Master of the Future? The Fugitive...

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Most of us are already gods to our dogs...   In the case of cats, they think they are god..

This is why trying to bind the Nimean Lion through Mister was a mistake. Mister chucked him out when it ceased to be fun.

[Mira]

This is why trying to bind the Nimean Lion through Mister was a mistake. Mister chucked him out when it ceased to be fun.

 Yup, Mister is omnipotent, and when the Nimean Lion went after his cat nip mouse, it put an end to his tolerance.   

[g33k]

Neither choice would have changed things as far as Susan goes, she was lost to him in either case. If he had made the first choice, little Maggie might never have been born.

Yes, but they were pretty key choices; and they were close to the end of the book.

In #1 (at Bianca's), think what the consequence would have been.  Harry would have walked out safe, but the personal cost to him would have been unbearable; losing Susan not to death, but to monster-hood.  It would have been poison working in his soul, an inescapable reminder that he wasn't good enough, smart enough, strong enough, brave enough.  He would never have escaped the self-blame trap after that.

With #2 (at the beach) Harry would have become Susan's only hope, only lifeline.  She wouldn't have connected with the Fellowship in Latin America, learned self-control from them.  Her lessons would have been the best Harry could come up with; but not as good as the Ramp-specialized methods of St.Giles.

Harry would have had a Whamp "friend" (brother) and a half-Ramp girlfriend; the White Council would have been even-more distrusting.  But Harry would have needed the WC even less, with such potent enforcers at his side.  And many of the Case Files would likely have been "solved" with applications of force.

Plus, with tormented-Susan right there in his face on a daily/weekly/etc basis, he'd have driven himself even harder towards a breakdown (remember, it was "rescuing-Susan research" (and guilt over Susan) that had Harry in such a bad state, at the beginning of Summer Knight).

[Ed0517]

I agree, it doesn't kill everyone from his past, just people who knew him well while he had magic like Justin or Elane or Eb... really just those character from the ones we know.  All of those know Harry is strong and wouldn't be interested in facing him in combat just to see how strong...

Men change a lot after 16... I think that is all he was when he fought Justin. though Justin is dead and I think Cowl is male. Eb's seen him repeatedly over the years, though, and will have a better eye.

[Melriken]

Men change a lot after 16... I think that is all he was when he fought Justin. though Justin is dead and I think Cowl is male. Eb's seen him repeatedly over the years, though, and will have a better eye.

Harry is one of if not the strongest wizards of his generation, Justin was aware of that, I don't see Justin making that comment even if he was alive.

[Yuillegan]

If Cowl isn't Justin Dumorne I will eat my hat.

He doesn't say Dresden, or the Wizard, he calls him Hary. Says he is a pain in his ass. It's familiar, and frustrated. If he were Simon, would he talk like that?

Also, the idea that Cowl has a bolt hole outside of Chicago further lends weight to it. One of Harry's worst enemies, right around the corner. Why would Cowl have that if he were Simon really? He would have places in Russia etc to go to. But Justin has links to Chicago. It's part of the reason Harry is there, I am sure of it. It's certainly where they spent their time together.

My Shadow also has a name - Ash. That's very cool to know.

Best short story he has written yet I think.

And while Master of the Future may hint at time travel, I rather think it has more to do with the Stars and Stones - which Justin had been preparing for long before he met Harry (it's why he chose Harry and Elaine).

If anyone says Justin is dead to me as a reason Cowl isn't Justin...I will eat a shoe. Do better. IF Jim has lied to us (which he does constantly) then Justin isn't dead, and makes him a prime candidate. Even Morgan suspected Justin might not be dead. In-universe hint! Not to mention, Cowl is a necromancer. Justin stole Bob, before he was Bob, a Necromancer's demon. Why? To learn necromancy (among other things). And we have seen Capiocorpus return from the dead, and Cowl too, which they learned from Kemmler (who did it several times over!)

So it seems highly possible Justin either came back from the dead and gave himself a new identity or faked his death with some sort of double...just as Alt-Harry will do in Mirror Mirror.

Harry is one of if not the strongest wizards of his generation, Justin was aware of that, I don't see Justin making that comment even if he was alive.

Why not? He totally would want to see how Dresden would have improved. And he wasn't trying to reveal his identity. Not to mention, he had sparred with Dresden in the past (both in practice and one "duel"). I think he was curious to see if Dresden had got any better since, and was mostly disappointed.

[Ed0517]

Harry is one of if not the strongest wizards of his generation, Justin was aware of that, I don't see Justin making that comment even if he was alive.

he is NOW. We do not know he was THEN. Michael Jordan is often considered the best basketball player ever. At 15 he failed to make the varsity at his high school. Harry could be strongest of his generation NOW, but not then

[Melriken]

Why not? He totally would want to see how Dresden would have improved. And he wasn't trying to reveal his identity. Not to mention, he had sparred with Dresden in the past (both in practice and one "duel"). I think he was curious to see if Dresden had got any better since, and was mostly disappointed.

Justin wouldn't wonder why the Wardens were nervious about Harry... he would chock it up to two things:
1: Harry's well above average (for the council) raw power level.
2: Justin faking his own death at the hands of Harry.

Justin above anyone else would 'know' Harry was strong, but not as strong as the Wardens make him out to be.  The comment wouldn't even occur to Justin as cover.

I will eat my hat if Cowl IS Justin... no scratch that, I will go buy a hat and then eat it...

Justin is almost as bad a candidate for Cowl as Nameless is.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

It’s likely Justin was working for Cowl, we know Nameless worked with Kemmler, he went to winter but couldn’t take Bob with him without incurring Mab’s wrath, so he handed him off to Justin. Justin may have only joined the Wardens in the first place as Nameless inside man.

Here’s a thought, Nameless betrayed Kemmler to the White Council via Justin getting rid of a major competitor and breaking up the Kemmlerites and setting up his infiltration of Winter. He got what he wanted the Darkhallow from Kemmler handing Bob off to Justin for safekeeping and recruiting Peabody the Erl King expert in his place as his spy in the White Council. This presumes Justin was working for Nameless all along, tipping off Nameless (and through him Kemmler) to keep Kemmler safe until he finished The Word.

Justin was then tasked with recruiting Enforcers /Starborn but things went awry with Harry killing Justin and hiding Bob. Nameless suspects Harry might have Bob, and seeks to confirm this by throwing Sorceror and hexenwulf at Harry to flush this out.

[Melriken]

It’s likely Justin was working for Cowl, we know Nameless worked with Kemmler, he went to winter but couldn’t take Bob with him without incurring Mab’s wrath, so he handed him off to Justin. Justin may have only joined the Wardens in the first place as Nameless inside man.

Here’s a thought, Nameless betrayed Kemmler to the White Council via Justin getting rid of a major competitor and breaking up the Kemmlerites and setting up his infiltration of Winter. He got what he wanted the Darkhallow from Kemmler handing Bob off to Justin for safekeeping and recruiting Peabody the Erl King expert in his place as his spy in the White Council. This presumes Justin was working for Nameless all along, tipping off Nameless (and through him Kemmler) to keep Kemmler safe until he finished The Word.

Justin was then tasked with recruiting Enforcers /Starborn but things went awry with Harry killing Justin and hiding Bob. Nameless suspects Harry might have Bob, and seeks to confirm this by throwing Sorceror and hexenwulf at Harry to flush this out.

I totally agree with this, except Nameless is NOT Cowl.

[vincentric]

Justin got Bob from Kemmler's effects after the White Council dealt with him. If Nameless had ever possessed him, he'd have told Harry in The Law.

[Yuillegan]

Justin wouldn't wonder why the Wardens were nervious about Harry... he would chock it up to two things:
1: Harry's well above average (for the council) raw power level.
2: Justin faking his own death at the hands of Harry.

Justin above anyone else would 'know' Harry was strong, but not as strong as the Wardens make him out to be.  The comment wouldn't even occur to Justin as cover.

I will eat my hat if Cowl IS Justin... no scratch that, I will go buy a hat and then eat it...

Justin is almost as bad a candidate for Cowl as Nameless is.

But Harry's raw power when Justin last fought him would have been a lot weaker. Not to mention his skill level would have been a lot worse. Harry finished his education with Ebenezar and then had over a decade of honing his skills and growing in strength until he would meet Justin again (assuming Cowl is Justin). So, not unreasonable then for Justin to wonder about Harry's power level. He would have heard Harry was strong, and he would have known his potential, but he wouldn't have yet seen it in action. Like a college scout seeing a pro footballer in high school. You can see what they might be, but you still want to see the finished product otherwise it's just unrealised potential.

Not sure about your point number two. Are you agreeing that Justin isn't dead?

Why else is Justin such a bad candidate? He was considered a powerful warden, we know he experimented with dark magic, he was at Kemmler's final fight (which leads to all sorts of questions if he is Cowl), he is a capable swordsman (being a warden) and Cowl speaks of his skill at swordplay, Justin picked up Bob (a demon that served arguably the greatest and most feared dark wizard in history) from the ruins of Kemmler's last stand (and how did he even know of Bob, and why didn't he just destroy it, and considering how strong Evil Bob is how did he even control it? And how did Cowl know Harry had Bob...Justin would know this of course but who else could know?) - there are so many reasons why Justin makes a good candidate. And those are just in-universe ones. From a writing perspective it's actually a classic literary trope to have the old mentor as the villain. Consider how much more impactful Cowl's identity reveal will be on Harry if Cowl was revealed as Justin. It would anger and scare Harry, it would tear him up emotionally that his surrogate father-teacher is still alive but not only alive but actually one of his biggest enemies. Not to mention Cowl clearly is working towards some skewed version of a Greater Good. He is insane but not like Corpsetaker or Grevane. He wants to improve the world (apparently through stopping death for some reason). And Justin might just have a very good reason for stopping death. We also know Justin was involved with Harry's mother, Arianna and Paolo Ortega, Lord Raith etc. We know they had some scheme around the Stars and Stones...just like Cowl. Also, consider that Simon was killed in his fortress. The White Council suspected Harry of supplying the Red Court with the necessary information to get past the wards...because he was Justin's student, and Justin was once Simon's student. Justin was only ruled out because of his apparent death. Yet we know Cowl and the Red Court worked together, and we know Harry didn't give out the information. So unless Simon is Cowl, or some other student of Simon was involved (the least likely story-wise), Justin makes for a good candidate. Cowl hides his face because he doesn't wish to give out any information. Justin is supposedly dead, so fairly good reason to cover his face. Cowl wants to bring down the White Council for having too many restrictions, Justin also felt that the Council has too many restrictions (as he learned from his master too).

Kumori as Elaine also works very well, given Kumori is both powerful (like Elaine), friendly with Harry (even though she shouldn't really be), quite likely was involved in Aurora's corruption (which Elaine was in a prime position to do), Kumori picked up Harry's force rings (which Harry remarks almost no-one picks up, but Elaine would given she studied under the same master and would know Harry's style and training), and Kumori is tall enough to hold a knife to Harry's throat (which is tricky for most women given Harry's height, but Elaine is at least six foot), and if Elaine is Kumori she is far more likely to work for Justin (as Cowl) than some other Cowl (because what link would Elaine have to some other Cowl?) Kumori as Elaine is still the most popular theory, and for good reason. It's the most likely. Also adds to Harry's betrayal and isolation.

If not Justin, who do you believe it is? Who is so familiar with Harry who is a powerful and well-trained (White Council level) wizard, who also might have experience with necromancy, who hits hard (perhaps harder) than a Senior Council wizard?

I honestly had never considered Nameless. I am hoping CT will explain his idea further. It's intriguing, even if I can't yet see it myself. One of the main reasons I don't think it works is that Nameless is closer to being a demigod and but Cowl's magic feels human (even if it's incredibly strong).

It’s likely Justin was working for Cowl, we know Nameless worked with Kemmler, he went to winter but couldn’t take Bob with him without incurring Mab’s wrath, so he handed him off to Justin. Justin may have only joined the Wardens in the first place as Nameless inside man.

When did Nameless work for Kemmler? Also, assuming your theory is correct, why would Nameless use a dark wizard and later hexenwolves as bait to flush out the information that Harry has Bob? And why would that reveal Bob is in Harry's possession?

Justin got Bob from Kemmler's effects after the White Council dealt with him. If Nameless had ever possessed him, he'd have told Harry in The Law.

Agreed.

[Mira]

But Harry's raw power when Justin last fought him would have been a lot weaker. Not to mention his skill level would have been a lot worse. Harry finished his education with Ebenezar and then had over a decade of honing his skills and growing in strength until he would meet Justin again (assuming Cowl is Justin). So, not unreasonable then for Justin to wonder about Harry's power level. He would have heard Harry was strong, and he would have known his potential, but he wouldn't have yet seen it in action. Like a college scout seeing a pro footballer in high school. You can see what they might be, but you still want to see the finished product otherwise it's just unrealised potential.

Actually, Harry's raw power would have been just as strong, that's why it was raw.  When Harry fought Justin, the power was there, but the experience wasn't, as we see through the books, Harry gets stronger because he learns new skills and practices them.. However the power was always there, as Eb saw in his soul gaze of the sixteen year old Harry..

[Melriken]

Why else is Justin such a bad candidate?
[...]
Justin picked up Bob (a demon that served arguably the greatest and most feared dark wizard in history) from the ruins of Kemmler's last stand (and how did he even know of Bob, and why didn't he just destroy it, and considering how strong Evil Bob is how did he even control it? And how did Cowl know Harry had Bob...Justin would know this of course but who else could know?) - there are so many reasons why Justin makes a good candidate.

Cowl owned Bob during Dead Beat.
Justin owned Bob before Harry killed him.
Bob told Harry "Pretty good idea, Harry, talking to me once Cowl sat me on the ground.  I didn't want to work for him anyway, but as long as he had the skull..."
Bob didn't tell Harry "Cowl is Justin" or "I didn't want to work for Justin".

Therefor Cowl is NOT Justin.

I do believe that Justin was a member of the Circle (Black Council) and Cowl learned much of what you outline above through that connection. (I don't think Kemler was a member of the Circle, I think the Circle wanted him dead... my guess is the Circle started out good (or maybe grey) and was taken over by Nemesis and the dark side of good intentions... to become what it is now)

If not Justin, who do you believe it is? Who is so familiar with Harry who is a powerful and well-trained (White Council level) wizard, who also might have experience with necromancy, who hits hard (perhaps harder) than a Senior Council wizard?

I would pick one of the wizards named when Eb takes his spot on the Sr Council.  I don't have a great candidate.

I honestly had never considered Nameless. I am hoping CT will explain his idea further. It's intriguing, even if I can't yet see it myself. One of the main reasons I don't think it works is that Nameless is closer to being a demigod and but Cowl's magic feels human (even if it's incredibly strong).
When did Nameless work for Kemmler? Also, assuming your theory is correct, why would Nameless use a dark wizard and later hexenwolves as bait to flush out the information that Harry has Bob? And why would that reveal Bob is in Harry's possession?

I agree with you, Nameless is NOT Mortal and would not be identified as mortal by Mouse (Fugitive).
CT's theories are mostly "Cowl could have done this or learned this this way" but with Nameless pushed in, they don't point to Nameless specifically learning the information, but rather how Cowl could have learned it regardless of him being Nameless or not, and they are all generally good... I just don't see them supporting Nameless as Cowl.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Cowl knew exactly what Bob was and what he contained ergo he had been around Bob before.

Known associates of Kemmler were Grevane, Corpsetaker (from the Wardens) and Nameless from Mab) Harry supplies Cowls name to Luccio Darin their phone call.

What was Nameless doing during Dead Beat? Why wasn’t he going for The Darkhallow?