Phoenix and Pandora: The Comic Book Goddesses Of 2012

Editor's Note: this article was originally published in February of this year, before the resolution of "Avengers Vs. X-Men," the announcement of the Marvel NOW! sort-of "rebooting," or much of the DC Comics possibly "universe-changing" "Trinity War" event news. To make a long story short -- I was right on the money here.

While mainstream comic books are still largely perceived as being mostly about -- and for -- males, the irony is that the focal characters for two of the "events" hitting Big Comics in 2012 are both female (or, at least, representing the Feminine). I am talking about Phoenix, who will somehow impact the "Avengers Vs. X-Men: miniseries in a big way, and the mysterious hooded Pandora, who has been making her way through a bunch of cameos in all of DC's "New 52" titles and has been inferred to be of some major importance to the DCU this year. 

Phoenix

Pandora

The namesakes of both entities -- which are both seven letters long and start with a "P" -- can be traced back to Ancient Greece (and, if you are feeling particularly inspired, even further in time than that). Phoenix is the firebird who represents resurrection and renewal, and Pandora is the "first woman" who accidentally opened up a jar or "box" that released all manner of evils upon mankind.

The paths of the two comic book characters -- and their mythological counterparts -- intersect in another interesting way. According to one account, the only thing left in Pandora's box after she opened it was Hope -- and it is rumored that the "host" Phoenix is looking for in "Avengers Vs. X-Men" is the messianic character Hope.

Scarlet Witch and Hope, two potential "hosts" for the Phoenix Force, within a yonic symbol

We can even stretch this connection further (and believe me, I realize it's a bit of a stretch) by noting that both DC's Pandora and another version of Phoenix (Rachel Summers) both have similar lined patterns on their faces. Both these characters are heavily involved with the concept of alternate universes or "Earths" -- as indeed Hope from the X-Men is as well. The convoluted history of Phoenix's most famous host, Jean Grey, is often cited as a criticism of Marvel's continuity, and Pandora seems to be sent down from a cadre of omnipotent cosmic comic book editors in order to "fix" the pseudo-rebooted continuity of the "New 52" line of DC comics.

Pandora has even infiltrated DC's children's comic "Tiny Titans"

Here's where things get even more potentially interesting. If Pandora fixes and reconciles the DC continuity, will Phoenix (whoever she turns out to be) do the same by giving a "New 52" type "rebooting" of the Marvel universe? Pure speculation -- but the point is, these two major events at both DC and Marvel cannot but help to in some ways mirror each other. Their respective universes are but two in an infinite multiverse whose main qualities are ironically both uniqueness and interdependence. They can no more be truly separate from each other as comic books can be truly without a feminine influence. Pandora -- "the first woman," the primal Feminine -- literally stalks the entire DC Universe, while Phoenix's formidable fiery bird-shape casts her ominous light upon Marvel's greatest superheroes.

And I can't think of a better year for all this to go down than 2012 -- the so-called "year of change."