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The fiery and destructive Sabbac debuted on the big screen inDCand Warner Bros. latest big screen epic,Black Adam. Featuring opposite of Dwayne Johnson as the titular character, a man torn between heroism and his checkered past alongside theJustice Society, Sabbac proved a mighty foe for the world’s greatest heroes to combat.
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Eventually defeated by a tag-team attack by Adam and thewinged Carter Hall, Hawkman, Sabbac left a powerful impact on audiences wishing to know more about this powerful, hellish being. Here’s the background on Sabbac, the reborn demon.
Sabbac’s Powers & History
Sabbac is a demoniccounterpart to Captain Marvel (Shazam)due to his host’s ability to call upon the powers of Hell, Satan, and the sins of man, as opposed to Shazam summoning the power of Greek deities. This demonic formgrants great strength, a healing factor, and hellish fire powers. Whoever wields this poweronly has to call out the name ‘Sabbac,‘and they are transformed into the mighty demon. However,this is also his greatest weakness, as he will be returned to his human form if tricked into uttering his name again. The first incarnation of Sabbac appeared in 1943 in an issue of Captain Marvel Jr., originally published by Fawcett Comics until their buyout by DC in the 1970s and subsequent integration of their characters in DC properties in the years that followed.
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There have beentwo distinct charactersto wield the power of Sabbac over the course of the character’s long history:Timothy KarnesandIshmael Gregor. Timothy Karnes was the first of the two to wield these powers, and like most characters over the decades, he has gone through a number of retcons and alterations to his backstory, relation to other characters, and motivations. Presently, Timothy Karnes’ story is that he was the foster-brother of Freddy Freeman and grew to hate Freddy after being shuffled to multiple abusive foster families while Freddy found a loving home. He accepted the powers of Sabbac when they were offered in order to kill Freddy and take vengeance on a world that made him miserable.
The second, and now more popular version of that character — thanks to his appearance in the Black Adam movie — is Ishmael Gregor. In the comics universe, Ishmaeltricked Timothy into a ritual that transferred the powers of Sabbacfrom himself and into Ishmael so that he may further his power and influence beyond his status as a Russian crime boss. After a number of conflicts against the superhero team The Outsiders, he was briefly held within a magic sword before escaping, where he continues to run loose and have run-ins with various superhero teams and government agencies as he works to consolidate power for himself.
Sabbac In Black Adam 2022
In the Black Adam movie, as with most adaptations of a written character into film, some changes were made to accommodate the plot and refresh Sabbac’s identity for new audiences. In the film, Sabbac is a militia leader operating in Kahndaq, working to usurp the government and establish himself as the nation’s new leader. His claim to the throne was further backed by his blood relation to the ancient king of Kahndaq. Manipulating those around himto seize the ancient crown once worn by his ancestor,killing Doctor Fatein the process, he was able to perform the necessary ritual to be reborn as the demon Sabbac, so he couldslaughter Black Adam and the Justice Societyand rule with an iron fist.
Ultimately, the combined might and wit of Hawkman and Black Adam was enough to bring down Sabbac, killing the demon and freeing Kahndaq from his impending dictatorship, withAtom Smasher being seriously woundedbut surviving the massive brawl. With Sabbac’s powers fading away back to the underworld and Black Adam making peace with the Justice Society and making contact with Superman after becoming Kahndaq’s new guardian, it is unlikely that Sabbac will be reborn again for a very long time. For now, this incarnation of the character will have to wait patiently for a chance to once more wreak havoc on the world of man.
