Osiris (DC Comics)

Osiris is the name of three fictional characters published by DC Comics. The first appeared in 1994 as a foil for the Justice League. The second appeared under the Vertigo Comics imprint in a spin-off of The Sandman in 2002. The third debuted in the pages of Teen Titans and 52 in 2006.

Publication history

The first Osiris appeared in Justice League International vol. 2 #62 (March 1994) and was created by Gerard Jones and Chuck Wojtkiewicz. He appeared monthly in that title and its companions, Justice League America and Justice League Task Force until August 1994. The second Osiris appeared in the one-shot Sandman Presents: The Thessaliad #1 (March 2002) and was created by Bill Willingham and Shawn McManus. The third Osiris was first depicted in Teen Titans vol. 3 #38 (September 2006) and was created by Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Grant Morrison and Mark Waid. He appeared extensively in the weekly series 52 published in 2006 and 2007.

Fictional character biography

Agent of the Overmaster

Osiris, Art by Chuck Wojtkiewicz.

Osiris is an Egyptian hero who wears a high-tech suit of golden armor and believes he is the god Osiris re-incarnate. He first appeared as an agent of the Overmaster and a member of the Cadre of the Immortal. After the Immortal’s death, Osiris finally perceived the true threat of the Overmaster, he, Seneca and Mohammed Ibn Bornu allied themselves with the Justice League in order to stop the Overmaster.^[1]

God of death

Osiris is the Egyptian god of death, fertility, and resurrection. He is also the lord of the Egyptian underworld and was appointed to be one of three judges of the desceased, alongside Thoth and Anubis. In modern times, Osiris and the death gods Hel, Morrigan and Pluto conspired to steal the life force of a young girl named Thessaly, because of her status as the last Thessalian witch. Their scheme failed and the young witch dismembered the Ibis-headed immortal and scattered his body parts across time and space.^[2][3]

Amon Tomaz

Osiris first appears in a picture of teen superheroes and was a part of the Teen Titans between the events of the Infinite Crisis and One Year Later. Week 23 of the series 52 reveals that Osiris is Amon Tomaz, brother of the hero Isis.^[4] He is also the brother-in-law of Black Adam.

Amon has been repeatedly beaten and tortured by members of the criminal cult Intergang who are trying to brainwash him into joining the cult. He refuses to join them time and again and tries to run away, resulting in the beatings getting worse, as Intergang tries to make sure he will never walk again. He is discovered by the Question and Renee Montoya who alert Isis and Black Adam to his location. The super-powered couple arrive to free him, and Isis discovers that her powers over nature are not enough to heal his wounds as they are too deep, and that Amon will never walk again. Black Adam shares the powers of his gods with the boy, and Amon calls down the mystical lightning by saying his benefactor's name, "Black Adam". He gains the same powers as the rest of the Marvel Family. Amon's paraplegia, empowerment, and age all vaguely resemble Captain Marvel, Jr.'s.

During Week 26, he along with Black Adam and his sister, Isis, fly to Nanda Parbat, carrying Renee Montoya and the Question, leaving them there.^[5]

Later he feels that he wants friends. He and the other Black Marvels help the other Marvels defeat Sabbac on Halloween using their magic lightning when he tries to sacrifice children to Neron. After doing acts of good and helping people throughout the world, he travels to America to join the Teen Titans, along with his "friend" Sobek, a bioengineered talking crocodile taken from Sivana's labs after being found during a charity dinner with Venus Sivana, who he named. Captain Marvel Jr. was at first skeptical because of Amon's connection to Black Adam, but is emotionally moved by Osiris' eagerness and promises to vouch for him. Junior's only condition is that Osiris must "convince the rest of the world" of his pure intentions. Osiris, filled with hope, accepts. However, shortly afterwards, the Persuader began torturing Isis during a conflict between the Black Adam family and the Suicide Squad with his atomic axe, cutting open her cheek. Angered, Osiris uses too much force and tears Persuader in half, turning public opinion against the Black Marvel family. Sobek brings him apples and tries to comfort him.

Feeling despair over his killing of the Persuader, Osiris travels to the Rock of Eternity to ask Captain Marvel to remove his powers, as he feels they are a curse and are destroying Khandaq. Black Adam and Isis attempt to assure him that his abilities are not evil in nature and he can still do good. Marvel states that Osiris is not a bad person as the Sins (demons imprisoned in Marvel's lair) did not want him. Osiris attacks Black Adam, but stops his anger when he accidentally hits Isis. Osiris relents and returns home with his sister and brother-in-law. Days later, Osiris, still not convinced, plans to leave Khandaq forever with Sobek, who persuades the teenager to reject the powers of Black Adam and revert to Amon to rid himself of his 'curse'. Osiris decides that being unable to walk must be his penance. Osiris does so and is devoured alive by Sobek, who reveals himself as Famine, Horseman of Apokolips.

Despite his short time as a Titan, a memorial statue of Osiris has been erected in Titans Tower.^[6]

Blackest Night

Osiris was later reanimated as a Black Lantern.^[7] 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. However, because Black Adam had magically restored Amon's body to its empowered form before its entombment, Osiris was able to resist the ring's control and ultimately severed his own connection, along with that of the Black Lantern Sobek by using his lightning which struck both him and Sobek, finally dying a hero.^[8]

Brightest Day

Along with several other heroes and villains Osiris was brought back to life at the end of Blackest Night. Due to being dead during Osiris's tenure with the Titans, Superboy humorously asks Kid Flash who Osiris is, referring to him as "Black Adam Jr.". Osiris ignores his fellow Titans, simply stating that he wishes to return home.^[9]

Following this, Osiris returns to Khandaq, vowing to restore the kingdom to its former prosperity. Osiris takes the petrified bodies of Black Adam and Isis and flies off to an unknown destination.^[10] During a flashback, it is revealed that Osiris attempted to return to the Teen Titans, only to leave in anger after being told by Wonder Girl to turn himself over to the authorities for killing Persuader.^[11]

Angered when he discovers that he does not possess the power to restore his loved ones, Osiris enlists in Deathstroke's new team of Titans hoping that the mercenary will be able to help him in his goal. During his first mission with the team, Osiris assists in the murder of Ryan Choi, the fourth Atom. During his confrontation with Choi, Osiris tells the hero that he is sorry that he has to kill him. After the mission, Osiris becomes angered at Deathstroke's choice to name the team after the Teen Titans, claiming that they do not deserve it.^[12]

After the Titans' second mission, Osiris returns to his quarters, in which the statues of Adam and Adrianna are. He notices that Adrianna's statue has changed slightly, developing a crack in her cheek. Osiris sits and meditates, willing that Adrianna shows him the way. The White Lantern symbol appears above him as he does so.^[13]

Osiris is soon after contacted by the Entity, who tells him to free Isis.^[14] Just prior to being contacted by the Entity, Osiris enters into a verbal altercation with two of his teammates, Cinder and Tattooed Man, and ends up being cut across the face by the latter. Shocked after seeing that Tattooed Man was somehow able to make him bleed, a confused Osiris flies off into the sky, where he is eventually approached by the Entity. After learning that he must free his sister, Osiris muses that he may be able to rescue Black Adam as well, and claims that once his sister and Adam are freed, he will make the Titans regret mistreating him.^[15]

During a battle with a drug kingpin named Elijah, Osiris again experiences a vision of Isis after Pisces knocks him out. She tells her brother that he is guilty for his hand in the murder of Ryan Choi, and that in order to free her, he will have to kill more people, making many more sacrifices. Osiris accidentally electrocutes Elijah after waking from his vision when he yells about Isis, and returns home to find that more cracks have appeared on Isis' statue. He then surmises that it was Elijah's death which caused the cracks, and states that he will indeed have to kill more people to free Isis from her prison.^[16]

During a breakout at Arkham Asylum, Osiris is confronted by Killer Croc whom Osiris believes to be his old friend Sobek, who killed him. and brutally attacks him. Osiris kills a guard with lightning, although by doing so he releases all of the prisons' inmates.^[17] While they battle, the new Batman arrives and see Osiris, realising that he has been working with Deathstroke's team.^[18] Batman tries to get Osiris to explain his actions, but Osiris eventually escapes from Arkham Asylum and departs Deathstroke's team.^[19] Osiris travels to Philadelphia where he brutally kills several armed criminals until Freddy Freeman, the new Shazam, arrives.^[20] Osiris and Freddy fight, with Freddy trying to convince Osiris to stop killing. Osiris tricks Freddy into thinking he has been convinced, then uses the magic lightning to steal Freddy's powers and gives them to Isis, restoring her. The Entity then speaks to Osiris telling him that his mission has been accomplished and his life has been restored. However, Isis' first words to Osiris when he returns to her are "What have you done to me?"^[21] Osiris discovers that the deaths he caused have corrupted Isis' soul, causing her to fluctuate between her normal personality and a cruel callous one. While watching over her, he sees a news report on Khandaq being attacked by Qurac, and returns to find she has escaped.^[22] Isis attempts to commit suicide by lightning in order from her corrupted of destroy the world, but Osiris shields her with his own body. When they awake, Isis discovers that the corruption has left her, but she still feels it inside Osiris, and it worries her.^[23]

Later, Osiris attacks the Qurac soldiers alongside Isis; she learns that Osiris became more violent to killing soldiers. Osiris then join Deathstroke's Titans to attacks Justice League, where were stopped by Isis to force them to leave Khandaq. She further ruler ship to withdraw from the United Nations, and says they will outlaw and recognize no power but their own for starting of World War III. When they leave, Osiris is stunned that his sister, Isis that he is not welcome in Khandaq of his bloodlust.^[24] Upon returning to the labyrinth, Deathstroke reveals to them that his proceeding items were used to create a healing machine called "Methuselah" for his dying son, Jericho. After healing Jericho, Deathstroke claims the machine can also resurrect the dead also can bring Black Adam as well. Osiris initially accepts, but after Cinder declares the Device a curse, he joins his and Tattooed Man in fighting the other Titans to destroy the Device.^[25] After Cinder sacrifices herself to destroy the device, Osiris leaves with Doctor Sivana in tow. He demands that Sivana create a new Methuselah Device to restore Black Adam, but Sivana asks in return that he helps him kill the wizard Shazam.^[26]

The New 52

In the rebooted universe Amon Tomas is a young human recruited by the Sons of Adam, a terrorist group working on freeing Khandaq from Ibac's dictatorship. Due to his translating abilities he is tasked in reading an ancient spell to resurrect Black Adam but before completing it, the military attacks them. Amon, mortally injured, makes his sister Adrianna complete the spell which revives Black Adam.^[27]

Powers and abilities

When he says the name of his brother-in-law and benefactor Black Adam, Amon Tomaz is transformed into Osiris. In this form, he is granted access to Black Adam's powers, which are derived from ancient Egyptian gods.

These gods and powers are:

It is unclear if, due to Black Adam's absence, Amon has access to Adam's full power (rather than just a portion).

Other versions

Flashpoint

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 European 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]

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

External links

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