Leviathan Theory: Event Leviathan #4 Clues Review

I have a  Leviathan Theory. Ted Kord and the Charlton Heroes are Leviathan.

And at the beginning, I was convinced I was right. There was enough Watchmen overtones and reverberations to make me think there was a reverse analog plot happening. And I am still on board with my theory.

But there are other clues and other suspects. And there are clues pointing to lots of people.

In the past, I have used my clue review posts to try to back up my claim. But now, I think it is better for me to use these to review all the clues I saw.

That means some will point to the Charlton heroes. Others will point to different back-up theories I have. And still others will just be some things I noticed which don't point to anyone necessarily but make me pause and wonder if I am missing something.

Believe it or not, it starts with the cover.

Let's start with a non-clue.

When I first saw this cover, there was something about that image of Superman, fist down, smashing what seemed to be a table or a weapon that stuck in my craw like a popcorn kernel.

It was only after plaguing my mind did it come to me.

In Kingdom Come #3, when the villains overrun the prison in Kansas and killed Captain Comet, Wonder Woman has had enough. She strikes the green energy Justice League table smashing it.

Now knowing how some knowledge of other worlds and timelines has permeated this book (Leviathan knowing about Earth X, the Watchmen vibe, perhaps some Earth-4 shenanigans), putting in a visual clue from Kingdom Come is possible. After all, the cover to Event Leviathan #2 was an homage to Justice League #1.

Now I get it, I might be seeing things that aren't there.

But maybe?

We're not done with the cover yet.

We finally see a symbol of the Leviathan group, albeit a bit smashed by Superman.

But squint a little bit and see if you see something akin to this.

The R/backward R of Rorschach's signature.

Remember, it was the Watchmen overtones I was seeing everywhere that led me to the Ted Kord thoughts to begin with.

Okay, maybe I am once again seeing something not there.

But I am putting it down as a clue to make me think that this time I'm right.

But not all clues point that way.

Early in the issue, Superman confronts Leviathan in hopes of rescuing Amanda Waller.

One of the things that I have been looking closely at is dialogue and words as potential hints to Leviathan's identity.

And remember that one of my theories is that Leviathan is actually Hawk and Dove (with a dollop of Extant).

In fact, I am wondering if Leviathan is Dove and the 'Enforcer' is Hawk.

So having Leviathan specifically say that things look chaotic right now makes me wonder if that is supposed to lead us to the chaos/order of nature of Hawk and Dove.

The note simply said that Superman and Leviathan wanted the same thing, one of the first clues that this was a former hero.

During that rescue attempt, Superman tries to evade Leviathan's blue energy burst only to find that it pushes back with equal force.

The very temporal nature of these attacks has given some credence to my Captain Atom theory and my Hawk/Extant theory.

But I have also pointed out in the past that much of these attacks have had a sort of atomic feel to them. There have been rings and odd atomic symbol like flourishes with the Enforcer.

Here when you look at the effects around this attack you seen circles and globes on entwined lines, almost like electrons moving about their shells.

This looks like a breakdown of an atom which I am putting in my 'Charlton Heroes' bucket.

And just when I was thinking that my suspect list was finished, a new theory comes out. I freely admit that I might not have time to fully research this one.

But one thing that comes up in this issue is that Kate Spencer seems to have been targeted by Leviathan, singled out in a way that others haven't.

It led me to think that maybe this person has a grudge against Manhunter. And maybe that person is ... Manhunter.

Let's face it, Mark Shaw Manhunter is a great suspect.

He was part of the Manhunters, a group dedicated on eradicating evil and making things safe. So he would want what Leviathan wants. It is the means of the Manhunters, not the ends, that differentiate them from heroes. He would have access to otherworldly Manhunter tech.

He has significant ties to the JLA, being part of them once.
He has significant ties to the espionage world being part of Task Force X, maybe why he would have a grudge with Waller.
He would not be happy with Spencer using the mantle of Manhunter.
Heck, his costume and mask even looks a little like Leviathan.

Even the symbol on his tunic looks like the Leviathan symbol.

Not a bad thought.

But the biggest clues might come from the mouth of Batgirl.

She gets a brief message out. When asked who Leviathan is, she gets a few blurbs out which are garbled. So let's look.

'TE - KG --'

That could be Ted Kord. So put it in my bucket.

'--LEVIN --'

I haven't cracked this one.

'--MRK--'

Well, that could be her trying to say Mark, like Mark Shaw. So put that into the filter for the new candidate.

I still think I am leaning towards Ted Kord and the Charlton folks. Hopefully, it will all come together.

But with clues coming this fast, it is hard to know what is real and what is feint.

So what do you all think? Who is Leviathan?