[Forty five years ago.]
[A young Stubbins Doom stands beside his father, who lays on his back on a sliding bench, beneath an unusual style of craft. The craft itself is the likes of which Arcadia has never seen before.]
[Stubbins Doom] “C’mon pop, let me help…”
[Father Doom] “No.”
[Stubbins looks saddened.]
[Stubbins Doom] “I just want to help. You know I’m smart, pop. I can do anything I want.”
[Dad slides out from underneath the craft, oil and dirt on his face and a wrench in his hand. He sighs.]
[Father Doom] “You’re the smartest kid I know, Stub. You make me and your mom proud, every single day.”
[Doom smiles.]
[Stubbins Doom] “So, why can’t I help then?”
[Father Doom] “Because there’re certain jobs in this world that a man can do, and certain jobs a boy can do. Ingenuity, talent, and intelligence can only get you so far. You need to understand that not everything can be approached appropriately by everyone.”
[Stubbins looks upset, his eyes beginning to water.]
[Dad pulls him in for a hug.]
[Father Doom] “It’s nothing to be sad over, Stub. Certain things in life are better handled by certain people at certain times. That’s no reason to be upset. Look at this Hovercraft your pop is trying to build. It may look easy to build, but there’s barely a man or woman in Arcadia capable of doing it, let alone a boy.”
[Stubbins Doom] “But I can help, I’m sure of it.”
[Dad chuckles.]
[Father Doom] “Until you’re old enough to be able to, you’ll likely make more trouble than you will solve problems, son. That’s just the way of it.”
[Present.]
[Doom stands in the same garage, as an adult, in front of the same hovercraft his father attempted to create.]
[Doom] “You’ve become like a son to me, Destructo Boy.”
[He kneels to inspect the craft.]
[Doom] “You remind me of me, minus the superior intellect and talent.”
[Doom scoffs.]
[Doom] “My father once knelt here and told me exactly what I’m going to tell you; wait, boy. You’re a boy trying to fill a man’s shoes. You’ve spent your entire young adult life trying to fix problems that no boy in Arcadia could fix, not even you. Said problems are better solved by a man, like me.”
[He stands up and grabs a wrench from the table.]
[Doom] “My father knew that. I bet your father, despite his constant insanity, knows it too. Your mothers murder won’t be solved by a boy with hopes, dreams and aspirations – just like this craft wouldn’t have been fixed by mine.”
[Doom shrugs.]
[Doom] “It takes a moment to understand the world in which we live, Destructo Boy. Some jobs are better handled by boys and others, well, they’re better handled by men.”
[He lays down on his back on the bench and rolls himself out of sight and underneath the craft.]
[Doom] “It won’t pain me to sit you down and tell you this next week. I just hope that you, like I, listen to your elders. This isn’t a boys world, kid.”
[Clanging.]
“Kneel before Doom. Let me tell you all about it.”