Nabu (DC)

Latest revision as of 05:01, 16 September 2024

Nabu is a comic character who features in DC Comics.

Biography

Origin

Nabu was a member of the magical race of beings known as the Lords of Order. As a Lord of Order, he was one who was instrumental in the creation of the universe. (Spectre v3 #14) He was assigned to the mortal world of Earth with this being his charge for eternity. Upon arriving there, he had taken mortal form and like the other Lords of Order and Chaos he took the name of a god with him calling himself 'Nabu'. As Nabu, the entity had fought against chaos since the days of ancient summer. At some point, the Lords of Order had forged the Amulet of Anubis at the dawn of time with it being wrested from them by a Lord of Chaos. Nabu was responsible for reclaiming the relic back for his own use. (The Flash v1 #306) The Egyptian mage long ago during the Mesopotamian era encountered a figure known as the Curse with Nabu destroying his physical form and imprisoning him within his battle helm. (Doctor Fate v3 #2)

In 2578 BC, Egypt had fallen under the rule of Vandal Savage who had taken on the identity of the Pharaoh Khafre. Around this time, Bonnie Baxter of the Time Masters had arrived from the 20th century where she was thrown into a prison cell by Khafre's guards. Nabu appeared before her and took her to safety with his magic and asked for her aid in overthrowing the immortal Khafre. He intended to combine magic with the science from the time traveller where she gave him her communicator. Upon combining the pair, he crafted the blue Scarab of Kha-ef-re which Bonnie used in overthrowing the Pharaoh who was encased in binging wrappings to contain him as his immortality would cause him to rise again. (Time Masters v1 #6) In 2030 BC, Nabu had made his way to the city of Bubastis that worshipped the goddess Bast. The city had fallen under the control of Khalis the Mad Priest who served the death god Anubis who rewarded his servant by giving him the Amulet of Anubis. With its power, he enslaved the Bast worshippers of the city and build temples in homage to Anubis. Nabu intervened where he defeated the priest and took the amulet for himself whereupon the freed slaves meted out their revenge by mummifying Khalis. However, Anubis sought to save his servant who was kept alive as an undead mummy so that he could reclaim the Amulet of Anubis in the future. (1st Issue Special v1 #9) In Egypt, he came to register the presence of a time traveller from the distant future named Ultra Boy who had become stranded in this time. The young man was found by a Lord of Chaos named Hytuurnus who took on the identity of a woman named Asherya where she manipulated the hero. She intended to travel to his time and unleash havoc but Nabu intervened where he destroyed Hytuurnus but Ultra Boy believed that Nabu had killed an innocent leading to a brief battle between the pair. (Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #19)

In Egypt, Nabu served as a court magician in the time of the Pharaoh where he served him as this civilization was a beacon of order and advancement during this age. At the time, the Pharaoh began to persecute and punish the Hebrews with Nabu being among the only within the court that opposed this act. Despite his words, the Pharaoh continued with his actions with Nabu present when the Spectre struck the ruler. Despite Nabu's protections, his magic only allowed him to survive against the Spectre who killed the Pharaoh leading to his son becoming the new ruler. The Pharaoh's son in anger sought to kill the Hebrews but Nabu counselled him to stay his hand as the force that killed his father could bring vengeance on him. Thus, the young ruler relented but decided to be more cruel on the Hebrew slaves. Afterwards, Moses came before the Pharaoh asking him to free the Hebrew slaves and showcased magic from God. The Pharaoh refused and had Nabu along with the other court magicians use their magic to make a snake to kill the serpent made from Moses staff but it was killed by God's creation. He continued despite his reservations to follow the Pharaoh's commands but was unable to overcome the more powerful magic behind Moses. On one night, Nabu was visited by the Phantom Stranger who warned that every first born Egyptian child would be slain by the Spectre except for the Hebrew slaves. This horrified the wizard and he prepared to battle the Spectre wearing his full regalia but he was defeated despite his preparations. The humbled mystic returned to the Pharaoh who had lost his son and in desperation agreed for the Hebrew slaves to be released but then decided to sent his army to kill them to spite God. Despite his plans, the Pharaoh was killed when the Spectre brought the Red Sea crashing into the Egyptian army after Moses along with the Israelites had crossed over. (Spectre v3 #14)

During the Theban Dynasty, Nabu the Wise served as an advisor to Prince Khufu Kha-taar where he served alongside Teth-Adam. (JSA v1 #20) On one day, they witnessed the fall of a sky chariot from the sky and made their way to reach it before their enemies. They arrived at the scene of the dying pilots where Nabu cast a spell to translate their alien language that spoke of a coming danger in the far future just as they died. From the craft, they discovered the existence of Nth Metal which Khufu forged into weapons for his use as Nabu sought to prepare him as it was determined that the prince and his betrothed had a role to play in this conflict. During this time, they encountered a traveller that could travel at fast speeds and gave him the Claw of Horus to give to Khufu's future incarnation. (JSA v1 #22) It was noted that he had saved many of the texts from the Library of Alexandria prior to its destruction which he stored within his Tower. (Doctor Fate v3 #1)

After Kent Nelson's mind died, Nabu descended onto the mortal plane having left the ranks of the Lords of Order and came to occupy Kent's body as his own. Batman called upon Nabu to help journey into the mind of the comatose Blue Beetle after Ted Kord was rendered unconscious by a mental block from Queen Bee. (Justice League America v1 #29)

Whilst studying the helmet, Jared Stevens was mystically transported to a realm where Nabu the last Lord of Order manifested. He explained that the crisis in time led to the cosmic fabric being rewoven with the forces of order and chaos realigning. The old Lords had weakened or vanished with new ones taking their place whilst Nabu continued to remain to continue the struggle where he asked Stevens to become Doctor Fate. Among the threats to face was Kingdom's horde from the Dreadlands that were a small fraction of the threats to existence. Despite the danger, Stevens refused and used the magic that became embedded in him along with Nabu's weakened power to force him out. Thus, Nabu was forced to sever the ties with the helmet that bound him to Earth leaving Stevens the helm that was mystically re-forged into a blade for him as he operated as Fate. (Fate v1 #1)

He then trapped the souls of previous hosts for Doctor Fate within the heaven-like realm in his amulet to prevent them from interfering in Hector Hammond's training. (JSA v1 #63)

After Black Adam took over Kahndaq, the Justice Society looked to confront him and his team of superhumans. During this time, Nabu attempted to steer Hector away from joining the team but Hall refused. This resulted in Nabu forcing Hector's mind into the helmet whereupon the Lord of Order took control over Doctor Fate's body to attack the Justice Society. Within the helmet, Hector and the former hosts of Nabu then rallied together in order to force the Lord of Order from the body. (JSA v1 #57)

Within the amulet, Nabu attempted to free himself from that realm but Hector Hammond stripped him of his power which he distributed to the previous holders of Doctor Fate that resided within the amulet. This was an effort to teach him compassion and that he would be given his power back once he had learnt this lesson. (JSA v1 #63)

Later on, Hector Hall passed on his reward offered by Nabu meaning that there would be no new host to wear the helmet amulet of Fate in that age. Thus, Nabu was alone in the Ninth Age of Magic whose end came to an end when the Spectre was convinced by Eclipso that magic was evil and needed to be destroyed. In his rampage, he destroyed various sources of magic including the Rock of Eternity and its custodian the wizard Shazam. The Spirit of Vengeance that destroyed the Lords of Order and Chaos leaving Nabu their lone survivor. He then assembled his power to fight the Spectre with the intention of forcing the spirit to conduct greater acts of depravity in order to gain the attention of the Presence who would intervene to quell the actions of His servant. Thus, a great battle was fought between Nabu and the Spectre where the Lord of Order succeeded in his mission thus leading to the Spirit of Vengeance being recalled away. However, the injuries sustained to Nabu were great and he perished though his helmet remained behind as a source of great magic that would be usd in the newly formed Tenth Age of Magic that followed the Day of Vengeance. (Infinite Crisis Special: Day of Vengeance v1 #1)

Post-Flashpoint

Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.

He was once said to be the wise servant of Thoth. (Doctor Fate v4 #3)

As a Lord of Order, he resided within the Helm of Nabu and had bonded with Kent Nelson to become Doctor Fate. (Blue Beetle v10 #9) He did develop the ability to manifest his mortal form outside of the helmet and wander around. (Doctor Fate v3 #1)

He was known to had enjoyed spending time reading the texts in his library. (Doctor Fate v3 #1)

After the Omega Titans were defeated, Nabu came to believe that magic was a mistake in the mortal world and thus sought to eliminate it so that order could finally be achieved. Thus, he opened the doorway to the Otherkind who were the original holders of magic. Nabu had sensed that both Kent Nelson and his protégé Khalid Nassour were too weak to follow this path so he dealt with them so that his plans could come to fruition. (Justice League Dark v2 #2)

Thus, they went to the fallen empire of Kor where they began stripping magic from volunteers but this turned out to be a trap by the Justice League Dark who empowered themselves with chaos magic. They battled the Lords of Order with Nabu being ambushed and had his essence imprisoned within his own helmet thus leaving him powerless. With his capture, the other Lords of Order decided to flee though Detective Chimp was able to free Madame Xanadu from their possession. (Justice League Dark v2 #12)

Overview

Personality and attributes

It was claimed by some that Nabu was a manipulative being who jumped from host to host where he told them that they had a great destiny as Doctor Fate but came to discard them once they had served their purposes. He was not above removing the loved ones of a host from them as he believed it blurred perspective and prevented a person from being a hero. Thus, it was believed that he lacked understanding and compassion of mortals. (JSA v1 #63)

He steered hosts into becoming heroes that the world needed even if this meant betraying their comrades and hijacking their body. Ultimately, Nabu felt that the ends justified the means so long as it brought order. (JSA v1 #63)

Powers and abilities

He was in reality not a mortal man but a Lord of Order clothed in flesh. (Spectre v3 #14) As such, he was a fiery energy-being that had dwelt within the husk of aged flesh. As a Lord of Order, he was a supernal being without beginning or end. However, the entity was only capable of interacting with man when in a human-form. Though an undying being, the human forms Nabu took were capable of aging and being worn out after millennia. (The Flash v1 #306) He was regarded as the most powerful guardian of the Ninth Age of Magic. (Infinite Crisis Special: Day of Vengeance v1 #1)

In Ancient Egypt, his power was not as powerful as that of the primal Spectre who wielded more powerful magic as it held the power of God who had created the Lords of Order. (Spectre v3 #14)

Nabu's magic allowed him to be well aware of events in the far future and further wielders of his power. (Time Masters v1 #6)

He had fashioned the golden helmet that served as a vessel for him to reside after the loss of his human-form. Those that wore the helmet than served as hosts for the undying entity with its consciousness superseding that of the mortal. Among the relics that were linked to him was the Crystal Orb of Nabu that allowed him to remotely view events around the world. It alerted the user to matters that demanded their attention. (The Flash v1 #306)

Nabu was shown to had created a heaven-like realm that resided within his amulet. He was able to divert the souls of his hosts from going into the afterlife and instead become trapped within this realm. (JSA v1 #63)

Notes

• Nabu was created by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman where he made his first appearance in More Fun Comics v1 #67 (May, 1941)

Alternate Versions

• In Kingdom Come v1 #2 (1996), Nabu appeared in the alternate universe setting of Earth-22 in the Multiverse. This version was able to channel his consciousness through the Helm of Fate and Cloak of Destiny thus no longer requiring a host body were he took the name of Fate as he was able to operate on his own. He joined Batman's team and helped in teleporting his comrades to the Gulag battle. He saved several heroes from the U.N.'s nuclear bomb by 'swallowing' them with the Cloak during the battle.
• In Earth 2 v1 #9 (2013), an alternate version of Nabu appeared in the setting of the new Earth-2 in the reborn Multiverse. Nabu was an Egyptian magician and the most powerful magician magic-user in the world. The sorceress Wotan confronted him, hoping to usurp his power. He animated the Great sphinx and commanded it to attack her, and after a brief magical duel she was defeated. Nabu sensed Wotan had placed a spell on herself that enabled her to be reincarnated at death, and he knew she’d come for him again one day, so he cast a spell that turned her hair and skin green so he’d recognize her in her next body, and then promptly killed her. Nabu died ten years later, so they would not end up having a rematch. Nabu placed his magical energy and soul into the Helmet of Nabu, and millennia later the Helmet was uncovered by Khalid Ben-Hassin, and Nabu wanted the man to serve as his vessel. Khalid put on the helmet and felt himself infused with magic he could not control. Nabu tried to take over Khalid, so he took of the helmet and used his newfound magical abilities to send the helmet to the Tower of God. Wotan, now working for a mysterious organization that wanted Nabu’s power for their own, forced Khalid and his ally the Flash to retrieve the helmet, threatening to kill flash’s mother Mrs. Garrick if they failed. The tower had been completely transformed by Nabu into the Tower of Fate, and the helmet was guarded by the Great Beast. Flash distracted the Beast, knowing he might not survive the encounter, to buy Khalid time to find the helmet. Nabu spoke to Khalid, asking if he was finally ready to accept Nabu’s power. He knew Khalid’s great fear was the mystery surrounding his guardian Kent Nelson’s death, and Nabu said he could show him the truth. Khalid located the helmet and Nabu again asked if he’d be his agent of order and chaos. Khalid could well be driven mad if he wasn’t strong enough, but if he survived wonderful things would follow. Khalid was so inspired by Flash’s heroism that he accepted his fate, putting the helmet on his head and declaring himself Dr. Fate. Nabu said he’d continue to guide him, but eventually his presence would fade away. Dr. Fate subdued the Great Beast, saving Flash’s life. Dr. Fate confronted Wotan, saying Nabu’s power would never belong to them. Wotan was confident even though Nabu had beat them in the past, because Fate had all of Nabu’s powers but none of his heart or experience. They engaged in a sorcerer’s duel, and Fate, who refused to listen to the advice Nabu was giving him, was faring poorly. He accepted that he could only win with Nabu’s help, and Nabu knew Wotan was drawing massive amounts of power from Nabu’s realm, so he had Fate open a portal to Earth and they moved their duel there. Fate called upon the Egyptian deities MNenhit and Horus to hit Wotan with a massively powerful blast of magic, and Wotan disappeared. Dr. Fate was unsure if he’d killed Wotan or sent them to the underworld or another dimension. Flash and Dr. Fate were being hounded by the World Army so Green Lantern took them to safety. Dr. Fate had a premonition and asked GL to turn on the news. Ever since Steppenwolf took over the country of Dherain and installed himself as leader he began a massive buildup of the military. The World Army could no longer ignore Steppenwolf’s aggressive intentions and declared war on Dherain.

In other media

Television

• In Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Nabu appeared briefly in the animated television series in the episode "The Fate of Equinox!" where he was voiced by actor James Arnold Taylor. Nabu currently presides over the High Court of Order and Chaos with Typhon in an inter-dimensional realm. He had a hand in helping empower a chosen orphan and creating Equinox. Just as Dr. Fate and Batman appeared for help, Equinox arrived and drained the Lords of their power. After Batman defeated Equinox and restored balance to the universe, Nabu and the others regained their power.
• In Young Justice, Nabu appeared as the Lord of Order who inhabited the Helmet of Nabu in the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Kevin Michael Richardson. Nabu was born to Vandal Savage, who had established himself in Babylonia as the demigod hero called Marduk. Over the course of his life, Nabu came to be regarded as a God of Wisdom among the Babylonians. The Lord of Chaos Klarion approached his father with a solution to help him deal with his freethinking generals. Nabu protested strenuously against taking the Witch Boy's gifts, but to no avail. Marduk accepted Klarion's offer and the Lord of Chaos teleported a Starro-creature from deep of space. However, instead of helping Marduk to submit his generals to his will, Starro put his army under its own control. Nabu fought the incursion, along with his father and sister Ishtar, but perished in the battle. Nabu's death, unintentionally caused by his father's unholy alliance with a Lord of Chaos, left the Lords of Order intrigued. Having defied his own father, an ally of Chaos on Earth, Nabu became the perfect candidate to be Order's Earthly champion. So, the Lords of Order recruited Nabu's soul and elevated him to a higher calling. They repurposed his own helmet into an anchor for his spirit on the mortal plane. When donned by a living host, they would channel Nabu's power and become the Lord of Order known as Doctor Fate. From that point onward, Nabu had to rely on human hosts to have a presence on the physical plane. While he is in control, the souls of his hosts remained within the Helmet, powerless to influence the outside world.

Films

• In Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, Nabu appeared in a non-voiced role in the animated film where he was largely shown in flashbacks. He gifted the Helm of Nabu to Steel Maxum who became the new Dr. Fate where they battled mystical threats. This was only for a few months until Maxum allowed Scandal Savage and Knockout into the Tower of Fate where the two women stole the 'Get Out of Hell Free' Card. As a result, Nabu grew displeased at the actions of Steel Maxum and stripped him of his position as Dr. Fate leading to him being barred from the Tower of Fate as he sought a new wielder for his power.

Video games

• In Injustice 2, the Helm of Nabu appeared in the fighting video game with Nabu himself being the spirit within it and served with the Lords of Order. The Helm was worn by Kent Nelson who operated as Doctor Fate where he attempted to forcibly take Green Arrow and Black Canary from Earth to protect them from the coming crisis. After being defeated, Nelson managed to regain his senses and sought to consult with the Lords of Order about the danger. During Brainiac's invasion, the Helm prevented Nelson from intervening to save humans as Nabu deemed that the Coluan represented order.

Appearances

• More Fun Comics v1: (1941)
• Spectre v3:
• Doctor Fate v3:
• Legion of Super-Heroes v4:
• JSA v1:
• Infinite Crisis Special: Day of Vengeance v1:
• Justice League Dark v2:

External Links

• DC Database Entry
• Comicvine Entry

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