Before I start, please go to this link and listen to the music in the background while reading this post. I find it most suitable with today’s theme. Thank you.
I still haven’t gotten my hands on the DC Comic New 52 Special Edition so I haven’t read it yet, unfortuantely. But I know from the previews I’ve seen (thanks to Tumblr users) that the comic tells the origin of Pandora and The Phantom Stranger, also the origin of a third character who was the last person I’d expect to be one of the Three Sinners. (No spoilers for that one.)
As I had figured it out already, Pandora was indeed the woman in the myth of Pandora’s Box. Alas, the theory for The Phantom Stranger was correct too: He was Judas Iscariot, the traitor of Christ - now he’s a stranger cursed to walk the Earth for all eternity.
Remember what Pandora had said earlier to Phantom Stranger? If not, here’s a short reminder.
About the part with “You’ll have more enemies”… I do wonder if it’s just the world in the DC Universe, or also in reality. Of this I meant that he might get less fans because of his real identity. I also wonder how his/DC fans from the Christian religion may react. It’s a quite shaky revelation here. I’m not deeply religious, but heck, it was pretty climaxing, especially how they illustrated everything, example how he looked like before he became a Phantom Stranger: being neither dead nor alive, witnessing the greed of mankind on Earth for centuries to remind himself how he betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver… I have no words for that. I feel sympathy for that man. Well, more than I did already when I had read his other origins.
But let’s go back a bit. This just might be an alternative/parallel version of him, say, The New 52 version (whatever “Earth-” of DC it was). I’m not saying this just to ease my mind and hope for something. But does this make sense? I mean, where is his medallion to start with? We knew the Stranger with the medallion, the one who never actually showed the thirty silver coins around his neck (until now it seems). And how about his other origins? Some of them were linked with the Biblical events of Jesus (or before Christ), and a Vertigo one-shot story tells he’s a fallen angel. Another origin was told in the three-part story arc “Conjurors”, where his events took place long before Christ. All these origins, along this new fact he’s Judas, gives some confusion to the readers. If not you, then I’m bloody confused. XD
Unless he’s good at hiding things and disguising himself. He had hidden the silver coins until now (I can’t figure out why he revealed them now) and told all his previous stories of “origins” to disguise his great shame - it’s said the world has darkened because of him. But that’s just a theory of mine.
Also, he had been aiding the superheroes and helped/saved mankind whenever he could, perhaps to atone for his sins. But there were momens when he couldn’t act because of a “higher order”. I don’t know if it’s the seven mighty persons (among them a Priest) as seen in the recent issue, if it’s God or something else. His “lords”, as we can call them for now, have been varying from one to multiple persons or entities. I know for I’ve read (or browsed) most of his comic appearances. Anyway, my point being: Stranger, or Judas, tries to do good things as to save mankind and defeat evil to mend his own betrayal, but sometimes he’s not allowed to interfere. Well, perhaps an incomplete point, but you know where I’m going…?
In the end, all I can say is: Whoever or whatever he may be or has been, I will always be his devoted fan and follower. He is my #1 DC mystical hero of all times and nothing can and nothing should change that. Thank you.
Comments or questions, anyone?
