From Golden Age Villain to Modern Age Monster, here’s the history of the demonic DC character Sabbac, seen in Black Adam.
The fiery and destructive Sabbac debuted on the big screen in DC and 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 the Justice Society, Sabbac proved a mighty foe for the world’s greatest heroes to combat.
Eventually defeated by a tag-team attack by Adam and the winged 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 demonic counterpart 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 form grants great strength, a healing factor, and hellish fire powers. Whoever wields this power only 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.
There have been two distinct characters to wield the power of Sabbac over the course of the character’s long history: Timothy Karnes and Ishmael 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, Ishmael tricked Timothy into a ritual that transferred the powers of Sabbac from 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 him to seize the ancient crown once worn by his ancestor, killing Doctor Fate in the process, he was able to perform the necessary ritual to be reborn as the demon Sabbac, so he could slaughter Black Adam and the Justice Society and 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, with Atom Smasher being seriously wounded but 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.
