Limitless isn't actually a complicated movie.
The male lead, Eddie Morra, starts off as a complete loser—dumped by his girlfriend, finally landing a book deal, yet unable to write a single word.
One day, he runs into his ex-wife's brother—his former brother-in-law—and gets his hands on a transparent little pill called NZT-48.
The pill looks harmless enough.
But its effects are anything but.
NZT-48 activates dormant potential in the human brain, stimulating neural pathways within thirty seconds. In a sense, it's basically Viagra for the brain.
This clear little pill forces open every neural junction, granting photographic memory and absurd learning ability.
You could master a complex language in a single day.
Instantly understand advanced equations.
Charm anyone effortlessly with sharp wit and perfect phrasing.
Of course, all of that only lasts as long as you keep taking the drug.
Once the effect wears off, you drop straight back to normal.
And that's not even the biggest problem.
Long-term use of NZT-48 comes with severe side effects.
At first, it's crushing headaches, nausea, dizziness.
Then memory gaps start appearing.
Eventually, the immune system collapses entirely, triggering multiple illnesses and—more often than not—early death.
Unaware of these side effects, Eddie Morra quickly transforms from deadweight into a human elite.
No exaggeration—after taking NZT, his brain functioned like a top-tier CPU.
Everything he saw, read, or even overheard was permanently stored and instantly retrievable.
With a brain like that, Eddie finished his novel in four days, then dipped his toes into the stock market.
The results were immediate—and spectacular.
Under the stunned gazes of financial professionals, he raked in massive profits.
His talent quickly attracted the attention of financial titan Carl Van Loon, an energy magnate who, after personally witnessing Eddie's genius, wanted to recruit him as his newest "growth engine."
There's an old saying: the tallest tree catches the most wind.
Eddie's meteoric rise brought serious trouble.
First came mysterious assassins.
Then came loan sharks from his past.
Both wanted one thing: NZT-48.
And as Eddie continued taking the drug, the side effects began stacking up.
Still, a protagonist is a protagonist.
Despite all the danger, Eddie ultimately escaped it all and became a wildly popular senator.
Writing novels.
Playing the market.
Entering politics.
To Ryan Cole, this was textbook urban power-fantasy progression straight out of a web novel.
Unfortunately, Ryan knew perfectly well that this path was suicidal in the Marvel Universe.
Even if HYDRA didn't notice him, S.H.I.E.L.D. would absolutely want to "have a chat."
Now holding a massive bag of transparent pills, Ryan felt an intense sense of unreality.
He still had to stay in the Limitless world for a full month. To minimize risk and maximize gains, he hesitated for only a few seconds before taking a single NZT-48 pill.
The transparent capsule slid down with his saliva.
Thirty seconds later—
The change hit.
His senses sharpened instantly—not metaphorically, but literally.
His dark pupils grew clearer, deeper.
His brain jumped from calculator-level processing straight to quantum computing.
Everything he had ever seen, read, or heard arranged itself neatly in his mind.
The sheer ease of accessing information was intoxicating.
Knowing that every second on NZT was priceless, Ryan had no intention of wasting time like Eddie did in the original story.
After confirming that Eddie wasn't dead—just deeply unconscious—Ryan finalized his plan almost instantly and got to work.
Keeping his presence as clean as possible, he thoroughly repurposed the apartment.
Useful items were packed into a duffel bag, including the food and clothes Eddie had just picked up.
Once cleaned up—and after subtly altering his appearance—Ryan used the apartment phone and flawless American English to report a homicide, then calmly left the building.
He spent significant time afterward erasing every trace of his departure.
By the time he exited a large shopping mall, nothing about his clothes—or his face—resembled the man who had left the apartment earlier.
With cosmetics and small props, his appearance had changed completely.
Even people who knew him well wouldn't recognize him unless he spoke.
Knowing exactly what he needed most, Ryan headed straight to the largest library in the city.
Living off savings wasn't his style—especially not enhanced Ryan.
For two full weeks, taking one NZT-48 per day, he devoured massive volumes of knowledge in chemistry, medicine, and biology through books and the internet.
The drug was powerful—but dangerous.
Understanding and improving it was the top priority.
He also studied medicine, combat techniques, and firearms—anything that increased survivability.
After two weeks, now possessing deep expertise in chemistry, biology, and pharmaceuticals, Ryan published several papers online through top universities and academic platforms.
All of them centered on a single concept:
The "God Zone."
The term wasn't Ryan's invention—it referred to the roughly ninety percent of the human brain that remains unused.
There was a theory that if humanity could fully utilize the brain, humans would become godlike beings.
The papers caused an immediate stir.
Invitations flooded in.
Universities.
Academic institutions.
Private laboratories.
All wanted to discuss the God Zone—and potential collaboration.
After another week bouncing between universities and private labs, Ryan secured a legal identity and a well-paid research position.
He knew perfectly well no one truly trusted his mysterious background.
But trust didn't matter.
He only needed a place to research and manufacture drugs.
Just before his time limit expired, Ryan successfully created a new generation of NZT.
Designated NZT-50, it was a second-generation compound.
The effects remained intact, while side effects were reduced to the absolute minimum.
They could be lowered further—but only by weakening the drug, which didn't fit Ryan's plans.
Before the deadline hit, Ryan produced enough pills, then returned to his lab room under the excuse of rest.
When staff later forced the door open, they were stunned.
A living person had vanished without a trace.
As for whether his disappearance caused chaos in the Limitless world—
Ryan didn't care.
Reappearing in the same alley as before, he looked nothing like the desperate man from a month ago.
He now looked every bit the successful elite.
"Whew…"
After reminding himself that even now he was still dangerously weak in this world, Ryan calmed down and stepped out of the alley.
He flagged down a taxi and asked to be taken to the largest jewelry store in the city.
When he walked out, the black combination case in his hand was filled to the brim with U.S. dollars.