Alex approached Winn in a dark alley. He was beaten up with a bloody lip and his clothes ruffed up. "God damn, Winn, what the fuck happened to you?" Alex asked alarmed.
"These aliens, if I don't give them the Kryptonite, they'll kill me," Winn said deadly serious.
Alex pulled out her pistol to show him she was serious. "Hold up, Winn, if we don't fight these guys, we're f...," she said, and then the magazine from her pistol fell to the ground. "Shit," she realized.
"Cut!" General Wood ordered, the director.
Major Dumbo, the screenwriter, laughed amused at the prop failure.
"Sorry, sorry everyone," Lieutenant Robinson said sheepishly. "Of course, it happens when the writers are among us."
"There's only one writer here due to the strike," Gen. Wood said annoyed.
"What's my brilliant line again?" Lt. Robinson asked.
"If we don't fight these guys, we're fucked," Maj. Dumbo reminded her.
"Yeah, but why are we fucked?" Lt. Robinson asked confused.
"If we don't defeat the aliens, we don't get peace on Earth, goodwill towards men," Maj. Dumbo said vaguely.
"That doesn't sound very American," Lt. Robinson pointed out.
"Alright, how about sex and resource allocations?" Maj. Dumbo humored her.
"There we go," Lt. Robinson approved.
"Of course, the real Alex wasn't about sex and money so just take whatever fucking motivation I give you," Maj. Dumbo told her off.
At a Hollywood party, Wood and Dumbo got into a drunken argument. "Why the fuck should writers be striking when the issue is over set-builders?" he asked Dumbo.
"What I write, the set-builders build and what they build you shoot," Dumbo said obviously. "Now, you've ranked up as high as you can so why shouldn't they? Why can't we help them?"
"Listen to yourself, there are only so many slots for each rank. We can't all be generals," Wood argued.
"The strike is over, Wood. You've won. Just be a gracious winner," Dumbo scolded.
"No, it's never over with you people," Wood replied.
"You people? What the fuck?" Dumbo wondered. "I'm a commissioned officer."
"You strike like all the rest," Wood accused.
"To seek justice," Dumbo said passionately.
"Fuck everyone going on strike," Wood said passionately.
"Fuck yourself, Sir," Dumbo shot back.
Kara gave the two men an odd look as she enjoyed a vodka martini. She went over to them to break up the argument. "Your Majesty," they said immediately as she came by.
"Look, I'm not giving resource allocations to people who don't work. I'll demote every one of those strikers to E-1 on minimum income and have them work their way back up. You're all spoiled, you know that? Every one of those strikers has a better quality of life than previous centuries. As the economy grows, everyone gets a raise. That's how this system works. Barney increases the size and scope of the economy with his drones and it trickles down to all of us. All boats rise as the tide rises," Kara said to Dumbo.
Kara then turned to Wood. "That doesn't give you an excuse to be an asshole to your subordinates. I can demote anyone to nothing," she warned.
In movie theaters worldwide, a new movie trailer was shown. It was The Adventures of Supergirl. The crowd went wild in anticipation. As the trailer continued, they saw Kara played by a human actress, Lieutenant Slater. The movie made no attempt to make her look like Kara. She had tan skin, dark eyes, and black long hair while in the old Supergirl suit. Dumbo was in the audience as his movie trailer was being featured.
The crowd was livid and started a riot. Popcorn went everywhere, drinks were poured over people's heads, and Dumbo had to fear for his life. As he escaped the movie theater with his family, other movie-going patrons who also saw the trailer in other theaters came for his head. "Traitor!" the crowd yelled. Dumbo was apprehended by the crowd, brought outside, taken to a factory, thrown into a tank full of tar, and then covered in feathers. His feathered body was then paraded around the city until he was finally dumped into a dumpster.
Riots burst out all over the world at various movie theaters as radical movie-goers were pissed at the portrayal of their queen on screen. Drones had to step in to provide security to movie theater personnel. For their own safety and to appease the crowd, Wood, Dumbo, Slater, Robinson, and anyone else publicly tied to the production were put on a leave of absence.
At his ranch, Dumbo was a bit disgruntled. "Daddy, are you a traitor?" his daughter asked adorably.
"I guess so," Dumbo muttered resentfully.
"Is that against the law?" his daughter asked.
"People are just talking shit. It's not serious," he assured her.
"A man with a big hat says you're a dangerous radical. Are you?" his daughter pressed.
"Radical? Maybe. Dangerous? Fuck yeah," he confirmed. "I love my planet and its monarchy. It's a good government, but I subscribe to the idea that humanity should be represented in films, even if the character is a space alien."
"Represented?" his daughter questioned.
"We all know that Supergirl, the queen, is blond-haired, blue-eyed, and pale complexion, but what does it matter the appearance of the actress that plays her?" Dumbo asked rhetorically.
"So we know that it's her?" his daughter figured.
"Well, of course, we know it's her on screen. She's wearing the costume and the writing makes it obvious," Dumbo said defensively.
"So, anyone can play Supergirl?" his daughter asked.
"Anyone that can act," Dumbo clarified. "And the actress I've chosen is the most talented woman in the whole world. She'll do great."
"Can't you just use special effects and make-up to make her look like Supergirl?" his daughter asked.
"No, fuck that," Dumbo refused.
Dumbo and other film radicals held a meeting over the crisis. The Adventures of Supergirl trailer was getting millions of downvotes on social media. People were writing to their congressmen to put a stop to the movie and all those associated with the production were getting daily death threats.
"Dumbo, as usual, you only make sense to you," Robinson critiqued. "What you're doing may not be illegal..."
"Yet," Dumbo said paranoid.
"Tell your friend to dial down the paranoia and have a drink," Robinson said to Maj. Hunter, a fellow screenwriter in Hollywood.
"He's not paranoid enough," Hunter said wide-eyed.
"There's a little thing called the first amendment. We need to remind Congress of that," Dumbo said to the group.
"Oh, they know. They just don't give a shit," Maj. Heard said, a fellow screenwriter. "All they care about is getting into another war and they love war."
"If you think this is just about movies, you're a fucking idiot. Which is why I'm going to have a little chat with the other side," Dumbo said.
"The purists? Are you out of your mind? They'll tar and feather you, too," Robinson warned.
"They're directors, actors, and writers just like we are," Dumbo said.
"They're fascists. They're just too cheap to wear the uniform," Robinson shook her head.
"Please, let's not demonize people," Dumbo said naively.
"You know who's going to be there, right?" Heard warned.
At a Hollywood meeting, Mon took to the podium to address a few hundred producers, directors, actors, and writers. "I got this Insane idea that historical figures on Hollywood screens should look the part. That means casting directors, make-up artists, special effects artists, voice coaches, and so on have to do their fucking jobs. If someone dares to portray me in the movies, they better look exactly like me in every way. They better look like me, talk like me, and go Super Insane like me. I have an image to protect. So, if you hire some scrawny-looking fuck that can't even get my hair right, I'm going to start busting some balls around here," Mon threatened.
Dumbo and his radicals quietly and discreetly entered the hall during Mon's speech."I never knew he was this good," Hunter said amazed.
"That's because it's not acting. This is him," Robinson reminded him.
"It's been suggested that Adventures of Supergirl is a parody so who gives a fuck? I mean, I'm not even in the first movie, so why should I give a fuck? When you're as high-ranking as we are and love the smell of our own farts, it's sometimes easy to forget why we're here. We're here for the people. And what do the people want? They want something that isn't shit. They want something to help them escape their fucked-up lives for just a few hours. This isn't about you and your vision; it's about the people," Mon concluded.
After the speech, Dumbo and his radicals passed out copies of the Constitution. "Would you like to read the Constitution?" Dumbo asked participants as they walked out.
"Fuck that," a few of them said as they exited.
General Wood took pleasure in ripping up the Constitution booklet as he exited. "Dumbo," Kara addressed as she came up to him.
"Your Majesty," Dumbo addressed wide-eyed.
"Oh, Robinson. You're the one playing my sister. You better not fuck this up," Kara warned her. "Dumbo, you've been to the movies recently?" she mocked. "And the prince, magnificent speech," Kara gestured to Mon.
"Just said what needed to be said," Mon said. He eyed the Constitution booklets they were passing out. "The fuck is this?" he asked ignorantly.
"All it says is that Congress has no right to investigate how we make movies," Dumbo said to him.
"I don't give a fuck about Congress and I wipe my ass with your so-called Constitution. I will go after anything I consider a threat to my image," Mon said deadly serious.
"And that's where we disagree and that's the point," Dumbo said boldly. "We both have the right to be wrong."
"I'm never wrong. I'm always Insane," Mon corrected. "You better wake up. Today is a new day and maybe not for your kind."
"What kind would that be?" Dumbo stared him down.
"The kind that doesn't realize what the people really want," Mon said vaguely.
"That's curious. I was a war correspondent during all the wars you started. I was on the front lines. I've seen shit," Dumbo brought up.
"You trying to say something?" Mon glared.
"I'm saying I know more about the common people than you ever will," Dumbo replied. "And if you're going to kill me, get it over with."
Mon smirked amused. "You got balls to say that to me. I may not agree with your nonsense but, God damn it, I respect your audacity" He then walked out of the hall.
Kara then followed after him giving Dumbo a curious look.
Dumbo was summoned to Brainiac 5's office in Hollywood. "I intend to promote you to lieutenant colonel which will make you the highest-ranking screenwriter in the world. You've earned it. You don't just write happy endings, you give them."
"Thank you, Sir," Dumbo said appreciatively.
"I don't suppose you see any contradiction in you being the most highly compensated screenwriter and having sympathies for Hollywood enlisted subordinates," Brainiac 5 quizzed.
"Nope," Dumbo said bluntly.
"If you wish to continue to work in this field as a commissioned officer, tread carefully with the royal family," Brainiac 5 warned.
Metropolis
Due to the outrage over the Adventures of Supergirl trailer, several generals in the film industry were hauled into Congress to testify. Senator McCarthy from the Ohio-Michigan-Wisconsin nation took point on this matter. "There is an ongoing threat in Hollywood, a conspiracy, to tan-wash our beloved queen in the movies which will further their insidious plot to overthrow the monarchy."
"Really?" the reporters wondered.
"I'll remind you all that season seven of The Crown was instrumental in the overthrow of the British monarchy in the 21st century. This is no laughing matter," Sen. McCarthy said super-serious.
During the hearings, Gen. Wood was made to answer a series of questions by various senators concerned by the trailer. "Why didn't you hire an actress that looked the part of Supergirl?" Sen. McCarthy demanded.
"There are literally no blond-haired, blue-eyed, pale women on the planet for the last several centuries," he said obviously.
"Alright, why didn't you cast a female alien to do it?" Sen. McCarthy asked.
"None applied and we couldn't recruit any to do it," Gen. Wood said flatly.
"Don't you have make-up artists and special effects artists that can make your actress look the part?" Sen. McCarthy asked.
"If we did that, the actress' performance would be so diminished to the point that it would no longer be art. We might as well just create a CGI character for Supergirl," Gen. Wood explained.
"And why wasn't that an option?" Sen. McCarthy questioned.
"It costs time and resources and our actors actually want to earn promotions and awards for their work," Gen. Wood said defensively.
"This is bullshit. This is not Supergirl," Sen. McCarthy said as a hologram of Lt. Slater appeared on the desk in a Supergirl uniform. "This is blasphemy! This is madness! I want the names of everyone that promoted this idea. I want their ass!"
At the palace, Kara watched the hearings with some amusement. "Barney, how is this going to play out?"
"The radicals will be cited for contempt of Congress, they will lose at the circuit court level, but they may win at the Supreme Court," Brainiac 5 replied.
"I don't want to punish artists. I want to empower them but this is a little personal," Kara said as she looked out the window. "I don't care how they portray me but Alex..."
"I was going to shut the movie down but the plan was to shield the royal family from this controversy by making Congress the bad guys," Brainiac 5 said.
"How considerate of you," Kara rolled her eyes. "It should be up to the people to decide how they wish to venerate me."
"With all due respect, the Church controls how Christ and the saints should be venerated, top-down. Perhaps, you should do the same," Brainiac 5 suggested.
"Isn't that a tad narcissistic?" Kara wondered.
"You're not protecting your ego. You're protecting the office you hold, the sacredness of your office," Brainiac 5 reminded her.
"The office I created for myself?" Kara asked.
"You're protecting Alex," Brainiac 5 said finally.
Kara frowned at that and saw the downvote count of the movie trailer reaching tens of millions. "They all hate it...out of love for me, for her," she said reflectively.
"Indeed," Brainiac 5 agreed.
"I see no reason to deprive the people of the opportunity to make their love for me known by hating this movie," Kara concluded.
Dumbo was hauled before Congress to answer some questions about his movie. Sen. McCarthy took point on the questioning. "I want only yes or no answers from you. Are we clear?"
"Fuck no," Dumbo replied. "I want to introduce evidence of my past work."
"No, fuck yourself, no," Sen. McCarthy refused.
"My work will show...," Dumbo argued.
"Your screenplays are too long. I don't have time to read all your shit," Sen. McCarthy told him.
"I've heard that one before," Dumbo said dryly.
"Are you or have you ever been a total traitor to the Crown?" Sen. McCarthy asked bluntly.
"Am I being accused of a crime?" Dumbo wondered. "Where's the evidence? Why the fuck am I here?"
"You refusing to answer questions?" Sen. McCarthy asked pissed off.
"What do you got on me?" Dumbo asked.
"You will see...very soon," Sen. McCarthy promised.
"You don't got shit," Dumbo said confidently.
"The witness is excused," Sen. McCarthy said agitatedly.
"This committee is shit. You're shit. Fuck you," Dumbo said as he left the table.
Kara then graced the senatorial meeting to give her testimony on the matter. "Your Majesty, are you or have you ever been tan-skinned in your life?" Sen. McCarthy asked her.
"No," Kara answered.
"Or have you ever had a hair color other than blond?" Sen. McCarthy asked.
"No," Kara replied.
"Or have you ever had an eye color other than blue?" Sen. McCarthy continued.
"No," Kara humored him.
"And have you ever been fat, male, or homosexual?" Sen. McCarthy asked.
"No on all three accounts," Kara replied. "Let me state for the record that it is not my intention to interfere in the resource allocation and artistic freedom of the film industry. That's your job. I've only come here, today, to state the truth. Personally, I believe a film like this should have accurate characterization. I also believe it's what the people want. The film industry should not be pandering to the interests of the intelligentsia but to the people. That's just my opinion and anyone with a shred of loyalty to the Crown should review bomb the fuck out of this movie and boycott it."
After the hearings, ten high-ranking officers were charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to answer basic questions. Kara and Brainiac 5 held a meeting on the issue. "Barney, what do you do when you love the people but they don't love you back?"
"You fight?" he shrugged.
"No, you love them even more until they surrender," Kara corrected.
"How's your daughter?" Brainiac 5 asked, ignoring her son.
"Fine, fine," Kara replied vaguely.
"You raised a real hero," Brainiac 5 complimented.
"Which is why I wish to tell her that we're doing all we can to protect this planet from deviants in the film industry," Kara said.
"It's complicated. The Constitution and UCMJ limit what I can do against commissioned officers," Brainiac 5 excused.
"I'm not going to let these pissants defile my good looks," Kara said resolved.
"I'm running a studio here, an industry that wastes resources to entertain humans to extravagant degrees," Brainiac 5 protested.
"Those thirty-five million pissed-off people that voted down that trailer are going to want to know why you haven't fired those traitors. What if I start listing names and have the good people take care of this issue for me?" Kara threatened.
"I'm not sure I like what you're implying," Brainiac 5 disagreed.
"A few years ago, you were nothing. I brought you in, gave you power, and gave you the ability to replicate yourself ten billion times. And then the second I need you, you do nothing. I guess I shouldn't have expected more from a drone," Kara insulted.
"Surely, you don't mean that," Brainiac 5 said patiently.
"You trying to fuck me, Barney?" Kara stared him down. "You can't defeat me on the battlefield so you do it through the film industry? You're going to fix this fuck-up or I'm going to destroy this whole industry."
Shortly thereafter, Brainiac 5 fired the Hollywood Ten and sent them back to the enlisted ranks. He proceeded to make a speech to reporters on the matter. "No studio will ever employ a traitor or anyone refusing to cooperate with congressional hearings."
The Hollywood Ten appealed their judgment to the judicial system. They were quickly convicted of contempt of Congress with criminal penalties this time. Dumbo was now facing a demotion to E-1 and potential exile. "I'm in total contempt of this Congress. I just figured the jury would see why," he said dryly to reporters.
Dumbo tried to pull a fast one by submitting scripts of Adventures of Supergirl to Hunter in exchange for resource allocation gifts. Brainiac 5 easily saw through the ruse but did nothing to stop it out of principle. Dumbo was now ghostwriting the Adventures of Supergirl film.
At the palace, Kara read Hunter's supposed script. "Alex is gay in the first movie? What the fuck?" she asked outraged.
"Major Hunter believed it would add diversity and realism to the character," Brainiac 5 said defensively.
"Because every strong woman with a gun must be gay, right?" Kara scoffed.
"In point of fact, she is gay," Brainiac 5 reminded her.
"Holy shit," Kara mock realized. "You telling me Major Hunter just happened to be right on this?"
"He's very insightful. Alex's story and characterization practically scream it," Brainiac 5 said.
"Does it? Because I saw no evidence whatsoever that she was gay the first year I worked with her at the DEO. This is bullshit! This cannot get out," Kara insisted.
"To be fair, the movie is a fictional account of your exploits," Brainiac 5 said calmly.
"The public isn't going to see it that way," Kara disagreed. "I recognize this writing. Did you think I wouldn't catch it? The diction, the tone, the themes, it has Dumbo all over it. That motherfucker is trying to pull a fast one on all of us. I want something done about this...now!"
Dumbo continued to get hit with more contempt of Congress charges. He was convicted and exiled to the desert wilderness of Australia along with the other nine. At the airport, pissed-off movie-goers were present with signs celebrating his exile. Reporters took his picture with his family before he was about to board the plane.
Kara watched from a distance as she saw Dumbo hug his two kids and kiss his wife goodbye. She then watched the plane take off feeling conflicted and unsettled.
Somewhere-Australia
Dumbo was thousands of kilometers away from the nearest civilization in his exile. There was no electricity, water was scarce, but ammunition and gasoline were plentiful. The exiles could get around on primitive gas-guzzling vehicles with the understanding they would get zapped if they ever got close to actual Australian civilization on the coasts. It was, in many ways, a death sentence without being so. The people of this land tended to be bald, shirtless, and wearing black pants and boots. Many of them were high on meth on a regular basis.
Dumbo was forced to join a gang to survive, but they had their own initiation process. "Spread your cheeks and lift your sack," Virgil ordered him, a tall muscular warlord. Dumbo obliged as he was given the "health inspection."
Later, Virgil talked with Dumbo about why he had been exiled in the first place. "You made Supergirl look tan...like one of us? The fuck is wrong with you?" he asked him. "Queen Kara is mother to us all."
"Agreed," Dumbo said agreeably.
"Can you write and spell?" Virgil asked him. From that time on, Dumbo became the gang's official recorder and accountant. Still, Dumbo had it rough. Virgil eyed a piece of parchment with Dumbo's writings. "You think I'm going to be grateful to you and shake your hand? Fuck off. This ain't no movie. I got twenty years in exile for killing a man trying to rob my bar. I did it and I'd do it again. Look down on me and I will fuck you up like you have never been fucked up before in your Beverly Hills life," he warned.
In an ironic twist of fate, some of Dumbo's harshest critics also found themselves in exile for other offenses.
Metropolis
Lt. Robinson was hauled before Congress to answer questions about her role as Alex Danvers in the Adventures of Supergirl. "Have you or would you ever play the role of a homosexual in film or television?" Sen. McCarthy asked her.
"Not now nor have I ever taken such a role. I have always played heterosexual female characters," Lt. Robinson said nervously.
"We have a leaked copy of the script that indicates Alex Danvers, your character, the queen's sister is to be identified as a homosexual woman. Do you deny this?" Sen. McCarthy asked.
"I've never seen that script in my life," Lt. Robinson denied. "And if that were the case, I would refuse to act it out."
"Well, here's the thing. You may not have to act or say anything on the matter. So long as the character is identified as homosexual by some other character, that makes your character homosexual in all reality," Sen. McCarthy pointed out.
"Let me clarify, Senator. I would never take part in any production that would promote such a thing by any character or imply such a thing," Lt. Robinson said.
"Why did your character, Alex Danvers, turn down Maxwell Lord's advances? Was it because she was homosexual?" Sen. McCarthy questioned.
"Senator, I think it's because Maxwell Lord, as written, is an asshole. He drugged and kidnapped her during a date that was conducted under false pretenses to get information out of her," Lt. Robinson excused.
"I suppose that's fair," Sen. McCarthy considered.
Congress then asked Lt. Slater to answer questions concerning her role as Supergirl in the movie. "We have a line of dialogue where your character, Supergirl, says that Lucy Lane is so perfect even she would date her. Now, what the fuck does that mean?" Sen. McCarthy demanded.
"I was of the impression that was a joke," Lt. Slater said flatly.
"Homosexuality is no laughing matter. It's a grave security threat to our world," Sen. McCarthy told her. "Are you both aware that this script was ghost-written by Mr. Dumbo?"
"I had no idea. It never entered my mind that was a possibility. I was duped, I was lied to, I was used by sinister forces," Lt. Slater replied.
"I want a list of names," Sen. McCarthy demanded.
Lt. Slater began listing all sorts of names.
At the palace, Kara, Mon, and Brainiac 5 held a meeting on the issue. "So, she did it. She gave up a list of names. You happy now?" Mon asked Kara.
"She did what she did because she was forced to," Kara rolled her eyes.
"Well, the point is, she did it," Mon said.
"I have sacrificed for this world beyond imagination and these assholes are trying to make me and Alex look bad in the movies," Kara said pissed off.
"So, what are you saying? Slater and Robinson cooperate and they get nothing?" Mon asked incredulously. "That isn't right."
"Careful, Mon," Kara warned.
"Or what?" Mon stared her down. "If I'm not careful...what?"
"I had no idea you were such a softie. Is it because you're sleeping with them?" Kara accused.
"Okay, now you're being a crazy bitch again," Mon told her off.
Realizing she had gone too far, Kara commuted Dumbo's sentence and brought him out of exile. He still had no rank though. Dumbo was a changed man, bald, with a goatee, proficient in the production and distribution of methamphetamine. He would have to rebuild his life from the bottom again. The house and ranch he was given for his officer's housing quota were taken from him.
Still, Dumbo managed to ghostwrite scripts for Hollywood producers in exchange for resource allocation gifts. Brainiac 5 was aware of the "gifts" but made no move against anyone. The rabid fans had other ideas. They found Dumbo and trashed his housing unit with trash and the perpetrators were never caught.
Dumbo fought the good fight by submitting his scripts to whomever he could to get by. He ended up depressed and in a bar. There, Kara tracked him down. "Drinking alone?" she mocked.
"Preferably," Dumbo said dryly.
"And what are you up to these days?" Kara asked knowingly.
"You know, Kara, I drink one of these and I think of you," Dumbo said, referring to an awful-tasting drink.
"Don't worry, I'm buying," Kara offered in an obvious power move. "Come on, I've heard the rumors. Tell me you're still in the game, fighting the good fight," she mocked.
"What do you want from me?" Dumbo asked miserably.
"I want you to write the script for Adventures of Supergirl exactly as I wrote in my autobiography, exactly appearing as I described each character to look like, exactly the same setting in 21st century Metropolis, with exactly the same dialogue. Is that too fucking hard?" Kara asked.
"And what about artistic freedom and integrity?" he asked her.
"When was that ever a thing? In the past, corporations decided what got produced, which scripts were accepted, and who was cast for what. Now, the state plays that role. The difference is that the state, my state, cares what the audience wants," Kara said.
"Fuck the audience," Dumbo said boldly. "I was put on this Earth to explore new frontiers of storytelling. I challenge the audience instead of spoon-feeding them superhero crap they've seen before. I make the audience reconsider their preconceived notions. For example, maybe their queen is not the savior of mankind. Maybe, she's a crazy bitch despot."
"You can say whatever you want about me. I can take it, but Alex is off-limits," Kara warned.
"You think changing her physical appearance and sexuality is an insult whereas I see it as a way for the audience to connect with her on a human level," Dumbo said.
"You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to do nothing to you but I'm going to make every producer, director, and actor that works with you suffer. I'm going to expose you all for the out-of-touch narcissistic traitors that you are," Kara said scornfully and then left without actually paying the tab.
"Well...shit," Dumbo muttered.
Brainiac 5 entered General King's office, a Hollywood producer who had been using some of Dumbo's scripts in exchange for resource allocation gifts. "We know. It's a small town. Fire Dumbo and the rest of them or you'll face protests and shutdowns. We will fire you and everyone you work with here," Brainiac 5 threatened.
"We?" King wondered.
"Queen Kara, Prince Mon, Congress, the Courts, the Brainiac-run system," Brainiac 5 said obviously.
"Prince Mon is cool, love the guy," King remarked.
"Maybe you can do a movie with him. I can arrange introductions," Brainiac 5 humored.
"Oh, that would be swell but I don't think you and I are going to be pals," King said as he went for a baseball bat. He swiped the junk off his desk and then went for Brainiac 5's head.
Brainiac 5 grabbed the bat with one hand and slammed King's face through his office window giving him deep facial cuts. "All of you...are only in this for the resources and reproductive success, you simple creatures," Brainiac 5 insulted. "I have the power to take everything from you. Defy me again, and I'll beat you to death with your own bat."
Brainiac 5 then slammed King to the floor. He walked out of the office and noticed Dumbo awkwardly entering the building. Brainiac 5 gave him a look and then walked out.
Meanwhile, Kara held a meeting with General Douglass, a film producer and former actor, himself. Sen. McCarthy was with her. They were at an expressive restaurant, exclusive to the highest-ranking people in the empire. "You said this was important?" Douglass asked confused.
"Only if you hired Dumbo," Kara said, getting to the point.
"Who I hire is my business," Douglass told her off.
"No, Sir, it's ours," Sen. McCarthy corrected. "Congress allocates the resources that go into the film industry. That means we get to regulate it. It's important to us that we keep harmony and security for the world."
"And how are you doing that?" Douglass questioned.
"Why don't I show you by putting you on the stand," Sen. McCarthy threatened.
"Kara, is your friend trying to scare me?" Douglass asked her.
"He's just trying to tell you the way things are," Kara said vaguely.
"Maybe I don't like the way things are," Douglass countered.
"I promoted you, Douglass. Why are you trying to fuck me over?" Kara asked.
"I was always trying to fuck you over. You just never noticed," Douglass said boldly.
As command transferred to Gen. Douglass over the Adventures of Supergirl movie, the boycott movement restarted once it was revealed Dunbo was ghost-writing it. Twenty million people downvoted the new trailer for Dumbo's association. The Daily Planet tracked down Dumbo and decided to give him an interview which he accepted.
"For the record, you're ghostwriting the Adventures of Supergirl movie," the reporter asked.
"I am," Dumbo confirmed.
"Why come out now?" the reporter asked.
"All I've ever wanted to do was give the people something to think about, to reflect on, to debate about rather than spoon-feeding them exactly what they want and what they expect," Dumbo said.
"Some would say people go to the movies for escapism rather than a college lecture," the reporter said smugly.
"Well, it's both. Films are meant to entertain but they're also meant to educate on the human condition, historical themes, politics and philosophy, and our goals and dreams," Dumbo said.
"And what is your goal? Your dream? Why not make the characters look as they were in real life?" the reporter asked.
"If the audience sees the queen, her family and friends, and even her enemies as they were a thousand years ago, they will be unrelatable. No human being looks like these people anymore. They might as well be aliens, all of them, even the human characters. The people will identify with the characters even more strongly if they look the same as them," Dumbo said.
"Isn't that rather superficial to only be able to relate to a character based on their skin and hair color?" the reporter asked.
"I'm not saying it's the only way. I'm just saying it's the best way," Dumbo replied.
"Is it really worth it? You and others have been blacklisted from your trade," the reporter brought up.
"I know those who have been blacklisted. I know it's horror, its cruelty, idiotic waste of life. The Oscar golden statue is covered in the blood of my friends," Dumbo said dramatically.
Kara watched the interview from the palace as she entertain high-ranking guests. She simply stared not saying a word.
At a large gathering of high-ranking officers of various fields, Kara addressed them all on the subject of the film with Mon at her side. "There's a movie coming out. You might have heard of it: Adventures...of Supergirl. It is written by Dumbo. If there is some other writer on the film, don't believe it. We're onto them."
Kara then called up Douglass. "You get that traitor off the film now or I'll destroy every movie theater distributor that shows it."
"You can't put me in this position. It would be expensive and pointless," Douglass protested.
"Then, you can kiss your movie, your studio, and your miserable ass goodbye," Kara threatened.
"Alright, let's talk," Douglass suggested.
In a dark room, Kara, Sen. McCarthy, Douglass, and Dumbo hashed it out. "I will use the bully pulpit to bully this movie into oblivion with boycotts," Kara threatened.
"Like I give a fuck? It's not like I have to worry about receipts," Douglass scoffed. "The film industry is state-run now."
"Your budget and your rank depend on viewership," Sen. McCarthy reminded him. "If this movie bombs, you'll be demoted and someone else will take your place."
"This isn't about resources or rank. It's about artistic freedom," Dumbo interjected.
"Your artistic freedom, asshole. Only a select few are able to rise to the high ranks to make the decisions on what movies are played. I wish every citizen could play their own movie idea in the theaters but that's just not practical. So, the best we can do is give the people a voice, a democratic voice, on how movies are made," Kara said.
"The people are fools. They're not educated or trained to know what is good writing. You going to take the public's advice on how to run an empire or how to kick ass on a bad guy?" Dumbo asked.
"Surely, there is a middle ground here. That's why we're here," Douglass said nervously.
"I want total capitulation. Dumbo is fired. I'm writing the fucking script. I want all the actors to look exactly as they were as I remember them to be in the 21st century," Kara demanded.
"Well, fuck me," Douglass realized.
"If you don't comply with these conditions, Congress will shut down your funding and demote everyone involved," Sen. McCarthy said.
"What of the separation of art and state?" Dumbo said shocked and appalled.
"Without the state, how are you going to make the movie? There's no money anymore and all resources are provided by my drones," Kara pointed out.
"It's the principle of the thing. Just because you can fuck us doesn't mean you have to fuck us," Dumbo said.
"I'm answerable to my constituents in Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. They think your movie is crap and that you're an asshole," Sen. McCarthy pointed at Dumbo.
"You can't judge a movie by its trailer," Dumbo rolled his eyes.
"Give me the fucking script," Kara demanded. Douglass handed her a smartphone with the secret script on it, ghost-written by Dumbo. Kara took several seconds to read the whole thing. She gave the smartphone back and sighed in her chair. "It's good. It's very good," she admitted. "I have an idea we can all live with."
Kara called in a special session of Congress. She took the center podium with Mon and Brainiac 5 sitting behind her. "After having read the script and consulted with the producers, directors, and screenwriter, who shall not be named, I have determined that Adventures of Supergirl will be a faithful adaptation of my heroism in the 21st century. I encourage all the people of the world to see it and judge the film for themselves after they have seen it. I call upon Congress to fully fund this movie and make it available to all the theaters of the world. I know we have had some concerns with some in the film industry, but you can trust me that the situation has resolved itself."
The film, Adventures of Supergirl, was fully funded by Congress and distributed far and wide. Kara, Mon, her children, Brainiac 5, other Vindicator members, and high-ranking film industry officers were present at the premiere. Dumbo was even allowed in. At the start of the movie, Dumbo was given the screenwriter credit. In the movie, all references to Alex's homosexuality were deleted. All the actors appeared as themselves without CGI or make-up modification except for Alex. In her case, Lt. Robison underwent an extension makeup job and CGI mask to make her appear exactly as Alex in Kara's memories. Her voice was also modified by a sound mixer to sound just like Alex's. The actors did a phenomenal job of perfectly imitating their real-life counterparts.
Kara actually teared up as she saw the film, greatly moved. After the film was over, Kara addressed the reporters. "It's a fine movie," Kara said to the reporters.
Kara then restored Dumbo to his officer commission and put him back into the film industry as a screenwriter. She did not apologize to him. Kara naturally took credit for the mass success of the movie, the greatest movie of all time in recent centuries.
Restored to his position, Dumbo made a speech to the film industry officers on his view of the conflict. "So when you look back on that dark time, as I think you should now and then, it will do no good to search for heroes or villains. There were none. There were only victims. Victims because each of us felt compelled to say or do things we otherwise would not. To deliver and receive wounds we truly did not wish to exchange. What I say here is not intended to be hurtful to anyone. It is intended to repair a hurt. To heal wounds that months ago we inflicted on each other and most of all...ourselves," Dumbo concluded.
Author's Notes: This chapter is loosely based on Trumbo (2015). Yes, I am exploiting The Little Mermaid controversy as well as the SG appearance in The Flash where she calls herself Kara. This issue also came up with the casting of Aquaman. On the other hand, the casting of Mera appearance-wise was perfect but there were some issues with the actress involved. This has also been an issue with LGBT characters being played by straight actors and vice versa. Whether actors who come out as trans later in life should give back all of their previous awards/money for stealing opposite-sex roles. Or whether certain queens of royalty should actually look as they did historically. In the case of Mon, he really wouldn't want a movie like Dragon Ball. I have presented both sides of this issue in the most respectful and competent way I know how.