by Andy Hines The Coming War: What The Return of Pandora Could Mean For the New 52

It’s been a few years since we’ve seen a real tried and true DC event that really touches everyone. That tradition of big events is coming sooner than anyone may have expected, in the form of July’s upcoming Trinity War. Even before Flashpoint, the big events were cataclysmic in scale and had much more of an impact on a very different DC Trinity, the varied Justice Leagues. With the new Justice League of America, there are now three leagues in total, including the well-known Justice League and the lesser-known and magically inclined Justice League Dark. The new DCU won’t be the same after this, because it’s as much about the three leagues as it is the Trinity of Sin.

For those unaware of this “Trinity of Sin”, let’s take a look back at the New 52 FCBD Special Edition from 2012. We see the Phantom Stranger, Pandora and the new Question. These three are guilty of crimes against Man by the Circle of Eternity, a cable of wizards whose most notable member was Shazam. That’s right. The old wizard that turned Billy Batson into The World’s Mightiest Mortal was one of those that cursed the Trinity of Sin. The ways in which they did so were fairly ironic. The Phantom Stranger will forever remain a mystery to others and must betray people who rely on him. Pandora must wander the Earth alone and be told how she and her curiosity are evil. The Question was once a mighty warlord, until the Circle of Eternity caused him to forget his own name and desperately search for answers he’d never find.To say that Pandora is dangerous is to make a severe understatement. She is, after all, the woman who singlehandedly caused the DCU as we knew it to become what it is today, or so the pages of Flashpoint would have us believe. She’ll get her own series a month before the Trinity War begins, so we’ll really have an opportunity to learn about her then, and then the Question as the Trinity War unfolds.

The thing to think about is that both the Trinity and the three leagues will duke it out. Furthermore, the fact that a character has to die in order for the event to take off shows just how big it may be. It seems as though the lines between the good and bad guys will be blurred on this one, similarly to Crisis on Infinite Earths and Zero Hour. It feels like it’ll be a “how hard can I hit before you break” sort of book. I’m really looking forward to a good story, but at this point, who really knows what we’ll get from it. It may very well undo the New 52, or it could be the final catalyst that forces the WildC.A.T.s into being in the current continuity.

For now, what we know is that there will be plenty of characters thrown at each other that either haven’t met or just plain hate each other. The Martian Manhunter and Shazam are two of those sorts of characters: J’onn, the Martian Manhunter, is the one with no real allegiances and a rough meeting with the original Justice League, contrary to the old model of the DCU, while Shazam has not yet been part of any team, and it’s unclear as to whether he even wishes to be. The inclusion of these and other sorts of “minor” characters could potentially give them solo series. The thing to really remember is how events like Crisis on Infinite Earths revitalized DC Comics during their publication.

Showing all of the extra characters in an event like this could potentially work very well for the New 52. All I can tell you about the finale at this point is what Geoff Johns told USA Today earlier:

“It’s not going to end wrapped up in a bow,” he says. “Something really, really major happens that kicks off some pretty crazy stuff at the end of August.”

What I feel in my gut (and it’s never wrong… except for when it is) is that things will be quite different after this event, in the same way that things changed for Marvel after AvX last year. Sides will be chosen, relationships forever changed, and trust broken beyond repair. Some things are going to go down and people are going to say and do things that they can’t take back. That’s just life as a superhero (or John Constantine) for you. Things have a way of happening, and somebody usually ends up paying for it. It’ll certainly make the DCU more interesting than it’s been for the past few months, but the question is, “at what price?” We’ll figure out soon, so until then, just keep on checking the news feeds and your old pals at Geekscape. Trust me, I’ve got you covered. When I know, so will you.