10 questions about Black Adam, answered
After some time of announcements and ambiguities surrounding the Black Adam Movie, the DC Extended Universe finally saw the character debut in 2022. Fans have wanted to see him for a while and confirmation of The Rock’s portrayal only fueled more interest in Black Adam.
There are a number of questions that come to mind, including things like Black Adam’s background, who he is, and what his connection to Shazam is supposed to be. These are all questions that casual moviegoers will want answered after seeing the film.
Updated December 3, 2022 by Amanda Bruce: Though Black Adam may not be a critical hit (it sits at 39% on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes), Dwayne Johnson has earned quite a bit of praise for his dedication to the titular character and for his understated performance in the role. His usual charisma and quips have been toned down to take on the comic book role, and audiences agree viewers don’t have to be comic book fans to enjoy the action and story told in the film. However, for fans stepping into the film with no background in comics, there is always more to learn about a character with a long comic history.
Is Black Adam a villain?
While Black Adam won’t join the number of villains seen in the DCEU, he is actually best known as a villain. It was only after he joined the Justice Society of America that Black Adam’s portrayal began to sway towards anti-hero.
This happened in JSA #21 after Black Adam was freed by the Theo Adam personality and regretted his past actions. Given the character’s long history, there remains a widespread perception that Black Adam is a villainous character.
Who is Black Adam’s nemesis?
While he has yet to appear in the DCEU, Black Adam is by no means a low-level villain. His nemesis is none other than Shazam, widely known as Captain Marvel in the past. Their rivalry stems from their shared history of receiving powers from the wizard Shazam.
Not only is the hero Shazam his main rival, but the entire Marvel family is under Black Adam’s nemesis. The DCEU probably won’t delve deep into this story, however, as Black Adam is initially a solo act in this continuity.
When did Black Adam debut?
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Die Marvel-Familie wird dann beauftragt, den neuesten Heldentaten von Black Adam ein Ende zu bereiten. Die Geschichte ist den Zahlen nach im Vergleich zu heutigen Maßstäben aber ein etablierter Bösewicht für die kommenden Zeiten und bleibt der erste Auftritt für den Charakter.
Was sind die Kräfte von Black Adam?
Black Adam’s powers spell the same “Shazam” as his counterpart, but his derives from Egyptian gods. These are the Endurance of Shu, Swiftness of Horus, Strength of Amon, Wisdom of Zehuti, Strength of Aten, and Courage of Mehen.
Unlike Captain Marvel/Shazam, Black Adam very rarely transitions into his base appearance, meaning he is generally in an empowered state. Since he had supreme human abilities prior to gaining his powers, being as Black Adam also enhances his previous abilities.
Who created the character?
The character is synonymous with DC Comics, but his debut was for Fawcett Comics. The men credited with Black Adam are writer Otto Binder and comic artist CC Beck. Of the two, Binder came up with the character, but it was Beck who drew his appearance.
Binder and Beck’s creation of Black Adam is unique in that Beck was also the artist for Shazam, while Binder was the co-creator of the Marvel Family. Both worked together to develop this character.
What teams was Black Adam a part of?
While his film sees him having to work with the Justice Society of America, Black Adam has a very long history of joining teams in the comics ranging from good guys to bad guys. He was a member of the Justice League and the Injustice League, along with a variety of other teams of varying affiliations.
In addition to the Justice League and the Injustice League, Black Adam has been part of the Legion of Doom, the Black Marvel Family, the Injustice Society, the Justice Society of America, the Secret Society of Super Villains, the Monster Society of Evil, and the Suicide Squad.
What is Black Adam’s background?
As with almost every comic book character, Black Adam’s background varies by writer. Continuity set in in the original The Marvel Family #1he was an ancient Egyptian named Teth-Adam who twisted the power bestowed on him and took five thousand years to fly back from his banishment.
Upon its reintroduction in The Power of Shazam!, Black Adam was still Teth-Adam, but the son of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II and the sorcerer Shazam was the high priest. In the New 52 reboot, he was revealed to be a slave boy named Aman whose uncle Adam had shared his power and eventually overcame his nephew’s personality.
It’s more than likely that Black Adam’s portrayal will be similar to other characters in the DCEU. For versions that differ in style and personality, fans can refer to a range of works that have produced different interpretations of the character.
This includes appearances in The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Young Justice, Justice League Action, and as a playable character in the video game Injustice: Gods Among Us.
Does Black Adam have any weaknesses?
Black Adam has no obvious weaknesses like Superman with Kryptonite, with the character’s limitations generally being related to his opponent’s power. One of the ways he can be defeated – although this varied between stories – is intended to cause him to take back his human form, which is thousands of years old and will kill him.
That being said, Black Adam is not one of those characters whose weaknesses can be exploited, and he generally loses to characters whose own powers exceed Black Adam’s. This makes him a sure bet to win an overall combat scenario as there isn’t much his enemies can turn against him.
Did the DCEU always plan a Black Adam solo movie?
As the vast catalog of DC Comics properties is adapted for live-action, it seems like their bond is ever-changing. Unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DCEU does not include all characters in the same timelines and has several standalone projects. Black Adamhowever, seems connected to the larger DCEU as a whole with a few familiar faces in the film.
The character was not originally intended to appear in a solo film at all. Black Adam was supposed to make its first appearance in Shazam, opposite his comic book nemesis. However, shifting the focus to allow Black Adam to have his own film allows audiences to see him as an anti-hero rather than a villain, and it allows for a more thorough exploration of the character. Dwayne Johnson can be credited with suggesting that the two characters get their own solo films rather than attempting to combine their origin stories into one film.
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