JUSTICE LEAGUE: ORIGINS Written by Chad Handley [email protected] EXT. PARK - DAY An idyllic American park from our Rockwellian past. A pick- up truck pulls up onto a nearby gravel lot. INT. PICK-UP TRUCK - DAY MARTHA KENT (30s) stalls the engine. Her young son, CLARK, (7) apprehensively peeks out at the park from just under the window. MARTHA KENT Go on, Clark. Scoot. CLARK Can’t I go with you? MARTHA KENT No, you may not. A woman is entitled to shop on her own once in a blue moon. And it’s high time you made friends your own age. Clark watches a group of bigger, rowdier boys play baseball on a diamond in the park. CLARK They won’t like me. MARTHA KENT How will you know unless you try? Go on. I’ll be back before you know it. EXT. PARK - BASEBALL DIAMOND - MOMENTS LATER Clark watches the other kids play from afar - too scared to approach. He is about to give up when a fly ball plops on the ground at his feet. He stares at it, unsure of what to do. BIG KID 1 (yelling) Yo, kid. Little help? Clark picks up the ball. Unsure he can throw the distance, he hesitates. Rolls the ball over instead. It stops halfway to Big Kid 1, who rolls his eyes, runs over and picks it up. 2. BIG KID 1 (CONT’D) Nice throw. The other kids laugh at him. Humiliated, Clark puts his hands in his pockets and walks away. Big Kid 2 advances on Big Kid 1; takes the ball away from him. BIG KID 2 Watch this. (to Clark) Hey, kid! Catch! Big Kid 2 hurls the ball with all his might and sends it WHIZZING right at Clark. SLO-MO as the ball hurtles towards Clark’s unsuspecting back. The sound of the air currents wafting off the spinning ball WHIP-ZOOM over to Clark’s ear. Clark’s eyes register PANIC. CRACK! In the blink of an eye, Clark PIVOTS on his feet. He catches the ball in one hand, CRUSHING it in his grasp. Stunned, Big Kid 2 runs over. BIG KID 2 (CONT’D) My ball! Clark opens his hand; stares at the misshapen mass of leather and string in his palm. He’s as shocked as the other kids. CLARK I’m sorry... Big Kid 1 rushes over, looks over the baseball’s remains. BIG KID 1 How’d he do that? CLARK It was an accident! Big Kid 2 menacingly advances on Clark. BIG KID 2 You owe me for a ball. Pay up! Clark cowers; backpedals. CLARK Wait! My mom’s coming back! She’ll get us a new one! Wait! 3. Big Kid 2 grabs Clark by the collar. BIG KID 2 Your mom’s not getting you out of this, kid. Clark grabs Big Kid 2’s hand in a panic; squeezes. CLARK Leave me alone!! Big Kid 2 lets out a GOD-AWFUL SHRIEK. Clark releases him from his grip, to reveal kid’s hand was CRUSHED to a bloody pulp in his grasp. Big Kid 2 sees the state of his hand and screams even louder. He runs away, crying hysterically. Clark apologetically approaches the remaining kids, who are stunned and horrified. CLARK (CONT’D) It was an accident... The other kids back away. BIG KID 1 Get away from us, you freak! The other kids run off, shouting: KIDS Freak! Freak! Freak! Clark stands alone in the park. On the verge of tears. The word reverberates in his ears, as its echo fills the park. EXT. PARK - DUSK His eyes red and bloodshot from crying, Clark sits alone on a curb. He doesn’t seem to notice Martha park next to him in her truck. Seeing the look on his face, her heart breaks. She wordlessly sits next to him on the curb, wraps him in a hug. MARTHA KENT Oh, honey. I’m sorry. CLARK What’s wrong with me? 4. MARTHA KENT Nothing. Kids are just mean sometimes. CLARK No, I’m different. I’m a freak. Martha’s eyes darken, as if she knows something about Clark. Something she’s afraid to tell. MARTHA KENT You’re not a freak, Clark. You’re special. And one day, the whole world will know it. EXT. METROPOLIS STREETS - DAY SUPER: TWENTY YEARS LATER An adult CLARK KENT (27) makes his way through the bustling, crowded streets of Metropolis. He’s filled out to a broad-shouldered, 6’2 mountain of a man. But he still moves with the shy hesitancy of that little boy in the park. Self-conscious, hyper-vigilant against accidental physical contact; he apologizes and excuse-me’s his way to his destination: EXT. THE DAILY PLANET - DAY Clark pauses outside the steps of the grand lady herself. He takes a moment to take it in, backs away to look up at the iconic globe spinning on top of the building. INT. THE DAILY PLANET - MOMENTS LATER Clark stands outside the editor’s office; his back to the wall. He watches the blistering foot traffic with apprehension. Tries his best to disappear into the wall. Out of the office steps PERRY WHITE (60s), a gruff, old school newsman. PERRY WHITE You my new reporter? Clark stands; smiles. He’s always a bit nervous, but very friendly and jovial. 5. CLARK KENT Yes, sir. Clark Kent. Perry extends a handshake. PERRY WHITE Perry White. Clark stares at Perry’s extended hand meaningfully. He becomes nervous. An awkward pause, as Perry waits for the shake. CLARK KENT Actually, Mr. White, I don’t shake hands. Clark produces a small bottle of hand sanitizer to explain. CLARK KENT (CONT’D) Bit of a germaphobe. Perry shrugs; waves Clark into his office. INT. DAILY PLANET - PERRY WHITE’S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Perry motions towards a ratty seat in front of his desk. PERRY WHITE Might want to drape a tarp over that chair, then. Clark observes the chair with disgust. CLARK KENT I’ll stand. Perry sits; looks over Clark’s personnel file. PERRY WHITE Insurance red-flagged you. Say you’ve never been sick or injured, not so much as a single doctor’s or hospital visit in your life. And you’re a germaphobe? CLARK KENT (smiling) I like to think those two facts are correlated. 6. PERRY WHITE They also say you’ve never been vaccinated. CLARK KENT Needles and me... don’t work. Injecting myself with disease voluntarily? Thank you, no. PERRY WHITE Other things you’ve never done: (reading from file) Never played sports, never belonged to a single club in high school or college. Never been married; never made a real friend in the biz despite being a reporter for 7 years. You live alone and only socialize with your parents. CLARK KENT Wow, your researchers are very thorough. PERRY WHITE So, let me ask you, Kent. What do I need with a reporter who’s afraid of the world? Clark Kent sits to consider the question. CLARK KENT Well, Mr. White. I think that’s what makes me a good reporter. I’m an outsider. Always have been. But that makes me objective. Lets me see what people too close to the action might miss. Perry White looks Kent over. Impressed. He calls out to a leggy brunette racing past his office. PERRY WHITE Lane! LOIS LANE (25) backtracks to Perry’s office door. Short temper; shorter skirt - she’s what used to be known in the newspaper business as a “pistol”: sharp-tongued, sharp- witted, and drop-dead gorgeous. Perpetually on her blu-tooth phone, she holds off Perry with a finger - “one minute”. 7. Clark is immediately enthralled - he can’t take his eyes off her. LOIS LANE (to phone) Don’t try to handle me, Tom! I cannot be handled! (to Perry) Yeah, Chief? PERRY WHITE You’re going to that press thingie with that rich, handsome whatshisface? LOIS LANE On my way, now. PERRY WHITE Take Kent here with you. Lois notices Kent for the first time, leans rudely right into his face. LOIS LANE Who? Perry motions to them as he gives the introductions. PERRY WHITE Sorry. Clark Kent, impartial observer of the human condition. Lois Lane, eager participant. Lois offers Clark a handshake. LOIS LANE Oh. Hey. (to phone) Fine, put me on hold, but I’m not hanging up! I’ll stay here all day! Clark stares at Lois’ hand nervously. Lois notices her hand isn’t being shaken. Looks to Perry for an explanation. PERRY WHITE Germaphobe. Lois grabs Clark’s hand and shakes it anyway. LOIS LANE I’m clean. 8. She walks away, and takes Clark’s heart with her. Perry notices Clark is smitten. PERRY WHITE Get after her, kid. Clark recovers; cleans his hands with sanitizer. CLARK KENT Oh, right. What am I... where are we...? PERRY WHITE She’ll fill you in. And Kent? He nods towards Clark’s hands as Clark scrubs them. PERRY WHITE (CONT’D) You’ll never achieve anything in life until you’re willing to get your hands dirty. Clark pockets his hand sanitizer. CLARK KENT Yes, sir. EXT. METROPOLIS STREETS - DAY Clark struggles to keep pace with Lois, who won’t even break stride for traffic. Clark on the other hand says excuse me to every person he passes. CLARK KENT Ms. Lane! Ms. Lane. Clark finally closes the distance, falls in step with her. CLARK KENT (CONT’D) Sorry, we haven’t been properly introduced.