Sebastian Faust

Sebastian Faust, or simply Faust, is a fictional comic book superhero from DC Comics, loosely based on the protagonist of the German legend who sold his soul to the Devil. He was introduced in the 1993 Outsiders comic book series.

Sebastian Faust
Cover to Outsiders (vol. 2) #1 Alpha, the first appearance of Sebastian Faust. Art by Travis Charest
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceOutsiders (vol. 2) #1 Alpha (November, 1993)
Created byMike Barr and Paul Pelletier
In-story information
Alter egoSebastian Faust
Team affiliations
PartnershipsBlue Devil
Notable aliasesFaust, Rook Gamma
Abilities
  • Natural user of magic through a demonic bargain, can utilize soul magic to absorb souls and other's powers, and can invoke supernatural effects by speaking backwards.
  • Extensive knowledge on the occult and black magic
  • Skilled hand-to-hand combatant

Faust is the son of the evil magician Felix Faust. His soul is sold by his father to a demon named Nebiros as an infant in exchange for power, but the demon cheats and grants the power to Sebastian instead of his father. Because of this, Faust gains arcane powers of black magic and soul magic that allows him to siphon souls from others and grant him their powers and abilities as well as recharging his own magical powers.

In DC Rebirth, Faust retains his origin of being the son of Felix Faust and his soul bargained by his father. However, while traditionally a solo hero, he is instead casts as a former government director of A.R.G.U.S. in charge of Project: Black Room, a program dedicated to collecting mystic artifacts for the United States government.

Fictional character biography

Sebastian Faust is the son of the evil magician Felix Faust who appeared as an adversary of the Justice League of America in 1962 and an unnamed woman who was Felix's wife. He also has a sister by the name of Fauna. As an infant, he was subjected to a bargain to a demon named Nebiros by his father to receive the natural ability to utilize magical power in exchange for his son's soul. However, the deal left Sebastian with the power his father craved. He would train his son in the mystic arts throughout his childhood, struggling to resist the sway of black magic taught to him.[1] Eventually, after the birth of his sister, his mother developed leukemia and took to the dark arts to relieve herself of the pain temporarily. However, she is killed in front of Sebastian in a car accident. Shortly after, Sebastian ran away from home.

Outsiders

In the second volume of the Outsiders, Faust works with the Outsiders and assists the team when they reform under the threat of a vampire invasion of Markovia. When Technocrat's bodyguard Charlie Wylde is attacked by a bear, Faust saves him by merging the bear and guard together. However, the bear's violent side results in the deaths of innocent Markovian soldiers. Wylde goes on to fight and lose against his bestial half, and ends up in a zoo, tormented by Sebastian's sister, Fauna.

The Outsiders are on the run for some time, having been framed by the head vampire, Roderick, for the murder of the traitorous Queen Ilona. It is not known that Ilona is trying to kill the Outsiders. Eventually the team clears their names. Throughout his tenure, Faust is not trusted by many of his teammates. Despite this, he develops a romantic relationship with the innocent Halo. Soon, Felix, along with Fauna, attacks the team, drawing them into a different dimension. The team suffers various tortures, and survives only due to the flexible laws of reality in this realm. Faust leads an escape attempt. After the team breaks up, Faust tries to pursue a solo career.

Day of Judgment

During the 1999 DC Comics crossover event, Day of Judgment, Faust joins with other magical characters of the DC Universe to form the Sentinels of Magic. The denizens of Hell have invaded Earth, led by Asmodel, an angel with the powers of Spectre. Faust teams up with a varied group of superheroes, including Atom, Superman, Firestorm and Enchantress. They travel to Hell itself and eventually, to the City of Dis, Hell's center of power, in order to relight its fires. During the trip, the heroes are temporarily trapped under the frozen River Styx. Faust manages to rescue Enchantress first; since he has no soul, he is not tormented by the river's waters.

Inside the city, the heroes discover the demon Nebiros, who has stayed behind to guard the frozen fires. In battle, Faust releases Blue Devil, whose bones he had apparently bought from a mysterious marketplace. Nebiros is slain due to Firestorm changing the water in his body to cement. Faust regains his soul.

The combined forces of the superheroes are not enough to relight the fires. Faust realizes what must be done and murders Enchantress, losing his soul, restarting the fires, and saving the Earth all at once.

Black Baptism

Faust next appears during the Black Baptism event. Over the course of the story, he works both with and against the Justice League, before ultimately tapping their souls to stop the mighty sorcerer Hermes Trismegistus. Faust comes to realize his newfound friend, Blue Devil, is only staying with him because of the magical nature of his revival. Not willing to risk Blue Devil's safety, he eliminates the magical connection by plunging the last of Blue Devil's bones into his back. Following the battles, Faust fakes the death of both himself and his father. Blue Devil soon dies in battle against Hermes but is revived.

Checkmate

Though Faust does not appear in Checkmate #17, Carl Draper mentions that he is brought in as a consultant to lay down magical safeguards to help defend Checkmate's HQ, the Castle. In issue #24 of the series, Faust is revealed as one of the organization's "Rooks."

DC Rebirth

In the Suicide Squad: Black Files limited series, Sebastian Faust is re-imagined as one of the former directors of A.R.G.U.S.'s Project: Black Room, a program designed to catalog items of mystic origin and to battle threats of magical origin on behalf of the United States government. Considered the best wizard in America and A.R.G.U.S., he later falls in love with a dryad whom he marries and later becomes pregnant with his child. After a spell he pick up during his missions terminally ills his wife, he takes to planning to rid of magic to cure his wife and unborn child by utilizing arcane tools he acquired from a mystic terror cell and comes into conflict with Suicide Squad Black, an off-shoot of the Suicide Squad consisting of members capable of fighting supernatural threats. He is eventually defeated by this team and is later taken in by the Justice League to be rehabilitated.[2]

Powers and abilities

Empowered by a demonic bargain, Sebastian Faust is knowledgeable on the occult and is considered one of the most powerful magic users on Earth. An adept spell-caster, Faust's incantations delve into black magic, which form of magic that is noted to often take a heavy toll on its practitioner.[3] Taught to him by his father is soul magic, a form of magic Sebastian surpasses his father in that allows him to manipulate and power himself with the souls others in order to accomplish magical feats such as replenishing his depleted energies, read the aura of others, siphon other's powers like that of the Green Lantern's power ring construct capabilities and the Speed Force.[4]

In DC Rebirth, the nature of his powers has changed; Considered the most power magic user in A.R.G.U.S. and America, he is still powered by a demonic bargain given to him by his father. However, he is an expert user of magic capable of taking on powerful magic users such as the Enchantress and Klarion the Witch Boy by speaking verbal commands backwards similarly to Zatanna to perform various feats of magic such as creating magical constructs, discharge magical energy blasts, mind control, casting energy shield, and endowing himself with superhuman durability. He is also a skilled leader and capable of manipulating others to further his own goals.[5]

References
  1. Diaz, Ruben; Smith, Seann (w), Champagne, Keith (i). "Magicide" JLA: Black Baptism 2 (May 2001)
  2. Barr, Mike W; Briones, Philippe; Nitz, Jai; Eaton, Scot; (w). Suicide Squad: Black Files #1-#6 (January 2019, June 2019)
  3. Beatty, Scott; Brown, Elliot (w). "Profile Pages" Day of Judgment Secret Files and Origins 1 (November 1999)
  4. Diaz, Ruben; Smith, Seann (w), Champagne, Keith; Sauz, Jesus; Write, Gregory; Bradstreet, Tim (i). JLA: Black Baptism 1-6 (May 2001)
  5. Barr, Mike W; Briones, Philippe; Nitz, Jai; Eaton, Scot; (w). Suicide Squad: Black Files #1-#6 (January 2019, June 2019)
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