Once the doors opened, the group stepped inside—and what they saw stopped them in their tracks.
They were no longer in a mansion. Or a castle. Or anything resembling Earth.
Instead, they stood inside what could only be described as a space movie theatre—a massive, open space surrounded by sleek silver panels, glowing neon lines, and smooth black flooring. The room seemed suspended in space itself, a panoramic view of the stars stretching out endlessly around them.
But the real sight that drew their attention… was the planet.
Earth—at least, a version of it—floated in the distance. It looked similar to their own, but different. Cleaner. Brighter. More beautiful. The oceans shimmered like liquid sapphire, the continents gleamed with life and color, and the clouds swirled peacefully around the atmosphere.
And then, hovering over the upper half of the planet, was a massive translucent screen—so large it covered a good portion of Earth's curve. It glowed faintly, like a hologram projected from nothing, ready to display something grand.
Everyone stared in silence.
"This… is Earth?" Kaminari whispered.
"No," Yaoyorozu corrected softly. "A version of it."
"It's so… pristine," Tsuyu murmured, her wide eyes reflecting the glow.
Seven clapped his hands once, drawing their attention back.
"Alright, everyone, pick your seats. We've got a show to catch."
As if on cue, seating appeared behind them—rows of soft, curved lounge chairs that formed a half-circle facing the screen. The seating didn't force them into place, but when they moved forward, the arrangement was clear: heroes and students naturally grouped together on one side, while villains were placed on the other.
In the middle of it all, standing completely alone, was Stain.
He said nothing. His posture was tense, his sharp eyes fixed on the screen, arms crossed. Though surrounded by two opposing forces, he made no attempt to join either. He was here for one purpose: to judge the heroes of this world—and to see if they lived up to their ideals better than those in his own.
The room settled into a soft hum, and Seven turned again—not to them, but to the audience watching this story unfold.
"Okay," he said casually, "before we start, just wanna give a quick heads-up."
He gestured toward the screen.
"The DCU isn't like the MCU. You don't start with origin stories or slow build-ups. Nope. This universe kind of drops us in the middle of things. Especially with the famous characters like Superman or Batman."
He paced slightly
"Like, take Superman, for example. I'm pretty sure—and correct me if I'm wrong—they never explicitly tell you in the movie that he gets his powers from the sun. The closest they come is when he's healed using sunlight… and another moment, which I won't spoil yet, where someone recreates sunlight to power him back up."
He paused, glanced sideways, and added with a slight grin, "Ignore that spoiler. You didn't hear anything."
"Point is, some of the most important characters don't get much explanation in the DCU. So if you're a new viewer, you might need to do a little homework. A short YouTube video or a quick wiki check would help."
He raised a finger for emphasis.
"But that's only for the big names. For characters like Peacemaker, we actually get to see his story unfold on screen. We learn who he is, what he believes, and how messed up he is in the head—and heart."
"So when we get to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman—those types—I'll be giving the cast some background dumps here and there, either at the start or when it's relevant. The DCU doesn't always explain everything, so I'll help them fill in the gaps."
He gave a small nod.
"Hope that's cool with you."
Seven turned away from the invisible audience and refocused on the cast.
Midoriya—eyes wide and practically vibrating in his seat—suddenly raised his hand, unable to contain himself any longer. The shine in his eyes nearly drowned out the glow from the screen.
His excitement was overflowing.
"I—Mr. Seven!" he blurted out, nearly jumping to his feet. "Could you tell us about the hero we're going to watch first?"
Seven blinked, surprised but clearly amused by the energy.
He pointed at Midoriya. "What is it, shiny?"
"I mean—uh—Midoriya," he corrected himself, flustered.
A few chuckles spread through the students, but they were just as eager. Even some of the pro heroes leaned forward, intrigued by the question. The idea of seeing heroes from another world—an entirely different society of justice—was undeniably exciting.
Well… for most of them.
The villains, by contrast, weren't particularly thrilled. They didn't care about seeing heroes. Especially Dust Man, who slouched in his seat with an annoyed glare.
(Author's Note: I'm sick and tired of writing "the leader of the League of Villains name," so from now on, I'm just calling him Dust Man. You'll get used to it.)
Dust Man had no interest in seeing capes and cowards run around acting noble. The whole thing felt like a waste of time. The only one among them who seemed quietly intrigued was All For One, who sat unnervingly still.
He wasn't here for entertainment.
He was watching for potential powers… candidates… opportunities.
But Seven didn't miss a beat.
"Well…" he began, raising a hand, "actually, we won't be starting with a hero at all."
We'll watch a group of villains
That answer immediately caught everyone off guard.
"You what?" Kaminari blinked.
"You're kidding," Jirou said flatly.
Even the pro heroes looked surprised. The villains were more shocked than anyone—though their surprise quickly morphed into curiosity.
Especially Dust Man, who sat up straighter now, just slightly.
Seeing villains from another world? That was more like it. There could be potential recruits—or at least inspirations.
All Might stood, despite his weakened frame, and addressed Seven directly. His voice wasn't angry—just concerned.
"Mr. Seven… I don't think it's appropriate to begin by showing villains. Especially not when there are children here. It's one thing to show heroism—but to let them watch people commit crimes without context…"
"Hold that thought," Seven interrupted, raising a finger.
Then he turned to the audience again—completely separate from the cast's perception—and muttered, "Crap. I just remembered. I forgot to bring the other group."
He snapped his fingers casually.
A ripple of energy filled the room.
Suddenly, seated with the rest of the heroes, appeared the Wild Wild Pussycats—all four members—and Koda, looking understandably stunned. Their eyes darted around in confusion for only a moment before knowledge flowed into their minds like it had for the others. The information settled them quickly, giving them the context they needed.
Seven waited a couple of minutes to let them adjust.
Once they were settled, he turned back toward All Might and returned to the previous question.
"Now, back to your concern," he said, sounding more direct.
The room went quiet again.
"Here's the thing," Seven said. "I don't really care if you're uncomfortable. You're going to watch villains—because it's important."
A few students shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
"I'm not here to teach you a lesson or push some moral angle. But you need to see how your world has twisted the idea of what villains are—and what justice is. So shut the hell up and let me speak."
That stunned the room into silence.
Before anyone could argue, the screen in front of them shifted.
The giant display moved closer, adjusting its size and distance until it resembled a massive theater screen—just like one you'd find in a cinema. The cast instinctively leaned back in their seats as the lights in the room dimmed slightly.
The screen went black.
And then, in bold, bright yellow lettering across the center, the title appeared:
THE SUICIDE SQUAD 2021