Pain Walker (1)

January 28, 1994. The final day of shooting for Pain Walker, which had been underway for about three months since late October.

The scene was from the mid-point of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠movie. Inside a set designed to look like the interior of a massive mansion, Lucid, dressed in a pristine white suit, walked slowly. He picked up a "heated" poker and slowly pointed it at the man lying on the floor.

"Tell me."

Frederick's cheek twitched with tension. As Sion lowered his arm, the poker slowly dropped onto the carpet. In reality, it was just a prop painted red. But looking into Lucid's cold eyes, the rookie cop trembled yet remained resolute.

"I'll never tell you."

"Sacrifice, is it? ...Do you really think a petty citizen like you is allowed such a luxury?"

Sion refined Lucid's comic book persona and brought him into reality. He wasn't a cartoonish villain typically found in superhero movies. Instead, he felt more like a sociopathic criminal who could actually exist somewhere in the real world. Elegant and gentlemanly, yet utterly ruthless in achieving his goals.

In the comics, Lucid showed an uncontrollable streak of "evil." Usually armed with the elegance and arrogance of a high-society character, he acted gentlemanly yet vicious, but when facing his arch-nemesis, Pain Walker, he transformed into near-madness—a "Joker-style" character, so to speak.

By contrast, the movie version of Lucid created by Sion was incredibly restrained. This enhanced the crime-drama feel of this version of Pain Walker. Anyone watching this footage, with the acting and special effects properly applied, would be fooled into believing that super-powered beings actually existed in reality.

The veterans gathered on set, who knew how the final product would turn out, swallowed hard in anticipation of the next scene.

"You all just need to live happily."

"..."

"Inside the world I created. The world of dreams. That's what everyone wants, isn't it? Honestly, you don't have the ability to achieve your dreams. Such heroic traits are granted to only a select few. But that's fine. I'll handle that. You just need to be faithful to your dream. And I will help make it come true."

Lucid is one who sees another's "dream" and manifests it in reality. His superpower invaded the rookie cop's brain. At this moment, in Tim Burton's mind, the post-edited footage played out.

Ssssss! The poker leaves an indelible scar on the rookie cop's forehead. Yet, despite the horrific pain, he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is smiling. The "dream" escaping from his mind spreads around them, transforming the room into a dreamscape. In that vision, the rookie cop is recognized by others and is on the verge of a promotion.

Lucid, looking back at it with aristocratic poise, spoke softly.

"I see. A dream of this caliber. That is quite enough. For you."

Sion's interpretation of Lucid was slightly different from the typical villain or criminal archetype of this era's superhero genre. He also strayed from the comic's basic setup of a "high-society villain" and "arch-nemesis fanatically obsessed with the protagonist."

He committed evil for the sake of others. And through that, he sought to satisfy his bloated ego. Wealth, fame, and stunning looks—he had it all, and he desired only one thing: a beautiful dream world ruled by his "perfect self."

A villain with his own philosophy for the world, believing himself to be right—a style of villain that would resonate even in the future. A beautiful philosopher, a sociopath steeped in Machiavellianism and narcissism, smiled languidly.

Watching Sion perform, the crew on set felt a chill. It was as if the madness Sion Lee had been keeping tightly bottled up in real life was condensing and leaking out.

"Bwahahaha! Ahahaha!"

Soon, Frederick began to laugh like a madman, lost in his dream.

"Cut!"

With the director's shout, all filming for the movie came to an end.

"Phew."

Sion took a light breath and extended his hand. Frederick took it and stood up.

"Great work, everyone!"

"You all worked so hard!"

The crew, having finished the three-month journey, erupted into enthusiastic applause.

Tim Burton, checking the footage with the director of photography, looked at Sion shaking hands with Frederick in the center of the set and spoke softly.

"He's a truly wonderful actor."

"...In what way?"

"He's professional, yet approachable. He's a really great person to work with as an actor."

Some actors got so immersed in their roles that they ruined the atmosphere on set, while others worked half-heartedly, as if they were only there to boost their fame rather than act. In that sense, Sion—who immersed himself deeply when the camera rolled and cheerfully looked after people when it stopped—was a godsend for a director.

Hearing this, the director of photography commented.

"I suppose he can afford to be like that because he has peace of mind. Man, when I saw him a few years ago, he was nothing but a nuisance on set. It's amazing when you think about it. Who would've thought that brat would change so drastically in just a few years? And he's still only twenty-one. He has a bright future ahead. He hasn't even reached his prime as an actor yet."

"Actually, because he's so young, styling him was difficult. We had to use makeup to make him look older."

"But once the cameras rolled, he looked exactly that age. His skills are just that outstanding."

"True. He acted as if he had actually lived through his twenties and thirties."

The two chatted comfortably, looking relieved, as they continued to review today's footage. Evil represented by white and dreams, versus good represented by black and trauma. The stark contrast seemed to make the work even more intense.

"How does it feel? Based on what we have now."

At the question, Tim Burton remained silent for a moment before replying.

"I don't know about anything else, but I have no regrets."

Because he wasn't directing this piece alone; he had reliable colleagues by his side.

After filming wrapped, Sion was given a brief break. For about a month, there wasn't much for the actor to do. Occasionally, he would go in for ADR or poster shoots, but that was it.

During this time, Sion stayed cooped up at home, deliberately avoiding going outside.

This was to let the public "imagine on their own."

Since I've been building up my image through public activities, I need to pace things properly before the big release.

He was curious about how the editing of this movie would actually turn out. However, he trusted Lawrence Gordon's promise to make an adult-oriented superhero movie that respected the director's unique style, and so he waited.

The result in my past life, where I didn't participate, wasn't bad either.

About two months passed, and by March, information about the movie slowly began to be released.

A teaser poster—depicting Lucid positioned at the top as if ruling an empire of evil, with Pain Walker silently walking his path below—graced the front page of the Los Angeles Times. Along with it, comments swept across the nation.

As anticipation gradually built, Sion heard that a rough cut was ready. He visited the editing room where post-production was in full-scale progress to attend an internal screening.

Indeed, the tone was much darker than Batman Returns. Sion Lee and Mickey Rourke acted with thorough realism, while Tim Burton painted his unique artistic world—which existed only in his head—across the screen using matte paintings and miniatures.

The contrast and harmony... were truly fantastic.

The final scene of the movie. On the screen, his character and Mickey Rourke's were facing off.

Oh...

Scenes of intense power followed, making his heart pound.

Set against the backdrop of New York, the contrast between dark and light tones was striking. Sion was a capable businessman and a benevolent supervillain who sought to rule the world by trapping people in a dreamscape, while Mickey was a gloomy superhero who kept moving forward while enduring terrible pain.

I like it.

He was certain this would succeed. The prejudice that superhero movies were only for children was now an outdated concept. As Batman and Batman Returns had proven, there was definitely a demand for superhero movies targeted at adults. In fact, in the film industry, that had practically become the mainstream.

Because there are people who have loved superheroes since childhood.

And they had grown into adults with purchasing power, capable of spending more money. Sion had already conveyed his opinion to the business department through Charlie, who often attended business meetings with Warner Bros., suggesting that it would be wise to create "adult-targeted merchandise."

If they made rational decisions, they would collaborate with McDonald's for Happy Meals while simultaneously launching that kind of high-end merchandise business.

I really can't wait for the release.

Although the CGI work was still in progress, it was already excellent.

The film, edited to a run time of just over 120 minutes, concluded by showing Lucid falling from a rooftop, and Pain Walker, who watched him with a cold expression, being chased by the police despite being the hero who saved the world. Sion felt that this somewhat bittersweet ending was also a key point of the film.

"Phew~."

Curious about how others had received it, Sion looked to his side. The first person to catch his eye was a man sitting not far away.

Sion froze like a stone.

"..."

Mickey Rourke. He was keeping his mouth shut, but tears were streaming down his face in heavy drops.

While others slipped away to give him space, Sion, who hadn't properly exchanged a single word with Mickey throughout the entire shoot, made up his mind and approached him.

"Are you alright?"

"..."

Mickey Rourke, who had been staring blankly, offered a clumsy smile.

"I believe this is the first time we've spoken like this. Lucid."

"I thought it would be better for our immersion if we kept our distance. Pain Walker."

"Right. Thanks to that, I was able to deliver a very good performance. It felt like a role perfectly suited for the current me. A man who, no matter how miserably he lives, somehow keeps surviving. Before I was ruined... I always wanted to play a role like this."

Sion sat down next to Mickey.

"Thank you. I heard you were the one who recommended me?"

"This isn't a college exam, so how powerful could my recommendation really be? There's money on the line. I did mention you, but I don't think it was decisive. You didn't get cast directly; you had to audition. You got it because you did well, Mr. Rourke."

"...Is that so. In any case, thank you for being a great co-star."

"The feeling is mutual. Thank you for killing me off so beautifully in the movie."

"Kill you? You fell on your own."

"Still, the end was gruesome. Dying with my stomach impaled on a statue of a knight holding a spear. *Ack*."

Sion lightly broke the ice by mentioning his character's demise. Only then did Mickey wipe the moisture from his eyes and chuckle.

Throughout his time working with Sion, he had acted with all his might as a worthy rival. To deliver the best performance, he had constantly looked inward, and he felt as though some lingering regrets within him had finally been resolved.

What an incredible kid.

Because of his own past experiences, Mickey didn't easily believe rumors, but he had still heard things about Sion. However, as was always the case in Hollywood, the person portrayed by the media was vastly different from the actual individual.

Mickey curled his lips into a hearty smile and extended his hand.

"Since 'Lucid' and 'Pain Walker' have wrapped up nicely, I look forward to working with you as a fellow actor from now on, Sion."

Grasping his hand, Sion said confidently.

"Oh, that's my specialty. Leave it to me, Mickey."

"...?"

A conversation that was slightly "off" somewhere. And Mickey Rourke did not yet fully understand what those words meant.

April 23, 1994. With only a month left until the release.

The movie Pain Walker, directed by Tim Burton and starring Sion Lee and Mickey Rourke, began full-scale promotion, drawing immense public attention.

"Hey, did you hear Sion Lee is starring in a superhero movie?"

"Really? What kind of hero is he playing with that handsome face?"

"Surprisingly, he's playing the villain."

"Oh? That sounds pretty...?"

"The hero opposing him is played by Mickey Rourke."

"Huh? Didn't that guy's face get ruined from boxing or a car accident?"

The general public focused on the actors themselves.

The atmosphere was definitely unusual.

The first merchandise released—black and white T-shirts printed with the logos of Pain Walker and Lucid—sold out instantly. The subsequent $120 resin bust sets also sold out completely.

People walked the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠streets wearing Pain Walker and Lucid T-shirts. On television, full trailers were broadcast, and TV commercials were blasted relentlessly. The McDonald's Happy Meal toys featuring Pain Walker and Lucid were also churned out of factories like crazy.

Even the marketing strategy was truly "blockbuster." It was an explosive promotional method that seemed to brainwash the public by injecting images everywhere in an instant, like dropping a massive bomb, making them feel: If you don't watch this movie, you won't be able to join in on small talk.

And here, Sion's existing talent and image added fuel to the fire.

Whenever a movie was released or reached a certain milestone, Sion would appear on The Arsenio Hall Show like a regular guest, in response to Arsenio's requests.

Sion, who had spoken only "proper and polite words" throughout the show, adjusted his posture and looked directly into the camera when Arsenio Hall asked him for a final word.

"Hello. I'm actor Sion Lee. I believe this is the first time I'm greeting you with such a massive film. I did my absolute best in my acting. And if that sincerity reaches you, I would be truly happy."

Unlike in the past, when he couldn't keep his mouth or hands still and would bounce around, Sion was simply sitting in his seat and speaking softly. However, his gentle tone, which carried the acting tone of James 'Lucid' Coleman from the movie, had a hypnotic power.

"...No, are you really Sion Lee?"

Since they had agreed on this beforehand, Arsenio kept bringing up the "old Sion Lee" throughout the show, reacting as if he found it mind-boggling. The "different side" that the notoriously wild actor had maintained for several months made the viewers feel a strange sense of cognitive dissonance and tension.

The "attention" generated by this image-gap strategy was bound to naturally translate into anticipation for the movie.

"..."

Mickey Rourke, who was watching this from the seat right next to him, could only marvel.

Do young actors these days... think this far ahead when they work?

And not long after that broadcast, the long-awaited Pain Walker was released.