♪
[TIRES SCREECH]
Mm-hm!
Whoops, low bridge.
[TRUCK HONKS]
What a body.
It'll hurt you a lot more than me.
I'll risk it. Will you?
[SMOOCHES]
Ow!
So you're the famous Roxy Rocket.
You're as smart as you are handsome.
I didn't think you were foolish enough
to make trouble in my town.
Well, with Batman missing,
the other crooks in Gotham are picking the city clean.
I thought I'd try my luck here.
Back up. What do you mean, "Batman missing"?
I thought you'd know.
Don't all you spandex boys
have club meetings or something?
We're not exactly friends.
Aw.
I'll be your friend.
Sorry, little girl.
You're going home.
♪
[ALARM RINGING]
What about the alarm?
The cops are swamped, and the Bat's a no-show.
Who's gonna come?
Ooh!
There's always the relief pitcher.
Smoke him!
You see where he went?
♪
[COCKS GUN]
Let's just get outta here.
ROBIN: It's cold out, better bundle up.
Black and blue are definitely your color.
[CLICKING]
Ah! Oof!
Batman, Schmatman.
I got this down.
[GUNS COCK]
Or not.
Whoa.
You okay? I could've handled them.
Sure. Now, where's your boss?
Around.
Okay, let's try this another way.
Where's Bruce?
ROBIN: He called me.
Said he'd be away on business, and I shouldn't worry.
But he was weird. He wasn't himself.
And he wouldn't just bail
without telling Batgirl or Nightwing to fill in.
What do they think's going on?
Batgirl traced the phone call to Romania.
They went there to find some old guy
who might've kidnapped him.
"Ghoul" something.
So you're handling the whole city yourself?
During a crime spree?
Oh, not again.
It gets worse every time he doesn't show.
Then this time, he will.
♪
It's been half an hour.
Shut it down.
He's not coming.
[CORD ZIPS]
♪
[BATMAN'S VOICE] Good evening, commissioner.
Sorry I'm late.
Where in heaven's name have you been?
Away.
That's it? That's all I get?
Well, if you were trying to prove
how much this city needs you,
you succeeded.
Crime's up 15 percent in the last two weeks.
And it's about to get worse.
This was taken by airport security two hours ago.
I thought you'd be interested.
Right here. Look familiar?
[WHISPERS] Bane.
Ah, yes. Bane.
Word has it he's refined his venom formula.
They say he's twice as strong.
Then I'll have to be twice as careful.
Thanks, commissioner.
♪
That was close.
[NORMAL] You're telling me.
The sooner we find your boss, the better.
Right side.
Does he look bigger to you?
♪
Three weeks ago, Bruce went to work like normal,
then walked right out without saying a word to anyone.
We'll start with his computer records for that day.
So how'd you do Batman's voice?
[AS BATMAN] Precise muscle control.
[AS ROBIN] Plus, I have a pretty good ear.
Don't do that again.
I need a gizmo from your belt.
Second pocket on the right.
[BEEPING]
MAN [OVER P.A.]: All units respond to a disturbance
on the second floor.
Unit 18, on our way.
Come on.
All this sneaking around isn't exactly my style.
What do you mean?
It's half the fun.
[KEYBOARD CLICKING]
Here, this is a vid-mail Bruce sent Lucius Fox
the same day he called me.
Hi, Lucius. Sorry to run off yesterday.
I've decided to treat myself to an impromptu vacation.
Hope you don't mind running things without me for a while.
[CHUCKLES]
I know you're used to it.
See what I mean about him acting strange?
He's smiling.
So he tells you he's at work,
and he tells work he's on vacation.
Can you track where the message came from?
Already did. New Zealand.
So either Bruce is hopping around the globe...
Or someone's faking the traces to hide where he is.
Maybe something here will tell us where he really went.
That's strange.
♪
SUPERMAN: Something's moving on these papers.
Nanites.
I don't see anything.
They're microscopic robots.
They're all over the phone.
And there's a needle in the earpiece.
Someone's injected nanites into Bruce's body.
He's under some kind of mind control.
PENGUIN: Even if I did know
where to find the Mad Hatter, I'm no stool pigeon.
Why should I tell you?
A man's life is in danger. Isn't that enough?
You're breaking my heart.
[WHISPERS] Kick over the desk.
Just do it!
Ah!
I won't ask twice.
All right, no need to get your feathers ruffled.
It happens our capped compadre
is attending a meeting of notable ne'er-do-wells.
They're hatching a plot
to capitalize on your purported disappearance.
Where?
Now he's getting it.
♪
By combining our talents, we will rule Gotham City.
Anyone we wish to imprison,
you, Riddler, will entrap.
Any from whom we require allegiance,
you, Hatter, will control.
And any that stand in our way,
I will break.
I've always wanted to team muscle with my mind.
And any chance to test my new puzzles, of course.
And you, my friend. Are you in?
Tweedle-Bane and Tweedle-Brain.
If it's all the same, I'll play your game.
[GLASS SMASHES]
♪
Sorry to bust in.
But we couldn't wait to spoil your fun.
BANE: On the contrary,
I feared you were gone forever, Batman.
And that would have meant
I'd never feel your spine crumble in my hands.
[MACHINERY WHIRRING, VENOM SQUISHING]
Ah!
Whoa.
Hey!
I almost regret that you are defenseless, Batman.
After waiting so long for this day...
...it was sadly too easy.
♪
That's not possible.
He's been working out.
[GRUNTING]
[BLOWS THUDDING, BANE GRUNTING]
[WHIMPERING]
It's not fair.
[BLOWS THUDDING]
[GROANING]
[GASPS]
We got a runner.
Ugh.
[GASPS]
Curiouser and curiouser.
Can't let you do everything.
Aah!
I'll tell thee everything I can.
There's little to relate.
These little fishes, I perceive,
may have no earthly mate.
No earthly mate.
The bugs aren't yours?
Mine, no.
I'd be proud if they were.
I've stolen from the best,
Wayne Tech, LexCorp, S.T.A.R. Labs,
and this circuitry is far more advanced
than anything I've ever seen.
I dare say, it may even be of alien origin.
♪
WAYNE: Hi, Lucius. Sorry to run off yesterday.
I've decided to treat myself to an impromptu vacation.
Hi, Lucius. Sorry to run off yesterday.
I've decided to treat myself to an impromptu vacation.
He's really being controlled by aliens?
Ugh.
I'm deeply hurt.
Sorry.
But what would aliens want with Bruce?
That's the big question.
It's not about ransom.
It's like they need him for something.
And they want the rest of us to think he's okay.
...to an impromptu vacation.
What?
There's a noise in the background.
If you say so.
I'll try to bring it up.
- -an impromptu vacation. - [RUMBLING]
What's that?
It's rocket exhaust.
Where would you need Bruce Wayne to launch a rocket?
Wayne Aerospace.
MAN [OVER P.A.]: Propulsion is go.
WOMAN: Stand by for final trajectory.
MAN: Launch in T-minus four minutes.
You do have a good ear.
This site was supposed to be mothballed.
ROBIN: That looks friendly.
Actually, it looks... Kryptonian.
[BEEPING, DOOR OPENS]
Bruce.
BRUCE [OVER P.A.]: I'd like to thank everyone for all your hard work.
And for maintaining this project's secrecy.
Now, please set all systems to pilot control,
and you can all go home.
What? Did he say go home?
Go home? Well, I don't know.
That's it. We're done. Thank you.
Okay. I don't know.
Ridiculous.
[ALL CHATTERING]
♪
Everybody's gone.
We're alone.
♪
Well done, Mr. Wayne.
Brainiac.
Your usefulness to me has ended.
Bruce, come on. Let's get outta here.
I suspected that we might meet, Batman.
You got into Wayne's computers
during his partnership with LexCorp.
Yes.
You saw that his company could build you a rocket.
So you took control of Bruce Wayne
and had him authorize the project.
You're every bit the detective
that your followers on the Internet believe.
I also know how you work:
Collect a planet's knowledge, then destroy it.
I can't allow you to leave.
What you allow does not concern me.
While your deductive skills are impressive,
you are still only human.
[SCREAMS]
♪
Kal-El. This development was highly improbable.
Today's been full of surprises.
Your flight's been canceled, Brainiac.
I beg to differ.
Stay with Bruce.
I think I can handle that.
[BEEPING]
[SCREAMS]
♪
Goodbye, Kal-El.
It was an unexpected bonus destroying you.
[GRUNTING]
♪
[GROANS]
[BEEPING]
SUPERMAN: How are you feeling? Better.
The nanites are dissolving away on their own.
I guess with that Brainiac guy toasted,
they just knew to self-destruct.
I'd check your computer systems anyway.
Brainiac has a way of leaving a little of himself behind.
I hear the city's been busy.
Nothing the kid couldn't handle.
I have to say,
for a guy who's supposed to be such a loner,
you sure know how to pick a partner.
♪