By Michael Climek and Samantha Mason

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A few weeks ago DC Comics released a new teaser image for their “Countdown” series, the second teaser image so far (the first can be seen here). The first image was mostly explained by DC Editor-in-Chief Dan DiDio before image number two was posted. It is perhaps best that DiDio’s explanation of the first image been read before continuing on in order to adequately understand the background the second image was launched into.

Countdown is the new current big weekly series from the DC Universe after the astounding success of their previous weekly series “52.” Countdown is acting as the ‘spine’ of the DCU and currently connects with all current DCU books. According to current DCU press, Countdown will deal heavily with Jack Kirby’s 4^th world Saga, “The New Gods,” and ‘The Great Disaster.’ Supposedly it is ‘counting down’ to the next big DCU event of 2008 (clever, huh?).

For reference, when 52 ended it brought back the Multiverse which has not resided in the DCU since the days of the first Crisis on Infinite Earths, a storyline which removed the concept.

The new Countdown teaser image is mostly comprised of DCU villains but is still very suspicious and opens up perhaps just as many questions as did the first image (the first image, you’ll recall, was comprised entirely of DCU heroes carefully positioned in intriguing situations).

Beyond the villainous composition, teaser number two is also fascinating as it bears remarkable similarities to the tableau and set-up of the famous painting The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. Indeed, perhaps comparing the teaser image to The Last Supper is key to unraveling the mysteries of this new image.

In an effort to help you, the reader, understand the new teaser image, this article is an attempt to compare the image to The Last Supper as best I can. Though it does not match up exactly, it is definitely intriguing and can be used as a good basis for explaining the many confusing symbols represented in this new image.

You can see the new Countdown image above. And here. With a smaller version here. And you can check out a huge high res version right here.

Here is an image of Leonardo’s The Last Supper.

Just to make things a little easier, here is another much newer image of The Last Supper by a different artist (we’re not sure who) which for our purposes is a big cleaner and easier to quickly reference. It is based on the Leonardo so luckily the figures are in the same positions. We’ve also added handy labels identifying the characters that the apostles appear to correspond with.

Now for the explanation: let’s start first with the Christ figure at center, and then continue at the bottom left and work our way to the right.

Please keep in mind that no one knows exactly which apostles are represented by which figure in The Last Supper (although the identifications featured here are most always accepted), nor is any information concerning the lives and characteristics of the biblical figures fact. However, through various analyses we can make relatively informed guesses based on certain aspects of posture, props, and accepted legend.

Lex Luthor: Perhaps the clearest reference to biblical symbolism, Lex, positioned dead center, most probably represents Jesus. The positioning of Lex in the teaser image is noticeably lower in the foreground of the tableau than in The Last Supper, but in both cases the figure is definitely the focus of the image (especially as both still utilize Leonardo’s famed artistic technique of pyramidal composition, albeit in opposite direction). You’ll note also that Lex appears to have stigmata on both hands, also a symbol of Jesus.

If this is true then one of the most notorious villains in the DCU is being represented as Christ. How can this be? Lex has always said he’s interested in humanity’s betterment, and only wants Superman dead because the Man of Steel is not human. One thing is certain, Lex does not want the world destroyed by whatever disaster is coming from Countdown. Will Lex be sacrificed to save the world just as in biblical history Jesus is said to have died to redeem the sins of the world? Is he the savior of the DCU? He is indeed on the ground and it is important to remember that in DiDio’s Q&A about the first Countdown teaser image it was revealed that anyone directly standing on the ground is probably going to die. Will Lex also be resurrected? Resurrection is certainly no stranger in the DCU as DC has been hinting heavily that Ra’s al Ghul will return during CountDown and with Ra’s clearly comes the life restoring Lazarus Pit.

As for Lex’s costume, it does seem a bit odd as it seems to be what he used to wear in his Legion of Doom Superfriends cartoon days. What does that mean? In the case of Lex Luther and Jesus, certainly there are still questions left to be answered.

Granny Goodness: In this second image Granny Goodness is standing on the ground and so again we can assume that she might well die soon. In the first teaser image the only characters standing on the ground were Mister Miracle and his wife Big Barda. Granny, Miracle, and Barda are all members of the New Gods and frankly DC isn’t leaving much open to interpretation as they recently announced an 8-issue mini-series by Jim Starlin entitled ‘The Death of the New Gods.’ As to who Granny corresponds with in The Last Supper, it appears to be the apostle Bartholomew who is known for being martyred very nastily when his skin if flayed off and he is then crucified. Perhaps Granny, who’s job on Apokolips is essentially torturing children for Darkseid, will meet a similar fate.

Mary Marvel: It seems as though Mary and Eclipso are in reverse positions in comparison to The Last Supper image, as determined by who has his arms around whom. We said the comparison wasn’t perfect. However, similar to The Last Supper, the one character does have his arm around the other. What Eclipso is saying to Mary is anyone’s guess, but it is interesting to note that these two place-switching figures are actually two characters known for swapping, as Mary currently has the powers of Black Adam and Eclipso must inhabit the bodies of others. Also, if you swap Mary’s place in The Last Supper, that ties her to the Apostle Andrew whose name in Greek means “manhood” or “valor” (remember she’s got the powers of Black Adam, a man, at the moment). Further, if you really squint it appears as if Mary is flying and not actually touching the ground so perhaps she won’t end up as one of the fatalities.

Eclipso: Eclipso is currently using the body of Jean Loring (former wife to diminutive hero The Atom and murderer of Sue Dibny). Again, if you swap Eclipso’s place in the Apostle lineup, she corresponds to James, son of Alphaeus. This is perhaps a fitting role for the body-changing Eclipso as the Biblical James is himself often easily confused between several seemingly different figures, James the son of Less, James the brother of Jesus, and occasionally even James the son of Zebedee. Regardless, the question remains as to what Eclipso is whispering to Mary. Is Eclipso helping Mary along her current path to ‘the dark side?’ Eclipso is standing on the ground. How long before Eclipso dies?

Martian Manhunter (AKA J’onn J’onzz): As with Mary Marvel and Eclipso, here again we have a slight reversal of positions in comparison to The Last Supper. In the painting you can clearly see that the person holding the knife, commonly thought to be Peter, is whispering in the ear of another Apostle. This is slightly distorted in the teaser image as J’onn holds the knife but does not do the whispering (that is done by the figure next to him, who we’ll get to in a minute). The position of the characters and the fact that J’onn holds a knife could therefore indicate that he represents Peter, the Apostle famed for thrice denying Jesus. According to biblical text, Jesus actually predicts Peter’s denial at the Last Supper and although Peter vehemently denies the possibility at the time, does indeed deny Jesus three times following Jesus’ arrest.

Who then is J’onn going to deny? Lex one could suppose. We have two possibilities: J’onn could deny the heroes and conspire with the villains, or perhaps J’onn fakes being in league with the villains and then denies them. However J’onn has been acting strange lately what with changing his costume, eliminating his civilian alter egos in WWIII, not cooperating with the Justice League in his mini-series, and actually not being on the current roster of the JLA. Up until this most current run on the JLA by Brad Meltzer J’onn has actually been the only character to serve on every single incarnation of the JLA. Strange behavior indeed.

In biblical legend, Peter is also known for his violent reaction to the soldiers who arrest Jesus at Gethsemane as he draws his weapon on them and, in some accounts, even cuts off the ear of one man (the reason perhaps he is shown with a knife in The Last Supper). Will J’onn fight for Lex before denying him?

Perhaps also worth noting, Peter in later legends is said to have had a daughter who was martyred just as J’onn lost his daughter when every Martian (other then J’onn himself) died.

The Joker: Again, the Joker and J’onn are somewhat switched in relation to The Last Supper, but essentially the Joker’s position correlates him with Judas. If you look at the image of The Last Supper, the Joker’s finger pointing is actually very similar to that of Peter. Yet if we determine that the knife in J’onn’s hands correlate him to Peter, The Joker must be Judas. So if the Joker is Judas, how exactly will he betray Lex?

In The Last Supper Judas is thought to be clutching a bag of money to represent the thirty pieces of silver paid to him to betray Jesus. While the Joker does not seem to have money in his hand, he clearly does hold something, perhaps one of his signature ‘kill you with laughter’ joke buzzer devices that he is about to place on Catwoman’s shoulder.

Another piece of information, Judas betrayed Jesus by kissing him in order to identify him to the soldiers who had come to arrest him. As you will probably recall The Joker also famously killed the Dr. Ruth simulacrum with a poison kiss in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns.

What exactly does the blurring of Peter and Judas in regards to J’onn and the Joker mean? The Joker appears to be representing characteristics of both Judas and Peter in reference to The Last Supper. Though there are no clear answers, the juxtaposition of J’onn, Joker, Peter and Judas is one of the most interesting things about the image in comparison to The Last Supper.

Catwoman: This is an image made up mostly of villains isn’t it? Now for years Catwoman was a villain, but recently she’s been mostly doing good deeds, working with Batman, and occasionally even hooking up with Bats. Do her discussions with the Joker mean she’s going back to ‘the dark side’? Perhaps so. It’s very important to note that there are currently two Catwomen in the DCU. Selina Kyle, long time Catwoman, is currently wearing the costume, although she is now a mother after recently having a baby during One-Year-Later. While preparing for motherhood she experimented with handing over the mantle of Catwoman to her long time prostitute ward Holly Robinson. The important question then, is which Catwoman is in this image? My money is Holly. The Catwoman in this teaser image looks very unsure of her self, an attribute Selina never has.

It also worth pointing out that some fringe theorists, particularly after the infamous Dan Brown novel The Da Vinci Code, think the figure immediately to Jesus’ right was intended to be Mary Magdalene. It is perhaps not by accident that this character is female in the DCU version or, considering the common conception that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute, that this figure is represented by a similar ex-woman-of-the-night, Holly.

Much more commonly, however, the figure in The Last Supper to Jesus’ immediate right is identified as the Apostle John. Supposedly the youngest Apostle, John is often referred to not by name but as the Apostle loved by Jesus and in artwork is commonly depicted with his head on the shoulder of Jesus, often portrayed in an effeminate manner to indicate his youth. Not only would Holly as Catwoman resemble a young Apostle because she has not been at this game very long, she also the youngest character in the image. In the image Catwoman is listening to The Joker of all people, perhaps expressing her naiveté.

Finally, it may be interesting to recognize that biblically John is regarded as one of the very most influential Apostles in carrying on the Church after the Assumption of Christ. Lex Luther is notorious for his belief that humans should better themselves, this idea generally driving his hatred of the alien-powered Superman. If Catwoman is John, perhaps she will be instrumental in carrying on the will of Lex after his death as she is indeed a high profile character in the DCU who does not actually have superpowers, but capitalizes instead on her own human skill and ingenuity.

Kingdom Come Superman: At various panels and interviews DC writers and editors have been out right saying that if you haven’t read “Kingdom Come,” you should do it now as it is going to play a big part in upcoming DCU events. And they weren’t lying. With the return of the Multiverse at the end of 52, it has been revealed that one of the alternate Earths is now the Earth where Kingdom Come took place. Furthermore Kingdom Come Superman is about to show up in the pages of JSA. Does his appearance in the teaser image indicate that he will turn into a bad guy? We’ll wait and see.

Also worth noting is that if you look very closely at KC Superman’s hand you can see on it the symbol of The Atom. One of the big mysteries of Countdown is ‘The Search for Ray Palmer,’ since in the first issue of Countdown The Source Wall itself told the rogue Monitor that he should ‘Find Ray Palmer.’ Ray disappeared from the DCU at the end of Identity Crisis after his ex-wife murdered Sue Dibny and he has not been seen since. With Ray gone another man is taking up the Atom’s mantle at the moment, Ryan Choi, and he may also play into KC Superman’s hand somehow.

In relation to The Last Supper, KC is in the position of the Apostle Thomas and perhaps the hand with the Atom in it (or on it) may be representing the raised hand in The Last Supper image. Interestingly, the name Thomas comes from the Aramic word for ‘Twin,’ which coincides interestingly with their being three Supermen in the picture, two of them actually legitimate Supermen and one of them an evil Cyborg.

Furthermore, Thomas is perhaps best known for his role as the Doubting Thomas because according to the Bible, Thomas would not believe that Jesus was resurrected until he saw and felt the wounds himself. Wouldn’t a cynical Superman from a world where heroes are not concerned with innocent lives be a little doubtful about the intentions of both heroes and villains in this current universe of the normal DCU that he suddenly finds himself inhabiting?

Cyborg Superman: If you grew up in the 90’s and were reading the famous Death of Superman story as it happened and then followed up with Reign of the Supermen, you recall Hank Henshaw the Cyborg Superman. He was an evil bastard. So evil that he blew up the entirety of Coast City with the help of Mongul, killed millions, and drove Green Lantern Hal Jordon bat shite insane for the next ten years of real people time. Cyborg Superman recently showed up in the pages of Green Lantern doing something vile and now he is one of the head members of the evil Sinestro Corps that is about to start some major chaos in the DCU. DiDio said that the first Countdown image was set in NYC because Sinestro and his Corps are going to be visiting there when they touch down on Earth. The body posture in The Last Supper may not fit with what Cyborg Superman is up to, but at least there is indeed some listening and whispering going on in relation to Return Superman.

Cyborg Superman’s position in relation to The Last Supper casts him as James, son of Zebedee. As previously mentioned with Eclipso, the biblical James’ are often confused (although Zebedee not as often as James of Alphaeus). Likewise are there multiple and often confused versions of Superman, particularly as depicted in this teaser image.

Also, according to some legends, James, son of Zebedee was beheaded by a sword. In a recent bout with Hal Jordan Cyborg Superman was also beheaded in his battle with the Green Lantern.

Return of Superman: Return of Superman in this teaser image actually provided a great deal of discussion and confusion in the online blogsphere. It is generally thought he is meant to represent Superman as he returned after the Death of Superman. He was in an all black outfit back then, though he did not have a cape. Is this figure really the RS Superman? Regardless, here the figure is whispering to Cyborg Superman just as his corresponding Apostle, Phillip does in The Last Supper.

Trickster: In Countdown, Trickster is currently hanging out with another vaguely reformed Flash Rogue named Pied Piper. In this teaser image Trickster is holding Pied Pipers flute and has a peculiar set of headphones around his neck that perhaps represents some sort of ‘block out Piper’s noise’ device. Also, remember when we learned that anyone standing on the ground is going to die? Trickster is standing on Superman’s cape, not on the ground. Does this mean he will survive?

It appears as if Trickster is referencing our Christ figure Lex while in discussion with Desaad and Penguin a position very similar to his corresponding Apostle from The Last Supper, Matthew. Is Trickster condemning Lex to Dessad and Penguin or pleading for him in some way? The Apostle Matthew was known as publican or tax collector, someone generally employed by the Romans. In this regard Trickster also worked for the opposing side as he was working for the FBI as a good guy before going back to being a rogue.

Desaad: Dessad is a New God and he is apparently standing on the ground. He certainly appears pleased about something, and he is oddly hiding his hands under his cloak. In regards to the Apostles, Desaad represents the position of Jude Thaddeus in The Last Supper. Jude, the patron saint of desperate causes, is commonly invoked in during desperate situations because, in his New Testament letters, he emphasizes that those who are faithful will persevere in a difficult and dire environment. Desadd survives on Apokolips as Darkseid’s right hand man and head torturer. If living on Apokolips doesn’t count as a “harsh desperate circumstance” I don’t know what does.

Penguin: Again, though Penguin is on the ground, he is directly standing on Batman’s cloak so perhaps he will survive Countdown. His hand configuration is very odd and seems to closely mimic the corresponding Apostle in The Last Supper, Simon the Zealot. In some interpretations and later legend, Simon the Zealot is thought to have encouraged a revolt. Perhaps Penguin attempts to work with Lex somehow in an upcoming revolt or troop gathering.

Miscellaneous: There are several items on the ground that represented various symbols. Notably, the book on the ground could be The Book of Destiny (currently making the rounds in new The Brave and the Bold series), The Crime Bible which belonging to Intergang from 52, the History of the Sinestro Corps book, or perhaps even a general nod to The Bible as much of the character positioning may be biblically derived. Indeed the Crime Bible is considered a holy text to its followers in the DCU and concerns the biblical figure of Cain, with the original stone that Cain used to slay his brother Abel binding the book itself.

Other items include Hippolyta’s shield, tying into Amazon’s Attack which is behind Granny Goodness. The New God The Black Racer rides skis and there seem to be broken skis in the image. Also broken and on the ground is a Green Arrow. The box with the sun on it appears to be a mother box or a father box which also ties into The New Gods. To the right of Lex is a device that also shows up in the first teaser image. Smart money says it somehow generates Boom Tubes, and perhaps DiDio has said it’s connected to the New Gods. The epicenter of the city on fire does appear sort of Boom Tube-like as well. Costume pieces representing the big 3 are located below Trickster and the Penguin: Superman’s Cape, Batman’s Cowl, and Wonder Woman’s sword. The big head in the ground behind Lex is clearly Darkseid’s head. Whether the head is smashed and fallen to the ground or ‘rising’ from the soil as some blogsphere posters suggest is still in question.

Finally, the line on the image, “And Evil Shall Inherit the Earth,” is clearly referencing the biblical line “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the Earth.” (Matthew 5:5).

Please feel to drop your own theories in the comments section as the mystery of this image unravels. It will be highly interesting to hear what everyone else has to say as the story progresses.

 

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 16th, 2007 at 9:47 pm and is filed under Comics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.