The Golden Boy's Last Temptation is a The DCU fanfiction by Dark Mark starring Supergirl, Dream of the Endless and Prez Rickard, based on the events of Supergirl (1972) #10 and The Sandman (1989) #54 (erroneusly identified as issue #55 in the author notes).
On a parallel universe called Earth-72, Prez Rickard became the first teenage president of the USA. He survived several attempts on his life during his wildly successful tenure, although his fiancée Kathy was sadly less lucky, before retiring and later disappearing completely and mysteriously.
Sometime later, Supergirl is dragged into some kind of dreamland, where she meets an entity who makes her a suspicious offer. Kara once saved Prez. Now she has the chance to save both Prez and Kathy...but the price may be her very soul.
The story can be read in FF.Net (link
) and Dark Mark's DC site (link).
It is set in the same fanverse than Hellsister Trilogy, Kara of Rokyn and other stories by Dark Mark, but it can be read independiently.
Tropes:
- …And That Little Girl Was Me: One person is telling a little kid a story about Supergirl who nobody has ever heard. When she is done, Kara reveals she knows that tale because she is Supergirl herself.
- Big Good: Dream of the Endless prevents "Smiley" from claiming both Prez and Kara's souls, stating that he is the Prince of Stories and he enjoys a happy ending now and then. When "Smiley" roars he will put Kara to through her worse nightmare, Dream curtly states nightmares are his domain, makes a gesture, and "Smiley" disappears.
- …But He Sounds Handsome: As telling her story about Supergirl, Kara says that "some people called Supergirl beautiful. I don't disagree".
- Deal with the Devil:
- Crimelord "Smiley" tells then-presidential candidate Prez he can take him to the White House if Prez turns a blind eye to his criminal activities, but the latter refuses to. As telling the story, Kara deliberately compares it with the Devil offering Jesus the world in The Four Gospels. Later, “Smiley” hints that he is not a mere gangster -or even human- when he offers to bring Kathy back if Prez agrees to serve him, but Prez turns him down again. Finally, after Prez dies, “Smiley” appears before him again, calling himself “the Prince of the World” (one of the titles of Satan) and tempting Prez again, only to be rejected for the third and final time.
- Later, “Smiley” appears before Kara, reveals different timelines gone wrong, and offers to build a timeline where she prevents Prez and Kathy's deaths, as well as other misfortunes...as long as she is aware of -and never forgets- who is her boss. Kara answers that there are no guarantees that a timeline where Prez and Kathy survive won't have its tragedies, and she guesses Prez turned his offer down, therefore she should reject it too.
- Framing Device: The tale is framed as Supergirl narrating a secret story, which can only be told once every ten years, to a little kid.
- Insane Troll Logic: After telling how a stalker nearly assassinated then-current President Prez because she thought it would get her noticed by a super-hero/boxer called Ted Grant, Kara states she cannot fathom why that person possibly thought her plan even made any sort of sense.Supergirl: Some crazy woman had been writing letters to Ted Grant, the Wildcat, the one who used to be heavyweight champion of the world, and who used to be a super-hero, and then got to be a TV guy. She'd been stalking him, without much luck. So she tried to shoot Prez, thinking that would get Ted to answer her letters.
Why? I don't know. When you get into those states of mind, I guess, parallel lines meet, there's dimensions between the third and fourth, squaring the circle sounds simple enough, and they figure if you kill somebody, that means somebody has to return your calls.
It doesn't. Don't ever think that. - Life Will Kill You: Nobody knows how Prez died. Some rumormongers believe he got assassinated (he had survived several attempts on his life, after all), but other people suggest he simply got sick and died as a normal person.Most of the legends say somebody shot him. Some say he died of malnutrition and pneumonia as a street person. Some say he just figured his job was done on Earth, and he quietly lay back and gave up the ghost.
- The Lost Lenore: Prez's fiancée Kathy gets murdered by a shooter. "Smiley" tries to tempt to Prez by claiming he can bring her back, but Prez turns him down.
- The Multiverse: The story is set in the officially-named DC Earth-72. At one point, "Smiley" shows Supergirl visions of different universes: Earth-One Kara getting killed by the Anti-Monitor, New-Earth Superman getting killed by Doomsday...even the Hellsister Trilogy and Kara of Rokyn. The latter one is specifically referenced when Dream says "Go now, Kara Zor-El. And, once again: well done", puzzling Kara since she had never met him before.
- Mythology Gag: Smiley shows Kara visions of different universes: her death at the hands of the Anti-Monitor in Crisis on Infinite Earths, her counseling Deadman in Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot, her becoming a changeling,
- Narrator: Supergirl plays the role of storyteller who is telling a little kid a history which nobody has ever heard before.
- Popcultural Osmosis Failure: While recounting her old adventure, Supergirl tells Smiley made Mandrake-like gestures as conjuring visions. Since the little kid whom she is talking is unlikely to have read one single Mandrake the Magician story, Kara clarifies that he is "a magician in old comic strips".
- Refreshingly Normal Life-Choice: After serving two successful full presidential terms, Prez went back to his hometown and became a clockmaker like his father.Prez couldn't run for a third term, even though there were a lot of Americans who petitioned for the law to be changed so he could. The next election had one of the lowest turnouts there ever was. Prez went back to Steadfast, where he lived alone and repaired clocks. He wouldn't write his memoirs. He wouldn't take positions on the boards of corporations. He wouldn't agree to assist later presidents as an advisor. He didn't play golf.
He fixed clocks. - Shout-Out:
- Mandrake the Magician: Kara tells Smiley made a gesture when conjuring his visions which reminded her of Mandrake.
- At the end of the tale, Dream references the ending of The Once and Future King:Dream: "Once every ten years, you may pass on the dream to one you believe worthy. You may not reveal the fate of Prez Rickard to anyone else. What they do with their dream afterward is up to them. As with King Arthur, and the squire he spared to tell the tale of Camelot. All Truths begin as Dreams."
- Shrouded in Myth: After learning the fate of Prez and helping save the world from Smiley, Kara asks Dream to remember everything. The Lord of Dreams decides to allow it on the condition that she only shares the story with one person every ten years, so that it slowly passes on the realm of legend, where it will gain inspiring power.Dream of the Endless: "Very well. You will retain this dream, Kara Zor-El. In all its particulars. But you must be very circumspect as to whom you share it with. Some things should be kept in the realm of legend, for thereby they gather power. And if the legend of Prez Rickard should gather power in your world...well, there are worse alternatives that could be dreamed. Once every ten years, you may pass on the dream to one you believe worthy. You may not reveal the fate of Prez Rickard to anyone else. What they do with their dream afterward is up to them. As with King Arthur, and the squire he spared to tell the tale of Camelot. All Truths begin as Dreams."
- Uncertain Doom: Everybody in America noticed when Prez died, but nobody ever found out how or why. Supergirl tells she and Superman searched for his remains through the whole continent using their Super-Senses, but they never found the body. All they knew is that Prez was definitely dead and gone.
- Yandere: Ted "Wildcat" Grant was stalked by a crazy fan who thought Ted would answer her love letters if she killed then-current President Prez. She turned out to be a rubbish shooter, though, and killed Prez's fiancée instead.
- You Have to Believe Me!: Downplayed. Before telling how one demon attempted to tempt Prez and herself, Supergirl admits she cannot prove her story, so she asks the little kid to give her the benefit of the doubt at least.
