Shadow Thief
Shadow Thief is the name of three supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first is a recurring foe of Hawkman named Carl Sands. The second Shadow Thief is an African-American named Carl Hammer who wore a shadow suit. The third Shadow Thief is Aviva Metula
Shadow Thief appeared in the seventh season episode of the Arrowverse television series Arrow, portrayed by Carmel Amit.
Publication history
The Carl Sands version of Shadow Thief first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #36 and was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Joe Kubert.The Carl Hammer version of Shadow Thief first appeared in Vigilante #14 and was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Trevor Von Eeden.
Fictional character biography
Carl Sands
Pre-Crisis version
Carl Sands was a career criminal who was conducting experiments on shadow projection while in jail. Because his shadow betrayed him to a police officer while he was robbing the safe in a store at night, he was trying to make his shadow work for him. The experiments allowed him to make contact with an alien explorer named Thar Dan from the Xarapion Dimension. In return for saving the creature's life, Sands was given a device known as a Dimensiometer and a pair of ebony gloves that allows him to hold objects while in shadow form.Hawkman eventually defeats him, but Shadow Thief would come into conflict with him many times after that. He would later become a member of the Injustice Gang which came into conflict with Hawkman and his allies, the Justice League of America.
Eventually, the Phantom Stranger had him permanently stripped of the Dimensiometer.
Post-Crisis/Post-''Hawkworld'' version
While growing up in Japan, American Carl Sands learned ninjutsu techniques and became an industrial saboteur, accepting unremarkable sums to hinder and eliminate his clients' rivals. The Thanagarian criminal Byth Rok hires Sands to steal Hawkman and Hawkwoman's ship and gives him a Thanagarian belt that gives him the ability to shift his body into a shadow form.During the "Underworld Unleashed" storyline, Shadow Thief sells his soul to Neron for more power. The demon gave Sands a more powerful shadow suit which is tinged with magic and has vastly augmented abilities to enact greater criminal schemes.
In Identity Crisis, Shadow Thief becomes deranged and has delusional conversations with the Dimensiometer. He later kills Firestorm with Shining Knight's sword, for which he is prosecuted by Kate Spencer / Manhunter.
Shadow Thief later appeared as a member of the Injustice League, and was one of the villains featured in Salvation Run.
He later joins forces with Starbreaker, and uses the Shadow Cabinet's "Shadowslide" teleportation system to temporarily increase his powers.
Prison only temporarily stops him as he uses the shadows created by the interior of his mouth to escape by blinding and muffling Doctor Light when she comes to interrogate him. He is ultimately defeated by Light, and is rendered powerless after Firestorm uses his powers to seal his mouth, thus preventing him from conjuring shadows from within his body.
During Brightest Day, the cosmic entity known as the Starheart begins taking control of metahumans who possess magical or elemental abilities. Shadow Thief is among them and is driven insane by the Starheart's power.
DC Rebirth
In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth" which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". Carl Sands appears as a low-level threat to Hawkman who utilizes the Shadow Vest that enables him to shift through solid objects. Shadow Thief met with Lex Luthor, who offered to upgrade his Shadow Vest free of charge so that it would not only enable him to imitate shadows, but also to control them. Shadow Thief accepted as it would come in handy when fighting Hawkman.In the "DC All In" initiative, Shadow Thief appears as a member of Scandal Savage's Injustice Society.
Carl Hammer
The second Shadow Thief is an African-American man named Carl Hammer. He is a crime boss and the brother of Mr. Hammer, with each trying to outdo each other. Hammer states that he paid more than one million dollars to have the suit made. He used the Shadow Suit to target his brother and ran afoul of Vigilante, who killed Mr. Hammer in self-defense. This gave Carl Hammer the opportunity to continue his exploits with his Shadow Suit now that Mr. Hammer is out of the way.Aviva Metula
In 2011, The New 52 rebooted the DC universe. A female Shadow Thief was introduced.In Stargirl's origin story, Shadow Thief was taking hostages to draw out a superhero. When Stargirl returned home, she found that Shadow Thief arrived first, killed Courtney's brother, and wounded her mother Barbara. Stargirl used this trauma to become a better superhero.
During the Forever Evil storyline, it is revealed that this version of Shadow Thief is a former agent of Mossad named Aviva Metula. Metula wears a suit of armor called the Shadow Skin that gives her powers. She became Shadow Thief to kill alien invaders, making her a dangerous foe for Hawkman.
Powers and abilities
Carl Sands uses a Dimensiometer, Thanagarian technology which enables him to transform into an intangible, shadow-like state. While the vest is activated, he can move quickly and silently across and through most surfaces and materials, all the while remaining impervious to physical contact and attack. Long-term side effects from prolonged use of the vest are unknown although, prior to Crisis on Infinite Earths, it was stated that overuse of the suit would accelerate Earth's climate into an ice age. Shadow Thief would later sell his soul to Neron for augmented equipment. Now his suit, as was he, had been granted magical abilities which enabled him to convert objects and people into unsubstantiated shadowy material, while transporting himself through shadows as well. Carl's abilities would be augmented further still when Starbreaker gives him the power to draw strength from the darkness within. Now no longer needing the shadow suit to utilize his powers, Sands can literally draw upon the absence of light that is situated all around him, enabling the manifestation of depleted photons to form constructs ranging from weapons to planetoids, creating portals, and turning his opponents' shadows into living duplicates of themselves all with the same abilities.The shadow suit Carl Hammer had constructed only allowed him to become invisible in shadows and did not render him intangible.
The Shadow Skin armor provides Aviva Metula with intangibility, teleportation, flight, and limited shapeshifting, enabling her to turn her arms into weapons. She is also a trained martial artist.
Other versions
Earth-3
A heroic variant of Shadow Thief from Earth-3 called Shadow Sherriff appears in Hawkman #18 as a member of the Justice Society All-Stars.Flashpoint
An alternate universe variant of Shadow Thief appears in Flashpoint. This version is an inmate of military Doom prison.JLA: Another Nail
An alternate universe variant of Shadow Thief appears in JLA: Another Nail. This version's abilities are derived from Xaraponian technology.Kingdom Come
An alternate universe variant of Shadow Thief makes a cameo appearance in Kingdom Come.Tangent Comics
An alternate universe variant of Shadow Thief appears in Tangent Comics. This version is a member of the Fatal Five.In other media
Television
- An original incarnation of Shadow Thief appears in the Superman episode "Night of the Living Shadows". This version is McFarlane who lives in Metropolis' Suicide Slum and wields a LexCorp-designed suit, which was later duplicated and given to a gang by Lex Luthor.
- An original incarnation of Shadow Thief appears in Justice League Unlimited, voiced by James Remar. This version is the physical manifestation of Carter Hall's inner darkness who was created after he came into contact with the Absorbacron, a Thanagarian computer. He attempts to kill Green Lantern to have Hawkgirl to himself, only to be defeated and reabsorbed by Hall.
- The Carl Sands incarnation of Shadow Thief appears in The Batman episode "What Goes Up...", voiced by Diedrich Bader. This version works for Black Mask.
- The Aviva Metula incarnation of Shadow Thief appears in the Arrow episode "Lost Canary", portrayed by Carmel Amit. This version is an associate of Black Siren and Ricardo Diaz.
Video games
Miscellaneous
- The Justice League Unlimited incarnation of Shadow Thief appears in a flashback in Justice League Beyond. After escaping from Hall, he seeks revenge on Green Lantern by murdering his fiancé Vixen. In retaliation, Green Lantern works with Hawkgirl and Adam Strange to find Shadow Thief, who he later kills and leaves to be eaten by alien beasts.
- An unidentified Shadow Thief makes a cameo appearance in Batman: [The Brave and the Bold |All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold] #9.