Jake the Smoke Monster – The Smoke Monster from J.J. Abrams “Lost”
https://wiki.wizard101central.com/wiki/Creature:Jake_the_Smoke_Monster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_(TV_series)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_in_Black_(Lost)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_box_show
Thank you to Taylor M. and Jordan K. for pointing me in the right direction.
Armata seems to be Lost. He was in Polaris and now he’s on Wallaru. There was a Mystery Box with a button inside it. Armata was told to push the button or the world would end. Armata pushed the button and electromagnetism happened and now he is here. And there was a Smoke Monster named Jake.
Armata thinks the Smoke Monster is responsible for world-not-ending-mystery-boxes and electromagnets. He encourages your Wizard to stand on the electromagnet circle things to open the Mystery Box.
Jake the Smoke Monster: “Hey, I’m Jake. These are my clones. Or evil duplicates. It doesn’t matter. Remember clones? Clones are cool. So I’m going to rewrite reality or whatever, really make my unique stamp. I’ve got some great new ideas. Like plays. That rhyme. And maybe make sense sometimes. Gonna do that on like every world. And references to things! People love those! Oh, and get this, my best idea yet: what if… Somehow, Malistaire returned. This is the future, Wizard: the past, forever rehashed and regurgitated. And you can’t stop me!“
After defeating Jake, Armata reveals himself to be a product of the Dreaming. In fact, he was the Smoke Monster all along.
Why does Armata look like a bear? It does not matter. Because your Wizard has saved all reality. Or Wallaru. Or both. Or future. Or past. It all makes perfect sense.
Lost is an American science fiction adventure drama television series created by Jeffrey Lieber, J. J. Abrams, and Damon Lindelof that aired on ABC from September 22, 2004, to May 23, 2010, with a total of 121 episodes over six seasons. It contains elements of supernatural fiction and follows the survivors of a commercial jet airliner flying between Sydney and Los Angeles after the plane crashes on a mysterious island somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean. Episodes typically feature a primary storyline set on the island, augmented by flashback or flashforward sequences which provide additional insight into the involved characters.
The Man in Black (also called “The Smoke Monster” or simply “The Monster”) is the main antagonist of the American ABC television series Lost. He appeared as a cloud of black smoke until the final episode of season five where he appeared as a middle-aged man dressed in black. In season six, he appeared in the physical form of John Locke (Terry O’Quinn). He exhibited the ability to scan the minds and memories of others, allowing him to confront characters such as Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and Ben Linus (Michael Emerson), with “judgement”, and assume the appearances and memories of the dead, such as Christian Shephard (John Terry), Yemi (Adetokumboh M’Cormack), Alex Rousseau (Tania Raymonde), and Locke. According to Jacob, it is the incarnation of evil, and its primary goal—to escape from the island—would be the “end of everything good”.
Various other characters have implied that his escape would be catastrophic and could even cause the destruction of reality. A longtime resident of the island, the true nature of The Man in Black was long shrouded in mystery. It had been described by Lost producer Damon Lindelof as “one of the biggest secrets” of the mythology of Lost while the producers have often hinted that the black cloud of smoke was not a monster in the traditional sense.
The monster is established in Lost in the first episode, “Pilot”. The producers’ initial plan was for the monster to represent the id, in a manner similar to the “id monster” from the 1956 film Forbidden Planet. This idea was changed by the end of season one, when the character Danielle Rousseau describes the monster as a “security system” that protects the island. This plan was continued into season five, when Rousseau’s husband, Robert, describes the monster as a security system that guards the island’s Temple. It was not until season six that it was established that the monster was also The Man in Black.
J.J. Abrams’ “mystery box” is a storytelling technique where a central mystery is introduced early in a story, and then the narrative unfolds by exploring the implications of that mystery. It’s not about a literal box, but a concept that focuses on creating intrigue and engaging the audience with unanswered questions. Many times the answer to the posed question isn’t as satisfying as it should be.
Abrams uses mystery as a driving force for the story, creating a sense of anticipation and drawing the audience in with unanswered questions. The mystery box presents questions that are more compelling than the answers, prompting the audience to speculate and engage with the story on a deeper level. Abrams believes that mystery represents infinite possibility, hope, and potential, which is why he often uses it in his storytelling. By introducing a mystery early and keeping it unresolved, Abrams aims to keep the audience engaged and invested in the story. For example, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the mystery of Rey’s parents and Snoke’s identity are examples of mystery boxes that keep the audience guessing and wanting more. One of the perceived failures of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker were the unsatisfactory answers to these overly hyped questions.
The current list of all the (known) Wallaru references are located here.
Although I am well versed in Pop Culture references but I do not claim to have caught them all. Let me know your favorites in the comments and if I’ve missed one you caught, let me know so I can add it to the list.
Text for this article is excerpted from the linked wiki pages
Jake the Smoke Monster and Mystery Box images are from Wizard101, and are copyright of KingsIsle Entertainment.
Lost images are copyright Bad Robot and ABC Studios
J.J. Abrams Ted Talk image is borrowed from moviebabble.com and is copyright Bad Robot
Image usage qualifies as fair use under US copyright law.
Vulcan Stev's Database 