Rai Theory

[Keith]

Interesting theory there. I'd add that Clem was still plugged into whatever PRSs was doing to him. Perhaps the nanites made their way to him...

[BugsySig]

Interesting theory there. I'd add that Clem was still plugged into whatever PRSs was doing to him. Perhaps the nanites made their way to him...

I took that as him being held unconscious because of his ability to control minds. Not something a cell could hold. May have been similar to what Pete was hooked up to in Harby #9.

[The Dirt Gang]

From the podcast, it sounded like Dinesh was heavily insinuating some connection in XO#5. Did I hear that right?

[greg]

From the podcast, it sounded like Dinesh was heavily insinuating some connection in XO#5. Did I hear that right?

I took it to mean "#5" in general (since X-O #5 already had Ninjak, it's like he was giving an example).
Perhaps he did mean X-O #5, but I don't see anyone who could be Rai in the story. (Almost no one survives!)
I thought Dinesh was pointing out how #5 was important, and we hadn't necessarily noticed/known HOW important across all the new titles.

[BugsySig]

From the podcast, it sounded like Dinesh was heavily insinuating some connection in XO#5. Did I hear that right?

I took it to mean "#5" in general (since X-O #5 already had Ninjak, it's like he was giving an example).
Perhaps he did mean X-O #5, but I don't see anyone who could be Rai in the story. (Almost no one survives!)
I thought Dinesh was pointing out how #5 was important, and we hadn't necessarily noticed/known HOW important across all the new titles.

#5 showed the Bleeding Monk escaping the Harbinger Foundation...

[The Dirt Gang]

From the podcast, it sounded like Dinesh was heavily insinuating some connection in XO#5. Did I hear that right?

I took it to mean "#5" in general (since X-O #5 already had Ninjak, it's like he was giving an example).
Perhaps he did mean X-O #5, but I don't see anyone who could be Rai in the story. (Almost no one survives!)
I thought Dinesh was pointing out how #5 was important, and we hadn't necessarily noticed/known HOW important across all the new titles.

Dinesh: "If someone was to hide something somewhere in the Valiant books, Rob would be a very likely candidate. I'm just saying. I'm not putting 2 and 2 together. I'm just saying."

Now maybe he isn't putting 2 and 2 together but it seemed like a 'wink, wink' sort of statement to me.

[BugsySig]

From the podcast, it sounded like Dinesh was heavily insinuating some connection in XO#5. Did I hear that right?

I took it to mean "#5" in general (since X-O #5 already had Ninjak, it's like he was giving an example).
Perhaps he did mean X-O #5, but I don't see anyone who could be Rai in the story. (Almost no one survives!)
I thought Dinesh was pointing out how #5 was important, and we hadn't necessarily noticed/known HOW important across all the new titles.

Dinesh: "If someone was to hide something somewhere in the Valiant books, Rob would be a very likely candidate. I'm just saying. I'm not putting 2 and 2 together. I'm just saying."

Now maybe he isn't putting 2 and 2 together but it seemed like a 'wink, wink' sort of statement to me.

Well Rai could have been on one of the Vine colony ships.

[greg]

From the podcast, it sounded like Dinesh was heavily insinuating some connection in XO#5. Did I hear that right?

I took it to mean "#5" in general (since X-O #5 already had Ninjak, it's like he was giving an example).
Perhaps he did mean X-O #5, but I don't see anyone who could be Rai in the story. (Almost no one survives!)
I thought Dinesh was pointing out how #5 was important, and we hadn't necessarily noticed/known HOW important across all the new titles.

Dinesh: "If someone was to hide something somewhere in the Valiant books, Rob would be a very likely candidate. I'm just saying. I'm not putting 2 and 2 together. I'm just saying."

Now maybe he isn't putting 2 and 2 together but it seemed like a 'wink, wink' sort of statement to me.

Ahhhh... yes, I forgot the "Rob" part. So... X-O... and maybe #5 isn't the clue, maybe "important to the original Valiant" is the clue... like Solar #10, or Magnus #12... X-O #10 or #12? Or earlier? X-O #4 (just like 1992)?

X-O #4 is the first Alexander. Surely that's a red herring with regard to Rai, right?

[greg]

From the podcast, it sounded like Dinesh was heavily insinuating some connection in XO#5. Did I hear that right?

I took it to mean "#5" in general (since X-O #5 already had Ninjak, it's like he was giving an example).
Perhaps he did mean X-O #5, but I don't see anyone who could be Rai in the story. (Almost no one survives!)
I thought Dinesh was pointing out how #5 was important, and we hadn't necessarily noticed/known HOW important across all the new titles.

#5 showed the Bleeding Monk escaping the Harbinger Foundation...

Yes, but that wasn't the "first" anything.

[The Dirt Gang]

From the podcast, it sounded like Dinesh was heavily insinuating some connection in XO#5. Did I hear that right?

I took it to mean "#5" in general (since X-O #5 already had Ninjak, it's like he was giving an example).
Perhaps he did mean X-O #5, but I don't see anyone who could be Rai in the story. (Almost no one survives!)
I thought Dinesh was pointing out how #5 was important, and we hadn't necessarily noticed/known HOW important across all the new titles.

Dinesh: "If someone was to hide something somewhere in the Valiant books, Rob would be a very likely candidate. I'm just saying. I'm not putting 2 and 2 together. I'm just saying."

Now maybe he isn't putting 2 and 2 together but it seemed like a 'wink, wink' sort of statement to me.

Well Rai could have been on one of the Vine colony ships.

That thought had crossed my mind but I've not been home to check out the books.

[BugsySig]

From the podcast, it sounded like Dinesh was heavily insinuating some connection in XO#5. Did I hear that right?

I took it to mean "#5" in general (since X-O #5 already had Ninjak, it's like he was giving an example).
Perhaps he did mean X-O #5, but I don't see anyone who could be Rai in the story. (Almost no one survives!)
I thought Dinesh was pointing out how #5 was important, and we hadn't necessarily noticed/known HOW important across all the new titles.

Dinesh: "If someone was to hide something somewhere in the Valiant books, Rob would be a very likely candidate. I'm just saying. I'm not putting 2 and 2 together. I'm just saying."

Now maybe he isn't putting 2 and 2 together but it seemed like a 'wink, wink' sort of statement to me.

Well Rai could have been on one of the Vine colony ships.

That thought had crossed my mind but I've not been home to check out the books.

I've looked before. It's too vague to tell anything specific.

From the podcast, it sounded like Dinesh was heavily insinuating some connection in XO#5. Did I hear that right?

I took it to mean "#5" in general (since X-O #5 already had Ninjak, it's like he was giving an example).
Perhaps he did mean X-O #5, but I don't see anyone who could be Rai in the story. (Almost no one survives!)
I thought Dinesh was pointing out how #5 was important, and we hadn't necessarily noticed/known HOW important across all the new titles.

#5 showed the Bleeding Monk escaping the Harbinger Foundation...

Yes, but that wasn't the "first" anything.

First Bleeding Monk walking

[Chiclo]

This theory is a bit out there as well...

On the OTV 100 podcast, Dinesh said that first appearances tend to match the original Valiant numbering, specifically #5 (first Rai in a story in Magnus #5).

VEI puts some emphasis on the new #5 issues...
X-O #5 was first Ninjak
A&A #5 was first (more than cameo) Eternal Warrior
Harbinger #5 has Livewire turning against Harada (surely the start of something else for Livewire)

...so... Bloodshot #5 has?

In Bloodshot #5, Bloodshot is meditating in a very "Rai-like" position and "talking" with the nanites.
Specifically mentioned is that the nanites (little boy visualization) want to know what "Waking up" and "Sleeping" are like.

Perhaps the nanites gain not only sentience but also a physical body at some point.
The importance of Bloodshot #5 would be that what/who eventually becomes Rai is first established by the "waking up" discussion.

Bloodshot #5 also has Chainsaw... which could be an imperfect version of creating/using a body for another protocol.
Rai could be the end result of that type of research, when a body separated from Bloodshot is created/used for the nanites' own sentience.
There's also a drop of blood in the Project Rising Spirit system... that one drop may be all that's needed to "grow" apart from Bloodshot.

As the little boy says in that panel, "Someday..."

I get the feeling that Chainsaw is going to be a predecessor to HARD Corps.

[ErikG]

And maybe, just maybe, the Bleeding Monk is Rai? (Time travel anyone?)

[BugsySig]

So I went back to XO #1 and picked this out...I posted the screen grab to my Tumblr:

http://bugsysig.tumblr.com/image/48066528412

That gentleman does seem to be wearing Samurai style garb and is very pale...

[nscc]

If Rai was in X-o 5, it would have to be.... the little girl who talks to Aric after he lands.


I remember reading (or think I do) about how the direction they are going with Rai could be controversial. I'm sure that would cause some really cool brain explosions if Rai was in current time as an 8 year old girl wandering the land dishing out pain on bad guys as only an 8 year old with the blood of heroes could!

[greg]

If Rai was in X-o 5, it would have to be.... the little girl who talks to Aric after he lands.


I remember reading (or think I do) about how the direction they are going with Rai could be controversial. I'm sure that would cause some really cool brain explosions if Rai was in current time as an 8 year old girl wandering the land dishing out pain on bad guys as only an 8 year old with the blood of heroes could!

D.C. already made Rai as a girl. They call her Katana and she never looked like Rai until Valiant returned.
http://www.entertainmentearth.com/image ... 0112lg.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Dr. Solar]

I took Dino's comment not to mean that "issue #5's" were important, but that they were trying to mirror how new characters appeared in other books, and approximately the issues they appeared in.

Ninjak appeared in Bloodshot #6 the first time around, and X-O #5 this time around.

HARDCorps appeared in Harbinger #10 the first time around. Have we scoured this Harbinger 10 to see if there are any hints of anything? Will Harby Wars 3 be their true first appearance this time around?

[greg]

I took Dino's comment not to mean that "issue #5's" were important, but that they were trying to mirror how new characters appeared in other books, and approximately the issues they appeared in.

Ninjak appeared in Bloodshot #6 the first time around, and X-O #5 this time around.

HARDCorps appeared in Harbinger #10 the first time around. Have we scoured this Harbinger 10 to see if there are any hints of anything? Will Harby Wars 3 be their true first appearance this time around?

...and Rai appeared in #5 (or #4 as a card) the first time... so if Dinesh was hinting that Rai might already be somewhere, it would be near #5.

[lorddunlow]

So we just need to look in VEI's Magnus #5 and he'll be there?

[nscc]

If Rai was in X-o 5, it would have to be.... the little girl who talks to Aric after he lands.


I remember reading (or think I do) about how the direction they are going with Rai could be controversial. I'm sure that would cause some really cool brain explosions if Rai was in current time as an 8 year old girl wandering the land dishing out pain on bad guys as only an 8 year old with the blood of heroes could!

D.C. already made Rai as a girl. They call her Katana and she never looked like Rai until Valiant returned.
http://www.entertainmentearth.com/image ... 0112lg.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Wow. Now that is a sneaky first appearance. A Different publisher.

[Keith]

Interesting theory there. I'd add that Clem was still plugged into whatever PRSs was doing to him. Perhaps the nanites made their way to him...

I took that as him being held unconscious because of his ability to control minds. Not something a cell could hold. May have been similar to what Pete was hooked up to in Harby #9.

That could definitely be it. Just seemed to me that, with the size of the frame showing him in the contraption and Cloud's reaction, the intent was to point out that PRS was doing something to Clem. But, of course, that's my speculation...

[nutflush76]

I have no idea who the new Rai would be, but I prefer him to be modeled more after the first Rai rather than any of the following Rais.

It would be cool to see Bloodshot survive into the future, just not as Rai. This wouldn't be totally unprecedented since Gilad and his brothers appear in the future in the original universe. Except Armstrong, he disappears from earth at some point in Rai #0.

Speaking of Rai #0 we could also see a similar book to introduce a new Rai. Another Rai #0 which would tie the present to the future in a similar fashion to the original Rai #0. Then, the series could start right from Rai #1 and continue on from where #0 left off, making it a true #0 both chronologically and numerically.

[chriskay99]

The only negative I see to this, if I'm right is that it would be a slight detriment to the Bloodshot series' storytelling. If you know he lives to 4001, then you could never really worry about him dying (although, I admit, I don't worry much about it now - what would it take to kill this version of Bloodshot really?)

I never read the original Eternal Warrior that much, but I always thought this way about VH1 Gilad being in both the present and part of the Future Force. I highly doubt it's Bloodshot but I am digging Greg's theory about the nanite gaining sentience.

[bygranddesign]

4001 timeline doesn't have to be part of the present day timeline - it could be one possible future

Multiverse theory is all about the idea of many multiple timelines some slightly different and some very different from each other. Assuming Ivar has been time traveling for thousands of years he most likely created millions of time line variations himself.

That might seem like a cop out ... And you might feel like why do you care about a future timeline that possibly doesn't link to the present timeline ... But what I would do is introduce some present day characters that we like (Cronus - gen zero, Mary Maria...etc) into a Possible future. (This could possibly happen via the faraway, Ivar or the Gen Zero character Wee Mack - the travelor, bleeding monk)

So the future timeline could have two main narratives

1) the basic story of dealing with whatever crazy stuff is happening in 4001
2) the present day characters dealing with this bleak future (or maybe not so bleak) and contemplating, questioning their role in this future and all the timey wimey stuff that brings and whether they should or could go back to their present timeline and perhaps try to make changes/prevent certain events from happenning.

[BugsySig]

4001 timeline doesn't have to be part of the present day timeline - it could be one possible future

Multiverse theory is all about the idea of many multiple timelines some slightly different and some very different from each other. Assuming Ivar has been time traveling for thousands of years he most likely created millions of time line variations himself.

That might seem like a cop out ... And you might feel like why do you care about a future timeline that possibly doesn't link to the present timeline ... But what I would do is introduce some present day characters that we like (Cronus - gen zero, Mary Maria...etc) into a Possible future. (This could possibly happen via the faraway, Ivar or the Gen Zero character Wee Mack - the travelor, bleeding monk)

So the future timeline could have two main narratives

1) the basic story of dealing with whatever crazy stuff is happening in 4001
2) the present day characters dealing with this bleak future (or maybe not so bleak) and contemplating, questioning their role in this future and all the timey wimey stuff that brings and whether they should or could go back to their present timeline and perhaps try to make changes/prevent certain events from happenning.

I don't want another Marvel type Multiverse. I liked that 4001 was the definitive future of the VALIANT U. It has some continuity drawbacks, but if its far enough in the future (like 2000 years) and you keep a few things about the past vague, then it shouldn't be an issue.

You can still have present day characters pay a visit, but there is something cool about a future that you can't avoid, that is not changeable by any action one takes. Maybe a visit to the future drives a character to do something, but in the end it only helps lead to that future.

One theory about a time traveller, like Ivar, is that visits to different times always took place and always resulted in that outcome. Otherwise you create too many paradoxes. You know, wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey stuff.