Prince Amentep Ibis begins his life as
Amentep, a prince of
ancient Egypt who was in love with the beautiful Princess Taia of
Thebes. As a young man, Amentep is given the "Ibistick", a
talisman of incredible power, by the Egyptian god
Thoth, who empowers the talisman after Ibis was overthrown. Amentep's throne is eventually usurped – with the aid of a demonic army conjured up by the evil god
Set – by a cruel magician known as the Black Pharaoh. When Taia, who is under the protection of
Osiris, refuses to marry him, the Black Pharaoh shoots her with a poisoned arrow. Using his Ibistick, Amentep places his beloved in suspended animation to allow her to heal. He casts a similar spell upon himself, hoping to be present when Taia revives. 4000 years later, the mummy of Amentep returns to life in an
American museum in 1940, which is later revealed to be the work of the wizard
Shazam. Now called "Ibis", Amentep sets out in search of his beloved, eventually finding her at another museum. Seeking to adjust to this new world, Ibis uses his vast powers to become a crimefighter. Ibis can do almost anything with the power of the Ibistick: build force-fields around cities, transport himself and others, heal or destroy people, bring people back to life or summon spirits, give superhuman powers, and even make objects appear out of thin air. Without the wand, he is powerless, which is frequently exploited by his enemies. The Ibistick apparently vibrates in the presence of evil, at one point it even wakes him up. Taia was once shown using the wand to make lightning strike a foe of Ibis, and often uses it at other times. It can be used by anybody, but not to cause harm directly to Ibis, or it will backfire on the user. It cannot be used directly against certain magics. According to ''Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes'', "Ibis fights ordinary criminals, an animated and living Sphinx, the
Yellow Peril Trug, a spider made man-sized and man-smart by the Ibistick, the superintelligent maimed madman Half-Man, the Dark Spirit (a forgotten god of wickedness), Ruthven the Warlock, and Lucifer himself". Ibis and Taia next appear in a
Justice League/
Justice Society crossovers as members of a team referred to as Shazam's Squadron of Justice. These heroes live in a parallel universe on a world called Earth-S. Along with many other Earth-S characters, they were imprisoned in Doctor Sivana's Suspendium globe, but released twenty years later when it drifted near the Sun. Ibis was a member of the Squadron of Justice, organized to defeat King Kull when he paralyzed the Marvels and tried to destroy all three Earths. Ibis helped stop Mr. Atom from destroying the futuristic City of Tomorrow on Earth-One. After the
Crisis on Infinite Earths, Ibis and Taia were
retconned as part of the Golden Age of the
DC Universe, in which Ibis served alongside other wartime heroes in the
All-Star Squadron. As noted in
Starman Vol. 2, #40 (March 1998), Ibis tends to operate out of
Fawcett City like other heroes, including
Bulletman,
Minute-Man,
Spy Smasher, and the duo of
Mr. Scarlet and Pinky the Whiz Kid. Ibis was reintroduced in the modern
DC Universe in
The Power of Shazam! #11, in which he is resurrected by
Mary Marvel and
Uncle Dudley to rescue the wizard
Shazam from
Hell, where he had been imprisoned by the demoness
Blaze. In
Zatanna #1, part of the
Seven Soldiers miniseries, Ibis and Taia presumably perish along with
Doctor Thirteen and Timothy Ravenwind at the hands of Gwydion during a seance conducted by Zatanna. The sorceress blames her own shortcomings for their deaths.
Danny Khalifa Amentep's successor is an
Egyptian American boy named Danny Khalifa. Due to his ancient bloodline, Danny is chosen by Amentep to be his successor. He inherits the Ibistick and is thrust into a conflict between ancient Egyptian gods. As Ibis, Danny prevents the helmet of
Doctor Fate from falling into the hands of Set. Danny is assisted by the deity Thoth, who becomes his mentor and frightens away the bullies.
Reign in Hell Ibis returns to seek his new apprentice's services during the
Reign in Hell miniseries. Tensions between the major demons and the Hell-empowered heroes and villains erupt into a struggle for the control of the
Hell dimension. Danny accepts the summons. He is assisted by
Black Alice, who offers guidance and covers for his absence on Earth. While in Hell, Black Alice betrays him to ensure her own safety, abandoning him to
Neron's forces.He is later seen alive on Earth fighting against
Frankenstein after being corrupted by the Starheart's energy. ==Enemies==