While Watchmen’s Dr. Manhattan has been identified as the architect behind the creation of The New 52 DC Universe following Flashpoint, the role and identity of the enigmatic being known only as Mr. Oz has not yet been revealed.
Speculation has been directed towards both obvious answers and heavily vague. The former is Adrian Viedt, Manhattan’s fellow Watchman known as Ozymandias. In Alan Moore’s original graphic novel, he orchestrated a false alien invasion to stop the Doomsday clock from reaching twelve at the cost of both half of Manhattan’s populace, and the life of former teammate The Comedian. Another suspect is the interdimensional being known as Pariah, a DC Comics character created around the time of Marv Wolfman’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, whose destiny is to traverse the multiverse and witness the end of countless worlds. It is possible that Pariah has grown weary of being an observer and decided to take action, resulting in the derailing of the post-Crisis timeline and birth of The New 52 era.
In any case, since his first appearance Mr. Oz has heavily involved himself in the affairs of both the New 52 and DC Rebirth versions of Superman. He has also been self-designated jailer for heroes such as Red Robin and pre-Flashpoint villains such as Mxyzsptlk, the latter responsible for the reintegration of Clark Kent’s pre-Flashpoint history following his breakout. After a year of speculation and controversy, a spotlight will finally be shone on the man under the hood in September’s Action Comics #987.The first part in a story entitled “The Oz Effect,” the solicitation offers no spoilers as to Oz’s identity, but does indicated that the answer “[will rock] the Last Son of Krypton to his core.” Stay tuned, DC Fans, for the upcoming Doomsday Clock DC Event will begin with this epic unveiling!
