WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Future State: Shazam #2, by Tim Sheridan, Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira, Marcelo Maiolo and Rob Leigh, on sale now.
Future State has effectively brought out the worst in many of DC's older icons, leaving the fate of the DC Universe to fall in the hands of the new generation of superheroes and continue the legacies of those that lost their way. One team that suffered heavily in the alternate timeline is the Teen Titans, with the ensemble of young heroes enduring one devastating tragedy after another that have resulted in numerous casualties and the destruction of Titans Island and much of the surrounding area.
And as Future State continues in Future State: Shazam #2, one of the most powerful Titans of all has completely embraced her dark side and ascended to become the new ruler of Hell: Raven.
After Wally West was possessed by Pestilence, one of the Four Horsemen of Apocolypse, the corrupted speedster began targeting his fellow superheroes, including the Titans. Desperate to stop him and the other Horsemen, the Titans lured the villains to the ruins of Titans Island after Barry Allen failed to stop his evil protege. In the resulting battle, several Titans were killed but Raven was successful in using her magical powers to absorb the souls of the Horsemen into herself. With Raven barely able to keep the insidious spirits from taking over her body, Shazam imprisoned her within the Rock of Eternity where it was stored in Hell under the watch of Billy Batson and the demonic Neron, lord of the fiery domain.
Raven wasn't the only prisoner inside the Rock of Eternity, with its other occupants presenting challenges of their own for Shazam. After locking away the Seven Deadly Sins inside the Rock, Billy Batson realized that he could never revert to his human form unless he wanted the raw magical energy that powered Shazam to be channeled back into the Rock and its prisoners. Shazam made a deal with Neron to separate himself from Billy, with Billy agreeing to protect the Rock, while Shazam continued his superhero activities on Earth without his longtime human host.
Without having a tether to humanity, Shazam grew increasingly unstable and violent, going as far as to murder any heroes that stood in his way or grew close to the secret about his new nature. This resulted in Deadman eventually confronting the hero and forcibly taking control of his body to use the magic word in an effort to stop his murderous rampage and return him to the unpowered Billy, who was unaware of Shazam's literal deal with the devil. While a twisted form of Billy appeared, the magical energy of Shazam was absorbed by Raven who broke free from the Rock and claimed dominion of Hell, with Neron bowing before her.
Ever since her debut in 1980's DC Comics Presents #26 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, Raven has battled with her demonic heritage, inherited from her father Trigon. In Future State, Raven has augmented her dark side through absorption of the Four Horsemen and the magic of Shazam to become a force so fearfully powerful that Neron, once a threat to the entire DCU, now visibly cowers in her presence and quickly relinquishes his throne without resistance. And with many heroes having already fallen in Future State, the DCU is more vulnerable than ever to this hellish friend-turned-foe.