Seven Deadly Enemies of Man
Seven powerful demons, based upon the seven deadly sins enumerated in Christianity, who can take control of both humans and superheroes. The Sins were captured by the wizard Shazam many years ago, and encased in seven mockingly cartoon-like stone statues. The seven statues housing each demon are on display in Shazam's underground lair in the subway in the original comics, and in the Rock of Eternity in the modern comics. The demons have escaped their prisons several times to cause havoc, usually freed by another villain. In one story King Kull releases them, planning to make Sin bombs which cause people to commit sins by affecting their minds and destroy the world. Cap follows King Kull to his Evil Olympus and turns to Billy Batson to get through the alarm systems. As he runs out to transform and capture the Sins, his feet catches on a loose bomb, causing him to fall and hit his head on the floor. A Sin seizes him to stop him speaking, and Kull says he will use the ray that restored the Sins to turn Billy to stone, but Billy kicks the gun away and bites the Sin's hand so it releases his mouth, enabling him to summon Captain Marvel. Kull is defeated and the Sins again imprisoned in stone. In the original Fawcett stories and most other versions, the Seven Sins were "censored" to an extent in keeping with 1940s standards, identified as the "Seven Deadly Enemies of Man" and including Pride, Envy, Greed, Hatred, Laziness, Selfishness, and Injustice among their ranks.
Most post-2000 appearances of the Seven Deadly Sins identify them by their traditional theological versions (Pride, Envy, Greed, Anger, Sloth, Gluttony, and Lust). When the Spectre destroyed the Rock of Eternity and killed Shazam the Sins were released. When the Rock was rebuilt the Sins were again captured, although they try to torment Marvel, and they are implied to have caused trouble at a full moon. It is claimed that Pride is the most rude and dangerous.
Read more about this topic: List Of Marvel Family Enemies
Famous quotes containing the words deadly, enemies and/or man:
“For a novel addressed by a man to men and women of full age; which attempts to deal unaffectedly with the fret and fever, derision and disaster, that may press in the wake of the strongest passion known to humanity; to tell, without a mincing of words, of a deadly war waged between flesh and spirit; and to point the tragedy of unfulfilled aims, I am not aware that there is anything in the handling to which exception can be taken.”
—Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)
“What a battle a man must fight everywhere to maintain his standing army of thoughts, and march with them in orderly array through the always hostile country! How many enemies there are to sane thinking! Every soldier has succumbed to them before he enlists for those other battles.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“A man has no religion who has not slowly and painfully gathered one together, adding to it, shaping it; and one’s religion is never complete and final, it seems, but must always be undergoing modification.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)