WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Event Leviathan #2 by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev and Joshua Reed, available now.
Who is Leviathan? While the organization continues its takeover of the DC Universe spy game, Batman and company think Jason Todd is the man behind the mask. However, the leader of DC's new world order may have dropped a few hints about their true identity.
When an operative of Leviathan is killed in action, Plastic Man is sent to investigate, which ends in a face-to-face confrontation with the masked terrorist. Leviathan seems interested in recruiting the criminal-turned-hero and reveals a lot more about Plastic Man than anyone should know -- even the hero himself.
Now it's worth asking if Leviathan has ties to the DC Multiverse, and if that's the case, the identity of the person behind the mask could be anyone from any universe. It would drastically complicate matters for everyone involved and make this mystery much harder to solve.
Leviathan has been recruiting from the heroes of the DC Universe since the initial attack. Event Leviathan and Action Comics showed the organization is already reaching out to the likes of Batgirl and the vigilante Rose and Thorn. Leviathan also seems to be actively recruiting scientists and operatives from A.R.G.U.S.
For this reason, it feels like Leviathan's plan to pick up the body also doubled as a recruiting mission upon meeting with Plas. He runs down the full history of Patrick "Eel" O'Brian, from criminal to federal agent,and then superhero. Leviathan also hints that the two come from similar backgrounds, leading him to possibly identify with Plastic Man in some way.
However, does this mean the mystery man was previously a villain who turned good, or is there something else going on? Leviathan doesn't just know about Plastic Man's Rebirth-era continuity, he also knows every different version of it, from every universe in the Multiverse.
Plastic Man has done a lot during his lifetime, and he's worked with a lot of different teams over the years. As Leviathan points out, he has been a member of the Justice League, he's currently signed on with the Terrifics and was once an FBI agent. It doesn't stop there, though.
Leviathan also lists the All-Star Squadron, Freedom Fighters and Secret Six, but those don't line up with current Rebirth continuity. The first two groups don't even exist on the DCU's main Earth, and the Secret Six has never featured Plastic Man as a member, unless you consider the Multiverse.
Plastic Man was a member of the All-Star Squadron, which existed during World War II on Earth-2. While the Freedom Fighters have existed on multiple Earths, Plas was only a member of the original team on Earth-X. The only time he was part of the Secret Six was in the Tangent Universe, designated Earth-9. Leviathan seemingly knows every version of Plastic Man that exists.
At this stage in the story, it's still hard to determine whether the mastermind behind all this is actually a villain or just a misguided hero. However, if he holds intimate knowledge about the DC Multiverse, it could make him a very scary threat to everyone. It will also make things a lot harder for the assembled heroes.
Everyone seems to think Jason Todd is Leviathan right now, but there's no way that's right. For a detective story, it seems too obvious. If they are having such a hard time tracking down the truth in one universe, it may very well be impossible for them to identify the culprit over multiple Earths.
What's even scarier is the idea that Leviathan doesn't actually know in-universe continuity at all. Instead of the Multiverse, maybe he understands the metafiction at play here with Plastic Man's multiple origins and identities over the years. This has potential to be much bigger than cleaning up just one Earth, so it might be time to look past the Red Hood.
Event Leviathan #3 goes on sale August 14.