DC Heroes in Marvel

Dialogue from the Screen

"Who disabled the alarm?" one robber asked suspiciously.

"The boss said after the job's done, I should take care of him. One less guy to split the money with, right?"

Another robber chuckled darkly. "Funny, he told me the same thing."

"What? No! No!"

Bang!

A shot rang out as the robbers began turning on one another.

Bags of cash were hauled toward the exit, but the infighting continued.

The tension escalated as one of the remaining robbers pointed a gun at his accomplice.

"I swear, the Joker told you to kill me once the money's loaded, didn't he? One less share, right?"

The accomplice smirked. "No, no. He told me to kill the bus driver."

"Bus driver? What bus driver?"

Crash!

At that exact moment, a school bus smashed through the bank's front doors, running over one of the robbers.

The driver stepped out casually, surveying the carnage without a hint of remorse.

Before he could react, another robber shot him dead without hesitation.

The surviving robber glanced down at the driver's body, shrugged, and muttered as if to say:

"They're just like you."

Seeing this, the remaining robber picked up the last bag of money, loaded it onto the bus, and prepared to leave.

"You think you're smart, don't you?"

The voice came from the bank manager, a man in his fifties, who lay wounded on the ground. Despite his critical condition, he sneered at the robber.

"The people who hired you will chew you up and spit you out, just like the others..."

His voice dripped with disdain as he continued, "The bad guys of the past—at least they had principles, honor, and respect. Look at you. What principles do you have?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" the robber snapped, his voice echoing angrily through the bank lobby.

He walked over to the manager, crouching down to meet his gaze. Locking eyes with him, the robber spoke in a slow, deliberate tone:

"My principle is simple: what doesn't kill you..."

He paused, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

"...will make you stranger."

At that moment, he removed his mask, revealing his true identity. Green hair framed his pale, chalky face, and a grotesque smile, smeared with red lipstick, stretched unnaturally wide across his scarred cheeks.

It was him.

The Joker.

The audience in front of the big screen was stunned.

This unexpected twist was brilliant. In just a few minutes, the film had perfectly introduced a sinister, unpredictable villain.

Everyone quickly realized that this Joker would be the primary antagonist Batman had to confront in The Dark Knight.

But something was off—this Joker didn't seem to have any extraordinary powers.

Compared to Batman's previous enemies, like Ra's al Ghul and the League of Shadows, the Joker came across as a mere criminal mastermind.

Could such a figure truly challenge Batman?

Some viewers began to speculate.

Perhaps the Joker wasn't the main villain after all—maybe he was just a minor threat.

The Movie Continues

Batman finally made his first appearance on screen. In the middle of a drug bust, he emerged like a dark knight, driving the Batmobile and effortlessly taking down the criminals.

Along the way, he encountered two boys dressed as Batman, attempting to emulate their hero.

Though their antics weren't played for laughs, viewers sensed this moment could be foreshadowing for something deeper in the story.

The scene shifted, revealing Commissioner Gordon investigating the mob bank that had been robbed earlier.

Inside the vault, Gordon exchanged a few words with his assistant before Batman appeared by his side.

"Is it him again?" Batman asked, his tone grim.

"Who else?" Gordon replied. "A gang of mobs."

Their conversation was interrupted by the introduction of a new character—Harvey Dent, the recently appointed district attorney.

Harvey came across as earnest and principled, clearly not a man to shrink from a challenge. Soon, viewers saw him in a relationship with Rachel, Batman's childhood sweetheart.

In his words, Harvey expressed admiration for Batman and even hinted that he hoped to eventually relieve the vigilante of some of his burden.

As the story unfolded, it became increasingly clear that the Joker was no minor player.

Even without supernatural abilities, the Joker was shaping up to be the ultimate threat.

But how could a mere man with no powers possibly stand against Batman?

In recent times, the world had been consumed by stories of superhuman feats and catastrophic events. This had led many to underestimate the danger posed by the human psyche—the darkness that could reside within the heart.

Anton, seated among the audience, wasn't watching the movie with the same urgency.

As the producer, investor, and screenwriter, he already knew the plot better than anyone else. Instead, he observed the captivated expressions of the audience around him and allowed himself a satisfied smile.

Back in the Film

The police and prosecutors attempted to track the Joker's stolen cash using traceable bills, but their efforts were met with his mocking derision.

Meanwhile, at a secret meeting of Gotham's criminal underworld, the Joker made another appearance.

One of the mob's key figures, responsible for money laundering, decided to flee to Hong Kong, hoping to avoid capture.

In response, Gordon, Harvey, and Batman devised a daring plan. Batman would pursue the fugitive across international borders and bring him back to Gotham.

With upgraded equipment and meticulous planning, Batman executed the operation.

The audience watched in awe as he leaped from a towering skyscraper, his gliding wings spreading wide like those of a real bat.

It was a bold and breathtaking move that left viewers gripping their seats.

Although these scenes might seem trivial to Tony, he gradually began to realize something deeper. 

The Batman portrayed in this movie—and even the previous one—wasn't the all-powerful figure he had envisioned in reality. Instead, the movies were exploring Batman's transformation, an evolution of the character.

So, what was the movie trying to convey?

The birth of Batman?

The origins of his philosophy?

Tony frowned slightly as these thoughts crossed his mind, his attention shifting back to the screen.

In the movie, the Joker was shown overpowering a gangster, his plan to destroy Batman slowly unfurling before the audience.

The earlier foreshadowing paid off: the body of a man dressed as Batman was hung from the side of a building, a grim and haunting spectacle. At the same time, a video was posted online.

"Do you think Batman is making Gotham better?"

"Look, this is his masterpiece!"

"Batman must take off his mask and surrender. If he doesn't, someone will die every day. And trust me—I mean what I say. Hahahaha!"

The Joker's maniacal laughter sent chills down the spines of the audience.

At that moment, everyone finally grasped the true horror of the Joker.

This wasn't just a criminal. He was a lunatic—a man with a warped mind who completely disregarded order and morality. Faced with such a deranged enemy, what choice would Batman make?

At a political fundraising party organized by Bruce Wayne in support of the new district attorney, Harvey Dent, the Joker crashed the event. There, he delivered a dark lesson, mocking Gotham's so-called "high society" and exposing their fragility.

The situation spiraled further out of control. Under the Joker's influence, the villains of Gotham City began to unite, pushing Batman closer to the edge of despair.

The movie's central theme started to come into focus:

Some people live simply to turn the world into chaos.

The Joker was one such person.

He was not a typical villain—he had no interest in logical motivations like money or power. Instead, his actions were driven purely by the thrill of destruction. 

Reasoning, bribery, threats, or negotiation—all were meaningless to him.

For the Joker, it was all just a game. And Batman had become the perfect playmate.

In the movie, Harvey volunteered to act as bait, hoping to draw the Joker out. His plan worked.

The Joker was captured by the police, with Batman's help.

For a moment, Gotham City rejoiced. Crowds cheered, and a sense of relief swept over the city.

But some viewers couldn't shake the feeling that this victory was premature.

Their suspicions were confirmed.

Later that night, Commissioner Gordon received an urgent call: Harvey was missing.

Rushing to the prison, Gordon confronted the Joker. Batman arrived shortly after.

This led to the moment the audience had been waiting for:

A face-to-face confrontation between Batman and the Joker.

"You wanted to see me. Well, here I am!"

Batman slammed his fist on the table in front of the Joker, a clear warning.

"I wanted to see what you'd do," the Joker began, his tone mocking. "And you didn't disappoint... Batman. Because of you, five people are dead. And you let Harvey Dent take the fall. Even for someone like me, that's cold-blooded."

The Joker's words dripped with disdain, but Batman, impatient, cut him off.

"Where is Harvey?"

The Joker leaned back, laughing maniacally.

"There's no going back now. You've changed everything," he said, his voice rising in glee. "You complete me, Batman!"

Anton watched this pivotal scene unfold, a small smile tugging at his lips. He knew the power of this moment—the culmination of everything he'd built in the story.

Meanwhile, the audience sat in stunned silence, mesmerized by the Joker's madness and the tension between him and Batman.

But Anton, rubbing his temples, muttered to himself:

"I'm in bad shape today. This suit is killing me. What a headache..."

…

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