
In the shadowy depths of Dark Matter, a story teeming with existential questions, cosmic intrigue, and multidimensional stakes, one character stands out as both a driving force and an enigma: Joshua Carpenter. He’s not your typical protagonist—neither a pure hero nor an antihero. Joshua is, instead, a complicated and fascinating blend of light and shadow, a man driven by hope and haunted by despair, constantly walking the precarious line between salvation and destruction.
Let’s dive into what makes Joshua such a compelling character and why his journey resonates with readers navigating their own labyrinths of doubt, purpose, and identity.
The Reluctant Architect of Rebellion
Joshua isn’t a hero in the traditional sense. He didn’t set out to save the multiverse or uncover the truth behind its oppressive systems. His rebellion is born out of necessity, not ambition—a desperate need to make sense of a reality that’s falling apart. From the moment he discovers the existence of the man beneath the Vatican (the singular being Yehoshua), Joshua is thrust into a role he didn’t ask for: that of a reluctant architect of rebellion.
What’s interesting about Joshua is how much he questions himself. He’s not a character driven by blind faith or fiery conviction; instead, his motivations are deeply tied to doubt. Doubt in himself, in the old gods, in the multiverse’s supposed “balance”. This constant questioning makes him profoundly human. He doesn’t claim to have the answers—in fact, he often doubts whether he’s asking the right questions. But he moves forward anyway, driven by a flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, his actions will mean something.
A Life Shaped by Shadows
Joshua’s past is a jigsaw puzzle of trauma, loss, and resilience. Born to Zivah—a woman whose strength and love form the emotional foundation of his character—Joshua carries the weight of his mother’s sacrifices and the mystery of his own origins. The subtle, haunting revelation that Joshua is the product of Uriel’s intervention (and Yehoshua’s influence) adds another layer to his already tangled identity. He’s not just a man; he’s a prophecy in motion, a bridge between worlds, a vessel for forces far greater than himself.
But here’s the thing: Joshua doesn’t feel larger than life. He feels small, fractured, and often powerless in the face of the multiverse’s vastness. This vulnerability is what makes his moments of strength so compelling. He’s a character shaped by the shadows—of his own mind, his past, and the forces manipulating him—but he refuses to let them define him entirely. He grapples with those shadows, bargains with them, and sometimes even uses them to his advantage.
The Weight of Failure
One of the most poignant aspects of Joshua’s journey is how intimately he knows failure. Throughout Dark Matter, we see him stumble—rituals that don’t work, plans that unravel, allies lost to forces beyond his control. Joshua’s relationship with failure is unique in that he doesn’t try to deny or bury it. Instead, he carries it with him, letting it shape his next move.
Take, for instance, his decision to send Beris to Father Bussi. It’s a calculated risk, one born from previous failures to bridge the gaps between his knowledge and action. Joshua doesn’t want to manipulate Bussi, but he knows that subtlety and fear are the only tools he has left to keep the priest alive and moving towards the truth. His willingness to make morally grey decisions for the greater good is what sets him apart from more traditional heroes. He’s not a paragon of virtue; he’s a man who learns from his mistakes and makes the hard choices others might shy away from.
A Young Man of Contradictions
Joshua’s character is full of contradictions, which makes him endlessly fascinating to explore. He’s compassionate, yet ruthless when the situation demands it. He’s sceptical of prophecy and destiny, yet he can’t escape the role he’s been cast into. He longs for freedom, yet he’s bound by his own choices and the weight of the multiverse’s expectations.
These contradictions are what make Joshua feel real. He’s not a character who neatly fits into a single archetype; he’s messy, unpredictable, and profoundly human. His moments of doubt and weakness don’t diminish his strength—they enhance it. They make his victories, no matter how small, feel earned.
Joshua and the Multiverse: A Mirror to Our Own Struggles
At its heart, Dark Matter isn’t just a story about gods, shadows, and cosmic rebellion—it’s a story about what it means to be human. Joshua Carpenter embodies this theme perfectly. His struggle to find meaning in a chaotic multiverse mirrors our own search for purpose in a world that often feels just as vast and incomprehensible.
Joshua’s battle with the old gods and his pursuit of Yehoshua’s freedom are external manifestations of internal struggles we all face: the fight to break free from cycles of suffering, the search for truth in a sea of deception, and the hope that our actions, no matter how small, can create ripples of change.
Why Joshua Matters
Joshua Carpenter isn’t the kind of protagonist who rides into battle with a sword of righteousness or stands triumphant on a mountaintop. He’s the kind of hero who crawls through the muck, who gets knocked down again and again but always finds a way to get back up. His journey isn’t about triumph—it’s about resilience. About finding meaning in the messiness, light in the shadows.
What makes Joshua matter isn’t his strength or his intellect or even his role in the multiverse’s grand tapestry. What makes him matter is that, in the face of overwhelming odds, he tries. He tries to do the right thing, even when the right thing is unclear. He tries to hold on to hope, even when the darkness feels all-consuming. And he tries to move forward, even when every step feels impossible.
Like the kangaroo and emu from the foreword of Dark Matter, Joshua can’t move backwards. His journey, like life itself, is about pressing on—through fear, doubt, and failure—towards something greater.
So if you find yourself questioning your own path, doubting your choices, or staring into the abyss, take a page from Joshua’s book. Move forward, step by step, even when the way is unclear. You might just find that, like Joshua, you’re stronger than you think. And who knows? You might even change the universe along the way.