People, we are in a war. The stakes are high.
If we lose, that asteroid will hit Metropolis in a matter of hours.
Ten million lives will be wiped out instantly.
And they'll be the fortunate ones.
It's up to us to destroy it as we would any other enemy...
utterly and completely.
- Any questions? - No, sir.
Still think we need the alien?
I'd feel a lot better. Can't understand how he missed liftoff.
It's no loss. The last thing this mission needs is your friend's grandstanding.
Sorry I'm late. Earthquake in Albania.
We're just glad you could make it. I'll get you the explosives.
We'll keep your team on standby.
There, that was easy enough.
I'm moving to the other side.
Just get the job done, hero.
And no showboating.
What do you have against him, Hardcastle?
He's an alien. He has no allegiance, no jurisdiction.
I don't trust what I can't control.
And I don't like what I can't trust.
Emil, you'd better get over here.
What's the problem?
You have to see this for yourself.
My heavens.
There's no doubt about it. The creature is warmer than the asteroid.
And listen to this.
- Heartbeats? - That's my guess.
There's also a transmitter within the rock.
It's broadcasting some kind of binary code.
- I'll need time to decipher it. - You'll have all the time you want...
after the demolition.
Are you crazy? That's a living thing out there.
A living alien, and it would die when it hits the Earth's atmosphere, anyway.
- In good conscience, you can't... - Jeopardize the lives of millions?
You're absolutely right.
Gentlemen, there may be another way.
I might be able to push the asteroid into Earth's orbit.
Yes, even if it was a decaying orbit, it would buy us some time.
That's not my mission. I'm under orders to destroy that thing.
Superman, if you can alter the trajectory by five degrees...
That's it, three degrees.
Three point two.
What is it?
The creature's body temperature is rising.
Superman, it's coming to life.
- What are you doing? - Detonating the charges.
- But Superman's out there. - Wasn't his party to begin with.
Emil, it's falling toward Metropolis.
I'm gonna try to divert it toward the ocean.
Oh, look, a shooting star.
Sonic boom? Earthquake?
Maybe Perry had chili for lunch again.
Oh, my God.
I'm at 2400 fathoms, professor, about 100 miles northwest of Metropolis.
- How's it going with that code? - We're working on it.
Any sign of the creature?
Well, as a matter of fact, there is. And it looks like he's headed toward land.
This can't be right. It's too big to be another sub...
or even a pod of whales. Gotta be a misread.
Evasive maneuvers, now.
We're dead in the water.
- Reactor room, full power. - A ye, aye.
All right now, full speed ahead.
- Nothing. - Keep trying.
Captain, the reactor's cooling. We're losing power.
It's holding.
Superman, we need you back at STAR Labs.
- I'm kind of busy right now. What's up? - We've cracked the code.
The code was simpler than it seemed. They wanted others to translate it.
- They? - The aliens who created that thing.
It's a synthetic being.
It was built for strength and given minimal intelligence.
They wanted to use it for heavy labor.
Obviously something went wrong.
Very. Its fuel was supposed to be the heat from their suns.
But that was hardly enough for the creature.
Soon it began to absorb heat from everything.
And the more it absorbed, the stronger it got.
No wonder it didn't burn when it fell through the atmosphere.
- The heat just made it stronger. - Exactly.
How do we stop it?
You know those cold packs in first-aid kits?
They work on the principle of mixing two chemicals that create instant cold. Watch.
- Will they work with seawater? - We're too late.
The creature's come ashore.
Continue firing at will. We've got him on the ropes, boys.
Hasn't moved since we engaged him.
It hasn't moved because it hasn't wanted to.
It soaks up the heat from the explosions.
- Ready the NX missiles. - Didn't you hear me? You're feeding it.
Alien, I listened to you and that crackpot Hamilton once before...
and look where that got me. This time, we're doing it my way. Fire!
NX gel, 10 times hotter than napalm.
We're gonna have us a down-home barbecue.
Better hold off on the marshmallows.
Hold your fire. I repeat, hold your fire.
Yes, I can get the chemicals to the reservoir,
but how do we get the creature there?
I'll find a way. But in the meantime, I need something.
I'll see what I can do.
Thank you, Hamilton.
That's it, Superman. You're almost there.
No!
Now!
[ENGLISH]