History Recap / JusticeLeagueS2E15And16TheTerrorBeyond

So they bust into Doctor Fate's tower, interrupt a ritual involving Grundy...and accidentally unleash Cthulhu's second cousin, Ichthultu (nobody told the writers that the Cthulhu Mythos was public domain and they didn't need WritingAroundTrademarks). So now Ichthultu and his betentacled lackeys are loose, and they have a bone to pick with life in general, and the Thanagarians in particular. The Thanagarians used to worship Ichthultu, until they got GenreSavvy and turned away from the ReligionOfEvil.

So they bust into Doctor Fate's tower, interrupt a ritual involving Grundy... and accidentally unleash Cthulhu's second cousin, Ichthultu (nobody told the writers that the Cthulhu Mythos was public domain and they didn't have to [[WritingAroundTrademarks tiptoe around trademarks]]). So now Ichthultu and his betentacled lackeys are loose, and they have a bone to pick with life in general, and the Thanagarians in particular. The Thanagarians used to worship Ichthultu, until they got GenreSavvy and turned away from the ReligionOfEvil.

** ShoutOut: Suitably, the episode begins with a Hulk-like battle between Grundy and an army.

* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: The heroes do end up killing Ichthultu... but Solomon Grundy dies in the process.

* CosmicHorror: As a send up of the Cthulhu Mythos, this is a given.

* ForeShadowing: Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl are noticeably abrasive with each other, with Hawkgirl lamenting Wonder Woman’s oft repeated catchphrase and Wonder Woman taking Hawkgirl to task for her rudeness and aggression particularly while dealing with Mera. Hawkgirl also digs into Superman’s tendency to give Aquaman the benefit of the doubt, which Superman is initially unamused about. This is one of the few indications that the League is rubbing against each other the wrong way which comes to a head in “Secret Society.”

* LetThemDieHappy: As Grundy lies dying, Hawkgirl comforts him, putting aside her own (non)beliefs:

* VisibleSigh: Superman lets out a frustrated sigh as Aquaman leaps into battle against him... right before Superman knocks him out.

Doctor Fate and Aquaman rescue Solomon Grundy, intent on using him to help battle an ancient evil.

* EldritchAbomination: Ichthultu

* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: As much as the [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar censors]] will allow:

* UnwantedRevival: Solomon Grundy, upon learning his own origin and the fact that he has no soul, wants nothing more than to get his soul back. It was implied that this happened after he died fighting Ichthultu. However, he is later revived again by Chaos Magic in "Wake the Dead", which he's really ticked off.

** When Hawkgirl realizes Fate is using Thanagarian runes in his ritual, she becomes very agitated and demands to know what he knows about Thanagar. This is a subtle hint that Hawkgirl is worried her cover as a Thanagarian Spy will be blown which is revealed in “Starcrossed.”

** When Hawkgirl realizes Fate is using Thanagarian tunes in his ritual, she becomes very agitated and demands to know what he knows about Thanagar. This is a subtle hint that Hawkgirl is worried her cover as a Thanagarian Spy will be blown which is revealed in “Starcrossed.”

* AmbiguousSituation: The only real indication that Ichthultu is the one that took Grundy’s soul is simply that Ichthultu once took Thanagarian souls as sacrifice and, overhearing this, Grundy just assumes Ichthultu took his. Beyond that, there’s no real evidence or confirmation that Ichthultu had anything to do what how Solomon Grundy came to be.

* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: The team Dr. Fate puts together is an {{Homage}} to Creator/MarvelComics ComicBook/TheDefenders, with Dr. Fate as ComicBook/DoctorStrange, Aquaman as Namor the ComicBook/SubMariner, and Solomon Grundy as ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk. Hawkgirl fills in for Nighthawk.

* EldritchAbomination: Ichthultu.

* UnwantedRevival: Solomon Grundy, upon learning his own origin and the fact that he has no soul, wants nothing more than to get his soul back. It was implied that his happened after he died fighting Ichthultu. However, he is later revived again by Chaos Magic in "Wake the Dead", which he's really ticked off.

* UnwantedRevival: Solomon Grundy, upon learning his own origin and the fact that he has no soul, wants nothing more than to get his soul back. It was implied that his happened after he died fighting Ichthultu. However, he is later by Chaos Magic in "Wake the Dead", which he's really ticked off.

* CastingGag: Music/RobZombie voicing the evil god Ichthultu.

* CastingGag: RobZombie voicing the evil god Ichthultu.

* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: The heroes do end up killing Ichthultu...but Solomon Grundy dies in the process.

* YouGotSpunk: Hawkgirl's verbal FlippingTheBird to [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu Ichthultu]] impresses the latter.

* NightmareFuel: Being an homage to the CthulhuMythos, "The Terror Beyond" is ''stuffed to the gills'' with it.
** Start with Ichthultu himself, a piscine {{Expy}} of [[Literature/CthulhuMythos Cthulhu]], which appears as a monstrous skull-like apparition with flaming eyes and CombatTentacles.
** Then the Screamers, (oh god, the Screamers) which are headless horrors with screaming mouths in their palms. [[FromBadToWorse It only gets worse]] when you realize that the Screamers are basically expies of [[Literature/CthulhuMythos Y'golonac]], [[EldritchAbomination Lovecraftian God]] of [[ErectionRejection Rape and Sexual perversion]].
** The huge multitude of [[EliteMook Old Ones and Elder Things]] that attack Atlantis and try to defend Ichthultu from our heroes follow right behind.

* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: The team Dr. Fate puts together is an {{Homage}} to Creator/MarvelComics ComicBook/TheDefenders, with Dr. Fate as ComicBook/DoctorStrange, Aquaman as Namor the ComicBook/SubMariner, and Solomon Grundy as ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk.

** Start with Ichthultu himself, a piscine {{Expy}} of [[CthulhuMythos Cthulhu]], which appears as a monstrous skull-like apparition with flaming eyes and CombatTentacles.
** Then the Screamers, (oh god, the Screamers) which are headless horrors with screaming mouths in their palms. [[FromBadToWorse It only gets worse]] when you realize that the Screamers are basically servants of [[EldritchAbomination Y'golonac, Lovecraftian God]] of [[ErectionRejection Rape and Sexual perversion]].

* FireForgedFriends: Solomon Grundy fights against the EldritchAbominations alongside the League, and strikes up a friendship with Hawkgirl in particular. He gets mortally wounded fighting Ichthultu and indirectly rescuing Hawkgirl. She comforted him in his final moments. Hawkgirl still considers him a friend in the much later episode "Wake the Dead".

* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: The heroes do end up doing by killing Ichthultu... but Solomon Grundy dies in the process.

** Start with Ixhthultu himself, a piscine {{Expy}} of [[CthulhuMythos Cthulhu]], which appears as a monstrous skull-like apparition with flaming eyes and CombatTentacles.