| Osiris | |
|---|---|
![]() | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Cameo appearance:Teen Titans #38 (September 2006) Full appearance:52 #23 (December 2006) |
| Created by | |
| 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 |
|
| 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 inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics. First appearing in52 #23, the character was created byGeoff Johns,Greg Rucka, andGrant Morrison. Throughout the publication of the character's history, he often serves as both an analogue toCaptain Marvel Jr./Shazam Jr. inBlack Adam's supporting cast while being depicted as asuperhero,antihero, andvillain.
The character's alter-ego isAmon Tomaz, aCairo-born Egyptian teenager and younger brother ofAdrianna Tomaz who is captured and sold intoslavery byIntergang, an organized crime syndicate and enemies ofSuperman whose advanced technology is supplied secretly byApokoliptianNew Gods. Although brutalized, Black Adam heals him by granting him a portion of his power, transforming him into thedemigod-esque being and christened as "Osiris", named afterthe aforementioned deity by theEgyptian deities, and becomes Black Adam's first protege, aroyal prince ofKahndaq, and a member of hisBlack Marvel Family.[1][2] As Osiris, the character was a brief member of theTeen Titans before he is discredited byAmanda Waller and undergoes acomic book death when he is first killed bySobek, revealed to be a Apokoliptian Four Horsemen. A older Amon is resurrected duringBrightest Day but is corrupted due to outside influences, joining up withDeathstroke'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 andfreedom fighter acting as an occult specialist in the Sons of Adam, a group of revolutionaries dedicated to resurrecting Black Adam. Although he was killed by one of the Four Horsemen, aspects of his history are restored.
In theArrowverse television seriesLegends of Tomorrow, a different iteration of the character namedBehrad Tarazi was introduced and played by Shayan Sobhian. Additionally, Amon Tomaz made his live-action debut in theDC Extended Universe filmBlack Adam (2022), portrayed by Bodhi Sabongui. InBlack Adam, the character is expressed as Adrianna's son rather than younger brother. Her brother was namedKarim and was portrayed byMohammed Amer.[3][4]
During the development of the52 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 consideringPower Girl andHippolyta 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 Sobek to act as a unique companion to the character, opting to dis-include anotherMarvel Family parallel character or another young superhero character.[1]
Osiris was first depicted inTeen Titans #38 (September 2006), making his full appearance in52 #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 series52 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 Osiris and originally drew a short joke comic with Sobek humorously contemplating eating him, unaware of the character's death scene.[2]
In March 2010, Osiris would first briefly return briefly in theBlackest Night crossover event. As part of DC's January campaign of bringing back 'dead comic runs', the Black Lantern Osiris featured in the one-shotThe Power of Shazam! revival.[6] Two months later, the character would make a full revival within the eighth issue of theBlackest Night main series.
Born in Cairo, Amon was the younger brother of Adrianna and a teenager with dreams of becoming a musician until his parents are killed by Intergang.[6] The pair are captured and separated as they're sold intoslavery 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 aparaplegic as punishment. He is found by theQuestion andRenee Montoya, friends of Adrianna (now Isis) and Black Adam and is saved. When his injures proved to great to easily heal, 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 killsPersuader, 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 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]
Osiris would later return briefly returned as a reanimatedBlack 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] Osiris was brought back to life at the end ofBlackest Night along with several other formerly deceased heroes and villains.[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 Adam and Isis and flies off to an unknown destination.[10]
Osiris later becomes involved with Deathstroke's Titan team shortly after being ushed byWonder 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 assassinateRyan 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 asBatman (Dick Grayson) andCaptain 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 resurrectJericho, the team is split and battles one another in which cumilates to the destruction of the device. Osiris leaves withDoctor Sivana in tow and asks him to rebuild the device but Sivana asks him in his help to kill the wizardShazam.[13]
In 2011, "The New 52" rebooted the DC Universe. Amon Tomas is a teenager recruited by the Sons of Adam, a terrorist group working on freeing Khandaq fromIbac'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 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 andDoctor Sivanna would later attempt to recruit Black Adam into hisMonster 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]
Amon Tomaz is a former teenage slave who suffered injuries from Intergang made to render himparaplegic but regains mobility following Black Adam sharing his powers with him and makes him aprince 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 moreanti-hero outlook driven by their determination to resurrect their sister. His jaded nature is attributed to external corruption, potentially influenced byBlaze and the trauma of their initial death.[17]
A supporting character of Black Adam, Osiris within theDC 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]
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 the52 series.[2] The character would be resurrected in early 2010 within theBlackest Night crossover main series and remained alive until theNew 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 original52 series[18] but remained deceased, with no mentioning of the character's history reflected in the 2008Titans series.
As an ordinary human, Amon possess no inherent superpowers was willful enough to resist the brainwashing.[19] Amon was mentioned to be abass guitar player while in his New 52 portrayal, he had an acute knowledge in history and occultism, particularly those connected toKahndaq,Egypt, and theWizard Shazam.[14] 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]
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 additionally enhanced following his resurrection and in the 2008Titans series, as he possessed all of the collective power of Black Adam:[17]
| S | Stamina ofShu | 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 ofHorus | 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 ofAmon | 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 aKryptonian[22][17] and was capable of lifting at least 6,000 tons prior to his resurrection.[16] |
| Z | Wisdom ofZeuheti | 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 neareidetic 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 ofarchitecture that enabled him to build hospitals.[19] |
| A | Power ofAten | 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 theRock 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 ofMehen | 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] |
| Isis's power | 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] | |
| Living Lightning | In the current continuity, Osiris shared the same powers as Black Adam, granting him the Living Lighting that allows lightning control, usage of certain spells in circumstances, and can enhance the power of magic spells, healing abilities, and strength.[25][26] | |
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.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)