In Shazam #2, the clone of John Constantine reveals the plan and purpose behind his creation as well as the terrifying extent of his power.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Shazam #2, on sale now from DC Comics.
Dane Constantine was always a bit of mystery at the Teen Titans Academy. It was clear he had great magical potential right from the start, but the full extent of his powers weren’t revealed until he took a trip to Hell alongside Billy Batson in Shazam #2 (by Tim Sheridan, Clayton Henry, Marcelo Maiolo, and Rob Leigh). When he and Billy got into trouble with the local demons, Dane was revealed to be Nevermore, son of the Underlord and heir to the dark realm. But this status is one that Dane was literally built for and raises some interesting possibilities about how powerful he could become.
Dane was helping Billy Batson try to locate the Rock of Eternity in the Underrealm. But their sojourn into the Hellish dimension presented all sorts of distractions and Dane unfortunately cheated the head of a casino, Sulibak. When negotiations failed, it prompted a chase throughout the Underrealm, as Billy was having trouble transforming into Shazam.
When Sulibak caught up to them, he seemingly stabbed Dane, before proceeding to fight Billy, who finally managed to transform into his alter ego. But the fight quickly went South as Shazam’s powers once again faded. Faced with an angry, gigantic demon, it seemed like the end for Billy until Dane reentered the fight, having discarded his shirt and jacket to reveal wings and a flaming sword . He proclaimed himself to be Nevermore, the heir to the Underrealm and every other place his father conquered. And a terrified looking Sulibak could only watch in horror as the now significantly scarier Dane charged him.
This revelation gives Dane a new level of authority within the cosmic structure of the DCU, but it’s one he was literally created for. Dane is a clone of John Constantine, the infamous con man and magician, created by Nick Necro and Felix Faust for the sole purpose of forging a human host who had John’s demonic blood. The idea was that this made Dane, and by extension John, the perfect vessel to house the essence of a powerful demon. But since John would never give up his body for such a cause, Dane was created as an alternative.
It now seems that Dane has now fulfilled this purpose. He has been revealed to be the host of Nevermore, making him the indirect heir apparent to many of Hell’s dimensions. In the long term this makes Dane the inheritor of several kingdoms and whatever armies and wealth that accompany the title. In the short term it grants him immense power. Sulibak, who went toe-to-toe with Shazam looked absolutely terrified by the presence of Dane in his new demonic form. This hints at the full extent of Dane’s powers.
Judging from Dane’s proclamations as he soared into battle, he knows just how much of threat he is to Sulibak. Dane mocked the demon, as if he knows that his power is far superior to his dark opponent. This also explains why Dane so quickly threw himself into the temptations of the Underrealm. It wasn’t just due to not being able to risk the corrupting influences, it was because he knew that, even if he cheated, he couldn’t really face consequences because there was no one here who could really hurt him.
That’s useful now, but in light of what he was created to do and the demon he now plays host to, Dane could just as easily become a major threat to the world. However, being a clone of Constantine might indicate a way to possibly counter him. John is just tricky enough to find some way to contain Dane through their shared blood, perhaps laying down curses or spells as traps in the event Dane went rogue. For now though, Dane seems to be content to use his vast, and frankly terrifying, power to help his friend.
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