[audience applauding]
[Zatara] I was young, just 28, on the road with my act.
[audience gasps]
For the past few years, I'd been entertaining audiences
with my astonishing illusions and wondrous wizardry.
But now, I had a wife, Sindella,
and our 2-year-old daughter, Zatanna, waiting for me back home.
[Zatara casting spell]
[Zatara] My act was a success.
My stage illusions were renowned,
thanks to a touch of real magic.
My audiences were always dazzled.
[electrical crackling]
But one night, something went wrong.
A curtain caught fire. The fire spread quickly.
The audience was in danger.
Without a second thought...
[casting spell]
...I used my magic to put out the flames.
Uh... Presto!
-The audience thought it was all part of the act. -[audience applauding]
My grand finale.
But for me,
it was a new beginning.
[theme music playing]
[Klarion] Teekl!
[screams]
Mother of Goat! Diamond-guy killed Teekl.
[Nabu] Causing Klarion to return to his true form as a Chaos Lord.
A form he could not maintain on the Earthly plane.
Now, with that lovely bit of nastiness out of the way,
it's time to have some fun.
Let's start with this eyesore.
[casting spell]
[giggling]
Whee!
[all screaming]
[Child] That was entertaining.
[straining] Lord of Chaos,
you dare meddle with the balance of...
[screams]
[grunts]
[giggles]
Oh, well done, Flaw.
I do believe you spared us a lecture.
Damn it. Local Ley lines have been disrupted.
[all groaning]
Power of Zeus!
I simply cannot understand how Klarion allowed
such pathetic creatures to thwart Chaos' will.
Hmm. Time to unleash the chaos.
[grunts angrily]
[Zatanna casts spell]
[both groaning]
I got them.
Ah! I'm okay.
Dad.
[gasps]
[Drew] Space Trek 3016, Episode 516,
scene 16, take 16...
[Schwartz] Action!
[in monotonous voice] Captain, we're surrounded. Shields are failing.
There's only one way to survive this.
[Schwartz] Cut!
Okay. Great stuff, people. Really great.
We're just gonna run it one more time.
For coverage.
Gar, buddy,
this is supposed to be life or death for Tork.
And at nearly 3:00 in the morning,
with everyone on overtime,
it's almost life and death for me.
So can you please just give it more...
[sighs] More.
Sure. J.A. Sure.
More "more" coming right up.
[bell ringing]
[Drew] Space Trek 3016, episode 516,
scene 16, take 17...
[Schwartz] Action!
- Line. -[Schwartz] Cut!
-[bell rings] -[sighs]
[Klarion] Dang it!
Now I'm just a flaming diamond careening through time and space.
I hate to admit it, but I need a hero.
[yawns]
Good morning, Charlie.
Morning, Penny.
Okay, kids. Next stop, school.
-[all groan] - Uh-uh-uh!
No fussing and frowning allowed on old Charlie's bus.
Only nice big smiles.
[all screaming]
[screaming]
[grunts]
[all screaming]
[grunting]
I had that.
I didn't want to take the chance.
As it is, your landing could have destabilized the entire bridge.
- It didn't. -[Superman] But it could have.
- We don't yet know the limits of your powers. -[kids clamoring excitedly]
Huh! Since when does Superman have a sidekick?
-[device trills] - Sorry, Super... boy. Duty calls.
[Klarion] Dang it, too late. Gotta find another hero.
But first, I need an anchor to this mortal plane.
This motorcycle will do.
[shrieks]
[Klarion] I'm taking over your dumb skateboard, mortal.
Uh, it's a bus.
Bus. Bus. You knew I meant...
Hey, you remind me of somebody.
[Zatara] After saving the audience from the fire,
I was moved to do more with my abilities than simply entertain.
Lacking a clear direction forward drove me to distraction.
And then...
[giggles]
...there he was, the Superman.
I had, of course, heard of the Man of Steel,
but I had not yet seen him through my daughter's eyes.
-[Zatara speaks other language] -[Zatanna laughs]
[Zatara] Superman astonished the world
with wondrous feats of flight and strength and courage.
But behind his heroic acts,
I saw an alien from another world,
an immigrant like me,
fighting to keep his adopted planet safe.
Could I not do as much for my adopted country?
I pondered this question.
I prayed for guidance until I knew what I needed to do.
Sindella was nervous for me, but understood.
-And so, inspired by... -[gunshots]
-[burglar alarm ringing] -...Superman and my daughter...
[man speaking other language]
...it began.
Between performances and family time,
I used my gifts to protect and serve society.
Still, I wished to do more.
[door opening]
And just like magic...
Dad? Nabu? Anybody?
[Nabu] Oui.
Your father is well enough.
[Zatanna] Now do you believe that Child is a threat?
[Nabu] We do.
And that you need our help to fight her?
[Nabu] Possibly.
What the hell was that?
Stealing our power without asking.
There wasn't time to ask.
The kid had just demolished the Tower of Fate.
I was the only one conscious to even try to stop her from doing it again in...
I don't know, New York or El Paso.
Look, I'm sorry. I am.
But I had to give it a shot.
[both huff]
- All right. - Yeah, I guess.
But please do not do that again without asking first.
Hmm.
The hunt for Child will now commence.
Can you call on the Lords of Order, ask for a power boost?
[Nabu] That is not their way.
Nor will it be necessary.
[sighs]
[casts spell]
Listen, bubala, you're giving me fits, here.
Last season, it was all that prima donna crap,
feuding with the not-to-be-missed Granny,
outsiders missions making you late, et cetera, et cetera.
But at least you were sharp, in the moment.
This year, I can't even get you to focus.
You're, like, a million miles away.
[sighs] More like 140 million.
Uh, okay.
Look, I know your buddy Superboy passed.
Do you need some help dealing?
The studio has resources.
No, man, I'm fine.
Just... [sighs] I'm tired.
So maybe you need a rest, you know, some downtime, huh?
Yeah, right. I thought everyone's jobs depended on me.
[chuckles]
We've been building up Harvey's Lieutenant Der'Chow character.
He's become a real fan favorite, see?
The suits think he can carry the load...
You know, until you're rested and ready to return.
[chuckles] Just think about it.
We love you, kid.
I just want what's best for the show.
And you, of course.
[Zatara] Kent Nelson gave me direction, focus.
Over the next few years, the work dedicated to my secret calling
increased exponentially.
But between my public stage career and my secret life as a hero,
I spent less and less time at home.
Kent helped out, practically becoming a member of the family,
watching over them when I could not.
Still, I hated being away from Sindella and Zatanna.
Once again, I prayed on it
and came to believe my absence from my family
was a necessary sacrifice for the greater good.
But God, the universe or fate had other ideas.
It was not an enemy that undid me.
It was cancer.
I tried to be there for Sindella, for Zatanna,
but still I had to perform to pay medical bills,
had to fight to protect the world.
Then, in some damned hotel
-in some damned city... -[knock on door]
[door opens]
...there came another knock on the door.
Holy moly!
[Thirteen] Didn't know they had active volcanoes in Sydney.
[Nabu] They do not.
Anyone tell the volcano?
[Nabu] We are too late.
Child has come and gone,
and this land is forever scarred by her mark of Chaos.
The Pillar of Fire.
We must go.
But we have to help the people here.
[Nabu] We have to save the world.
[Phantom Stranger] Fate is correct.
I have summoned the League,
the outsiders, and every mystic champion I could recruit.
Sending heroes to each new crisis
as quickly as Madame Xanadu predicts them.
But our efforts will be for naught
unless all of you stop Child herself.
[sighs]
It pains me to agree with Nabu,
but he and the Stranger are right.
We have to go.
[tires screeching]
[screaming]
[Klarion] Dang it! Wrong heroes.
[all screaming]
[Klarion] Dang it! They can't help either.
[people screaming]
[Mary] Holy freakin' moly! Child's reversed gravity.
[yells]
Is that the wizard? I can't believe he's helping.
Come. We must find Child.
[bus approaching]
[all exclaim]
[Klarion] Dang it!
[Thirteen] Whoa! This one's even bigger than the one in Sydney.
Better to destroy the entire World Ocean.
[Nabu] But Child is already gone. So we must follow.
[screaming]
[Klarion] Oh! I feel split in half.
- I have to go through this twice? -[screaming]
Dang it! Whose idea was it to split the Earth in two?
[people screaming]
Holy mo...
Don't even say it.
[growls]
[Nabu] Child is gone.
Finally we're safe.
[Klarion] Dang it! I keep seeing the same heroes.
[kids clamoring]
[Klarion] Dang it. Now I don't see any heroes at all.
[Klarion] Dang it!
There are no other heroes here yet.
-[horn blaring] -[Klarion] Dang it!
That means we're getting closer.
[kids screaming]
[Klarion] Dang it! Dang it! Dang it!
But we're the only ones here.
We have to stop and help.
[all screaming]
Follow the plan. We need to be where Child is now.
[Klarion] Dang it. That was them. That's who I need.
Oh, but not this soon.
[Zatara] The loss of my wife sent me reeling, spinning.
At Kent's suggestion, and with his recommendation,
I joined the Justice League.
While I still battled mystic threats, I no longer faced them alone.
I cut back on performance tours,
-and when I did travel... -[casting spell]
-...I brought Zatanna with me. -[audience cheering]
And still, I was spinning.
For just as I had been inspired by Superman, Kent, and others who had come before me,
I, unfortunately, had become an inspiration to those coming after.
Thus, in a moment of crisis,
my little girl over-reached.
And in that moment, my compass ceased to spin.
Great Nabu, release my daughter.
[Nabu] No.
[Zatara] Then and there, I knew exactly what I must do.
As if my entire life had been designed
like perfect prestidigitation to lead up to this very moment.
Take me instead.
[speaking other language]
No, please! This was my fault. Dad, don't! Dad!
[Zatara] But to her, it must have seemed
as if I was abandoning my girl once again,
taking my show on the road permanently.
Giving her no more than one hour of my time and attention every year.
Daddy.
[Zatara] But I took on this burden.
Sacrificed myself to save my daughter.
[gasps]
[Zatara speaking other language]
[Zatanna sobbing]
[Schwartz] Action!
Captain, we're surrounded. Shields are failing.
There is only one way to survive this.
We must surrender.
-[Schwartz] Cut! Print. Perfect. -[bell ringing]
[stammering] Jeez! It's cold!
Gut it out, and follow the plan. Now!
[Child] My compliments, humans.
Your species has done a marvelous job melting this polar ice cap.
But I believe I can do better.
Care to watch?
[in mocking voice] You can't kill me!
Power of Zeus!
[casting spell]
[Nabu] Child, your mayhem on this world ends now.
We will restore peace, where you have wrought havoc,
for we are the defenders of Order,
the conquerors of Chaos.
And for you, a fate worse than death.
Ooh! Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty!
[snaps fingers]
[all grunting]
Like I said...
[in mocking voice]
You can't kill me!
But I can kill every living thing on this world.
[snaps fingers]
[groaning]
[winces, shudders]
[Klarion] Dang it!
No, wait. This is it. I found them.
Dad.
[speaking other language]
[Nabu] Why do you tell us what we have no need to know.
There must be a record.
We both know my body cannot last forever.
But you and the Helmet will endure.
I tell you these things, so that when the time comes,
you may tell my daughter.
[Nabu] That is not our responsibility.
It is your responsibility.
As long as you hold my body hostage,
I charge you, Nabu, pass these words, my story, on to my daughter.
[speaking other language]
[Nabu] Hmm, fine. We will honor your wishes
if that becomes necessary.
Oh, it seems quite necessary.
For in this coming battle,
I will not allow my daughter to perish.
And it will almost certainly take
all that remains of my vim vitae, my life force,
for Doctor Fate to survive,
let alone triumph.
[indistinct radio chatter]
[sirens wailing in distance]
[Superman] The Stranger had the right idea.
We're in a crisis situation. Again.
If we make it out of this,
we can't rely on another villain like Wizard to come through for us.
Jeff, I think we have to start thinking about organizing
a true Justice League Reserves system.
[sighs]
Unfortunately, I have the feeling
we're going to need it more and more in the days to come.
-[paramedics speaking indistinctly] -[radio chatter continues]