Kneel at his feet or you will be crushed by his boot. Find out everything you need to know about Black Adam, the latest antihero in the DC Extended Universe. Finally, it has come to pass. There will be a solo film dedicated to Black Adam. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will portray the mighty Kahndaqi, making him one of the biggest comic book characters ever.
While Black Adam has largely been defined as Shazam’s perennial nemesis, it is evident that Geoff Johns intends to expand his reputation and reveal several facts about this character. There is no doubt that Black Adam belongs to the antihero camp, neither being a hero nor a villain. Even though he is armed with god-like powers and devilish rage, he is committed to a strict (albeit flexible) code of morality.
Dwayne Johnson expressed his excitement when asked if he would play Shazam or Black Adam, saying, “I just love [his] backstory, and I have always thought that Black Adam is a very intriguing character.”
Table of Contents
Black Adam Started Out As An Enslaved Person
A few years after Black Adam’s unfortunate demise against the Marvel Family, he disappeared until the 1970s. The New 52 was the first time he made a full return after he was acquired by Geoff Johns and David Goyer.
The origin story of Teth-Adam has been given a new twist in some recent Black Adam facts. He is now an enslaved person in Kahndaq, where his entire family, with the exception of his kind nephew, has been murdered in cold blood. The incident took place when Adam saved his nephew from the Kahndaqi guards, but he was fatally wounded in the process.
The Rock of Eternity is suddenly teleported to Aman and Adam as they leave their prison cells. In this case, Shazam’s blessing and powers were granted to Aman. In his return to Kahndaq, he hoped to use his powers for peaceful purposes and rebuild his homeland. Having killed his nephew and stolen the powers for himself, Adam was able to eliminate all dictators and eliminate everyone who had killed his family.
Black Adam Wields The Powers of the Egyptian Gods
While Black Adam’s powers stem from saying “Shazam,” the word invokes the powers of six Egyptian gods: Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aton, and Mehen. Black Adam’s war cry, “Shazam,” is fueled by the bellows of Black Adam voice, making him nearly impossible to defeat.
By imbuing Black Adam with Shu’s endurance, he is able to withstand almost every type of counterattack. In outer space, Black Adam is capable of flying at a speed greater than two miles per second as well as on Earth at speeds exceeding two miles per second. He plays an important role in making Black Adam one of the world’s most powerful superheroes.
Black Adam benefits from Zehuti’s intelligence, which is uncommon in superheroes. Through Aton, Adam can wield thunderbolts, travel across dimensions, and even change forms at will. Last but not least, Mehen provides Adam with boundless courage and strength to enable rapid healing during combat.
Black Adam Traumatized Martian Manhunter
Martian Manhunter attempted to halt Black Adam’s global rampage in World War III, #1. Upon hearing J’onn’s call, Black Adam all-but evaporates him with a burst of lightning. Martian Manhunter was lying broken and charred on the ground, allowing Adam to easily lift him with one arm. When Martian Manhunter used his signature telepathy to gain control of Adam’s mind, he was traumatized by what he witnessed.
Having been overcome by violence and rage, Adam warned, “Be careful what you wish for.”. Martian Manhunter fled the scene with tears in his eyes, unable to bear Black Adam’s emotional state or physical strength.
Black Adam Is An Ancient Egyptian Who Murdered Pharaoh
Black Adam was created by Fawcett Comics writers Otto Binder and C.C. Beck long before his acquisition by DC Comics. In the 1945 issue of The Marvel Family #1, he appeared as Teth-Adam, an Ancient Egyptian handpicked by the wizard Shazam to become an all-powerful hero. By simply saying the word, “Shazam,” Adam acquired the powers of Black Adam as well as an all new black suit.
As a result, Adam turned to the dark side. Due to his potential, he was corrupted and killed the Egyptian Pharaoh in order to take over the throne. Shazam was devastated and exiled him to the far reaches of the universe before finding another pupil who could replace his corrupted pupil. Captain Marvel, the future Shazam, enters the scene. Finally, Black Adam has returned to battle the Marvel family.
Black Adam Joined the Sinestro Corps
Throughout the years, Black Adam and Sinestro have formed quite a dynamic duo. Together they’ve taken down the Crime Syndicate, Sinestro has rebuilt Black Adam’s shattered jaw, and even thrown massive bashes at Kahndaq to celebrate. Black Adam was Sinestro’s friend long before he joined the Sinestro Corps, so Sinestro recruited him to join the fight against The Paling.
Even though Sinestro tapped him for the fight despite the fact that a Yellow Lantern Ring-bearing Black Adam is truly frightening. Due to The Paling’s “ability to instill great fear” in his enemies, he empowered Black Adam. By working together, Sinestro, Black Adam, and the rest of the Corps soundly defeated the Paling, and Adam has retained his ring to this day.
Black Adam Started World War III
There are very few superheroes who can claim to have started a global conflict, but Black Adam belongs to this elite group. The beginning of World War III was marked by a betrayal. In reality, his dear friend, the talking crocodile Sobek, was actually the assassin Famine, the Fourth Horsemen of Apokolips designed specifically to eliminate Black Adam. As a result of Sobek and the other horsemen obliterating Adam’s household, his dear wife, Isis, was killed. As she breathed her last, she urged Adam to seek glorious revenge on her.
Two million people in the nation of Bialya were slaughtered by Black Adam as a result of her words. As a result of this event, everything began to unfold. In defense of the globe and its many landmarks, the entire planet rallied together against the berserker Black Adam. Among China’s top superheroes, he battled and defeated the Teen Titans, the Doom Patrol, and many others on his own.
Why Dwayne Johnson Picked Black Adam Over Shazam
The facts regarding Black Adam indicate that he believes that control is a form of freedom, as is the case with many dictators. As he kills Aman and steals his powers, he pursues a morally twisted goal: retribution against those who enslaved him and destroyed his family.
In addition, he sits on a throne forged with blood as the subsequent ruler of Kahndaq. As far as Black Adam’s character is concerned, it is difficult to argue that he is anything other than an evil character if the story were to end there.
Fortunately, Dwayne Johnson portrays him with a level of complexity that makes him perfect for the role he has been cast in. In lieu of Shazam, The Rock chose this antihero because of his complex history, his past as an enslaved person, and his present as a conflicted demigod. In the words of Johnson, “I think we need to respect and pay tribute to the true mythology in order for the heroic side to emerge.”
Black Adam Has Been Mute Twice
The absence of Black Adam voice poses a number of problems for him. This is the primary means by which he is able to access his powers, and without it, he would simply be Teth-Adam in human form. Although it hasn’t happened very often in the comics, there have been a few instances when silencing Black Adam proved to be the most effective strategy for defeating him.
While fighting Shazam, Black Adam suffered a severed vocal cord, preventing him from resuming power anytime soon.
Another instance in which Adam was beaten to within an inch of his life involved a battle with Ultraman. With his special powers impervious to Black Adam’s magical abilities, Ultraman reached down and grabbed Adam’s mandible, announcing, “No more words from you.” Silencing Adam’s last-ditch attempt to scream “Shazam!,” the evil Superman doppelgänger from Earth 3 then crushed Black Adam’s jaw and left him broken and helpless.
