The villain from Black Adam has been revealed for the first time… but in action figure form.
The folks over at @hodceu have found new promotional images from the upcoming Black Adam action figure line, which features the demonic Sabbac in fully-poseable form. This toy reveal makes it looks as though Sabbac will be the villain in the upcoming Black Adam movie.
First look at Sabbac in #BlackAdam pic.twitter.com/bUl1xHMxVC
— Home of DCEU (@hodceu) July 1, 2022
Alongside the images of the action figure is also a small piece of art showing what appears to be Sabbac as he appears in the movie.
Of course, this is not the first time we’ve heard this name. Back in October 2020, The Illuminerdi reported rumors that Black Adam producers were eyeing Marwan Kenzari for the role of Sabbac in Dwayne Johnson’s upcoming DC antihero film. Then, back last year, Kenzari officially joined the cast in an undisclosed role.
Now, it looks as though Black Adam’s villain is one of Hollywood’s worst-kept secrets, with new toy images seemingly confirming his role in the film.
Some more looks of Sabbac in #BlackAdam pic.twitter.com/wHnE0yMzXF
— Home of DCEU (@hodceu) July 1, 2022
Sabbac is essentially the polar opposite of Shazam! – calling out the name “Sabbac” imbues him with the powers of Satan, Aym, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Crateis. S-A-B-B-A-C. Sabbac. Get it?
Sure, it’s not one of DC’s most original villainous origins, but it provides a neat parallel between the villain and Shazam! – the nemesis of Black Adam who will surely, at some point, tussle with Dwayne Johnson’s version of the classic DC character.
At the very least, it ties Black Adam more firmly into Shazam’s story. In the comic books, Sabbac made his first appearance in Captain Marvel, Jr. #4 back in 1943. His link to Captain Marvel/Shazam is no coincidence – he was originally known as Timothy Karnes, a hidden Nazi conspirator who acquired the demonic powers of Sabbac. But in the New 52 his ties to Shazam! are even stronger – Karnes, it turns out, is the former foster brother of none other than Freddy Freeman, aka Captain Marvel Jr.
Whether a hint of these backstories makes it into the Black Adam movie remains to be seen. For now, we’ve got our first good look at the demonic villain. And with demonic horns and a pentagram scratched into his chest, there’s no mistaking which side of good or evil this guy is on.
Find out more about Black Adam with our extensive look at the film’s superhero cast, as well as our look at the complicated history of Shazam!
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.