Black Adam is the next DC Comics live-action movie, and it’s right around the corner. The movie will star Dwayne Johnson, finally bringing to life the anti-hero he’s always wanted to become on the big screen. But who will he be going up against? Well, aside from the Justice Society of America, Teth-Adam will have to go toe-to-toe with the demonic Sabbac.
In the comics, Sabbac is very similar to both Shazam and Black Adam in terms of how his powers work. Upon saying his name, the massive red demon is given the powers of half-a-dozen deities—including Satan himself.
There have been two people to hold this power, with the first being Freddy Freeman’s foster brother, Timothy Karnes, and the second being a New York City crime boss.
But what will the villain’s backstory be in the movie, and how many similarities will it hold?
Black Adam’s Villain Gets a Backstory
Thanks to the description on the back of a McFarlane Toys figure of Black Adam's Sabbac, fans now know a little bit more of the villain’s backstory in the upcoming blockbuster film.
The blurb revealed that the Sabbac seen on screen is “a military Intergang leader… [is] possessed by a demon.. The information also made it clear that this villain is “the only being whose powers are equal to those of Black Adam:"
“Possessed by a demon, a military Intergang leader transforms into Sabbac, the only being whose powers are equal to those of Black Adam. Determined to take over Kahndaq and maybe the whole world, Sabbac must be stopped, and the fiercely autonomous Black Adam may need the help of some unlikely allies to outmatch him.”
A Gang Leader Possessed by Sabbac
Given the situation alluded to in this new information, it’s safe to assume that the third act of the film will take a more stereotypical approach. Black Adam will likely have to team with the Justice Society of America in order to stop their mutual enemy, Sabbac.
So, while the JSA will likely be the first threat to The Rock’s anti-hero in the present day, their squabbles are almost certainly going to be laid to rest when they realize the danger the powerful demon represents. If the project does live up to that structure, it feels like it may fall into the same trappings many do, and Sabbac will end up underdeveloped by the time the movie ends.
For those comic purists, it seems the movie will be paying homage to the villain’s origin quite well. Though, it’s hard to have hoped that the story could have used Sabbac’s connections to Shazam in order to give the Shazam! movie some connective tissue.
Black Adam hits theaters on October 21 later this year.
