Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam has been touted as an anti-hero who comes into conflict with the Justice Society of America. However, the film will still require an outright villain, and new merchandise provides a glimpse at Marwan Kenzari's villainous Sabbac.
Black Adam has been a passion project for Johnson ever since he was cast in the role several years ago, so the marketing for the film has understandably focused on how the character is far from the standard noble superhero. Still, as a result, the villainous Sabbac was nowhere to be seen in the Black Adam trailer, despite Kenzari being cast as the Ishmael Gregor version of the character.
Now, the Home of DCEU Twitter account has shared new photos of McFarlane Toys' 7-inch action figure of Sabbac. The toy and accompanying box art offer fans their best look yet at Sabbac. Because the trailer focused on Black Adam's conflict with the Justice Society of America, little is known about Sabbac's role in the film. Still, given the character's abilities in the comics, it is expected that Sabbac will be enough of a threat to force Black Adam and the Justice Society to set aside their differences and come together to vanquish their common enemy.
In the comics, the Ishmael Gregor version of Sabbac is a red-skinned demon with horns and a pentagram emblazoned on his chest, not unlike the aforementioned action figure. Much Like Shazam, Gregor can become Sabbac or return to normal by saying the demonic entity's name. When he takes on the form of Sabbac, Gregor is bestowed with the powers of Satan, Aym, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Crateis. These abilities include superhuman strength, agility, and endurance, not to mention the power to fly and project fire from his mouth and hands.
It remains to be seen how much Black Adam will turn to the source material when it comes to adapting Sabbac for the silver screen, but if the villain is anything like the comic book character, he will certainly be a formidable foe for Johnson's anti-hero and the JSA. Actor Kenzari already has experience playing iconic villains after portraying Jafar in Disney's live-action Aladdin remake, so there's no reason to doubt he can successfully do his part in making Sabbac a memorable villain.
Black Adam is scheduled to release in theaters on October 21, 2022.
Source: McFarlane (via Home of DCEU)