The second trailer for Black Adam finally gave audiences a glimpse of Sabbac, the film's ultimate villain. While he might not be the most well-known DC character, he has a history going back to the Golden Age as a firm enemy of the Captain Marvel/Shazam mythos. His more demonic movie form, however, first appeared when he went up against a rather hard-edged DC team.
Black Adam's use of this incarnation of the villain might hint that the Outsiders are in the DC Extended Universe's future. Given the teams that are already a part of the shared universe, this incarnation could definitely serve as something in between. Here's a look at Sabbac's ties to the Outsiders, as well as how they might make their DCEU debut.
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The second Sabbac debuted in Outsiders #8 and was created by Judd Winnick and Tom Raney. This incarnation was Ishmael Gregor, a Russian crime boss who wished to make it big in the underworld. To do so, he needed raw, physical power, and his intended source was his soon-to-be predecessor. Tricking Timothy Karnes, the original Sabbac, into a ritual, the result was the death of Karnes and a bus full of people. Likewise, Gregor was now empowered as the new Sabbac, but whereas his predecessor had only a slightly inhuman appearance, Gregor was truly demonic.
Using his newfound power, he opens a portal through which a horde of demons comes. He and his forces are combated by the Outsiders and Captain Marvel Jr., with Sabbac fleeing after his demons are defeated. He would later ally himself with the Fearsome Five and the Secret Society of Super-Villains, gaining even more power when he absorbed the power of the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man. Thankfully, former Outsider Katana was able to defeat him by trapping him in the Soultaker sword, whereupon he revealed that he intended to kidnap Captain Marvel Jr.
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The Ishmael Gregor Sabbac is the version being brought to the DCEU via Black Adam. That incarnation never fought Captain Marvel proper and only came up against Captain Marvel Jr. and the Outsiders. Thus, his use in the movie might also be a way for the Outsiders to show up later down the road. For instance, Intergang will also be in the movie, and with the international threat growing strong, a specific team will need to be created to deal with them and those like them. This might be why the Outsiders are formed, featuring members of the Justice League, the Justice Society and even Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad. Katana has already been introduced in the movies, and younger characters like Atom Smasher from the Justice Society could join a potential Outsiders team as well. Nightwing could even lead the team, finally introducing him into the DCEU while expanding the Bat-Family on the big screen.
In the comics, the Outsiders were a group made up mostly of heroes who just didn't really fit into the Justice League. The incarnation led by Nightwing -- the same team that fought Sabbac -- was somewhat more focused on hunting down supervillains while also being slightly "darker" in its stories. Such a tone would fit right in with the many times moody DCEU, and if it similarly incorporated younger heroes, it could be a great stand-in for the Teen Titans. Nightwing's Outsiders served just that very purpose, so the idea could be made to fit into the DC Extended Universe. Of course, whether Sabbac will survive to face the Outsiders depends on how much of a pummeling he receives from Black Adam.
To see how the Outsiders might be set up, watch Black Adam in theaters on October 21, 2022.