Products You May Like
Potential spoilers for Future State: Shazam #1 ahead!
In DC’s 1995 crossover event Underworld Unleashed, Shazam was key to defeating Neron, Underworld’s main villain, and now in Future State, Neron might be getting payback on the World’s Mightiest Mortal. In Future State: Shazam #1, by writer Tim Sheridan, artist Eduardo Pansica, inker Julio Ferreira and colorist Marcelo Maiolo, Neron is back, and is looking for revenge. The issue is in stores now.
Underworld Unleashed was a three-issue crossover event published by DC Comics in the Fall of 1995, written by Mark Waid with art by Howard Porter. Neron, a lord of Hell, came to Earth offering the villains and heroes of the DC Universe their greatest wish, usually a power upgrade, in exchange for their souls. Many villains and even a few heroes took Neron up on his offer. Shazam was instrumental in Neron’s downfall during the event; Neron needed Shazam’s soul to finish his plans, but he was able to resist the demon’s temptations, and Neron’s scheme was thwarted. As is usual with crossovers such as this, very few of the changes implemented stuck, but Neron would go on to become a regular DC villain, appearing in Grant Morrison’s JLA as well as various other supernatural-related titles. Now, more than 25 years later, Neron is going to settle the score with Shazam once and for all.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
In preview pages provided by DC, Shazam is seen fighting Neron in Hell, besieged by hordes of demons; Neron hovers in the background. Laughing maniacally, he tells Shazam to “wakey, wakey.” Shazam then wakes up—but it is not Billy, but Shazam himself. There’s a call from Mary coming in on his phone, but he ignores it before going to the JLA Bunker in Detroit for a team meeting.
The preview pages did not offer much in the way of what exactly Neron’s role in all of this will be, but it is clear something is off—it should have been Billy that woke up, not Shazam. Did something happen causing him to become stuck as Shazam? Or did the two become separated? And is Neron behind it all? Advanced information has made it clear Shazam is not doing well, and has experienced tragedy—was Neron behind this as well? Neron’s defeat in Underworld Unleashed was a humiliating one for the demon, and he has no doubt been plotting his revenge for years, and now, at Shazam’s lowest point, he may finally have it.
Future State has not shied away from deep dives into DC’s history; fans have been treated to the return of classic characters such as the Guardian as well as call-outs to various events in DC’s history—Underworld Unleashed among them. The return of Neron is another example of a story from DC’s past that could have long-lasting impacts on its future.
About The Author