Name: Zatara
Universe: Earth-2
Alter Ego: John (Giovanni) Zatara
Occupation: Stage Magician, Adventurer
Marital Status: Widower
Group Affiliation: All-Star Squadron
Base of Operations: Mobile
Known Relatives: Leonardo Da Vinci (reputed ancestor, deceased), Luigi Zatara (grandfather, deceased), Sindella (wife, deceased), Zatanna (daughter)
Height: 5 ft. 11 in.
Weight: 170 lbs.
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Blue
First Appearance: Action Comics #1

History:
John Zatara was the grandson of the great stage magician, Luigi Zatara, who, on John’s fifteenth birthday, gave him a box of magician’s props and told him to practice with them so that one day he too could be a leading magician. John did so, and launched his career as a professional stage magician when he was nineteen.

John Zatara acquired a reproduction of the notebooks of his reputed ancestor, Leonardo Da Vinci, who wrote in them backwards in order to protect his secrets. Reading words from the notebook backwards and aloud, Zatara discovered that he could perform actual magic, in contrast to the mere stage magician’s illusions he had been performing. The origin of Zatara’s true magical abilities is unknown, although he has speculated that he may have inherited them from an ancestor.

Zatara used his magical powers to battle crime while continuing his stage career. During World War II he served as a member of the All-Star Squadron.

In northern Turkey, Zatara was caught in an avalanche he himself had magically created to defeat his foe King Inferno. Zatara was found and aided by Sindella, a woman whom he married and who gave him a daughter, Zatanna. Sindella seemingly died in a car crash. Zatara did not learn until many years later that Sindella was still alive, and that she was a member of the race of Homo magi, a branch of humanity with innate magical abilities.

While Zatanna was still a child, Zatara defeated the evil elemental Allura, who put a curse on him that would kill both him and Zatanna if he saw his daughter again. To save her, he fled Earth and searched other dimensions for a good counterpart to Allura who could defeat the evil one.

Zatanna became a true magician and undertook a long search for her father. Finally, Zatanna went to the other-dimensional realm of Kharma, where the good Allura forced the evil one to release Zatara from her spell, and, thus, after twenty years, Zatara and Zatanna were joyously reunited.

Zatara and Zatanna were also reunited with Sindella just before her heroic death.

Zatara retired both as a stage magician and as a crimefighter. However, Zatara joined Zatanna and other mystics in combating the primordial Shadow Creature that threatened to attack heaven itself. When this being of Darkness was about to destroy Zatanna, Zatara cast a spell that directed its lethal power against him instead. Zatara thus met a heroic death when the Darkness' power incinerated his body.

However, since then, Zatara’s spirit has apparently given Zatanna guidance from the hereafter.

Powers:
By pronouncing each word of his spells backwards (hence "magic" would be pronounced "cigam"), Zatara could perform feats of true magic. The limits of his powers are unknown.

Zatara was only a fair hand-to-hand combatant, and preferred using his magic in battle instead.