Black Adam

Black Adam is a fictional comic book character, created in 1945 by Otto Binder & C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. Originally created as a one-shot villain for Fawcett Comics' Marvel Family team of superheroes, Black Adam was revived as a recurring supervillain after DC Comics began publishing Captain Marvel/Marvel Family stories under the title Shazam! in the 1970s. As originally depicted, Black Adam was a corrupted ancient Egyptian predecessor of Captain Marvel, who found his way to modern times to challenge the hero and his Marvel Family associates.

Since the turn of the 21st century, Adam has been redefined by DC writers Jerry Ordway, Geoff Johns, and David S. Goyer as a corrupted antihero attempting to clear his name. Featured roles in comic books series such as JSA, Villains United, Infinite Crisis, and 52 have elevated the character to a level of prominence in DC Comics.

Fawcett Comics
The original Fawcett Comics version of Black Adam, which appeared only once during the original Fawcett run of Captain Marvel comics, is an ancient Egyptian prince named "Teth-Adam", who is chosen by the wizard Shazam to be his successor. When Adam says the magic word "Shazam", he is transformed into a superpowered being, Teth Adam (literally translating into "Mighty Human"). Possessing the same powers that Captain Marvel would later be granted, Adam is soon corrupted by the vastness of his powers. The wizard Shazam originally gives him ancient powers derived from Greco-Roman deities (later stories establish that the names of gods from the Egyptian pantheon make up the acronym Shazam for Black Adam).

Deciding that he should rule the world, Adam overthrows the pharaoh and assumes the throne. An angry Shazam gives his errant champion a new name -- "Black Adam" -- and banishes him to the most distant star in the universe.

Adam spends the next 5000 years flying back to Earth. By the time he makes it back, in 1945, Shazam has appointed three new champions to take his place: Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, and Captain Marvel Jr. Adam does battle with the trio, known as the Marvel Family, but since all are equally invulnerable, the fight goes on and on without resolution.

Adam's original design bore a resemblance to actor Boris Karloff, albeit with pointed elfin ears. He wore a costume similar to Captain Marvel's, except that the red portions were black, and Adam did not wear a cape (later depictions of the character gave him a black cape similar to the ones worn by the Marvel Family).

Pre-Crisis and Shazam!: The New Beginning
While he is defeated in the same story in which he debuted, Adam is resurrected nearly thirty years later (by Doctor Sivana) in DC Comics' Shazam! revival of the Marvel Family characters. According to Shazam! #28, Black Adam gets his powers from Shu (stamina), Hershef (strength), Amon (power), Zonga (Thoth) (wisdom), Anpu (speed), and Menthu (courage). After several more defeats at Captain Marvel's hand, Adam joins Mister Mind's final pre-Crisis version of the Monster Society Of Evil. Adam's origin is revised for the 1987 miniseries ''Shazam! The New Beginning'', in which the need for Captain Marvel to oppose him is made an integral reason of why Billy Batson is recruited. Soon after that call, the corrupted champion is drawn from the netherworld by an interdimensional transport device created by Dr. Sivana, whom Adam attempts to make his slave.

The Power of Shazam!: revised origin
Black Adam is reintroduced to the DC Universe in The Power of Shazam! graphic novel by Jerry Ordway in 1994. In that story and the subsequent Power of Shazam! ongoing series, Adam is a deadly and evil adversary for Captain Marvel.

In this revised origin, Teth-Adam is the son of the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II, and impresses one of the high priests, the wizard Shazam, with his good deeds. The wizard gives Teth-Adam the power to become the superhero Mighty-Adam by speaking the name "Shazam", an acronym for Mighty Adam's powers: the stamina of Shu, the swiftness of Heru (Horus), the strength of Amon, the wisdom of Zonga, the power of Aton, and the courage of Mehen.

Mighty Adam serves as Egypt's champion for many centuries, but becomes corrupted by the charms of a mysterious woman, revealed to be Shazam's evil daughter Blaze in disguise. The bewitched Adam is convinced that he and his mistress should rule Egypt, so he kills the Pharaoh and appoints himself ruler. Shazam learns of this treachery and strips Adam of his powers, encasing them in a mystical scarab necklace. Adam's depowered body rapidly experiences the aging process that the magic had staved off, and the former hero withers away into a dried cadaver in seconds.

Shazam buries both the body and the scarab in the tomb of Ramesses II, where he plans for it to remain for all eternity. In death, the former hero is referred to as "Khem-Adam" ("Black Adam"). Disillusioned by what he perceived as Adam's betrayal, Shazam waits several millennia before appointing a second champion to fight evil in his name.

Thousands of years later, during the late 20th century, an unscrupulous archaeological aide named Theo Adam finds himself assigned to the Malcom Expedition, financed by the Sivana Foundation to excavate the tomb of Ramesses II. Adam uncovers Khem-Adam's tomb in a secret passageway, and leads his superiors, C. C. Batson and his wife Marilyn, to the discovery. Upon first sight of Khem-Adam's scarab, Theo Adam becomes obsessed with the artifact, and kills both Batsons in order to steal it. Escaping Egypt, Theo Adam soon made his way back to America.

The Batsons' son, Billy, has been left behind in the United States, and is drafted by Shazam to become the wizard's second champion, Captain Marvel. When Theo Adam first encounters Captain Marvel, he notes both Marvel's identical appearance to C. C. Batson and the lightning-bolt insignia on Marvel's chest that had also decorated Khem-Adam's tomb. Adam therefore has a revelation, and realizes that he is a reincarnation of Khem-Adam. Grasping his stolen scarab, Adam speaks Shazam's name and is transformed into the superpowered Black Adam. Black Adam reveals himself to Captain Marvel as the Batsons' killer, and the two battle. Captain Marvel emerges victorious by snatching Adam's scarab, and therefore his power, away from him. Marvel brings Theo Adam to Shazam, who wipes Adam's memory and takes away his voice, so that he can not access his powers. This solution proves temporary, as Blaze reenters her former lover's life and helps restore his voice, his memory, and access to his powers.

In Week 12 of the series, Adam uses a magical amulet, hidden on the scarab in which Shazam imprisoned him, to transform Adrianna into the superheroine Isis.

Four weeks later, in Week 16, he proposes, and the two are married under the auspice of Captain Marvel and the rest of the Marvel Family. Renee Montoya and the Question prevent a suicide bomber from ruining the wedding.

In 52 Week 23, Black Adam and Isis, with the assistance of the Question and Renee Montoya, find Isis' brother Amon. Due to a failed escape attempt, Amon suffers near-fatal wounds. In order to save his life Black Adam bestows a portion of his own power on the boy, as Captain Marvel did for Captain Marvel Jr. Isis' brother then becomes a new addition to the Marvel Family under the name Osiris.

Osiris is accepted into the Teen Titans. Upon returning from a mission, he and the rest of the Black Marvel family are attacked by the Suicide Squad. The Black Marvels successfully defeat the Squad, but not before footage of them in battle (including Osiris' accidental killing of a Squad member) is captured by Amanda Waller, who uses it to further ruin the Black Marvel Family's reputation. Meanwhile, Khandaq is struck with a number of natural disasters, which seem to have a supernatural origin.

Wracked with guilt over the death of the Persuader, Osiris ventures to the Rock of Eternity and pleads with Captain Marvel to have his powers removed, as he fears Black Adam's influence (and those of his gods) has tainted him with evil. Black Adam arrives and the two battle until subdued by Isis and the Marvels. Osiris relents and accompanies the Black Marvel Family back home, only to be betrayed and brutally devoured by his friend, the talking crocodile Sobek, while in his mortal form.

Isis and Adam confront Sobek, who reveals that he is Famine, the Fourth Horseman of Apokolips, one of four creatures created by Intergang to attack Black Adam. Adam swiftly disposes of Sobek, and does battle with the other three Horsemen. One of them, Pestilence, infects Isis with a deadly disease before Adam kills him and his partner War. A gravely ill Isis saves Adam from Death using her powers, and tells Adam with her dying breaths that she was wrong to try to change his views on justice, and that he should avenge both her and Osiris.

World War III
Seething with fury, Adam flies to the neighboring nation of Bialya, where Death has taken refuge. Adam slaughters everyone within Bialya - the government, the army, and the citizens - while hunting for Death, whom he defeats in battle, then tortures the creature into revealing the whereabouts of its masters. Intent on revenge, Black Adam flies to Oolong Island, hideout of a coalition of evil DC Universe scientists who created the Horsemen. However, the scientists subdue him and he suffers weeks of torture at the hands of Dr. Sivana. The "Science Squad" then announce to the world that they plan to sell Black Adam as a living weapon to the highest bidder. The Justice Society assaults the island, freeing Adam. It is revealed that Chang Tzu had built the Horsemen under orders of China, who wanted Adam and his family to be assassinated after Adam left the Freedom of Power Treaty. Adam refuses to be taken into custody and once more flies off, seeking revenge for the death of his family.

Enraged to the point of madness, and with his gods' blessings, Black Adam is somehow able to focus his magic to vastly greater levels than any other Marvel ever has. His anger seems to fuel his power increase as his strength and endurance are increased substantually. Adam easily defeats Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr. and the Global Guardians. Days later he quickly defeats the Doom Patrol. Then Adam flies to China, causing massive civilian casualties and billions of dollars in property damage when various superhumans get in his way. He tears through the ranks of the world's superhumans, killing Young Frankenstein and Terra of the Teen Titans, and seriously injuring several others. He attacks China, continuing the destruction until the decimated Great Ten allows the Justice Society and a coalition of dozens of other American metahumans onto Chinese soil. Captain Marvel, though unable to take away Black Adam's powers, works with a group of mystics, including Zatanna and the Phantom Stranger, to transform Black Adam into the mortal Teth-Adam. Using his abilities as the new guardian of the Rock of Eternity, Marvel changes Adam's magic word from "Shazam" to an unknown one (later revealed to be "chocolate egg cream") to prevent him from ever changing back. Despite his defeat, Teth-Adam escapes thanks to the intervention of his one-time ally Atom Smasher. He is left a mortal wandering the Middle East, unsuccessfully guessing at the word that will restore his power.

Black Adam: The Dark Age
In this six-issue miniseries, which begins sometime after his defeat in World War III, the still-powerless Teth-Adam orders his remaining loyal minions to savagely beat his face in order to alter his physical appearance. Effectively disguised, he leads the group to Kahndaq to retrieve the bones of Isis, while the JSA is in Bialya searching for him. Adam and his men are attacked by unidentified soldiers (who are also searching for Teth-Adam) while leaving the tomb of Isis and Osiris. Adam's followers sacrifice their lives so that he can escape with his wife's remains. Adam then travels to the frozen Himalayas, where he cannibalizes the corpse of his last henchman after running out of food. The text indicates that his henchman voluntarily sacrifices his body to keep Black Adam alive. This serves to indicate both Black Adam's undying dedication to resurrecting Isis as well as the equally powerful loyalty that his remaining followers had for him.

Finally reaching a secluded cave, Teth Adam resurrects Isis using a Lazarus Pit. The process is imperfect however, and Isis' new skin decays and her body literally falls apart. Adam returns her to death to end her suffering. Teth-Adam then journeys to Doctor Fate's tower, hoping to retrieve Isis' amulet. He encounters Felix Faust, who offers his assistance in return for being freed from the tower, in which he was trapped by Ralph Dibny during 52. It is also revealed here that Teth Adam's previous attempt at bringing Isis back at the Lazarus Pit failed because one of Isis' fingers was missing; an individual's remains must be fully intact for a Lazarus Pit to work properly.

With Faust's help, Black Adam's power source is changed from his six patron gods to the residual mystic energy contained in Isis' corpse. "Isis" now works as his new magic word of transformation. Once again in his superhuman form, he sets off to retrieve the scattered pieces of Isis' amulet. Faust warns Adam that this is only a temporary solution, as every time he draws power from Isis' bones, they become more fragile and less able to sustain her resurrection.

In retrieving the first part of the amulet, Teth Adam encounters Hawkman. The two have a savage battle in the sky, leading to Hawkman's serious injury. After the fight, the Justice League is notified and the team begins trying to find Black Adam. Meanwhile, while resting at a riverbank and contemplating his mission to bring back his wife, Teth Adam is shot down and badly wounded by members of the same organization that attacked him in issue one. He is, however, strong enough to speak the magic word "Isis" and transform into Black Adam. After promptly dispatching the assassins with extreme prejudice, he visits a veterinary hospital to have his wounds repaired.

After leaving the hospital, the doctors who save Teth Adam's life are attacked by the assassins. Teth Adam sees this happening, saves the two doctors, and kills one of the assassins and captures the other two. He kills them both, one by striking him with lightning and one by flying him up into the thermosphere, after getting information from them. The Justice League talk to the two doctors as part of their hunt for Teth Adam, and learn about his heroic act of saving them from the assassins. This further develops Teth Adam's antihero character, as it is one of his first acts of heroism since the events of World War III.

Black Adam travels by train as a stow-away and happens to arrive at Fawcett City. Seeing this as his chance to look for clues as to what Captain Marvel changed his magic word to, Teth Adam roams Fawcett City reading signs and guessing what the word is. After hours of searching he enters a malt shop and accidentally discovers that the new transformation word Captain Marvel changed back in 52 was in fact "chocolate egg cream". With his original power returned, he flies to Fate's Tower and confronts Faust. Faust attempts to resurrect Isis, but the resurrection fails, and Isis' bones crumble to the floor. Faust blames Black Adam for using Isis' power too much, and distraught, Black Adam flies away, ending up in the Kahndaq embassy in Gotham City. It is revealed that the bones that Faust showed to Black Adam belonged to Ralph Dibny, and Faust resurrects Isis successfully. With her under his power, he exits the tower.

Countdown
In Countdown #47 a depowered Mary Marvel stumbles upon Black Adam at the embassy and finds that he has killed several others that have had the misfortune to find their way into the building. It appears that Adam is about to harm Mary as well, but instead, he transfers all of his powers to her (including those he recovered from Isis). He departs in his mortal form, telling her to tell Billy Batson, "Sorry". Appearing in the final issue, Black Adam is once again empowered. Mary Marvel seeks to join forces with him in a new Black Marvel Family, but he dismisses her as arrogant and childish, leaving her entirely alone.

Final Crisis
Black Adam is featured in Final Crisis #5, assisting a small group of Earth's heroes, many of whom he fought before, in battling against Darkseid's forces. Black Adam battles Mary Marvel and perceives a "leering old man" inside of her. He attempts to kill her but is stopped by Tawky Tawny and Shazam (Freddy Freeman). Adam is subdued by enemy forces.

Justice Society of America
Later he resumes living in his family shrine, sleeping in his coffin and mourning his dead family. He reveals that the whole meaning of his power transfer to Mary Marvel was the hope that her innocence would eventually force Mary into surrendering back his power to him, but changed enough to allow Isis' rebirth. After the attempt fails, Adam returns to his state of mourning and anger, until he discoveres a bloodied flower in his shrine, believing it a sign from Isis.

Black Adam returns in the current Justice Society of America series, following a lightning-bolt shaped trail of Isis' flowers to an unknown location. Finding Isis and freeing her from Faust's control, Black Adam then journeys to the Rock of Eternity and battles Billy Batson (now known as MARVEL), using the same scarab necklace that once imprisoned him to strip Billy of his powers, and transfer them to himself and Isis. The two then set out to change the world for the better.

Powers and abilities
When Teth Adam/Theo Adam says the magic word "Shazam", he is transformed into Black Adam and granted the following powers derived from ancient Egyptian gods:

Additionally, Adam's senses are acutely sharpened. Black Adam has repeatedly been described as a warrior who had proven himself to be highly skilled even before he was given the power of Shazam.

Saying the magic word again initially changes Black Adam back into Theo Adam, although when the Spectre strips him of his powers during the Black Vengeance affair, he reverts to Teth Adam, the ancient Khandaqi warrior who was Mighty Adam. Subsequent depictions in the 52 series also show Teth Adam as Black Adam's default mortal identity. However, Black Adam very rarely voluntarily changes back to his non-powered form.

In other media
Adam appeared in the "Black Adam's Return" episode of episode of the 1981 Shazam! Saturday morning cartoon, which aired as one-half of the Kid Superpower Hour with Shazam!. As in his original comic book appearance, he is tricked into saying "Shazam!", and turns to dust, presumably killing him. However, he returns in a later episode; this time, he is tricked into saying "Shazam" and is sent back to the days of ancient Egypt. He was voiced by Lou Scheimer. In this version he was shown knowing magical spells in addition to his Marvel powers, perhaps to level the field against the numerically superior Marvel Family.

Although he has not appeared in any other television programs or films, the character is briefly mentioned by his alter-ego's name, Teth-Adam, during a flashback in the "Ancient History" episode of Justice League Unlimited. DC Direct has released two action figures of Black Adam, the most recent based on the work of artist Alex Ross.

New Line Cinema is currently developing a Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam! live-action feature film, with Peter Segal (The Longest Yard, 50 First Dates) as director and Michael Uslan as producer. Actor and former wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has agreed to appear in the film as Black Adam.

He also appears as a character in the Graphic Audio audiobooks for Infinite Crisis (in a small role) and 52 (in which he plays a major part).

Black Adam is set to appear in the upcoming video game DC Universe Online.

In the intercompany crossover JLA/Avengers, Black Adam has a small cameo in the last battle, where he is seen being taken down by the Marvel Universe's Captain Mar-Vell.

Additional reading

 * Shazam! and the Shazam Family! Annual #1 (2002). Reprints Black Adam's origin from Marvel Family #1 (1945), among other Marvel Family stories. Stories by Otto Binder; art by C. C. Beck, Pete Costanza, Mac Rayboy, Marc Swayze, Bud Thompson, and Jack Binder.
 * The Power of Shazam! (1994), written and painted by Jerry Ordway. A trade paperback collection depicting Captain Marvel's and Black Adam's current DC Universe origin stories. (ISBN 1-56389-153-0, paperback)
 * JSA: Savage Times (2004). Trade paperback reprinting stories from JSA #38–45 (2002–2003), which feature Captain Marvel meeting Black Adam during Adam's tenure as Mighty Adam in ancient Egypt. Stories by Geoff Johns & David S. Goyer; art by Leonard Kirk, Patrick Gleason, Keith Champagne, and Christian Alamay. (ISBN 1-4012-0253-5)
 * JSA: Black Reign (2005). Trade paperback reprinting stories from JSA #56–58, and Hawkman #23-25 (2003–2004), which feature Black Adam's invasion of Kahndaq and his war with the Justice Society. Stories by Geoff Johns; art by Rags Morales, Don Kramer, Keith Champagne, and Michael Bair. (ISBN 1-4012-0480-5)