Ibis the Invincible
Ibis the Invincible is a male comic superhero who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Fawcett
Amentep was a male Egyptian Prince who lived during the 12th Dynasty around 4,000 years ago. At some point, he met the cousin of King Senwosri III which was Princess Taia with the two falling deeply in love with one another. (Whiz Comics v1 #2)
Within his sarcophagus, he remained for thousands of years with a prophecy stating he would live again. Eventually, the relic was recovered and taken to a famous American museum where it resided in the Egyptian wing. He awoke and used his magic to restore himself where he sought to reunite himself with his love Princess Taia. Whilst in America, he did numerous acts of good such as saving a mother and her son from a collision whilst also creating a home for a family that had no place to stay. He then chartered a ship to take him to Egypt unaware that the world was in the grip of World War II. Upon arriving at Thebes, he learnt that Princess Taia’s sarcophagus had been recovered 20 years ago and shipped to a museum in Europe. He then made his way there where he thought the world had gone mad after seeing the war fought between nations. Amentep came upon the city under siege where he lent the magic of his Ibistick in protecting it and creating food for the starving populace. He eventually arrived at his destination where he used his magic to restore Princess Taia to life. However, at that point, a thief emerged from the shadows and noticed the power of the Ibistick which he stole in order to make a profit for himself. (Whiz Comics v1 #2) Ibis was in pursuit though the thief ultimately escaped after using the Ibistick to create obstacles in his path. Alone with the artefact, he used it to create gold for himself when Ibis discovered him and attempted to recover it. The thief in anger attempted to turn Ibis into gold but the stick refused and directed the command against himself thus turning the criminal into a gold statue. He then quickly returned to the museum in order to free his life Taia who wanted to return to Thebes but Ibis informed her that the city of their past was long gone but that with his magic he would make a new Thebes for them. Thus, with the Ibistick, he crafted a new city for them to live in the desert with this being witnessed by spies for the Arab outlaw Hamed. He desired the power of the Ibistick for himself and sent his men to kidnap Taia and force Ibis to surrender himself to him. Ibis journeyed to the outlaw's base where his magic effortlessly bested the outlaw's guards and turned the villain into a pig before he departed with Taia. (Whiz Comics v1 #3) At New Thebes, they received word from the boys in America that Ibis had saved who had requested for his help. Thus, Ibis and Taia travelled back to America where they found the orphaned children of Boyville had been enslaved by a gang under Murder Malone who had enslaved them to produce munitions that were sold to enemy foreign nations. With the power of the Ibistick, Amentep was able to defeat the criminals and was prepared for a return back home but Taia was kidnapped by Murder Malone. (Whiz Comics v1 #4)
Ibis and Taia were returning from a trip to Egypt when they saw an American bomber shot down over Iceland. After saving the passengers they went to an American garrison and learne the Flying Dutchman was terrorizing the skies over Iceland. The Dutchman commandeered a radio station and called in American ships so they would be ambushed by nazi forces. Ibis and Taia attacked the Dutchman but were defeated. The Dutchman’s curse would only be ended by the love of a woman, so Taia used the Ibistick to turn homely nurse Sarah Primm, who’ fallen for the Dutchman, but was rejected because of her looks, into a beauty. Sarah and the Dutchman expressed their love for each other, ending the devil’s hold over the Dutchman. Ibis and the Dutchman fought off the nazis ready to ambush the Allies. (Whiz Comics v1 #37)
Ibis and Taia heard a boy crying for help near the forbidden pool, and discovered the leader of the Fish-Men was attacking him. Ibis drove him off, and remembered that eons ago the gods destroyed the Fish-Men for rebelling, but their leader was immortal and couldn't be destroyed. He returned for another battle with the Fish-Man, who beat Ibis and took his Ibistick. He tried to call down Jove to strike down Ibis, but no one could wield the Ibistick except Ibis without its' magic backfiring. Jove defeated the Fish-Man and cast him into an underwater prison. (Whiz Comics v1 #100)
Ibis slew the vampire Baron, drawing the wrath of the Baron’s sister Maryani. Ibis and Taia attended Maryani’s lounge act, and Maryani slipped a potion in Ibis’ drink, turning him into a vampire. To make the transformation complete Ibis would have to slay an innocent, so Maryani took him hunting. Taia followed them, and Maryani snatched the Ibistick away from her. She commanded it to turn Ibis to dust, but it turned against her, ending her evil existence. Taia used the Ibistick to turn Ibis back into a human, and then Ibis use it to destroy Maryani’s demonic master, the Bat. (Whiz Comics v1 #102) Ibis went to a circus where the human performers were forced by the animals, led by Lo-Kar the gorilla, to perform dangerous stunts. Lo-Kar stole Ibis’ Ibistick and forced him to walk a high wire. Ibis nearly fell to his death, but snatched a platform rope, and landed on Lo-Kar, retrieving his Ibistick. He defeated the animals, and learned that the animals only rebelled because they were sick of risking their lives performing for the circus. Ibis made the owner promise to treat them better. (Whiz Comics v1 #103)
Ibis and Taia were in the Middle East visiting their friend Afra Sheym when he was called away to find travelers who'd been lost in the Graja Desert. Many had disappeared in the Graja, and Afra worried about the safety of his people. When he failed to return Ibis and Taia went to the Graja only to discover Avernus, a gate to the underworld that claimed lives before their time was up. In the underworld Ibis evaded Cerberus and confronted the guardian of the netherworld. After defeating him in personal combat Ibis made him promise to return to life those he'd unfairly taken and to never again use the Avernus to snare lives. (Whiz Comics v1 #109)
DC
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Amentep was a male human born a thousand years ago in Ancient Egypt where as a baby he was saved from a snake by an ibis on the banks of the Nile. Named after the bird, Ibis grew up as a prince of Egypt where his mystical potential saw him being chosen by the god Thoth where he was gifted the Ibis-Stick. Eventually, he married Taia who ruled as a queen at his side where they ruled with fairness over their land for many years. However, eventually, he felt boredom and yearned to live in more exciting times where he had the Ibis-Stick to put him and Taia in a deep sleep that lasted thousands of years until they awoke in the modern day. By this point, his sarcophagus was transported to Fawcett City where he was regularly visited by the wizard Shazam who recited spells in the hopes of awaking Ibis. One day, he succeeded and Ibis awoke on Febraruy 1940 where he began to explore this new world. (The Power of Shazam! v1 #11)
It was noted that he worked alongside other mystery men heroes that operated from Fawcett City. (Starman v2 #40)
After the wizard Shazam's capture by Blaze, a spell helped guide Mary Marvel and Uncle Dudley to the hidden tomb of Ibis. Black Adam attempted to stop them but was knocked conscious by the protective spell guarding Ibis's tomb. Awaking from his slumber, he aided the heroes where they found Captain Marvel infected by the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man who had been freed from their prison. Attempting to stop them, Ibis used his magic to give them physical form to free those possessed by the sins and then summoned aid to fight them. This included empowering Uncle Dudley and the doll Tawky Tawny to be members of the Marvel Family with Freddy Freeman also teleported to the scene as well as Bulletman. Together, they fought the sins and defeated them whereupon Ibis used his magic to imprison them back in the Rock of Eternity. (The Power of Shazam! v1 #11) Ibis, already tiring of being awake, made a plan to end Blaze’s villainy. He sent Captain Marvel and Mary to Hades to free Shazam, and sent Cap Jr. and Bulletman outside the Rock of Eternity to delay her from freeing the Three Faces. The Marvels freed Shazam, and Sarah Primm, breaking Blaze’s hold over Black Adam. Shazam and Ibis cleaved the Rock, freeing the Three Faces, and at Shazam’s command Black Adam battled it. The Marvel Family forced the Rock back together, trapping Blaze alongside the Three Faces and Adam. Ibis took pity on Adam, and sent him to a distant star. Shazam had lost his zeal for guarding the Rock, and Ibis agreed to take his place while Shazam would live in Fawcett among the people. Ibis liked the idea od being a recluse and resting from the bus6tle of life. (The Power of Shazam! v1 #12)
Accordingh to one account, both Ibis and Taia took part in a séance conducted by Zatanna alongside Doctor Thirteen and Timothy Ravenwind. The group had gathered at the Wintersgate Manor in order to take part in a ritual to find the lost spellbooks of Zatara. Once the group entered the magical plane, they encountered King Ra-Man, who opened a portal to a realm called Never-Be-Found. While they trekked through the mysterious dimension, Ravenwind had sensed that the realm was 'hungry', prompting Zatanna to teleport the group out before it could eat them. The team then arrived at a tree, a tree filled with all the books ever written in anyone's head. Zatanna located what she believed were her fathers books, and as she approached the tree, a malignant face formed on its trunk. It was then that Zatanna had conducted a spell to summon her father only for the elemental shapeshifter Gwydion to respond to the call who proceeded to kill Ibis, Taia, Doctor Thirteen and Ravenwind. Thus, Zatanna was left the only survivor of the incident which scarred her to the point that she was unable to use magic for a time. (Seven Soldiers: Zatanna v1 #1)
Later on, the Helmet of Fate came to appear before him and Taia but its arrival drew the attention of Set who coveted its power that he intended to use to overthrow his pantheon. Manifesting there, he sent forth his minions to claim it with Ibis casting a spell of protection over it. However, he and Taia were unable to defend themselves against Set's lost ones who badly wounded the pair before fleeing with the Helm as they sought to undo the protection spell over it. Nearly dying, he used the last of his magic to get aid where he reached out to Danny Khalifa and bringing him to their home. He then bid the young man to take the Ibistick for his beloved Taia'a sake which gave him powers that were used to mummify his beloved. He then bade Danny Khalifa to stop Set which involved him seeking out the old god Thoth. (Helmet of Fate: Ibis the Invincible v1 #1)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. After the Source Wall was damaged, the Otherkind began to emerge into the universe as a result of the actions of Nabu who wanted to purge the cosmos of magic in order to remake reality. He came to assemble other Lords of Order to aid him with one named Hoku taking possession of Ibis as a host body where he was forced to wear the Breastplate of Hoku that bound the entity to his form. (Justice League Dark v2 #9)
Overview
Personality and attributes
Powers and abilities
By his side was the Ibistick that was said to be the most powerful weapon ever devised. (Whiz Comics v1 #2) The Egyptian god Thoth was said to had gifted him this relic that was considered the most powerful talisman known to him. (The Power of Shazam! v1 #11)
With it, he could issue any command and the magic from it would take effect such as melting glass or clothing himself or opening locked doors. (Whiz Comics v1 #2) It could be used to manifest walls in the path of a person or create endless gold or transform people into animals or even turn one kind of animal into another. The artefact could be used by others but it rejected acts of evil and any attack made against its true master Ibis were turned against the person using it. (Whiz Comics v1 #3)
Such was the power of the Ibis-Stick that he was able to banish foes to Hades. (The Power of Shazam! v1 #11)
Ibis was able to reach out to the Hekau that were those with the bloodline of the magician kings of Ancient Egypt where he could inhabit their bodies. (Justice League Dark v2 #9)
Even in his tomb, the pulse of his power was strong and a spell protected his sarcophagus from enemies. Only by reciting a special spell was one able to break the protection and awaken Ibis from his slumber. (The Power of Shazam! v1 #11)
Notes
- Ibis the Invincible was created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck where he made his first appearance in Whiz Comics v1 #2 (February, 1940).
Appearances
- Whiz Comics v1: (1940)
- The Power of Shazam! v1:
- Starman v2:
- Seven Soldiers: Zatana v1:
- Justice League Dark v2:
External Links
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