He's trapped somewhere inside there with Hawkgirl." "Whoa." "And what about Batman?" "He acted heroically until the very end." "The Bat's gone?" "He was a true warrior." "This is not good." "Definitely not good." "I can't believe we're doing this again." "If Superman and Hawkgirl are in there, someone's gotta rescue them." "You are sure they're still in there, aren't you?" "J'onn?" "Yes." "Your friends are alive, but we must act quickly." " The Imperium is coming." " The who?" "The supreme intelligence that controls these invaders." "We have met before." " Can we trust this space case?" " What choice do we have?" "Okay, we're going in." "Flash, create a diversion." "Diana, watch my back." "You wanna rely on an amateur?" "Let's move." "Tag, you're it." "Not even close." "Come on, slowpoke." "I dare you." "Over here." "You really stepped in it that time." "Bye-bye." " Where are they being held?" " This way." "Hope I didn't keep you." "Wait here." "Come." "Is it just me, or does he creep you out too?" "We are close now." "I sense they are somewhere beyond these walls." "It's no use." "We'll have to find another way." "Stand back." "We haven't much time left." "Mommy, what's that?" "Oh, my Lord." "Great Hera." "Wait." "Something is not right." "It's a trap!" "Lantern, your ring." "Can't focus." "Can't..." "J'onn!" "J'onn!" "Wake up!" "Superman." "You shouldn't have risked your lives for us." " Would you have done less for me?" " Oh, my aching head." "Earth's mightiest heroes." "Welcome." "Senator Carter." "Unfortunately, the real Carter never returned from Mars." "And you used me to weaken Earth's defenses!" "You were eager to cooperate." "Thanks to you, the humans were helpless." " It's not over yet." " Wrong again, Superman." "All hail the Imperium." "J'onn J'onzz." "It's been a long time." "Much better." "You have defied us for centuries." "And I will never bow before you or any of your kind." "Then we will see to finishing what should've been accomplished long ago the elimination of the last Martian." "Let go of him, you filthy..." " Yield to us, J'onn J'onzz." " Never!" "Why do you resist?" "Embrace this truth." "After all these years, you have finally lost." " Have I?" " You're hiding something a secret deep in the recesses of your mind." "Is this another of your Martian tricks?" " Do I sense fear?" " What are you hiding?" "Now!" " Batman?" " It can't be." "I mentally shielded him so he couldn't be detected." " What have you done?" " Reversed the ion charge." "The crystal." "Destroy it!" "It's shielded." " No!" " You live underground and shun the light." "Why?" "Does it burn your pale, putrid skin?" "That's one nasty sunburn." "Ultraviolet rays coming from the depths of space." "The invaders have no resistance to our sun's radiation." "So you did find their weakness after all." "Destroy them!" " Imperium!" " Unhand me, worm!" "No!" "We'd hate to lose you again." "Maybe we better get out of here." "Not without them." "Flash, give me a hand." " Gross." " Now!" "The whole place is going to blow!" "Everybody, stay close." "This is Snapper Carr. 1n the aftermath of the Metropolis meltdown most of the invaders have retreated from Earth." "Superman and a team of other heroes have driven out the remaining pockets of resistance, restoring order around the world." "Despite this stunning victory, some warn that we must remain vigilant." "We got lucky this time." "What will we do if the invaders ever return?" "Incredible." "Do your stockholders know about this, Bruce?" "A line item hidden in the Aerospace RD budget." "This watchtower will act as an early-warning system for detecting threats of invasions." " And it has a fully stocked kitchen." " Iced mocha?" " No, thanks." " They don't have these on Themyscira." " Stick around." "I'll show you the ropes." " Perhaps I will." " An impressive installation." "Most impressive, but what's it got to do with us?" "I once thought I could protect the world by myself, but I was wrong." "Working together, we saved the planet." "And I believe that if we stay together as a team we would be a force that could work for the ideals of peace and justice." "What, like a bunch of super friends?" "More like a justice league." "Do you have any idea how corny that sounds?" "But maybe the big guy's got a point." "With all of us behind it, it just might work." "Count me in." "Me too." "And me." "My mother may not approve, but I find man's world to be intriguing." "I'll gladly join." " What about you, Batman?" " I'm not really a people person." "But when you need help, and you will, call me." " Understood." "Then we're all agreed." " Wait." "J'onn's not here." "Yeah." "Where is he?" "J'onn, are you all right?" "My family and loved ones are long gone." "I am the last of my kind." " I know the feeling." " Now Mars is dead and I am alone in the universe." "J'onn, we can never replace the family you've lost but we'd be honored if you could learn to call Earth your home." "Come on."