| Sargon the Sorcerer | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | (John) All-American Comics #26 (May 1941) (David) Helmet of Fate: Sargon #1 (April 2007) (Jamini) Constantine #1 (March 2013) |
| Created by | (John) John B. Wentworth (writer) Howard Purcell (artist) (David) Steve Niles (writer) Scott Hampton (artist) (Jaimini) Ray Fawkes (writer) Jeff Lemire (writer) Renato Guedes (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | John Sargent David John Sargent Jaimini Sargent |
| Species | Homo magi |
| Team affiliations | (John): All-Star Squadron Justice League Cult of the Cold Flame (David): Sentinels of Magic (Jaimini): Cult of the Cold Flame |
| Partnerships | Tannarak Mister E |
| Notable aliases | (Jamini): Sargon the Sorcreress |
| Abilities |
|
Sargon the Sorcerer is the name of several fictional characters appearing inDC Comics. The first version of the character appeared in 1941, during the period known to fans as theGolden Age.[1]
The original incarnation of the character isJohn Sargent, son of archaeologist Richard Sargent, who gained magic powers after reciting an incantation while holding an artifact that had been given to him by his mother. Fearing a negative public reception from having genuine magic powers, Sargent formed astage magician persona to disguise his abilities. Over time, he became a crime-fighter and was notably a peer of other magic users such asZatara andBaron Winters. The character was later killed during a ritual meant to help theSwamp Thing andDeadman battle the Great Darkness.
The second Sargon,David Sargent, first appears inHelmet of Fate: Sargon #1 (April 2007) and was created bySteve Niles andScott Hampton. David is the grandson of John Sargent. He gained a shard of the Ruby of Life from demons who had previously been unable to explore John’s estate due to magical protections; the demons were unaware of David’s relationship to John. Upon bestowing the shard in his chest, he succeeded his grandfather and established himself as a mystic superhero. The character's tenure is short-lived, as he is seemingly killed byLobo in Hell after sacrificing his own energies to transport heroes to the world of the living.
After theNew 52 reboot, the character's history changed; while John's lifetime mirrors the Golden Age storyline, the character is instead succeeded by his daughter,Jaimini Sargent. Unlike prior depictions of Sargon, Jaimini is portrayed primarily as a villain. The character appears ofEast Indian descent and is an adversary ofJohn Constantine, having usurped her father's name asSargon the Sorceress and his position within the Cult of the Cold Flame.
Sargon appeared inlive-action in theArrowverse crossoverCrisis on Infinite Earths, portrayed by Raúl Herrera.
John Sargent, the original Sargon, first appeared inAll-American Comics #26 (May 1941), and was created by John B. Wentworth andHoward Purcell.[1] The character continued inAll-American Comics until issue #50 (June 1943), and then moved toComic Cavalcade (1943-1946) andSensation Comics (1946-1948).[2]
Sargon debuted inAll-American Comics #26, with a publication date of May 1941. He was a stage magician, dressed like aswami complete withturban, to disguise the fact that he wielded true mystic powers, passing off such feats asillusions. As a child, he came into possession of the mystic Ruby of Life which allowed him to control anything he touches (touching the ground lets him erect a wall, for instance).[3]
Taking his professional name from theancient king of the same name, Sargon has had a checkered career, acting mostly as a hero during theGolden Age aided first by his lady assistant Flora Styles, and later by his cartoonish fat littlecomic reliefsidekick / manager Maximillian O'Leary as he battled crooks, spies and his azure-skinned archenemy the Blue Lama, the Queen ofblack magic.[4]
He re-emerges in theSilver Age – as a villain, at least at first. It was later explained that his villainous activities were the result of certain side effects of possessing the Ruby of Life. He was brought back for occasional guest appearances in the Silver Age and was awarded with an honorary membership in theJustice League inJustice League of America #99 in 1972. Sargon later explained that he moved from his home ofEarth-Two to take up residence onEarth-One in 1950.[5]
Sargon maintained contacts with several other mages in the DC Universe, notablyBaron Winters,Zatara (a fellowfaux stage magician), and the younger mageJohn Constantine. Sargon answered the summons of Constantine to participate in a ritual at the mansion of Winters to help deal with the effects of theCrisis on Infinite Earths, using theSwamp Thing as their portal into the war being fought inHell. Locking hands in a circle of power, and using the psychic powers of Constantine's drunken acquaintanceMento, the group of sorcerers (which also included Zatara's daughterZatanna) observed the events unfolding, and attempted in turn to channel their magical powers into several other mystical characters present in Hell, includingEtrigan the Demon, the originalDoctor Fate, and theSpectre.
Their enemy, a primal form of evil (called the Great Evil Beast) that was surging upwards to obliterate everything in its path, sensed their interference and lashed out several times; its power raced around the circle, finding a weak link and incinerating it. The first to fall was Sargon. At first panicking and crying out for the others to help him, and almost pulling his hands away from the circle, Sargon was rebuked by Zatara to maintain his composure and die like a sorcerer. In a final act of will, Sargon apologized for his outburst, calmly sat in place and was burned alive without a whimper, never letting go of his colleagues' hands the entire time. This ritual also kills Zatara and drives Mento insane.[6]
Sargon would later return inSwamp Thing, "borrowing" the body of an elderly German man named Koestler and planning to lead the souls trapped in Hell in an assault on Heaven. He sacrificed this form to save his niece, Gracie Brody.
During theBooks of Magic series, thePhantom Stranger and youngTimothy Hunter had a brief encounter with what was apparently Sargon's soul, who attempted to warn the boy of the dangers and costs of pursuing magic power. He then disintegrated right before their eyes, leaving behind his Ruby of Life.
Sargon appears in theDay of Judgement series as a gray soul in the realm of Purgatory. He presumably joins in the fight against the guardians of Purgatory when a team of living heroes arrives to bring back the soul of Hal Jordan.
In 2011, DC Comics rebooted the DC universe in "The New 52". Sargon appears briefly inJustice League Dark, where he is mentioned as one of the great magicians of the past age, among peers such as Zatara and Dr. Occult. InConstantine #1, Sargon is revealed to have been one of four powerful magicians who became corrupted by their power and formed the villainous cult known as the Cold Flame.
TheHelmet of Fate miniseries featured aSargon the Sorcerer one-shot, starring his successorDavid John Sargent.
A college dropout and former band singer, David lived as a drifter. Two men claiming to represent the estate of his grandfather, the original Sargon, found David and told him that he was John’s heir. The men were demons trying to find Sargon's Ruby of Life, but could not do so because of John’s protection spells.
David was tricked into signing away his grandfather's estate over to the two men, who then prepared to force him to find the Ruby when the Helmet of Fate suddenly appeared. David escaped the two and was led into his grandfather's secret attic by Sargon's ghost. Searching around, he found his grandfather's old props, his suit and turban, which contained some pieces of the Ruby. Those pieces then went into David's chest; through them Sargon was able to project himself in front of his grandson. He explained to David that he needed a successor to his name to find the remaining pieces of the Ruby, which had somehow shattered, and he was the only member of his bloodline still alive. He also explained that he pulled the Helmet off its course in order to provide a distraction long enough to grant David the Ruby's power.
David accepted the role of Sargon the Sorcerer, and armed with new mystical abilities, went to drive the two men from his home. At the time, the two used a piece of the Ruby they acquired to turn themselves into demons, and managed to weaken the Helmet. David then quickly disposed of the two, and sent the Helmet back on its course after placing a piece of himself into it.
David went on to play a part inReign in Hell, assistingZatanna andBlue Devil, and ultimately sacrificing himself toLobo's mercy to allow many heroes and anti-heroes out of Hell; this event left Zatanna and Blue Devil traumatized, as they were the ones who went to Sargon for help in the first place.[7]
In theConstantine:The Spark and the Flame, Jamini is revealed to have taken the powers of her father (who has since became corrupted) and his role in the group, calling herself "Sargon the Sorceress", and set her sights on Constantine as both sought to reconstruct a mystical item known as the "Croyden Compass", a magic artifact that can seek out magic power sources, intent on increasing her already formidable sorcery. After learning Constantine was also after the artifact and already had gained its dial. As Constantine sought the lens, he is ensnared by Sargon, who attempts to force the location of the lens out of him, as she and Tannark were unable to find the lens within the shop of Agnus Croyden's son, Phillip. Constantine reveals that his son's eyes are the lens they sought but frees the Riddling Butcher, an enemy of Jaimini's father in the past, and leaves her to fight the demon after predicting she would emerge victorious.[8]
An unidentified Sargon the Sorcerer makes a cameo appearance in theArrowverse crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths", portrayed by Raúl Herrera.
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