What Would DC Characters See if They Looked into the Mirror of Erised?

[j9ac9k]

So true - egg on my face. It's "derise" backwards -- Those Potter books are awesome after all!

For Batman though, I think he's actually progressed enough that simply restoring his own family wouldn't be enough. He wants everyone to be safe. *But* I also don't think that he'd be the happiest simply seeing peace on earth. I think he'd be happier to see people find the strength within themselves to come back from darkness - it's what he's been fighting for within himself, for his allies and even his enemies. For a man defined by his fall, he would be happiest seeing people rise.

[edit] Oh wait - I didn't misread it, I just typoed - my point still stands

[The Dying Detective]

So true - egg on my face. It's "derise" backwards -- Those Potter books are awesome after all!

For Batman though, I think he's actually progressed enough that simply restoring his own family wouldn't be enough. He wants everyone to be safe. *But* I also don't think that he'd be the happiest simply seeing peace on earth. I think he'd be happier to see people find the strength within themselves to come back from darkness - it's what he's been fighting for within himself, for his allies and even his enemies. For a man defined by his fall, he would be happiest seeing people rise.

Hmm never considered it even possible that batman could want something like that.

[Lightning Rider]

I'm pretty sure in all incarnations Wonder Woman got her mother's approval already. You also missed out on the other members of the Batfamily who Batman would want to be alive and happy. I think retiring and marrying Dinah would Green Arrow's wish that would make him the happiest person in the world.

That's a good point with WW. On Batman, I think there are plenty of people he wishes well, but the core Batfamily should mean the most to him IMO (maybe that's just my bias).

I imagine Cyborg would probably see himself in a fully-restored body and happily together with his mom and dad.

Yeah this one is pretty automatic right?

I think any "ideal world" for Superman would probably be a mix of Earth and Krypton, since that's who Superman is.

That's interesting. Maybe he would see The Earth of Tomorrow; our human civilization advanced in a similar way to Krypton.

[j9ac9k]

I think any "ideal world" for Superman would probably be a mix of Earth and Krypton, since that's who Superman is.

I might imagine that he'd want both -- he loves Metropolis and he loves Smallville, and he gets to have them both, but still maintain their own identities. So I think he'd want a thriving Krypton that never blew up being "sister planets" with earth, which has achieved its full potential where both civilizations has benefited from knowing the other but they still remain separate - but they're really easy to travel between for everyone.

[Restingvoice]

Batman is obvious, but like everyone else said, all of his new family are there and happy, but I'll add that Gotham is free of crime. That's his main obsession.

Jason will have Joker dead AND welcomed to the family

Talia will have Damian lead the world

Damian will have both of his parents on good terms, married, with Dick and Alfred at his side as well, and all of his pets

Wally will have his family back

Superman will have both his parents alive, that Jon will get to meet both grandparents

Kara has a happy life in Krypton with her family

Roy Harper stand tall and proud, no longer the incompetent, the joke, or the addict, acknowledged by all of his friends and family

Alfred will have all the bat family lead a normal life, where there's no need for costumed heroes and he doesn't have to patch them up every night or wait for bad news of their deaths

[Carabas]

Just saying, but it's a mirror, not a holodeck.

All you get is one picture, not a whole detailed world.

[Güicho]

Yeah as indicated For the Man Who Has Everything and by extension the Black Mercy JL episode nailed this.
Not allot you can add there.

For Batman -
For Superman - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXQ2pDVB42k

As for:

Wonder Woman: A glimpse at an entire world where she and her sisters could for one moment feel they could lay down the sword and gauntlets.

Flash (Barry): For one moment having enough time to slow down. Pretty much he's the somewhat obsessive compulsive do-gooder, just wants to be everywhere, help everyone at once, having speed, instead of giving him more time, only increased exponentially how much good he feels could do, so result there will still never be enough time. Kind of the tragedy and beauty of the character. If just for one tiny second where he can actually experience and feel he's helped everyone his power implies , when he can finally stop and slow down and say I did it. Of course that's impossible. But just feel that way for a heart beat.

Green Lantern (Hal Jordan (not sure how they are playing the character of late?) But the one I'm familiar with would probably want to see his father again. His drive and will to reach the stars somewhat hid a passion to somehow reconnect with his father, There was once an underlying insinuation by others (Carl Ferris) that his dad had died a coward, and Jordan might be overcompensating, always cocky, reckless trying to prove he's fearless. A moment for one instant where his dad can tell that kid- it's ok to admit your afraid.

J'onn J'onns,: To see a world filled with his kind again, where he can take his true form, and to freely open his mind to their consciousness, and for that instant experience back a world that does not secretly fear him and what he is.

Lex Luther: Looks out his LexCorps tower window to see a world that doesn't need a perfect "savior" an outsider from another world. But rely on and respect the capabilities, genius and potential of human kind alone. He sees they gather on mass outside his tower, and will ultimately follow, need and obey him as their "savior" instead.

These kind of cut to the core of the character, and like with the Black Mercy or the Mirror of Erised, can also be a trap where they lose themselves in that moment (actually lose their drive, the things that made them who they are) if they are to easily fulfilled.

So that is the trap.

Joker: That moment where everyone finally cracks up and recognizes that the world and everything in it is in fact bat!@#$%! Crazy insane, and for the first time acknowledge he's been the only sane one all along.
And that's when the mirror cracks, or the Black Mercy shrivels off screeching in horror.

[Lightning Rider]

Just saying, but it's a mirror, not a holodeck.

All you get is one picture, not a whole detailed world.

Yeah, you get one snapshot surrounding your own reflection. Not a holistic vision touring an alternate reality.

[BatmanJones]

Wow -- "Esired" is "desire" spelled backwards ... so glad I didn't read those Potter books....

But seriously, this sounds like a fun thread and I will be posting my notions when I have some time to think about it!

You're posting on a fan forum for a mythology where the big bad's name is pronounced "Dark Side."

[The Dying Detective]

Just saying, but it's a mirror, not a holodeck.

All you get is one picture, not a whole detailed world.

Rowling detailed Hermione Granger's deepest desire for everyone being safe from Voldemort and being romantically entwined with Ron Weasley and the book even showed more of Harry's relatives not just his mother and father it almost functions like a holodeck.

[Rise]

Fun thread.

Jason will see a familly since it is the one thing he desires the most. It could either him wishing his own parents being good or wishing things went different with Bruce.

Bruce will obviously see his parents alive and probably his sons being well and happy.

Hal definitely will see his parents, brothers, his nephews and Carol being all well and alive.

Clark will see both set of his parents with Lois and Jon.

Barry will see all his loved ones happy and alive. Same with Ollie.

To sum it up, all the characters I mentioned will see their families and will wish for their cities to be safe too.

Edit: I forget about the Amazons. Diana will probably see Themyscira and Artemis will see herself as the Shim'Tar with Akila.

[The Dying Detective]

Fun thread.

Jason will see a familly since it is the one thing he desires the most. It could either him wishing his own parents being good or wishing things went different with Bruce.

Bruce will obviously see his parents alive and probably his sons being well and happy.

Hal definitely will see his parents, brothers, his nephews and Carol being all well and alive.

Clark will see both set of his parents with Lois and Jon.

Barry will see all his loved ones happy and alive. Same with Ollie.

To sum it up, all the characters I mentioned will see their families and will wish for their cities to be safe too.

Edit: I forget about the Amazons. Diana will probably see Themyscira and Artemis will see herself as the Shim'Tar with Akila.

You might want to add being romantically entwined with each other for both Jason and Artemis. Because well it is what's happening currently they both are attracted to each other.

[Ascended]

Fun responses here.

So I got a couple off-the-beaten-path suggestions, just to mix it up a bit.

As I recall we never find out the mirror's origin, so we have no idea how powerful it truly is. I mean, seeing someone's deepest wish is generally treated as a fairly common skill among mages and telepaths.

So I will submit that Diana, as an avatar/god of Truth, would be immune to the "lies" the mirror tells.

And I submit that Batman, at least in his common post-DKR form, can't actually be happy and would see a jumbling mess of conflicting, distorted images as the enchantment on the mirror tries to dig through his pile of emotional baggage and psychosis. But that's just the more extreme, modern age version of Bats, keep in mind.

And Superman, as a being who compartmentalizes his life to an extreme degree, would actually see two separate images. One in which Krypton is alive and well, and one where he is with Lois and Jon and hung up the cape because the world no longer needs a Superman to protect it. Or, if not that, then a sustainable, permanent version of New Krypton where both of Clark's cultures combine and he no longer has to divide his life.

And Lobo would just see a beer bottle that never gets empty.

[The Dying Detective]

Fun responses here.

So I got a couple off-the-beaten-path suggestions, just to mix it up a bit.

As I recall we never find out the mirror's origin, so we have no idea how powerful it truly is. I mean, seeing someone's deepest wish is generally treated as a fairly common skill among mages and telepaths.

So I will submit that Diana, as an avatar/god of Truth, would be immune to the "lies" the mirror tells.

And I submit that Batman, at least in his common post-DKR form, can't actually be happy and would see a jumbling mess of conflicting, distorted images as the enchantment on the mirror tries to dig through his pile of emotional baggage and psychosis. But that's just the more extreme, modern age version of Bats, keep in mind.

And Superman, as a being who compartmentalizes his life to an extreme degree, would actually see two separate images. One in which Krypton is alive and well, and one where he is with Lois and Jon and hung up the cape because the world no longer needs a Superman to protect it. Or, if not that, then a sustainable, permanent version of New Krypton where both of Clark's cultures combine and he no longer has to divide his life.

And Lobo would just see a beer bottle that never gets empty.

I don't think the Mirror of Erised is telling anyone lies since it's essential purpose is to show the person looking into it what their heart really wants to be truly the happiest person in the world. So it wouldn't tell Wonder Woman any lies so to speak. I think you might be accurate on how the Dark Knight Returns Batman might be unable to see what will make him happy but the closest one could get is Jason Todd alive and him and Nightwing on good terms. I'd like to think that Superman seeing both Krypton alive with him being with Lois and Jon and having given up superheroics is the ideal wish for Superman to be truly the happiest person in the world. Lobo would probably also want a harem of women and room overflowing with money.

[Ascended]

I don't think the Mirror of Erised is telling anyone lies since it's essential purpose is to show the person looking into it what their heart really wants to be truly the happiest person in the world. So it wouldn't tell Wonder Woman any lies so to speak. I think you might be accurate on how the Dark Knight Returns Batman might be unable to see what will make him happy but the closest one could get is Jason Todd alive and him and Nightwing on good terms. I'd like to think that Superman seeing both Krypton alive with him being with Lois and Jon and having given up superheroics is the ideal wish for Superman to be truly the happiest person in the world. Lobo would probably also want a harem of women and room overflowing with money.

No, it's not "lies" in a technical sense, but I do believe that Dumbledore said the mirror doesn't "offer any truth," so I figured I'd say Diana would be unaffected by it. Mostly just to provide something different to the conversation; I'm sure there's tons of examples of this sort of thing happening to her in the comics.

And good point on Lobo; there'd definitely be a lot of women and money with his reflection. Though with the cash he'd save with a bottomless beer he could probably afford all the women he wanted