Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Leviathan Theory: Pax Americana


You need to understand something before you move on reading this post.

I have been obsessed with the Leviathan mystery, a healthy little comic diversion given the hectic nature of my life. And I have been poring over the clues. I have a Leviathan Theory.

Unfortunately, obsession can sometimes lead to madness.


 Robin said it best early in the series. When you get a theory that you are completely invested in, you can't shake it.

Moreover, as you think about it, it becomes more real.

I have described it as anchoring bias.

I believe that Ted Kord and the Charlton heroes are Leviathan.

And once you anchor on that, you look for things to confirm that bias.


And just yesterday I posted how the inclusion of the Multiversity map in Action Comics #1015 was actually a clue, a way to trigger the reader to start thinking about multiple Earths in this organized way.

And then that led me to thinking about the actual Earth 4 in the Multiversity map. And that led me back to Pax Americana.


It pains me that I have never reviewed Pax Americana on this site. But to be honest, I don't think I would be up to the task. Suffice it to say, I think it is one of the finest, most complex, and most mind-blowing comics produced in my lifetime.

In terms of its link to my Leviathan Theory, the book is simply dripping with Watchmen overtones. As you recall, it was all the Watchmen overtones in Leviathan that led me to my Ted Kord guess. And this book, starring the actual Charlton characters but with a layer of Watchmen on top makes me wonder.

So I thought I would take a look at the book again, this time with the idea of seeing if there could be overtones within the book that could lend themselves to Leviathan. Could the Leviathan crew actually be *these* Charlton heroes. And what if, after seeing the ruin of their world, decide to 'save' ours?


The book itself deals with the Persuader killing the President. The assassination shatters the status quo. Super-heroes won't be as tolerated. The entire foundation of the world and it's political climate are shaken.

As the world reels from the killing, Nightshade's father says the world needs clarity. It needs transparency. No more illusions.

You can imagine that all the different cults and spy organizations and espionage groups destroyed and consumed by Leviathan are clouding the world climate. Time for new strategies. Time for clarity.


Maybe The Question in Lois' detective group is actually the Earth 4 Question. After all, our Vic Sage is supposedly dead.

As you can see, this Question talks with that Blue Beetle about working from within. Perhaps he is working for Leviathan from within the heroes' group.


As I said, the impetus for these heroes to be Leviathan would be them wanting to prevent the problems of their world happening on ours.

On that world, The Question wonders about all the 'military-entertainment' complex and who is actually running things.

It is almost like he wants someone to actually control all the different groups and to control. Something like Leviathan.


Moreover, the Captain Atom of that world is a true super-being. He knows about comics and word balloons. He is a little mad and a little pliable.

And he is treated with black hole technology which remove him, briefly, from that universe.

So perhaps that is how they get here.

He would be a perfect fit for the Enforcer.


These folks were looking to restore a symmetry to a broken world.

Isn't that what Leviathan wants?

Isn't that what Superman wants?


Remember when Leviathan spoke of a broken global disaster.

And the timey-wimey, backwards and forward nature of Pax Americana make the 'same thing over and over' line resonate more.

Look ... I know ...

I picked 4 panels that sound like my theory out of this incredibly dense, intelligent, poetic book.

But I have anchored.

And this time I'm right!

1 comment:

  1. Oh, I like the idea of Leviathan being a character from one of Morrison’s upper levels of multiversal (relative) reality, knowing the DCU heroes are at the mercy of creators on a higher level and so, yes, can never win. And that would fit nicely with the Superman issue of Doomsday Clock, and the Metaverse.

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