Is Black Adam A Villain? Yes And Here’s Why

Black Adam will star in his own film, according to DC, in addition to someday making an appearance in a Shazam movie (though perhaps not the first one). The film, which is a spin-off of the 2019 film Shazam!, will be released on October 21st, 2022. Stranger still, there are rumors that he might also show up in Aquaman, Suicide Squad and the upcoming Gotham City Sirens show that DC has no problem putting villains in the spotlight on the big screen.

What is Black Adam’s origin story?

Teth-Adam, Black Adam's first manifestation, and Theo Adam, his offspring, are two people who are connected to him. Teth-Adam will be discussed first. In the DC continuity, Teth-Adam was originally from ancient Egypt, but in the current day, his home nation has been changed to the imaginary nation Kahndaq. We'll only be addressing the most crucial details because Black Adam's history has undergone numerous modifications as a result of DC continuity's constant shifting and re-launching.

Teth-Adam was portrayed as the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II's son in the 1994 comic book series The Power of Shazam! After impressing the wizard Shazam, he was given the power to transform into the superhuman Mighty Adam by pronouncing the wizard's name.

For many years, Mighty Adam defended Egypt against its adversaries with his incredible powers (which we'll talk about in the following section). However, he was eventually corrupted by a lady who was later revealed to be Blaze, Shazam's daughter, and turned rogue, becoming Black Adam. Teth Adam's age quickly caught up with him as a result of the wizard's action after learning of Adam's conversion to the dark side; eventually, he turned into a dried corpse.

Thousands of years later, we meet Theo Adam, who accompanied Billy Batson's parents on an expedition as their aide. Theo killed the Batsons and claimed these powers after discovering Black Adam's tomb and the scarab where the wizard Shazam kept Black Adam's powers. Theo only realized Teth-Adam was his ancestor after transforming into Black Adam. When Theo returned to the United States, Billy Batson had already been chosen as Captain Marvel by the wizard Shazam. So, when Theo noticed Marvel's resemblance to Billy's father, C.C. Batson, he knew he was dealing with the empowered son of the couple he murdered. They fought, but Captain Marvel eventually defeated Black Adam.

Theo Adam is no longer a part of the Shazam mythology as of the New 52. Adam was a Kahndaqian slave who escaped captivity with his nephew, Aman. Adam was mortally wounded during the escape, but before they were captured again, they were rescued by the wizard and magical ruling council, who chose Aman to be their champion. Aman wanted to use his powers to free his people and heal their former slavemasters after returning to Kahndaq and healing his uncle, but Adam only wanted vengeance for years of brutal treatment. So, when Aman said "Shazam," Adam said the same word, killed his nephew, and let the magical lightning strike him, granting him the full powers of Black Adam.

Is Black Adam a Villain or a Hero?

In his early years, Black Adam was more of a stereotypical supervillain who was only concerned with himself. In the modern era, however, he has evolved into more of an anti-hero than a full-fledged villain. He despises those who would harm and enslave others for the sake of greed, power, self-satisfaction, and so on, and he will go to any length to ensure that justice reigns supreme and oppression is eradicated. For example, during the Forever Evil event, when the Crime Syndicate of America projected a message across the world proclaiming that the world was theirs, Black Adam (resurrected) became enraged and declared, "The world belongs to no one." That's why he banded together with Lex Luthor, Captain Cold, Batman, Sinestro, and others.

Can Black Adam beat Superman?

Black Adam has the Wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury. However, in the older DC continuity and following Black Adam's New 52 resurrection in the Forever Evil: Black Adam one-shot, those names now belong to Egyptian gods; the stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru, the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zehuti (more commonly known as Thoth), the power of Aton and the courage of Mehen.

So what does this all mean exactly? Basically, even though the gods may vary, Black Adam's abilities are almost exactly the same as Superman's. He can fly, has super strength, is incredibly durable, is extremely fast, can cast magical lightning strikes and can call upon a vast amount of knowledge, among others. So ability-wise, he and Superman are on equal footing, but due to Black Adam's more ruthless nature, having an adult mentality and occasional enhancement, that sometimes gives him the advantage of the World's Mightiest Mortal.

Are Black Adam and Shazam enemies?

Yes, Black Adam's main enemy is Billy Batson, a.k.a. Captain Marvel/Shazam.

Now that you've learned the most important details about Black Adam, tell us in the comments what you're most looking forward to about Dwayne Johnson's take on the character. If you're already a fan of Black Adam, check out our Black Adam Themed Halloween Collection here.