Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Settle in, folks. This one is long. It should really be two issues, in my opinion, but I guess Young Barry didn’t let a little thing like page count get in the way of his enthusiasm. Join me now for the next chapter in…

Captive Earths header

Chapter 4 — Running in Circles

(So, look, before we get started here, it’s important to remember that Brainy has been insane and dangerous in the past. Has his grief at Supergirl’s death made him lose it again? The story thus far hasn’t done a good job at drawing this out, but it’s the main impetus for Batman’s distrust. And the reader should be worried…)

We pick up where we left off last issue — Batman leaping at Brainiac Five, who is activating some Phantom Zone equipment.

Turns out Brainy is not releasing the Phantom Zone criminals — he’s releasing Mon-El! Well, that’s one solution to the problem of “not enough power!”

Superman is surprised by this move because he doesn’t even know that Brainy knows Mon-El. He doesn’t remember that Mon was a member of the Legion or that Brainy knows of him.1

Now he learns that he will fail Mon-El and as a result Mon will spend a thousand years in the Phantom Zone. Yikes.

(One little bit in the notes that I like: Mon-El keeps asking everyone, “Why do you keep calling me Mon-El? My name is Lar Gand. I was only Mon-El for a week.”)

Brainiac Five casually mentions that he’ll wipe Mon’s memory after the battle, so as not to mess with history. Superman’s worried that Mon might die, which would really screw up history!

BRAINIAC 5: If things go that badly, then it won’t matter anymore.

SUPERMAN: This is a hell of a risk, Brainy. Are things really this bad?

BRAINIAC 5: If I thought I could gather them in time, I’d re-form the Legion of Super-Pets, that’s how bad things are.2

Batman’s job is to stay at the Fortress and “coordinate things.” He’s not happy about this, but he’s outvoted. Brainiac Five gives him a telepathic plug “so that we can stay in touch,” but Batman doesn’t even put it in — he sticks it in a pouch in his utility belt.

Brainy is supposed to give a big rah-rah speech before they head off to fight the Time Trapper. He starts but he can’t do it. He says stuff like, “I know you’ll all do well. Because you’ll all do what I tell you to do.” He looks at Superman helplessly: “This isn’t me, Kal-El.” So Superman gives the speech.

He talks about joining the Legion, about being a kid and joining the Legion. He talks about how amazing the Legion is and how Brainy is such a big part of that. And some of it is that they are a thousand years in the future…

SUPERMAN: A thousand-year advantage. A thousand years of spiritual, social, technological, psychological growth. But here’s something I want you all to remember: This group that is so impressive, this Legion that we hold—appropriately—in awe… They were inspired by us. And now it’s time for us to live up to that inspiration.3

Brainy has a secret plan to knock Superman out with a red sun burst and leave him behind so that Superman won’t be at risk during the fight, but Superman figures it out and avoids the burst.

SUPERMAN: I’m not falling for that trick, Brainy. Andy got me that way once. I learn from my mistakes, especially when my friends die from them.4

Brainy brings very specific people on the strike team, including Rip Hunter in his Time Sphere. Leaves behind some puzzlers, like Flash, etc. Why? He refuses to answer. “I have a twelfth-level intellect and I don’t have time to explain my thinking to you.” Plus, he knows the Time Trapper could be watching, so he can’t get into details without giving away the plan.

Batman is even more suspicious now.

Just before the strike team leaves, Mxyzptlk shows up to bedevil Superman.

SUPERMAN (angry, eyes glowing red): Not. Now.

MXYZPTLK (quavering): Kuh- kuh- Kltpzyxm!5

The heroes that Brainy has assembled head to the End of Time to fight the Time Trapper. At the very last second, as the heroes break through the Iron Curtain of Time, Brainy does something to Rip Hunter’s Time Sphere and it ends up trapped on the safe side of the Curtain.

But then the heroes break through and the Time Trapper re-seals the Curtain…which is Rip’s signal to activate Brainy’s device6, strengthening the Curtain and making it as strong as the barrier that now separates Earth-4…and locking the heroes at the End of Time.

Shocked, Superman says, “What is the plan, Brainy?” and Brainy just grins. He’s sealed the world’s most powerful heroes at the End of Time and it looks like maybe Brainy is insane or evil at this point…

Back in the present, the four earths are suddenly under attack! With the most powerful heroes trapped at the End of Time, the Time Trapper is free to unleash his forces on the present.

Batman is stuck at the Fortress with Robin, coordinating the present-day response.

The skies have gone red.7

Nightwing radios to Batman that they’re all in deep. “We need to take this to the next level.”8 Bruce says, “Negative.” The enemies are all from different points in the time stream. “We have to be careful.”

NIGHTWING: With all due respect, Bruce, pretty soon there may not be a time stream to worry about. And again with all due respect, you’re not the one fighting out here.

Batman thinks: Exactly? Why leave me here? Why do this to me? Can we really trust your friend, Kal?

Things get worse and then…

BATMAN: Attention all team leaders on all Earths. This is Batman broadcasting on the open pandimensional channel. This is officially a Crisis-level event. You may take any action necessary according to the dictates of your consciences.

SOMEONE: What the hell does that mean?9

BATMAN: Lethal force is approved.

Dick calls in Kory, but Donna reports Kory went lethal five minutes ago.10

BATMAN: Nightwing, come in.

NIGHTWING: Yeah?

BATMAN: I need you to do something. It’s very important.

NIGHTWING: The Titans and I have New York locked down, but the red skies are freaking people out. And I gotta tell you, they don’t make me feel all that great, either. The Crisis was just a few months ago. We buried Kole—

BATMAN: Dick, I need you to find Silver.

NIGHTWING: What? What did you just say?

BATMAN: Find Silver St. Cloud.

NIGHTWING: But— Catwoman… Nocturna…

BATMAN: It’s Silver. It’s always been Silver. If the universe ends now, I want her to know how I feel. I can’t leave here now, and you’re the only one I trust with this.11

Then, out of nowhere… a voice says “Hello, Batman.”

Which is weird because Batman and Robin are the only people in the Fortress. Batman turns to Robin and says, “Did you hear that?” and Jason says, “Hear what?”

Turns out it’s the telepathic plug Brainy gave him. Brainy tweaked it to work if it’s anywhere near Batman because he figures Batman wouldn’t trust him and would take it out. So at first, there’s just a voice that says “Hello, Batman.” And then…

BRAINIAC 5: Batman, this is Brainiac 5 transmitting from the telepathic plug I gave you. If you haven’t done so already, I suggest you insert it into your ear for the full effect.

He does so. It’s a recording of Brainiac Five…12

BRAINIAC 5: Hello, Mr. Wayne. I apologize for the last minute nature of this notice and my request, but I’m confident that you’ll be able to handle it. That’s why I left you in the twentieth century. I couldn’t tell you this before because I could never be sure if the Time Trapper was eavesdropping or not. But this message is keyed to go off when Dr. Hunter’s time sphere returns to the twentieth century, so by now the Trapper is secure behind our reinforced Iron Curtain of Time. The plan you’re about to hear has a 99.82744% chance of working. As to the remaining X%, you’ll have to improvise, but that’s what you’re best at.13

Problem: Batman is stuck in the Fortress at the North Pole! He goes running through the Fortress, Robin chasing after him.

BATMAN: Come on, Kal, tell me you still have it… He has to have it. The man never throws anything away — he has the Titanic hanging from his ceiling, for God’s sake.

They look into a room. Panel of Batman scowling, then he grins as Robin looks over his shoulder.14

ROBIN: Oh, you gotta be kidding me.

Next panel: Batman and Robin leaving the Fortress in the Supermobile!15

Now it’s Batman’s turn to contribute—Brainy could only trust Batman to pull off this last, impossible task, the crucial second half of the plan. Batman has to gather up the super-speedsters and the electro-magnetic heroes, repair the Cosmic Treadmill, and head to the past. To the Dawn of Time.

WALLY: Didn’t we just do this?16

At this point, the heroes don’t know who to trust any more. Batman has gathered them, but everything around them is falling apart and they’re just supposed to risk everything for another time travel jaunt? There’s serious resistance to Batman’s orders. Fortunately, he’s prepared for this with his secret weapons: Jericho and Deadman.

FLASH: I won’t run. What are you going to do about that?

BATMAN: Boston.

FLASH: Boston? Boston what?

And then he’s possessed by Deadman.

Meanwhile, Jericho is in Batman and Bats knocks out Johnny Thunder. Joey possesses Thunder and says, “Say, you, Thunderbolt! Listen to Batman until I say otherwise!” And the T-bolt says, “OK!”

Now Batman has two key elements needed. Hopefully, Brainy’s plan will work. Time to run.

End Chapter 4

Next: The Grand Finale!

(The only glory I will ever get for this thing that I’ve carried in my brain since childhood is people looking at it. So if you have friends you think might get a kick out of it, please point them in this direction! Teen Barry thanks you, and so do I.)

  1. A result of Saturn Girl’s post-hypnotic suggestion that caused Superman to forget or elide details of his own future when visiting the Legion.
  2. That line right there is a very Barry line. I would probably write that exact same line the exact same way today.
  3. This, again, is a very Young Barry thing to write. I really hated the way the Legion wasn’t given its due in the comics of the time.
  4. “Andy” would be Andrew Nolan, a.k.a. Ferro Lad, who died fighting the Sun-Eater as a teen. But first he sucker-punched young Kal-El to keep Superboy from being the one to die. Clearly, this has weighed on Superman’s mind since. And it’s exactly the kind of Legion-related detail that I would have obsessed over as a kid.
  5. OK, so this actually cracks me up. The idea of Mxyptlk showing up to bedvil Superman, only to have Superman stare him down and basically scare the living hell out of him, right back to Zrff… That’s comedy. And it occurs to me that Mxyptlk didn’t show up at all during Crisis on Infinite Earths, so this would be his first time back on Earth since before then. He has no idea what Superman has been through and can’t possibly be ready for Superman’s anger.
  6. The thing he was constructing with the Monitor’s old tuning forks, the gadget he tested by isolating Earth-4
  7. Again.
  8. It’s not stated explicitly, but Batman’s response and a bit about to come indicates that Nightwing is basically saying, “We have to stop holding back and kill if need be.”
  9. Yes, I actually wrote “Someone.” That cracks me up. I imagine I’d’ve assigned this dialogue to a specific character after DC paid me big bucks to write this thing.
  10. This is actually a pretty perfect mid-eighties Titans bit!
  11. Mid-eighties Batman was very human. There were a lot of stories about his tortured lovelife. I guess I really connected with that, to think that Batman would be thinking of love at a time like this? And it’s weird that I picked Silver St. Cloud because I don’t think I’d read those stories yet!
  12. It doesn’t come across in the text here, but I recall now that the whole idea here was actually sort of clever — Brainy knows that Batman and his team will be key to defeating the Trapper, but he also knows that the Trapper will be watching everything Brainy does. So he pretends to dislike and discount Batman for the Trapper’s benefit, all while secretly planning to use Batman as a secret weapon, knowing he can trust Bruce to carry through.
  13. Yes, I wrote “X%.” I was too lazy to do the math, I guess. But the answer is 0.17256%.
  14. I think this is the only time in the entire outline where I gave breakdown notes. But it’s to set up the punchline.
  15. Yes, the Supermobile.
  16. They really did, in Crisis on Infinite Earths #10. Way to hang a lantern on it, Young Barry!