Osiris (DC Comics)

Osiris
Amon Tomaz as Osiris. Art by Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens, and Norm Rapmund.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Cameo appearance: Teen Titans #38 (September 2006) Full appearance: 52 #23 (December 2006)
Created by	Geoff Johns Grant Morrison Greg Rucka Mark Waid Keith Giffen Drew Johnson
In-story information
Alter ego	Amon Tomaz
Species	Human
Place of origin	Kahndaq (current) Cairo, Egypt (formerly)
Team affiliations	Teen Titans Titans, Villains for Hire Black Marvel Family Black Lantern Corps White Lantern Corps Sons of Adam
Supporting character of	Black Adam Captain Marvel / Shazam
Notable aliases	Black Adam Jr. Heir of Black Adam
Abilities	By speaking the name of his benefactor ("Black Adam"), he is bestowed the same powers derived of Egyptian mythological deities. These powers grant him various others such as: Superhuman physical attributes: strength, speed, durability, etc. Enhanced intelligence and knowledge Physical and magical invulnerability Control over lightning, magic, and flight Skilled combatant, musician, and knowledge in the supernatural.
Altered in-story information for adaptations to other media
Alter ego	Behrad Tazari Behrad Tomaz
Team affiliations	League of Legends

Osiris is a fictional character in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in 52 #23, the character was created by Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, and Grant Morrison. Throughout the publication of the character's history, he often serves as both an analogue to Captain Marvel Jr./Shazam Jr. in Black Adam's supporting cast while being depicted as a superhero, antihero, and villain.

The character's alter-ego is Amon Tomaz, a Cairo-born Egyptian teenager and younger brother of Adrianna Tomaz who is captured and sold into slavery by Intergang, an organized crime syndicate and enemies of Superman whose advanced technology is supplied secretly by Apokoliptian New Gods. Although brutalized, Black Adam heals him by granting him a portion of his power, transforming him into the demigod-esque being and christened as "Osiris", named after the aforementioned deity by the Egyptian deities, and becomes Black Adam's first protege, a royal prince of Kahndaq, and a member of his Black Marvel Family. ^{[1] [2]} As Osiris, the character was a brief member of the Teen Titans before he is discredited by Amanda Walle r and undergoes a comic book death when he is first killed by Sobek, revealed to be a Apokoliptian Four Horsemen. A older Amon is resurrected during Brightest Day but is corrupted due to outside influences, joining up with Deathstroke's Titans in hopes of resurrecting both his brother-in-law and older sister. Following the New 52 reboot, he is first cast as a Kahndaqi-native teenager and freedom fighter acting as a occult specialist in the Sons of Adam, a group of revolutionaries dedicated to resurrecting Black Adam. Aspects of his past history is restored although he is deceased due to being killed by one of the Four Horsemen.

In the Arrowverse television series Legends of Tomorrow , a different iteration of the character named Behrad Tarazi was introduced and played by Shayan Sobhian. Additionally, Amon Tomaz made his live-action debut in the DC Extended Universe film Black Adam (2022), portrayed by Bodhi Sabongui. Within the movie's version, the character is expressed as Adrianna's son rather than younger brother. In the movie, her brother was named Karim and was portrayed by Mohammed Amer. ^{[3] [4]}

Creation

During the development of the 52 series, Osiris character came into fruition later in the development process as the team behind the book sought to create a love interest for Black Adam (initially considering Power Girl and Hippolyta before settling on creating a new version of Isis) and later, a supporting cast for the character with Amon introduced as a brother-in-law. ^[2] As Osiris's character came into focus during the series, Geoff Johns created the Sobek character to act as a unique companion to the character, opting to dis-include another Marvel Family parallel character or another young superhero character. ^[1]

Publication history

Osiris was first depicted in Teen Titans #38 (September 2006), making his full appearance in 52 #23 (December 2006), created by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Keith Giffen, and Drew Johnson. ^[5] He appeared extensively in the 2006-2007 weekly series 52 as a supporting character within Black Adam's portion of the story. ^{[2] [1]} The character is eventually killed off in the forty-third issue of the series, with his sequences involving his death drawn by Giffen. Giffen was noted to dislike the character and originally drew a short joke comic with Sobek's character humorously contemplating eating the character, unaware of the character's death scene. ^[2]

In March 2010, Osiris would first briefly return briefly in the Blackest Night crossover event. As part of DC's January campaign of bringing back 'dead comic runs', the Black Lantern Osiris featured in the one-shot The Power of Shazam! revival. ^[6] Two months later, the character would make a full revival within the eighth issue of the Blackest Night main series.

Fictional character biography

Born in Cairo, Amon was the younger brother of Adrianna and a teenager with dreams of becoming a musician until his parents are tragically killed by Intergang. ^[6] The pair are captured and separated as they're sold into slavery but Intergang later intended to brainwash the young man and when he showcased the strength of will to resist their coercion from mind control and torture, he is brutalized into a paraplegic as punishment. He is found by the Question and Renee Montoya, friends of Adrianna (now Isis) and Black Adam and is saved. When his injures proved to great to easily heal, Black Adam shares his power and makes him to hero and royal prince Osiris, completing his Black Marvel Family. ^[1]

As Osiris, Amon seeks to use his abilities for good and prove himself heroic despite doubts from the superhero community and world powers due to his affiliation with Black Adam. While Osiris secured membership with the Teen Titans briefly, he is discredited by Amanda Waller and the Suicide Squad when he kills Persuader, whose Atomic Axe and radioactive-based powers proved apt against Isis's power and goes for a killing blow. Now branded a killer, he is ostracized by the hero community and shortly after, is killed by close friend and ally Sobek, revealing himself as Famine. Isis's death follows and in her final words, expresses regret in tempering Adam and pleads to avenge both her and Amon. ^[2] Their shared deaths proved a catalyst for Black Adam's rampage during the "World War III" storyline. Despite the Teen Titan's reservations for Osiris, a statue of him was erected in his honor. ^[7]

Blackest Night and Brightest Day

Osiris would later return briefly returned as a reanimated Black Lantern corpse, ^[8] possessing the powers of a champion (in a period the Marvel Family were depowered) due to Black Adam using his godly power to restore his body to ensure a pleasant afterlife. He comes into conflict with a reanimated Black Lantern Sobek but manages to kill him himself, dying as a hero both for himself and in the perspective of his people. ^[6] Along with several other heroes and villains Osiris was brought back to life at the end of Blackest Night. ^[9] Amon appears briefly as he returns to Kahndaq, his body fully healed. Vowing to restore Kahndaq to its former prosperity, Osiris takes the petrified bodies of Black Adam and Isis and flies off to an unknown destination. ^[10]

Titans, Villains for Hire

Osiris later becomes involved with Deathstroke's Titan team shortly after being ushed by Wonder Girl to turn himself to authorities over the killing of Persuader, leaving in anger as he tries to resurrect Black Adam and Isis to no avail. When promised by Deathstroke to seeking a solution if he joins him, Osiris accepts and helps him assassinate Ryan Choi but finds himself in several moral dilemmas involved in killing others, his turbulent relations with other teammates, and comes into conflict with several heroes such as Batman (Dick Grayson) and Captain Marvel (Freddy Freeman),. Using Freddy's divine power, he resurrects Isis from her petrified state but leaves him depowered and Isis in a frantic state. While she is saved, she expressed disapproval for both his actions and recognizes a corruption within him. ^{[11] [12]} When his morality further deteriorates and following reaffirming his affiliation with Deathstroke, Isis ousts him from his position as ruler of Kahndaq and follows Deathstroke as he reveals his true plans in constructing a device capable of resurrecting his son and his teammate's lost loved ones. When the device manages to resurrect Jericho, the team is split and battles one another in which cumilates to the destruction of the device. Osiris leaves with Doctor Sivana in tow and asks him to rebuild the device but Sivana asks him in his help to kill the wizard Shazam. ^[13]

The New 52 and DC Rebirth

In 2011, "The New 52" rebooted the DC Universe. Amon Tomas is a teeanger recruited by the Sons of Adam, a terrorist group working on freeing Khandaq from Ibac's dictatorship. Due to his translating and occult knowledge, he is tasked in reading an ancient spell to resurrect Black Adam. But before completing it, the military attacks them. Mortally injured, Amon makes his sister Adrianna complete the spell which revives Black Adam. ^[14]

During the 2016 "Shazam! and the Seven Magiclands" storyline, it is revealed that Isis and Osiris's (Adrianna and Amon)'s prior history as the super-powered Black Marvel Family was restored although they died under unknown circumstances years prior. Mister Mind and Doctor Sivanna would later attempt to recruit Black Adam into his Monster Society of Evil by tempting him with the power of the Darklands, which Mind claimed could resurrect those who he tried to in the past, including Amon and Adrianna. ^[15]

Characterization

Amon Tomaz is a former teenage slave who suffered injuries from Intergang made to render him paraplegic but regains mobility following Black Adam sharing his powers with him and makes him a prince of Kahndaq. ^[1] The character was initially described to be kind-heart, trusting, and naive to an extent with unwavering loyalty towards Kahndaq, Black Adam, and Isis, the last whom is his older sister. ^[16] Following their revival, the character undergoes a notable change in attitude, displaying a more anti-hero outlook driven by their determination to resurrect their sister. His jaded nature is attributed to external corruption, potentially influenced by Blaze and the trauma of their initial death. ^[17]

A supporting character of Black Adam, Osiris within the DC Universe narratively parallels his mentor in being a benevolent and respect figure in Kahndaq ^{[10] [6]} but a controversial figure within both the superhero community and world at large, a reoccurring conflict with the character. ^{[16] [17]}

Depiction of death

Osiris's death has been depicted differently numerous times over the course of the character's history. The character was first killed off originally in the 43rd issue of the 52 series. ^[2] The character would be resurrected in early 2010 within the Blackest Night crossover main series and remained alive until the New 52 reboot. ^[9] Within the original version of the rebooted continuity, Amon Tomaz would later be killed by a stray bullet as he attempted to resurrect a recently slain Black Adam. ^[14] DC Rebirth restored the character's prior history ^[15] seemingly expressed from the original 52 series ^[18] but remained deceased, with no mentioning of the character's history reflected in the 2008 Titans series.

Powers and abilities

As an ordinary human, Amon possess no inherent superpowers but proved willful enough to resist the brainwashing. ^[19] Amon was mentioned to be a bass guitar player while in his New 52 portrayal, he had an acute knowledge in history and occultism, particularly those connected to Kahndaq, Egypt, and the Wizard Shazam. ^[14]

Magical abilities

Similarly to the other champions, Osiris can transformed into a demigod-like superpowered form by speaking the magic word although instead of "Shazam", he transforms by saying "Black Adam". ^[19] Alongside the Powers of Shazam, as a member of the Black Marvel Family, the character possesses a portion of power derived from Isis. By invoking her name, he can perform various acts, including projecting lightning and depowering others using the Powers of Shazam. This power establishes a link between himself and his sister, strengthening their connection. ^[17]

Powers of Shazam

Amon originally derived his power from a connection to Black Adam, granting him a portion of his powers in which are derived from Egyptian deities ^[1] and are depicted as being of greater magnitude in power. ^[20] These powers were enhanced following his resurrection and in the 2008 Titans series, he initially possessed all of the collective power of Black Adam. ^[17] He also possessed a portion of Isis's power but were relinquished following his sister's revival. ^[17]

S	Stamina of Shu	The equivalent to the "Stamina of Atlas", The stamina attribute from Shu enables Amon to maintain his empowered state for an extended period without any time limitations. Additionally, the empowerment provides Amon with substance, eliminating the need for eating, sleeping, and even breathing. As a result, Adam can operate at peak efficiency, unaffected by the physiological requirements that typically apply to ordinary individuals. [21]
H	Speed of Horus	The equivalent to the "Speed of Mercury", the Speed of Horus grants Amon super speed, enhanced reflexes, motor skills, and flight, enabling them to move at incredible speeds, react swiftly, perform precise maneuvers, and soar through the air. His speed ranks around at least 16,000 miles per hour (roughly Mach 20). [16]
A	Strength of Amon	The equivalent of the "Strength of Hercules", this bestows Amon an exceptional level of superhuman strength. He gains the ability to exert immense physical power, surpassing the capabilities of ordinary individuals. With this heightened strength, they can effortlessly lift and manipulate objects of tremendous weight, overpower adversaries with ease, and deliver devastating blows in combat. [21] Osiris's strength level is comparable to that of a Kryptonian [22] [17] and was capable of lifting at least 6,000 tons prior to his resurrection. [16]
Z	Wisdom of Zeuheti	Similar to the "Wisdom of Solomon", the Wisdom of Zehuti grants Adam slightly different powers from the wisdom derived from Solomon; The wisdom enhanced Adam's mind, granting him near eidetic memory, a greater understanding of mathematics, combat strategy, languages, sciences, and he can also sense mystical forces. [23] Similar to the Wisdom of Solomon, the power is considered an active one a champion must channel to activate. [21] It also granted him an understanding of architecture that enabled him to build hospitals. [19]
A	Power of Aten	The equivalent to the "Power of Zeus", this attributes facilitates the transformation that grants Amon access to the full range of his powers, including the ability to shoot bursts of electricity and lightning. He also possesses a limited gift of teleportation, allowing him to effortlessly travel to and from the Rock of Eternity with a single thought. Notably, the Power of Aten empowers him with the potential to use magic and cast spells. This power is considered the most difficult, requiring the most study, focus and discipline. [21] Amon possesses an affinity for magic and showcased some abilities in casting spells and magic when he attempted to resurrect his sister and brother-in-law. [17] [24]
M	Courage of Mehen	The equivalent to the "Courage of Achilles", the Courage of Mehen grants Osiris peak physical defenses, rendering her nearly invulnerable. This heightened level of invulnerability provides significant protection against physical harm. Additionally, the empowerment grants Amon resistance to various elements, including heat, force, disease, and the effects of aging. This attribute allow Mary to withstand extreme conditions and maintain her health and vitality against formidable challenges. [21] Additionally, Amon possess a degree of magical invulnerability and has a high resistance to mind control, having resisted the Black Lantern rings successfully. [22] [17]

Living Lightning

In the current continuity, Osiris shares the same powers as Black Adam, being that he is given the Living Lightning; The Living Lightning grants additional, separate powers of its own; it allows for lightning control, usage of certain spells in circumstances, and can enhance the power of magic spells, healing abilities, and strength. ^{[25] [26]} This power is also among the only known supernatural forces capable of directly countering energies originating from the Great Darkness. ^[27]

Weaknesses

As a member of the Black Marvel Family, Amon and the other members share a collective reservoir of power. The strength of Amon's abilities is contingent upon the number of individuals within the Black Marvel Family who have also undergone their respective transformations.

Other versions

• In the alternate timeline of the Flashpoint event, Osiris is a prince of Kahndaq and member of the H.I.V.E. council. He voted for using nuclear weapons to end the war in Western Europe between Aquaman and Wonder Woman, believing the death of his sister, Isis was caused by them. When Traci Thirteen battles the council, she is able to defeat him by casting spells ending in her saying 'Shazam!' causing Osiris to turn back. ^[28]

In other media

• A character inspired by Amon Tomaz named Behrad Tarazi appears in Legends of Tomorrow , portrayed by Shayan Sobhian as an adult ^[29] and by Bodhi Sabongui in flashbacks. He originally hails from a possible dystopian future in 2042, in which he possessed aerokinesis via the Air Totem before he was killed by A.R.G.U.S. After the Legends erase the dystopian future, a revived and altered Behrad joins them.
• Amon Tomaz appears in Black Adam , portrayed by Bodhi Sabongui. ^[30] This version is Adrianna Tomaz's teenage son who is a fan of superheroes and keeps Teth-Adam in his room, following him after his escape. Later, he finds out that Ishmael Gregor, his mother's partner, is actually the militant leader of Intergang, and escapes with the Crown of Sabbac but is captured. Upon Adam saving him from being killed by Ishmael, Amon discovers that Ishmael's death allowed him to be reborn as the demon Sabbac. Amon, Adrianna, and Karim rally the people of Khandaq to fight Sabbac's skeleton army while Teth-Adam and the Justice Society defeat Sabbac.

Collected editions

• Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns (collects The Power of Shazam! #48)
• Titans: Villains for Hire (collects Titans 24-27 and Titans: Villains for Hire Special #1)

References

1. Johns, Geoff; Morrison, Grant; Rucka, Greg; Waid, Mark (2013-03-05). 52 Vol.2. DC. ISBN   978-1-4012-4374-6.
2. Johns, Geoff; Morrison, Grant; Rucka, Greg; Waid, Mark (2013-05-07). 52 Vol.3. DC. ISBN   978-1-4012-4577-1.
3. 'Black Adam': 13-Year-Old Bodhi Sabongui Nabs Key Role in New Line's DC Movie (Exclusive)
4. Black Adam - Synopsis
5. Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 224. ISBN   978-1-4654-5357-0.
6. The Power of Shazam! #48 (March 2010)
7. Teen Titans (vol. 3) #62 (October 2008)
8. Blackest Night #3 (November 2009)
9. Blackest Night #8 (March 2010)
10. Brightest Day #0 (April 2010)
11. Wallace, Eric; Fiorentino, Fabrizio (2011). Titans: Family Reunion. DC Comics. ISBN   978-0-85768-814-9.
12. Wallace, Eric; Fiorentino, Fabrizio (2011). Titans: Villains for Hire. DC Comics. ISBN   978-0-85768-201-7.
13. Titans (vol. 2) #38 (August 2011)
14. Justice League of America v3, 7.4 (November 2013)
15. Johns, Geoff (2020). Shazam! and the seven magic lands. Dale Eaglesham, Scott Kolins, Marco Santucci, Mayo Naito, Max Raynor, Michael Atiyeh, Rob Leigh. Burbank, CA. ISBN   978-1-77950-459-3. OCLC   1184122596.
16. Bulmer, Darren; Ciechanowski, Walt; Huff, Chris; Johnson, Sean; Kenson, Steve; McFarland, Matthew (2011-10-25). DC Adventures Heroes & Villains, Volume 1: Allies and Enemies from the DC Universe. Diamond Comic Distributors. ISBN   978-1-934547-38-0.
17. Wallace, Eric (2011). Titans : villains for hire. Fabrizio Fiorentino. New York: DC Comics. ISBN   978-1-4012-3048-7. OCLC   642843031.
18. Haun, Jeremy (2023-08-01). Knight Terrors: Black Adam (2023) #2. DC Comics.
19. Johns, Geoff; Morrison, Grant; Waid, Mark; Rucka, Greg (2017-01-03). 52 Vol. 2. DC Comics. ISBN   978-1-4012-7579-2.
20. Countdown to final crisis. Paul Dini, Jesús Saiz, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, Adam Beechen, Tony Bedard, Sean McKeever, David Lopez, Mike Norton, Jim Calafiore, Carlos Magno, Al Barrionuevo, Don Hillsman, Rodney Ramos, Jack Purcell, Tom Derenick, Jamal Igle, Scott Kolins, Pete Woods, John Stanisci, Wayne Faucher, Mark McKenna, Jay Leisten, Art Thibert, Jared K. Fletcher, Ken Lopez, Travis Lanham, Tom Chu, Alex Bleyaert, Pete Pantazis, Rod Reis. New York. 2008. ISBN   978-1-4012-1789-1. OCLC   231623970.
21. Jaffe, Alex (October 5, 2021). "Shazam!: What's in a Name?". DC Comics. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
22. Manning, Matthew K. (2021). The DC Comics encyclopedia : the definitive guide to the characters of the DC Universe. Alan Cowsill, Jim Lee (New ed.). London. ISBN   978-0-241-43953-1. OCLC   1260845288.
23. "DC Universe Infinite Encyclopedia: Black Adam". 2021-05-08. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
24. "Shazam!: What's in a Name?". DC. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
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26. "DC Universe Infinite Encyclopedia: Shazam". 2021-06-15. Archived from the original on June 15, 2021. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
27. Williamson, Joshua (2024-05-28). Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. DC Comics. ISBN   978-1-77952-518-5.
28. Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint #1 (June 2011)
29. Agard, Chancellor (July 18, 2019). "How DC's Legends of Tomorrow is living its best life as TV's superhero underdog". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved July 18, 2019.
30. Kit, Borys (April 8, 2021). "'Black Adam': 13-Year-Old Bodhi Sabongui Nabs Key Role in New Line's DC Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.

External links

• DCU Guide: Osiris, Agent of the Overmaster
• DCU Guide: Osiris, Egyptian deity