Line #173 Recap/JusticeLeagueS2E5And6OnlyADream


1	In the middle of a prison breakout, a former Lexcorp employee named John Dee overdoses on an experimental machine, giving himself the power to trap a person inside his or her own worst nightmare. Dubbing himself "Dr. Destiny," he goes on a rampage to punish those he believes have wronged him, including the Justice League. When Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, Superman, and Flash fall victim to the new supervillain, it's up to Batman and Martian Manhunter to track down Dr. Destiny and save their partners before it's too late.
2	----
3	!!This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
4
5	* AccidentalMurder: Superman kills at least three people (in a dream) because he loses control of his abilities.
6	* AcidRefluxNightmare: Flash assumes that his run-in with Dr. Destiny is the result of "too many jalapeños." Unfortunately, he's wrong.
7	* AffectionateNickname: The dream version of Jimmy addresses Supes as "big guy" rather than "Superman."
8	* AfraidOfTheirOwnStrength:
9	** Superman's nightmare is entirely about what could happen to everyone else if he ever loses control of his abilities.
10	** Flash is also shown to be afraid of his powers, particularly in retrospect from the fight with Lexiac in "Divided We Fall."
11	* AlienGeometries: As Batman closes in, Destiny projects an illusion of an [[Creator/MCEscher Escheresque]] jumble of staircases to confuse him. It only works for a moment before he shakes it off.
12	* AmbiguousSituation: The Justice League's raid on the [=LexCorp=] harbor warehouse that uncovered weapons smuggling and got John Dee sent to prison as an accessory. It's left unclear ''when'' exactly this happened in the show's timeline -- or more specifically, if this raid occurred before or after the events of [[Recap/JusticeLeagueS1E8And9InjusticeForAll "Injustice for All"]]. If it was ''before'' that episode, then it's entirely possible this smuggling [[ResolvedNoodleIncident was the terrorism arms deal that prompted the League to set up their sting operation against Luthor]].
13	* AndCallHimGeorge: PlayedForDrama. Superman accidentally [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength kills]] [[Characters/SupermanJimmyOlsen Jimmy Olsen]] with an enthusiastic BearHug during his nightmare. His out-of-control SuperStrength snaps the kid like a twig.
14	* AndIMustScream: After getting an overdose of his own drug, John Dee ends up trapped in a coma, unable to do anything except hum "Frère Jacques" over and over again.
15	* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Batman figuring out how to track down Destiny in the real world. Bruce deduces that while Dee's using his special powers, his body's probably vulnerable. So, Dee's ''got'' to be holed up in a place he thinks is safe -- somewhere familiar (and J'onn agrees with Bruce's reasoning). Researching Dee's background -- and the circumstances of his arrest -- is what allows Bruce to deduce Dee's holed up in the now-abandoned and vacant [=LexCorp=] harbor warehouse where he originally got busted.
16	* BatmanGambit: Green Lantern encloses Volcana and Firefly in a force field. The pair try to burn through it, using up all the oxygen in nothing flat and knocking themselves out...just as he had anticipated.
17	* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: The Leaguers have to engage in a fight with Dr. Destiny while Batman tracks him down in the real world.
18	* BeamOWar: Volcana vs. Green Lantern. Volcana has the advantage until Batman sends Firefly crashing into her.
19	* BearHug: Comforted by seeing Jimmy in his nightmare, Superman grabs him off his feet with a hearty hug. [[DeconstructedTrope Unfortunately]], he forgets he can't control his powers and Jimmy is a {{Muggle\|BestFriend}} teenager. It doesn't end well.
20	* BehemothBattle: In the Flash's dreamland, both Dr. Destiny and Martian Manhunter grow enormous and start pushing each other into skyscrapers like in an old Godzilla movie.
21	* BilingualBonus: Batman hums the lullaby "Frère Jacques" to keep himself awake. It's a jab at Dr. Destiny, given his real name and powers. Translated into English, the song is sung:
22	--->''Brother John, Brother John,''
23	--->''Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?''
24	--->''Morning bells are ringing, Morning bells are ringing''
25	--->''Ding, dang, dong! Ding, dang, dong!''
26	* 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.
27	* BloodlessCarnage:
28	** When the kids attack Flash to eat him during his nightmare, one actually bites his leg. Flash shakes him off and races away, and the viewer never sees any damage to his leg or his costume from the bite. Of course, by that time, he has other things to worry about...
29	** 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 being crushed to death wouldn't necessarily draw blood.]]
30	* BrickJoke: In Flash's dream, he's watching a cartoon about himself with a group of children, one of whom questions what the TV Flash's use of "cur" means. Flash defines it as a bad person. A few minutes later, after having to run for his life when the children attack him, he calls them "rotten little curs."
31	* BuriedAlive: Hawkgirl's nightmare (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.
32	* TheBusCameBack: While two of the prison breakouts are recurring villains Copperhead and Solomon Grundy, the others are Luminus and Volcana (who first appeared back in ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'') and Firefly (who first appeared back in ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries The New Batman Adventures]]'').
33	* ButtMonkey:
34	** Firefly's entire appearance is [[HumiliationConga a string of humiliations]]. First, his attempt to attack an SCU squad fails miserably, and Volcana [[AffectionateGestureToTheHead condescendingly pats him on the head]] and takes care of the situation herself. Then, after promising to guard Volcana's back while she battles Green Lantern, he gets diverted by Batman, who sends him careening into Volcana and sets them both up to be captured.
35	--->'''Volcana:''' Are you good for ''anything''?
36	** 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]].
37	* CaffeineFailure:
38	** Batman tries to wake Superman up by giving him some stimulants, but isn't too surprised when it doesn't work. As he puts it, "this is someone who could have a ''building'' fall on him and not feel it."
39	** 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 in a deep slumber.
40	* CallBack:
41	** Superman's PowerIncontinence nightmare is a callback to the ending of [[Recap/SupermanTheAnimatedSeriesS3E12E13Legacy "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 "[[Recap/JusticeLeagueS2E1And2Twilight Twilight]]" two episodes earlier.
42	** Volcana once again [[ProjectileKiss blows a kiss of fire]], though it's harmful compared to her [[Recap/SupermanTheAnimatedSeriesS3E1WhereTheresSmoke debut]].
43	* CallForward: When John Dee is congratulated by his former boss Lex Luthor and his gang of villains, Joker suggests naming him after his [[WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker future twin granddaughters, Dee Dee]].
44	* ChekhovsGun: Hawkgirl freaks out when one of the inmates traps her in a room with the walls closing in. Her nightmare involves her being locked in a coffin.
45	* ColourCodedTimeStop: The Flash has a nightmare where he speeds up so much that, to him, the world seems frozen. The time-stuck world changes to grayscale.
46	* ComfortingComforter: Flash returns from making coffee for Hawkgirl to find that she's fallen asleep. Instantly, he dashes away and returns with a blanket.
47	* ContinuityNod: During his nightmare, Superman calls Jimmy "my pal," which refers to a ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode called "[[Recap/SupermanTheAnimatedSeriesS3E8SupermansPal Superman's Pal]]".
48	* CradlingYourKill: Superman, having lost control of his strength, crushes Jimmy Olsen to death while hugging him. When he realizes what happened, he cradles Jimmy's body, desperately apologizing to his young friend for harming him. Luckily, as implied by the title, it's AllJustADream.
49	* CreepyMonotone: Dr. Destiny speaks with very little variation to his tone at times, which just serves to make him even creepier than he already is.
50	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Dee's ex-wife is literally scared to death by Dee placing her in a nightmare she never wakes from.
51	* CuriosityKilledTheCast: Dream Lois' determination to find out what it is that Clark is trying to conceal results in her death when she yanks his hand away from his eyes while his heat vision is going wild.
52	* DaydreamSurprise: John Dee's opening [[IndulgentFantasySegue battle with the Justice League]] is suddenly revealed as a [[PowerFantasy daydream]] that he's having while he's in prison.
53	* DeathByWomanScorned: GenderInvertedTrope. Destiny attacks and kills his wife for leaving him for another man.
54	* DeathFlight: During a fight, Copperhead grapples Hawkgirl, positions his poison fangs near her neck, and orders her to fly him to safety, or else he'll bite. Hawkgirl instead flies forty stories up and stops. When Copperhead questions why, Hawkgirl points out that if he carries out his threat now, they'll both plummet. "Didn't really think this through, did you?"
55	* {{Determinator}}: Bats, as usual. Despite having already been awake for three days straight, he forces himself to do it again while hunting down and fighting Dr. Destiny. He even lampshades this in a conversation.
56	-->'''Destiny''': But you're different [from the rest of the League]. You don't have any special powers.
57	-->'''Batman''': Oh, I have one, Johnny--I never give up.
58	* DidntThinkThisThrough:
59	** 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?"
60	** Subtle example during the climax (and one that doubles as foreshadowing for "Starcrossed" on the re-watch). J'onn and the others are trying to break through the mental barrier blocking access to Hawkgirl's mind. To all appearances, this is Destiny's doing...but everybody's so focused on trying to save Shayera that it never occurs to anyone to ask why Dee didn't do this earlier. Once J'onn had reached and rescued Superman, Dee ''knew'' what the Martian Manhunter was doing; he could've easily shut him down before he could get to the others. This suggests Dee ''didn't'' actually create the barrier...but if he didn't, then how was Destiny able break through it to enact Shayera's claustrophobic dream when J'onn himself couldn't? It's almost as if...the barrier was specifically geared to block ''J'onn'', wasn't it?
61	* DiesWideOpen: Jimmy Olsen's eyes are wide open after Superman inadvertently crushes him. (The next shot, though, they're shut for no apparent reason.)
62	* DontMakeMeDestroyYou: A non-combat variation. Martian Manhunter follows Superman as he flies away from the destroyed Metropolis to curl up in his spaceship. As J'onn approaches, Superman tells him to stay back so he won't get hurt when his out-of-control powers flare up again.
63	* DopplegangerAttack: Luminus has improved his [[DopplegangerSpin old holograms]] so that they can actually [[HardLight strike opponents]], as Flash discovers the hard way. They are still [[KeystoneArmy dependent on the original]], so when the real Luminus is identified (he's the one [[XRayVision with a skeleton]]) and taken down, the replicas vanish.
64	* DreamRealityCheck:
65	** Closing his eyes for a bit and opening them again had always worked for Flash in his nightmares. Not this time.
66	** Played for laughs in the conclusion, when Hawkgirl finally wakes from the nightmare:
67	--->'''Hawkgirl:''' [[DreamWithinADream Is this another dream?]]\
68	'''Flash:''' [[ChivalrousPervert I could pinch you...]]\
69	'''Hawkgirl:''' [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay It's real.]]
70	* DreamSue: The opening sequence John Dee single-handedly [[CurbStompBattle crushing]] the Justice League and then being congratulated by the whole of the Legion of Doom (mainly by Luthor, the Joker and Grundy). The sequence ends and it's revealed to have been a dream induced by an experimental machine. Later on, John Dee, alias Doctor Destiny, does get his chance to Mind Rape the whole of the Justice League.
71	* 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 Martian Manhunter has the same ability.
72	* DreamWithinADream: Before her dream turns into a nightmare, Hawkgirl dreams that she's awakened after Destiny attempted to attack her and is trying to wake up Flash. She realizes with alarm that she's still dreaming when Martian Manhunter turns into Dr. Destiny.
73	* DynamicEntry: Superman entering Green Lantern's nightmare, shooting in with fist outstretched and decking Destiny with a single punch.
74	* EmptyShell: After overdosing on sleeping medicine and overexposure to the dream machine, Dr. Destiny is shown lying in Stryker's hospital, comatose with his eyes open and humming "Frère Jacques".
75	* EvilGloating: Destiny mocks the heroes at various points in the episode.
76	-->'''To Flash''': The fastest man alive, always leaving people like me in your dust. But now you're stuck in high gear, and you're going to be here, alone, forever.
77	-->'''To Martian Manhunter''': You can't help [[Franchise/{{Superman}} him]].
78	* EvilLaugh:
79	** 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.
80	** Destiny fully commits to a loud-and-proud cackle when he thinks he's beaten Superman, J'onn and John.
81	* EvilSoundsDeep: Dee's voice was on the more nasal end of this trope at first, then he got his powers and dived almost headfirst into it.
82	* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: The episode doesn't show Lois' death, but presumably she was either shot through or fried by Superman's EyeBeams. Either way, it's easy to see why it got a GoryDiscretionShot.
83	* FateWorseThanDeath: At the episode's conclusion, Dr. Destiny falls victim to his own powers. The last we see of him, he's lying in a hospital bed, staring hollowly and humming "Frere Jacques." Who knows what he's seeing...
84	* FauxAffablyEvil: [[AffablyEvil Destiny is first shown to be polite and courteous to the warden and staff at the prison]]...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.
85	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
86	** The barrier J'onn encounters when trying to enter Hawkgirl's dream. His inability to read her mind will come up again [[Recap/JusticeLeagueS2E24to26Starcrossed later]].
87	** A [[FiveSecondForeshadowing short term]] example occurs when Hawkgirl hypothesizes that she managed to escape Destiny's clutches because of her alien heritage. However, Superman's status as a Kryptonian obviously didn't protect him. To Hawkgirl's horror, it turns out she hasn't woken up yet.
88	* FrightDeathTrap: Destiny's powers work on the same principle as the "Scared Stiff" variant--with the exception that you ''don't'' have to be in poor health to die from the stress.
89	* FromNobodyToNightmare: Dee was working for Lex Luthor 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.
90	* GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger: Lois points at Clark in Superman's dream, accusing him of hiding something, right before her death.
91	* GodzillaThreshold: With the attempts to wake up the members of the Justice League proving ineffective, Martian Manhunter enters the dreams to save them, at the risk of being trapped himself. Batman objects until he's told that Dee's wife died.
92	* HalfwayPlotSwitch: Done deliberately and effectively, if obviously, and it's more in-universe than out - the League is mostly concerned with the escaped cons from their RoguesGallery at first, but this plot is wrapped up by the end of the first episode. Meanwhile, Destiny is slowly being built up as the true threat to them from the first scene, and the focus switches to him when the League members go to sleep and become vulnerable to his [[MindRape power]].
93	* 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.
94	* HoistByHisOwnPetard:
95	** Volcana and Firefly try to burn through Green Lantern's energy dome, only to use up all the oxygen in it and knock themselves out.
96	** 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.
97	* {{Homage}}: The episode is basically ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'' [[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace with the Justice League]].
98	* IKnowWhatYouFear: The Justice League faces John Dee, a.k.a. Doctor Destiny, a criminal accidentally given PsychicPowers 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.
99	* ImAHumanitarian: In Flash's dream, he's watching TV with a group of kids. When he tries to get them a snack, he finds nothing but a frog in the fridge. When Flash says there's no food, then they attempt to eat ''him''.
100	* ImYourWorstNightmare: Destiny tries to use this line on Batman, but the Dark Knight is having none of it.
101	-->'''Dr. Destiny:''' Coming here was the mistake of your life. You see, the closer I am to someone, the stronger I get. I'll be able to go into your brain even if you're wide awake.
102	-->'''Batman:''' [[AMindIsATerribleThingToRead My brain's not a nice place to be.]]
103	* 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 ''Frère Jacques'' going through HIS mind now.
104	* IShallTauntYou: As he closes in, Batman repeatedly mocks Dr. Destiny, even daring him to [[GoodOldFisticuffs fight face-to-face]] and [[VillainCred give himself something to brag about]], in order to distract his foe and weaken his mental focus.
105	* 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 Lex Luthor, 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.
106	* JustThinkOfThePotential: John "innocently" cites this as the reason for continuing to test the ESP experiment on him, before adding that they should ForScience. The doctor in the charge of the experiment suffers from serious GenreBlindness.
107	* KissOfDeath: Copperhead orders Hawkgirl to fly him away from the prison, or he bites her. Hawkgirl seemingly 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]].
108	* LapPillow: Flash falls asleep with his head in [[LikeBrotherAndSister Hawkgirl's]] lap.
109	* LiteralMetaphor: After Green Lantern traps Volcana and Firefly inside a force-field bell jar:
110	-->'''Volcana:''' Do you think this can hold me?\
111	'''Green Lantern:''' Knock yourself out.\
112	(''The villains try to burn through the force field...causing them to pass out as [[ElementalBaggage their oxygen is depleted]].'')
113	* 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 and [[TearOffYourFace peeling off his face]]. She ends up becoming the first person in the series to actually die by actions of a supervillain. Then he goes after the Justice League.
114	* MirrorScare: Subverted. The dream-manipulating Doctor Destiny is stalking his ex, who goes into the bathroom to get some water 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]]''.
115	* MissedHimByThatMuch: Batman calls Superman to warn him about the dream-stalking supervillain Dr. Destiny. He reaches his answering machine just a few minutes after he goes to sleep.
116	* MookPromotion: A rare example in which a former lackey (John Dee) becomes a deadly villain in his own right after his boss (Lex Luthor) left him out to dry in prison.
117	* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Destiny is a "doctor", but he most certainly is a bad one. [[JustifiedTrope Well, he gave]] ''himself'' the title; it wasn't granted by an authority. This is best exemplified when Dr. Destiny confronts his ex-wife in her nightmare:
118	-->"And now that I'm a doctor...''[[PreMortemOneLiner I think I'll perform some surgery]]''..."
119	* MotiveRant: When trying to play on Batman's self-worth in comparison to more powerful heroes, Dee ends up ranting about how his life was completely ruined and by people that never gave him a second thought, no less.
120	* MugglesDoItBetter: Dr. Destiny dispatches Superman, the Flash, Hawkgirl and Green Lantern with ease, but he finds BadassNormal Batman too tough to crack. This is one of the few episodes of ''Justice League'' where Batman handles a problem ''his'' way, and fans point to stories like this as proof of why Batman not only ''should'' be on the team, but is one of its most valuable members.
121	* MustHaveCaffeine: Batman doesn't normally use stimulants, but during his hunt for Destiny, he decides he needs some coffee.
122	-->'''Batman''': ''[plunks down some cash]'' [[MundaneMadeAwesome Gimme a triple. NOW!]]
123	* MythologyGag:
124	** 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.
125	** As with the episode title back in his own series, Superman calling Jimmy "my pal" references the old comic series ''ComicBook/SupermansPalJimmyOlsen''.
126	** On a similar note, the dream version of Jimmy calls Superman "big guy", an AffectionateNickname that the comics version started using in the Bronze Age.
127	* NeverRecycleABuilding: The [=LexCorp=] harbor warehouse where Dee was originally arrested has been left vacant and allowed to decay, making it conveniently available for Dee to hole up in and for Batman to track him down.
128	* NeverSleepAgain: Unless you're very close to him, Destiny can only affect you when you're asleep. This causes difficulty for Batman, who's already been awake for three days prior. However, he grinds through on willpower, noise, cool air, and coffee.
129	* NightmareWeaver: Dr. Destiny can trap a person in their worst nightmare.
130	* NoSell: John Dee tries taunting Batman with the idea that rest of the League thinks little of him. It doesn't work.
131	* NothingIsScarier:
132	** The episode never shows what Dee did to his ex-wife; the screen simply cuts from him threatening her in the dream world to the real world, where she is thrashing and screaming in a sleep from which no one can wake her.
133	--->"And now that I'm a doctor... I think I'll perform some surgery."
134	** 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 looming peacefully over the Earth...and you hear Dr. Destiny chuckling. That's when you realize things are about to get ''very'' ugly.
135	** Then there's the rather chilling final scene, with Dee himself lying on his cot with his eyes wide open, mumbling the tune to ''Frère Jacques'' to himself. One can only imagine what he's seeing.
136	* NowYouTellMe: Batman calls Clark to warn him not to fall asleep, and gets Clark's answering machine, as he's already lying down and snoozing.
137	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness
138	** [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Hawkgirl]] breaks down and cries in fear, begging for help from anyone who can hear her.
139	** PluckyComicRelief Flash gets depressed enough to curl into a TroubledFetalPosition.
140	** {{Determinator}}s Superman and Green Lantern give up, with Superman returning to his ship to curl up in despair and Green Lantern almost surrendering himself entirely to the lantern Destiny conjures.
141	* OhCrap:
142	** Hawkgirl gasps in alarm when she realizes that the "J'onn" to whom she's been talking is Dr. Destiny.
143	** 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 the League's minds deeply, at great personal risk to himself, before they suffer the same fate]].
144	* 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...
145	* OverworkedSleep: After keeping vigilance for three days and beating Dee to a pulp, Batman finally falls asleep in his chair.
146	* PetTheDog: Despite the complete ease of doing otherwise, Dr. Destiny left Penny's lover alone. And while he inflicted mass catatonia on the prison guards and prisoners, the guard who was kind to him was not harmed.
147	* 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. This (among other things) triggers his StartOfDarkness, causing him to become Doctor Destiny.
148	* PostVictoryCollapse: Batman finally falls asleep in the penultimate scene. The fact that he's in a chair near Hawkgirl's bed rather than in his own bed suggests that he was trying to stay awake long enough to see for himself that his teammates were all right. ItMakesSenseInContext: Batman had been without sleep for ''three days'' before having to face Dr. Destiny, so once it was okay to do so, he crashed and snored.
149	* PowerIncontinence: Green Lantern, Flash, and Superman all fear suffering from this in differing ways. Lantern fears that he's become nothing but the ring's wielder, alienated from all of humanity. Flash is terrified of going too fast and being alone for the rest of his life. Superman fears losing control and destroying the very people he wants to protect.
150	-->'''Green Lantern''' (to his neighbors): Where are you going? What are you all afraid of?
151	-->'''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!
152	-->'''Superman''': I started with no power at all. Then I kept getting more. What if it never stops?
153	* PreAsskickingOneLiner: Delivered by proxy. Subverted in that the attack didn't take.
154	-->'''Dr. Destiny''': You're good, but I'm better.\
155	'''J'onn''': That's why I brought a friend.\
156	''Camera cuts to show Superman rocketing in with an outstretched fist and a furious expression.''
157	* PrimalFear: Dr. Destiny forces the claustrophobic Hawkgirl into a dream of being BuriedAlive.
158	* PrisonRiot: Dee manages to escape due to one; no-one notices him, seeing as recapturing [[SpecialGuest Solomon Grundy, Copperhead, Volcana, Firefly, and Luminus]] is considered a lot more important.
159	* PsychicStatic: Batman hums the song "Frère Jacques" to keep Destiny from completely invading his mind (In-universe he listens to a radio commercial for what sounds like a diner that uses the same tune, and is probably supposed to be repeating that.)
160	* 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 shave.
161	* 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, [[MisplacedRetribution the one he probably should have blamed]] was Lex Luthor for convincing him to do it.)
162	* ScreamDiscretionShot:
163	** When Superman's out-of-control EyeBeams kill Lois Lane, we hear her shriek, but the camera is focused on Superman's face, so we don't see the results...[[{{Squick}} fortunately]].
164	** Subverted with Jimmy Olsen's death. The viewer sees both the moment of death and Jimmy's body unblurred and unabridged.
165	* SelfDeprecation: Superman happily greeting Jimmy as "my pal" and then accidentally crushing him to death. This is a knock on the infamous "[[Recap/SupermanTheAnimatedSeriesS3E8SupermansPal Superman's Pal]]" episode, which Creator/BruceTimm and other carryovers were regretful about even years later.
166	* ShipTease: Before it turns into a nightmare, Superman's dream starts off with Clark simply having dinner with Lois.
167	* ShoutOut: When Green Lantern writes Dee off as a nobody, Batman relates the story of how Odysseus blinded a cyclops.
168	-->"After Odysseus was caught by the cyclops, he told it his name was 'Nobody.' So when he poked its eye out and its friends asked who did it, all the cyclops could say was 'nobody.'"
169	* SickeningCrunch: When Superman gives Jimmy Olsen [[AndCallHimGeorge the hug that crushes him]], the soundtrack features a rather nasty crack.
170	* SkullForAHead: Dr. Destiny uses his powers of illusion to achieve this look. He reverts to a normal appearance when recovering from a punch to the face, and when he is finally defeated.
171	* SlainInTheirSleep: The vulnerability of the superheroes in their dreams is played up big time, and John Dee's murder of his ex-wife is shown to be fairly horrific.
172	* SlapYourselfAwake: Batman punches through the Batmobile's window to keep himself conscious.
173	* 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.
174	* SquishyWizard: Dee is a nigh-invulnerable RealityWarper in the nightmares he creates, but his true body is mortal and far more fragile. ''In comparison'', that is. He's actually able to take a few blows from ''Batman'' before being knocked out.
175	* StalkerWithoutACrush: Dee towards his ex-wife by the time he escapes. He's no longer romantically interested in her, just ticked off that she left him behind.
176	* StrangerInAFamiliarLand: John fears becoming this after all his time in space, to the point where he can't even understand the people in his old neighbourhood.
177	** Foreshadowed when, while getting ready for bed, John looks out his window at his neighbors, looks upset about something, then closes the blinds.
178	* StrongGirlSmartGuy: Volcana is the superpowered woman with pyrokinesis that makes Firefly look like a dim candle by comparison. However, Firefly is the one with the brains and engineering ability to create the suit and the gear that can give him the ability to fly and generate fire (of a lesser intensity compared to Volcana) which enables him to fight by her side, at least until Batman and Green Lantern show up.
179	* TheTeamNormal: Dee admits that while he fully hates the other members of the League and blames them for his ruined life, he claims to have no grudge against Batman for this reason and offers to simply let him leave in peace. Batman sees it as a failed attempt to make him question his self-worth and brags his determination is a special power in itself.
180	* TearOffYourFace: Destiny does this to himself when confronting his ex, as part of embracing his nightmare powers.
181	* 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.
182	* TimeStandsStill: The Flash's worst fear. He suffers a nightmare where he winds up locked in super-speed, effectively freezing him in time. The color is black-and-white. He recognizes that it's a dream and mentions that he's been having it ever since he got his speed powers.
183	* 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 Destiny]] and thus chip away at his mental focus. Likewise, him repeating the nursery rhyme "Frère Jacques" might have been because of him hearing it on the radio but given how [[BilingualBonus the lyrics appropriately translate to his situation]] it also allows him to keep non-stop taunting Destiny at the same time, which Batman was likely aware of and [[HeroicWillpower using as a focus]] until he beat him.
184	* TroubledFetalPosition:
185	** When The Flash 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.
186	** Superman curls up in his rocket and hides his eyes after his out-of-control superpowers kill Lois, Perry, and Jimmy.
187	* UnknownRival: John Dee was just one of Lex Luthor'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]].
188	* VictoryByEndurance: Batman manages to win against John Dee/Dr. Destiny by staying up as long as he can with coffee and his usual determination of crimefighting at night, even goading the former employee of [=LexCorp=] into fighting him in the hopes it would give Dee something to brag about.
189	* VillainDecay: Firefly was a credible threat back in ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries The New Batman Adventures]]'', but here he’s a ButtMonkey who is easily repelled by a RedShirtArmy.
190	* WeWillMeetAgain: After being defeated in the last [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind dream-world battle]], Destiny declares, "This is far from over." [[ExactWords However]], it ''is'' over for the heroes he'd been tormenting, and it was over for Dee himself when Batman caught up with him.
191	* WeakerInTheRealWorld: Destiny is a powerful RealityWarper in his victims' dream worlds, but in reality, he is an ordinary man who is defeated by Batman after a brief fight.
192	* WhatDoTheyFearEpisode: For the Leaguers. Superman is afraid of his powers going out of control and killing all his loved ones. Hawkgirl imagines being 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.
193	* WhamEpisode: Downplayed example as it's mostly self-contained, but two crucial details are worth noting: an ''ArcVillain'' successfully murders someone and the League can't stop it, and Hawkgirl's got natural defences against mind-reading. For added points, nobody (in-universe or out) expected an OutsideContextProblem who nobody knew about to nearly ''kill'' four members of the League.
194	* WinToExit: A dream variant; the heroes can only get out of the nightmares in which Destiny trapped them after Martian Manhunter helps them deal with the fear the nightmare expresses.
195	* WorfHadTheFlu: Downplayed, but Batman nearly loses the physical altercation with Dee in the climax because he's been awake for 3 days straight and run ragged. Were he fully rested, Dee would've likely gone down in seconds.
196	* WouldHitAGirl:
197	** Seeking out his wife in her dreams, Destiny tortures her into insanity, which kills her even after she's been sedated.

Context Recap / JusticeLeagueS2E5And6OnlyADream