Magog
+ Gog + Earth-22
Created by Mark Waid and Alex Ross
+ History
TABLE OF CONTENTS
"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
And say, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal—Ezekiel 38: 1-3
+ David Reid, Magog of New Earth
David Reid is the great-grandson of legendary World War II President, Franklin D. Roosevelt. His lineage is decorated with U.S. military service, and as a young boy growing up in Iowa, David also dreamt of serving his country. His resolve was hardened on September 11, 2001. After witnessing the terror attacks on America, David enlisted immediately. (Ironically, it was also at this time that William Matthews became Gog.) He became one of the first troops to go to Iraq in 2003. There, he was bonded with an ancient artifact while tracking thieves of antiquities.
Cover of JSA Kingdom Come Special: Magog (2008)
Art by Alex Ross
The artifact enabled David to produce plasma energy, and the military fitted him with hardware on his arm to help channel it. Later, Hawkman would theorize that this hardware was actually a lost piece from the ancient Gog (I). He was asked to join a special unit of super-powered agents, but refused. Instead he joined his old friends in a black ops unit called Epsilon. (JSA Kingdom Come: Magog)
As the Justice Society was regrouping following the second Crisis, David came to their attention. As a descendant of one of their founding fathers, David was one of a number of "legacy" heroes whom the JSA hoped to mentor. (JSofA v.3 #12)
Meanwhile, a menace named Gog II (William Matthews) began killing would-be gods across the globe. (JSofA v.3 #10-12) Gog led the JSA to the Congo, where they learned he was merely an avatar for power of the original Gog—a long buried god of the Third World. This elder Gog destroyed Matthews. (#13-15) The old Gog awoke and explained his origins; he was the lone dissenter of the Third World's apocalyptic war. He fell to Earth long ago and lay dormant until he was discovered by Matthews. (#16)
Gog began marching across Africa doing "good deeds." (#17) During this journey, the JSA encountered a band of war mongers and David was killed. Gog killed the warlords and resurrected David, dubbing him Magog. (#18) As Magog, David was one of Gog's foremost champions, and he joined a faction of the JSA who splintered off and followed Gog across Africa. On their way to Kahndaq, David learned that his old battalion, Epsilon, had been captured by a militia. He set out to rescue them, but was too late. David killed one of the Africans and maimed the rest. (JSA Kingdom Come: Magog)
Having crossed the line and killed, it seemed Magog would follow Gog blindly from then on. But when his JSA friends refused to worship Gog at his command, Gog punished them severely. Magog was horrified, and it was then that he also learned that Gog was destroying the very fabric of the Earth. Gog had permanently linked himself to the planet; it would be destroyed if he left. When David ultimately chose to defy Gog, Gog reclaimed his gift of life and David perished. (#21)
Starman prophesied
the death of the junior JSA members a the hands of Magog. (#14) Many
of his ramblings proved true, but with Magog (David) dead, this one
appears to have no merit.
+ William Matthews, Gog II
Gog II of New Earth
Cover of Action Comics #816 (2004)
Art by Arthur Adams
The human Gog, William Matthews preceded David Reid. His story is chaotic, marked by intergalactic war and time travel. It began during the Imperiex/Brainiac 13 war, during which much of Kansas was destroyed. (Action Comics #780)
In the aftermath, Superman rescued young William Matthews in Topeka, and the boy believed that Superman would find his (dead) parents alive. (Superman v.2 #172) Soon after Superman left, William was approached by his elder self, as Gog. (Action Comics #813)
It is unclear how this altered young William's path, but he ultimately found his way to the Congo in Africa, and found a cavern housing the remains of an old Third World god. This was the original Gog. Gog's powers destabilized Matthews' mind, and gave him glimpses of the multiverse. Later, the Third World Gog claimed that William suffered from delusions regarding his origins. His visions were not, in fact, of his own life, but of events on Earth-22. (JSofA v.3 #16)
After acquiring near limitless power, Matthews set out for proper revenge against Superman and stabbed the Man of Steel with a kryptonite-laced staff. (Action #815) Despite help from Superboy and the Teen Titans, Superman succumbed to the poisoning. (#816) His own immune system eventually helped him to recover. (#818)
Gog was sufficiently beaten back, but returned very soon with a veritable army of Gogs, recruited from throughout time. (#824) Gog apparently killed Superman but secretly took him prisoner. Superman's "death" inspired an army in his name. This Superman army battled Gog for a hundred years. During this time, Doomsday developed a conscience, became a champion for Superman, and eventually hunted down Gog. Now older, Gog realized the horror of his crimes and repented his sins. Together, Gog and Doomsday agreed to correct the time stream. They returned one hundred years into the past, at the source of Gog's initial attack. There, the younger Gog simultaneously achieved his elder self's enlightenment, and called off his anti-Superman campaign. Thus, the war was averted. Matthews then escaped. (#825)
Later, Matthews found a new cause and began killing would-be gods across the globe. (JSofA v.3 #10-12) This brought him into conflict with the JSA, who followed Gog to his master's lair in the Congo. The JSA learned that Matthews was merely an avatar of the original Third World Gog. This god was awakened and destroyed Matthews. (#13-15) Instead, the old Gog empowered the JSA's David Reid as a sort of new herald. (JSofA v.3 #18) When Reid defied him, he was also destroyed. (JSA Kingdom Come: Magog)
William Matthews
first appeared in Superman #172 but was not named until Action #813.
At the time of it's publication, it was unclear whether the
adult Gog who visited the young William Matthews was himself from
the future, or the Gog of Earth-22. In Justice
Society #16, however,
writer Geoff Johns asserts that Matthews had visions of Earth-22—hallucinations—and
that Matthews was not of sound mind. Thus far, there is no concrete
evidence to suggest that the Gogs of New Earth and Earth-22 are related.
Superman
v.2 #172 (September 2001)
Earth-22
Gog of Earth-22
Cover of The Kingdom #1 (1999)
Art by Ariel Olivetti
+ The Magog and Gog of Earth-22
On Earth-22, it was Magog who preceded Gog. The origins of his powers are uncertain, but this metahuman became a vigilante and killed the Joker. The public lauded him for doing it, and the act sparked a schism among metahumans that led Superman into retirement.
Magog's reckless ways also bought Superman out of retirement, when Magog and a group of other metas tore open Captain Atom's shell. Most of Kansas was destroyed in the explosion and Magog died in the conflagration. (Kingdom Come #1)
In the aftermath, Superman saved the life of a boy named William. William went on to found a church based around Superman. After Superman came out of retirement, in 2040, he visited the adult William and asked him to stop preaching in his name. William's faith was shaken, especially when he learned that Superman had actually failed that day to prevent Kansas' destruction.
William's world crumbled and as fate would have it, he was chosen at that moment by the universe's most powerful beings, the Quintessence, to be their champion. The powers destabilized William's already fragile mental state and he took the name Gog. William could now move through time, and across the boundaries of the multiverse. In madness, he killed Superman and began moving back through time to kill him again and again. (New Year's Evil: Gog #1)
When Gog arrived in 2031, his plan was to accelerate the destruction of Kansas. The reasoning was that doing so would shake the world's faith in its heroes and lead to an earlier downfall. For various reasons, the members of the Quintessence would also benefit from the Kansas tragedy happening sooner. But with the help of Earth-22's Justice League, Gog failed to kill Superman (this, on the day of the birth of Superman and Wonder Woman's son, Jonathan). Gog kidnapped the infant Jonathan and continued to move backwards in time. Despite warnings from Waverider, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman went after him with the help of Rip Hunter. (The Kingdom #1)
As Gog moved backwards in time, he also moved across the boundaries of the multiverse, to New Earth. New Earth's Justice League found him on the verge of reliving Magog's fate—battling Captain Atom in Kansas. Fortunately, New Earth's Superman stepped in. He and the others soon met their counterparts from Earth-22. The Supermen, Batmen and Wonder Women of both Earths subdued Gog long enough for the Quintessence to finally step in. They realized the error of their ways and reclaimed William. His fate after this is unknown. (The Kingdom #2)
+ Powers
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Appearances + References
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