14 de set. de 2008

Titans and the Seven Deadly Sins

By Ed Ferreira

More than anything seen in new Titans ongoing series, the senseless connection of sons of Trigon with the Seven Deadly Sins (or rather, with three of Seven Sins) displeases me. Bad stories die, but bad plot concepts lives forever (or at least until the next retcon).

Because this, I had try to create a plausible explanation for the connection of Trigon and his children – including Raven – with the Deadly Sins. After I had re-read old comics written by Marv Wolfman, I think have found some breaches that would allow this. But see by yourself and think you if my proposition is acceptable or not.

First Topic: Azarath and the Seven Deadly Sins

On the contrary than many peoples think, the Seven Deadly Sins concept (or Seven Vices, or Seven Passions… among others names) hadn’t begin in the Catholicism, being present in different creeds, ancients and contemporaneous (Medieval Alchemy and Zoroastrianism are examples). Thus, it isn’t difficult to conceive that this archetype also may be present in the religion of Azarath monks. I don’t understand enough about Occultism for to dissert about the matter, but authors like Neil Gaiman or Grant Morrison certainly could to write very interesting plots.

Speaking of Grant Morrison, Azarath nearly beg to be written by him. Think in this: a group of religious-pacifists-occultists who, disappointed with the way of mankind is going, choices to leave the Earth planet and to begin an alternative society in a city that was built in a place which exist between all the dimensions (The Bleed?). This sounds so "Grant Morrison".

Second Topic: Trigon and the Seven Deadly Sins

Before I to talk of this subject, remember you a little about the story of Trigon origin:

"Trigon came into being hundreds upon hundreds of years ago when a group of humans abandoned life on Earth and established a sect of pacifists in the interdimensional world of Azarath. Embracing the concept of peace, these humans exorcised the dark passions of their souls from their bodies and cast it beyond the Great Door of Azarath into the nether-realms. This leftover evil energy floated in space for years before finally coalescing into a single physical form. The last inhabitants of an alien world summoned this darkness from the ether and it impregnated a woman from the order. Nine months later Trigon was Born."
Source: DC Database

It is very easy to think in the Seven Deadly Sins as being "the dark passions of their souls" which the Azarathians "exorcised from their bodies", because after all it’s this exactly what the Sins meant on their more well-know concept. Moreover, the Deadly Sins are many times seen like the synthesis of all evil that inhabits the hearths of mans (though there are others views about their meaning).

Besides, it’s not difficult to think in Trigon being a creature composted by these sentiments. Greed, Envy and Gluttony are demonstrated by his insatiable thirst for conquests, dominating completely a dimension, overcoming all its inhabitants and afterwards going for the next. Vanity was always his principal characteristic, both for his necessity of have everybody serving and idolizing him, and for his enormous arrogance and wish of to have an heir for to rule at your side. Wrath is easily demonstrated by Trigon’s vindictively, violence, sadism and sanguinolence. Lust... well, it talks for itself and examples not lack.

The most difficult point to justify is Sloth. Perhaps Trigon slaverist view may be a start, but we may also to attribute at this the his manipulative and astute mind, acting behind of the stage, moving the pieces, using intermediaries and conducing the course of events during years (or even centuries) before finally to reveal himself. To act in person may be his last resource ever.

Third Topic: The Sons of Trigon and the Seven Deadly Sins

Above all, the first thing which we need to establish is: the sons of Trigon aren’t embodiments, incarnations, avatars or live manifestations of any of Seven Deadly Sins. The real embodiments of they are imprisoned on the Rock of Eternity, under constant vigilance of Marvel (Billy Batson, former Captain Marvel, who have assumed the post of deceased Wizard Shazam).

In this way, remember you that all the sons of Trigon (including Raven) bear a bond with their father. So they may are connected too at the very Deadly Sins. Not only one Sin, but with all the Seven.

Do you remember that back in Azarath, Raven was taught to control her emotions, in order to suppress her inherited powers to that her demoniac side couldn’t assume the control? So we could accept which this "demoniac side" was her connection with the Deadly Sins and if she did express emotions, she would be dominated by some Sin. The most obvious example is that expressing fury she would be dominated for the Wrath Sin, but there are innumerable others possibilities: to express love would push her in the way of Lust or Vanity, to express sadness would open room to Sloth or Envy... and so on.

But Raven’s half-brothers not grew up in Azarath and hadn’t learned to suppress their emotions. In this way, they give way at them demoniac sides and each one was dominated by a Deadly Sin. Jacob was dominated by the Lust, Jared by the Wrath and Jesse by the Envy. They could have been dominated by others of Seven Sins or two of they could to have been dominated by one same Sin, but this was simply the way which the things happened, probably as consequence of life story of each one of they (something which could and should to be explored in their personalities). This annuls the pseudo-necessity of others sons of Trigon representing others Sins.

Because of training in Azarath, Raven would have developed her empathic abilities of a very refined way. So she could to manipulate many emotions in different ways (including cure and projection of illusions). And by always to maintain equilibrium among all her inner Sins, Raven may have developed capacity of to use the powers of anyone they.

Her half-brothers, however, would lack this training, learning to use their powers by themselves. In this way, each one they would have empathic abilities limited by only one emotion (concerning at Sin which has dominated him), but make up for lack of versatility with brute power concentrated in one only direction and being more powerful than Raven in this specialty field. Afterwards to contact Trigon, they also may have learned with him to use better their powers, including some tricks that Raven wouldn’t to know or evil magic that she never would use.

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