01x02 - Rejoice! I Am Ultimo, Thy Deliverer

[bunniefuu]

MODOK: Dry dock open.

[THUNDERCLAPS]

Closing sea gates now!

Well, Modok?

Scanning our cargo.

Magnificent, isn't it, my dear Hammer?

I don't like it. It's too unpredictable.

But you are not! You want certainty,

and there is none in this case.

Open the hull!
I discovered this alien artifact

sealed inside an extinct volcano
in Latin America.

Its origins and purpose

lost in the dust of civilizations
long dead.

HAMMER: I still don't think it was wise
to bring it here.

We don't know what it will do
when it's activated.

If it can be activated.

The language stored in its database
is bizarre,

its operating code unbreakable.

I brought it here to serve us.
If you can't awaken it, I shall!

The automaton did not respond.
You have failed!

THE MANDARIN: I shall make it live!

Incredible! Even the power of his rings
didn't move it!

[EXCLAIMS IN ANNOYANCE]

It cost me a fortune
to ship that thing here!

And it might be worth something,
if I cut it up for scrap.

Success!

Rejoice! I am Ultimo, thy deliverer!

And I am The Mandarin,
thy new lord and master.

Obey me and serve my will!

Impossible! Nothing can absorb
the hypnotic power of this ring jewel!

Magnificent!

[GROWLS] I will not rest
until Ultimo is mine to command!

Rejoice! I am...

THE MANDARIN:
Modok! The Sky Saucer!

We must not lose him!

[LOUD THUDDING]

[SCREAMS IN FEAR]

[MAN SPEAKING ITALIAN]

Thy deliverer!

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

[LUCIANO PAVAROTTI SPEAKING
ITALIAN]

[JIM SPEAKING ITALIAN]

[JIM WHISPERING]

I'll be right back, g*ng.
Talk among yourselves.

Satellite security flagged this news
transmission from Baja California.

It hasn't been cleared for broadcast.

What an exciting vacation!
We got it on our video camera.

Well, we think it was
from a new George Lucas movie.

You know, one of those


- A publicity stunt.
-Negative! That thing is real!

But that cloud is not.

The Sky Saucer!

Why won't you let me handle it?

TONY: Because I need
Iron Man's scientific tools

to evaluate
our strange mechanical man.

That's all there is to it.
Now please, tend to our guests.

JIM: I hate making small talk,
Tone. You know I'm not a party animal.

It's so tough to be charming.

IRON MAN: Exit port!

Life support, adapt
for short-term underwater capability.

Yo, Itzhak!
How about those Cowboys, huh?

Onboard navigation. Baja California.

Rejoice! I am Ultimo, thy deliverer!

[PEOPLE SCREAMING]

Rejoice! I am Ultimo, thy deliverer!

Get us closer!

Ultimo acts
as if he had someplace to go,

-a mysterious rendezvous.
-Of course he does!

It should be obvious he was put here
by an alien race for some purpose,

and now wants only to carry it out.
But that will have to wait.

When this occipital template
is attached to the base of Ultimo's skull,

I will be his programmer.

Now, get closer!

Rejoice! I am...

lam...

THE MANDARIN: Ultimo is my servant!

Bravo! Now what do we do about him?

THE MANDARIN: Iron Man!

Ultimo! That is my enemy!

Rejoice! I am Ultimo!

I'll rejoice later. First, I must get free!

Amazingly fast for something so large.

MODOK: Yes, Ultimo!
Crush him like a grape!

THE MANDARIN: Stop!
Do not destroy him!

Bring him to me!

Stop! You may only go
where I command!

Rejoice! I am Ultimo...

THE MANDARIN: Much better.

Return us to my palace
with our new guest.

We lost all contact with Iron Man
twenty minutes ago.

- Then let's move our butts, people!
-But Liebchen!

Before we rush off,
we should have a destination.

- Baja California is a large area.
-Wait! Something's coming in.

NEWSCASTER: This miiitary deserter,
apprehended in Baja California,

claims he wasn't deserting,

he was actually running
from a gigantic creature

carrying what appeared to be
a man-sized robot.

And, get this, he said
the robot called himself Ultimo!

All right, that tears it! The big iron's
in big trouble! I'm out of here!

CENTURY: Wait.
More information is arriving.

JIM: It's an encoded broadcast
from an intelligence satellite.

SPIDER WOMAN:
So that's Ultimo! But where's he going?

There's nothing
in that part of the desert.

JIM: Wrong! Stark Enterprises'
secret experimental test range.

If Ultimo gets into
our vibranium a*mo dump,

he would blow a hole
through this planet!

Okay, Hawkeye!
Now we move our butts!

But not Century.
I want you to find Iron Man.

Iron Man's transcendental being,
like all souls,

is a fixed star
within the matrix of infinity.

Once I find it, I can locate Iron Man
anywhere in time and space.

Farewell.

Sky access now!

Once Stark's robots
are in my possession,

I shall give them to Justin Hammer
to sell to the highest bidder.

But why not keep them
for your own use?

Because I will implant them
with a control microchip.

They will serve me
when the time comes,

and meanwhile, they will be
an excellent source of revenue!

Now I shall see
who wears Iron Man's skin

and learn the secrets of his armor.

The Cyber Rack will pull and twist
the armor apart at the joints,

causing whoever is inside
to pop out like a ripe chestnut!

The strength of the armor
is greater than I thought.

Perhaps the heat will encourage
whoever is inside to be less stubborn.

[WEAKLY] Pain...

Heat...

I will resist.

Rejoice! I am Ultimo!

Rejoice! I am Ultimo!

w*r MACHINE: Commence attack!

HAWKEYE:
That's my kind of order, W.M.

[GROWLING]

Let's turn up the heat!

Now turn, Ultimo,

and sweep them out of the sky!
I command it!

Yes! That's how to do it!

Maybe this will get your attention!

[SCREAMS]

Rejoice! I am Ultimo, thy deliverer!

- Why did Ultimo stop trashing us?
-w*r MACHINE: You got me.

But I want you to follow him and
keep me informed of his whereabouts.

HAWKEYE: While you guys do what?

Go back to the Armory and rearm!

Next time we tackle Ultimo,
we need to win!

[GRUNTS IN PAIN]

The occipital control template!
It's gone!

Without it, Ultimo is free
to fulfill his unknown mission!

THE MANDARIN:
We must find Ultimo at once!

Whatever the source of alien power
which draws him,

I must possess it!

[SNIFFING] It smells
like a barbecue in here.

- What about Iron Man?
-He can wait.

Whoever or whatever is inside
has expired by now.

[WEAKLY] Pain...

Must fight.

[CREAKING]

Century. How did you find me?

Through the infinity matrix.

It weakens me,
but I knew you were in great pain.

This will heal you.

Thanks, old friend.

The effort left him
in suspended animation.

Let's hope it won't last too long.
Thrusters up!

JIM: Ultimo is something else.

I thought we could handle him
without Iron Man.

Don't be too hard on yourself,
Jimmy, darling.

- You tried your best.
-Trying isn't good enough!

IRON MAN:
Then we try, try, and try again.

JIM: Tone! You're safe!

I was so... We were worried.

- Are you all right?
-IRON MAN: Yes, thanks to Century.

We must not stand about
in conversation while Ultimo is loose.

- We must locate him at once.
- I read you from here, Century.

Our humongous friend seems to be
heading for the Sacred Sands,

so we better find his off-button
and lean on it!

That's it!
Ultimo is a highly evolved automaton!

Someone turned him on,
and we can turn him off!

The rest of you, join Hawkeye and
slow Ultimo down before he completes

whatever he's been programmed to do.

- I won't let you down again.
-You've never let me down.

- Please, Wanda.
-Can't I stay, too?

IRON MAN: Not now, Julia.
I think this is the one time

when the Scarlet Witch's singular gifts
could be more useful than yours.

[ROARING]

Now I know why they call this place
the Sacred Sands.

- What do you think he's up to?
-This is a New Age kind of place.

Maybe the guy is into performance art.

SPIDER WOMAN:
He's creating an earthquake!

Ultimo is tapping into the very core
of this planet.

The energy it unleashes
will disrupt the forces of nature.

If we do not stop him,
the Earth will disintegrate.

Do something!
Anything! But slow him down!

Yes. We need to give Iron Man
time to find a solution.

His power is limitless!

No! Let me go!

Hold! If we attack now,
he'll crush Spider Woman!

THE MANDARIN: w*r Machine!

I should have guessed
Iron Man's lackeys would be here!

- Shouldn't we attack them?
-It's not necessary.

They're no match for Ultimo.
But more important,

it's now clear
that Ultimo's ancient program

is causing him to drain elemental
energy from the core of the planet.

I can't crack Ultimo's alien data code
by the normal methods, Wanda.

What do your hex powers tell you?

SCARLET WITCH: We must look
beyond what is, to what might be,

into the mystical, the irrational.

[CHANTING]

Unlock your secrets.

Unlock your mystery! The secret!

Reveal the nexus of control!

TONY: There!

SCARLET WITCH:
You are approaching the control prime.

TONY:
Ultimo's master switch is through

a doorway into another dimension.

Then you must turn him off
before he destroys our world!

Yes, but it'll be a real long shot.

And I know just the person to pull it off.

Fighting a stainless-steel King Kong
was bad enough,

now we got Genghis Khan Junior
in the game!

- w*r MACHINE: Hang in there, Julia!
-I am.

But every time Mandarin gets closer,
Ultimo squeezes tighter.

And I don't have
that much left to squeeze.

IRON MAN: Courage, Julia.

Have you found
Ultimo's control center?

Yes! But it will take our best marksman

to deliver this intra-dimensional dart
on target.

You'll only have time for one shot.
Make it count.

Just show me the bull's-eye.

[GROANS]

Hurry, Iron Man. I can't breathe.

Jim, it'll take both of us

to open Ultimo's cosmic window
for Hawkeye's shot.

Well, I haven't been
very effective up to now.

Maybe you'd have better luck
with another partner.

IRON MAN:
I wouldn't trust anyone else for this.

w*r MACHINE: Then let's go for it!

Iron Man? Impossible!

I roasted him alive!

Indeed. Seems
he needed more cooking time.

IRON MAN: Ready?
When the cosmic window appears!

Now, Hawkeye! Hurry!

[MODOK EXCLAIMS IN SURPRISE]

Must deflect Hawkeye's arrow.

HAWKEYE: Bull's-eye!

[ULTIMO GROANS]

- MODOK: We're doomed!
-The Mandarin is never doomed!

MODOK: Yes! Convert the saucer into
an earth borer and reclaim Ultimo later!

One day, his power will be mine!

Mine!

IRON MAN: How the mighty have fallen.

Julia, I want you
to head the removal party.

Stark helicopters are on the way

to transport Ultimo
to our secure holding lab.

As for the rest of you, well done.
Now let's go home.

No! Not another party!

- You know I hate these things!
-Comes with the job, Jimbo.

Please, whatever you do, don't cut out
and leave me alone this time.

- I won't. This is your party.
-JIM: For what?

My way of showing you how much
Stark Enterprises values your services,

and how much I value
your friendship. Enjoy.

Status?

SPIDER WOMAN:
Ultimo is safely on ice

and should present
no further problems.

Then change into something
more comfortable and join the party.

On my way, boss.

'