DC Showcase: The Phantom Stranger (2020)

DC Showcase: The Phantom Stranger (2020) is an animated short film based on the popular DC Comics character. Directed by Bruce Timm, with a script by Ernie Altbacker and produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment, this film was included in the home media release of Superman: Red Son. It is set in the 1970s, when a young girl named Marcie joins a group of hippies – Dee Dee, Violet, Harry, and Ted – as they travel to California in search of freedom and enlightenment. However, unbeknownst to them, they are being watched by the enigmatic Phantom Stranger who reminds them that ‘Not all those who wander are lost. But, many are and once lost, they may truly be lost forever’. The group arrives at an old Hollywood star’s former home, now owned by their leader Seth. While the others go inside, Marcie takes a cigarette break outside where she encounters the Phantom Stranger again. He cautions her that things are not always as they appear after Marcie expresses disgust at the unkempt lawn and dirty water fountain filled with dead fish.

Marcie initially mistook him for Seth, but he quickly corrected her and asked why they were following him. She explained that she and her friends were searching for truth, freedom, and spiritual guidance in a world ravaged by war, pollution, and deceit. The Phantom Stranger then shared his belief that the true source of truth dwells within those who navigate life’s journey. As Marcie joined her companions, the Stranger warned her to steer clear of what lay inside. However, before she could brush off his warning, he vanished and headed towards the front door. Despite being startled by an eye at the doorknob (which she thought was a hallucination), Marcie bravely went inside with her friends. The hippies welcomed her joyfully and they all indulged in wine while Seth magically lit candles and led them in a dance party filled with marijuana smoke and more wine. Finally, Seth performed a ritual where he marked Dee Dee, Violet, Harry, and Ted’s foreheads with wine from his chalice before proceeding to kiss each one of them.