Ian Karkull

Ian Karkull is a supervillain in comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in More Fun Comics #69 (August 1941) as a foe of the sorcerer Doctor Fate. He later became a recurring foe of the All-Star Squadron and the Justice Society of America, beginning in All-Star Squadron Annual #3.

Publication history
Ian Karkull first appeared in More Fun Comics #69, and was created by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman.

Fictional character biography
In the late 1930s, Ian Karkull was a scientist and archaeologist working in the Sahara Desert with partner Everett Dahlen to find Ragnor, a mystic city rumored to possess great wealth and a knowledge of dark powers. However, Dahlen eventually betrayed Karkull and left him for dead, during which he learned magic before being rescued by nomadic Arabs.

After returning to the United States, Karkull built a machine that could transform men into intangible shadows. He killed Dahlen out of revenge, but this attracted the attention of Doctor Fate. Karkull transformed himself into a shadow to evade him, but Fate destroyed the machine that would return him to human form.

For an undetermined period, Karkull wandered the Earth, plotting his revenge. At some point, he was contacted by Wotan, another enemy of Doctor Fate, who had previously been trapped underground and needed his help to escape. The two then relocated to a hidden city in the Arctic, getting Fate's attention when they killed U.S. Navy scientists who came too close to their lair. After defeating the two, Fate left the city to burn to the ground.

Karkull was last seen manipulating Obsidian to gain access to the Shadowlands. The same story revealed that the Justice Society were exposed to Karkull's energy during World War II, which slowed their aging and enabled them to remain healthy despite their advanced age. Eventually, Obsidian kills Karkull and uses his energy to expand the Shadowlands across the world.

Powers and abilities
Ian Karkull wields magic derived from Shadowlands energy, which enables him to manipulate darkness. He eventually used a machine to become a living shadow, becoming intangible and no longer aging.

In other media
Karkull appears in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "The Hand of Fate", voiced by Ted Levine. This version is a demon who was imprisoned in a tablet by Doctor Fate.