History Recap / JusticeLeagueS1E18And19Legends

* NuclearMutant: As you'd expect when TheForties gets HitSoHardTheCalendarFeltIt by the worst aspect of TheFifties. Once Ray's glamor fails, he's revealed to be a grotesque [[MyBrainIsBig swollen-headed]] PsychoticManchild with reality warping powers.

* [[SeeminglyWholesomeFiftiesGirl Seemingly Wholesome 50's Boy]]: Ray at first seems like a parody of kid sidekicks during the era, particularly Robin from the [[Series/Batman1966 Adam West Batman series]], but is revealed to be a BitchInSheepsClothing RealityWarper.

* Foreshadowing: While being questioned by Green Lantern, the ice cream man says that he hasn’t stopped once that day because “business has been dead for a while”. That’s an understatement. Its also questioned how everything is the same despite the Justice Guild comics happening 40 years ago, including the fact that none of the members appear to have aged. But the biggest one is probably that when they first arrived Martian Manhunter had visions of a nuclear apocalypse destorying the city when he tried using his telepathy.

* Foreshadowing: While being questioned by Green Lantern, the ice cream man says that he hasn’t stopped once that day because “business has been dead for a while”. That’s an understatement.

A battle involving Superman, the Flash, Batman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl against a HumongousMecha controlled remotely by Lex Luthor goes wrong when the destroyed robot, starting to self-destruct, collapses onto the unconscious J'onn J'onzz, John Stewart and Shayera. Flash races to use his whirlwind-creating speed to hold it up, but instead triggers an explosion that causes the robot and the four heroes to vanish in a huge explosion. When it fades away, the four heroes are gone.

* CopiedTheMoralsToo: The Justice Guild members we see in this episode are later revealed to be illusions created by [[RealityWarper Ray]] as part of a fantasy world based on the superhero ideals from his childhood. Unfortunately for Ray, the Justice Guild are such perfect illusions that they also have the same morals as the real deal, and they eventually decide that [[HeroicSacrifice saving the citizens from Ray's dream-world is more important than their own lives]], turning on Ray and putting an end to the fantasy.

* BigNo: Ray shouts this after J'onn exposes his true form.

* BigDamnHero: The Justice Guild decide to save the League from Ray, [[HeroicSacrifice even though stopping him will erase them.]]

Meanwhile, the four then reawaken in an unfamiliar city, unharmed but confused. J'onn tries to contact Superman and Batman telepathically, but sees visions of the city exploding and almost faints. A local newspaper identifies their location as "Seaboard City", which none of them have ever heard of. Puzzlement has to wait, however, as a crime is being committed; a wild-looking red-haired man has just stolen one of the legendary Stradivarius violins from a local store; using an energy-blast-throwing accordion and a suped-up car that resembles a flute. The criminal, who goes by the name "Music Master", manages to escape -- but not before the heroes recover the stolen violin.

The Justice League quit the field first. Regrouping at the Justice Guild's headquarters, Shayera has disturbing news for her teammates; while she lost Music Master, she found herself crashing into a cemetery -- where she found headstones dedicated to each of the Justice Guild's members. The "Justice Guild" they have been speaking to aren't real. Refusing to believe this, John Steward flies off, forcing Hawkgirl to go after him. This leaves only J'onn to help when the Justice Guild return and immediately have to go and stop a blimp-based attack on the Seaboard City Mint by the Injustice Guild. After a fierce battle, they free their captured friends and return triumphant.

When the Justice Guild, Flash and Martian Manhunter return to the Justice Guild's headquarters, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl confront them with the fact that the Justice Guild are not real -- the second newspaper they found, dated the day that the Justice Guild comics stopped being published, declares the Justice Guild perished in an attempt to save Seaboard City from being consumed by nuclear war. Horrified, the Justice Guild are forced to admit that they are fakes -- though they didn't know it.

* AsideGlance: The Flash does this, in conjunction with YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe, at the [[BusFullOfInnocents Bus Full Of Nuns]].

** John and Ray are paralleled to each other in regards to their nostalgia, and in regards to how they deal with the past. John is initially ecstatic at being able to work alongside his childhood heroes, but finds himself slightly put off by their InnocentBigot tendencies. It gets worse when he finds out that none of his heroes are real, but illusions living in a perpetually static world. While he initially doesn't take it well, it's overcome by his determination to find out what's going on, and after the truth is revealed and the villain dealt with, he's saddened but ultimately able to move forward, [[RebuiltPedestal remembering the sacrifice of the illusory heroes.]] Ray by contrast was ''not'' able to let go, due to the trauma he suffered and being too young when it happened to really understand how to process the horror. As a result, [[IRejectYourReality he withdrew into a selfish fantasy]], using his powers to force others to keep the illusion going and became the villain that his own illusions would eventually have to defeat. Ultimately, he lies defeated, having lost his heroes once again, and the people he enslaved deciding to move on while having to bear the scars he left on them.

* DeadAllAlong: The real Justice Guild died ''forty years'' before the Justice League arrived to their dimension.
* DeconReconSwitch: The episode deconstructs the fondly-remembered "Golden Age" of comic books in numerous ways, with the most blatant examples being the casual sexism and racism Hawkgirl and Green Lantern encounter, and the artificiality of their world. At the same time, it still portrays the Golden Age heroes as ''heroes''.

** J'onn's theory for how the Justice Guild was also a comic book in their world, is pretty much identical to the one Barry Allen gave to Jay Garrick when they first met during ''Flash Of Two Worlds''.

* GoOutWithASmile: The Guild smiles to the League after defeating Ray and ceasing to exist in the nuclear wasteland.

** Upon finding a newspaper, Hawkgirl notes that it's labeled 40 years ago, to which Jon remarks that the date coincides with the last ever issue of the Justice Guild comics.

* PsychopathicManchild: Ray has kept the form of a child for ''forty years'', [[BodyHorror thought you can hardly blame him]]. He also uses his RealityWarper powers to recreate his childhood heroes and his old world and forces the other survivors to play along, although given what he went through, the Flash doesn’t blame him.

** The Justice Guild's sidekick "Ray Thompson" is an expy of Golden Age fanboy supreme Roy Thomas.[[note]]Who had, for extra coincidence points, done [[http://www.supermegamonkey.net/chronocomic/entries/avengers_85-86.shtml a similar plot]] in his ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' run ''thirty years earlier'' - with the "alternate" heroes being parodies of the Justice League themselves![[/note]]

* AntiVillain: Ray isn't so much evil as long since [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope jumped off the slippery slope]] due to [[BreakTheCutie suffering something no child should ever go through and losing his idols at the same time]].

* AnswerCut: Hawkgirl wants to know what evil fiend is behind the giant mecha stomping their city. Cut to Lex Luthor operating it by remote control from his yacht.

* HumungousMecha: A giant robot is summoned by Ray to distract both the Justice League and Guild when both teams start digging too close to the truth of the world.

* MeaningfulEcho: When they decide to sacrifice themselves by defeating Ray, they shout "Let Justice Prevail!".

** In a FreezeFrameBonus, Black Siren's grave reveals her true name to be Donna Nance, a reference to Dinah Lance (a.k.a. Black Canary), her counterpart from the comics. The grave for Catman reveals his real name to be "Thomas Blake", a reference to the alter ego of the Batman villain, who'd appeared sans costumed identity in ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries The New Batman Adventures]]'', in the episode, "[[Recap/TheNewBatmanAdventuresE15CultOfTheCat Cult of the Cat]]".

* HostageSituation: The Guild and League can't take down the villains' blimp without getting a tied-up Flash and Black Siren hurt.

* {{Politically Incorrect Heroes}}: As noted elsewhere, the Justice Guild aren't very enlightened in their views on race and gender. Though they are more like InnocentBigot due to DeliberateValuesDissonance of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks rather than outright malice.

* PoliticallyIncorrectHeroes: As noted elsewhere, the Justice Guild aren't very enlightened in their views on race and gender. Though they are more like InnocentBigot due to DeliberateValuesDissonance of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks rather than outright malice.

* PsychopathicManchild: Ray has kept the form of a child for ''forty years'', [[BodyHorror though you can hardly blame him]].
* {{Politically Incorrect Hero}}es: As noted elsewhere, the Justice Guild aren't very enlightened in their views on race and gender. Though they are more like InnocentBigot due to DeliberateValuesDissonance of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks rather than outright malice.

* BlankBook: The entire library.

* GoneHorriblyRight: Ray made the Justice Guild to be true rightous heroes, and it was because of that they fought against him despite knowing it would destroy them.

A battle involving Superman, the Flash, Batman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl against a HumongousMecha controlled remotely by ComicBook/LexLuthor goes wrong when the destroyed robot, starting to self-destruct, collapses onto the unconscious J'onn J'onzz, John Stewart and Shayera. Flash races to use his whirlwind-creating speed to hold it up, but instead triggers an explosion that causes the robot and the four heroes to vanish in a huge explosion. When it fades away, the four heroes are gone.