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This article is about Matthew the Raven from the comic series. You may be looking for Matthew the Raven from the Netflix adaptation.


Matthew is the messenger Raven who works for Dream of the Endless. His first appearance was in Moving In.

History[]

Matthew

Matthew was once a man named Matthew John Cable. He first appeared in the comic, Swamp Thing, during which he is involved in a car accident, and is tricked into being possessed by his wife's evil shapeshifting uncle, Anton Arcane. Unwilling to put his loved ones in danger, Matthew manages to break Arcane's hold on him, only to have his injuries disable him. While in a coma at the hospital, corrupt hospital staff harvest some vital organs, and his wife decides to end life support. Since Matthew was in the Dreaming when he died, he became a part of the Dreaming and was asked by Morpheus if he wished to be a Raven, an offer that Matthew accepted.  He was surprised at how complete the transformation was, he was not a raven shaped man, but a raven to his core.

One of his first tasks was keeping an eye on a newly forming dream vortex, Rose Walker. While she was trying to find her brother Jed, Matthew snatched Jed's photo from her apartment and delivered it to the Dreaming, which helped Morpheus locate the boy.[1]

Matthew was then tasked with visiting Jed in a hospital, but upon arriving, the raven realized that he was actually sent to retrieve Fiddler's Green, who was looking after the boy. During their conversation, he broke the news that Rose was a vortex, and was shocked to learn what that entailed.[2] They hurried to the Dreaming to save Rose, but could only witness as the events transpired.[3]

Other appearances[]

The Dreaming[]

In the Sandman spin-off, The Dreaming, Matthew was accidentally pulled in to the waking world after a spell meant for the Corinthian was cast by a vengeful Echo through Anton Arcane's guidance.

Once again human, Matthew was picked up by the police who contacted his wife, Abigail, only to find that he had been dead 12 years, and that his wife had married and become a mother in the interim. The reunion between them was short, however, as Arcane swiftly sought out Matthew and attempted to destroy both him and Abigail. With the help of Eve and the spirits of previous Ravens, including Lucien, the First Raven, Arcane's plot was foiled and Matthew once again returned to the Dreaming.

He died twice during The Dreaming, once through the meddling of Coyote, from which he recovered, and the second time, accidentally shot by Lucien during a battle. He doesn't take his death badly, and told  Eve not to let Lucien blame himself.

The role of Raven was taken over by Tethys, a female of amphibious origins, who becomes the second White Raven, after Lucien, who was the original White Raven.

Behind the Scenes[]

  • The events of The Dreaming series are currently dismissed by the current publications of The Sandman and considered "Just a dream" by Neil Gaiman, and therefore not canon, as Matthew is again seen alive and well in materials such as Endless Nights.

References[]

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