[birds cawing faintly]
[menacing music building]
[menacing music intensifying]
[music trails off]
[energy thrumming]
[grunts]
Ooh.
[shadowy figure] Well, this is awkward.
I didn't realize the heist had such a specific dress code.
And here I came in my Easter best.
What the fuck is that thing?
It's a rabbit?
I don't care what it is. Kill it.
Oh.
There's no need for that.
Americans, the most dependable of your species.
Anything that doesn't fit your narrow understanding,
you shoot, bomb, or burn without hesitation.
[chuckles wryly]
And look where it's gotten you.
Four so-called soldiers of fortune
stealing common stones for a mere 2.5 million,
when there's something right in front of you
that is beyond earthly value.
Wait. How do you know the price we were offered?
I was the one who offered it.
[glass cracking]
[energy thrums]
[klaxon wails]
The Force Edge.
Sword of the demon knight Sparda.
Ironic, isn't it,
that such a holy place would house the most powerful weapon of Hell?
Then again, Hell, as you call it,
has always been the true heart of human religion.
You can curb the worst of your savageries
only through collective fear and hatred of another world.
My world.
You talk a lot for a rabbit.
Take what you want, long as you still pay Rampart for this operation.
Rest assured, you will be paid everything you're owed.
[gagging]
[dark, brooding music playing]
[agents gasping]
[bullets ricocheting]
[rabbit giggling]
[gasps]
Here we stand together on the threshold of a new age,
the age of the Demon.
This world is about to become much, much larger.
Well, not for you.
[sinister choral music playing]
[music halts]
[ambient street noise]
[cooing]
Sorry.
So-- [grunts]
Hey, excuse me.
Excuse yourself, lady.
Asshole!
[shrill stinger plays]
Goddamn it, Ellie. What now?
[uneasy rustling, clattering]
[sighs] You always pick the worst possible time, don't you?
If I didn't know better, I'd swear you did this on purpose.
[distressing music playing]
[throaty gurgling]
[woman screams]
- [woman straining] - [shadow gurgling]
[choking] Please, take me.
Don't hurt my daughter.
What daughter?
Hey, look! The Three Stooges came out to play.
[rowdy rock music playing]
Jackpot!
[woman coughing]
[heavy metal music building]
[song halts abruptly]
Eh, the way this usually goes is, I do that then drop a killer one-liner.
But I'm drawing a complete blank now.
This never happens to me, I swear.
Okay, wait.
I got one. Pretend I just shot that guy.
Bang!
Man, Skeletor did not hold up since the '80s.
Not my best work, but you get it.
[sighs wearily]
Um, I don't know how to thank you.
You saved our lives.
That is why you're here, right? To save us?
More or less.
There have been other attacks in the area. My client hired me to look into it.
Your client?
What kind of work do you do, exactly?
Demon hunting.
[woman] Wait, you're telling me they were actually…
What, those guys?
Those are just low-level demons.
Nothing to worry about.
[ominous music droning]
[music halts abruptly]
Cute kid.
[sputters]
We really should be getting home now.
Shouldn't we, Ellie?
Say goodbye to the nice man.
[giggling]
[demonic shrieking]
[rowdy rock music building]
[shrill yowling]
Stop! What are you doing? That's my baby!
No, it's not--
[music halts]
[grunts]
Damn it.
["Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)" by Limp Bizkit playing]
♪ Throw your hands up ♪
♪ Your… your… your hands up ♪
♪ Throw your hands up Throw your hands up ♪
♪ I move in, now move out Hands up, now hands down ♪
♪ Back up, back up Tell me what you're gonna do now ♪
♪ Breathe in, now breathe out Hands up, now hands down ♪
♪ Back up, back up Tell me what you're gonna do now ♪
♪ Keep rollin', rollin' Rollin', rollin' ♪
♪ Hey, ladies, hey, fellas ♪
♪ And the people that don't give a **** ♪
♪ All the lovers, all the haters ♪
♪ And all the people That call themselves players ♪
♪ Hot mommas, pimp daddies ♪
♪ And the people rollin' up in Caddies ♪
♪ Hey, rockers, hip-hoppers ♪
♪ And everybody all around the world ♪
♪ Move in, now move out Hands up, now hands down ♪
♪ Back up, back up Tell me what you're gonna do now ♪
♪ Breathe in, now breathe out Hands up, now hands down ♪
♪ Back up, back up Tell me what you're gonna do now ♪
♪ Keep rollin' Rollin', rollin', rollin' ♪
[song trails off]
[synth jingle plays]
[muffled explosions, screaming]
This is the first image released from last night's Vatican City bombings
that have shocked and horrified the entire world.
The suspect appears to have two strange protrusions on his back
that are shaped almost like wings.
[reporter 1] A world in mourning.
One question weighs on the minds of all.
Who could be responsible?
The radical left is already using this to push their agenda
that America should step down from our role as,
quote-unquote, "global policemen."
But as the greatest country on Earth, we have a moral responsibility to lead.
Not to mention,
the surveillance image clearly shows some sort of weaponized wing-suit.
That is not any US military technology that I know of.
Exactly. With tech like that, it was probably the Russians.
[commentator] Now, the government,
the corporatists that own it,
and their loyal propagandists in the news media
want you to blame the Russians.
[scoffs] How stupid do they think we are, folks? Hmm?
This was a strike against God himself!
Carried out by a sophisticated network of terrorist demons.
From Hell!
[studio audience laughing]
Uh, terrorist demons.
[chuckles] I don't… You hear about this?
I think I missed that one in Sunday school.
- [audience laughs] - Ever heard of a terrorist demon, Phil?
Sure. My ex-wife.
[audience laughs]
[rimshot]
[man] The attacks were perpetrated
by what appears to be a sophisticated network of terrorist demons.
This can't be serious.
Bad enough our Rampart boys were there. Now we're gonna really entertain--
Dr. Fisher is one of the foremost theoretical physicists in the world.
I assure you, he is serious.
My apologies, Mr. Vice President.
Let me wrap this around my brain.
How can you be sure that these things were…
Demons?
The same way that any criminal is identified, Mr. President.
My team tested DNA samples from the scene.
And you know what demon DNA looks like?
Demons, since we're using the colloquial term,
are a related but separate evolutionary branch from Homo sapiens.
They are natives of another universe,
one that exists parallel to our own.
My current hypothesis is that one of our common ancestors
found their way into this other universe,
where they adapted and became stronger,
able to survive the more hostile environment.
You mean Hell.
Just to be clear, the hostile environment you're talking about is Hell.
[chuckles]
Mythology exists to explain reality.
Why do you think every culture on Earth
tells the same stories about demons and the underworld?
We've discovered an interdimensional rift
that acts as a bridge between the two universes.
However, it has been blocked for millennia by a field of quantum interference.
Naturally occurring disruptions in this field
sometimes create what one might term portals,
which allow lesser demon types to enter into our world.
Luckily, these portals aren't stable enough
to accommodate larger, more complex molecular structures.
Uh-huh, right.
Which means?
Which means the big demons are stuck on the other side.
Who do you work for exactly, Doctor?
Dark Realm Command.
DARKCOM, as our PR department insists we call it.
DARKCOM is an independent dimensional security firm,
funded by private investments, such as my own.
Sir! You have to see this!
[rabbit] Sword of the demon knight Sparda.
Sparda?
Now that's interesting.
It looks like that sword is all he took.
[soldier struggling]
The gates of Hell will be open soon enough.
To any sapiens wishing to join the celebration,
if you want to catch a rabbit, find the hunter.
Hope to see you all there.
[soldier screaming]
[haltingly] My God.
All the last guy had to worry about was Saddam Hussein.
I've already got bio-organic weapons I've got to deal with.
And now you're telling me there's demons crawling up out of Hell?
You heard the doctor. This is no longer a matter of religion.
It's science.
The word of the Lord has been proven beyond dispute.
Hell is real.
And the Holy War is here.
[Dr. Fisher] "If you want to catch a rabbit, find the hunter."
I believe the demon is toying with us.
Giving us a clue to its next move.
We need to figure out who this hunter is, which can only mean…
A demon hunter.
Find every demon hunter you can.
And bring them to me.
What he said.
[mellow music playing]
Right on time.
Your usual's waiting on the bar.
Thanks. I need it today.
[distorted whooshing]
[music warps, slows down]
[Dante grunts]
Get them out of here. Go!
[man] Dante.
Leaving so soon?
We have much to catch up on, brother.
No.
[mysterious music playing]
You're…
[ethereal metal music playing]
…dead.
Oh, I'm here…
in the flesh!
[grunts]
[frantic electronic music playing]
You're that demon baby from earlier.
[priest] In nomine patris e filii
et spiritus sancti.
Amen.
I don't know anything about any of this.
I just dress up to scam people.
[grunts]
A rabbit demon, eh?
Yeah, maybe I heard something like that.
Talk.
[foreboding music playing]
I know a guy.
He's a broker for demon hunters and mercenaries.
A hustler who feeds off the bottom of the bottom feeders.
Last time I saw him, he told me how he'd set up this job for a talking bunny.
I didn't give him much thought, coming from a serial liar and a drunk.
But maybe he wasn't lying.
[Dr. Fisher] If we can corroborate this…
[vice president] It means the White Rabbit was operating here, in New York.
Give me a name.
- [officer 1] Enzo Ferino! - [officer 2] Go!
Huh?
[club music pulsing]
Coming through! Coming through! Move it! Move it!
Nice dress. Uh, ooh! Sorry, sweetheart.
[Ferino panting]
[cackling]
- [clang] - Ow!
[handcuffs clinking]
[Ferino sputtering]
Before we start, you should know
I'll tell you anything you ask me about any subject.
Now, let's talk compensation.
- [electricity crackles] - Okay.
Ugh. I'll do it for free.
You guys should learn how to negotiate properly.
[vice president] Tell us about the White Rabbit.
[chuckles] That's what this is about?
Yeah, I know who you mean.
He showed up at my office with a job that needed expediting.
And that didn't seem strange to you?
A six-foot talking rabbit.
Ha! In my line of work, that's a slow Tuesday.
Some demons making noise over on the west side that he wanted clipped.
Calling too much attention to themselves and whatnot.
[vice president] Why? What did it matter to him?
[Ferino] I saw the price he was offering and I must have forgot to ask.
One thing about it that struck me as funny,
he had a particular demon hunter he wanted me to hire.
- Wouldn't take anyone else. - [vice president] Who?
Kid named Dante.
Ah, sweet kid.
Bit of a troubled past, though.
You know how it is.
Dad not around.
Mom and twin brother brutally murdered by demons.
You know, that sort of thing.
Listen. The White Rabbit told us to find the hunter.
Stands to reason it's the same hunter that the rabbit personally requested.
Dante. Last name unknown.
Looks like he also works as a standard hired gun.
Oh! And if half of what I'm reading here is true,
his capabilities are extraordinary.
What else do we have on him?
Anything that explains the rabbit's interest?
Hmm. He's recorded as going AWOL from five separate jobs.
Why?
It just says, uh…
"Got bored"?
[rowdy rock music playing]
Hand over the amulet!
Whoo-hoo!
Dressing up as my dead brother, a little bit much.
Personally, I would have stuck with a creepy baby.
It was working for you!
[demon trills] Huh?
[Dante straining]
You've been trying really hard to steal my necklace.
Why is that?
The irony that I'm the shapeshifter,
and you're the one who doesn't know what you are.
[energy crackling]
[demon pulsating wetly]
[demon trills]
[sighs] Every time.
I heard a rumor once about demons who were too powerful to cross over,
so they learned how to project their consciousness
into our world and possess stuff, poltergeist-style.
You ask me, that's what this White Rabbit is.
A possessed kid's toy.
Now, from what I sensed,
he's way more than just a regular Hell dweller.
I didn't ask.
Look, look, that's all I know.
If you're after his location, I can't help you.
- I only saw him the one time. - [vice president] We know his location.
A man-sized rabbit can only avoid notice for so long.
Even in this labyrinth of sin.
[Ferino] You don't say.
So, you sent a team in after him then, huh?
Let me guess.
There were no survivors.
Only one.
[gasps]
[panting]
I have an idea.
Ask him about the sword, sir.
[vice president] The Sword of Sparda. What do you know about it?
Sparda! Ha, boy, that takes me back.
All I know is the old story.
Sparda was an ancient demon,
back in the days when the two realms were still joined, who sided--
Who sided with humans to fight his own kind,
the champion of Hell,
until he turned against its king.
I know this story.
What does the sword have to do with it, though?
I'm getting to it!
So, being such a swell guy,
Sparda takes it on himself to protect humanity by casting a spell,
creating a wall between the realms, so to speak.
It was the power of his sword, apparently, that let him do it,
with the help of a magic amulet,
which he splits in two pieces to make it harder to find.
Ugh, smells like some millennial bullshit to me.
That's it. Of course. Look… Look at this sword here.
See that slot in the hilt? Though it was meant to hold something?
I theorized that the quantum interference blocking the rift between realms
was broadcast by some form of transmitter.
Demon technology may look medieval,
but their understanding of quantum principles
is far more advanced than our own.
This amulet is the transmitter.
Each half of it generates one half of the signal,
and Sparda's sword is the decoder.
If one were to bring both halves of the amulet together
and place it into the sword, the transmission would cease.
There'd be no more interference.
No more wall. The realms would be open to each other without limit.
You're talking about Armageddon?
Yes. You must understand what would happen.
The demon who makes other demons wake up in a cold sweat
will be on our doorstep.
We'll throw everything we have at it,
only to discover that it's not just him.
It's a world full of them.
Our civilization will be overrun.
We won't let it be.
This is DARKCOM's purpose.
This is our divine charge.
To be the last line of defense against the Inferno.
Right. Our divine charge.
If the rabbit was after the sword, he must be trying to open the rift,
which means he'll also need the two amulet pieces.
He already has one.
And not to be an alarmist, but he's about to get the other one.
Mr. Sir Vice President. Baines.
- [Fisher] Anders, from J-Squad. - Mr. Vice President, sir.
- The one who survived. - Good to see you up, soldier.
What did that to your face?
Rabbit claws, sir.
Who let you down here? Why aren't you in the infirmary?
I have extremely sensitive information pertaining to… Uh…
Concerning…
Regards to the end of the world, sir.
I had to deliver it, sir. As in, in person.
To your person.
Sir.
I heard the rabbit say something after he'd done this.
He was pissed off.
He was furious, sir.
He knows where the other half of the amulet is.
And he tried to get it back already. But his plan failed.
He's gonna try again. Soon.
His plan?
What was the plan?
I don't know. Something about hiring someone for a setup job.
Or something.
Whoever it was, that's who has the other piece. Sir.
[frenetic, intriguing music playing]
Dante.
Heh.
[chipper dance-pop music playing]
[singer] ♪ Okay ♪
[music swells, trails off]
[console beeps, thuds]
[applause]
[game announcer] Game over!
[Dante] Aw!
[energy thrumming]
["Devils Never Cry" plays]
♪ Bless me ♪
♪ With the leaf off of the tree ♪
♪ On it, I see ♪
♪ The freedom reign ♪
♪ We are falling ♪
♪ The light is calling ♪
♪ Tears inside me ♪
♪ Calm me down ♪
♪ Midnight calling ♪
♪ Mist of resolving ♪
♪ Crown me ♪
♪ With the pure, green leaf ♪
♪ Praise to my father ♪
♪ Blessed by the water ♪
♪ Black light, dark sky ♪
IN MEMORY OF KEVIN CONROY (1955-2022)
♪ The devil's cry ♪