History DeconstructedTrope / TheDCU

** "[[Recap/TeenTitansS1E12ApprenticePartOne Apprentice (Part 1)]]" deconstructs JustBetweenYouAndMe. It looks like Slade suffers a bad case of BondVillainStupidity when he randomly announces to the Titans his plans of detonating a Chronotron bomb, even giving them time to save the day. It turns out Slade is fully aware of Robin's paranoiac obsession with catching him and the Titans' ChronicHeroSyndrome. Unfortunately the heroes bite the bait and the time bomb turns out to be a fake, leading to them being infected with deadly nanobots, while Robin is forced to become his apprentice if he doesn't want to watch his teammates suffer a gruesome death.
** "[[Recap/TeenTitansS3E9TheBeastWithin The Beast Within]]" deconstructs DudeWheresMyRespect. It's clearly shown during the fight against Adonis that Beast Boy has deep anger issues because of the lack of appreciation from the other Titans, and during the fight all of his repressed anger goes out and he totally curb stomps Adonis, much to the shock of the other Titans. His anger only gets worse until he (apparantly) puts Raven into a coma.

** "[[Recap/TeenTitansS4E8Stranded Stranded]]" deconstructs SheIsNotMyGirlfriend, and the FunnyForeigner. Starfire is so upset at Robin's mixed signals that she is unable to use her emotion-driven powers. He assumes she doesn't understand what a girlfriend is, but she demonstrates that she understands perfectly.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited''
** The final season deconstructs HiddenAgendaVillain with Gorilla Grodd, who assembles the supervillains of the DCAU into an effective coalition and gathers resources for his EvilPlan, [[spoiler:which is to turn all people on Earth into gorillas.]] [[Characters/DCAULexLuthor Lex Luthor]] points out the silliness in such plan, and no one in the Secret Society bats an eyelash when Lex shoots Grodd in the face and usurps leadership.
** Black Canary rarely uses her [[SuperScream Canary Cry]] in this show, and the few times she attempts a sustained Cry, it leaves her exhausted and out of breath. Screaming puts a lot of stress on a person's lungs and vocal cords. It is for this reason that Canary FightsLikeANormal, instead.
* ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'': deconstructs BecauseYouWereNiceToMe. Eddie Felson met Daisy Watkins at science summer camp. He developed a crush on her because she was the only person at the camp that was kind to him. However his crush on her become an unhealthy obsession, with him stalking her and stealing luxury items to give to her. What made it worse was it was implied from Daisy's reaction to seeing him again and from the way she talked about him is that she did not like him even as a friend and whatever kindness she ever showed him was out of pity.

** "Apprentice: Part 1" deconstructs JustBetweenYouAndMe. It looks like Slade suffers a bad case of BondVillainStupidity when he randomly announces to the Titans his plans of detonating a Chronotron bomb, even giving them time to save the day. It turns out Slade is fully aware of Robin's paranoiac obsession with catching him and the Titans' ChronicHeroSyndrome. Unfortunately the heroes bite the bait and the time bomb turns out to be a fake, leading to them being infected with deadly nanobots, while Robin is forced to become his apprentice if he doesn't want to watch his teammates suffer a gruesome death.
** "The Beast Within" deconstructs DudeWheresMyRespect. It's clearly shown during the fight against Adonis that Beast Boy has deep anger issues because of the lack of appreciation from the other Titans, and during the fight all of his repressed anger goes out and he totally curb stomps Adonis, much to the shock of the other Titans. His anger only gets worse until he (apparantly) puts Raven into a coma.
** "Troq" deconstructs NobleBigot. Barring Starfire, Val-Yor genuinely liked the other Titans and is trying to stop an evil alien race, but that doesn't stop them from losing respect for him once they realize his racism. Unlike in every other VerySpecialEpisode where the racist's life is saved by a member of the group they are prejudiced against, learns the error of their ways and changes for the better, Starfire saving his life didn't make Val-Yor any less of a racist than he was at the start of the episode.
** "Stranded" deconstructs SheIsNotMyGirlfriend, and the FunnyForeigner. Starfire is so upset at Robin's mixed signals that she is unable to use her emotion-driven powers. He assumes she doesn't understand what a girlfriend is, but she demonstrates that she understands perfectly.
** "Lightspeed" deconstructs BadPowersBadPeople. Jinx explains to Kid Flash that when you're walking bad luck, it's a lot easier to be a villain than a hero because others will think you're a villain anyway.

*** Deconstructs GoodIsNotNice. While Oliver Queen is ultimately a force for good, he has never been particularly nice about it. On his best days, he's rude, arrogant, and is always convinced that his idea is better. On most days, he's a sanctimonious, elitist JerkAss. At his worst, he's a complete asshole. Oliver's personal and professional lives are a wreck because of his behavior and actions. His relationship with his friends and family is strained, with him constantly cheating on his long time girlfriend Black Canary (Dinah Lance), neglecting his sidekick and ward Speedy I/Arsenal/Red Arrow I (Roy Harper), abandoning his biological son Green Arrow II (Connor Hawke) at birth and lying to Connor that he did not know he was his son when they met and Connor became his sidekick. Oliver also doesn't have a great reputation among the superhero community due to his smug tendencies and boorish behavior. While Oliver generally tries and usually manages to do the right thing, there are times were even his teammates at the Justice League barely tolerate him. While he made a genuine effort to be a better boyfriend and husband to his girlfriend/wife Dinah, and reconnect with Roy and Connor while being a better father to them, and was able to repair his relationship with them and become a better superhero, things went crashing down in the ''Cry for Justice'' & ''Rise and Fall'' storylines where Oliver murders Prometheus for destroying Star City and causing the death of his adopted granddaughter Lian Harper. His family washes their hands of him, with his wife returning her wedding ring and declaring their marriage over and Roy and Connor telling him they are through with him. It's implied that Oliver killing Prometheus is the last straw for his family and his mistreatment of them was the main cause of them leaving him.

DeconstructedTrope in this series.

** Both ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' and ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'' take apart TokenEvilTeammate:

** Deconstructs AllGirlsWantBadBoys. Harley Quinn's initially attracted to the Joker because of his dangerous and unique aesthetic, but she eventually finds out that his violent and uncaring nature extends to her as well.

** Deconstructs ChaoticStupid. Having [[spoiler:taken down the Joker]] and Gotham being left in ruins, Harley Quinn has the perfect chance to rise up as the top villain and completely take control of the city. Instead, she chooses to indulge in the ApocalypseAnarchy and outright refuses to bring back organized crime because she loathes any form of order. The result is that the Injustice League traps her in ice when she refuses to share rulership over Gotham with them and Harley ends up regretting not taking the city for herself sooner. [[spoiler: It's also part of the reasoning why Ivy rejects Harley's advances; she loves being friends with Harley, but Harley's too wild and short-sighted for a long term relationship.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'': The final season deconstructs HiddenAgendaVillain with Gorilla Grodd, who assembles the supervillains of the DCAU into an effective coalition and gathers resources for his EvilPlan, [[spoiler:which is to turn all people on Earth into gorillas.]] [[Characters/DCAULexLuthor Lex Luthor]] points out the silliness in such plan, and no one in the Secret Society bats an eyelash when Lex shoots Grodd in the face and usurps leadership.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'': The final season deconstructs HiddenAgendaVillain with Gorilla Grodd, who assembles the supervillains of the DCAU into an effective coalition and gathers resources for his EvilPlan, [[spoiler:which is to turn all people on Earth into gorillas.]] ComicBook/LexLuthor points out the silliness in such plan, and no one in the Secret Society bats an eyelash when Lex shoots Grodd in the face and usurps leadership.

** Deconstructs LaserGuidedKarma. During the Cry for Justice & Rise and Fall storyline where Green Arrow I (Oliver Queen) murders Prometheus for destroying Star City and causing the death of his adopted granddaughter Lian Harper. During Oliver's capture and trial, his family washes their hands of him, with his wife Black Canary (Dinah Lance) returning her wedding ring and declaring their marriage over. His adopted son Speedy I/Arsenal/Red Arrow I (Roy Harper) and biological son Green Arrow II (Connor Hawke) tell him they are through with him. It is implied that Oliver killing Prometheus is the last straw, with Oliver constantly cheating on Dinah, his neglect of Roy, and his abandonment of Connor and lying that he did not know he was his son was the main cause of them leaving Oliver. However, before that storyline Oliver Queen works hard to repair his relationships with them, and they had forgiven him before. It is also implied that they had been traumatized by the events of the story, Star City being destroyed for Dinah, the loss of his daughter for Roy, Connor being in a coma and losing and regaining his memories, and with the resentment they have for Oliver despite forgiving him, they all lash out at Oliver.
** Deconstructs GoodIsNotNice. While Oliver Queen is ultimately a force for good, he has never been particularly nice about it. On his best days, he's rude, arrogant, and is always convinced that his idea is better. On most days, he's a sanctimonious, elitist JerkAss. At his worst, he's a complete asshole. Oliver's personal and professional lives are a wreck because of his behavior and actions. His relationship with his friends and family is strained, with him constantly cheating on his long time girlfriend Black Canary (Dinah Lance), neglecting his sidekick and ward Speedy I/Arsenal/Red Arrow I (Roy Harper), abandoning his biological son Green Arrow II (Connor Hawke) at birth and lying to Connor that he did not know he was his son when they met and Connor became his sidekick. Oliver also doesn't have a great reputation among the superhero community due to his smug tendencies and boorish behavior. While Oliver generally tries and usually manages to do the right thing, there are times were even his teammates at the Justice League barely tolerate him. While he made a genuine effort to be a better boyfriend and husband to his girlfriend/wife Dinah, and reconnect with Roy and Connor while being a better father to them, and was able to repair his relationship with them and become a better superhero, things went crashing down in the ''Cry for Justice'' & ''Rise and Fall'' storylines where Oliver murders Prometheus for destroying Star City and causing the death of his adopted granddaughter Lian Harper. His family washes their hands of him, with his wife returning her wedding ring and declaring their marriage over and Roy and Connor telling him they are through with him. It's implied that Oliver killing Prometheus is the last straw for his family and his mistreatment of them was the main cause of them leaving him.

* {{Series/Arrowverse}}

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' stories have deconstructed superhero tropes, too:

*** It also deconstructs DaddyHadAGoodReasonForAbandoningYou. [[spoiler: Marilyn]] claimed they loved [[spoiler: Billy]] and only abandoned them because they wanted the best for them. But it's telling that [[spoiler: Marilyn]] coldly brushed off any physical affection from their child and they didn't properly hand custody over to the state (where [[spoiler: Marilyn]] could visit [[spoiler: Billy]] anytime), revealing [[spoiler: Marilyn]] cared more about unburdening themselves as a parent than [[spoiler: Billy]]'s wellbeing.

** "Stranded" deconstructs SheIsNotMyGirlfriend. Starfire is so upset at Robin's mixed signals that she is unable to use her powers (which are driven in part by emotional clarity). He first chalks it up to her not understanding what a girlfriend is, but she demonstrates that she understands perfectly.

*** ClothesMakeTheSuperman. Lucy Lane dons a super-suit which replicates the powers of several alien races thanks to a combination of magic and technology, and with which she attempts to kill ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}. Though, it turns out that a super-suit isn't enough to take down an experienced, prepared meta with natural powers and a volatile temper. Supergirl swiftly guesses what is Superwoman's power's source, and proceeds to easily -and furiously- rip her costume off, meaning Lucy is now helpless against someone who can bench-pressing a whale. And worst of all, her suit being damaged unleashes the magic energies woven into it, destroying Lucy's body.

** Deconstructs LaserGuidedKarma. During the Cry for Justice & Rise and Fall storyline where Green Arrow I (Oliver Queen) murders Prometheus for destroying Star City and causing the death of his adopted granddaughter Lian Harper. During Oliver's capture and trial, his family washes their hands of him, with his wife Black Canary (Dinah Lance) returning her wedding ring and declaring their marriage over. His adopted son Speedy I/Arsenal/Red Arrow I (Roy Harper) and biological son Green Arrow II (Connor Hawke) tell him they are through with him. It is implied that Oliver killing Prometheus is the last straw, with Oliver constantly cheating on Dinah, his neglect of Roy, and his abandonment of Connor and lying that he did not know he was his son was the main cause of them leaving Oliver. However, before that storyline Oliver Queen works hard to repair his relationships with them, and they had forgiven him before. It is also implied that they had been traumatized by the events of the story, Star City being destroyed for Dinah, the lost of his daughter for Roy, Connor being in a coma and losing and regaining his memories, and with the resentment they have for Oliver despite forgiving him, they all lash out at Oliver.

* ComicBook/BlackCanary deconstructs JerkassBall. During the Cry for Justice & Rise and Fall storyline, Black Canary (Dinah Lance) abandons her husband Green Arrow I (Oliver Queen) and her adopted son Speedy I/Arsenal/Red Arrow I (Roy Harper). When Oliver is in prison for the murder of Prometheus, she returns her wedding ring and declares their marriage over. When Roy goes back to using heroin after the pain in his right arm becomes too unbearable because of the infection and the horrible prosthetic Cyborg made, she officially considers him a lost cause. It is implied that Dinah was traumatized because of the events of the story and was lashing out at them. In ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'', it is revealed Dinah harbors a hug amount of guilt for her actions and regrets abandoning them when they needed her the most.

* Both ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' and ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'' take apart TokenEvilTeammate:
** First on ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', Malcolm Merlyn was barely tolerated as it is, but the Arrow team did use him for information, and he helped out on a lot of problems. However, once [[DarkActionGirl Nyssa]] showed up and [[MoralEventHorizon blackmailed Oliver by using the antidote to cure Thea's condition against him]] into killing Malcolm for her, the team remembered that Malcolm was at fault for a lot of their past grief. Malcolm, for his part, fought everyone at every turn. [[spoiler: Once Oliver took his hand and gave the league back to Nyssa, Malcolm broke away from the team and betrayed them to Darhk. Basically, he's the real reason that Oliver and Felicity broke up.]]
** On ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'', [[AxeCrazy Mick "Heatwave" Rory]] was recruited by Rip Hunter to a team assembled to fight Vandal Savage. Only, Rory cared more for causing chaos and damage. This type of behaviour eventually led to a falling out with [[HeterosexualLifePartners Leonard "Captain Cold" Snart]], and made Rory wonder why he was even there. [[spoiler: But, the last straw came when a group of time pirates captured Rory, Rip and Jax while on a rescue mission. Rip and Rory got into an argument, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero during which Rip revealed that the real reason Rory was on the team in the first place was because he needed Snart, and Rory was a package deal along with him.]] The revelation that he wasn't necessary made Rory realize that he had no need to be loyal to the mission anymore, and swiftly betrayed everyone to the time pirates. After nearly killing Sara, Rory was stopped by Snart, who then dragged him off the ship and possibly killed him in order to protect the team.]]
* Season three of ''Series/TheFlash2014'' deconstructs the CloseEnoughTimeline trope. In the throes of depression following his father's murder, Barry goes back in time and saves his mother from death, creating the Flashpoint timeline. Eventually he realizes his mistake and undoes his revision of the timeline. However, while Barry is relatively unaffected by the timeline changes, they are devastating to the people around him: Joe and Iris have a wedge driven between them, Cisco's older brother is dead in a hit-and-run, Caitlin is being taken over by Killer Frost, John Diggle's daughter is erased from existence and replaced with a son, and two villains (the Dominators and Savitar) enter the picture as a direct result of Barry's interference with time.

!!Comic Books

!!Franchise/TheDCU

* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' deconstructs EvenEvilCanBeLoved as this trope causes nothing but grief for Roy and Lian Harper because of [[PsychoForHire Cheshire]], Roy's ex-girlfriend and Lian's mom. Roy fell in love with Cheshire while he was investigating her for the C.B.I., leaving her because he couldn't bring himself to turn her in. Neither of them knew at the time she was pregnant with their daughter. Roy and Lian both love Cheshire to varying degrees, but it's a very strained type of love because she's an unrepentant psychopath and responsible for [[NukeEm destroying an entire country with a nuclear weapon]] [[ForTheEvulz because she felt like it]]. So they know Cheshire's a horrible person, but she's still Lian's mom and Roy doesn't want Lian to endure having a mother who'll spend the rest of her life locked away in prison (though father and daughter both know she deserves it). The worst part is the mounting evidence Cheshire doesn't love ''either'' of them and manipulates their emotions to keep them under her control.