Original subtitles

Johnny Domino was one of San Francisco's hottest young jazz musicians.

But fate and a cosmic event were about to change his life forever.

What the doctors told him seemed impossible.

John, your brain has managed to acquire the capacity to pick up certain

frequencies like a radio.

But Doc, I'm only hearing bad stuff.

Yes, exactly.

You're tuned to the frequency of evil.

Who sent you?

Hold it now.

I'm on your side. A whole new line of super tools developed for super

policemen. A belt which enables him to overcome gravity.

Fabrics which are virtually bulletproof.

A stealth mode which makes him seem to disappear.

A holographic display which makes him appear to be where he is.

The concept of astral projection or teleportation has been debated for

centuries. Can man leave his earthly body during a sleep state and travel to

distant places?

There are eyewitness accounts dating back to the 1600s which attempt to prove

such phenomena.

But today marks the first time in history that... Astral

projection will be proven in a controlled demonstration before

scientifically credentialed witnesses.

On the night of October 22nd, Vanessa was struck by lightning, permanently

mutating a portion of her cerebral cortex.

Almost immediately, she began experiencing episodes she had first

imagined to be dreams.

Under a doctor's care, it was determined That she had developed the ability

to transport herself out of body to distant places.

The ability to virtually be in two places at the same time.

Now, my dear, you know what is to happen.

Now, don't be frightened of them.

They're all scientists here to observe your amazing power.

Relax.

We've done this countless times.

Ladies and gentlemen, Vanessa Aranetti will now slip into a state

we term psychic slumber. Watch.

And watch carefully.

What no human being has ever witnessed under controlled scientific conditions.

Dr. Swick.

Dr. Swick, I must speak with you.

I have come here to ask you specifically not to proceed.

You can't be serious.

It's happening for all the world to see.

A human being.

literally existing in two places at once.

If you will now direct your undivided attention to the monitors, you will see

we are tracking Vanessa in her very real state.

If you do not stop her, young Vanessa will die.

Dr. Schweck, she's leaving the building.

She has cleared the entrance now. She's walking outside.

As you can see, she is perfectly safe. And we have security people out there to

assure that.

But historical tradition has it that the danger in teleportation is not for

the traveler.

It is the host who remains behind, who is linked by what they call the golden

thread. Now, if this golden thread is severed, when that spirit there is

wandering, death is instant.

Even if what you say were true, how could she be any safer than by being

here in front of all these witnesses?

Witnesses?

Yes.

She's here.

Who's here?

Perhaps it would be best to bring her back now.

I believe we've proved all we need to.

Did you hear me? Bring her back now.

Vanessa, you must come now. That's it. Vanessa, don't worry.

You see, they've caught up with her and everything is fine.

Get Vanessa out of here.

She mustn't be awakened.

She cannot be the third in the state.

It's all right.

She's dead.

kill before we can stop him.

I know this park. I wonder what she's up to. Oh, Charlie, who cares?

You know, an ex-cop will go anyplace for a free meal.

Besides, I think she's cute.

Yeah, well, personally, a press offer to pick up a meal of mine affects my

appetite.

Don't get up.

Hey.

Hi.

It's business.

And it's on the record.

Told you there was no free lunch.

Lady, my policy is nothing goes on the record I haven't already read in the

paper. I have no problem with that.

My life's an open book.

Look, you don't need to be so worried, Lieutenant. You don't even know what

this story's about.

So tell me, just why was your TV station buying?

Good. We'll get right to it.

There's something or someone out there in this city that's fighting criminals

in the dark of night.

Yeah, they're called cops. We've been doing it for years.

We don't know if it's to take over crime in the city or to stamp it out.

But a lot of people have been aware of the sudden presence in our community and

no one's saying anything. Lady, I got no idea what you're talking about. I think

you do.

I'm talking about some kind of private crime fighter.

We're back to that cape demon you claim you saw a few months ago, are we?

Look, I'm not the only one who saw it. Him, perp, whatever.

Frank saw it too, didn't you, Frank?

Well, no, it's been years since anyone had the bad judgment to refer to Frank

as a reliable source.

Let's take a really good look at something I had our sketch artist put

together based on various reportings. Frank, you said that you saw some kind

of night creature the night the beast was loose in the park.

I saw something.

I don't know what it was, but there was something there. Don't go there, Frank.

I'm warning you. Go where, Dad?

You got some time off?

Hang on just a minute, son. We got something important going down here.

Miss Park, she wanted to show me that drawing your sketch artist came up with.

Was the night creature you saw...

Did he look anything like...

Like this?

That's him. Exactly.

And here is what you Bay City residents say you've been observing across the

skyline after dark.

Friend or foe?

Good or evil, no one seems to know for certain.

But this station has decided to post a substantial reward to anyone with proof

of this person or creature's existence.

So get out those home video cameras, folks.

Any idea when these sightings first began?

Apparently about six months ago.

Good story, Jennifer.

Oh, my God!

You saved my life. That laptop's not even paid for.

You must be Miss Parks.

I was just on my way to see you.

Me? Yeah, you're broadcast right now. I think I have some information that might

be very useful to you.

Oh, you know what? If this is about the reward, all information has to be

cleared upstairs.

I'm not interested in the reward.

I'm interested in law and order.

You know, I'm always a little cynical about people who aren't interested in

money. Even someone you say just saved your life?

Okay, good point.

What do you have for me?

I believe I know precisely when your nightmare came to power.

I also know the how and why of it.

Interested?

Why don't we go back upstairs to my office?

I prefer someplace a little more private.

Sure. Let's take a drive.

You can't give me a good reason for insisting on why we come way out here to

talk. I will get back in my car and I will call you a cab to take you back.

On October 22nd of last year, your newspaper ran a story about a freak

electrical storm that destroyed a cable car.

Actually, the cable car was hit by lightning and then subsequently struck

by a bomb.

But the news reports didn't differentiate between who was injured by

the lightning or the subsequent bomb.

A local musician was the only one who was actually struck by the lightning,

but that's... The story was overshadowed by the fact that he threw a bomb off the

car and saved a lot of important people's lives.

How did this musician know the bomb was there?

I don't know. That's never been entirely clear, but, you know, he did it, and he

became a big hero.

Has there ever been any one person who's turned up more than once in the

proximity of these Nightman settings?

Only Johnny Domino. The same musician?

I'd like to meet this big hero.

Can you arrange that?

I'm sure I could.

But you know what? You haven't given me any reason to, you know, why I came all

the way out here.

Arrange the meeting, and it will all become clear to you.

Thank you.

Hey,

Johnny.

You, uh, you have a guest.

No, no, Raleigh. I've got a bunch of phone calls to return, including one

from that damn reporter.

I think you'll want to hear what I have to say.

Join me.

Doc, where have you been? I thought you dropped off the plane.

Almost.

I went to seven continents in four months.

Look at you.

Wasn't much of a vacation.

No.

My mission was deadly serious.

Your life is in imminent danger.

So, uh, what else is new?

You've never come up against an adversary like Gerard.

Why do you want him dead?

Still picking up a thought or two, I see.

That may be the only thing that'll save your life.

All right, Doc.

Let's have it. I've discovered that you were not the only one who was struck by

that cosmic lightning on 22nd of October last year.

There were others.

They're scattered over seven continents.

Well, all of them escaped death.

And they found themselves with unique mental and physical powers.

Unique in what way?

A girl in Spain had mastered teleportation. There was a boy in Buenos

Aires. He had developed a remarkable level of clairvoyance. There was a young

man from Finland. And he had a level of self-healing which is nothing short of

biblical. You keep saying had as if they had lost his power.

Right. But three of them had lost their lives.

They were murdered by Duran.

Why?

Because he believes that by killing them, he can absorb their powers.

If I didn't know anything about these children of the cosmos, then how'd they

learn about each other?

A fool allowed his notes of the interrogation to get in the wrong hands.

What fool was that?

Me. Through my work, he's learned where the others are.

But he doesn't know who they are.

What makes you so sure that I'm going to be Duran's next target?

Because I followed him here.

Break's getting a little long, Johnny.

Yeah, I'll be right there.

Oh, and the TV newscaster brought someone in that she wants you to meet.

After your show. Johnny, I want you to take my warning seriously.

You've never encountered anyone like this Duran before.

Yeah, yeah, I hear you, Doc.

If this guy comes around, I'll handle it.

Now that's my kind of music.

Swing's very big right now.

It's making a comeback.

Too bad you aren't.

Hey, Charlie, did you ever learn how to dip?

Sure, Frank. I can dip. You want to see me dip?

It dips right into the beer. Hey, Allison.

Hey, Allison. Here's your beer.

I'm buying.

Oh, it's the occasion.

I want your help, Frank.

Important case, huh?

Hardly. More like an inane story that broke on TV about a mysterious crime

fighter.

Yeah, I saw that.

What do you think about that? I think it's something we don't need in this

city right about now.

Well, how do I help?

You can help by not adding fuel to the fire. You can help by laying off this

big red eye story, Frank.

I saw it. I saw it, Charlie. Frank, our switchboards are lit up all over the

city with cretins calling in about settings of this caped wonder. You know

what those police lines are for?

Reporting crimes.

You couldn't get through right now if you were the president and your hair

coloring was stolen.

Well, all right, Charlie.

Sir, you got a problem. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll keep a low profile,

okay?

I'd appreciate it.

Mr. Dominus? Hi.

I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm here with a guest you think you might want to

meet. Well, if you didn't interrupt, you wouldn't have to say you're sorry.

Mr. Duran may be the world's leading authority on mysterious figures who

appear in the night.

I'd like very much to meet him, Frank.

Because I'm a skeptic.

I mean, in fact, I don't even know what I saw anymore.

I hear he's quite the hero.

Yeah, he's got all the moves, that kid.

It's instinctive with him. I mean, just something he just kind of naturally

inherited from, well, from a long line of cops.

I bet you want him to be a cop too then, huh?

Yeah, well, yeah.

Johnny loves his music.

I tell you.

And he'd become a cop.

That kid would have gone all the way.

I mean, look at him.

He's as agile as a dancer.

And he's as strong as an ox.

He's got all the moves of a jungle predator.

The moves of a jungle predator, huh?

What did you say?

It actually occurred to me that this Johnny fellow might be the Nightman.

That's a joke.

Would you excuse me?

You're the joke, Mr.

Superhero.

But we'll make a show of it.

What happened?

Are you okay?

John?

Yeah, yeah.

Sorry, ladies and gentlemen.

I'll be back in ten.

Enjoy big time out there.

Quite a fall.

Certainly was.

Now where must you be going?

Wait a minute. I thought you wanted to meet him.

Another time.

Now excuse me.

Where is

he? Who?

That scum you brought in here tonight.

Mr. Duran had to go home.

Johnny, you mustn't confront him on his own ground.

Set him right here. Yeah, I'll do my best. Would you mind telling me what's

going on here? Yes, it's really very simple. The man you brought with you is

going to kill Johnny.

Not a very positive performance, Johnny.

Now show me what you can do.

Just as I thought.

Without your little nightgown, you're quite pathetic.

Tell me, Johnny, did you get absolutely nothing from the Cosmic Millennium?

You got the wrong guy.

I don't know what you're talking about. Oh, I think you do. You see, there could

only be one man of the hour, one superhero.

That is going to be me.

You call yourself a superhero.

You're killing people.

The natural pruning process of the universe.

To prepare a wafer, a rose, you must first clear out the weeds.

Oh, well.

Rose.

I have news for you.

I'm going to nip you in the bud.

Amusing, Johnny.

Considering all your so-called tools of superiority are borrowed.

From what I can tell, you've got nothing to show for your little cosmic dance

with lightning.

Whereas I am left with powers that even dazzle me.

Oh, forget the hose.

It won't reach.

So that's the talent.

Oh, Johnny, it's pitiful.

You getting worried, Johnny?

Why bother?

You don't want to finish the job here?

Not a big enough audience.

We'll meet again, Johnny.

Very soon.

Nice car.

How'd he get the drop?

That's the bad part.

He stood right out in the open, said he was gonna kick my butt, and then did it.

You aren't prepared.

How'd you stop the car?

I didn't.

The guy who started it stopped it.

Duran wants to toy with me some more. Yeah, well, once you get into full

battle gear, he's gonna regret this.

Oh, I wouldn't count on it, Raleigh. Oh, no, I'm counting on it. I'm counting on

it. We gotta bring this Duran guy down. I mean...

What kind of monster makes a guy's own car turn against him?

You were right.

He's more than I can handle. Not necessarily.

Remember, every attempt he makes will be evil. Right.

Right. You'll be able to read what he's going to do before he does it.

Knowing someone's going to drop a building on you a split second before it

happens isn't much of an edge. You've got to work with him. what we've got. He

wants to lure you into a duel.

A doctor's not going to be a duel.

I don't have the weapons.

Good evening, Miss Parks.

You scared the hell out of me.

You here all alone?

At this hour, I have to do my own research.

Um, what do you know about a series of coincidental electrical disturbances

that lit up seven continents at the same precise hour, October 22nd of last year?

Hmm. Who told you about that, then?

Dr.

Walton, who also said that you're not a man to be trusted, that you went to the

House of Soul last night to kill Johnny Domino.

He said that you were responsible for the accident on stage.

And did he stop to explain how I might have accomplished such a sinister act

while sitting there beside you?

No, he was in a hurry to leave.

You were actually in a hurry to leave as well. Why was that?

Why don't we cut to what you really want to know? What have I told you?

That this super presence you call Nightman is the personification of evil.

And with your help, I might be able to identify him.

Possibly even capture him in an act that would prove his guilt.

I'm listening.

All you got to do is be there with the camera crew to assure the world of this

historical event.

You're pretty sure of yourself, aren't you? For a woman who's having the story

of a lifetime dumped in your lap, you don't seem to please Miss Parks.

I guess I've been in hopes that this night man might be someone this city

could use right about now.

Someone heroic.

The climax I'm offering for your story will have plenty of heroics.

Brave of you to agree to meet me, Doctor.

Considering you consider me the devil incarnate.

I shall feel far safer if I can confront you.

Confrontation, I live for it.

This nightmare, for example, his end will be extraordinary.

Turan, I don't know how insane you were before you were struck by lightning, but

now you definitely need to be locked up.

If you think Nightman is the one who'll put an end to me, you've backed the

wrong soul.

I have not been here to get to know anything about this Nightman.

But I have been tracking you and your evil work all over the world.

And I intend to make an end of it.

Doctor, is that a firearm?

You forget that I work for the United States government.

I was hoping it wasn't going to come today.

As a federal agent, I'm now perfectly entitled to take you into custody for

murder.

I'm gonna make one stuff.

It'll make no sense to leave the car.

I've given the gun instructions to shoot so much as move.

You expect me to believe that?

Fire and miss.

As I told you, Doctor.

You've lined yourself with the wrong star child.

What do you want?

Johnny Domino's Nightman.

A sorry soul who uses add-on components to attempt superiority.

I don't know anything about this Nightman, but Johnny's powers are

extraordinary.

I'm betting he keeps his toys in what he presumes to be a secure place.

Except when he goes out, thinking they might be needed.

You can't do that.

Yeah,

thanks.

I'm getting a bad feeling, Raleigh. There's no sign of Walton anywhere.

He's just disappeared.

Exclusive footage of an explosive broad daylight robbery.

This won't make you feel any better.

Pay close attention now to the footage you're about to see.

got away with $50,000 in broad daylight, proving once and for all that he's

certainly no Robin Hood.

You seem to know just where to be with your camera crew.

What is it you want?

You're being used.

The criminal you have on camera is not Nightman.

How do you know that? I know.

That's very helpful.

Care to add to this hunch?

Look, I'll prove it to you. You just have to trust me.

Why should I?

You've never given me a thing about this Nightman, and I know you know more than

you're telling me.

Would you deny that?

Exactly. Look, I have a job to do, and if you're not with me, you're against

me. Now, I know you didn't come here to sell me on some vague hunch.

You want something, something specific.

I want you to tell me the next time you're tipped off to where Nightman's

going to be.

If I do that, then I'll lose my informant.

Duran?

How do you know that name?

I'm warning you.

Be careful.

I guess what we have here is a stalemate.

You tell me nothing, I tell you nothing.

Wait.

One question.

Do you believe that Nightman is the incarnation of evil?

No.

And in your heart, do I count?

Neither do you.

Dr. Walton's still missing, man. I think it's time to go to the police.

No, no. He wants me, and I want him. Johnny, this whole thing is a trap. I

know his weakness.

I can beat him. Come on, now. All you're going to do is go out there and get

yourself killed. If he wanted me dead, he would have done it right away, just

like he did the others. He has another agenda.

And what is that?

He wants a show.

He wants to defeat me in front of as many people as possible. Right, right.

Maybe that can be to my advantage.

Oh, really?

Yeah, yeah. Well, tell me, Johnny, please, because I don't understand. I

mean, how does public humiliation lessen the pain of dying? Because I don't know.

Please. He's telling me how to beat him, Raleigh.

How?

Duran's fatal weakness.

His Achilles heel.

Is it then?

So Durant sees himself as a handsome man.

We can change that.

Yeah, okay.

Make this image larger.

What do you want?

Make his nose and chin bigger.

Big. Okay.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And his cheeks.

I don't think that he's going to like this.

That's the point.

Who describes himself as the world's number one crime fighter at large now

promises to deliver Nightman into police custody tomorrow night at midnight at a

site to be revealed exclusively by this reporter.

We'll be there so you can be there. You know, that was a terrible photograph of

me. I look nothing like that.

Well, we'll get a flattering full face shot during the showdown. What showdown?

I haven't told you about any showdown yet. Johnny Domino did.

He said the real Nightman will be at the Old World's Fairground at midnight to

show the phony Nightman up for the imposter he is. And did he explain how

he could deliver the Nightman? No, but then neither did you.

Will your Nightman accept the challenge and be there? Will your cameras be there

to show the public who the real hero is? You think this station would miss it?

Then I can promise you that the real Nightman will be there.

Oh, Nightman!

Nightman!

Come out, come out, wherever you are.

Is that you, Duran?

This won't work.

The cameras will not be able to see a thing.

Neither will you.

And that should even the odds.

Nightman, where are you? Show yourself.

Up here.

Simply won't do.

Okay.

Is this better?

Well, I was hoping you'd be in uniform.

Your wish is my command.

How do you like me now?

Too bad.

Your face loses a little something in the fog.

Well, you two are going to lose a little something in the fog.

Advantage Nightmare.

You see, I know what you're going to do before you do it.

Advantage, Mr. Chrome.

It won't help you.

Wait, wait. I hear voices over here.

This way, Miss Parks. And make sure the camera crew turns on the lights.

You see them?

Let's try over there. I believe you're about to go center stage, Mr.

Superhero. Keep talking, Duran.

Looks like I'm going to have to take you for a little ride.

You see, the bell was just simply to maneuver you to stand dead center on a

remotely detonated Claymore landmine. Okay, wait, wait. I hear their voices

over here.

It's time to go.

Oh, did I forget to mention I'm not here?

Come on. Hurry with that camera.

Neither am I.

Scratch one holographic device.

I guess it's for a good cause.

Get that camera off me.

It's those two.

We're here to shoot.

What have you done?

You look upset, Duran. What's gone wrong?

I'll settle with you soon enough.

End of the line, Duran.

For the good doctor, if you take one step towards my body.

It's your choice, Mr.

Superhero.

Kill me or kill the doctor.

We'll meet again, Nightman.

After I've tended to previous commitments elsewhere around the planet.

Don't stay with me.

You got it on the wrong.

Finish him.

Not a fair trade, Doc.

Are you who I think you are?

Come on.

I got you loose.

Well,

I guess the right child after all.

Not as bad as I thought.

That was a great dinner.

I still don't know why you insist on paying.

You missed your story.

No. Actually, the big one's yet to come.

Exposing the true identity of Nightman.

I'd love to hear it sometime.

But I gotta go, I'm running late.

Actually, give me a couple minutes.

Humor me.

What is it?

Gee, I was thinking, um, it's either one thing or the other. See, either you

can't keep a promise...

or you can't be at two places at the same time.

When did I make you a promise?

This afternoon on the phone.

See, in return for helping Nightman show up at the same time as the phony and

without anything to show for it, he promised that he'd let my crew get a

shot of him leaping off a building.

You spoke to Nightman?

Actually, I thought I was speaking to you.

See, yeah, I've been sitting here...

wondering how you were going to slip out to fulfill that promise.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Did you say 8 o'clock? Because it's just past 8 now.

See, I was thinking that if he doesn't show up tonight, that you just can't be

at two places at the same time.

I really got to go.

I'm late.

Yeah, guys. Yeah, pack up the equipment.

Okay. Well, you know what, Mike? I think that two out of three is pretty good.

Yeah, thanks for all your help, guys.

Well, I'll be darned.

Maybe there really is a nightmare.

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God, Mike.

Mike, come back.

Yeah, come back, Mike.

Come back.

Johnny Domino Boom