Black Adam is a fictional supervillain appearing in DC Comics. He is the archenemy of the superhero Shazam, formerly known as Captain Marvel. Black Adam has a long and complicated history in the DC Universe, often wavering between being a supervillain and antihero.
Shazam
Black Adam’s most famous rival is Shazam, formerly known as Captain Marvel. Shazam gets his powers from ancient Egyptian gods when he speaks the word “Shazam”, becoming a powerful hero. Black Adam also derives his powers from the same gods, gaining super strength, speed, stamina, and magic when he speaks the word. This makes the two characters perfect foils.
Black Adam and Shazam have clashed many times over the decades. Their battles are usually epic, shaking cities and leveling buildings. While Shazam represents the ideals of goodness and justice, Black Adam is a more violent antihero who will readily kill his opponents. Shazam often tries to appeal to Black Adam’s humanity and convert him to the side of good. However, these efforts mostly fail due to Black Adam’s tragic backstory and short temper.
Key Points About Their Rivalry
- Both got powers from the same ancient Egyptian gods
- Shazam represents idealistic good, Black Adam is a violent antihero
- Their battles cause immense destruction
- Shazam tries to appeal to Black Adam’s humanity
- But Black Adam usually remains a villain due to his tragic past
Their opposition is ideological as well as physical. While Shazam retains a childlike innocence about justice and heroism, Black Adam has become cynical after centuries of tragedy. This fundamental philosophical conflict underlies their every battle.
Origins of the Rivalry
Black Adam and Shazam were not always rivals. In fact, Black Adam was actually the first champion empowered by the ancient Egyptian gods. Originally, he was a hero in ancient Egypt named Teth-Adam.
Teth-Adam received his powers from Shazam, an ancient Egyptian wizard. But when Teth-Adam’s corrupt rule as pharaoh came to light, the wizard banished him to the most distant star in the universe. There Teth-Adam stayed for centuries, until returning to earth as the bitter villain Black Adam.
Only after banishing Teth-Adam did Shazam decide to empower another champion many centuries later, when Billy Batson became Captain Marvel in modern times. Captain Marvel did not know about Black Adam at first. It was only when the two champions finally clashed that their iconic rivalry was born.
Key Points About Their Origins
- Black Adam was originally Teth-Adam, the first champion empowered
- He ruled Egypt as pharaoh, became corrupt, and was banished by Shazam
- Only centuries later did Shazam grant powers to new champion Captain Marvel
- When Captain Marvel and Black Adam met, their rivalry ignited
So while their powers came from the same source, across the centuries Black Adam’s anger and corruption turned him into the archenemy of the younger, purer superhero granted those same abilities much later.
Major Battles
Black Adam and Shazam have fought many memorable battles over the years. Here are some of the major conflicts between the arch rivals:
Power of Hope
In this 2007 story, Black Adam declares war on the world after his family is killed. With new ally Isis, he takes over the fictional country of Kahndaq. A global alliance of heroes tries to stop him. Shazam and Black Adam engage in a massive battle that shakes cities and levels buildings across the globe. But it ultimately ends in a stalemate.
Black Reign
In this 2005-2006 storyline, Black Adam takes over Kahndaq again and murders millions of people in anger. With his allies the Four Horsemen, he slaughters many of the world’s heroes. Shazam returns from the afterlife and battles Black Adam, but Shazam is de-powered when Black Adam steals the magic that grants him his abilities.
52
In this 2006-2007 series, Black Adam continues ruling Kahndaq while the depowered Shazam watches from the sidelines. After another superhero convinces him that Black Adam’s family would disapprove of his actions, Shazam returns to battle and defeats Black Adam by removing the magic scarab from which he draws his powers.
Justice Society Returns
In this 2003 storyline, Black Adam joins the Justice Society of America wanting to turn over a new leaf. But he soon becomes dictatorial and battles the Justice Society members. He clashes with Shazam and other heroes in a destructive fight. In the end, Shazam banishes him to the far reaches of space.
As these major storylines show, Shazam and Black Adam have played out their rivalry for decades in comics, with many earth-shattering fights but no final resolution to the conflict.
Other Notable Rivals
While Shazam is his archnemesis, Black Adam has also notably clashed with other major DC heroes over the years:
Superman
Black Adam and Superman have battled many times. Since they have similar power sets, their fights are usually quite destructive. In some stories, Superman tries to appeal to Black Adam’s humanity but fails. In others, he must team up with Shazam to battle Black Adam. Their rivalry highlights Superman’s struggle to always save lives versus Black Adam’s harsher willingness to kill.
The Justice League
As an assemblage of DC’s greatest heroes, the Justice League has often lined up against Black Adam when he threatens world peace. This has created memorable conflicts where the entire Justice League struggled to match Black Adam’s strength and ferocity. These battles test the League’s resolve and ingenuity.
The Justice Society
The Justice Society has a long history with Black Adam, whom they have fought ever since he was reintroduced in the 1970s. As DC’s original superhero team, the Justice Society acts as a moral force against Black Adam’s rage and corruption. Their most famous clashes came when Black Adam joined but then betrayed the Justice Society.
While Shazam remains his ultimate nemesis, Black Adam has cemented his reputation as a villain by battling DC’s most iconic heroes and super teams over his long history.
Conclusion
Black Adam’s chief rival is the superhero Shazam. Their bitter rivalry stems from the fact they gained the same powers from ancient Egyptian gods, but Shazam retained his heroic purity while Black Adam became corrupted into a supervillain. They have battled countless times over control of Earth, with massive destruction as a result. While Shazam represents idealism, Black Adam represents tragedy, anger and corruption. Their philosophical conflict fuels battles that have shaped the DC universe for decades. Black Adam has also notably fought enemies like Superman, the Justice League and the Justice Society. But it is his legendary clashes and rivalry with Shazam that define who he is in the pantheon of villains.