Chapter Twenty-One: Realm D1940
Upon regaining consciousness in the workshop of Yen Sid,
Clayton was petrified; but as soon as he realized that he was gagged, tied, and
handcuffed, he became extremely angry. He screamed through the gag, demanding
to know who put him in such a position. Unfortunately for him, his screams were
muffled; of course, it was not like they would have done him much good,
considering that he was somewhere much different from the jungle. That made him
think back on all that had transpired between then and the moment he awakened.
He remembered the strange sorceress that had magically transported him out of
the jungle and into – what looked to him at the time – some sort of factory. He
blamed his current predicament all on that strange woman; he hoped that he
never saw her again; otherwise she would be in huge trouble with him.
(Narrative Note: This is the first time we see a Disney character from another world in the Disneyverse brought to Fantasia, the centerpiece of the Disneyverse itself. It will occur again in World of Disney 3.)
Suddenly, Clayton heard voices outside the room – both
female (one with an English accent) – and realized that he was not alone in
whatever complex he was detained in. The two women walked into the workshop and
Clayton noticed how they were dressed in robes like the sorceress that
transported him. One woman was of medium height with black hair and blue eyes
and wore a turquoise corset, black leggings, and black boots beneath her robe;
the other woman was much taller with blond hair and hazel eyes, wearing a white
tunic, sparkling light blue tights, and brown slippers beneath her robe.
The two women were in the midst of a debate while
entering the workshop with the tall one claiming, “Nothing feels right,
Anne-Marie. I feel like something’s been drained out of me.”
“It is probably just nerves, Katie.” The one named
Anne-Marie said with her noticeable accent. “We are harboring an outsider here in our world.” She gestured to
Clayton. “Speaking of the devil, he’s up and aware now.” She approached the
gorilla hunter and knelt down to be at eye level with him. “How’s it going, ol’ chap? Hope you’re not too
comfortable right now, because you’ll be gone as soon as Yen Sid and the
Guardian return to this world…back to your pathetic
gorilla-hunting hobby.”
(Biographical Note: "Anne-Marie" and "Katie" are based on and inspired by Anne-Marie McLean and Katie Mackintosh respectively. Both personal friends of Livingston, McLean and Mackintosh's characters were written into The Marvelous World originally to establish more residential characters in Fantasia. McLean, at the time, was to be Livingston's "Female Bond" for his Disney take of the 007 series. When that story fell through, he expanded on her World of Disney role in Tales of the Disneyverse and ultimately integrated a major twist to her character.)
Anne-Marie’s words angered Clayton more; he cursed at her
through his gag, despite the fact that she couldn’t understand a word.
Meanwhile, Katie looked out the window to see eerie black clouds emerging in the
sky, turning day into night within seconds. The sight made the young sorceress
feel immensely uncomfortable. “Uh…Anne-Marie? You’d better come see this.”
Anne-Mare gladly accepted the invitation since it meant
getting away from Clayton, who reeked of gunpowder to her. She joined Katie by
the window and saw the black clouds circling the sky with purple lightning
striking across them. “What in the world…?”
“Something’s wrong.” Katie nervously said, not taking her
eyes off the eerie clouds. “I knew what I was feeling wasn’t just…” She stopped
just as she spotted a human-shaped figure soaring through the air, right beneath
the pitch-black sky. At least it looked human at first to Katie; but as it got
closer and closer to Yen Sid’s castle – heading directly towards the workshop
in particular – she realized that it was not
human.
(Disney Note: It is confirmed in this scene that the setting in fact takes place inside of a castle owned by Yen Sid in Fantasia. The inclusion of the castle in the World of Disney series comes from inspiration in the Disney-based video games Epic Mickey and Kingdom Hearts, both of which featured interpretations of interior based on the Fantasia film but had different exteriors. The exterior of the version in this series is envisioned to resemble a cross between a castle with tower structures and a ten-story mansion.)
Anne-Marie saw the figure moving towards them as well and
distressingly screamed, “Move!” Katie did as she instructed and both women
ducked away from the window just as it imploded, scattering chunks of stone all
over the room and damaging much of the workshop.
When the smoke from the sudden destruction cleared,
Clayton saw exactly what had burst
into the room: a nine-foot-tall hulking
green man. The creature looked directly at Clayton upon making his smashing entrance. Just as the creature
began to approach, Anne-Marie leaped in from the left and placed him in
a headlock. The creature let out a thunderous roar that shook the walls as it
struggled to remove Anne-Marie from him. During the struggle, Anne-Marie placed
one hand on the creature’s head and attempted to conjure a spell that would
subdue him; however, she saw that no power had escaped from her hand or body,
allowing the creature’s madness to continue.
The creature finally got a hold of Anne-Marie and yanked
her off of him. He threw the sorceress down on the floor, and the vicious
impact left an imprint of Anne-Marie’s body there. Lifting his right foot, the
creature attempted to stomp down on Anne-Marie, who was already left mildly
paralyzed from the massive blow. Before another attack could have been
unleashed, a large chair smacked against the creature’s body and drew his
attention away from Anne-Marie. He looked to Katie, who was the one that threw
the chair at him. She also attempted to conjure magic, lifting her hands and
aiming them at the creature; but when no magic left her fingertips, she looked
at them in confusion and concern.
The distraction was just what the creature needed to
attack Katie when she was not focused on him. He charged at her, smacking his
body against hers and generating enough force to send her crashing into a wall
that hadn’t been demolished yet. Katie was nearly unconscious from the
incredible blow; her vision was hazy, leaving her staring at an enormous green
blur that headed towards her face before everything then went black.
(Marvel Note: Normally, anyone at the receiving end of an attack from the Hulk would be decimated. But, thankfully, these are no ordinary beings the Green Goliath is attacking.)
Clayton watched Katie’s unconscious form slump down to
the floor after receiving the massive punch from the creature. His body grew
tense as he saw the creature turn away from her and move his way. Clayton
fought with his handcuffs, trying to break free of them; but the binds proved
too strong even for his manly strength. When he saw the creature towering over
his cowering form, he shut his eyes, not wanting to witness his own end at the
hands of the green behemoth. Clayton expected to feel overwhelming pain come
over his body, yet all he felt was his gag removed from his mouth. Opening his
eyes in confusion, he looked up to see the creature only looking down at him
with the same fierce expression, breathing heavily. After a moment of silence,
the creature finally spoke actual
words…
“You’re comin’ with me.”
(Marvel Note: It is rare when the Hulk is capable of intelligent speech, especially in his "Savage" mode, as it represents the control Banner has over the Hulk. For him to speak while still under Facilier's control means that Facilier, in his newfound power, has taken over both Banner and the Hulk's minds.)
Realm D2004
Bob Parr arrived back home at not a moment too soon. What
the weatherman on the radio described as the worst storm to come to Metroville
had Bob concerned as he glanced up at the dark clouds gathering in the sky. It
could have been the work of Stormchaser, a super villain capable of
manipulating the weather, or it could have been that of The Blue Streak, a
superhero capable of the same ability. For all Bob knew, Stormchaser and Blue
Streak were engaged in battle, and the storm could’ve just been the two doing
their usual thing. However, upon arriving home, Bob quickly discovered that it
was not any ordinary storm brewing above the city; he realized that when
noticing how black the clouds were and how purple the lightning looked.
(Authorial Note: "Stormchaser" and "The Blue Streak" are not actual characters established from The Incredibles. They are exclusive to this story.)
He heard the front door of his house open and turned to
see his wife, Helen, step out with haste. “Bob!”
“Helen, are ya seein’ this weather? It’s…”
“Forget about the weather, Bob. You won’t believe who
showed up at our house and is having dinner…at our house!” Her attitude was that of great excitement, which seemed
odd to Bob, considering the bizarre storm happening above their heads.
“Who?”
Helen smirked. “The Guardian’s child.”
“The Spectra Guardian?”
“No. The
Guardian.”
“The Guardian Patriot?”
“No, Bob. The
Guardian!”
Bob still appeared confused. “The Guardian…?”
(Authorial Note: "Spectra Guardian" and "Guardian Patriot" are also exclusive characters. Livingston made up these names based on actual superheroes and supervillains from comic books. The Spectra Guardian's name bears resemblance to the DC superhero Spectre, who possesses god-like powers. The Guardian Patriot's name is an homage to the Iron Patriot, a character straight out of the Marvel Universe itself.)
“Oh, just come in and meet her!”
“It’s a her?”
Helen grabbed him by the hand and rushed him indoors. Bob
took one last look at the black sky before heading in, still wondering what was
the cause of it. He finally went into the dining room and saw a woman sitting
at the table and eating a hamburger with fries. Dash, Violet, and Jack-Jack sat
with her; while Jack-Jack giggled in his high chair, Dash and Violet asked the
child of the Guardian of the Disneyverse several questions, not giving the
woman enough time to answer between each one or even chew her food.
(Authorial Note: Livingston found the involvement of the Incredibles family to the main plot of The Marvelous World necessary for various reasons - one of the biggest being how their concept is based on the Fantastic Four, the first superhero family in Marvel Comics that have no presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He also, for the longest time, wanted to feature them in a story with the Marvel superheroes "as it just felt right.")
Looking at the woman, Bob whispered to Helen, “That’s the
Guardian’s kid?”
“Isn’t she amazing? Her name is Sheryl. She was once a
man who was reincarnated by magic after dying and became the woman we have in
our home now.” Helen depicted information received from an earlier conversation
with Sheryl. She then somberly added one more bit of information: “She says
that the Guardian is dead.”
Bob looked to Helen in surprise. “What? How?”
Before Helen could have answered, Sheryl excused herself
from Dash and Violet’s Q&A session and approached the father and mother of
the children. “Mr. Incredible! It’s great seeing you in person!” She shook
hands with the hero of Metroville. Even though Bob held back on his grip,
Sheryl still felt a hint of his remarkable strength. “Man! You are strong!”
“Uh, thanks.” Bob felt awkward knowing about the death of
Sheryl’s mother and not acknowledging it in front of her, so he did it
respectfully. “I’m sorry…about what happened to your mother. She was a great
woman – came to visit us on occasion and even helped us save the world quite a
few times.”
“She was real fond of you guys, too. You’re the only
people she ever shared the secrets of the Disneyverse with because she knew one
day that you would help her protect it.” Sheryl said. “That’s why I’m coming to
you for help now. There’s someone threatening the worlds. He calls himself ‘The
Shadow Sorcerer,’ but he’s actually just another native of the worlds named Dr.
Facilier.”
(Narrative Note: The Incredibles aren't the only inhabitants of the Disneyverse to be fully aware of it and possibly the other worlds that encompass it. As shown in Tales of the Disneyverse, the residents of the Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo worlds are aware of each other, due to the merge that happens between them in the miniseries. However, they are only aware of their two worlds, not any others in the Disneyverse.)
Helen scoffed. “Another guy who wants to take over the
world.”
“Or the universe, in this case.” Bob clarified.
“Yeah, and you’ve already seen an example of what he’s
doing to this universe.” Sheryl said,
gesturing towards the nearest window for them to see the storm continue to
build up above Metroville. “It starts out as a storm, but then it becomes an
earthquake. After that…it’s literally
the end of the world.”
(UP NEXT: It's Avenging Time!)
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