Shadow Thief is the name of three fictional supervillains published by DC Comics. The first is a recurring foe of Hawkman named Carl Sands. Shadow Thief appeared in the seventh season episode of the Arrowverse television series Arrow, portrayed by Carmel Amit. Publication history The Carl Sands version of Shadow Thief first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #36 (July 1961) and was created by Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert. The Carl Hammer version of Shadow Thief first appeared in Vigilante #14 (February 1985) and was created by Marv Wolfman and Trevor Von Eeden. Fictional character biography Carl Sands Pre-Crisis version Carl Sands was a career criminal who was conducting experiments on shadow projection while in jail. Because his shadow betrayed him to a policeman while he was robbing the safe in a store at night he was trying to make his shadow work for him. The experiments allowed him to make contact with an alien explorer named Thar Dan from the Xarapion dimension. In return for saving the creature's life, Sands was given a device known as a Dimensiometer and a pair of ebony gloves that allows him to hold objects while in shadow form. Hawkman eventually defeats him, but Shadow Thief would come into conflict with him many times after that. He would later become a member of the Injustice Gang which came into conflict with Hawkman and his allies, the Justice League of America. Eventually, the Phantom Stranger had him permanently stripped of the Dimensiometer. Post-Crisis/Post-Hawkworld version While growing up in Japan, American Carl Sands learns ninjutsu techniques and becomes a rather undistinguished industrial saboteur, accepting unremarkable sums to hinder and eliminate his clients' rivals. His pre-Crisis history remained canon, including his brief membership in the Injustice Gang. However, he has instead fought with the Golden Age Hawks rather than the Silver Age Katar and Shayera Hol. Sometime after losing the belt to the Phantom Stranger, the Thanagarian criminal Byth hires Sands to steal Hawkman and Hawkwoman's ship. To help Sands with this job, Byth gives him a shadow suit - a Thanagarian belt device/"shadow vest", which gave Sands the ability to shift his body into a shadow form (based on Thar Dan's Dimensiometer). He sells his soul to Neron for more power. The demon king gave Sands a more powerful shadow suit which is tinged with magic and has vastly augmented abilities to enact greater