Breaking Pandora's Code - Raven, Zealot And Shazam!

[Rich Johnston]

UPDATE: DC message board poster billee0918 has taken credit for the mysterious posts, after exploiting a loophole to create a new identity, even though the registration process had been closed! Congrats Billee, you gave us all a lot of fun!



The DC Message boards are being deleted to make way for a new snazzy DC website, forum, interaction, thing. But there's a rather mysterious stranger who registered for the board after all new user registrations had been discontinued. And who posted on the General, Wonder Woman and Justice League Dark boards, under the name Pandora. Here are her online witterings, in order.

Behold, the original sinner has returned.

Soon, the third will be revealed.

The Third Sinner Comes

I have sinned and been revealed.

Behold, the third is coming with the clouds. Every eye shall see him and the tribes of every earth shall wail on account of him.

He is coming soon.

Pandora has spoken.

And with the clouds, the lightning comes.

And he dreams that he can hide! Hide from ME, within that mortal boy!?!?

There has always been a light to cast him out of darkness.

Let there be light.

Many have professed their love for me throughout this cursed existence, but your ilk always prove so very temporary.

You will surely love what is to come. It begins with The Third.

I have sinned and been revealed.

Behold, the third is coming with the clouds. Every eye shall see him and the tribes of every earth shall wail on account of him.

He is coming soon.

Pandora has spoken.

Your forum shall be destroyed.

When the clock again strikes five in the West.

Enjoy its final moments and prepare for its new face.

Pandora is and has always been. My thirst for the unknown unleashed all the worlds' evils and I walk these worlds cursed in punishment for it.

The Third sinner comes. The old wizard failed in his charge and he will fall at my hands.

Raven and Zealot are at the ready, as are the soldiers they command.

All in my name. All for Pandora.

The destruction of the Third will sound throughout the cosmos.

Loud enough, I suspect, to even awaken the dreaming.

My liberation depends wholly upon it and I will know peace, after so very, very long.

Some have considered that Pandora was Raven. Others that Pandora was Zealot. Looks like there may be something in common - a DC/Wildstorm smooshing of the two into Pandora perhaps? The cloak and the facial tattoos? But who is the Third Sinner... the old wizard failed, thunder, lightning, hidden inside a boy, it's obviously Michael Jackson Captain Marvel Shazam!

Reaction has been plentifold;

OOOOH KAAAYYY then. Look I'm a Christian and one thing I don't like is these so called prophets proclaiming the end of days. When Jesus Christ the lord of lords and the king of kings returns it shall come in the blink of a eye. NO one knows the date of his return no one including the angels in Heaven. Behold for he shall come as a thief in the night and in the blink of a eye. Nothing shall stop the end times or the rapture or the tribulation that WILL follow the rapture. THat said Pandora have a nice day.

Not sure how they'll react to the idea that The Phantom Stranger in the New 52 is Judas... did you see those thirty pieces of silver strung round his neck?

[Lemurion]

Interesting. I can't wait to see more of this.

[TF_Loki]

Yeah, not seeing the 30 pieces of silver. More like just the chain/whatever holding the coat/cloak on. And that response to Pandora really didn't get the Meta commentary/joke did they...

[SAMURAI36]

Man, I swear... DC is absolutely on fire with awesomeness right now!!

I was wondering when I read that Pandora piece in JL, if that was gonna somehow tie into the upcoming Shazam story. And now, I guess I have my answer.

[bewareofgeek]

Because when I think of the Wizard Shazam & the Captain Marvel mythos, the word "Sinner" is at the top of the list...

Seriously? Is that the take Johns wants to go with?

[Maniacmatt]

Actually, I'm betting this is referring to one of the Seven Deadly Sins, probably incarnate in some way. They've always been a part of the Captain Marvel mythos.

[Joe B. Pangrazio]

Actually, I'm betting this is referring to one of the Seven Deadly Sins, probably incarnate in some way. They've always been a part of the Captain Marvel mythos.

Which could tie into the "third sinner" as the "third sin."

I'm not reading any of this stuff but if the result is a greater awareness and platform for Shazam...I'll be happy.

I got a soft spot for the big cheese.

[dmalted]

"Behold, the original sinner has returned."

I thought this line was referring to Cain, whose rise is evidently at the heart of the upcoming I, Vampire / JL Dark crossover. How Cain and Captain Marvel relate, I don't know.

[khuxford]

I got a soft spot for the big RED cheese.

I was compelled to fix that for you.

[jmyoung]

Why are they calling him Shazam? And what's he going to say when he transforms?

They may be prevented from calling the book Captain Marvel or use the name on the cover, but there's no legal reason the character cannot be called Captain Marvel inside the book.