Warning: SPOILERS for Justice League Odyssey #21.
DC Comics has just introduced its own version of Thanos - and his name is Epoch. Dan Abnett's Justice League Odyssey is increasingly becoming one of the most unmissable books in DC's current range. It has resurrected Darkseid, and his latest plan is more ambitious than ever before.
Epoch, the self-proclaimed Lord of Time, has constructed a device with which to rewrite reality itself, called the 'revision mechanism.' He believes he has successfully mapped out the history of the Multiverse, and intends to erase the greatest threats from it - including Darkseid. "This is not some crude masterstroke, Justice League," Epoch explained in Justice League Odyssey #19. "Not some cosmic despot resetting reality with a twitch of his nose. That always ends badly, for it displays merely great power without the merit of great finesse." The dialogue was a subtle dig at Marvel's Thanos, who rewrote reality with a snap of his fingers in Avengers: Infinity War. In the latest issue, Abnett makes the comparison between Epoch's plan and Thanos' even more explicit.
Even as battle rages against Darkseid and his forces, Green Lantern Jessica Cruz heads to the revision mechanism, intending to destroy it. She has joined dots even Epoch has not, recognizing he foresaw four great cosmic threats, but was only able to identify three. This gap in Epoch's knowledge had troubled Jessica from the start, because it suggested his plan was doomed to fail, as he didn't know all the variables in history. Jessica has figured it out at last, deducing the last great threat is Epoch himself. "You will have made errors," Jessica tells Epoch, "Minute miscalculations. Tiny, human flaws, that's all. If you use this mechanism, it will misfire and collapse reality." Jessica has made up her mind - but Epoch will not accept it. He uses his phenomenal powers to transport her away with a snap of his fingers, making the comparison with Thanos explicit.
Like Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, Epoch's motives are understandable; he genuinely believes he is doing the right thing. The key difference, however, is that Thanos ensured the snap was arbitrary. He did not wish away specific people or events, to the extent there's even been speculation he could have erased himself. In contrast, Epoch has appointed himself judge of the entire universe. He truly does consider himself the Lord of Time, and he is deciding the nature of reality according to his own idea of right and wrong. He hasn't shared the burden of this role with anyone else - indeed, he doesn't even seem to consider it a burden at all. It's the ultimate demonstration of pure ego.
Dan Abnett is a skilled writer, and he knows full well readers will be reminded of Thanos when Epoch snapped his fingers. This scene thus tells comic book fans Epoch has become the cosmic despot he critiqued a few issues ago, and that he is treading the same path as Marvel's Mad Titan. Jessica Cruz's fears are right, and should Epoch succeed in his goal, the consequences will be horrific for the entire DC Universe.
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