[explosions]
[guns firing]
[tense music playing]
[Van Dawson] This is more than the passing of a historical figure.
It's more than the end of an era.
Marvelous Man
was our savior
and protector.
We have lost our father.
[sniffles]
[exhales, sniffles]
[men laughing evilly]
[boy] No, no, no, no, no, no!
Pl... please!
- [gun fires] - [gasps]
[Knight Hawk] It's been 36 hours since Marvelous Man's supposed suicide.
Initial autopsy showed nothing out of the ordinary.
The world is acting as expected.
Crying to the heavens! [wails]
[man screams]
[narrator] The fissures of our recent cataclysm
have let slip the dogs of pandemonium,
crying havoc and feasting on the spoils of chaos.
Violence was on the rise in every major metropolis,
and Carnegie City's crooked chief constable
conspired to clinch crime's crown.
[ominous music playing]
[villain screams, gasps]
[grunts]
[villain coughs]
[gun cocking]
[men grunting]
[straining]
Want a donut? It's okay. I won't hurt you.
- That's fucked up. - [Chief Constable] Inspector!
- [girls crying] - What the hell do you think you're doing?
Good evening, ladies. Come here.
I know a guy.
A therapist-monk or something or other, right,
with deep-ass pockets, who'll pay top dollar for kids like these,
but only if they're pristine, you stupid, fat fuck.
Oh.
Come here.
- [sirens wailing] - [indistinct chatter on police radio]
I want you to get a truck down here
and I want you to load these little shits up. Do you hear me?
And be gentle. All right?
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
What ab... [sighs]
what about the... the Hawk?
Yeah.
[chuckles]
With Marvelous Man dead, I'm in charge!
You hear me?
Yeah.
The Knight Hawk,
he's got bigger fish to fry.
[gun firing]
[narrator] But a certain clown, commonly called Mr. Smiles,
could not abide the Commissioner's claim to his criminal kingship.
[man screaming]
[knife piercing]
- [man groans, screams] - [squelching]
[Mr. Smiles] Almost done, Commissioner.
♪ Smile for me tonight ♪
[knife slices]
♪ Take away the pain I feel ♪
Smile.
♪ Inside ♪
♪ Smile for me tonight ♪
♪ Take away the pain I feel... ♪
Cause of death appears to be a single gunshot wound to the head.
[gun fires]
[car engine revving]
[Knight Hawk] The murder weapon wasn't the gun. It was the bullet.
A caltronite bullet, to be exact.
An element created when Marvelous Man's home planet of Caltron
was destroyed by an evil cosmic titan.
[electric humming]
[Knight Hawk] The bullet that killed Marvelous Man
was made by Lockwood Industries.
[jet engine whirring]
[Knight Hawk] Logan Lockwood hated Marvelous Man.
[electro music playing]
[Knight Hawk] And he never shut up about it.
Marvelous Man was a crutch. A drug that we became overly reliant on.
A drug so potent
that we ignored the fact that this alien once killed a human in cold blood,
which is why I created a bullet to stop him.
I had no idea he'd then use that bullet to kill himself.
And now...
[gun cocks, fires]
he's gone.
[Knight Hawk] A decade ago, Lockwood spent $1.2 billion
synthesizing a caltronite meteor into a single bullet that he called...
[computer] Godkiller!
Powerful!
Precise!
Patriotic! Patriotic!
Lockwood Industries.
[Knight Hawk] To interrogate Logan, first I have to take out his henchmen.
[suspenseful music playing]
[announcer] Fight!
[intense music playing]
[grunting]
- [henchman 1 straining] - [metallic thudding]
[henchman 1 grunts, shouts]
[Knight Hawk shouts]
[both straining]
[Knight Hawk shouts]
[Knight Hawk efforts, shouts]
- [grunting] - [Knight Hawk shouts]
- [knife unsheaths] - [squelching]
[henchman 2 whimpers]
[henchman 3 cries out]
[bell dings]
[henchman 4 grunts]
[Logan] Eat a dick, Hawk, 'cause I'm not telling you anything.
[Knight Hawk] Listen, Logan, the world is on the brink of war over his death.
Do you really want even more blood on your hands?
[communicator chiming]
[Knight Hawk] What is it, Speed?
The team needs to meet face-to-face.
We have to decide who's going to lead the Gu...
Okay. I'm bored now. I'm gonna tell you what you need to know.
A few days before the alien offed himself,
there was a break-in into my armory where I stored the Godkiller bullet.
The footage goes static right at that moment.
[suspenseful music playing]
It's almost like someone just walked in and walked out with my equipment.
[Knight Hawk] I'm taking your schematics and security footage
so I can track down this bullet thief.
My advice to you, ask Marvelous Man for help.
Oh, wait. No. He took the easy way out.
[ominous music playing]
I've decided to take my investigative techniques to the next level.
[electro music playing]
[crowd shouting]
[Knight Hawk] You reacted to something, or someone, right in the end.
A witness, or a murderer.
[gun firing]
[Knight Hawk] In a world of superheroes, alien technology and magic,
never trust appearances.
[shouting]
[The Speed] Breathe deep, Speed.
Draw in the Fast Force.
Feel connected to humanity across time and dimension.
Breathe.
And know your power.
[phone ringing]
[Knight Hawk] Speed, you're right. We should have a team meeting.
My lair in 60 seconds.
[screeching]
[suspenseful music playing]
[Knight Hawk] I'd like to interview each of you
about your relationship with Marvelous Man.
Interview or interrogate?
- That depends on your answers. - [gun fires]
[distorted] Why here and not the Citadel of Justice?
The Citadel of Justice is an active crime scene right now.
Maybe we need a new base then.
[King Tsunami] Most of this planet is covered in water.
Makes sense to have an underwater base.
No.
- Why not? - Because that's stupid.
[laughing]
We'll continue to meet here until this investigation is terminated.
One more thing. The world is struggling.
They trusted Marvelous Man.
He was loved because of his humanity.
We need to show the world that we have that.
I've updated all your mission briefings.
Go!
- [music stops] - [crickets chirping]
[coughing]
[clears throat]
[water bubbling]
[sighs]
[dramatic music playing]
I don't like repeating myself.
[breath shuddering]
Him being gone doesn't make you automatically in charge.
[clears throat]
[music stops]
Fuck.
[funky music playing]
[horse whinnies]
[door creaks]
♪ Well, things are on the low You gotta go where they all be playing ♪
♪ Be only My heart hits the streets again ♪
[narrator] Our determined dark detective was left unsatisfied by his investigation,
but matters of supreme import,
nothing less than the potential evisceration of Marvelous Man's memory,
would seize his attention.
[news theme music]
[reporter] Superhero, super heartache. How long has Marvelous Man been hiding...
[reporter 2] Impervious to guns? Marvelous Man uses gun to end his life.
[reporter 3] Why have the Guardians denied questioning?
[in Arabic] Did Marvelous Man
have a history of mental health problems?
[dramatic music playing]
[inhales] He was seeing a therapist.
[reporter 1] Why would a man almost a god, need therapy?
[reporter 2] What did he discuss with this therapist?
[reporter 1 ]Who is qualified to be a therapist?
[reporter 2] The people deserve answers.
[reporter 1] Who is this therapist that treated the mind of a god?
Welcome to the show, Dr. Ravencroft!
[electro-funk music playing]
[crowd cheering, whistling]
[coins clanging]
♪ You gotta have a good time ♪
[in Mandarin] I was Marvelous Man's psychiatrist and spiritual healer.
It is my sacred duty to share my intimate knowledge of his pain...
- [Phil] Oh! - [gunshot]
[Dr. Ravencroft in Mandarin] ...in my book.
[in English] Available pre-pay now.
[crowd cheering]
- [Phil chuckles] Ooh. - [gun fires]
Dr. Ravencroft
is breaking his oath as a healer.
[in French] Dr. Ravencroft's book is the publishing phenomenon of the decade.
[reporter in Arabic] Dr. Ravencroft's analysis of a man believed to be God...
[in Hebrew] Is smashing all records for preorder.
[Van Dawson] I urge my countrymen to cancel their preorders
for Dr. Ravencroft's abortion of a book.
Do not reward the exploitation of Marvelous Man's memory.
[man] And now a word from our sponsors.
Why did Marvelous Man kill himself?
[gun cocks]
[man] Why?
Only Dr. Ravencroft, Marvelous Man's personal guru,
can give you a glimpse at his mental collapse.
[growling]
[man] Anger.
[electricity crackling]
[man] Depression.
Scandal.
Preorder the book of the century for $999, plus shipping and handling.
[screeching]
[boy grunting]
[shouting]
- [sighs] - Mm-hmm. Training?
Yeah. Knight Hawk said that your body is like a sword,
and to always keep that sharp.
He also said that the mind is one of the greatest weapons of all.
So how about we train that for a while?
[Knight Hawk] Little Wing, AKA Osmond Sanders.
He survived the massacre I was too late to stop.
The scars that were left on him I recognize all too well,
so I took him under my wing
and I trained him to control his abilities.
Don't let the appearance fool you.
Inside of him is a power, a darkness,
an eternal flame of a fearless warrior in a child's body.
And that's why I brought him with me to meet Dr. Ravencroft.
Because he'll unleash hell.
[Dr. Ravencroft chanting]
Knight Hawk.
What an unexpected pleasure.
I don't need a translator. Leave.
Oh. I am much more than a translator.
I am his vehicle!
And I am his advocate! And...
[screams, roars]
[distorted] You will pay for your disrespect!
[announcer] Boss Battle!
[Little Wing] Shut the fuck up, you little bitch!
- [announcer] KO. - Little Wing!
- [Little Wing] Fuck! - [Knight Hawk] Little Wing!
[Dr. Ravencroft laughing]
[in Mandarin] Quite the father figure.
For the next five seconds
I shall mock your ancestors.
[squelching]
[laughing]
Marvelous Man came to you because he needed help.
You failed.
You really fucking failed.
And now you want to monetize his misery?
[whooshing]
I don't think so.
[in Mandarin] Marvelous Man told me
he feared the darkness in your soul.
You need to think about that, Doctor.
Think about that long and hard.
If a man like him...
was afraid of a man like me...
what does that tell you?
[suspenseful music playing]
[in Mandarin] Your breath smells like paranoia.
[Knight Hawk chuckles]
[in Mandarin] You assume evil because that is all you know.
[computer] Hawk Drone surveillance footage activated.
I know a guy, a therapist-monk or something or other...
[explosions]
[electricity crackling]
[Chief Constable]... with deep-ass pockets
who'd pay top dollar for kids like these.
But only if they're pristine.
- [growling] - [man screams]
[Knight Hawk] Imagine what's gonna happen to your practice
if this were ever to get leaked to the media.
I want your Marvelous Man book to never see the light of day.
The files, the notes, the data, all come to me.
Or else... I'll unleash Little Wing again.
[wiggling]
[in Mandarin] I only treated Marvelous Man once.
He spent our session ranting about something called "Mellow Devil."
I didn't write the book.
I was paid to put my name on it.
[Knight Hawk] Paid by whom?
[Logan] It's truly wonderful that Marvelous Man's dead,
but that's not enough.
We need to eviscerate his legacy as well.
If we don't act now, this public adoration and worship of superheroes
is gonna get passed down from one generation to the next.
[in Mandarin] What are you suggesting, tiny, brown death merchant?
[Logan] You and the alien had a meeting.
I've written a speculative book
that I would like you to publish under your name,
outlining your "therapy sessions" with him.
You're gonna tell the world
how this constant barrage of adoration and public worship
turned Marvelous Man into the mentally-shattered megalomaniac
who killed himself on TV.
[in Mandarin] You talk and talk,
but what's in it for me?
I will use my influence
to squash certain rumors about your...
predilections.
Think about the TV deals.
The brand deals.
The endorsement deals. The deal deals.
You'll have so much money, I'll make it rain on you.
[laughing]
Little Wing.
Dr. Ravencroft's menstrual discharge of a book
has been pulled from publication.
All copies are being destroyed, and Dr. Ravencroft has gone into hiding.
No explanation has been given by the publisher,
but I personally see this as a triumph for decency and common sense.
Marvelous Man deserves better
than to have his memory tarnished by a manipulative scoundrel.
I'm gonna go out and get you a quaalude.
[inhales] I think it'll help.
[breath shuddering]
[Van Dawson] Our own investigation into Dr. Ravencroft
has exposed a man who should not be trusted.
A con artist. A fraud. A cult leader.
Master, um, I've prepared your next patient.
Everything is going just swimmingly, and I'll have her ready for you in...
[knife slashes]
[electricity crackling]
[gasps, gurgles]
[sinister music playing]
[announcer] Fatality.
[in Mandarin] I cannot be killed.
[music intensifies]
[squelching]
[man grunts]
[Knight Hawk] If I'm gonna investigate the Guardians and stabilize the planet,
I need someone I can trust, someone I trained,
someone who has the ear of the president.
[computer beeping]
[Knight Hawk] Computer,
locate Red Talon and transmit.
[Red Talon] Your days of hijacking American subs are over,
you sheep-diddling bastard.
[gun fires]
[guard grunts]
[Knight Hawk] Red Talon, come in.
What the fuck do you want, you geriatric prick?
[Knight Hawk] Red Talon, AKA Mick Mason.
He's still the scared little boy I took in after his family was murdered.
I found him covered in blood.
[screams]
[Knight Hawk] I trained him, made him my protégé.
I loved him like a son.
But like most fathers and sons,
there was tension.
Today, he works for the president.
[Red Talon] Bird Man, long time, no talk.
[Knight Hawk] I need your help.
I thought you looked more like an owl than a hawk.
[Scottish Skull] Intruder alert!
- Kill this bastard. - [Red Talon] Here we go.
- Red Talon, defending freedom. - [gun fires]
Red Talon, I want you to come to the Hawk's Nest.
I have work for you.
[Scottish Skull] Man your stations!
Can't you see I'm a little busy?
Who do you think you're talking to?
[Scottish Skull] The government is here.
[Knight Hawk] Did you forget everything I've taught you?
[man moans]
[gun fires three times]
[Knight Hawk] Jesus, Red!
Fuck off. Wait, wait. No. Before you fuck off, watch this.
Ca-caw!
[Scottish Skull] He's moving with the grace of a fucking ballerina!
[man grunts]
[Knight Hawk] Guns are gonna get you killed.
No.
Guns are so much cooler than Hawk Stars,
or whatever you're throwing at people these days, fucking pussy.
[Scottish Skull] he Scottish Skull is going to kill you.
[Knight Hawk] You little shit.
I taught you better than to be a mindless weapon for the president.
[Scottish Skull] I surrender. I love America. I want to move there.
[henchman groans]
I should have let those drug-peddling drug dealers keep that little fuck.
End fucking transmission.
[Scottish Skull] Red Talon,
you may have won the battle,
but I do know that you will lose the war to me,
the Scottish Skull!
[announcer] Boss battle!
[electro music playing]
[thudding]
[announcer] America wins.
Flawless victory.
[squeaks]
[Knight Hawk] With the Guardians as suspects
and Red Talon being an asshole,
I need to turn to something else to help this investigation.
Within the first hour of Marvelous Man's death, I did three things.
I locked down the Citadel,
I brought his body to the Hawk's Nest,
and I secured the Cortex.
The Cortex is all that is left of Cal and his people.
The power it gives off would kill most humans.
It's my best hope for solving his death
and preventing nuclear war.
Cortex, activate.
Begin Neurosync.
[Cortex] Caltronian DNA not detected.
[Knight Hawk] Hmm.
Good point.
[Cortex] I would not recommend human use of the Neurosync.
- [Knight Hawk] Just do it. - [Cortex] Fine.
[Knight Hawk] Cortex, activate!
[Cortex] Brain pairing initiated.
[computer beeping, whirring]
[computer humming intensely]
[dramatic music playing]
[inaudible]
[computer powering up]
Hello, Atticus. I am Cortex.
Wow.
[breathes heavily]
Okay. Let's do this.
Cortex, upload the bullet vault schematics I acquired from Lockwood Industries.
I need a list of every single person on the planet
with the skills or powers necessary to get past Lockwood's security.
[Cortex] Only two people are fast enough to get in and out in 0.027 seconds.
First suspect. Motion Blur.
Motion Blur. I didn't even think of him.
[grunts]
[Cortex] Maximum speed, 4,000 kilometers per hour.
Best known for robbing ten banks simultaneously.
Only known weakness, drug addiction.
Escaped from Bedlam Asylum six months ago.
Current whereabouts unknown.
Second suspect...
[Knight Hawk chuckles] Let me guess.
[phone ringing]
[Knight Hawk] Speed, I need you to track down
your arch-nemesis Motion Blur.
He's the lead suspect in my investigation.
[music crescendoes]
[theme music playing]