This is the Finale of the Winter Games Special. Last time, we got a look at how things would end if Spyro and Cynder chose the neutral faction of this three way war, represented by Lex Luthor. And now, we're going back to that decision point for our second ending. The other ending involved in the tie for first place: The Insurgency Ending. So what happens when Spyro and Cynder side with Batman? Read on to discover...
(Our story resumes as we started last time: Batman, Lex Luthor, and Superman at a stand-off, each prepared to fight to the end, and Spyro and Cynder on the sideline, trying to figure out exactly what's going on, still trying to figure out who to side with)
Superman: This madness has to end, Bruce!
Batman: Not if it means another avoidable loss of life.
(At this point, the dragons have decided, and they stand with Batman.)
Superman: You two turn on me now?
Spyro: Bruce is right, we can't risk those trapped in these cities by killing Brainiac.
Superman: And here I thought you understood my point. Now I see I was wrong.
(At this point, all out war breaks loose. Superman starts by attacking Batman, but Cynder is quick to headbutt him away, where Green Lantern takes over fighting him. Flash tries to subdue Wonder Woman but fails. Robin starts fighting Catwoman, while Supergirl and Lex Luthor are just trying to get the fight to stop, with both trying to stop a punch Superman is about to throw)
Supergirl: You don't want to do this, Kal.
Superman: I may not, but I have to!
(And as Superman throws off Supergirl and Lex Luthor, Spyro and Cynder rush to their aid, but are blocked by Aquaman.)
Cynder: Aquaman, please! You don't want to follow in the Regime's madness!
Aquaman: I'm not following anyone! That's what you two never understood about Atlantis. It's an ancient kingdom, with an old fashioned sense of justice.
(Now the battle begins. Spyro clearly remembers his last battle with the King of Atlantis when the Regime was toppled, and Cynder is quick to pick up on the strategy, and the two have Aquaman on the mat in a matter of moments, with Batman arriving just as the fight ends.)
Spyro: Sometimes what's old isn't what's best.
(As this fight ends, we resume the total war going on outside, where Green Lantern and Superman are continuing their brawl, with Green Lantern having used a construct hand to throw Superman out of the Skull Ship altogether. But as the two marvel at this sight, Aquaman attempts an ambush, but Cynder sees it coming, stops him, flips the trident out of his hands and stabs him in the leg with it)
Cynder: This fighting needs to end, Aquaman! Don't make me do to you what I did to Grodd.
(As all of this is going on, we see Wonder Woman rush into the fray, grabbing Spyro by the wings, pulling them out of their sockets, and flying him outside the Skull Ship, with Cynder realizing what's going on and flying right out behind them)
Wonder Woman: Kal was a fool to trust you.
Spyro: (Amidst his groans of pain) And I was a fool to think we could trust you.
Wonder Woman: You forget, with your wings disabled, one drop from this height will kill you.
(At this point, Spyro's just sick of Wonder Woman, and actually spits in her face. This slight clearly does not go unacknowledged, as she drops him with no remorse. But thankfully, Cynder flies in and rescues him, just like he did her in Convexity all those years ago, flying him safely to the ground, followed shortly by Batman.)
Cynder: (As she sets Spyro down) Are you okay?
Spyro: My wings are killing me, but otherwise I'm alright.
(At this point, Wonder Woman glides down and prepares for a battle)
Wonder Woman: You dare spit in the face of the Queen of the Amazons?!
Cynder: You are no Queen, Diana. Not any longer. You forfeited that title when you tried to force Themyscira into your attempted power grab.
Wonder Woman: Then it appears we are at an impasse.
Cynder: One I shall clear by besting you in combat. Again.
(Now the rematch begins, Cynder vs Wonder Woman. Just like their duel on Themyscira years ago, both are pretty evenly matched. But ultimately, Cynder proves the superior combatant, and the Amazon is wrestled to the ground.)
Cynder: This time, when I say "stay down", I mean it.
(As Wonder Woman lays broken and battered on the ground, we see Batman is tending to Spyro's wounds.)
Batman: This is going to hurt. A lot.
Spyro: (Sarcastically) Thanks for the warning.
(And with that, Batman pops Spyro's wings back into their sockets)
Batman: You're still not going to by flying for a while.
Cynder: (Not seeing a red streak on the horizon, then taking Batman's comm link) Where's Superman?
Supergirl: (Picking up on the other end) Heading straight for the Batcave.
Batman: (Taking his comm link back) Hold him there as long as you can. We're on the way.
(With that, Batman summons the Batmobile, and the group is on their way, arriving as we transition to the front of the cave, where Supergirl is running onto one of the catwalks, followed by Superman, who is himself followed by Lex Luthor)
Superman: It's no accident you brought me here, Kara.
Lex Luthor: Of course it isn't.
Supergirl: Kal, you have to stop this!
Superman: I'm sorry, Kara. But it's become clear to me this world needs the Regime. As it was.
(Seeing Kara is threatened, Spyro and Cynder drop in between her and Superman as Batman drops in the back, fully kitted out in his Kryptonite Suit.)
Lex Luthor: Clark, please, listen to reason. Don't let Diana's corruption stand.
Superman: You think I wanted any of this, Lex?! I thought I could fix this world with peaceful means. Diana tried to tell me the whole time I needed steel more than I did compassion. (Looking at his hands, one of which is bloodied from the cut on his chest) And to this day I'm still not sure whether she's right.
Batman: Following her advice didn't bring peace, Clark. It started a war.
Superman: I know, Bruce. But now, after losing Metropolis twice, I see she was right. This universe is cold, and unkind. It doesn't change for the compassionate, it changes for the cold.
Cynder: Don't go down this path, Clark.
Superman: (Seeing the group around him, realizing the friends he's lost, then to Batman) You know, fighting on the same side, after all these years, it felt like the old times again. But, I guess we both knew this was the only way it could end.
Batman: Do you remember, the night you told me Lois was pregnant?
Superman: You knew before anyone else. Before even Lex here. I didn't even have to say anything.
Batman: That was a good memory.
Lex Luthor: And they're the ones the world has tried to hold onto. That we've tried to hold onto.
Superman: I miss who we were back then. When the three of us used to pal around like we'd known each other since childhood.
Lex Luthor: Clark, what are you saying?
Superman: That those days, are from a lifetime ago.
(And with that, Clark fires his heat vision straight into Lex Luthor's eyes, mirroring how he killed Shazam all those years ago, as everyone else looks on in abject horror. But we see a tear run down his face as he ceases the onslaught, with Lex Luthor dead in the aftermath)
Superman: I'm sorry, old friend. I couldn't bear to let you see what I've become.
(This just drives Spyro over the edge, as he tackles Superman from behind straight through a wall)
Spyro: All these years I thought I had helped you. I honestly thought you were just a grieving man looking for someone to vent to. Someone who ended up in a toxic relationship after losing the one most dear to them. Now I see the truth I should've seen all those years ago. The man who took a Kryptonite bullet to save a dragon he hardly knew is gone.
Superman: All this time, I was holding on to the ashes of who I was, refusing to embrace who I needed to be.
(At this point, Batman and Cynder arrive on the scene, ready to help, but Spyro stops them)
Spyro: Leave this one to me.
(Thus begins the fight of all fights: Spyro vs Superman. The two titans of unparalleled power are fairly evenly matched going into the battle, but ultimately, even Superman succumbs to the power of the Purple Dragon. But Spyro does not relent on Superman, pummeling him until he literally breaks his nose before throwing him straight to the ground. Superman looks for a moment like he's going to get back up, but the collapses, unconscious. And Spyro, he's not far behind, falling exhausted on the battlefield. Batman binds Superman's wrists with Kryptonite cuffs while Cynder sees if Spyro's okay.)
Cynder: That looked like it took a lot out of you.
Spyro: Let's just say there was a lot of pent up aggression from last time we were here to get out.
(At this point, Supergirl enters the room and immediately sees Superman unconscious)
Supergirl: (To Batman) Is he...
Spyro: He'll be out a while.
Batman: I'm sorry, Kara.
Supergirl: For what?
Batman: For not being able to save him.
(As the entire group deals with the emotional load of this scene, we transition to the next morning, where Superman is being depowered by Gold Kryptonite beams, with Supergirl nowhere in sight. Within moments, Superman is fully depowered.)
Cynder: Kryptonite rays are off, Kara. You're safe now.
(At this point, Supergirl enters, ready to see her cousin off.)
Superman: Powers or no powers, the Phantom Zone can't hold me. I will be back.
Batman: And we'll be ready.
(With that, Batman powers on the Phantom Zone projector, but before Superman steps in, Supergirl walks up to him)
Supergirl: Kal, I wish I could've saved you.
Superman: We were family, Kara.
Supergirl: And I hope that one day, we can be again.
(At this point, Superman, with a tear in his eye, walks into the Phantom Zone projector, banishing himself)
Batman: (To Supergirl) Are you okay?
Supergirl: No. (Seeing the crest of the House of El on her chest) This symbol was meant to give people hope. He made them fear it.
Spyro: The meaning of that symbol is dictated by the person who wears it.
Batman: Spyro's right. When Clark and I founded the Justice League, we didn't govern people. We protected them, plain and simple. You've shown me the world needs a team like that again.
Supergirl: Even so, it'll have to be without me.
Cynder: What?
Supergirl: No matter what I do, people will run in fear of Kryptonians for the rest of time. I can't lead the new Justice League anymore. (To Batman) Bruce...
Batman: I can't. Not after what's happened. Flash and Green Lantern have things well in hand.
Spyro: And what will you do?
Batman: I... don't know. Barbara and Jason seem to have Gotham covered in my absence. Maybe it's time that Batman retires from active work. I think I'll just... advise from this point.
Supergirl: Now I just need to figure out what I'll do.
Cynder: Kara, you're entirely welcome to come with us, if you'd like to.
Supergirl: Really?
Spyro: It may take some getting used to, but I think Cynder's right. You'd feel right at home in the Dragon Realms. Plenty of open skies, no stress of saving the world on a daily basis.
Supergirl: I think I'll take you up on that offer.
Batman: (Seeing the joy this brings, Kara) Alright then. (As he opens a portal to the Dragon Realms) I'm sure the others will miss you though, Kara.
Supergirl: And I'm going to miss them. But, if things ever get to be too much, you know where to find me.
Batman: That I do.
(With that, Spyro, Cynder, and Supergirl step through the portal to the Dragon Realms as Batman closes it behind them, ending our tale for today)
This concludes the Winter Games Special. So, that was our Insurgency Ending. While definitely not the ending I'd choose as canon, it's certainly an interesting one. Did I go too far in having Supergirl straight up leave her universe? Maybe, but I feel it was something interesting to do with this story. Next time, it's pretty clear which ending lost the poll. So be sure to tune in to see how it goes! Same time... same channel!