Sobek (character)

Sobek is a fictional supervillain published by DC Comics. He first appears in 52 #26 (2006), and was created by Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Keith Giffen and Pat Olliffe.

Sobek
Sobek from 52 #26, artist Pat Olliffe.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	52 #26 (2006)
Created by	Geoff Johns (writer) Greg Rucka (writer) Grant Morrison (writer) Mark Waid (writer) Keith Giffen (artist) Pat Olliffe (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Yurrd the Unknown
Species	Uplifted Nile crocodile (original body) Humanoid hyena (second body)
Team affiliations	Black Marvel Family Intergang Four Horsemen of Apokolips Black Lantern Corps
Notable aliases	Famine
Abilities	Generate hunger in others Presumed super strength and durability

Fictional character biography

Sobek was first believed to be a bio-engineered humanoid Nile crocodile, created in Doctor Sivana's lab. Sobek is found in Doctor Sivana's residence, claiming to be a Nile crocodile Sivana got from the Nile and experimented on before he escaped from his cage in Sivana's lab and befriended by Osiris as the Black Marvels were at a charity dinner hosted by Mrs. Sivana who wanted her husband found.[1] He is named Sobek after the Egyptian crocodile-headed god, claiming he doesn't have a name. From then on, Sobek puts on a facade of cowardice and timidness (essentially becoming the Black Marvel Family analogue of Tawky Tawny) to fool everyone around him. When Osiris suffers despondency after accidentally killing Persuader and thinks his powers are evil and are causing the disasters in Khandaq, Sobek convinces him to give up his powers. Once Osiris becomes human, Sobek quickly devours him, claiming "I'm not so hungry anymore."[2]

Soon after, Sobek is revealed to be Yurrd the Unknown, one of the Four Horsemen of Apokolips where he represents famine. Yurrd has been created along with Roggra, Zorrm, and Azraeuz as a group of bioengineered monstrosities sent to attack the Black Marvel Family, he causes crops to die so even the magic of Isis cannot restore them. Yurrd was the first to be sent out as a sleeper agent until the time looked right to strike. Black Adam and Isis are lured to the Horsemen when Black Adam feels Osiris's power returning to him. He tells Black Adam that Osiris was too stringy. In the ensuing battle, Yurrd is the first of the Horsemen to be killed, his jaws ripped apart by Black Adam. The other ones are killed by Adam except for Death,[3] who escapes to the nearby nation of Bialya. Adam kills millions of people, before finding, torturing, then killing Death to find out who created the Horsemen.[4] In 52 #52, a shot shows Black Adam wearing new boots, which the writers revealed in interviews to be in fact made of Sobek's flesh.[5]

52 Aftermath

Yurrd and his fellow Horsemen return in the six-part miniseries 52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen. The entity functioning as Yurrd remanifests in the country of Bialya where the Four Horsemen's spirits have joined Death's, where he confronts Batman and Superman and disrupts the relief efforts for the Bialyan survivors. Corpses are taken control of to build a mound that will resurrect the Horsemen. When the heroes try to destroy it by throwing a block of ice at it, the Kinetic energy resurrects the villains. Yurrd takes on his true form during these events, now resembling a humanoid hyena with cybernetic parts. He is able to possess Batman, due to their hunger for revenge. Yurrd's essence is eventually absorbed into a bio-containment unit ingested by Veronica Cale.[6]

Blackest Night

In The Power of Shazam! tie-in to the Blackest Night crossover, Sobek's original crocodile body was reanimated as a member of the Black Lantern Corps. He located Osiris, who had also been transformed into a Black Lantern (albeit with full control over his mind, due to Black Adam mystically restoring his corpse), and fought with him. Osiris destroyed Sobek and himself by calling out "Black Adam!", resulting in the magical lightning hitting them both and destroying their rings' connections to them.[7]

Later when a resurrected Osiris is in Arkham Asylum, he believes Killer Croc to be Sobek when a jailbreak is caused and attacks him brutally.[8]

Powers and abilities

As Yurrd, Sobek can induce hunger in anyone. He also possesses super-strength.

References

1. 52 #26. DC Comics.
2. 52 #43. DC Comics.
3. 52 #44. DC Comics.
4. 52 #45, DC Comics.
5. 52 tpb 4. DC Comics.
6. 52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen #6. DC Comics.
7. The Power of Shazam! #48. DC Comics.
8. Teen Titans vol. 2 #28. DC Comics.