History Recap / JusticeLeagueS2E5And6OnlyADream

-->'''Destiny''': You're not like them. You don't have any special powers.

* CallBack: Superman's PowerIncontinence nightmare is a callback to the ending of "Legacy", when he confessed to Lois he was terrified of losing control again (as he had when he'd gone gunning for Darkseid). It's also possible it's back on his mind again because of recent events, i.e. losing all self-control yet again during "Twilight" two episodes earlier.

--->''Brother John, Brother John''

** Later, Batman chugs down some coffee to keep going, but in his sleep-deprived state the rush wears off fairly quickly. He lasts just long enough to take Dee down, and ends the episode dead to the world.

* DaydreamSurprise: Dee's opening [[IndulgentFantasySegue battle with the Justice League]] is suddenly revealed as a [[PowerFantasy daydream]] of John Dee's that he's having while he's in prison.

* EmptyShell: After overdosing on sleeping medicine and overexposure to the dream machine, Dr. Destiny is shown lying in Blackgate's hospital, comatose with his eyes open and humming "Frère Jacques".

* HardLight: Luminus escapes from prison, and uses his technology to surround Flash with holograms. Flash, used to this trick with Mirror Master, thinks that they're just holograms and apparently doesn't fall for it, except, as those who've watched ''Superman: The Animated Series'' would know, they're pretty solid.

* KissOfDeath: Copperhead orders Hawkgirl to fly him away from the prison, or he bites her. Hawkgirl seemingy complies, but then stops in midair some distance up. Copperhead orders her to continue, "or I give you your last kiss." Hawkgirl is unfazed, pointing out that such a kiss would mean [[TakingYouWithMe death for them both]].

* MindRape: Courtesy of the bad doctor. Doctor Destiny (John Dee) uses his powers in a disturbing fashion - he traps his ex-wife in a nightmare. In one creepy scene, he removes his clothes in front of her, before "putting on" his costume. She ends up becoming the first person in the series to actually die by action of a supervillain. Then he goes after the League.
* MirrorScare: Subverted. The dream-manipulating Doctor Destiny is stalking his ex, who goes into the bathroom to wash her face after having a nightmare. The musical build-up makes it sound like he's going to be revealed with a mirror scare, but he isn't there. ''[[BehindTheBlack He's right next to her]]''.

-->"Now that I'm a doctor...''[[PreMortemOneLiner I think I'll perform a little surgery]]''..."

--->"And now that I'm a doctor, I think I'll perform some surgery."

** PluckyComicRelief Flash gets depressed enough to curl into TroubledFetalPosition.

** Without much in terms of expression: J'onn realises how crucial the situation is when he sees the news report about Dee's wife's death; similarly, Batman's response to hearing about this is to ''allow'' him to [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness enter their minds deeply, at great personal risk to himself, before they suffer the same fate]].
* OutsideContextProblem: Of sorts - while John Dee was a {{Mook}} previously hired by Luthor once, nobody expected him to suddenly become the BigBad of the two-parter and in the most terrifying way possible MindRape the team through their dreams. Absolutely ''nobody'' saw him coming...

* PlotIncitingInfidelity: A villainous rather than heroic example. John Dee's wife comes to visit him in prison only to inform him that she is leaving him for another man (who is already living in their house with her). This (among other things) triggers his StartOfDarkness, causing him to become Doctor Destiny.

* PrisonRiot: Dee manages to escape due to one; no-one notices him, seeing as recapturing [[SpecialGuest Solomon Grundy, Copperhead, Volcana, Firefly, and Luminus]] is a considered lot more important.

* RaceAgainstTheClock: Batman and Martian Manhunter have to save Destiny's victims before he kills them. They ''do'' manage to save everyone (except Dee's wife, Penny), but it's a close thing.
* RageAgainstTheLegalSystem: It's implied that Dr. Destiny wants revenge on the Leaguers for locking him up. (The thing is, not only was he guilty of the crime, the one he probably should have blamed was Lex Luthor for convincing him to do it.)
* RoleReprise: Dana Delany and Peri Glipin return to reprise their roles of Lois Lane and Volcana for the first time since the conclusion of STAS in 2000. Mark Rolston likewise returns as the voice of Firefly for the first (and final) time since TNBA.

* SelfDeprecation: Superman happily greeting Jimmy as "my pal" and then accidentally crushing him to death. This is a knock on the infanous "[[Recap/SupermanTheAnimatedSeriesS3E8SupermansPal Superman's Pal]]" episode, which Creator/BruceTimm and other carryovers were regretful about even years later.

* StalkerWithoutACrush: Towards his wife by the time he escapes. He's no longer romantically interested in her, just ticked off that she left him behind.

** John Dee tries taunting Batman with the idea that rest of the League thinks little of him. It doesn't work. Nor was trying to fight Batman without his powers a good idea, even if he was on the verge of falling asleep.

* ThenLetMeBeEvil: Though John Dee had occasional fantasies of power and vengeance on the Justice League, when "Only a Dream" began he was a well-behaved prison inmate who even the guards liked and believed should be released. However, his parole is turned down again, his wife leaves him, and then the prison erupts in a full scale riot. From all indications he really was a rehabilitated convict, but when the system would not even give him a chance he decided to go whole-hog and cut loose.

* TomTheDarkLord: In fact, it's a plot point. Destiny's real name is John, something he hates because it's not special enough. Once he gets his powers, he proves that the man behind the name is anything but common. Batman keeps addressing him as "Johnny" as he closes in, perhaps guessing (with his understanding of criminal psychology) that it will [[IShallTauntYou annoy him]] and thus chip away at his mental focus.

* WeWillMeetAgain: After being defeated in the last [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind dream-world battle]], Destiny declares "This is far from over." However, it ''is'' over for the heroes he'd been tormenting, and it was over for Destiny himself when Batman caught up with him.

* WhatDoTheyFearEpisode: For the Leaguers. Superman was afraid of his powers going out of control and killing all his loved ones. Hawkgirl imagines trapped in a coffin and buried alive (this was foreshadowed earlier in the episode). Flash fears that he would run so fast that the rest of the world would freeze in time. [[LossOfIdentity Green Lantern is afraid that he was becoming nothing more than a tool for a ring, and losing touch with where he came from]]—reflected in people being afraid of him and being unable to communicate with him, as though it were just another of the alien worlds he's been tasked to protect. Batman cheats—despite telling Dr Destiny how "My mind is not a nice place to be" he just chugs coffee and stays awake until he takes him down, so we never do find out what he fears.

* YourWorstNightmare: The Justice League faces John Dee, a.k.a. Doctor Destiny, a criminal accidentally given Psychic Powers by an experiment, who uses his new abilities to torture and kill his ex-wife in her dreams, then goes on to torment our heroes. He bites off a bit more than he can chew, though, when he taunts Batman, who's powering through with willpower and coffee.

* CuriosityKilledTheCast: Dream Lois' determination to find out what it is that Clark is trying to conceal results in her death.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: While trying to inject Batman with a sleeping drug, Destiny accidentally doses himself. Then he falls victim to the same powers he's been using on the League all episode.

--->''Brother John, Brother John''

* EmptyShell: After overdosing on sleeping medicine and overexposure to the dream machine, Dr. Destiny is shown lying in Blackgate's hospital, comatose with his eyes open and humming "Frere Jacques".

* IronicEcho: Once Dr. Destiny accidentally doses himself with a sedative intended for the sleep-deprived Batman, we see him as a catatonic John Dee again, eyes wide open but with ''Frere Jacques'' going through HIS mind now.

* PsychicStatic: Batman uses the song "Frere Jacques" to keep Destiny from completely invading his mind.

* CallBack: Superman's PowerIncontinence nightmare is a callback to the ending of "Legacy", when he confessed to Lois he was terrified of losing control again (as he had when he'd gone gunning for Darkseid). It's also possible it's back on his mind again because of recent events, i.e. losing all self-control yet again during "Twilght" two episodes earlier.

* AcidRefluxNightmare: Flash initially thinks that his run-in with Dr. Destiny is the result of "too many jalapeños." Unfortunately, he's wrong.
* AffablyEvil: Destiny initially, showing to be polite and courteous to the warden and staff at the prison...[[FauxAffablyEvil but when his life starts falling apart, the politeness is revealed to be something he uses for tormenting his enemies and victims, as well as covering his pettiness and inferiority complex]].

* AbsenteeActor: Wonder Woman is briefly seen with the rest of the League during Dee's opening dream, but she never appears in the story proper.

* {{Homage}}: The episode is basically ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'' [[RecycledInSpace with the Justice League]].

* RoleReprisal: Dana Delany and Peri Glipin return to reprise their roles of Lois Lane and Volcana for the first time since the conclusion of STAS in 2000. Mark Rolston likewise returns as the voice of Firefly for the first (and final) time since TNBA.

* BilingualBonus: Batman hums the lullaby "Frère Jacques" to keep himself awake. Translated into English, the song is sung:

** It's also a jab at Dr. Destiny, given his real name and powers.

* CallBack: Superman's PowerIncontinence nightmare is a subtle callback to the ending of "Legacy", when he confessed to Lois he was terrified of losing control again. [[FridgeBrilliance It's also likely back at the forerfront because of recent events, i.e. losing all self-control yet again during "Twilght"]].

* RoleReprisal: Dana Delany returns to reprise the role of Lois Lane for the first time since the conclusion of STAS in 2000.

* AndCallHimGeorge: Superman accidentally [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength kills]] ComicBook/JimmyOlsen by hugging him during his nightmare. His out-of-control SuperStrength snaps the kid like a twig.

** Jimmy Olsen's death during Superman's nightmare -- the viewer hears his spine snap, but there's no blood or protruding bones. [[JustifiedTrope Admittedly, this may be because the way he died wouldn't necessarily draw blood.]]

* ContinuityNod: During his nightmare, Superman calls Jimmy "my pal," which refers to a ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode called "[[Recap/SupermanTheAnimatedSeriesS3E8SupermansPal Superman's Pal]]". And, of course, to the original source of that title: The comic book, "Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen".

* DiesWideOpen: Jimmy Olsen's eyes are wide open after Superman inadvertently crushes him. (The next shot, though, they're shut.)

* EvilLaugh: Destiny has a truly chilling one at the end of Part I when the League members fall asleep. Notably, it isn't the standard cackle; it's just a chuckle...but a very sinister one.

* MythologyGag: Superman's hulking frame after his PowerIncontinence sets in to an incident with the Eradicator and some kryptonite rendered him with a similar condition in the comics.

* NowYouTellMe: Batman calls Clark to warn him not to fall asleep, and gets Clark's answering machine, as he's already gone to bed.

-->''Camera cuts to show Superman rocketing in with an outstretched fist.''

** Subverted with Jimmy Olsen's death. The viewer sees it unblurred and unabridged.

* BlessedWithSuck: Hawkgirl has mental shields that prevent the Martian Manhunter from reading her mind... and from saving her when she's trapped in Dr. Destiny's nightmare. She has to wait until Batman knocks Dee out to escape.

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Dee pulls this off on his ex-wife by literally scaring her to death from placing her in a nightmare she never wakes from.

* DreamWalker: Dr. Destiny can manifest himself in people's sleeping minds, although he doesn't generally use this ability for more than taunting the victim -- the nightmare itself will do enough damage to them without his getting into a fight. Fortunately, the more benign ComicBook/MartianManhunter has the same ability.

* FromNobodyToNightmare: Dee was working for ComicBook/LexLuthor and arrested by the League for running some illegal operation. (Which seems to be why his version of the events and theirs are completely different.) Whatever the case, this seems to be a situation where someone thought to be a Mook came back with a vengeance. Batman also discusses this, noting how Odysseus told Polyphemus that his name was "Nobody" before blinding him.

-->'''ComicBook/MartianManhunter''': That's why I brought a friend.

* RageAgainstTheLegalSystem: It's implied that Dr. Destiny wants revenge on the Leaguers for locking him up. (The thing is, not only was he guilty of the crime, the one he probably should have blamed was ComicBook/LexLuthor for convincing him to do it.)

* DynamicEntry: Superman ebtering Green Lantern's nightmare, shooting in with fist outstretched and decking Destiny with a single punch.

* EpicFail: Batman's mental defenses make Destiny's attempts to MindRape him into this (he's ''more'' effective trying to face the BadassNormal with GoodOldFisticuffs, which is definitely saying something).

* EvilLaugh: Destiny has a truly chilling one at the end of Part I when the League members fall asleep. Notably, it isn't the standard cackle; it's just a chuckle...but a very sinister chuckle.

* FromNobodyToNightmare: Dee was working for ComicBook/LexLuthor and running some illegal operation when the League busted it. (Which seems to be why his version of the events and theirs are completely different.) Whatever the case, this seems to be a situation where someone thought to be a Mook came back with a vengeance. Batman also discusses this, noting how Odysseus told Polyphemus that his name was "Nobody" before blinding him.

* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: John Dee/Dr. Destiny. At first, he seems to be a fairly decent guy whose big mistake was simply getting hired as a guard by ComicBook/LexLuthor, and the story starts raising questions about WhatMeasureIsAMook and the hypocrisy of the henchmen going to prison and having their lives ruined while the villains themselves keep getting away scot-free. But once he gains superpowers himself, his RoaringRampageOfRevenge throws him right off the slippery slope, and into territory that even Lex never touched, with lemming-like gusto.

* MythologyGag: Superman's hulking frame after PowerCreep sets in may be referencing a time where an incident with the Eradicator and some kryptonite rendered him with a similar condition in the comics.

** At the end of the first episode, the League believe all is right with the world, and most of them decide to take a break and get a little sleep. The last shot is of the Watchtower gliding peacefully over the Earth...and you hear Dr. Destiny chuckling. That's when you realize things are about to get ''very'' ugly.

* NowYouTellMe: Batman calls Clark to warn him not to fall asleep- and gets Clark's answering machine, as he's already gone to bed.

** Poor Superman has a hefty dose of WhatHaveIDone in his nightmare as he betrays his self-image as TheCape in the most horrible way possible -- by killing three people who have always stood by him.

* PowerCreep: InUniverse, gradual power creep is shown to be Superman's greatest nightmare. He keeps getting bigger and stronger and is unable to control his powers. Used as a great MythologyGag, though: "I started with no power at all, and I kept getting more. What if it never stops?"

-->'''Green Lantern''' (to his neighbors): Where are you going? What are you all afraid of?\\
-->'''Flash''': I was afraid this would happen. I'm gonna live out my life in the time it takes you to tie your shoes. Please, somebody, say something!\\
-->'''Superman''': I started with no power at all. Then I kept getting more. What if it never stops?\\

* DynamicEntry: Superman Green Lantern's nightmare, shooting in with fist outstretched and decking Destiny with a single punch.

* EpicFail: Batman's mental defences make Destiny's attempts to MindRape him into this (he's ''more'' effective trying to face the BadassNormal with GoodOldFisticuffs, which is definitely saying something).

* EvilLaugh: Destiny has a truly chilling one when the League members fall asleep. Notably, it isn't the standard cackle; it's just a chuckle... but a very sinister chuckle.

* FromNobodyToNightmare: Guess who. Dee was working for ComicBook/LexLuthor and running some illegal operation when the League busted it. (Which seems to be why his version of the events and theirs are completely different.) Whatever the case, this seems to be a situation where someone thought to be a Mook came back with a vengeance. Batman also discusses this, noting how Odysseus told Polyphemus that his name was "Nobody" before blinding him.

* GodzillaThreshold: With the attempts to wake of the members of the Justice League proving ineffective, Martian Manhunter enters the dreams himself to save them, at the risk of being trapped himself. Batman objects until he's told that Dee's wife died.

* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: John Dee [=/=] Dr. Destiny. At first, he seems to be a fairly decent guy whose big mistake was simply getting hired as a guard by ComicBook/LexLuthor, and the story starts raising questions about WhatMeasureIsAMook and the hypocrisy of the henchmen going to prison and having their lives ruined while the villains themselves keep getting away scot-free. But once he gains superpowers himself, his RoaringRampageOfRevenge throws him right off the slippery slope, and into territory that even Lex never touched, with lemming-like gusto.

''(The villains try to burn through the force field... causing them to pass out as [[ElementalBaggage their oxygen is depleted]].)''

* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Destiny is a "doctor", but he most certainly is a bad one. [[JustifiedTrope Well, he gave]] ''[[JustifiedTrope himself]]'' [[JustifiedTrope the title; it wasn't granted by an authority.]] This is best exemplified when Dr. Destiny confronts his ex-wife in her nightmare:
-->"Now that I'm a doctor... ''[[PreMortemOneLiner I think I'll perform a little surgery]]''..."

** At the end of the first episode, the League believe all is right with the world, and most of them decide to take a break and get a little sleep. The last shot is of the Watchtower gliding peacefully over the Earth... and you hear Dr. Destiny chuckling. That's when you realize things are about to get ''very'' ugly.

** ProudWarriorRaceGirl Hawkgirl breaks down and cries in fear, begging for help from anyone who can hear her.

-->''Camera cuts to show Franchise/{{Superman}} rocketing in with an outstretched fist.''

* RaceAgainstTheClock: Batman and ComicBook/MartianManhunter have to save Destiny's victims before he kills them. They ''do'' manage to save everyone (except Dee's wife, Penny), but it's a close thing.

* SelfDeprecation: Superman happily greeting Jimmy as "my pal" and then accidentally crushing him to death. This is a knock on [[Recap/SupermanTheAnimatedSeriesS3E8SupermansPal the infamous "Superman's Pal" episode]], which Creator/BruceTimm and other carryovers were regretful about even years later.

* SleepCute: [[PlatonicLifePartners A platonic example]]; Flash falls asleep on Hawkgirl after she dozes off at the beginning of her watch. It's very cute... then Destiny chuckles. Everything goes pear-shaped from there.

** When ComicBook/TheFlash thinks he's going to be alone in a time-stuck world forever, he buries his face in his knees and wraps his arms around his legs.

* UnknownRival: John Dee was just one of ComicBook/LexLuthor's FacelessGoons, who was busted by the Justice League for guarding a shipment of stolen weapons and has been stewing in prison and dreaming of his revenge ever since. When he gains superpowers and escapes, the Leaguers are all baffled as to why he wants to destroy them, since [[ButForMeItWasTuesday they do not remember arresting him at all]].

* YourWorstNightmare: The Justice League faces John Dee, AKA Doctor Destiny, a criminal accidentally given Psychic Powers by an experiment, who uses his new abilities to torture and kill his ex-wife in her dreams, then goes on to torment our heroes. He bites off a bit more than he can chew, though, when he taunts Batman, who's powering through with willpower and coffee.

* AffablyEvil: Destiny initially comes across as this, being polite and courteous to the warden and staff at the prison...[[FauxAffablyEvil but when his life starts falling apart, the politeness is revealed to be something he uses for tormenting his enemies and victims, as well as covering his pettiness and inferiority complex.]]

** Flash's can also be interpreted as his being afraid of his powers, particularly in retrospect from the fight with Lexiac in "Divided We Fall."

* BeamOWar: Volcana vs Green Lantern. Volcana has the advantage until Batman sends Firefly crashing into her.

* BuriedAlive: Dr. Destiny does this via a nightmare to Hawkgirl (she's claustrophobic) while her friends get visions related to PowerIncontinence. While the others get over their fears, Hawkgirl doesn't and is rescued only when Batman kicks Dee's ass. Then again, you can't really blame her for being scared, given the circumstances.

** Copperhead doesn't come off much better. While attempting to escape, he gets dragged by Grundy into a confrontation with first the SCU and then Martian Manhunter. Then, his attempt to force Hawkgirl to fly him to safety [[DidntThinkThisThrough just gets him into a surrender-or-die situation.]]

* ContinuityNod: During his nightmare, Superman calls Jimmy "my pal," which refers to a ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode called "[[Recap/SupermanTheAnimatedSeriesS3E8SupermansPal Superman's Pal]]."
** And, of course, to the original source of that title: The comic book, "Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen".

* DeathByWomanScorned: GenderInverted. Destiny attacks and kills his wife for leaving him for another man.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: Clearly, [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Copperhead]] wasn't thinking ''at all'' when he grappled Hawkgirl, positioned his fangs near her neck, and demanded she fly him to safety. She flies up a few hundred feet and stops. When Copperhead demands to know why, she notes that if he carries out his threat now, [[TakingYouWithMe they'll both fall forty stories]]. [[LampshadeHanging "Didn't really think this through, did you?"]] After she touches down, Green Lantern congratulates her on the bluff; her reply is a deadpan "Who was bluffing?"

* DynamicEntry: Superman makes one into Green Lantern's nightmare, shooting in with fist outstretched and decking Destiny with a single punch.