History ComicBook / MisterMiracle2017

* TheGhost: Though Darkseid casts a huge shadow over the story, his appearances are very sparse. [[spoiler:He finally appears on-page at the very end of issue 6, and but he gains substantially more presence in issue 11 (incidentally where he gets his only few lines of dialogue)]].

* GoMadFromTheRevelation: It's heavily implied that Orion's AdaptationalVillainy was invoked by him seeing "the face of God", suggested to be Darkseid's visage empowered by the Anti-Life Equation. Scott repeats the sentiment after he personally encounters Darkseid and suffers from a ThousandYardStare. [[spoiler:The truth is a little more complicated: the entire world that we've been shown is almost entirely a delusion observed by Scott following him being hit by the Anti-Life Equation, [[SubvertedTrope yet in seeming defiance of its intended purpose]], [[EarnYourHappyEnding it's one where he's able to end find peace]].]]

** In issue #2, Scott and Barda are sent out to do negotiate with Granny Goodness, but Orion secretly gives them the orders to instead assassinate her. [[spoiler:Scott is left very hesitant, especially when Granny Goodness reveals to him that [[UriahGambit she was also secretly given orders by Orion to assassinate him first]], but Barda completes the mission.]]

** They don't make a visible appearance, but in issue #1, Scott mentions that members of the Justice League messaged him during his hospitalization, with [[Franchise/{{Superman}} "Clark"]] showing up at his window the previous night.

** The Metron that appears at the end of Issue 11 is not the same one from Issue 2, but [[spoiler:the ''ComicBook/New52'' version, which was killed during ''Comicbook/DarkseidWar''.]]

** The use of "[[ArcWords Darkseid is]]" originally dates back to Creator/GrantMorrison's run of ''JLA'', introduced as recurring catchphrase/BadassBoast by Darkseid himself.

* ShowerOfAngst: In issue #10 as Scott and Barda are forced to seriously consider [[spoiler:the deal to sacrifice Jacob to Darkseid]], we get a full page of Scott trying to take a shower as Barda gently tries to coax him [[spoiler:by reassuring that their time with Jacob was an eventful one and that they can at least celebrate his first birthday before surrendering him]]. By the end of the nine panels, Scott has silently and slowly [[TroubledFetalPosition huddled to the ground in despair]].

[[caption-width-right:350:Standing]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Is he a master of spectacular trickery or is he something more?]]

Even as he recovers, one gets the feeling that all is not well with Scott. His half-brother Orion is a bigger jerk than usual. And how are Barda's eyes brown instead of blue, like he remembers? Was Scott really escaping death? Or has the greatest escape artist in the universe found himself in a much bigger trap? A trap not even he can escape from?

* SpiritualSuccessor: To Tom King's ''ComicBook/TheVision2015''. Both are psychological horror stories about HappilyMarried superheroes dealing with some MindScrew-y situations. Creator/DanDiDio even confirmed that King was given the go-ahead with this project specifically as DC's follow-up to ''The Vision''.

* HappilyMarried: While they still have their off-days and personal disputes given the stressful events of the story, Mister Miracle and Big Barda remain their usual deep love and loyalty for one another. It's sadly not enough to curb Scott's depression, but their relationship remains a stalwart beacon of sincerity amidst other relationships that seem to be going off the rails.

* HappilyMarried: Played with. Although Mister Miracle and Big Barda deeply love each other, their marriage is not enough to curb his depression. He attempts suicide several times throughout the story.

** "Darkseid is." The sentence is repeated over and over both in dialogue and in single panels, referencing the villain's omnipotence.
** "He's not my brother". Mister Miracle says this whenever Orion is brought up, referencing their strained relationship.

** In issue 1, Orion punishes Scott by repeatedly punching him, then ordering him to "Stand!" Scott obeys his orders and replies "Standing" after every blow. In issue 11, this dialogue is repeated when [[spoiler:Barda desperately begs Scott to stand up during the final battle against Darkseid]].
** In issue 2, the stagnation of the New Genesis/Apokolips War and Mister Miracle's fatigue are emphasized by him repeatedly yelling "For New Genesis!" over and over again whenever he moves over to a new location and engages the enemy forces.
** In issue 4, Orion interrogates Mister Miracle and orders him to reply to his statements with either "True" or "False". At the end, Mister Miracle can do nothing but say "True" over and over as the questioning makes him realize how much he hates his own life, until he snaps and brutally punches Orion.
** The "Going to Buy You A Mockingbird" song in issue 8. It's repeatedly sung by Mister Miracle to [[spoiler:highlight his happiness while tending to Jacob, as well as to inspire himself during what's clearly a losing battle against the Apokoliptian Army]].
%%** "I drew God."/"The face of God".
%%** Issue 6 has "I saw the face of God."
%%** Issue 10 has "the meaning of life."

** [[spoiler:Despite antagonizing Scott and Barda for the entire first half, it's genuinely sad when Orion is found dead at his father's hands.]]

* AnyoneCanDie: Pretty much anyone bar Scott and Barda. Issue 1 reveals [[spoiler:Oberon]] died prior to the series and that [[spoiler:Highfather]] was killed offscreen by Darkseid. Issue 2 sees [[spoiler:Barda killing Granny Goodness]] and Issue 3 sees [[spoiler:Lightray killing Forager for speaking against Orion]]. Issue 5 ends with [[spoiler:Barda killing Funky Flashman (though [[UnexplainedRecovery he inexplicably comes back with no acknowledgement]] in Issue 8)]] and Issue 6 ends with [[spoiler:Orion lying dead before his throne, and Darkseid standing over his body.]] Issue 8 begins with Scott assassinating [[spoiler:Vermin Vunderbar]], and as Scott walks through the palace in Apokolips, the [[spoiler:severed head of Big Bear from the Forever People]] is mounted on a pike. And finally, in issue 11 [[spoiler:Darkseid is]] killed at Scott’s hand.

%%** Issues 1 and 11 have "Stand! Standing."
%%** Issue 2 has "For New Genesis!" and "You are not to see the face of God."%%** Issue 3 has "Have you seen the face of God?"[=/=]"This is the face of God."
%%** Issue 4 has "True" and "I don't know."

%%** Issue 8 has the "Going to Buy You A Mockingbird" song.

** When [[spoiler:Metron gives Scott and Barda a glimpse of the real DCU, everything is drawn in a much brighter, more fluid art style, providing a shocking contrast to the stilted and creepy look the series crafted for itself.]]

* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Despite Big Barda killing him in Issue 5, Funky Flashman is alive and well in Issue 8, serving as the nanny for Baby Jacob. [[MindScrew No one comments on this or acknowledges it in any way.]]]]
* BadassBoast: [[spoiler:Darkseid]] has an understated, but horrifically effective one at the end of issue 6:

** Later in issue 11, [[spoiler:Darkseid]] [[BrickJoke also eats a carrot from a veggie tray]] just before the big final battle. And then, Mister Miracle does it to when [[spoiler:Metron arrives to explain everything.]]
* BeardOfSorrow: Scott grows one while recovering in hospital after attempting suicide that he has for the series from that point onwards, getting especially bushy during [[spoiler:the TimeSkip after Jacob is born]]. [[spoiler:He shaves it off at the start of the final issue, representing him finally making peace with his life.]]
* BigNo: Scott lets one out when [[spoiler:he finds Orion dead]].

-->'''Lightray''': You Apokolips scum! You killed [[spoiler: Orion!]] My friend! My lord! My savior! I will burn all of you! I will laugh as I watch your ashes float away in a mild wind!

* DeadArtistsAreBetter: [[spoiler:Funky Flashman attempts to invoke this by suggesting that New Genesis set Scott's execution up as a second, successful suicide attempt. [[KickTheDog He tells this to Scott's face.]]]]

* DecoyAntagonist: [[spoiler:Orion dies in Issue 6. Scott's tru enemy is Darkseid.]]

* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler:Funky Flashman is killed by Big Barda. One or two issues later, he's alive and well, and the "nanny" to her baby.]] [[MindScrew This is never explained or commented on by anyone.]]

** The glowing light of [[spoiler:Scott's sword]] hidden inside the [[spoiler:veggie tray]] is visible for several panels before he uses it.

** [[spoiler:King's Batman run namedrops Orion in an issue published after his death in this series, confirming that Orion is not only alive in the DCU, but whatever Scott is in isn't canon or permanent.]]

* FullFrontalAssault: [[spoiler:Big Barda kills Funky Flashman and the guards meant to take Scott to his execution while stark naked.]]
* GainaxEnding: The most literal conflict of the series has a pretty clearcut ending, where [[spoiler:issue #11 sees Scott and Barda successfully kill Darkseid, ending his grip on the war]], but the actual series conclusion is quite... [[MindScrew abstract]]. To recap, [[spoiler:after the end of #11, where Metron appears and reveals that the reality Scott is in is not where [he] should be, additionally presenting a vision of [[Franchise/TheDCU "another world" and the heroes of it]], issue #12 abruptly begins with Scott and Barda back at their apartment, except Scott is periodically visited by glitched-out visions of characters that had died throughout the series as he otherwise goes about his normal life. The visions of Forager and Orion respectively tell Scott that he's in hell or heaven after he "killed [him]self", tried to escape, found a way to escape, [[IChooseToStay but then chose not to]] (which Scott broadly ignores), as well as a vision of Highfather explains that Scott had succumbed to the Anti-Life Equation and "almost escaped" (to which Scott responds with a fist to the face and a walk away). When confronted with a vision of Oberon, Scott finally admits that everything still feels wrong and that "I should've escaped, I shouldn't have escaped," but Oberon consoles him by reassuring that while things will break his heart, [[YouAreNotAlone there's someone out there]] that will [[EarnYourHappyEnding help him put everything back together]]. [[AmbiguousSituation Regardless of however you intend to interpret it]] (is this all Scott's DyingDream after succumbing to his suicide attempt? [[LotusEaterMachine A hallucination conjured up by the Anti-Life Equation?]] Some other [[PocketDimension pocket reality]] created by The Lump? Or some kind of [[WorldOfSymbolism symbolic universe]] existing on a whole nother plane of MetaFiction?), the ending shows Scott accepting his current life with Barda, Jacob, and a daughter on the way, promising that no matter what, [[ArcWords he can always escape]].]]

* GoodVersusGood: As of issue 5, [[spoiler:Mister Miracle and Big Barda go to war with Orion and his loyalists, rather than allow Orion to execute Scott]]. Possibly subverted, as it's becoming increasingly unclear if [[spoiler:Orion]] is actually good or not.

* GrossUpCloseUp: Occasionally, as in Issue 2, which opens with nine panels of a parademon eating the entrails out of a corpse.
* HairTriggerTemper: Kalibak is still Kalibak.
* HappilyMarried: Mister Miracle and Big Barda, as usual.

* HeroicBSOD: Scott suffers a massive one after [[spoiler:Darkseid kills Orion]].

* IChooseToStay: [[spoiler:The series ends with Scott deciding to stay in the alternate reality that Darkseid threw him into because leaving it will retcon Jacob.]]

* {{Jerkass}}: Orion's a lot more douchey than usual, isn't he? Not only does he frequently beat Scott into conscripting into the latest war against Darkseid, his tactics have resulted in tremendous deaths on New Genesis' end, [[WhatTheHellHero earning the ire of many among his side]]. [[spoiler:During Scott's realization that his depression and SanitySlippage might have been the result of succumbing to the Anti-Life Equation, he surmises that possibly the same happened to Orion. By the end of the series, this is ''kind of'' true, in the sense that ''[[LotusEaterMachine everything]]'' [[LotusEaterMachine in Scott's current world is a product of the Anti-Life Equation.]]]]

* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:Darkseid]] is killed by [[spoiler: Scott with a blade he made from ''Orion's bones'', which they only had access to because Darkseid killed Orion and then [[KickTheDog left the body for Scott to see.]]]]

* LotusEaterMachine: [[spoiler: Scott referring to his child as a [[MythologyGag "Lump"]]]] seems to indicate that [[spoiler: ''the entire series'']] may thus far have been one of these.

* MeaningfulName: King portrays Scott as hating his name, deconstructing its usage given how he got it. Scott Free wasn't the name that his dad, Highfather, gave him; it wasn't even given to him by Darkseid, but rather by Granny who would mock him for his escape attempts as a child before locking him back up. He's extremely bitter that, even with the times that they had met and spent time together, that his father refused to tell him what his true name was.
** Invoked later on when [[spoiler:Scott and Barda name their son Jacob, in reference to the Jacob’s Ladder that Scott used to escape the X-Pit.]] The name is also a reference to [[spoiler:Jack Kirby, the creator of Scott, Barda, and the other New Gods, whose real name was Jacob Kurtzberg.]]

* MercyKill: It's hinted that Mister Miracle and Big Barda may have done this to [[spoiler:Oberon, as he was dying of throat cancer]].

** Early in the first issue, Scott suddenly insists that Barda's brown eyes were actually blue, only for her to gently deny it and assure him he's just misremembering things. [[spoiler: They're back to being blue in the final page of the issue]].
** [[spoiler:Granny Goodness appears on G. Gordon Godfrey's show... despite having been killed in the previous issue.]]
** [[spoiler:Funky Flashman is alive again in Issue 8, despite being brutally killed by Barda in Issue 5. Nobody acknowledges this.]]
** [[spoiler:Also in Issue 8, there's a scene where Scott is wearing a Superman shirt. The "S" crest changes colors between panels. It's not likely that it's a coloring mistake.]]

* TheMole: Granny Goodness claimed to have switched sides and acted as a spy for Highfather. [[spoiler:Her sudden death at the hands of Barda leaves it up for debate whether or not she was telling the truth.]]

* MoodWhiplash: Oh so very much of it. The ending of Issue 6 is an especially brutal example.
** Issue 8 is literally half [[spoiler:Scott raising his son, including watching him take his first steps and listening to him say his first word]] and half Scott leading a very, ''very'', '''''very''''' bloody war on Apokolips.

** The name for Scott’s [[spoiler: son Jacob]] is both the birth name of Jack Kirby and a reference to the biblical character who “wrestled with God.” Incidentally, Jack Kirby has actually done [[https://64.media.tumblr.com/42e0359a6d6a0db692b34ff908e3fdeb/c2c4d1710387b4cb-75/s1280x1920/d0106de18adc32d46b8137e7a1742c53a496908f.jpg a rendition of Jacob wrestling the angel in his very own style]] at one point in time.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: [[spoiler:Funky stops his LargeHam tendencies to tell off Scott for being dismissive of his son's imagination.]]

* OrWasItADream: [[spoiler:The birth of Scott's son, who he refers to as a "lump" (aka the name of a being that is a living LotusEaterMachine) may indicate that the whole series is taking place in Scott's head.]]

* PeaceConference: Tying in the supernatural and mundane, peace negotiations become a recurring element in trying to end Darkseid's latest invasion of New Genesis, but a wrench is persistently thrown into the mix. Issue #2 sees the arrangement of one between Scott and Barda with Granny Goodness, but the two are secretly given orders by Orion to instead use the opportunity to assassinate her. [[spoiler:Granny ''does'' gets killed, but the revelations she gives to Scott before then [[NiceJobBreakingItHero only drive a further wedge between him and Orion]].]] [[spoiler:Proper negotiations take up the entirety of issue #9 between Scott, Kalibak (representing Darkseid), and their respective delegators, and things remain heated, yet clinical until Darkseid gives a stunning offer to withdraw his troops ''and'' sacrifice the Anti-Life Equation... [[DealWithTheDevil in exchange for Scott and Barda's son]].]]

* RapidFireNo: [[spoiler:Scott repeatedly screams "no" when he finds Orion's bloody corpse.]]

* RecursiveCanon: Besides all the shirts Scott wears that bear the insignia of various superheroes he knows personally, there's enough demand for Batman merchandise for birthday party merch to exist. [[spoiler:Jacob's favorite toy is a Batman plushie.]]

** [[spoiler:Issue 7's mention of The Lump suggests that the reality Scott is stuck in is actually within the entity's mind, as the creature is a living LotusEaterMachine. While Scott is indeed in one, it turns out that the Lump has no involvement in what's going on and Scott really is in some sort of alternate reality caused by his suicide.]]
** [[spoiler:Jacob Free once he's born]] is accompanied with a lot of hints that something really terrible or sinister is about to happen around him: [[spoiler:on top of Scott calling him a "Lump" as mentioned above, the [[DeliberatelyMonochrome limited color palette]] while depicting his birth gives him a very disturbingly ''Darkseid''-esque complexion (not helped by Barda semi-affectionately calling him the "grandson of Darkseid"), and his most developed babbling is usually some form of "Dah! Dah!", making you paranoid enough that his first words are going to be "Darkseid is."]] If there's anything at all unnatural about him, [[{{Fauxshadow}} it's never revealed in the series]]; [[spoiler:the ''real'' conflict stems from how Darkseid attempts to bargain ''everything'' that had been of value to his conquest for ages, all for Jacob's sacrifice.]]

** Another weird one is Barda killing [[spoiler:Funky Flashman]] in issue 5, primarily because he was in the way of her rescuing Scott. Suddenly in issue 8, [[UnexplainedRecovery he's alive again]] [[spoiler:and in both Barda and Scott's good graces]].

** The CasualDangerDialogue in Issue 6 takes on a whole other meaning when you learn at the end that [[spoiler: Barda is pregnant]].
** [[spoiler:TheReveal of [[LotusEaterMachine the Lump's]] involvement puts a lot of things into context.]]

* SecretTestOfCharacter: Issue 11 implies that [[spoiler: ''the entire series'' may have been one for Scott, and it was Metron observing him.]]
* SeriesFauxnale: [[spoiler:The series provides a self-contained closure for the New Gods much like how Jack Kirby had wanted before DC meddled with his plans. Orion and Darkseid are dead and while the war between New Genesis and Apokolips continues, Scott is HappilyMarried and with children. However, the reality of everything that had happened by the end is still up for debate and the book leaves it open for anyone to come in and free Scott from the confines of the story for more adventures in the DC Universe.]]

** [[spoiler:The "[[ArcWords face of God]]" muttered throughout the series is heavily implied to be Darkseid's, which Orion demonstrates by showing Scott his true, disfigured, very Darkseid-y face. This is supported by Scott muttering that he "saw the face of God" after his encounter with Darkseid himself.]]

* TalkingToTheDead: [[spoiler:The book ends with Scott talking to the various characters who have died throughout the story, including Granny, Orion, Forager, Highfather, Oberon, and Darkseid.]]

** [[spoiler:Funky Flashman, who is a Creator/StanLee {{Expy}}, is shown playing with Jacob Free, who he nicknames "[[Creator/JackKirby Jack]]." In other words, Stan Lee is being condescending towards Jack Kirby and treating him like a baby instead of with the proper respect he deserves. Eventually subverted when Funky asserts that the story he and Jacob came up together is fully the latter's idea, and chastises Scott for calling his son's story nonsense.]]
** [[spoiler:The above is also one towards those who see comic books as a childish and lowbrow medium. As silly as they can get, stories like those made by Jack Kirby and others were stories they really wanted to tell to those willing to listen, and that's what truly matters in the end.]]
** [[invoked]][[spoiler: In the final issue, Scott has a final talk with Oberon and asks if he did the right thing not escaping from the Omega Sanction. Oberon basically tells him that he did, that the real world aka the DC Universe is ridiculously cluttered with its adherence to continuity and its constant {{Crisis Crossover}}s, with the ''actual'' real world being the one where Scott is HappilyMarried with children. Note that Jack Kirby originally wanted his Fourth World books to be purely self-contained from the larger DC Universe, but ExecutiveMeddling forced him to include characters like Superman and others into the fray, ultimately leaving Kirby unable to properly finish his magnum opus due to canonizing his characters into the DC continuity. The conversation also ends with an implicit assurance that in spite of the series ending like this, some other writer will eventually free Scott from this reality so he can have more adventures in the DCU.]]

* TimeSkip: Enough time passes between Issues #6 and #7 for [[spoiler: Barda to go from a month or two pregnant to labor]].

** [[spoiler: Despite Barda killing him in Issue 5, Funky Flashman is, apparently, alive and well in Issue 8, looking none the worse for wear. [[MindScrew Somehow.]]]]
** [[spoiler: The Metron that appears at the end of Issue 11 is not the same one from Issue 2, but the ''ComicBook/New52'' version, which was killed during ''Comicbook/DarkseidWar''.]]

* VoiceOfTheLegion: [[spoiler:Implied by Darkseid's black speech bubbles.]]

** [[spoiler:After their son is born, Scott describes him as a lump. The Wham comes when the ending text teases The Lump, a creature that is a living LotusEaterMachine. [[RedHerring However, this turns out to be a red herring]].]]

*** Issue 8 makes it known that Jacob is also named after Jack Kirby.
-->'''Funky Flashman''': That's my Jack! He's the King!

** Funky Flashman at one point refers to Scott and Barda as "[[Creator/StanLee True Believers]]" and at one point randomly yells out "[[CatchPhrase Excelsior!]]"
** During Mister Miracle's fight with a Parademon in issue 2, a winged helmet similar to [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor's]] can be seen on the ground. Doubles as a MythologyGag; see above.
** Scott and Barda [[spoiler:name their newborn son Jacob, after Jacob's ladder, the biblical connection between Earth and Heaven. However, it doubles as a ShoutOut to the PsychologicalHorror film ''Film/JacobsLadder'', which many readers have compared this very series to due to the same amount of unsettling MindScrew between the two works. TheReveal in that movie may be another indicator that what we're seeing [[LotusEaterMachine isn't real]].]]
** [[spoiler:Issue 8 makes it known that Jacob is also named after Jack Kirby.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Funky Flashman''': That's my Jack! He's the King!]]
** [[spoiler:Issue 10 similarly to the above, Funky tells Scott about how he and Jacob have been creating comics together, as well as giving full credit for the story to Jacob while relegating his role to simply "writing the words."]]
** Speaking of which, Jack and Sta-er, Funky's story is a reference to Galactus, called Stareater, who is directed to earth's sun, by his herald, the [[ComicBook/SilverSurfer Golden Retriever]].
** [[spoiler:The [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DmcN9DOV4AA-JGK.jpg variant cover to the final issue]] is one to ''WesternAnimation/DuckAmuck'', with Scott struggling in the exact same pose as Daffy Duck against Darkseid. The original script for issue one also included one so as to [[{{Foreshadowing}} foreshadow]] what is truly wrong with Scott's reality.]]

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Usually averted.
** Barda's armor gets gunged up in battle a few times, and in issue #11 [[spoiler:she herself gets brutally beaten up by Darkseid.]]
** [[spoiler:Granny Goodness's]] death is ''very'' messy, especially once her corpse [[OffWithHisHead gets graphically beheaded for good measure.]]
** [[spoiler:Jacob's birth]] is graphic and almost clinical, with no sugarcoating of what the process is like.