Spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned.

Brian Michael Bendis’ Event Leviathan is a series that has proven quite a mystery. Who is under the mask, and why are they attempting to save the world by force? We already know Leviathan is a manhunter, but which one? DC Comics has featured many over the decades and today we find out.



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All is revealed in issue #6 when Manhunter reveals himself to Superman. First, the idea of Leviathan being a Manhunter is pointed out.

Not to be confused with Martian Manhunter, the Manhunter was created by Jack Kirby and first introduced in 1941. Originally conceived as a helper to the police to catch criminals, the concept of the Manhunter was reintroduced in the ’80s which revealed the Manhunter was an ancient sect of crime fighters. The Manhunter sect was composed of androids and it was billions of years old. Created by the Guardians of Oa to police the galaxy. They also had magical abilities. Eventually the Manhunters fought the Justice League as they deemed the Guardians their next criminal to snatch up and Green Lantern was having none of it. Eventually the Manhunter of this era, Mark Shaw, turned on the leader and then returned as a new hero called the Privateer, but at the same time, he was a villain called the Star-Tsar. Complicated dude. In Event Leviathan #6 we learn he is in fact Leviathan.

It appears he’s sick of the governments and rules of the world having their way with the people.

He tells Superman this and ultimately his next step in his plan is to release all secrets to the world. Passwords, bank accounts, email and all the rest will be released. Superman and the rest of the heroes will have none of this, which puts Mark Shaw in a mood.

Mark Shaw is basically going to reveal all the secrets of the world to “fix” it, although one might argue that’ll create chaos. Given what we know from solicitations, Superman’s secret identity might be one secret he’ll be revealing soon.

What’s interesting is we’ve seen Mark Shaw in the New 52 for some time. Shaw appeared in Wonder Woman #23.1 in the Forever Evil storyline as a U.S. Marshal. He’s also quite fatalistic.

Then later we see him in Doomsday Clock, is accompanying Black Adam as they attack the White House. It’s unclear when the events of Doomsday Clock take place, but might it be a clue as to where Leviathan is going next?

Clearly his last few appearances have been good and bad, which line up with how Bendis is writing him. There’s a bit more detail if you read Event Leviathan #6 in its entirety and I recommend you give it a look.

What do you make of the big reveal? Will Mark Shaw be the new big bad in the DC Comics universe or will the Manhunter organization get back to its full strength like it was in the ’80s? Sound off in the comments and let me know what you think!



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